Chapter 155: Wipe Her Memory

\[Raelyn’s POV\]

Jean stares at Osiris’ stepmother, her expression filled with unease.

“W-what are you talking about? You said if I helped get Raelyn here, you would let my mother go!”

“Circumstances have changed,” the woman shrugs. “Since Osiris is no longer in the picture, the only person who can be heir is my Ray, but I already know that old man will fight him. That’s why I need your help.”

At her words, I feel my heart starting to race, as though I already know somewhere deep down what is to come.

“If Ray produces heirs it is more likely the old man will go along with things.” She explains, and my bad feeling is confirmed. “I need you to do a bit of memory bending.”

“Mem…memory bending,” Jean repeats, her voice cracking. “I can’t… How could I…”

“If you refuse to do it, then I will make sure that your mother does it.” Osiris’ stepmother shrugs. “All you have to do is erase Osiris’ involvement with this woman from everyone’s mind, and I will make sure to handle the rest.”

“I refuse!”

The words leave my lips before I can stop them, but I don’t care.

“What the hell do you even think you’re trying to do?”

“It’s simple.” Osiris’ stepmother smiles. “You will be helping my Ray take the place of Osiris. We will make it so the old man doesn’t remember that you are carrying that bastard’s spawn and make him believe that your pups belong to Ray.”

“And you think I will just go along with that?”

This woman was clearly out of her mind. She was bat shit crazy to believe that I would just go along with her like that.

Even if Osiris’ grandfather didn’t remember my involvement with Osiris, that didn’t mean that I wouldn’t.

“You will,” she confirms, turning her gaze to Jean once more. “And this woman will make sure of it.”

“What?” Jean hisses, her eyes widening. “What are you talking about?”

“You will erase this woman’s memories of Osiris and make her believe that she was always in love with Ray. If you refuse to do that, then I will simply make your mother do it, but I fear if I did, she may not make it.”

May not make it… Was something wrong with Jean’s mother?

“Please,” Jean begs, crawling toward Osiris’ stepmother. “Please don’t…ah!”

She doesn’t finish her sentence before the woman is kicking out, sending Jean flying, and when she hits a nightstand, she lets out a gasp.

“Make your choice,” she says slowly as Jean sits up. “Either you are with me or you are against me, and I think you have already seen what happens to people who do that.”

“Stop it,” I growl, unable to continue watching. “How can you possibly think that your plan is going to work when Osiris is out there?”

“Is he?” She asks, turning to me and smiling. “Do you really believe that he survived the avalanche?”

For a moment, I don’t speak as I process what this woman is saying. Let her words sink into me and even then I don’t quite believe them.

“He wouldn’t,” I say quietly. “He wouldn’t be defeated that easily.”

“Believe what she wants.” She shrugs. “But by now he is most certainly dead.”

“He’s not.” I growl, unwilling to believe such a thing. “There’s no way that he is. I’m certain if he was, I would feel it.”

“And how would you possibly do that?” The man in question's stepmother laughs. “It isn’t like the two of you have completed your mating ceremony yet. Now,” she continues, turning her gaze to Jean. “Have you made your decision?”

Growing quiet, she stares at the woman who seems to be completely broken, and when her gaze turns to mine and I see the apology in it, I know what she has decided.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, slowly rising to her feet and heading toward me. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t…”

“I know,” I tell her, not faulting her for doing what she must to protect her mom. “You should do what you feel is best.”

‘Are you out of your mind?’ Talula demands, coming to join the conversation. ‘Are you just going to let her wipe your memory and…’

‘I believe that Osiris isn’t dead.’ I respond, keeping my gaze fixed on Jean as she reaches me and presses her hand against my forehead. ‘I believe that Osiris is out there somewhere, and when he finds me, he will do whatever it takes to bring my memories of him back.’

It was the only thing that I could do to stop myself from panicking and thinking the worst. It was the only thing that was keeping me from crashing into turmoil.

Only my belief that the man who once promised me that he would do whatever it took to protect me and our pups would keep that promise was keeping me from fighting tooth and nail to stop this.

“Go on,” I tell Jean. “And once you finish, take your mother somewhere far away.”

Nodding, Jean’s dark eyes start to fill with tears as I feel the stirrings of her power inside my head, and when it manages to seep into the deepest recesses of my memories, I let out a hiss.

It hurts.

It feels like red-hot spikes are stabbing into my brain, burning away at the memories that are kept safely there, and with each spark of fiery pain, I see an image of Osiris.

Closing my eyes, I bite down on the scream that wants to escape as Osiris’ image appears again and again, popping up and then disappearing as quickly as it is there and when they slowly begin to get replaced by images of Ray, I feel an odd emptiness inside my chest.

Why? I think, trying to figure out why this strange sensation is here. Why do I feel like this?

“Is it complete?”

I look in the direction of the one who has spoken and I find Ray’s mother standing there staring at me and a woman that I don’t quite recognize.

“What?” I murmur, trying to move, only to find that my wrists and ankles are trapped. “What’s going on?”

“It is complete.” The unfamiliar woman says. “Now please, let me see my mother.”