My Mate Is My Brother.

The Fake Bloodline.

"You'll understand exactly what he's talking about by the time we're done with you," my mother cut in. "Now get out before I rip apart that face you used to bewitch Alphas. Do you really think we don't know why you came? You came here to seduce him and win him over again."

I smirked before adding,

"I don't know who you are. Get out."

I grabbed her by the neck, yanked her to her feet, dragged her to the front door, and shoved her out of the penthouse.

"I never want to see you in my pack again. Get out of here. You're nothing but a narcissistic, selfish b***h who cares about no one but yourself."

~Oceana's POV ~

When I tell you my heart shattered seeing my mate deny me and say things I couldn't even understand in front of everyone, I truly mean it.

I was still trying to understand whether I was really looking at Gerard or someone else who simply looked exactly like him.

Who was this Alpha standing before me with Gerard's face?

Was I looking at his double?

What stunned me the most and confirmed that everything I was seeing was real was the sudden appearance of my worst enemy.

Emily.

What was she doing here? Were she and Gerard still together?

"My, how the mighty have fallen. Did you really think I would have left him by now? I bet you're surprised that I'm still Ivy's wife. In fact, I even gave him a son."

"Emily," I muttered.

"Do you know her?" Gerard asked, frowning at her.

"Yes. You may not remember her, but she made our lives miserable. She even tried to poison me and nearly killed me."

So, while I had spent all these years searching for my mate...He had been with Emily the entire time.

Why doesn't Gerard remember me?

"YOU'RE LYING!" I shouted as I sprang to my feet. "So you're the one who's been filling his head with all these lies!" I pointed directly at Emily. "I'm not stupid, so tell me, what did you do to make him forget everything we shared? He doesn't remember anyone, not even me. What did you give him? What did you tell him to turn him against me? Why does he suddenly believe my family is the enemy of his family? None of this makes any sense. Where is all of this even coming from?"

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Princess Oceana," she sneered. "You're trespassing where you don't belong. Besides, the world knows you as Ivy's sister, so stop..."

"His name isn't Ivy. It's Gerard."

"Don't call him by that devilish name your father gave him. His real name isn't Gerard. You claim to know him so well, yet you don't even know the name he was born with or the truth behind his birth. What a joke. You're unbelievably stupid."

"You f*****g liar, Emily!" I yelled. "I don't know what lies you've fed him, but I won't stand here and..."

"Of course you won't," Gerard interrupted coldly. "And I've had enough of you. Leave."

He pointed toward the gate.

Everyone around us mocked me, laughing as though I were some insane wolf who had completely lost her mind.

"Have you really forgotten me, Gerard?" I whispered. "Why are you pretending you don't know who I am?"

"Of course I don't f*****g know you," he snapped. "The only thing I know about you is that you made my life miserable. Whatever your name is, get out of here before I tear you apart."

His glowing red eyes burned with fury as he raised his hand toward me.

"Be gone."

"Watch out, Oceana!" Carmine shouted.

He shoved me out of Gerard's line of sight just as the force of Gerard's power blasted past me, tearing the cars behind me into pieces.

~ Carmine's POV ~

We returned to my mansion and walked into the living room. I collapsed onto the couch in complete disbelief. My entire body felt cold to the bone. Everything that had just happened felt unreal.

I couldn't process any of it.

My hands trembled violently as tears streamed down my face.

"You saw it yourself, Oceana. He tried to kill you with his powers. Stop letting your emotions control you and start thinking clearly. No one is going to save you. You're on your own now. Use your head instead of your heart."

"What am I supposed to do?" she shouted back. "My mate doesn't remember me. He almost killed me. Emily manipulated him into believing I was the villain. Everyone lied to him. His whole life is built on lies. Why did he lose his memories? Gerard felt like a completely different person. It was as though he'd never known me."

"Didn't I tell you not to go to him? I warned you it was pointless. I knew this would happen."

Then realization suddenly struck her.

"You knew where Gerard was," she shouted.

The look on my face must have given me away.

"WHAT THE f**k?" she cried. "You knew this entire time, Carmine! You knew where he was! How long have you known? What else are you hiding from me? Why would you put me through all this pain? What did I ever do to deserve this?"

"HE LOST HIS MEMORIES!" I roared.

She froze.

"What?"

"Why are you acting so surprised? Did you think this was some kind of joke? He doesn't remember you, me, our parents, or our clan. He remembers nothing."

She slowly collapsed onto her knees as tears poured down her face.

"Do you understand now? Did you really think Amoux was lying?" I laughed bitterly as I paced around the room.

"This is exactly why I never told you. What was I supposed to say? That I'd found him, but he had no idea who either of us was? It hurts me too, Oceana. He may never recover his memories. Twenty years of living together... every memory we shared... Gerard forgot all of it. The man you met today isn't Gerard anymore. He's Ivy Thorne now. That's who he believes he is."

"They... they changed his name," she sobbed. "As though he were nothing more than someone's property."

"It hurts me just as much knowing I've lost my brother. So don't stand there acting as though I don't care."

"But you knew all this time, Carmine. I spent years suffering and searching for him while you stayed silent. That hurts."

"His birth name is Johannes Gutenberg. He's an Alpha and the rightful heir of the BaRoque Pack, which is now known as the Dragon Pack. He was only eight years old when Father took him hostage and brought him into our realm, where he adopted him as his own son. We both know the truth. Everything they've told him is a lie. They're manipulating him and molding him into someone else. The Alpha you saw today wasn't Gerard, it was Ivy Thorne."