Talia's POV

Somehow, Ken had convinced me to see the same bloody doctor who would always remind me of Kael's death.


He said getting whatever bit of my memory that could still be retrieved was essential.

I kinda agreed. At least I'd be able to identify anyone from my past and know how to role play Isla properly. By then, it would also come with expectations that I now recognise every single person I come across in this palace.

'Careful there." Ken sympathized as I hit my foot against one of the steps leading to his vehicle.


I was as meek as a lamb for slaughter. He kept my hands in his and kept squeezing reassuringly at intervals.

'Has he ever done something like this before?" I asked Ken nervously. I wasn't still friends with the fact that I was going to be this doctor's next patient, it was some sort of PTSD.


'I can understand how you feel. But I promise that I will die before I let anything else happen to you." My nerves were quite settled. Plus I didn't think it was going to be a big deal.

'Thank you." I bit the inner of my cheek to keep the tears at bay. My whole life now has been about trusting strangers.

We got there faster than I hoped. I thought I had more time to condition my frame of mind to what I needed to be in the presence of that doctor.

'Welcome, Alpha Ken." The little man gave a rattish smile while stealing all the glances he could at Ken and I.

I didn't give a hoot about courtesy with him. He already knew I didn't fancy him.

'Let's get on with it." I snapped him out of his self induced admiration spell.

He looked hurt, but I couldn't care less.

The best I could do right now was beg Moon Goddess to, by some means, grant me part of Isla's memory, no matter how little. If it was just even the basics.

I was asked to wait in the consultation room while he and Ken frolicked about, at least that's how I can describe what they were doing.

Finally, it was time. He brought in the concution in a fancy glass cup. Whoever advised him did well, but it didn't make me any less suspicious of his expertise.

After extracting all the nice words Ken had in his vocabulary, a couple of pleas from both men, and some promises from Ken, I finally downed it.

It tasted like chalk and smelt so pungent. If I wasn't holding my breath in all the while, I could've easily thrown it all up, coupled with the grapes I had this morning.

He asked me to lie immediately as it was supposed to start making me feel dizzy. But I was still alert. Alert enough to know how worried he looked behind the iron rims of his glasses.

'How long did you think it would take before it started to work?" Ken's melodious voice was laced with fear and worry.

I was about to laugh in his face, and finally convince him that this was a quack when suddenly it felt like I was at the edge of a cliff, balancing with my head instead of my legs.

The feeling that washed over me almost made me squirm, but I had no voice.

The last thing I saw before closing my eyes was the doctor's cheerful glee. Stupid man! I replied in my subconscious.

I was experiencing and feeling things in my mind, but I was numb in body, powerless even. I could only struggle with my mind, unfortunately, that couldn't get me help from the outside world.

Then the images came flooding in at once. Surprisingly, I wasn't overwhelmed, they all looked like faces and scenery I knew.

They were scenarios from different timelines. I watched the whole of my history in minutes.

Starting out with me in my favorite floral dress I used to own when I was a toddler, to when I got a bit older Nadia and I started going out with Landon to play with Vance.

Nadia had been a constant house guest at the time.

It advanced to the point where Vance's mom died, the night of her burial was our first kiss. I nearly blushed at remembering how we jammed our noses three times before it finally happened. He later confessed that it's the most beautiful way he had been kissed, making me wonder if it was really his first time too.

Vance became more brute after the death of his mom, but we ended up finding love in each other, furthermore, we were mated, and that really began Vance's and I love story after the death of both our parents.

Landon had always been my big brother, at least that's what our ada used to say. In his defense, he really looked after me as a little girl. Which is why I'd still be baffled at his switching on me right after I got married to Vance. A part of me thought he didn't want the marriage to go on and that was the reason for all the sudden hostility towards me. But it still wasn't reason enough.

Fast forward to how beautiful my life with Vance was until he started placing his need for a male child ahead of our love.

I had borne the pains, scared to tell him about it all the while, even before we got married, for fear that he would think I was a sickler. It wasn't until I was able to hear the pack women gossiping, that I could dig out the fact that it only happened when one's partner was cheating, specifically the male.

I turned to blind eye to it all the while Vance was getting railed, sometimes even at odd times, wee hours of the night, leaving me curious as to who it was.

Till almost third year in, and the most chaotic. I had known that it was Nadia, Vance had been railing. She was no longer as close as she used to be, matter of fact, she saw me more like a competition than as a friend. I kept my distance and also kept my cool for Vance's sake. Till he pulled the stunt where he announced her as the mother of his heir on our anniversary. Even Landon had to stand up for 3me. It was fucking appaling.

The incident passed, but so did the happiness in my marriage, and my friendship with Nadia. I felt betrayed on two counts. She was supposed to be exclusively Landon's, and secondly, Vance was exclusively mine.

It all just went downhill from that point. The most hurtful being when she lost her baby and blamed it on me.

The only reason I had agreed to accompany Vance on that outing was because I had considered giving us a second chance, only for him to invite Nadia and Landon.