PROLOGUE

ELODIE

“Ducky, can you hear me?” A loud, impatient voice rang through the air.

Despite the background noise, I recognized the voice immediately. There was only one person in the world who called me that.

“Keep your voice down; you might wake her,” another voice muttered, slightly softer than the first.

Beep!

Beep!

The beeping sound pierced through me. My head hurts. Every breath I took made me feel like my lungs were blocked.

It hurt so much.

I tried moving my fingers, but it was tough. I noticed that I couldn't move any part of my body.

“Ducky, can you hear me?” The first voice repeated itself.

Hearing his voice made me want to talk to him. “Tedros?” My lips moved on their own, and surprisingly, it didn't hurt anymore.

“Ducky, you're awake.” He sounded pained, and I felt a hand on mine.

I wanted to open my eyes and look at him. He came; he came for me. My head throbbed as I tried to remember all that happened.

“What happened to Beatrice?” he asked almost immediately.

Surprised, I managed to open my eyes. My vision was blurry, and the light in the room was dim, but as my eyes adjusted, I found Tedros sitting next to me.

“Where am I?” I questioned myself as I tried to sit up but couldn't.

“You're at the hospital,” he responded.

My eyes scanned the room, and every movement made my head throb.

Although I was happy to see him there, the look on his face took me by surprise. He looked hurt, like he was grieving.

“Where is Beatrice?” I inquired, my head hurting as I moved my lips.

“Tedros,” the second voice interjected. “You can ask her that later. You have to let the medicine work on her.”

My eyes darted, and I found Cole, Tedros' little brother, sitting next to me. He wore the same expression, and I couldn't help but panic.

“Where is Beatrice?” This time, I tried to get up again but couldn't. “Is she alright?”

Tedros avoided my gaze. His face was filled with hurt. I glanced at Cole, hoping he would tell me what happened, but he avoided my eyes.

“What happened to her?” I demanded.

After what felt like hours, my breathing grew heavy, and tears formed in my eyes. Tedros finally spoke.

“She died,” Tedros answered.

Dead? My blood ran cold. It couldn't be possible, right? He was lying. Beatrice wasn't dead. Tedros must be joking with me, but his face said otherwise.

“What the fuck?” Cole yelled. “You shouldn't have told her that when she's in this condition!”

Tedros' hand left mine, and he ruffled his hair. “My mate is dead, Cole. She died alongside the baby, and you expect me not to tell her friend that.”

The words pierced through my heart. I still couldn't believe it. Beatrice had always wanted that baby. She had talked a lot about the name she wanted to give him or her.

She couldn't be dead. She must be alive. The beeping sound of the machines grew louder, and I could hear Cole and Tedros panicking in the background.

I couldn't make out what they were saying. However, after a while, I felt a substance inserted into me. My body began reacting to it. My eyes started to feel heavy.

“Is she going to be alright?” I heard Tedros ask another figure in the room.

“Alpha, after looking through her files, I guess she might have temporary memory loss about what happened.”

“What? She wouldn't remember what happened to her and my mate.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

As I drifted into unconsciousness, I wished I would never remember that day. It would be better for me and everyone else.

“You have to make her remember,” were the last words I heard before I fell into a deep slumber.