Forget Me Not (Phased Moonlight Series Book 2) (14 page)

              Sera shrugged, and tears welled in her eyes. “I feel like I should, but I don’t know. I remember our past, but that’s all I see—just images and memories, with no emotion.”

              Calandra gave her a smile and hugged her. “It’s all right. No one can fault you for not being able to remember anything. We all love you, you’ll eventually remember that you love us too. It will all come back in time.” 

              Sera gave her a smile, and Calandra wiped a tear from her face. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

              “Of course.”

              “Sera!” Ceolus said, walking up the path.

              She looked at him and quickly tried to wipe away any remaining tears. 

              “You have been crying,” he said with a frown.

              “Is it all right if I leave you two alone?” Calandra asked, looking at Sera.

              Sera nodded and gave her sister-in-law’s hand a squeeze.

Calandra said something in Italian, and by the sound in her voice, it wasn’t anything pleasant.

Ceo’s eyes widened, but he nodded and thanked her before she left. 

              Sera sat on a tree stump and looked up at him.

              “So you were awake last night?”

              Sera nodded.

              “Sera, I am so sorry. I never should have gone to Paola for comfort. My emotions were raw, and I was not thinking clearly.”

              “I guess I can understand that,” she said evenly, “but I don’t know if I can forgive you, at least not right away. I need time.”

              “I get that. I just want things to go back to the way they were, Sera,” he said, stepping closer. “I miss you.”

              She stood and placed her hands on his chest as he cupped her face. “I know what you want, but I can’t do that yet. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to. I want to be able to tell you I love you, but I can’t lie. I don’t remember my love for you.” Sera could see that her words pained him, but she had to be honest with him. He needed to know how she truly felt. “I want to love you, and I want things to go back to normal, but with all these holes in my memory, I just can’t, at least not yet.”

              He nodded and placed his forehead against his. “All right. I can do give you time. We can start over. I will court you all over again if that is what you need.”

              She smiled at him. “Thank you, Ceo. Make me remember why I fell in love with you, why I chose to be your wife. Make me remember who Mrs. Acconci is.”

CHAPTER NINE

Who Is the Enemy?

I am slowly losing grasp of my civility. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I can’t control him. He is governing me, urging me to spill blood. Her scent still burns in my mind, as if she is still here. I feel her soft skin as she traces her markings on my arm. It’s as if she never left, as if her emotions are still calling out to me. Is it my imagination, or is my mate still out there? I felt her die, but for some reason, I have not found the courage to end my own life. I don’t want to leave the world if there is the slightest chance Sera is still alive.
~ Koda Stephano

             
A
ntonio grimaced as he walked into the pack meeting house. The living room was ransacked, with overturned furniture and broken glass everywhere. He walked over to his mate, who was sitting on a stool at a table. Her head was resting on her folded arms, and he fought the urge to growl. He could not remember a time when he had ever seen her so vulnerable.

              From the time they met, Nichole had been a stubborn female. She’d grown up in a family of four brothers, and she’d learned a lot, including how to handle feral male wolves. When she was nineteen, she was forced to put down her eldest brother, who had witnessed someone killing his mate before he could bond with her. He had gone feral instantly and killed most of her family.

              Nichole knew heartbreak all too well, and when Antonio had bound himself to her, he had sworn he would do everything in his power to keep it from happening again. Nevertheless, they were now left to care for their almost feral pup, who’d lost his own mate.               

              “How is he, luv?” Antonio asked, gently kissing the nape of her neck.

              Nichole straightened to face him, and he growled again when he noticed the tear stains left on her cheek. He turned her so she was completely facing him and positioned himself between her knees to hold her close. She gripped the front of his shirt tightly as she pressed her face into his chest. “We’re losing him, Antonio. He is going feral,” she said.

              He nodded.

              “He almost attacked me. I used to be the only one he could always talk to, yet tonight, he went for my throat. Fortunately, I was able to move in time.” She showed her mate her left arm and the four wounds that were quickly healing.

He closed his eyes and crushed her to him. “His mate was stolen from him before he could bind their lives together. I am surprised he hasn’t killed anyone.”

              Nichole nodded. “He immediately realized what he had done as soon as he smelled my blood. He ran into his study after that.”

