Alpha Knight’s Cursed Mate

KNIGHT When Kailin called urgently via our link, I thought someone was in trouble again in the tasting room, like the twins.

I had struggled the past week without Nirvana, but I never gave up searching for my mate.

Scratch that. I once considered jumping off the cliff, and there may be a minuscule chance she would appear and come to save me. But somehow, her promise kept my sanity intact.

Everyone helped me check for the lost women or unclaimed bodies in every morgue in the region, but none of them was Nirvana, and I couldn’t find a record of her death either. I felt so relieved and hung in a thinner thread as the days passed, and there were still no signs of her.

The underworld was back to normal- no more viruses or killings, thanks to my mate, and my uncle was offered a job at the council while I barely hung in there and not dealing with my loss.

I barely slept, or I found myself in the woods mourning. I lost some sense of self-love and belongingness. I couldn’t work, and I hadn’t been back to work or dealt with pack issues, but everyone understood what loss meant to me and them.

Then she was there, standing smiling at Kailin, which took my breath away and made my heart beat all over again.

But something was off. The way she looked at me seemed to suggest she didn’t know me. She didn’t recognize me- the feeling was like being buried under the snow.

What the fuck?

One thing that was unnerving was the way she looked at me as if there was a connection between us, and she was a fucking she-wolf. How the fuck did that happen? Who was this woman with my mate’s body?

Those eyes, though-the same warm sky blue as my mate’s-seemed free-spirited, and she looked like she did not just save the entire world last week.

I got out of there before I burst into tears. I ran as fast as I could and wolfed out.

My chest heaved, and my heart beat so hard. A part of me hoped that that woman was my Nirvana, but I couldn’t let my hopes up if she were some nightmare glamouring as my mate. I’d have enough broken heart that a man could bear in his lifetime.

After an hour of contemplating whether to see her again, I went home and showered. For the first time since she was gone, I groomed myself.

I made many mistakes my entire life, and rejecting her was one of the biggest mistakes I’d made. So, I decided to put her to the test to see if she was really my mate who had just lost her memories. Completing her quest just broke the curse and gave her a chance to be a werewolf.

I rode my bike, which I missed doing with Nirvana. I parked my bike in front of the pack house, and everyone seemed present. The door was opened, and I instantly caught her sweet scent, but she was a rogue.

“Why are you guys looking at me like that, like I just saved the freaking world from Armageddon?”

The pack laughed. Of course, it was really Nirvana and her humor.

“What’s going on?” McKaye came rushing inside and then halted as his gaze landed at Nirvana. He went to her and crashed her into a hug. “Goddess!”

“Hey, Mac.” She patted her back, smiling. “Thanks for the warm welcome.”

“She doesn’t remember anything,” I told McKaye through the link before he could blurt out something.

“You’re welcome. And you look great.”

“Please don’t tell me I’m a werewolf or a rogue or I’m proud of you. I’ve heard those a lot lately. And don’t act weird, okay?” Her smile was like she’d never been through hell, but I remembered everything Cyrius did to her.

Either it was for the best, or she was not my mate.

My Nirvana.

I texted Zarah to come immediately.

ZARAH: Meet me in your office.

I walked into the pack house, and she saw me again. Our gazes locked for the second time, and I felt our pull. The world stopped spinning when I saw she was not wearing my mark on her neck.

I entered my office. Before I could close the door, McKaye, Kaleb, and Luka were already behind me.

“What the fuck, Alpha?” Luka grabbed my arm. “Why are you not excited to see her?”

“Yeah. What’s wrong with you?” Kaleb agreed. “You’ve been so lost for the whole week, and now she came back, and you pretend she’s not your mate.”

“She’s different. She’s a fucking werewolf. A rogue and she can’t remember us except Kailin and Mac. What if she’s Cyrius using her body to get to me.”

“For fuck sake, Cyrius is gone. It’s over. Pull yourself together and go, welcome her with a warm smile.”

The portal appeared at the same time Kailin came into the office.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“What’s going on?” Zarah looked at us one by one.

“Nirvana is there in the living room.” McKaye pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

Zarah didn’t look surprised but crestfallen when she looked at me. “You haven’t read her letter, have you?”

“What’s the point?”

“Sometimes, I want to turn you into a rabbit so your pack can chase you to death.”

“That’s not funny, Zarah.” I glared at her. “Who’s that woman in the living room?”

She shook her head, clearly annoyed. “That’s Nirvana. By saving the underworld, she may have been granted a wish for completing the quest.”

“That’s bullshit. That could be Cyrius.”

“Cyrius is gone, exploded into thin air. If Nirvana can’t remember what happened in the last months since you met her, you’re the only one who can make her remember. Cyrius might have extracted her memory, or she was too traumatized to remember it.”

“I told you that’s my best friend,” Kailin said. “She mentioned her grandfather. She said Grandpa Case was acting weird.”

“I’m confused.” I sat down in the chair, unable to understand everything that was going on, and my knees weakened.

Kaleb grabbed the canister of bourbon and poured me a glass. “You need this, Alpha.”

“Thanks.” I sipped it while they were waiting for me to say something. “What?”

“I’m calling her here.”

“No!”

“Why not?” Zarah glared.

“I don’t know. I’m terrified that my hopes will crash down on me when the truth comes out and she’s not my mate. I just need a minute.”

“Just read the damn letter, cuz.” Kailin crossed her arms over her chest, eyes rolling.

I picked it up from my drawer. I felt sweating and my heart racing when I had it in my hands.

I unfolded it, and it was indeed her penmanship. I hadn’t read the letter, and my chin began trembling. Everyone looked away except Zarah.

Hey, baby,

By the time you’re reading this, then things didn’t go as I planned. I just want you to know that you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. You taught me how to fight for the people I loved. You taught me the true meaning of love and having a soulmate. If there’s one thing I learned in my life is that nothing in this world is permanent. Even if I’m gone, maybe by some miracle, we’ll meet again in the next life, or perhaps all I have to do is find you. I love you so much, Knight, with every light of my soul.

Your wife, your mate,

Nirvana

I closed the letter and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. Then, I ran my thumb over the rings I had put into the necklace around my neck.

“Call her.”

A few moments of waiting made me suddenly nervous. When she entered the office, she looked around with a single word, “Zarah?”

“Hey, Nirvana.” They hugged each other.

“Wait. You know him- them?”

“Yeah. We’ve known for quite a while now.”

“Why am I here?”