AMELIA’S P.O.V

I was at Caleb’s faster than anyone could have thought humanly possible and the entire way there, my brain conjured all the possible scenarios. He sounded excited over the phone which I chose to interpret as him having good news for me but I couldn’t be sure until I actually saw him.


He was waiting for me outside the house and the moment he noticed me, he pulled me in. It was just Caleb, Clara and I in the living room and I noticed some papers scattered all over the table. There were over twenty of them and I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was going on.

“I think you might want to sit for this one,” he told me and I hesitated before doing as he asked. I was itching with curiosity but I forced myself to remain silent. “I did as you asked and I spoke to Kaden’s mother. It was not easy and she was not the most accommodating but she told me where Kaden had met Nadine. I couldn’t go myself but I sent some pies to get some information and they came back with something worth looking into.”

“Please just tell me what it is, I cannot take any more suspense,” I mumbled. They had no idea what staying in that house overnight was like and if I had my way, I was never going to do it again. “Is the memory a lie or something?”


“No, there is proof that a girl named Nadine lived there but there is also proof that she died. She fell off a cliff and a funeral was held in her honor. The cost for the funeral came from this pack but it was refused by her family.”

My brows furrowed. “I thought she was a rogue, she didn’t have any family.”


“That is what I thought as well but I found something very suspicious. Nadine had a sister, apparently they looked so much alike that people thought they were twins. There are two years between them and according to the sources, she was pissed about the death and wanted revenge.”

Awareness settled on me like a cold blanket and my eyes widened. “What is her name?”

By the time I left the house, I had newfound knowledge but no idea how I was going to use it. I still didn’t know what leverage she had over Kaden that was making him act the way that he was but I was determined to find a way around it and break it. It only worked once she was close to him, his attitude always seemed to change once she spent some time alone with him.

I made my way to the office with the intention of meeting Kaden since he wasn’t answering his phone but he wasn’t there. I was growing increasingly frustrated but I had no intentions of giving up. This was my mate and I was going to do everything possible to right what had been wrong.

I sent him a text asking to meet me at the clearing behind the house. I didn’t know where he was but I was almost certain that he would see it. I could only hope that he would be in control long enough to come to me. I wasn’t sure what I was doing but I knew that whatever it was, I was going to do my best to help him.

I had classed but I skipped them and waited cross legged on the ground by the stream. It was almost an hour later when I heard footsteps making their way closer. Out of excitement, I turned only to find Nadine standing there. She was wearing a long maxi dress and she had an amused smirk on her face.

“Is this where you go to hide out now?” she teased. “I don’t know why but I expected more from you. Have you given up so quickly already?”

“Get out, Nadine. I want nothing to do with you and I have nothing to say.”

“Good, so maybe you can listen,” she moved closer into the clearing. “You are going to leave Kaden and I alone. This does not concern you and I will do everything to get you out of my way if I find that you are ruining my plans.”

“What plans?” I asked but she remained silent. “Do you mean your plans to avenge your sister?”

I saw hurt and shock flash across her eyes but she was quick to hide it. I wasn’t sure where Kaden was but I could only hope that he was close by so he could hear this conversation. I knew I could wrangle a confession out of her if I tried.

“I know everything, Natasha,” I spat her real name at her and she flinched. “You may have dyed your hair to match Nadine and pretended but I know the truth and soon, Kaden will too.”

This time, she laughed loudly. “You don’t see it yet, do you? I have Kaden eating out of the palm of my hand. He will not know a thing. He killed my sister and I will make sure to return the favor.”

“I assure you that you will not succeed. I will fight you every step of the way and Kaden will see you for who you truly are.”

“Is that so?” she mused before glancing over her shoulder. “Kaden, honey, why don’t you come out?”

I watched as my mate walked out of the woods but there was something off about him. His movements seemed almost robotic and I could get into his mind no matter how hard I tried. He just stood there with a blank expression and his eyes fixed on Natasha as if waiting for her instructions.

“Male werewolves are more primal than females, did you know that?” she asked as she made her way over to Kaden and placed an arm on his. I wanted to scream at her to let go of him but my mouth couldn’t move. “It is very easy to trigger a wolf’s animalistic side. I just needed the right herbs on my skin to alter my scent, I needed the right words and I needed a witch. All of that made it possible for your mate to be mine. Why do you think he spent so long at my bedside?”

It all made sense now and I couldn’t believe how stupid I was that I didn’t notice it before. She was grinning from ear to ear while Kaden stood there looking like her personal robot.

“I wanted to kill him at first, but you know what I think would be worse, if he kills you. He will never forgive himself for that especially considering the fact that he killed my sister already,” she grinned wide. “Kaden, honey, you see that woman standing there, she insulted me. I want you to kill her.”

Kaden started moving without hesitation and he was coming close to me. I wanted to run but I knew I would only trigger his primal side more. He was an Alpha and he would see me as prey. I had no idea what the hell I was doing but I stood my ground.

“Kaden,” I kept my voice soft and I saw something crack in his eyes but he still didn’t stop moving. “You don’t have to do this.”

He stopped in front of me and for a second, I thought I had gotten across to him when his hands reached out to wrap around my throat. He lifted me with ease and I clawed at his hands trying to get some air into my lungs while Natasha laughed. Kaden’s eyes were pure black but ever so often, I would see a flash of emotion.

“He is going to watch the life leave your eyes,” Natasha exclaimed from behind us. “His pack will turn on him and he will lose everything. If you were not such a prude, Amelia, perhaps we could have been good friends. This isn’t personal, I hope you know that, I just need to get revenge for my sister. I wish it didn’t have to end this way.”

She was a terrible liar and it was indicative from her wicked smile and the glint in her eyes. This wasn’t about her sister as much as she wanted to think, she enjoyed the violence and the pain, she thrived off it and I knew watching this was giving her the utmost pleasure. I tried my best to fight him off but Kaden was much stronger and I couldn’t get him off me.

“Let me,” I heard my wolf say in my head. I was losing consciousness fast.

“What good will that do? He is under her control. We cannot do anything, he doesn’t remember us.”

“I can break into his mental wards, remember? Let me go this. This is our only chance.”

I conceded control to her immediately and I felt a warmth wash over me as my consciousness slithered into Kaden’s. I couldn’t have explained it even if I wanted to but one second I was in my mind and the next, I was in his. His mind was a dark hole save for one spec of bright light but it seemed dim. I gravitated towards that light and opened my eyes so that Kaden could see the sincerity in them as I spoke.

“It is alright,” I whispered and I felt him shudder. “I know you can’t control this and I don’t blame you for any of this. I forgive you and I love you.”

My vision was darkening and it was a chore trying to keep my eyes open but I knew my wolf was offering me most of her strength because if this failed, then it was all over. Despite my weakness, I managed to lift my hands so I could cup his cheeks.

“I love you, Kaden, and that will never change. I am sorry it took this long to realize that something was wrong.”

His body shook violently and I could feel him trying to fight the effects of whatever she had done to him but he just wasn’t strong enough.

“I know you love me too and if I have to die for you to break through this then I will. I just need you to promise me one thing, and that is that if I die, you will make sure that she does as well because she doesn’t get to do this to us.”

“Amelia,” he managed out through the bond and I gave him a watery smile. “I can’t stop.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered because truly it was. “Just do what you have to do. I can take it.”

His eyes welled with tears and that was the last thing I remembered seeing before it all went black.