Chapter 157: Memory Exercises
CALEB POV
My mate link snapped like a broken wire.
The pain hit me so hard I fell to my knees, holding my chest where it felt like someone had ripped out my heart. Through the magical chaos around us, I could see Lily drifting in that dimensional energy, but when she looked at me, there was nothing in her eyes. No love, no recognition, no record of us together.
She looked at me like I was a total stranger.
"Lily!" I shouted, reaching toward her even though Viktor’s claws had left me bleeding. "It’s me, Caleb! Your mate!"
But she tilted her head like she was trying to remember a word in a foreign language. The Triple Moon Mark on her wrist flickered slightly, almost completely faded.
"I don’t... who are you?" she asked, her voice sounding hollow and confused.
My wolf howled inside me with sadness. Elena’s memory spell was working. Everything we’d shared together - our first kiss, our mating ceremony, the way she laughed at my bad jokes - was disappearing from her mind like words being erased from a page.
"Sage!" I called out desperately. "How do I reach her?"
Sage was deep in her spell trance, sweat dripping on her forehead as she fought Elena’s magic inside Lily’s memories. "Start simple!" she gasped out. "Basic events first! Don’t try to force the big feelings!"
I climbed to my feet, ignoring the blood running down my shirt from Viktor’s attack. Around us, the supernatural politicians were still arguing about who got to claim Lily, totally ignoring that she was dying right in front of them.
"Lily," I said softly, moving closer to her dimensional bubble. "Do you remember books? You always loved reading."