              “Good. That means there’s still a shred of our son in there somewhere, but if he continues down this path—”

              “I know. He will need to be put down.”

              “Like hell he will! He’ll be back to normal in no time,” Trisha said as she entered the house. Like everyone else in the pack, Sera’s loss was affecting her greatly. Dark circles lined her eyes, and her hair was tied up in a knotted, messy bun. She held a notebook in her hand, and a pencil and pen were tucked behind each of her ears.

              “What are you talking about, Trisha?” Nichole asked.

              “Okay, get ready for it. Sera isn’t dead!” 

              Antonio shushed her, afraid Koda would hear. He gave her a sad look and shook his head. “You’re in denial, child, and that will do no one any good. We mustn’t—”

              “I am not! I’d bet my own life on it. She’s not gone. We haven’t truly lost her yet.”

              “Impossible! Koda
felt
her death!”

              “Koda felt what someone
made
him feel. If she really left, Koda would have gone completely feral instantly. You and I both know that! We believed Koda was only able to hold on to his humanity because he didn’t bond with Sera yet, but that wasn’t true. For whatever reason, their bond was almost as strong as a true blood bond, and he would have snapped the moment she died. Before he wasn’t able to speak to anyone besides you, Nichole, Koda told Jackson that he still felt glimpses of emotion that weren’t his own, things he couldn’t explain. He isn’t imagining things! It’s real! Sera isn’t dead!”

              “Based on what evidence, Trisha?”

              They all froze as Koda’s voice rang out. They looked toward the hall and found him leaning up against the wall. His hair was long, wild, and untamed. His body was dripping with sweat and shook violently. His eyes now held a constant glow, and a scruff of hair lined his jaw.

              “Koda—” Trisha started.

              “What evidence do you have that my mate is still alive?” he managed to ask, in a biting voice, every word a growl. 

              “I’ve contacted every magic being I know. I found this witch…er, she found me actually. Anyway, she told me what’s going on. Ceolus took your bond and used it to screenplay images of his choosing, then broke it. However, if you still feel her wolf—”

              “Then she is still alive!” Koda leaned up against the wall and ran his hands through his hair. “She’s alive,” he whispered.

              “I believe she is, and we need to find her!”

              “How?” Antonio asked, looking at Trisha expectantly.

              “Hey, I got us this far!”

              “We will go to the Council.”

              They all looked at him as if he’d grown a second head.

              “Are you nuts!? We can’t do that!”

              “Why not? Ceolus has committed a severe civil injustice.”

              “Koda, they will not listen to you,” Nichole tried to reason with him.

              “I will
make
them listen. Now that I have hope, I will not rest until she is in my arms again.”

              “You cannot take this to the Council without an organized plea,” Antonio said.

              “A witch used black magic against a powerful alpha of a powerful race. I’ll be damned if I’ll allow them to turn a blind eye to this.”

              “But, Koda—”

              “I’m going. Whether or not you follow is your choice.”

              “I’m going with you,” Trisha said, stepping forward. “Jackson is in as well,” she said.

              “And you’re not going without me,” Faith said as she entered the room.

              “Faith, you can’t—”

              “Don’t even try to stop me. As you’ve said before, it’s pointless to argue with me when my mind is set.”

              “I will go as well,” Nodin said, standing next to Trisha. “I have the most experience with the Council, and you’ll need me.”

              Antonio looked at the troops assembled before him and felt his heart swell. “You all make me very proud,” he said. “Now go get our alpha back.”

* * *

              Sera watched as the waves crashed down on the sand. The early morning air was crisp and cold, but it felt good against her heated skin. The sun was barely rising in the east, casting a bright glow on the water.

              Anger stilled burned in her heart from her previous fight with Ceo. She was beyond irritated, and the fight had happened the night before. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing. She heard the sound of someone walking on the sand behind her, and she groaned. “Go away, Ceo! I need space!” she snapped

              “Well, I’m not Ceo, but if you still want me to go…”

              Sera turned and found Calandra behind her, with a gentle, understanding smile on her face.

              “Landra! I’m sorry. I thought you were—”

              “My asshole of a brother?”

