The Alpha's Forgotten Mate

Chapter 3

The Final Goodbye (Aria’s POV)

—

I stood in front of Tristan, my heart racing. My hands were shaking, but I tried to steady myself. I had come here hoping he would remember me, hoping he would remember us. But with every second that passed, I felt more and more like I was losing him for good.

"Tristan, please," I whispered, barely able to get the words out. "You have to remember. We had a future together. We were going to have a family."

His eyes looked at me, but they weren’t filled with the warmth I remembered. They were cold. He didn’t see me as his mate anymore. He didn’t even see me as the woman he once loved.

"I don’t remember any of that," he said, his voice calm but firm. "I don’t remember you. I don’t remember the child. I don’t remember any of it. I can’t keep pretending, Aria. I’m sorry."

The words felt like a slap to my face. My stomach dropped. I tried to hold back the tears, but they came anyway.

"What do you mean? How could you forget everything we had? How could you forget me?"

“I don’t know you anymore, Aria,” he said, stepping back, his face hard. “I can’t remember anything. I can’t keep pretending that I feel something that’s not there.”

I felt like the world was crashing around me.

"But Tristan, I’m your mate," I said, my voice breaking. "We were meant to be together. We were supposed to have a life, a family. Don’t you remember?"

He shook his head slowly, like I was asking for something impossible.

"I don’t remember any of it," he said.

"And I can’t keep holding on to something that isn’t there."

My chest felt tight. My head spun. I didn’t know what to say.

"You’re my mate," I whispered again, but it felt like the words were falling on deaf ears. "We promised we’d build a life together. Don’t you remember that? Don’t you remember how happy we were?"

He just stared at me, cold and distant.

"I don’t remember," he said, his voice final. "I can’t keep pretending I do."

I didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t know what else to say. The love we had shared was gone, and I had no idea how to fix it. I felt like I was losing everything.

"Tristan, please," I begged, stepping toward him. "I’m carrying your child. You don’t remember that? We were supposed to raise our family together. We wanted this, both of us."

His expression didn’t change. His eyes didn’t soften. "I can’t pretend I remember that, Aria," he said coldly. "I can’t pretend that it matters."

I felt like the ground was slipping from under me. "How can you say that? How can you just throw all of this away?"

"I don’t remember, Aria," he said again, his voice now cold and final. "And because of that, I... I, Alpha Tristan, of Silvercrest Pack, reject you, Aria, as my mate. You are hereby banished from this moment onward. You are no longer welcome here. You no longer belong in my life."

His words hit me like a punch. The world around me felt like it was spinning, and I could barely stand. My knees went weak, and I had to grab onto the wall behind me to keep myself upright.

"No, please..." I whispered, my voice breaking. "Tristan, you can’t do this. You can’t just throw me away. You can’t forget everything like it never mattered."

He turned away, not even looking back at me.

"I’ve made my decision," he said, his voice filled with finality. "I don’t remember you, and I can’t keep you in my life."

Tears streamed down my face as I stood there, staring at him. I couldn’t believe this was happening. He was rejecting me. He was throwing me away, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.

"Please, Tristan..." I cried, but he didn’t turn around. He didn’t even flinch.

I knew I had no place here anymore. I had no place in his life. The man I loved, the one I thought would always be by my side, had turned his back on me. And there was nothing left for me here.

I turned away slowly, my legs shaking, as I walked out of the room. The tears kept coming, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t even know where I was going. I just kept walking, further and further from him, until I was outside, in the cold.

I wandered through the forest, my body feeling weaker with every step I took. The wind whipped through my hair, but I didn’t feel it. I couldn’t feel anything. The pain in my chest was too much. How could he do this to me? How could he forget everything we had?

I stumbled over rocks and branches, but I didn’t care. I kept going, not knowing where I was headed, only wanting to get away from everything. From him. From the pack. From the life I thought I would have.

The world felt so empty now. I had no one left. No home. No mate. The child inside me stirred, but even that didn’t bring me comfort. I felt so alone.

I collapsed to my knees in the middle of the forest, unable to go any farther. My body was drained, my heart broken beyond repair. My breath came in shallow gasps, and the tears wouldn’t stop.

“I can’t do this anymore,” I whispered, my voice lost in the wind. “I can’t keep going. I can’t keep fighting.”

Just as I thought I couldn’t move another step, I heard footsteps. A figure appeared through the trees, tall and strong, his eyes locked on me.

I didn’t know who he was, but his presence was calming, and in that moment, I felt like maybe, just maybe, someone cared.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice soft but firm.

I shook my head, barely able to speak. “No. I’ve been… rejected. I’ve been banished. I’m all alone.”

The man looked at me with kind eyes, his face filled with understanding.

“You don’t have to be alone,” he said. “I’ll help you.”

I didn’t know who he was, but I was too tired, too broken to care. I had nothing left. I reached out, letting him guide me.

“Come with me,” he said softly. “I’ll take you somewhere safe.”

I didn’t know what lay ahead, but for the first time, I felt a flicker of hope.