The Memory Eater's Mate

Chapter 2: The Alpha King's Arrival

I felt him before I saw him.

The mate bond, broken and twisted as it was, flared to life in my chest like someone had pressed a burning coal against my ribs. Three years of silence, three years of blessed numbness, and now it screamed at me that he was close.

Too close.

I stood from my chair so fast it clattered to the floor. My cabin suddenly felt too small, the walls pressing in. Through the window, I could see the forest path that led to my door, and my wolf was already pacing inside me, torn between running toward him and running away.

"No," I whispered to the empty room. "Not yet. I'm not ready."

But ready or not, Kieran Vale was coming. I could feel him getting closer with every second, the bond pulling tighter like a noose around my throat.

I'd known this moment would come eventually. You don't steal an Alpha's memories and expect him to just forget about the gaps. Especially not Kieran, who'd always been stubborn, always needed to understand everything, control everything.

But I'd hoped for more time. Time to prepare. Time to build stronger walls around my heart.

Time to decide what the hell I was going to do when he finally showed up at my door.

A knock echoed through the cabin.

My heart stopped.

For a moment, I considered not answering. Pretending I wasn't home but I could feel him on the other side of that door, could feel his confusion as the bond pulled at him without him understanding why.

I took a breath, smoothed down my shirt, and opened the door.

Kieran Vale stood on my porch, and the sight of him nearly broke me all over again.

He'd changed in three years. Grown harder, sharper. His dark hair was longer, touching his collar. His jaw was covered in stubble. He wore all black, the clothes of an Alpha King, not the casual training gear I remembered. And his eyes, those amber eyes that used to look at me like I was his entire world, now looked at me like I was a stranger.

Because to him, I was.

"Are you Sage?" he asked. His voice was deeper than I remembered, rougher.

I forced myself to meet his gaze, even though it hurt. "Depends on who's asking."

"Kieran Vale." He said it like I should be impressed. Like the name should mean something. "Alpha King of the Northern Territories."

"I know who you are." Everyone knew who Kieran Vale was. The ruthless Alpha King who'd united fractured packs through strategy and force. The man who showed no mercy to those who opposed him.

They didn't know he used to laugh at my terrible jokes. Used to bring me wildflowers he'd picked on patrol. Used to whisper that he loved me while we watched the stars but I'd erased all of that. Made sure he'd never remember.

"Then you know why I'm here," Kieran said.

He stepped closer, and I had to fight the urge to step back. The bond was screaming now, begging me to touch him, to close the distance. "I need your help."

"I don't work for Alphas," I said coldly. "Especially not Alpha Kings who think they can just show up and demand things."

Something flickered in his eyes. Surprise, maybe. People probably didn't say no to him very often anymore.

"I'm not demanding," he said, and I heard the frustration in his voice. "I'm asking. I'll pay whatever price you want."

"And what exactly do you need from a memory keeper?"

Kieran's jaw tightened. "I have gaps in my memory. Three years worth of gaps.

Someone with abilities like yours took them, and every witch, seer, and healer I've consulted says you're the only one who can get them back."

My heart pounded. This was it. The moment I'd been dreading and anticipating for three years.

"Maybe those memories were taken for a reason," I said, echoing what Marcus had told him. "Maybe you're better off without them."

"That's not your decision to make." His voice hardened, slipping into that Alpha tone that expected obedience. "Those memories are mine. I want them back."

"And if I refuse?"

Kieran stepped even closer, and suddenly we were just inches apart. The bond blazed between us, and I saw his eyes widen slightly, saw confusion cross his face. He felt it too, even if he didn't understand what it was.

"Why do I..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "Every time I get near you, I feel like I'm drowning and breathing at the same time. Like something's pulling at my chest. What is that?"

My throat tightened. He could feel the broken bond. The severed mate connection that should have died completely but somehow still lingered, still connected us in this twisted, painful way.

"Probably just indigestion," I said, stepping back. Creating distance. "I'll help you. But not because you're ordering me to. Because I'm curious about what kind of memories someone would want to steal from the great Alpha King."

Liar. I knew exactly what memories I'd stolen. Every single one.

Relief crossed Kieran's face. "Thank you. When can we start?"

"Not here. Memory work like this, especially recovering what was taken, requires entering the Memory Veil. It's dangerous, and I need to prepare." I crossed my arms. "Come back in three days."

