Unveiling the past

With a gasp, I awoke in an unfamiliar state. My eyes, once familiar, were now pale, and the world around me seemed both strange and disconcerting. I found myself standing in the middle of nowhere, naked and vulnerable.

Walking with uncertainty, I felt like a newborn discovering the world for the first time. Everything was foreign, and the sense of bewilderment hung heavy in the air. As I meandered through the emptiness, a passing car caught my attention.

The car came to a sudden halt, and an elderly lady stepped out. "Lady Iris, are you okay?" she inquired with concern. I pointed at myself, the name Iris feeling foreign on my lips. "Iris?" I questioned, my confusion evident.

The woman, perceiving my vulnerability, took off her coat and wrapped it around me. With gentle reassurance, she guided me into the car, driving me to what she referred to as the pack house. Despite her efforts, my confusion persisted, and as we approached the pack house, my gaze fixated on the entrance.

I was confuse. Who was Iris? What was my name? 

The elderly woman guided me into the pack house, the scent of familiarity lingering in the air. As we stepped inside, my gaze fell upon a man standing in the center of the room. His presence emanated authority, and the woman addressed him as Alpha Vance.

When Vance's eyes met mine, recognition sparked within him. With an exclamation of relief, he moved towards me, grabbing me in a tight embrace. "I have missed you," he declared, genuine warmth in his voice.

However, the sense of recognition eluded me, and a strange unease settled in. Hitting Vance's shoulder, I insisted, "No, put me down." Vance, perplexed by my reaction, complied but questioned, "What's wrong?"

Confusion etched my face as I asked, "Who are you?" The air in the room shifted, an unspoken tension lingering. Vance's expression shifted from joy to concern as he grappled with the realization that the Iris he knew was not the one standing before him.

"Iris, it's me, Vance," he tried to reassure, but my lack of recognition only deepened the mystery of my altered identity. The elderly woman, sensing the tension, intervened, offering an explanation about finding me in a state of disarray.

Vance, still grappling with the situation, studied my pale eyes and the uncertainty etched on my face. "What happened to you?" he inquired, searching for answers that even I couldn't provide.

I stared at him with a mix of confusion and wariness. "I don't know who I am," I admitted, the weight of my fragmented identity casting a shadow over the reunion. The room fell silent, the air thick with unspoken questions, as Vance looked at me with surprise. 

He quickly turned to a guard and said, "Get the pack doctor now." The urgency in Vance's command resonated through the room. The guard, sensing the gravity of the situation, hurriedly left to fetch the pack doctor.

As we waited in tense silence, Vance glanced at me with a mixture of concern and determination. The mysteries surrounding my sudden appearance and apparent memory loss had created an atmosphere thick with uncertainty.

Soon, the pack doctor arrived, a seasoned figure with an air of authority. Vance wasted no time in explaining the situation, emphasizing the urgency of understanding the cause behind my baffling state.

The doctor examined me, asking a series of questions in an attempt to unravel the enigma that had befallen me. Despite his efforts, the answers remained elusive, leaving an unsettling void in the room.

Vance, Selene, and the pack doctor exchanged worried glances, grappling with the perplexing nature of my condition. 

The doctor, after a thorough examination, shook his head in bewilderment. "I've never seen anything like this before," he admitted, the weight of uncertainty echoing in his words.

Confusion lingered in the air as Vance grappled with the reality that my memory seemed to have been wiped clean. 

His attempts to jog my recollection proved futile, and the inexplicable nature of my situation left us all in a state of disquiet.

The door creaked open, and Selene entered the room. Her presence brought a sense of comfort, and her appearance was striking. 

Selene was a woman with an air of strength, her features etched with determination. Dark, flowing hair framed her face, and her eyes held a mixture of concern and familiarity.

She cradled a baby in her arms, a sight that should have stirred memories. "Do you remember this?" Selene asked, her voice gentle as she revealed the baby in her arms. I glanced at the infant, noting the innocence in its features, but the connection I should have felt eluded me.

