Chapter 217
+25 Bonus
Chapter 217
Amelia’s POV
My heart thundering in my ears, I stared at my fantasy man made real, and the two children who had called me their mother.
Inside of me, my emotions were a whirlwind, stirring more even with this distance than my entire evening with Ian had.
Did I know these people? How could that be, when these children were so young?
Yet, looking at them, and at the man who must have been their father, I felt like a pivotal piece of myself was sliding back into place.
But that couldn’t be. Jake and my parents mentioned nothing about a former mate, or children. They wouldn’t lie about something like that to me, would they? They didn’t seem that cruel.
It had to be some kind of cruel coincidence. Maybe I had seen that man once in my past, before my amnesia, and the fantasy had spiraled from there.
Whatever the case, there had to be a logical explanation for these feelings, for what had just happened.
I just didn’t know what it could be.
I had to calm down, to give myself some time to think, to work this out. Then I was certain the solution would present itself to me.
I had to get home. Maybe then all of this would make sense again.
As I neared the house, the enforcers seemed to be on higher alert than usual, looking around with more urgency than normal.
Had something happened?
“There she is!” one announced, and two rushed toward me.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We’re glad you are safe, ma’am,” said one of the enforcers. “Please come with us.”
“Why wouldn’t I be safe?” I asked, but they didn’t answer. Instead, they simply urged me forward, toward the
house.
When I entered through the front door, Mom, Dad, and Jake immediately hurried toward me. Mom hugged me at
once.
“What’s going on?” I asked her.
As she stepped back from the hug, Jake gave me a disapproving frown. “Where have you been, Annette?”
I looked to Mom and Dad for answers, but they seemed to be waiting for my response, same as Jake.
“I was on my date with Ian,” I said.
“Ian called an hour ago, honey,” Mom said. “He told us you ended the date early.”
“He said you weren’t feeling well,” Dad said. “But that you wanted to walk home. He was worried about leaving
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Chapter 217
+25 Bonus
you alone and let us know to expect you.
I took a minute to get my story straight. “I went for a walk.”
“You didn’t come straight home,” Jake said. His voice was hard, like he was hiding his emotions. I hated when he did that, because it usually meant he was mad or frustrated with me.
“No,” I said. “It was a nice night so I thought I’d wander a little.”
Jake crossed his arms. Yeah, he was definitely mad at me. “Where did you go?”
“Just… around…” When he was like this, it made me not want to tell him things. If he knew how I felt about that man and the kids, he likely wouldn’t take it well. He was very protective, particularly when it came to my romantic interests. As he and my parents were backing Ian, I knew it would be unwise to express interest in another man, even if it had been just an innocent swell of feelings within me.
“Where?” Jake said coldly, his voice dropping a few degrees.
“Just into the woods,” I said, compelled to give him some truth, but not all of it. “To the south.”
Jake immediately straightened, indicating that this had been the absolute wrong answer.
“Oh, Annette,” Mom said sadly.
“What?” I asked. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“To the south is an enemy pack,” Jake said gruffly. “If they learn who you are, they will take you, do you understand?”
I thought of that man and his kids. They hadn’t seemed like the kidnapping type. Jake had to be overreacting.
Though with this strong reaction, I wondered if this had some connection to my attack and my amnesia. Maybe I had been kidnapped before. Maybe that was why there had been no pictures of me, and why Jake had always been so overly protective.
If that was the case, I had to trust him now.
But still… who was that man? Why had I been so drawn to him?
Jake studied my face. When I didn’t immediately comply with what he was saying, he added, “From now on, you are forbidden from being anywhere outside of this estate without an escort.”
“Jake,” Mom said.
Jake cut her off, “It’s for her own good.”
“How is for my own good to make me feel like a prisoner in my own home?” I asked, showing more boldness than I usually did. Something about seeing that man… it seemed to bring out something within me I couldn’t explain.
Jake and my parents all seemed surprised by my outburst.
As if realizing his words had been too harsh, Jake softened, “We are just worried about losing you again, Annette. Please, understand.”
I tried to.
But when I thought of that man and his two children, I couldn’t help but want to see them again.
Damien’s POV
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The girls and I walked the rest of the way home without incident, but I was admittedly shook up from seeing that woman in the woods.
Gods, she had looked so much like Amelia, it had been uncanny. And after what the kids had said, calling her Mom, I didn’t know what to think.
As the girls were in the foyer, kicking off their shoes and hanging up their coats, I asked them, “Did you know that woman we saw earlier?”
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