Chapter 4

It was simply impossible. Every detail of tonight was still fresh in my memory, so how could Kyle have just… vanished?

"Kyle, where are you?" I cried, my voice breaking.

Dad immediately ordered the ceremony paused. Several guards hurried over, and Helena explained the situation to Garrett Wildclaw, the lead guard.

I struggled to keep my voice steady, petrified of ending up in the stone cell again.

"Dad, I'm not causing any trouble. I'm looking for my mate. He came here with me tonight, but now he's gone! He must still be somewhere in our territory. Please, help me find him!"

At last, Dad agreed to help search for Kyle. No matter how thoroughly they combed the territory, though, there was no trace of him.

Garrett's expression was grim. "We've searched every corner of the territory and even checked the scents along the borders. There's no sign of the mate you've described."

He added, "A werewolf can't just vanish into thin air. Are you sure he came here with you?"

"I'm sure of it!" I said through blurred, tear-filled eyes. "I documented the entire journey. I posted photos of us in the clan group chat and on social media. They're all gone now, but I swear Dad and the others saw them!"

Faced with my determination, Garrett decided to check with Dad. However, Dad just looked confused. "What photos was she talking about? I didn't see them. Besides, she's always been alone without a mate."

His words hit me like a sledgehammer. I cried out, desperation tearing through me.

"Dad, what are you talking about? You knew Kyle and I have been together for three years! You even agreed tonight to acknowledge our bond!"

Dad's confusion deepened. "Nora, what's going on with you? I've spent years encouraging you to find a mate, and you've always said you weren't interested. Since when did you have a mate of three years?"

Why was he denying our bond, just as he did in my previous life? I had clearly posted the photos online.

Right. My friends could prove everything.

I urgently turned to Garrett. "My friends saw the photos, too! I posted pictures of us before coming here!"

He quickly reached out to everyone who had commented on my posts, but their answers were the same.

"What photos? Never seen them."

"Nora has always been single. What do you mean she has a mate?"

No matter who Garrett asked, the response was identical. None of them had seen my photos. They all insisted I had never had a mate.

But I clearly remembered reading their congratulatory comments! What on earth was happening?

Just as despair threatened to consume me, I heard the low murmur of whispers spreading through the pack.

"Looks like Nora's lost her mind. She imagined a mate who doesn't exist and disrupted the ceremony."

"Right? Even her dad and friends confirm she has no mate. How dare she make a scene during the full moon ceremony, claiming her mate disappeared?"

"And it's such an important event. She just wasted everyone's time."

"If you ask me, I'll lock her up in the stone cell and save everyone from her maelstrom…"

Their growing discontent made Dad shake his head in frustration. Ultimately, he ordered, "Take her to the healer for an evaluation."

Two guards stepped forward and began dragging me away. As I was pulled off, a crushing sense of hopelessness filled me.

Had it all been my hallucination? Did Kyle really not exist at all?

Just as I was about to give up, Helena spoke up, urging that the ceremony continue without delay. Elder Thomas immediately picked up her words, his tone urgent.

"When can it continue, Helena? I'm a healer, and there's an emergency over at Moon Mountain. A wolf has been attacked. I can't delay any longer!"

The words hit me like a lightning bolt. I broke free from the guards and grabbed Elder Thomas' arm. "What did you just say? You're a healer?"

He looked at me, startled. "Yeah… And what of it?"

My heart leapt. I knew exactly where Kyle was.