Chapter 64: Strangers in Love

Words : 1269 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 64: Strangers in Love Caleb POV The silver fire died out, and I opened my eyes to see a stranger. She was pretty enough, I guess. Brown hair, worried eyes, sitting in the dirt like she’d fallen. But when I looked at her, I felt absolutely nothing. No pull, no warmth, no recognition. Just the mild interest you might have in any random pack member. "Caleb?" she whispered, reaching toward me with shaking fingers. I stepped back automatically. "Do I know you?" The pain that flashed across her face was so raw it made me uncomfortable. Why was some girl I’d never met looking at me like I’d just ripped her heart out? "It’s me," she said, voice shaking. "It’s Lily." Lily. The name meant nothing to me. I searched my mind, trying to place her. Had we met at a pack gathering? Was she someone’s sister? Nothing came to mind. "I’m sorry," I said politely. "I don’t think we’ve been introduced." She made a sound like a hurt animal. Around us, my brothers and the rest of the pack were looking with shocked faces. Even Elder Iris looked pale and shaken. "What’s wrong with everyone?" I asked, annoyed. "Who is this girl and why is she crying?" Aiden stepped forward, his face grim. "Caleb, that’s Lily. Your mate." I laughed, which felt wrong the moment the sound left my mouth. "My mate? I think I’d remember having a mate." But even as I said it, something felt off. There was an empty place in my chest, like something important had been carved out. I kept expecting to feel... what? I couldn’t even remember what I was meant to be feeling. "The Triple Moon power," Elder Iris said softly. "When she used it all to save everyone, it burned away the magical links. Including your mate bond." "We weren’t really mates then," I said, relief rushing through me. "It was just magic making us think we were." The girl - Lily - flinched like I’d slapped her. "No, Caleb. What we felt was real. The magic just brought us together." I studied her face, looking for any spark of recognition. She was looking at me with such desperate hope, like she was drowning and I was her only lifeline. But I felt nothing except slight pity for her obvious pain. "I’m sorry you’re upset," I said carefully. "But I don’t remember you at all. If we had some kind of bond, it’s gone now." She struggled to her feet, swaying slightly. For a second, I almost reached out to hold her. Almost. But why would I touch a stranger? "You saved everyone," she said, tears streaming down her face. "All the wolf ties in the world are pure again because of what I did. Families are back together. Packs are united. Everyone gets to love each other again." "That’s... good?" I said, confused by her tone. "Everyone except us." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I gave up everything, including the person I loved most." Something twisted in my chest at those words. Not recognition, exactly, but an echo of an echo. Like hearing a song you used to know but couldn’t quite remember. "Maybe it’s for the best," I found myself saying. "If it was just magic, then it wasn’t real anyway." The words hit her like physical blows. She wrapped her arms around herself, looking so small and broken that I felt like a monster. But what was I meant to do? Pretend to feel things I didn’t? "It was real," she said furiously. "Every moment, every touch, every time you told me you loved me. That was real." I told her I loved her? That seemed impossible. I’d never been in love with anyone. Had I? "Caleb," Aiden said gently. "You picked her. Even when you thought the mate bond might fade, you said you’d choose to love her every day for the rest of your life." "I said that?" The words felt strange in my mouth. "You meant it too," Brock added, his voice rough with passion. "You were ready to fight anyone who tried to take her away from you." I looked at this girl - Lily - trying to imagine myself caring about her that much. She was pretty, sure, and she seemed nice enough. But love her? Fight for her? It was like they were talking about a totally different person. "I don’t remember any of that," I admitted. "Because the magic took it away," she said, stepping closer. "But maybe we could try again. Start over. Get to know each other without the mate tie." There was so much hope in her voice that I almost said yes just to stop her from looking so broken. But that wouldn’t be fair to either of us. "I don’t think that’s a good idea," I said honestly. "You clearly have strong feelings for someone I used to be. But I’m not that person anymore. It would just hurt you more." She went very still. "So that’s it? You’re just going to walk away?" "What else can I do? I can’t force myself to feel something I don’t feel." For a long moment, we stared at each other. I could see her heart breaking in real time, and part of me wanted to soothe her. But the bigger part just wanted to escape this awkward position. "I understand," she said finally, her voice dead. "You’re right. The person who loved me is gone." She turned to walk away, but then something incredible happened. The ground beneath our feet started to glow with soft silver light. Not the blazing fire from before, but something softer. Warmer. "What’s that?" I asked, stepping back nervously. Elder Iris gasped. "The Sacred Grove. It’s reacting to her grief." The light grew brighter, spreading out from where Lily stood. And as it touched me, I felt... something. Not memories exactly, but thoughts without context. Love without a goal. Loss without knowing what I’d lost. "Impossible," Elder Iris breathed. "The land itself remembers their bond." Lily spun around, her eyes wide. "What does that mean?" But before anyone could answer, the silver light burst outward like a shockwave. It hit every person in the Sacred Grove, and suddenly I was drowning in feelings that weren’t mine. Love. Desperate, burning love for the girl in front of me. Fear of losing her. Joy at her smile. Pain at her tears. A thousand moments I couldn’t remember but somehow felt in my bones. And then, just as quickly as it came, the feeling disappeared. I gasped, staggering backward. "What was that?" Lily was looking at her hands, which were glowing faintly silver. "I don’t know. But Caleb... for just a second there, you looked at me like you remembered." Before I could respond, the ground started to shake violently. Trees started falling around us as an eerie roar echoed through the forest. "The Shadow Beast," Elder Iris screamed. "It’s here!" Something massive crashed through the tree line, going straight for us. But it wasn’t looking at me or my brothers or anyone else. Its glowing red eyes were fixed totally on Lily. And in that moment of pure fear, as this monster bore down on the girl I couldn’t remember loving, my body moved without thinking. I threw myself in front of her, arms spread wide to protect her from the creature’s claws. "Stay behind me," I growled, and the protectiveness in my own voice shocked me. Maybe I didn’t remember liking her. But apparently, some part of me still did.

Chapter 64: Strangers in Love

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