CHAPTER 316: THE TRUTH IN DETAIL

Easter~

I lay there in the dim glow of the lamplight, my head pillowed on Jacob’s chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear. It was like a lullaby, strong and steady, a reminder that he was here, solid and real in a world that had spun so wildly out of control these past few days. The heat that had consumed me—the relentless, burning need—had finally started to fade, leaving me with a strange clarity, like emerging from a fever dream. His voice rumbled low as he read from that old leather-bound book, words weaving tales of ancient heroes and lost loves. But my mind wandered, snagging on the gaps in my own story, those shadowy voids that tugged at me like unfinished threads.

"Jacob?" I murmured, shifting to look up at him. His warm brown eyes met mine, that ageless depth flickering with something unspoken.

"Mhm?" He set the book aside, his hand still tracing lazy circles on my back, sending little shivers through me that weren’t entirely from the lingering heat.

"Tell me how we first met. In detail." The words slipped out before I could second-guess them, born from that nagging itch in my brain. I didn’t know then that asking would be like pulling the pin on a grenade, unleashing a explosion I wasn’t prepared for.

His hand stilled on my back, and for a heartbeat, the room felt too quiet. He glanced away, staring at the ceiling as if the answers were etched in the shadows up there. "I told you—we first met at your old house, back when you were still married to Ruben."

I shook my head slowly, frustration bubbling up. "No... I remember you saying that last time. I know you also said you and Natalie pulled me out of Ruben’s hands. But there’s... something missing. Like someone took scissors to my memory and cut whole pieces out."

He froze, his body tensing beneath me like a coiled spring. The air thickened, charged with whatever he wasn’t saying. "Why can’t I remember?" I pressed, my voice soft but insistent.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, forcing a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "That’s... a long story."

"I’ve got time," I whispered, echoing his own words from earlier nights when he’d tried to distract me from the heat.

Jacob sighed, running a hand through his thick hair, tousling it even more. "Easter, sweetheart, maybe we should just rest. You’ve been through so much these past days—"

"Jacob," I interrupted, sitting up properly now, the blankets pooling around my waist. I crossed my legs and faced him fully, my eyes locking onto his. The heat had ebbed enough to give me this brief window of clarity, and I wasn’t about to waste it. Two weeks ago, when I thought he was just a handsome stranger with a mysterious edge, I might have let this slide. But now? Now I knew he wasn’t human—not just some guy, but a literal god, the Wolf Spirit, ancient and powerful, capable of magic that could bend reality. Suspicion coiled in my gut like a living thing. "Tell me the truth. Leave nothing out."

He sat up too, mirroring my posture, his lean, athletic frame shifting with that fluid grace that always reminded me of a lion at ease. His warm eyes held mine, pleading. "Easter, it’s complicated. There are parts that... might hurt to hear."

Suddenly, a flash hit me—a memory from a few days ago, during which I was suspecting him of being a stalker. I’d asked him something similar, and he’d confessed... "Wait," I said, my voice sharpening. "A few days ago, when I asked you this... you told me you were the one who wiped my memories. Is that true?"

Jacob’s face paled, the mischief that usually danced in his eyes vanishing like smoke. He let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of centuries pressed down on him. "Yes. It’s true. I’m going to tell you everything, Easter. Just... please, don’t hate me too much."

My heart pounded, a mix of fear and anger swirling in my chest. I nodded, waiting, I felt my cheeks flushing not from embarrassment but from the storm building inside me. "Start talking."

He leaned back against the headboard, his voice low and steady, like he was recounting a legend from one of his books. "It all started after Natalie and I rescued you and Rose from Ruben’s clutches. You begged me to take you with us—away from that nightmare of a life. So, you started living with us: me, Natalie, Alexander, Tiger, and Fox. We were staying in Zane’s home in Vereth. It felt like a fresh start for you and Rose, at least for a while."

I listened, my hair falling over my shoulders as I hugged my knees to my chest. His words painted pictures in my mind, but they were fuzzy, like old photographs.

"But the king... Zane’s father...he didn’t like Natalie. Saw her as a threat to Zane’s future or something twisted like that. He sent men to kidnap her, to get her out of the way. They came in the dead of night, silent as shadows. But things went wrong—horribly wrong. They stabbed Alexander in the chaos."

