Chapter 82: The Pack’s Pressure

Words : 1092 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 82: The Pack’s Pressure Caleb POV The heavy book slammed shut in my hands as another pack member burst through the library door without knocking. I jumped, my heart racing as the sound echoed through the quiet room. "Caleb! There you are!" It was Mrs. Henderson from the bakery, her face bright with joy. "I have the most wonderful story to tell you about you and Lily!" I groaned quietly and set the book down. This was the fifth person today who wanted to "help" me remember my bond with Lily. Yesterday there had been seven. The day before, nine. "Mrs. Henderson, I really appreciate you trying to help, but—" "Oh, nonsense!" She plopped down in the chair across from me, totally ignoring my protest. "This story is too sweet not to share. It was last summer, and you brought Lily daisies every single day for two weeks straight. She kept them in a little vase by her window, and she’d smile every time she looked at them." I stared at her, waiting to feel something. Anything. A spark of memory, a flutter of recognition, even just a tiny happy feeling. But there was nothing. Just the same empty hole where my memories of Lily should be. "That’s... nice," I said softly. Mrs. Henderson beamed. "And then there was the time you spent three days making her a little wooden wolf for her birthday. You worked on it every free moment, making sure every detail was perfect. When you gave it to her, she cried happy tears and said it was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever made for her." My chest tightened. The story sounded like something I would do, but hearing it felt like listening to someone else’s life. It wasn’t my memory. It was just speech. "Do you remember now?" Mrs. Henderson asked hopefully. "No," I admitted, and her face fell. "I’m sorry. I just... I don’t remember any of it." She patted my hand gently. "Don’t worry, dear. The memories will come back. Love always finds a way." After she left, I put my head in my hands. Love always finds a way. Everyone kept saying things like that, as if it was just a matter of waiting. But what if they were wrong? What if the shadow drug had destroyed those memories forever? The library door opened again, and this time it was Tom from the security team. He had that same excited look everyone got when they wanted to share a "helpful" story. "Caleb! Perfect time. I was just thinking about that search you and Lily went on last month. You two were so in sync, like you could read each other’s minds. When that rogue wolf attacked, you moved together like you’d been fighting side by side for years." I nodded nicely, but inside I felt like screaming. Every story made me feel worse, not better. They painted a picture of this perfect relationship, this deep love, this incredible bond. And I felt none of it. "She saved your life that day," Tom continued. "Threw herself between you and the rogue’s claws without hesitation. That’s true love right there." "Thanks for telling me," I said, but my voice sounded hollow even to my own ears. By the time Tom left, my hands were shaking. I tried to go back to reading, but the words mixed together on the page. How could I be matched to someone I couldn’t even remember loving? The door opened a third time. This time it was Sarah from the nursery, where Lily used to work. "Caleb! I’m so glad I found you. I have to tell you about the day Lily first realized she was in love with you. It was the sweetest thing..." "Stop." The word came out sharper than I meant it to. Sarah blinked in surprise. "What?" I stood up, my chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Please, just... stop. I know you’re trying to help, but these stories aren’t helping me remember. They’re just making me feel like a loser." "Oh, Caleb, I didn’t mean—" "Every story you tell me about how perfect we were together just reminds me that I’m not that person anymore," I said, the words pouring out before I could stop them. "I don’t remember liking her. I don’t remember any of the sweet times or romantic gestures or deep connections. When I look at Lily, I see a stranger." Sarah’s face sagged. "But the mate bond—" "The mate bond isn’t working!" I snapped. "My body might know her scent, but my heart feels nothing. My brain is empty where she should be. Do you know how that feels? To have everyone tell you about this amazing love you had, and you can’t feel even a tiny piece of it?" Tears filled Sarah’s eyes. "I’m so sorry. I thought we were helping." I slumped back into my chair, instantly feeling guilty for yelling at her. "I know you mean well. Everyone does. But hearing about who I used to be just makes me feel broken." After Sarah left, I sat alone in the silence of the library. The books around me felt like old friends, the only things in my life that still made sense. But even they couldn’t fill the Lily-shaped hole in my thoughts. I pulled out a notebook and tried to write down the things people had told me, thinking maybe seeing them on paper would trigger something. Wildflowers. Wooden dogs. Protecting each other. Fighting together. Being in love. It all sounded beautiful. It all sounded like something I would want. But it wasn’t mine. The worst part was knowing that Lily was going through her own battle with the shadow poison. She needed her mate to be strong for her, to help her fight the evil. Instead, she got me – a broken version of the person she loved. I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost missed the soft sound of footsteps approaching the library. But when I looked up, it wasn’t another well-meaning pack member coming to share memories. It was Lily herself, but something was wrong. Her eyes were completely black, like pools of shadow, and she was moving toward me with predatory ease. "Hello, Caleb," she said, but her voice was cold and strange, nothing like the warm tone everyone described. "We need to talk." My blood turned to ice as I realized the shadow poison wasn’t inactive anymore. It was in charge, and it had come for me.

Chapter 82: The Pack’s Pressure

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