My Mate Lost His Memory And Fell For My Friend

My palms were clammy, betraying the calm I was trying to project.

Agnes caught the shift in me, her voice cautious as she tested the waters. "Lydia, could you do us a favor? Could you bring Gabriel back? Henry and I are swamped."

She'd had her heart set on me being her daughter-in-law for too long. She couldn't believe our bond could just snap like that. What if Gabriel saw me and remembered? What if he lost interest in that other she-wolf? There had to be a chance, right?

Henry chimed in, his tone heavy with fake regret. "Yeah, we just landed a big pack-wide deal. I can't get away."

I saw through their ploy like glass. But those pleading eyes? I couldn't bring myself to say no.

Still, I knew better than anyone: Gabriel wouldn't waver for me. Their hopes were doomed from the start.

I went to the aquarium where Serena worked. In the break room, there he was-Gabriel, sitting quietly, his presence hitting me like a punch. He was in plain clothes, a baseball cap pulled low, a mask covering his sharp features, like he was hiding from the world. In his hands was a pink pig thermos, completely out of place with his cool, distant vibe.

My eyes lingered on that thermos for a second too long. He snapped his head up, his gaze sharp and wary. "Who are you?"

I kept my voice steady, soothing. "Easy, I'm not here to hurt you."

His brows furrowed, and his tone turned ice-cold. "I'm not going back with you. Tell the Thorne pack to forget it. Their fancy legacy means nothing to me. Serena's all that matters."

I'd never heard him sound like that. Back when he was mine, he was always gentle, indulgent. I froze, caught off guard.

The air was thick with tension when Gabriel's eyes shifted. He bolted up, rushing forward to scoop Serena, fresh from the water, into his arms. He gently wiped the droplets from her cheek with his sleeve and handed her the thermos. She sipped the warm water, grinning, then tugged down his mask to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. When he leaned in to return it, she yanked the mask back up, pouting playfully. "Don't want anyone spotting you."

I stood there, my mind flashing back to before he went missing. A minor car crash, nothing serious-enforcers said he'd be out of the hospital in two days. But then he vanished from his room. The last thing the cameras caught was a slim she-wolf wheeling him out on a morgue cart.

No wonder he was so hard to find. She'd been hiding him, keeping him off the grid.

Serena noticed me and froze, her whole body stiffening. She shooed Gabriel away, then grabbed my wrist, her nails digging into my skin. I winced but held still.

"It's not what you think!" she blurted, frantic. "I didn't mean to hide him!"

I saw the panic in her eyes and said coolly, "You know exactly what you did."

Her lips trembled, and she gave up the act, her voice breaking. "Lydia, I know his heart's always been yours. If he remembers, he'll ditch me in a second to find you. But I've loved him since high school, from the first moment I saw him. I never got a piece of him, not once. Now I finally have a chance. I just wanted a few days with him. Just a few!"

Her voice cracked into a sob.

I listened, but my eyes drifted past her to Gabriel. His gaze was locked on Serena, his body tense, like a wolf ready to pounce. Those eyes, brewing a storm, told me everything. The wolf who'd once been my shadow was now her guard dog, ready to tear into me if I so much as looked at her wrong.

I couldn't name the ache in my chest.

All I knew was, in this second life, I couldn't keep chaining Gabriel to me. To him, I was just a duty.

I gave Serena a faint smile. "I'm not here to tear you two apart. I'm here to bring you both back to the Thorne pack."

Her eyes widened, disbelieving. "Both of us?"

"He loves you. If I left you behind, he'd never come."

I remembered my last life. The enforcers dragged him back, and he fought like a wild animal, tearing at the bars until his hands were raw and bloody. He jumped from the third floor of the villa, stumbling, desperate to get to Serena. When they chained him up, he nearly hacked off his own limbs to break free.

Even when they forced his memories back, he only calmed down because he learned Serena had taken her own life. He fell apart, sick, barely clinging to life, until I begged him to keep going. But I was too blind to see it then-his eyes never held the same warmth for me that they did for her.

"Go pack," I said, my voice steady. "You and Gabriel are coming back to the Thorne pack. Henry and Agnes know about you. They're not against it."