"Three days?" Kieran frowned. "I don't have three days. There have been assassination attempts, and I think they're connected to whatever I can't remember."

That stopped me cold. "Assassination attempts?"

"Three in the last month. Each assassin mentioned finishing what should have been done three years ago." His voice was grim.

"Whatever I forgot, someone really doesn't want me to remember it."

My mind raced. Three years ago was when I'd erased his memories. Was someone trying to kill him because of what happened between us? That didn't make sense. Unless...

Unless someone knew what I'd done. Someone who wanted to keep Kieran in the dark.

"Fine," I said. "Tomorrow night. But I have conditions."

"Name them."

"First, you come alone. No guards, no Beta, no one. The Memory Veil is hard enough to navigate without extra people." And I couldn't handle seeing Marcus right now, couldn't handle my brother's anger and disappointment. "Second, you do exactly what I say when we're in there. One wrong move and we could both get trapped in corrupted memories forever. And third..."

I looked him directly in the eyes.

"Whatever you see in those memories, whatever you learn about yourself, you can't blame me for showing you the truth. You asked for this. Remember that."

Kieran studied me for a long moment. "Why do I get the feeling you know more about my missing memories than you're letting on?"

Because I'm the one who took them, I thought. Because I'm the mate you destroyed and forgot.

"Everyone has secrets, Alpha King," I said instead. "Even you. Especially you."

He didn't look satisfied, but he nodded. "Tomorrow night, then. Where should I meet you?"

"There's a clearing half a mile north of here. The one with the old oak tree split by lightning. Be there at midnight."

"Midnight," Kieran repeated. He turned to leave, then paused. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask. Doesn't mean I'll answer."

"Have we met before? Before today?"

My heart stopped. "Why would you think that?"

"Because when I look at you, I feel like I should know you. Like I'm forgetting something important." His voice was soft, almost vulnerable. "And it's driving me insane."

I wanted to scream. Wanted to grab him and force every memory back into his head. Wanted to make him remember how he'd looked at me that night, how he'd chosen duty over love, how he'd destroyed us.

But I just smiled sadly. "Everyone feels that way when they meet a memory keeper. We deal in what's lost. It makes people uncomfortable."

Kieran didn't look convinced, but he didn't push. "Tomorrow night, then."

He left, and I closed the door, sliding down to the floor as my legs gave out.

Three years. I'd survived three years without him. Built a new life, learned to control my power, convinced myself I was over him but five minutes in his presence and I was eighteen again, broken and desperate and still stupidly in love with the man who'd rejected me.

Tomorrow night, we'll enter the Memory Veil. Tomorrow night, I'd have to guide him through fragments of his past without letting him see the most important memory of all.

Tomorrow night, I'd have to watch him not recognize the girl he'd once loved.

A knock at my door made me jump. For a second, I thought Kieran had come back. But when I opened it, I found my brother Marcus standing there, fury written across his face.

"He was here," Marcus said. It wasn't a question. "I felt him cross into the Hollows. Tell me you sent him away."

"I can't do that."

"Sage, no." Marcus grabbed my shoulders. "You can't help him. You can't give him back what he doesn't deserve."

"He's being hunted, Marcus. Someone's trying to kill him because of what he can't remember."

"Good," Marcus spat. "Let them. After what he did to you..."

"He doesn't remember what he did!" I pulled away from my brother. "And maybe that's worse. Maybe living with gaps in his memory, feeling like something's missing, maybe that's the punishment he deserves."

"Or maybe," Marcus said quietly, "you just want an excuse to be near him again."

I couldn't deny it. Couldn't lie to my brother, who'd picked up the pieces after Kieran shattered me.

"I have to do this," I whispered. "I have to know... if he can love me without the mate bond. Without fate forcing his hand. If I give him back those memories and he still chooses Lyanna, then I'll know. I'll finally be able to let go."

Marcus looked at me with such sadness. "And if he chooses you? If he falls for you all over again, but only because you're hiding the truth? Is that really the second chance you want?"

I didn't have an answer.

After Marcus left, I sat alone in my cabin and felt the mate bond pulse weakly in my chest.

Tomorrow night, everything will change.

Tomorrow night, I'd guide Kieran Vale through his stolen memories and pray I was strong enough to keep my own heart from breaking all over again.