              Sera nodded, stifled a laugh, and faced the water again. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.

Calandra sat next to her and rubbed small, soothing circles on her back.

              “You heard?” Sera said.

              Calandra nodded. “The entire villa heard.”

              Sera sighed.

              “For the record, most of us are on your side.”

              Sera nodded. “I don’t want there to be sides. I just want us to be happy, without all this fighting.” 

              Calandra laughed, burying her toes in the warm sand. “Neve
(Snow), you and Ceo have always been at each other’s throats, even when you first started dating. I once asked why you stayed with him, and do you remember what you told me?”

              Sera shook her head.

              “Your exact words were, ‘He may drive me insane, but that insanity is why I love him so much.’” 

              Sera’s brow furrowed as she tried to recall the conversation. Unfortunately, like most of her past, she simply could not remember it. 

              “You’ve only been home for a couple weeks. It may take a while to get back into the swing of things.”

              “Four weeks is more than enough time. It’s been a whole freaking month.”

              “Maybe, but Ceo is very different from you. He will get better. I promise. He needs time, too, whether he’ll admit it or not.”

              “I hope so.”

              Calandra stood up and held out her hands to help Sera to her feet. “C’mon. Let’s go for a ride.”

              “A ride? To where?”

              “You’ll see.”

              Calandra skipped, with Sera in tow, all the way back to the villa. Family members waved to Sera, and she waved back, putting on the fake smile she had become so accustomed to. Calandra dragged her through the villa and out to where an ATV was parked. She pulled her onto the quad.

Sera gripped her waist tightly, yelling as the engine roared to life. “Calandra! Where are we going?”

              “Just hold on!” She then zipped off to the far side of the property.

Sera had never seen that field before, and they eventually reached a vast, fenced-in area with a large red barn tucked into a corner. Sera stood from the quad and looked around curiously. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this far out before.”

              “This is close to the edge of the property,” Calandra said, taking Sera’s hand.

They walked together up to the barn, and Sera began to bounce up and down excitedly as Calandra unlocked the doors. When Sera finally stepped inside, she gasped. 

              Beautiful horses of all sizes lined the sides of the barn. They all began moving and whinnying as she stepped farther inside. She smiled at them as she walked the length of the barn. At the very end was an isolated stall. The large, beautiful shire horse huffed at her and stuck its head out over the rails. Sera smiled, reaching out to touch its large nose. The soft, fuzzy skin tickled Sera’s palm, and she laughed.

              “That’s amazing,” Calandra said, breathless.

              Sera looked to the side and cocked her head. “What?”

              “That’s Demone
.
”

              “Demon?” Sera whispered, looking back at the horse.

              “Yes. Ceo just bought this stallion a few weeks before you came home. He hasn’t allowed anyone to even get near his stall, yet he seems to love you.” 

              Sera looked into the stallion’s eyes and felt her heart constrict. “Something’s wrong with him.”

              “He’s wild.”

              Sera shook her head and unlocked the gate. “No he isn’t.”

              Calandra gripped her arm to stop her. “Not a good idea.”

              The stallion reared back in his stall, kicking his front legs out. Calandra jumped back, but Sera didn’t move and only lowered her eyes. Demone quickly calmed down and nudged the top of her head.

              “Don’t worry. He won’t hurt me.” Sera entered his stall, clicking her tongue at him. He stepped closer and put his head over her shoulder. She gently stroked his thick neck, speaking softly to him. She pulled away and looked into his brown eyes. She brought her hands up to cup his muzzle in her hands, but when she touched the side of his mouth, he jerked back, making her jump. “Whoa! It’s all right. You’re all right.”

              He leaned his head up against her again and huffed again.

              “It’s okay, boy. I just wanna help you.” She then gently lifted his lip and noticed that the right side of his mouth was swollen. She pulled his cheek away from his teeth and noticed a piece of hay was penetrating his gums. It was an angry red, and the smell was awful, so noxious that she fought the urge to gag. “He’s got a small piece of hay stuck in his gums. I’m gonna pull it out.”

              “Are you crazy?” Calandra exclaimed, stepping closer to the gate.

              Demone jerked his head away from Sera, stepping toward the gate. He neighed at her, making her gasp.