My Alpha Forced Me to Forget Him Chapter 03

My Alpha Forced Me to Forget Him Chapter 03

The next morning, I woke with a pounding headache.

I’d dreamed about something the night before. But when I tried to remember it, everything was buried beneath a layer of fog. Only scattered fragments remained.

There was one thing I noticed, though.

The pain in my chest wasn’t nearly as unbearable as it had been yesterday.

The ache where my mate bond used to burn had dulled.

It wasn’t completely gone, but it no longer felt like my heart was being ripped apart.

Maybe the Lethe Elixir was finally taking effect.

I stepped out of the guest room. A familiar scent drifted through the hallway.

Not flowers. Tea. Sweetened with a touch of honey.

Ryker emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with two steaming cups of floral tea. He was smiling.

He was already handsome enough.

Whenever he smiled like that, he looked infuriatingly gentle.

“I made this myself.”

He bowed dramatically like a waiter.

“Would our master florist be willing to give it a taste?”

I froze. The scene felt painfully familiar.

Whenever I arranged flowers, he’d always come over asking me to teach him about colors and fragrances.

He used to say,

“Mates should appreciate each other’s passions.”

“Since you’re the florist, I want to be your very first audience.”

For a brief moment, my wolf stirred.

I reached for the teacup.

Then Selene’s cheerful voice floated out from the living room.

“Ryker! This tea is amazing!”

“You’re spoiling me first thing in the morning!”

Her laughter rang through the house.

I finally understood. The tea hadn’t been made for me at all.

He’d simply poured me a cup while serving hers.

The faint warmth on my face disappeared instantly.

I was still smiling. But my wolf had already turned away.

Ryker noticed the change in my expression.

He opened his mouth, clearly intending to explain.

Before he could speak, Selene skipped over holding a small stuffed bear.

“Ryker! This little wolf is adorable! You made it yourself? I’m going to treasure it forever!”

I stopped breathing.

The stuffed wolf in her hands was identical to the one sitting in my bedroom.

The same fabric. The same uneven stitching.

Just a few days ago, when Ryker had given mine to me, he’d smiled proudly.

“There’s only one in the world.”

A low growl rumbled from deep inside my chest.

My wolf growled.

Not from heartbreak. From rage.

I slowly turned toward Ryker.

The color drained from his face.

He grabbed my wrist and hurriedly pulled me toward the front door, lowering his voice.

“Elara. It’s not what you think. Hers was custom-made. I didn’t make two of them. I—”

I jerked my hand free. Then I laughed.

The wolf he’d given me had perfectly even stitches. Every seam was flawless.

His hands had still been trembling when he presented it to me.

He’d lied.

“Oh?” I tilted my head.

“So mine came from an online shop?”

“Or did you ask someone else to sew it?”

His lips parted. No words came out.

I didn’t wait for an explanation. I turned and walked away.

Each step felt like I was walking across shattered glass.

The place where our mate bond had once pulsed was strangely quiet.

It’s okay. I told myself.

Once the Lethe Elixir completely erased the bond, none of this would matter anymore.

I sat alone outside on the stone steps. My fingers trembled as I unlocked my phone.

I called Raven Cross. “Wanna grab a drink?”

That evening, I found myself sitting alone in an underground wolf bar in the Shadow District. A glass of whiskey rested in my hand.

Heavy rock music shook the walls.

The air smelled of alcohol, sweat, gunpowder… and wolves.

Several drunk pack members were throwing darts in the corner.

Someone burst into loud laughter.

Another wolf dragged a chair across the concrete floor with a piercing screech.

Ever since Ryker and I had sealed our mate bond, I’d convinced myself to settle down, to live quietly as the future Luna of the pack.

It had been a long time since I’d come somewhere like this.

Looking back now, I had been so naive.

My thoughts drifted to that night by the sea.

Rain had poured without mercy. Selene had fallen into the raging water.

Without hesitation, Ryker dove in after her.

My wolf had sensed danger before I even thought. I jumped after them.

It happened during a full moon.

The ocean had driven my wolf nearly feral.

Even so, I still dragged both of them safely back to shore.

That night, Ryker finally accepted me as his fated mate.

And from then on, my entire world revolved around him.

Then there was the car accident.

He’d thrown himself in front of me. Several ribs had shattered.

His back had been burned so badly that even his wolf struggled to heal.

I stayed beside his hospital bed night after night.

Despite the agony, he’d smiled at me and whispered,

“Elara… I’m still alive because you’re my mate. The Moon Goddess gave me the greatest gift.”

Back then, I believed every word.

Back then, I truly believed nothing could ever break our mate bond.

Now? I was just tired.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Elara.” A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts.

Raven dropped into the seat across from me with her trademark cocky grin.

“I thought once you became Alpha Ryker’s Luna, you’d never set foot in a place like this again.”

I smiled faintly before emptying my glass in one swallow.

Then I told her everything that had happened over the past two days.

I expected to cry. Expected my wolf to howl in agony again.

But she didn’t. Neither did I.

When I finished speaking, an eerie calm settled over me as if none of it had happened to me at all.

Raven cursed Ryker with every insult she knew before refilling my glass.

“You know what Selene’s been doing all these years?”

She lowered her voice.

“Everyone in Alpha circles knows.”

“She’s been sleeping around with one powerful Alpha after another. The only reason she crawled back now is because she ran out of options.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Seriously?”

Raven didn’t answer immediately.

She studied me for several long seconds. Then she quietly asked,

“Elara…”

“Does the Lethe Elixir really work?”

“Do you… really not love him anymore?”

I blinked.

Without thinking, my hand drifted to my chest.

That place where my mate bond used to ache, where my wolf used to cry day and night.

Now there was only silence.

I stared into the amber liquid swirling inside my glass.

My voice was barely louder than a whisper.

“…Do I really…not love him anymore?”