All Chapters of Fading Wolf, Forgotten Mate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

The fated mate I rejected was about to bond with another she-wolf. And I was dying.My sister and I had just gotten back to my apartment when Roric’s mother, Lyra, showed up at our door."Roric is back. You must have heard," she said, her words hanging in the air.I nodded. The most powerful Alpha in North America was holding his Mating Ceremony. It was big news. No wolf could miss it.Besides, we’d already seen each other.She seemed to steel herself before continuing."He is the most powerful Alpha in North America. He has a perfect Luna. Soon, he will have an heir." She paused, her eyes locking onto mine. "He has everything."She didn't need to say more. I knew.She was here for the same reason she’d come seven years ago.I remembered that rain-soaked, hopeless night. The pack doctor handing me the diagnosis.Wolf Spirit Decay. Irreversible.I froze, a suffocating feeling washing over me, like I was drowning.I had just graduated from the academy. I thought I'd become one of the pac

Chapter 2

I took a deep breath and walked to the door.The moment I opened it, seven years melted away.Roric stood there. Taller, broader, and more powerful than I remembered. Those golden eyes were still captivating.But now, they were ice-cold.A beautiful woman was on his arm.Cressida. Perfect face, perfect body, and the blinding confidence that radiated from a powerful, healthy she-wolf."I can't believe you still live in a place like this," Roric said, his eyes scanning my shabby apartment with a mocking smirk."I'm doing just fine," I said flatly. "What do you want?""We were hoping you could help us with something," Cressida said, her voice sickly sweet, dripping with superiority. "Roric and I are having our Mating Ceremony soon, and we're not familiar with the latest gown styles from the South."She paused, a flash of triumph in her eyes."I heard you sketched hundreds of designs for your ceremony with Roric. That you dreamed of being a designer?"Her words were a blade twisting in my

Chapter 3

I was downstairs by nine a.m.Briony wrapped a scarf around my neck and pressed a hot coffee into my hand."He said ten," she frowned. "You don't have to be so early.""I don't want to be late."Ten o'clock. No one came.Ten-thirty. The street was empty.Eleven. The coffee was ice-cold.My call went straight to voicemail. I didn’t try again. I just waited.I knew he was doing it on purpose.It sent me back seven years, to when I was the one who was always late.He’d be waiting downstairs, standing tall and steady.And I would take my sweet time.When I finally ran down, he’d put on a fake scowl.But all it took was a little tug on his sleeve, a quick kiss on his chin while I was on my tiptoes, and it would all melt away.Then he’d pull me into a tight hug and let out this sigh... helpless and fond all at once.Now, it was my turn to wait.This was his payback.So I waited. It was time to pay back what I owed him.Briony leaned out the window, her voice tight with anger."Come back up,

Chapter 4

The car stopped in front of an elegant white building."Moonlight Couture."I had dreamed a thousand times of walking out of this shop, wearing the dress I had designed myself.Now, I was finally here.To watch another woman wear it.Roric got out and walked around to my side, opening the door.As I tried to stand, my legs, weakened by my dying wolf, gave out. I pitched forward.He instinctively caught me.For a split second, I was wrapped in his familiar scent of pine.The first time in seven years.His warmth seeped through his coat, so familiar, so real.My heart hammered in my chest.But just as quickly, he dropped me.I watched, frozen, as he strode to a nearby trash can, pulled a sanitizing wipe from his pocket, and methodically scrubbed the hand that had touched me.Every finger. Every space between them.As if my very skin was poison."Roric doesn't touch other she-wolves," Cressida said, walking up beside me. Her tone was apologetic, but her eyes were triumphant. "He's very pa

Chapter 5

Roric’s POVThe doctor's voice echoed in the hospital room, but I couldn't hear a word."The baby is fine. It was just a minor fall, no issues at all. Ms. Cressida just needs a few days of rest."I nodded, but my eyes were glued to the window.Cressida was asleep, tear tracks still on her face.But all I could see was the look on Ayla’s face in that fitting room.A look of utter despair.Like she had finally given up.A violent panic clawed at my wolf, a primal certainty that something was terribly wrong.I pulled out my phone and dialed Ayla’s number.Voicemail.I dialed again.Voicemail.I stalked out of the room, pacing the length of the hall like a caged animal. Why the hell was I so on edge?I should be happy. The baby was fine. My family was safe. The woman who betrayed me got what she deserved.But I wasn't happy.My chest felt heavy, crushed by an invisible weight that made it hard to breathe.I thought back a few years ago.I never wanted to be with Cressida.She pursued me re

Chapter 6

Roric’s POVDead girl.The words exploded in my mind."What did you say?" I grabbed Maya’s arm, my voice trembling. "Who's dead?"Maya ripped her arm from my grasp, her eyes filled with tears and hatred."Ayla.""No," I staggered back, my mind blank. "Impossible. She was just a little hurt—""You killed her," Maya's voice was a razor's edge. "All for this damned Mating Ceremony dress."She turned to leave."Wait!" I lunged in front of her. "That's not possible. My mother said her mate picked her up—""Mate?" Maya laughed, a cold, bitter sound. "What mate? She hasn't even looked at another male in seven years!"My world shattered."Mom!" I spun around and rushed toward my mother, my voice hoarse. "Is Ayla dead? You said her mate picked her up!"The color drained from my mother’s face."Roric—" Cressida started, grabbing my arm. "The ceremony just ended. Don't make a scene in front of our allies—""Get off me!" I shoved her away.I shifted into my wolf form and tore after Maya's car, blo

Chapter 7

Roric’s POVCressida and my mother trembled uncontrollably."No, it's not what you think!" Cressida stammered, backing away. "Roric, let me explain—"I was on her in a flash.My claws wrapped around her throat."Explain what?" I roared, my voice a beast's snarl. "Explain how you faked a pregnancy? Or explain how you conspired to murder Ayla?"Cressida's eyes bulged as she clawed at my hand, struggling to breathe."Roric!" my mother screamed, rushing forward. "What are you doing? She's your mate!""Mate?" I sneered, flinging Cressida to the ground. "A liar? A murderer?"She slammed into a stone pillar in the garden and cried out in pain.By now, the commotion had drawn members of the pack.Elders, guards, wolves of all ranks.They saw my crimson eyes and didn't dare approach."Good," I said, my gaze sweeping over them all. "Since everyone is here, let's hear about the masterpiece created by your future Luna and my mother."I repeated every word I had overheard in the garden.When I ment

Chapter 8

Roric’s POVMy revenge was complete, but it brought me no peace. Only a deeper circle of hell.I cancelled all ceremonies, dissolved my Alpha coronation, and sent away anyone who tried to comfort me.I just wanted to be alone. In the place where she used to live.I had to force Briony to give me the key to Ayla's apartment.She hated me, but she feared me more. All the wolves in North America feared me now.I pushed open the door. Her scent still lingered in the air.Faint. So faint. But it was enough to make my heart stop.I sat on her couch, touched the cup she used, flipped through the books she read.Everything was a reminder that she had lived here. And now she was gone.Killed by me.In her bedroom, tucked away in the deepest corner under her bed, I found a small box.Inside was a crudely carved wooden wolf.My first gift to her.I hadn't known how to carve back then. The ears were uneven, the tail was crooked.But she had called it the most beautiful gift she had ever received.

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