A gasp escaped me. "Alexander? Natalie’s..."

"Her son, yeah," Jacob continued, his voice cracking slightly. "That sent Natalie over the edge. She went wild with anger, her powers licking at her skin—she’s the Second moon, though her powers are slightly weaker than our mother’s, the Moon Goddess. She killed every last one of them. Blood everywhere, bodies crumpled like discarded puppets."

My stomach twisted, but I urged him on. "What happened next?"

"We—Fox, Bubble, Tiger, Eagle, and I—tried to calm her down. She was raging, ready to storm the palace and burn the king to ash. I couldn’t let that happen; it would have destroyed everything. So, I created an invisible dome, a barrier around the estate to keep her in. But Natalie... she’s fierce. She escaped anyway, slipping through like smoke. We all ran after her, chasing her into the night."

He paused, his eyes distant, reliving it. "In the panic, we forgot about you and Rose. You were still in the house, surrounded by... all that death. The barrier I put up—it kept you locked in too. You couldn’t escape. You saw the blood, the bodies, hour after hour, trapped like a bird in a cage."

As he spoke, something cracked open inside me. Memories flooded back, not in a gentle trickle, but a roaring torrent that made my head spin. I remembered the metallic tang of blood in the air, the lifeless eyes staring up from the floor, Rose’s tiny hand clutching mine as I pounded against an invisible wall that shimmered like heat haze. Screams—my own—echoing in the empty halls. "Oh God," I whispered, my hands trembling.

Jacob reached for me, but I pulled back slightly. "When Tiger finally came back and got you out, the damage was done. The nightmares started that night. You’d wake up screaming, reliving it all. It wasn’t just affecting you—the stress was harming the baby in your womb. I tried everything: potions, spells, talking it through. But nothing stopped them."

More memories surged: nights of terror, sweat-soaked sheets, Jacob holding me as I sobbed. He’d suggested wiping the memories once, his voice gentle but firm. "It’s the only way to give you peace, Easter. But... you might lose everything after meeting us."

I’d begged him not to. "No, Jacob! Those memories—they’re part of me now. The good with the bad. Don’t take them!"

But he had. Without my consent.

"I couldn’t watch you suffer anymore," Jacob said, his voice breaking. "So, one night while you slept, I did it. Erased the trauma. But to make it permanent, convincing... I called in Mariel, a Dream Weaver. In exchange, I signed a contract to be at her beck and call. She wove a new reality for you—a life without the horrors, alone but safe in your mind. But she didn’t stop there. She cursed you, to keep me under her thumb. I broke the contract eventually, but the curse... it forced me to turn you into a werewolf when complications hit during the birth. To save you and the baby."

The flood crested. I remembered it all now—the rescue, the laughter with Tiger (my best friend, how could I forget?), the warmth of living with them. The begging: "Please, Jacob, don’t do this. I can handle it." But he’d done it anyway, stealing pieces of me to "protect" me. Everything came back except the nightmares themselves—the reasons behind the wipe. Those stayed buried, a merciful blank.

Tears stung my eyes, hot and angry. I was mad—furious that he’d played god with my mind, made me live a lie for so long. But underneath? A tangled mess of emotions. Gratitude for saving me, confusion, betrayal. He’d cared too much, or not enough? I didn’t know how to feel.

"Easter?" His voice was tentative, his handsome face etched with worry.

"I... I remember begging you not to," I said, my voice shaking. "You did it anyway. You wiped my memories, Jacob. Made me forget my friends, my life with you all. How could you?"

He winced, looking like I’d slapped him. "I thought I was saving you. The nightmares were killing you—literally. The baby..."

"But it wasn’t your choice!" I shot back, standing now, my bare feet hitting the cool floor. My wild curls bounced as I got out of the bed, grabbed my jacket from the chair, shrugging it on over my nightshirt. The room felt too small, the air too thick.

"I’m sorry," he whispered, not moving to stop me. "More than you know."

"I need space," I said, my voice cracking. "To think. To... process this." I headed for the door, my heart pounding like a drum.

He nodded, his eyes shadowed with pain. "I understand. Be safe, Easter."

I stepped out into the cool night air, the door clicking shut behind me. The stars wheeled overhead, indifferent to the storm raging in my soul. As I walked down the path, tears finally spilling, I wondered if I’d ever find my way back—to him, to myself.