I stood at the edge of the clearing, my heart pounding so hard I was sure Liam could hear it from where he waited. The full moon hung low in the sky, bathing everything in an ethereal silver light. It should have been beautiful, romantic even. Instead, it felt like a countdown to something terrible.
"Skye," Liam said softly, his voice carrying easily in the still night air. "We don't have to do this. We can find another way."
I wished I could believe him. God, how I wished there was another option. But after everything we'd been through - the curse ravaging our pack, the stolen moonstone, the looming threat of all-out supernatural war - this was our last hope.
I took a shaky breath, steeling myself. "You know we don't have a choice, Liam. The witch was clear. This is the only way to break the curse and save the pack."
The memory of the witch's words echoed in my mind. To save what you love, you must give up what you cherish most. Your memories of each other, freely given, will power the spell to undo all that has been done.
Liam's eyes, usually so guarded, were filled with a pain that made my chest ache. "There has to be another way," he insisted. "We've been through too much, fought too hard, to lose each other now."
I wanted to run to him, to throw my arms around him and never let go. But I couldn't. If I touched him now, I'd never go through with it.
"Think about the pack, Liam," I said, hating how cold my voice sounded. "Think about your son. If we don't do this, they'll all die. Everyone we care about will be lost."
He flinched at the mention of his son, the child he'd kept secret for so long. I knew it was a low blow, but I needed him to understand. This wasn't just about us anymore.
Liam took a step towards me, his hand outstretched. "Skye, please. We can face anything together. Don't ask me to forget you."
Tears burned in my eyes. "Don't you think this is killing me too?" I choked out. "You're my mate, Liam. The other half of my soul. Losing you once nearly destroyed me. But this... this is so much worse."
Because this time, we wouldn't just be separated. We'd forget each other entirely. Every moment, every touch, every whispered promise - gone. As if our love had never existed at all.
The wind picked up, carrying with it the scent of pine and something else... something magical. The witch was near.
"It's time," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Liam's shoulders slumped in defeat. He knew as well as I did that we were out of options. "I love you, Skye," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "No matter what happens, no matter what we forget, know that my soul will always recognize yours."
A sob caught in my throat. "I love you too. Always."
As if summoned by our words, the witch materialized at the edge of the clearing. Her ageless face was solemn as she regarded us.
"Are you prepared to make the sacrifice?" she asked, her voice echoing strangely in the night air.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Beside me, Liam did the same.
The witch raised her hands, and the air around us began to shimmer with an otherworldly light. "Remember," she intoned, "once begun, this spell cannot be undone. Your memories will fuel the magic needed to break the curse and restore balance. But the cost..."
"We know the cost," Liam growled. "Just get on with it."
A sad smile flickered across the witch's face. "Very well. Join hands and close your eyes. Focus on your memories of each other, every moment you've shared. The spell will do the rest."
With trembling hands, I reached for Liam. The moment our fingers intertwined, I felt a jolt of electricity race through me. Our mate bond, singing one last time before it was severed forever.
I closed my eyes, tears slipping down my cheeks. In my mind, I saw Liam as I'd first met him - young, cocky, with a smile that made my heart skip a beat. I remembered our first kiss, the way he'd held me like I was the most precious thing in the world. I relived every argument, every reconciliation, every quiet moment of understanding that had led us here.
The air around us grew heavy with magic. I could feel it tugging at my memories, trying to pull them away. I instinctively tightened my grip on Liam's hand.
"Don't fight it," the witch warned. "The more you resist, the more painful it will be."
I tried to relax, to let the memories flow. But it was like watching my life - our life - play out in reverse. Every happy moment, every shared dream, slipping away like sand through an hourglass.
Beside me, I heard Liam let out a choked sound. Was he experiencing the same thing? The thought that he was in pain, that I was causing it, was almost more than I could bear.
Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, when I was sure my heart would shatter from the loss, something strange happened. A new memory surfaced, one I was certain I'd never experienced.
I saw myself, but... different. Older, somehow. I was standing in a sunlit glade, surrounded by a pack I didn't recognize. And next to me...
My eyes flew open with a gasp. The clearing was empty. No witch, no shimmering magic. Just me and Liam, our hands still clasped tightly together.
"Liam?" I whispered, afraid to hope. "Do you...?"
He turned to me, his eyes wide with shock and something else. Recognition. "Skye," he breathed. "I remember. I remember everything."
Relief flooded through me, so intense I felt dizzy with it. We hadn't forgotten. Somehow, impossibly, we'd held on.
But as the initial wave of joy passed, confusion set in. "How?" I asked. "The witch said the spell couldn't be undone."
Liam shook his head, looking as bewildered as I felt. "I don't know. But Skye, that last memory... the one of us in the glade. Did you see it too?"
I nodded slowly. "But that never happened. At least, not yet."
A slow smile spread across Liam's face. "Maybe it's not a memory at all. Maybe it's..."
"A vision," I finished, the realization hitting me like a thunderbolt. "Of our future."
Before we could process what this meant, a bone-chilling howl split the night. It was filled with pain, fear, and something else... a hunger that made my blood run cold.
Liam's grip on my hand tightened. "The pack," he said urgently. "Something's wrong."
We took off running towards the sound, our momentary joy forgotten. As we raced through the forest, one thought echoed in my mind:
What if breaking the curse had only unleashed something far worse?