Chapter 16 Another woman
Zoe's POV
Ryan stared at me for a long moment.
Then his face softened. Just a little.
"Come with me," he said quietly. "I want to show you something."
"Where?"
"Somewhere special. Somewhere that might help you remember."
He took my hand. Gentle this time. Not demanding.
We walked through the pack house. Down the stairs. Out the back door.
Into the garden.
It was beautiful. More beautiful than anything I'd ever seen.
Flowers everywhere. Red. Yellow. Purple. Pink. The smell was sweet. Almost too sweet.
A stone path wound through the garden. Ryan led me along it.
We walked in silence. Just the sound of birds. The wind in the trees.
Then he stopped.
In front of us was a huge tree. Old. Thick trunk. Branches spreading wide.
"This is it," Ryan said softly. "Our tree."
I looked up at it. "Our tree?"
"Yes." He stepped closer. Touched the bark. "Come here. Look."
I moved beside him.
There, carved into the trunk, were letters.
R + O
Forever
With our secret promise
My breath caught.
Ryan traced the letters with his finger. So gentle. So loving.
"I carved this the night I proposed to you." His voice was thick with emotion. "Right here. Under the full moon."
"Ryan..."
"You were so happy. You cried. Laughed. Kissed me until we couldn't breathe." He smiled at the memory. "And then we made a promise. A secret promise. Just between us."
My heart pounded. "What... what promise?"
He turned to look at me. "You don't remember?"
I shook my head slowly.
His face fell. "Nothing? Not even a little?"
"I'm sorry. I don't..."
"We promised..." His voice cracked. "We promised that no matter what happened, we would always find our way back to each other. That nothing could ever separate us. Not war. Not death. Not anything."
Tears filled his eyes.
"You said those exact words to me, Olivia. You said... 'Even if I forget everything else, I will never forget loving you.'"
The words hit me like a punch.
This man. This Alpha. He loved her so much.
And I was standing here. Pretending to be her. Breaking his heart.
"But you did forget." His voice was barely a whisper now. "You forgot everything. You forgot us."
"Ryan, I..."
"Do you know how that feels?" He turned away. His shoulders shook. "To have the person you love most in the world look at you like a stranger? To touch them and feel... nothing?"
"It's not nothing..."
"Then what is it?" He spun back around. His eyes were red. Wet. "Because it feels like I lost you twice. Once when you disappeared. And again when you came back."
My own tears started falling. "I'm trying. I'm really trying."
"Are you?" His voice was hard now. Angry. "Because it doesn't feel like it. It feels like you don't want to remember. Like you're pushing me away on purpose."
"That's not true..."
"Then what is true?" He stepped closer. "Tell me, Olivia. Tell me what's really going on."
I couldn't. I couldn't tell him.
So I just stood there. Crying. Silent.
He watched me for a long time.
Then his face changed. The anger faded. Replaced by something sadder. Softer.
"I'm sorry." He wiped his eyes. "I shouldn't have... I know this isn't your fault."
"Ryan..."
"You're right. You need time. And I need to be more patient." He took a deep breath. "This season... it's been so painful. Losing you. Finding you. But losing you all over again in a different way."
He reached out. Pulled me into his arms.
"But I promise. I promise I'll be more understanding. We'll figure this out together. Okay?"
I buried my face in his chest. Felt his heartbeat. Strong. Steady.
"Okay," I whispered.
He held me tight. So tight.
"I love you," he said into my hair. "I'll always love you. Even if you never remember."
Those words broke me.
Because I wasn't the person he loved.
I was just a copy. A fake. A lie.
We stood there under the tree. Under our initials that weren't really mine.
His arms around me. My secret between us.
Then... a voice.
"I'm backkkkkkkk." Someone called out, stretching the word back like she's playing with it.
A woman's voice. Young. Beautiful. Clear.
Coming from behind us.
Ryan froze.
His arms went stiff around me.
Slowly, he turned.
I turned too.
A woman stood there at the edge of the garden.
She was stunning. Long dark hair. Bright eyes. A smile on her face.
She looked at Ryan. Then at me.
Her smile didn't fade. But something in her eyes changed.
"Hello, Ryan," she said sweetly. "Did you miss me?"
Ryan's face went white. Completely white.
His mouth opened. Closed. No words came out.
The woman stepped closer. Her eyes fixed on me now.
"And Olivia." Her voice was like honey. "Been a minute ."
My blood went cold.
Who was this woman?
Why did Ryan look so shocked?
So scared?