บททั้งหมดของ After I Faked Amnesia, the Alpha Said His Friend Was My Mate: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 8

I followed Lucian to an unfamiliar villa. He pointed to the room at the far end of the hall. "This is your room. Get some rest, okay? Just call out if you need anything. I'll be right here."His voice was gentle. He almost sounded like he really was my mate.I nodded and walked in—then stopped dead.There was a sunflower oil painting on the wall. I'd painted it five years ago, with my own hands. I'd thought it was lost. But here it was, preserved, spotless, clearly dusted every single day.Lucian caught the look on my face and tensed. "Did you remember something?" he asked carefully.I composed myself and shook my head.He let out a quiet breath of relief. He only left after I was lying down.Once he was gone, I took a proper look around. Besides the painting, there were other little things I'd left behind, all carefully preserved. Even the wallpaper was that soft buttery yellow I used to love. A wind chime I'd made by hand still hung at the window.The truth was, Lucian and I were fat

Soaked through, I curled into Lucian's arms, clinging to his neck, trembling like a spooked fawn, whispering his name over and over.He held me tightly. "You're okay. You're okay. I've got you. Don't be scared."His voice was soft. Slowly, the panic in my chest began to ease.On the other side of the lake, Damien watched it all and clenched his fists.Once I was settled back in our room, Damien called Lucian outside.His voice was furious. "Lucian, don't you think you're crossing a line?""Am I?"Lucian sounded calm. Steady."She's my mate. If anyone's saving her, it should be me."Lucian let out a cold laugh. "You knew Gianna was your mate. So why did you leave her there to drown?""If we'd all waited on you, she'd be at the bottom of that lake right now."It landed right where it hurt. Damien's bravado collapsed. He stammered. "I… I wasn't thinking straight—""You can't even put your own mate's life first. You don't deserve her."The words lit something in him. He threw a fist at Luc

The room went dead silent. Damien's face was pure disbelief. His eyes were locked on our joined hands.Two seconds passed. Then someone started clapping, and the rest of the room followed."Congratulations!""You two are perfect together."Beneath the cheers, Lucian looked a little lost. He tugged at my sleeve and lowered his voice. "Are you really going through with the mating ceremony? With me?"I blinked up at him. "Aren't you my future mate?""…Yes."I smiled. "So. You don't want to?"He rushed to explain. "No—I mean—I do. I really do.""I just didn't think you'd actually want to go through with it."He relaxed then, taking my hand as friends came up to congratulate us. He didn't notice Damien's face in the crowd—utterly thunderous now.The party went on. Flushed, Brittany asked Damien to dance.His mind was somewhere else. His voice came out cold. "I'm tired. I don't feel like dancing."Because he'd just proposed, she convinced herself he really loved her. She hung off his arm and

When Lucian came back to the ballroom, I could see the worry in his eyes.He pulled me gently into his arms and asked carefully, "Gianna. You wouldn't ever leave me, would you?"I couldn't see his face, but I could feel a tremor in his voice. He was afraid.Afraid I'd go back to Damien.I rubbed his back softly. "No. You're my mate. I'm not going anywhere."That didn't settle him. If anything, he looked more uneasy. "And if I'd lied to you? If you got your memory back and realized I wasn't actually your mate?"Five years ago, walking away had almost destroyed him. And now, somehow, he had me back.He couldn't face losing me a second time."Whoever my mate is supposed to be—you're the one I love. Trust me. You're the only one."That eased him a little.He nodded and buried his face in my neck. "I believe you."Through the rest of the party, Damien's eyes kept finding me.He tried to come over several times. I made sure to slip away.As soon as the party ended, he caught me and pulled me