Chapter 151: The Echo Grows
CALEB POV
The memory hit me like lightning while I was reading.
One second I was studying ancient Guardian writings in the pack library. The next, I was somewhere else entirely—standing in a flower field with Lily, her hand warm in mine as she laughed at something I’d just said.
But it wasn’t really a memory. I’d never been in a flower field with Lily. We’d never held hands like that, never shared that moment of pure happiness. Yet the feeling was so real I could smell the blooms and hear her laugh echoing in my ears.
I jerked back to the present, panting. The book fell from my hands, pages flapping as it hit the floor. My heart pounded against my ribs.
What was happening to me?
This was the third time today. Earlier, I’d "remembered" teaching Lily to dance in the moonlight. Before that, I’d seen us walking through Silver Peak’s forest, talking about our future children. Beautiful times that had never actually happened.
But they felt more real than my true memories.
I pressed my hands against my temples, trying to stop the dizzy feeling. Ever since Lily became a Guardian and lost her memories of our life together, something strange had been growing between us. A link that shouldn’t exist.
The echo bond, Elder Iris had called it. A leftover piece of our mate connection that refused to die fully.
At first, I’d been grateful for it. When Lily looked at me with no recognition in her eyes, the echo bond was the only sign that our love had been real. But now it was getting stronger, creating memories that confused me.
Were these glimpses of what we’d lost? Or images of what could have been?