Chapter Three

"Zenia."

She blinked as the memory faded. Luna Payton sat in front of her, brows furrowed in concern. Zenia didn't remember the walk to the diner. Didn't remember sitting down at a table. Apparently, she did since it's where she was.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"He's here," she replied dully. "My mate. But he doesn't remember me. How could he completely wipe all traces of me out of his mind?"

Payton covered her hand with one of her own. "Sometimes, people are cruel for no reason, but it has nothing to do with you. It's not your fault. You are a sweet, kind woman, and if he can't see that, it's his loss."

"I thought I was getting better," she whispered achingly. "But I feel just as raw as the day it happened. I hate that he did that to me. I hate he can erase all the work in a single moment."

"I know," Payton said. "But you're not alone this time. You have me and you have Jericho. We won't let you fall again."

"Me too!" Esmeralda plopped onto a chair. "What precisely did he say to you?"

"He said he couldn't—"

The old woman waved that away. "No, not that. Before."

"Um. He said I smelled like his mate and he wondered why."

"That's weird," Payton said. "Two people can't have the same scent, can they?"

"No, they can't," Esmeralda murmured. She folded her arms and tapped her chin with a finger. "I bet someone tampered with his mind."

"What?" Payton leaned closer. "Like erased it? Is that a thing?"

"Anything is possible, I suppose. I was thinking of altering events, though."

"But what about the scent?"

"Oh, that part's the easiest to figure out. This supposed mate of his had a scent transfer."

Zenia blinked. "That sounds slightly gross."

"It's a spell." Esmeralda jumped to her feet. "Easy enough. All the person would need is something that belonged to you. Come on, let's visit Savannah."

She practically ran out of the diner.

"I guess I'm holding down the fort," Payton remarked dryly.

Zenia nodded and followed the older woman. When she stepped into the apothecary, she immediately saw Greyden. Every muscle stiffened.

"I see you came to the same conclusion, Alpha."

"A spell?" he said.

"Yep." She popped the p.

"Hello, Zenia," Savannah said softly.

"Hi," she replied, unable to take her gaze off Greyden.

Savannah walked over to him and sniffed. Her nose wrinkled like she'd gotten a whiff of something rotten.

"Dark magic," she said. "Very powerful. How long?"

"Five years," Greyden replied.

"I see."

"Is that a problem?" Zenia asked.

"The longer the spell goes on, the stronger it gets. Throw dark magic in there, and, well, it's not going to want to give you up."

Greyden frowned. "Can you remove it?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I hope so. There might be a potion I can brew, but it needs a couple of hours to ferment."

"All right," he said. "The sooner the better."

"Zenia, perhaps you can talk to him. Remind him of your bond. It might help."

He looked at Zenia. "Would you mind talking with me?"

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Please. I think we're both victims here."

Shewas the victim. Not him. How does a man of his strength and power consider himself a victim? She couldn't look at him. Wasn't able to look anyone in the eye. It was too much. Too many people staring at her with pity in their eyes. The walls started to cave in on her. Turning, she fled, needing space. Needing to get away from all of them. She ran to the woods and slipped under the cool canopy of trees. Running until her lungs burned, she found herself in a clearing. Zenia dropped her knees and that's when she broke down, losing the grip on her emotions. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she knelt there, dragging the crisp air into her lungs.

"Please don't cry."

Startled, she gave a little screech and spun, toppling off her knees. Greyden rushed forward to help her and soon as their skin touched, a lightning bolt shot through her body. He jerked his hands away and looked down at them.

"What was that?"

"You know what that was," Zenia whispered. "Only true mates have attraction like that."

He curled his hands into fists and lowered himself onto the ground. They stared at one another. His jaw flexed, as if trying to hold back his rage.

"Tell me how we met."

His voice was different, and she realized he was in alpha mode. She just stared at him, waiting. He was her mate, and as such couldn't compel her to do anything. After a moment, he closed his eyes, shoulders slumping.

"Please," he begged.

"The day was like this one…"