CHAPTER 4: ELIJAH

Elijah

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Felix leaned on the large executive desk in my office. “Just allow her to heal your wolf, and she can vanish from your life.” He let out a seethed breath of frustration. “I know you still don’t believe her because you felt nothing for her, but that’s how amnesia works; sometimes you also lose feelings for your lover, especially when it’s not love at first sight.”

Felix kept blaming my cynicism, insisting I was doubting Anna was my wife.

But my problem with Anna ran far deeper than doubt. After returning from the hospital and rummaging through my things, I stumbled across Anna’s diary. I discovered something unsettling.

Not only did I discover that I had never loved her, but I also found out Anna had manipulated me into marriage with a fake pregnancy. She also resorted to blackmail, threatening to take her life if I ever left her.

And then there was a line in the diary that haunted me. “If I can’t have him, no one will.” The words impelled me to face a horrifying possibility—Anna might have had something to do with my death.

Now, she was back, taking advantage of my amnesia, acting like we were inseparable lovers. But her actions didn’t add up, cooking meals with ginger and making sandwiches with cheese—foods she knew I was deathly allergic to.

What kind of wife does that? Except she was trying to kill me. So how could I leave with a woman who is attempting to murder me? My chest tightened at the thought that I had to get rid of her. I should have told Felix, but he was more focused on healing my wolf than anything else.

As Felix’s incessant nagging wore on my nerves, I responded curtly, “Fine, I’ll give her a chance.” fully aware I had no intention of doing so.

Felix flashed a smile. “On to other things. The pack unity event is going to be held in the next four days. You have to attend.” He scrolled through his tablet. “Also, you have a meeting with the Elders of the pack; you haven’t seen them since you left the hospital.”

“Pack unity event?” I arched my brows.

“Yeah. It’s an event where the Alphas of five boroughs of New York come together to celebrate peace treaties and alliances,” Felix explained. “You and Anna have to attend that.

A scowl formed on my face. If I were to introduce her as my Luna, getting rid of her might become more difficult.

But before I could protest, Felix cut me off. “All Alphas would be with their Lunas. Do you really want to walk in there looking abandoned and alone?” He sighed out. “You’re not paying me enough for this,” he teased, massaging his temple. “You know Alphas without their Lunas are perceived as weak? So except you want to be looked down upon, Anna goes with you.”

“Can’t I just sit it out?” I questioned, fiddling with my pen. “I don’t want anyone finding out about my amnesia.”

The fact that I would see people’s faces that ought to be familiar, be like strangers. And they would have memories of me, while I have nothing of them, tightened my chest.

Also, if anyone knew about my amnesia, they could take advantage of it and easily lie, and I would have no choice but to believe. My stomach churned as I understood more and more how vulnerable I was.

“You can’t; you need to start settling as The Alpha of the black moon.” Felix’s voice hardened. “Some members are disappointed that your father still decided to make you the Alpha instead of Colt.” He narrowed his gaze. “You need to start proving you are the better option and you are capable of protecting the pack.”

I took in a sharp inhale as I ran my hands through my hair. His words tightened my chest, stirring different emotions.

Disappointment. Frustration. Resentment. They all interplayed to make me a chaotic mess. I still don’t know why the old man chose me—someone who had abandoned the pack for whatever reason—over Colton.

Was it pure nepotism, or did he actually think I was capable? I couldn’t even remember what transpired between my father and me that made me run to the Netherlands. I didn’t know what drove me away.

But what I knew—since the pack and business were his legacy, I had to uphold them. It’s the least I could do for being a horrible son.

What gnawed at me most was that I could recall basic facts—the courses I took, the names of some random professors—yet I could barely conjure a clear image of my father or the people and moments that should have defined me. The memories, no matter how I tried to reach out to them, I could never, but their traces left behind a hollow ache in my chest.

“I’ll send a file to you; it has all the names and important things you should know about the Alphas. You don’t need to worry much about Elders; knowing their names would suffice. You haven’t been around for six years; it's understandable if you don’t remember anything about them.” He handed me the tablet. “But this Alpha you need to pay attention to; he was our roommate in Lycora Academy, so you ought to remember him.”

Wrapping my fingers at the edge of the tablet, I took the tablet and stared at the Alpha’s profile. “Nathan B**e, Alpha of the Red crescent ,” His name sounded heavy on my tongue, and my body twitched like it remembered something my mind didn’t. I swung my gaze to Felix. “Was he a friend?”

Felix chuckled. “Let’s say if you had your memory, you would have skinned him alive.”

“Why?”

“You said he stole something from you—but you never said what.” Felix lifted himself from the seat. “Well, that’s a story for another day; we have our meeting with Elder John,” he said, adjusting his suit.

Rising to my feet, a chill of uncertainty rocked my core. Felix had told me that Elder John didn’t like me—but it was expected since I had abandoned the position and fled to the Netherlands years back.

While leaving the office with Felix, my phone buzzed in my pocket, interrupting my clouded mind. I glanced at the screen—Anna had sent a message: What do you want for dinner?

The audacity of her. This woman doesn’t know when to give up. I grimaced, but the anger was fleeting. Something about the simplicity of the message…It made me pause. I should have ignored it, but rather the memory of her came rushing back.

I remembered the look in her eyes when I said those words—words meant to push her away. Then there was the warmth of her body when I carried her off the floor and tucked her into the bed last night. How hurt could she have been to sleep on the floor?

A subtle, acrid heat burnt in my chest, but quickly I squashed it. No, I reminded myself. Anna was a manipulator. Everything could be a game. I might have fallen for her deceits once, but not this time. Not again.

My mind jerked back to reality as I knew what I had to do—get rid of her.