– Chapter 178

Helene

When I wake up, still sprawled on the hotel room floor with a terrible ache in my head, I don’t pause to search for Selene or Arabella. I know they aren’t there any longer, and I know Arabella will be coming back for me once she’s done with Selene.

I sense all of this in the same way I sense that my young pupil is not in any immediate danger. There is no explanation for how the knowledge arrives in my head, and I’ve long since given up trying to understand the magic. Wasting even one moment wondering how I can tell that Selene is captive but unharmed, is one more moment I could be looking for her.

I have my suspicions about the she-wolf’s plans for my student, and one thing is clear: though Selene might be alright now, she won’t be for long. Gathering my few belongings, I leave the hotel as fast as I can, instead driving to the apartment where Selene and I traced her mate.

I don’t have a shifter’s heightened senses, but I was watching when Selene ran down the fire escape earlier today, and I easily remember she came from the top floor of the building. I can feel the presence of a single sleeping wolf inside, but I don’t want to enter and risk letting Arabella come home and catch my scent. Reaching out the tendrils of my power, I close my eyes and concentrate, sending out a magical summons powerful enough to rouse even the deepest of sleeps.

As soon as the spell is complete, I enter the cafe across the street from the apartment building, and wait. It’s only a few minutes before Selene’s mate appears, looking deeply confused. I draw him to my table without a word, then stand to greet him. “Hello Bastien.” I say warmly.

“I’m sorry,” He frowns, shaking my hand, “but do I know you?”

“We’ve met once.” I inform him gently, “but I’m guessing you wouldn’t be able to remember even if I reminded you of the occasion.”

The huge man rubs the back of his head, “yes.” He slowly agrees, “I’ve been having trouble with my memory lately.”

“That can happen, when you’re being fed memory potion every day.” I remark, having come to this conclusion only after hearing Selene recount their interaction earlier today.

“What are you talking about?” Bastien inquires, sounding suspicious but open to my explanation. That fool Arabella has clearly been overdoing it. He knows something is wrong with him, but she’s keeping him in too much of a fog for him to figure out the truth.

“You cannot trust the woman you are living with.” I announce simply. “She is making you forget all the details of your life so she can trick you into marrying her.”

“What?” Bastien objects, furrowing his brow, “I”ve known Arabella since she was a pup – she wouldn’t”

“If you’ve known her since she was a pup then you know she’s a spoiled, selfish brat with a mean streak a mile wide.” I interrupt. “And you know she’s not acting like herself right now, and she’s been working very hard to keep you in Tartarus when you know you need to return home.”

He stares at me in shock, “Who are you?”

“I’m a friend.” I explain, “And I want to help you.” Folding my arms on the table in front of me, I continue, “Let me ask you this, young man. Does Arabella prepare your drinks for you? Does she make you coffee in the morning or cocktails in the afternoon? Do you watch her do it?”

“Yes.” He confirms, the gears whirring rapidly in his mind, “and no.”

“Alright.” I nod, “you need to start. I’m going to give you something that should serve as an antidote to any potion she’s using to keep you forgetful, but there’s a chance she’s using something rarer than I’m prepared to counter.” I place a small vial on the table between us, filled with a draught I had the lucky foresight to concost while Selene and I waited for her mate to arrive. “Take a few drops of this every day, but also try to avoid drinking or eating anything you don’t prepare for yourself.”

“Anything, like this concoction?” He remarks, lifting the vial hesitantly.

“Here.” I take the solution back from the Alpha, and pour a couple of drops into my own mouth to show it won’t harm him. “ There’s no risk to you if I’m wrong – either you’ll regain your memory or things will continue as they are.” I promise.

“I still don’t understand.” Bastien admits, looking very conflicted.

“You will.” I assure him, “once you’re back to your old self, it will all make sense again.”

“How can you be so sure?” He asks.

Shrugging, I offer him a wide smile, “I have a way of knowing things.”

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Bastien

It’s been three days since the strange visit I received from the witch, and as odd as the situation seemed, I did as she said. I started watching Arabella like a hawk, and when I caught her tipping something into my coffee from a vial around her neck, I began taking the antidote the woman provided.

It’s taken some time, but as she predicted I’ve been able to remember more and more with every hour that passes. First it’s only small things, flashes from what I suspect is the recent past – of Selene sitting in Arabella’s apartment, of a little girl with two-toned eyes and chocolate on her face. Next it seems like someone is taking an eraser to the fog in my mind, and is ridding me of my confusion starting from the first day I forgot – six years ago.

I can remember meeting Selene now, my father sharing the secret of her bloodline and the early months of our marriage. By the second day I remember my mate’s death, and am only comforted by the knowledge that she isn’t truly gone.

As confusing as it all is, so far nothing explains why Arabella is trying to tamper with my memory. Everything I remember happens the way she said it did – even if my memories make me feel it’s impossible Selene could be the monster Arabella names her. The woman in my memories is so sweet, so genuine and lovable. The mere thought of her dying cuts me to the core.

It’s not until the third day that reality diverges from the tale Arabella told, when I finally recall finding Selene and Lila in Asphodel, and see how hard she fought me when I tried to bring her home. She didn’t come back to me, she ran from me until I literally hunted her down. And she didn’t try to pass off Lila as mine at all, she denied it until she was blue in the face.

I feel as if I’m in the middle of reading a book whose next pages are blank. I can’t wait to remember more, to regain more of my proper senses and figure out why this is all happening. In the meantime Arabella is planning our wedding, suddenly saying we should have it before the week is out so we can finally start our lives together.

She’s currently showing me swatch after swatch of flower arrangements, asking for my opinion even though I couldn’t care any less about something so frivolous. When I don’t respond to some question or another, she emits a beleaguered sigh. “Honestly Bastien, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you didn’t care about our wedding.”

She has no idea how right she is. Now that I remember how amazing Selene is, Arabella seems obnoxious and vapid in comparison. I’m spending every last moment fantasizing about my mate, and wondering how I was ever convinced to leave her and come here in the first place. Part of me wants to interrogate Bella until she gives me the answers I crave, but a voice in the back of my head – one that sounds oddly similar to the witch’s – urges me to use caution. Wait it out. It encourages, just let the truth come to you, then you can act.

Watching me with an odd look on her face, Arabella pales. “You’re starting to remember, aren’t you?” She asks.

“What?” I feign ignorance, returning to the present so abruptly I almost wince. “Of course not, I would have told you.” I insist, conjuring a small smile.

She shakes her head. “He warned me this might happen.”

“Who warned you?” I clarify, “that what might happen?”

“I’ve been increasing the dose frequently, but my potion maker said you might grown immune to the effects after such significant exposure.” She frowns, seeming to admit her scheme so suddenly I can only blink. “That’s why I got a bit of insurance.” She continues, pulling out her phone, “after the last slip up, I knew you might need some extra encouragement to get down the aisle.”

“Bella, what are you talking about?” I ask, truly worried now.

“Say hello to Selene, sweetheart.” Arabella instructs me with a sly smile, turning her phone to face me. “I’ve been keeping her on ice for you.”

The small rectangular screen is lit up with a video of Selene, who is sitting chained in a dark room, glaring up at the camera mounted on the wall above her head. Suddenly I understand the lengths Flynn’s little sister is willing to go to in order to get what she wants. It wasn’t enough to steal my memory – now she’s kidnapped my mate.

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