Mai’s P.O.V.
Their silence was suffocating.
The man—my supposed father—stood frozen, his hand half-raised like he wanted to reach for but didn’t dare. The woman—my supposed mother—had tears brimming in her eyes, her lips slightly parted, trembling as if she were about to say sothing but couldn’t find the words. And the boy—the one who looked like —just stood there, staring at like he’d seen a ghost.
I didn’t move.
I didn’t speak.
Beside , Liam was just as still, his fingers curled into the fabric of my sleeve.
One of the cops continued explaining from where Becky had stopped.
"Mai was attacked by unknown assailants and hospitalized for a while. According to the doctors, the trauma she endured during the attack might have caused her mory loss. As for Liam... we still have no idea what happened to him."
The woman—my mother, apparently—let out a choked breath. The man’s face darkened with sothing close to grief, and the boy’s hands clenched at his sides.
"Attacked? My baby was attacked?" The woman cried. "Who would do sothing like that to her?" The police had no answers, while the man—my father—jaws tighten so much in anger that it looked like he was a breath away from killing soone or sothing.
My stomach twisted uncomfortably. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like the way they were looking at —like I was soone they had lost, soone they desperately wanted back. But I didn’t know them. They were strangers.
And strangers couldn’t claim .
"Mai..." the woman whispered, her voice cracking. "No. No, this can’t be happening. You know . You have to know !"
I took an unconscious step back. The panic in her voice made my skin prickle.
Liam stiffened beside . I felt the way his fingers twitched against my sleeve, gripping just a little tighter. He didn’t like this either.
The man—Lucian Blackwood—ran a shaking hand down his face before leveling with a desperate gaze. "You’re my daughter," he said. "Mai, you’re my daughter. And Liam... your parents have been looking for you for months now. You’re not strangers to us. You belong with us."
Liam let out a quiet breath beside .
I swallowed hard.
"I need proof. For all I know you might be lying." I said, voice calm but firm. I didn’t know these people. I didn’t trust them. The only thing that made sense—the only thing that felt real—was Liam.
Lucian exhaled sharply and reached into his coat, pulling out sothing. A phone.
"I don’t expect you to believe us without proof," he said. His fingers swiped quickly over the screen before turning it toward .
A video played.
It was of a little girl—. I knew it was because of the silver eyes staring back through the screen. She was laughing, running barefoot through a massive garden, her curls bouncing wildly around her face. A boy was running behind her—my brother. The boy was bright, happy. He was grinning, calling after her.
The screen changed to another video—this ti, the sa girl was perched on her father’s shoulders, squealing as she held onto his hair while he spun her around.
More photos. More mories that I didn’t recognize. with a woman who looked so much like . with my parents, our heads pressed together, grinning at the cara. Then there was a photo of Liam and I as kids, having fun at a playground.
Liam inhaled sharply.
I felt his grip on tighten.
I didn’t want to believe them. But the evidence was right in front of .
Liam’s voice was quiet. "This... doesn’t feel real."
My father’s jaw clenched. "It is real."
My mother wiped at her tears. "Liam, your parents... they aren’t here right now, but they’ve been inford. They know you’ve been found."
Liam flinched. I could feel his heartbeat through the air between us.
Lucian turned to the officers standing nearby. "I want to take them ho. Both of them."
The officer hesitated. "Technically, Liam—"
"I am a friend of his family," Lucian said, voice hard. "And this is my daughter’s best friend. His parents will be contacted, but until then, I’m taking responsibility for him. And besides, I am a well known public figure, I won’t go about kidnapping children. If there is sothing that doesn’t feel right in the future, you can always contact my company."
There was a bit of silence.
Then, the officer nodded.
Liam and I turned to Becky.
Her lips pressed together, and she forced a small smile. "Guess this is where we say goodbye for now, huh?"
My throat tightened. Becky had been the kind soul who took us in when we needed soone. I didn’t want to leave her but Becky looked so happy for us that I couldn’t argue with her.
"I’ll co back," I said.
Liam nodded. "We both will."
Becky’s smile softened. "You better."