"The baby is cute, but I don't remember sorry," I admitted, my gaze returning to Selene with a sense of regret.

Vance, sensing the need for clarity, stepped forward. "My name is Vance," he introduced himself, a flicker of hope in his eyes. "And this is your best friend, Selene, and our son, Jacob."

As Vance spoke, my gaze shifted between their faces, a flood of emotions washing over me.

Amidst the uncertainty, Selene approached, her eyes searching mine for any flicker of recognition. "Remember anything at all, Iris?" she asked, a mix of worry and hope in her voice.

I shook my head, frustration gnawing at the edges of my consciousness. "It's like there's a fog in my mind, and I can't see through it," I admitted, grappling with the inexplicable void where memories should have resided.

Vance, standing beside me, placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "We'll take it one step at a time," he reassured, a quiet resolve underlining his words.

Just as the atmosphere seemed to grow heavier with uncertainty, the pack doctor, deep in thought, suggested a different approach. "Sometimes, certain herbs can trigger memories or emotions," he proposed, his eyes fixed on a collection of herbs in the corner of the room.

Selene nodded in agreement, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "It's worth a try. Anything to help Iris remember."

The pack doctor prepared a concoction, a blend of herbs with purported memory-stirring properties. As I hesitantly took a sip, the room held its breath, waiting for a sign, a spark of recognition.

A sudden rush of images flooded my mind—flashes of a moonlit night, the scent of pine in the air, and a feeling of warmth and belonging. It was as if a door had cracked open, allowing a glimpse into a past that had been shrouded in darkness.

"Iris, do you remember something?" Vance asked, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.

The memories, however, were fleeting, slipping through my grasp like grains of sand. "It's there, but... it's slipping away," I confessed, frustration lining my voice.

As the room buzzed with a mix of excitement and disappointment, an unexpected figure entered—the elderly woman who had found me in the void. She carried a small, intricately crafted box and approached with a knowing smile. "Sometimes, memories are tied to objects," she suggested, opening the box to reveal a delicate piece of jewelry—a moon-shaped pendant.

The moment the pendant caught my eye, a surge of familiarity washed over me, accompanied by a clearer vision of a moonlit night and the echo of a distant howl.

"My… mother… She gave this to me the night she died, right?" I asked Vance, my voice laced with a mix of confusion and sorrow.

Vance nodded, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "Yes, you are getting it," he affirmed, recognizing the glimmer of remembrance in my eyes.

As the fragments of my past began to coalesce, I felt an overwhelming flood of emotions. Memories surfaced, not just as Iris, but as another, someone named Nadia. The realization hit me like a tidal wave—my true identity was Nadia, and the memories that resurfaced were a tapestry woven with love, betrayal, and tragedy.

I remembered the joy of carrying Lucian's child, the anticipation of motherhood. The bitter taste of betrayal when Lyra schemed against me, poisoning not only my body but also the trust between friends. The pain of losing everything in the blink of an eye as I succumbed to a poison meant for another.

Tears welled up in my eyes, each drop carrying the weight of a lifetime of heartache. Vance, sensing my turmoil, urged the others to give us a moment. He extended a comforting embrace, but as he pulled me close, a reflexive flinch escaped me.

"Iris, darling, it's me," Vance whispered, his voice filled with a tenderness that tugged at my heart. I wanted desperately to correct him, to utter the name Nadia, but the words remained lodged in my throat.

Looking into the mirror, I beheld a reflection that seemed both familiar and foreign. The features were delicate, the skin pale, and the essence of a powerful werewolf pulsed beneath the surface. How was this possible? The questions swirled in my mind, a cascade of uncertainty.

Vance, still holding me, observed the internal struggle etched across my face. "It's okay," he reassured, sensing the turmoil within. "We'll figure this out together, no matter who you are."

As I gazed at the mirror, the truth echoed within me—I was Nadia, reborn with memories that transcended a single lifetime. 

"No we would not," I stayed as I looked at him. "We would not because I am not Iris. I am not your mate"