Chapter 15: The Memory They Stole
1252 Words
Caetano did not answer.
That was the first thing Isadora noticed.
Not anger.
Not denial.
Silence.
The kind of silence that confirmed there was something he was afraid to say.
Her chest tightened.
“Caetano.”
He looked away.
And that hurt more than any lie.
“Tell me.”
The forest around them was quiet.
Too quiet.
Even the wind seemed to have stopped.
“I don’t know everything.”
Isadora’s expression hardened.
“That is not the same as saying you know nothing.”
Caetano looked at her.
“You’re right.”
He took a breath.
“My family hid something from me too.”
She studied his face.
“Another secret?”
A painful smile appeared.
“Apparently, my family built an entire legacy out of them.”
She wanted to laugh.
But she could not.
Because it was true.
Every path they followed led back to another hidden truth.
“My father knew about the Moon Goddess.”
Caetano continued.
“But not the way the stories describe her.”
“What does that mean?”
He looked toward the mountains.
“After the first war between the Eclipse Wolves and the old Alpha bloodlines, something happened.”
“What?”
“The Moon Goddess disappeared.”
Isadora frowned.
“Disappeared?”
“Yes.”
Caetano nodded.
“The wolves believed she abandoned them.”
Her heart moved slightly.
Because those were the same words that had appeared on the stone.
But Caetano continued.
“They were wrong.”
“What happened?”
He hesitated.
“My ancestors made her forget.”
The words landed heavily.
Isadora stared at him.
“Forget?”
Caetano nodded.
“They removed her memories.”
The forest seemed colder.
“Why?”
His jaw tightened.
“Because she knew the truth about the first bond.”
Isadora felt her mark react.
“What truth?”
Caetano looked at her.
“That the mate bond was never meant to force two people together.”
A pause.
“It was meant to reveal a choice.”
She listened carefully.
“The first wolves changed it.”
“They changed the bond?”
“Yes.”
Caetano’s voice became quieter.
“They turned something that connected souls into something that controlled them.”
Isadora looked away.
Everything was beginning to connect.
The fear.
The obsession with bloodlines.
The need to control.
“But why erase her memories?”
“Because she tried to undo what they created.”
Her eyes returned to him.
“The Moon Goddess wanted to break the system?”
“Yes.”
“And your family stopped her?”
Caetano looked down.
“My family believed they were saving the world.”
A bitter laugh escaped him.
“Everyone says that.”
The words reminded them both of how many times they had heard the same excuse.
Isadora looked at him.
“Do you believe them?”
Caetano did not answer immediately.
“No.”
The honesty surprised her.
“I think my family was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
He looked at her.
“Losing control.”
The answer felt familiar.
Because it was the same thing she had seen in Alvaro.
In the first Ribeiro Alpha.
In every person who tried to control Eclipse power.
Fear.
Always fear.
Before Isadora could respond, a strange sound came from the territory.
A bell.
Old.
Ancient.
Both of them turned.
Caetano immediately recognized it.
“The council.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means they want everyone inside.”
They returned quickly.
The entire territory had gathered in the main hall.
The elders stood in a circle.
At the center was a woman Isadora had never seen before.
She looked human.
But Isadora knew better now.
Appearances meant nothing.
The woman turned when Isadora entered.
Her eyes widened.
“You.”
The word carried surprise.
Caetano stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
The woman ignored him.
She looked only at Isadora.
“You carry her.”
Isadora immediately became defensive.
“Who?”
The woman stepped closer.
“The first Eclipse.”
The ancient voice inside Isadora stirred.
Careful.
For the first time, the Eclipse consciousness sounded cautious.
Isadora noticed.
“What is your name?”
The woman smiled faintly.
“Amara Bellucci.”
Maristela looked shocked.
“Bellucci?”
The woman glanced at her.
“You know my family.”
Maristela swallowed.
“The memory keepers.”
Isadora looked between them.
“Someone explain.”
Amara sighed.
“The Bellucci family has guarded forgotten truths for centuries.”
“And you know what happened to the Moon Goddess?”
Amara nodded.
“Yes.”
Everyone became silent.
“Then tell me.”
Amara looked at Caetano.
Then back at Isadora.
“Your bond was never supposed to happen.”
The words hit her.
Caetano immediately reacted.
“What?”
Amara continued.
“The Moon Goddess did not choose Caetano as your mate.”
The room froze.
Isadora felt like the ground disappeared beneath her.
“What are you saying?”
Amara stepped closer.
“The bond was altered before you were born.”
Caetano stared at her.
“By who?”
Amara looked toward the Ribeiro elders.
Nobody spoke.
That silence was enough.
Isadora’s heart sank.
“No.”
The elders looked away.
Caetano’s expression changed.
“My family.”
Amara nodded.
“The Ribeiro bloodline spent generations searching for the perfect way to control Eclipse power.”
Isadora felt sick.
“And the bond was their solution.”
“Yes.”
The room became unbearable.
Caetano looked at Isadora.
“I didn’t know.”
She looked at him.
And she believed him.
That was the problem.
She believed him.
Because somewhere along the way, despite everything, she had started trusting him.
Amara continued.
“They created a false bond designed to connect an Eclipse Wolf to a Ribeiro heir.”
Isadora whispered:
“So our bond is fake.”
Caetano immediately shook his head.
“No.”
But his voice lacked certainty.
Amara looked at them.
“The origin may have been manipulated.”
A pause.
“But what happened after was real.”
Nobody spoke.
Because that was the most painful answer.
The bond may have been created for a purpose.
But the feelings inside it were their own.
Caetano stepped closer.
“Isadora…”
She stepped back.
Not because she hated him.
Because she needed space.
Her entire life had been controlled by choices made before she existed.
Her birth.
Her identity.
Her bond.
Everything.
Then the mark on her skin burned.
The Eclipse voice whispered:
He is not the chain.
Isadora closed her eyes.
He is the person holding the key.
She opened them again.
Caetano was watching her.
Waiting.
Not demanding.
Waiting.
And that made everything harder.
Before she could speak, the main doors suddenly opened.
A wounded warrior stumbled inside.
“Alpha…”
Everyone turned.
“What happened?”
The warrior fell to his knees.
“The northern border.”
Caetano rushed forward.
“What about it?”
The warrior looked terrified.
“The missing wolves returned.”
Everyone froze.
“Returned?”
The warrior nodded weakly.
“But they are not the same.”
A cold feeling moved through Isadora.
“What happened to them?”
The warrior looked directly at her.
“They came back asking for you.”
A pause.
Then he whispered:
“They said the Hollow has learned how to create Eclipse Wolves.”
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