My parents said thank you to Becky and even tried to give her sothing for her kindness towards us but she refused and told them she was happy to be of help when we needed her.
Becky hugged . Then Liam. Then stepped back, watching as we were led to the car.
The car ride was tense.
My mother kept turning to look at , her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Don’t worry, sweetheart," she murmured. "Your mories will co back soon."
My father nodded. "It’s only temporary. Whatever happened to you both, we’ll figure it out. We’ll help you rember."
Even the boy—my brother—nodded in agreent. "You’re my twin sister, Mai," he said softly. "No matter what happens, I will help you rember ."
I didn’t answer.
Liam and I were pressed together, a silent agreent between us that we weren’t letting go of each other.
We didn’t trust them.
Not yet.
The estate was massive.
The gates alone were intimidating—towering, wrought iron with intricate carvings of wolves. Beyond them, a long driveway led to a breathtaking mansion, surrounded by lush gardens and stone pathways. Guards stood at every entrance. The air itself felt charged, heavy with power.
I barely had ti to take it all in before a crowd appeared.
People—so many of them—rushed toward the car as soon as we arrived. Their expressions were mixed. So looked relieved. Others... not so much.
The weight of their stares felt heavy and suffocating.
The whispers slithered through the crowd like venom, each word a slow, poisonous drip into my veins.
"She’s back."
"After everything she’s done..."
"She’s lucky the Alpha’s her father."
"Poor Liam."
I clenched my jaw, my fingers instinctively tightening around Liam’s.
He squeezed back.
He didn’t let go.
The people surrounding us blurred, their faces a mix of relief, suspicion, and barely concealed anger. But my focus was only on him—on the only real thing in this overwhelming, unfamiliar world.
I barely had ti to register what was happening before a woman ca sprinting through the crowd, her wails slicing through the tension.
Tears stread down her face as she crashed into Liam, arms locking around him like she could keep him from slipping away again. "Oh, my baby! My boy! Thank the Goddess!"
A man followed closely behind, his face pale and stricken, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
I didn’t need anyone to tell who they were.
Liam’s parents.
Liam didn’t move.
He stood stiffly in her embrace, his arms hanging limp at his sides. His breath hitched, but there was no recognition in his bright blue eyes.
My stomach twisted.
She pulled back slightly, her hands cupping his face, pressing desperate kisses against his forehead, his cheeks, his scars. "You’re ho, sweetheart. You’re finally ho."
But Liam...
Liam didn’t say a word.
The color drained from the woman’s face. Her hands trembled against his skin. Then, slowly, realization dawned.
"No," she whispered.
Her fingers curled inward as she took a shaky step back, shaking her head like she could deny what was right in front of her. "No, no, no... Liam, it’s , baby. It’s Mama."
Liam swallowed hard. I felt the movent where our hands were still locked together. He opened his mouth, but no words ca out.
A silence so thick, so raw, settled over the crowd.
And then my father spoke.
"He lost his mory."
A sharp gasp escaped Liam’s mother, and for a second, she swayed on her feet. Her husband caught her shoulders, steadying her.
She turned back to Liam, her expression crumbling, the light in her eyes flickering out.
And then—
She turned on .
I barely had ti to react before she was in my face, her expression twisting from devastation to fury.
"You."
Liam stiffened beside , but I was frozen in place, trapped beneath the weight of her burning gaze.
"You did this to him!" she spat, her voice raw, broken. "You ruined my son’s life! And now—now you’ve taken his mories too?"
Liam took a step forward, putting himself between us, his grip on my hand tightening.
But the damage was already done.
The stares intensified. The whispers turned sharper, crueler.
My father stepped in, his voice firm, controlled. "That’s enough, Mara."
Her head snapped toward him, her grief warping into sothing desperate, sothing wild. "No, Alpha! I don’t want her near him! I don’t want her within thirty miles of my son, do you hear ? Keep her away from him!"
Sothing inside cracked.
My chest felt too tight, my breath too shallow. The weight of a hundred eyes—of a hundred unspoken accusations—bore down on like an avalanche.
Liam turned to his mother, his voice quiet but firm. "She didn’t do anything."
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