Chapter 145: Rewrite the memory

Alyssa sat in silence long after Dorian finished, her ears ringing like bells. The only sound in the room was the rhythmic ticking of the clock in the corner.

She had known. Goddess help her, deep in her heart, she had known there was more to the rumors. She had known Dorian would never push a mother and her newborn child off a cliff, no matter how furious or dark his beast became.

"I tried to catch her," Dorian continued softly, his low voice breaking the silence. "I lunged forward to grab her, but I wasn’t fast enough."

He fell silent for several long seconds, replaying that terrible afternoon like a movie behind his eyes. He had blamed himself for what happened for so long, not knowing she had been alive.

"There was this eerie craziness in her eyes, like something had taken possession of her mind. That’s the only reason I believed her today when she said she has been locked in an asylum. It was almost as if she wanted to destroy me using her own death."

"It wasn’t your fault," Alyssa murmured, reaching out to stroke his arm. "You tried to save her. You didn’t kill her."

"I couldn’t," Dorian said, shaking his head. "As enraged as I was back then, I couldn’t bring myself to murder my own mate, law or no law. I was going to reject her and banish her from Wintercrest forever. But before I even had the chance to utter the words, she jumped."

Alyssa’s heart broke for him. She couldn’t begin to fathom the agony he must have endured years ago, learning his mate had betrayed him, only to watch her jump into an abyss moments later.

"Did you... did you ever go down to find her body?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. I hunted down Joffrey instead. Conri and Bethany were the ones who went into the ravine and saw her body. I ordered them to leave it to rot, not knowing someone else would save her. To forget what happened, I placed a ban on anyone ever setting foot on Winter’s Peak."

The name struck a loud chime in Alyssa’s mind, bringing back vivid memories of their time in the hidden mountain cave.

"Winter’s Peak?" she repeated softly. "Was that... was that the cliff you took me to?"

"Yes," he nodded. "That was where Elvira jumped off years ago. I spent years refusing to look at it, but I took you there because I wanted to rewrite the memory. I wanted to build new, beautiful memories on that peak with the woman I fell in love with."

Alyssa’s heart skipped a beat in her chest. Tears prickled behind her eyes, but she held them back as Dorian lifted his head and looked straight into her eyes.

"I know I hurt you today," he continued, his tone raw with emotion. "It wasn’t intentional, but I still caused you pain, and I have no excuses. But you are the only one I am in love with. You are the woman who holds my heart. Not Elvira."

A single tear escaped her lashes and tracked down her cheek as she listened to him. "But... the mate bond..."

"I’m going to reject Elvira," Dorian vowed without hesitation. "I am relieved that she survived and is alive, but whatever existed between us was buried decades ago. I don’t love her anymore. You are the only one I love, Alyssa, and I never want to bring you pain again."

Alyssa closed her eyes, letting her tears spill over freely as the weight on her chest finally lifted. She went willingly into his arms when he pulled her close, pressing a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Promise me you won’t choose her over me," she whispered in a small voice. "Promise me, Dorian, that I won’t lose you to her. I won’t survive it."

"I promise," he whispered fiercely into her hair. "I swear on my life, and I give you my word as Alpha. You are stuck with me for life."

A soft laugh escaped her lips, the first genuine sound of joy she had offered him since Elvira had set foot in the mansion.

"You’re the one who’s stuck with me," she murmured, pulling back to look at him. "There isn’t a single person on this earth capable of understanding and loving me the way you do."

"And there is no one who will ever love you like I do," Dorian whispered against her lips.

He pulled her into a deep kiss, a low groan of pleasure vibrating in his chest as Alyssa straddled his thighs and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

His hands roamed her back with easy, possessive familiarity, pulling her flush against his chest. For the first time all day, he felt whole again.

But outside the study, Elvira stood frozen, peering at them through a thin crack in the door.

She had slipped back down minutes ago to eavesdrop on their conversation, just in time to hear Dorian declare his complete love for Alyssa.

Now, as she watched them kissing on the couch, a scalding fury boiled through her veins.

This girl with the strange hair had stolen her life. She had taken her place, her title as Luna Queen, and her mate.

Dorian was hers. He had always belonged to her. During all those grueling years she spent trapped in that hellish asylum, the thought of returning to him had been the only thread keeping her alive.

And now, an insignificant little freak had completely erased her.

No! It’s impossible!

She turned sharply on her heel, backing into the hallway and leaning her shoulders against the wall. She clenched her hands into fists, forcing herself to swallow her tears and control her raging emotions. She couldn’t afford to lose control now.

There was a precise plan to follow; a meticulous strategy that Conri and Bethany had laid out. She couldn’t ruin everything now by throwing a hysterical tantrum.

She took a long, shaky breath, slowly exhaling until a calm composure returned to her features.

Without a backward glance, she turned and walked silently down the hallway, completely unaware that another set of eyes had been watching her spy on Dorian and Alyssa from the dim shadows.