Chapter 1

Oliver brought me back to his villa.

"This is where you've been living."

I looked around.

It didn’t look like a place a couple had ever shared. In fact, not a single thing in the entire house belonged to me.

Still, I pretended not to notice and simply nodded.

"It's lovely here."

I took a nap in his room. When I woke up thirsty, I pushed open the door to get some water and heard a phone on speaker downstairs in the living room.

"Oliver, do me a favor. Pretend to be Isabella's boyfriend for a while."

Oliver stayed silent for a moment.

"Aren't you worried she'll regain her memory?"

Julian let out a low chuckle on the other end.

"So what if she does? She loves me so much she'd never bear to leave me. I'll sweet talk her and it'll be fine."

"I've been with her for so many years, and honestly, I'm getting a little tired of it. This is the perfect chance for me to have some fun while she doesn't remember anything."

My bare feet pressed against the cold marble floor, and a chill spread up through my body.

Oliver's voice was cold.

"Fun? You mean mess around with Violet? Sounds like you two are about to be official."

Julian laughed softly.

"Don't make it sound so ugly, Oliver. Isabella is still the one I love most. That other she-wolf is just something new and exciting. Once I've had my fill, I'll go back to her."

"For now, Isabella will stay with you. Just don't touch her. But you're the one I trust most. Everyone among our kind knows you've never liked her anyway."

I quietly took two steps back, then deliberately bumped the door so it made a sound before walking downstairs.

As soon as he heard me, Oliver hung up the phone and came straight over.

"Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. Why are you walking around barefoot?"

Before I could answer, he scooped me up in his arms. The fresh scent of cedarwood instantly surrounded me.

He set me down on the sofa, then knelt on one knee and gently slipped a pair of fluffy slippers onto my feet.

"I'm thirsty. Where do you keep the water?"

"Wait here."

He went to the kitchen and poured me a glass of water, then sat beside me.

"Anywhere else feeling uncomfortable?" he asked, watching me.

I shook my head after taking a sip.

He reached up and tenderly brushed the stray strands of hair from my forehead, then leaned in and kissed me there.

My eyelashes fluttered.

I had clearly heard Julian tell him not to touch me.

Everyone of our kind, including me, had always thought Julian, the Alpha of the strongest wolf pack, despised me.

Yet here he was.

When his lips slowly moved toward the corner of my mouth, I turned my head away.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Oliver's eyes, almost too quick to catch. He gently cupped my cheek.

"We'll take it slow," he murmured. "Let me win you over again, little by little."

It seemed I wasn't the only one deceiving Julian.

The next day, Oliver took me to the party Julian was hosting.

As soon as the villa doors opened, we stepped into a grand hall buzzing with young elites from all the major wolf packs. The moment I appeared, every head turned in perfect sync toward Julian.

A glamorous blonde she-wolf was clinging sweetly to his arm. She flashed me a bright smile.

"Isabella, do you remember me? I'm Violet, your old college roommate. We used to be best friends."

Oliver guided me to a seat. I offered a polite smile.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember."

"No worries at all," Violet replied, her voice warm and gentle. "We can just get to know each other again."

She leaned even closer into Julian's embrace, openly staking her claim with a look of triumph.

Julian didn't push her away. Instead, he let her nestle against him, clearly savoring the twisted thrill of being intimate with another she-wolf right in front of me.

The other young wolves exchanged knowing looks, their eyes filled with amused mischief.

"Yeah. It's perfect. Both of your best friends' boyfriends are in the same circle."

"Exactly. We can all hang out together whether you remember or not."

Everyone was enjoying watching me, memory gone, being cheated on right to my face, treating the whole deception like a fun game.

The party games continued.

During one round, Julian and Violet shared a single Pocky stick, their faces inching closer and closer.

"Kiss! Kiss!" The crowd started chanting.

Under the cheers, Julian lowered his head and kissed Violet.

Violet blushed and melted into his arms, but not before shooting me a smug glance. Julian casually wrapped an arm around her waist.

Later, I lost a round and had to accept the penalty.

Kiss someone of my choice for thirty seconds.

All eyes turned to me. The wolves were clearly curious. Would my wolf still lead me straight to Julian, my "real" boyfriend?

Julian looked tense and quickly glanced away. He didn't want me showing any instinctive pull toward him so soon.

Beside me, Oliver's body went rigid.

I smiled softly. "Of course I'll kiss my boyfriend."

I turned to Oliver. "Ready?"