Chapter 7

As the words fell, silence enveloped the room.

Maryjane stared at Damien in disbelief, her hands trembling uncontrollably beneath the fur blanket as she clenched them tightly.

"Say that again?" she demanded.

Damien averted his gaze, unable to repeat himself. "I... I just said it without thinking. If it’s not true, don’t take it to heart."

But how could Maryjane not know his thoughts? They had been bound by a soul pact for nearly a century.

"You didn’t say it without thinking. You’re convinced I want Lyla dead. And I’m sure it’s not just you—my father, my mother, and even Leo think the same, don’t they?"

Damien faltered. "That’s not true, Maryjane. We’re just worried about you."

Maryjane’s eyes reddened. Her lips trembled with the urge to laugh bitterly.

Before she lost consciousness, she had heard her father’s words. When she awoke, she was greeted by her partner’s doubts. In their eyes, if she had no use in saving Lyla’s life, they wouldn’t have saved her that day. They would have left her to die, allowing the entire Sunblaze Pack to rejoice at the outcome.

Maryjane turned her face away. "Leave. I don’t want to see you."

Damien hesitated. "Maryjane—"

"Get out!"

He frowned, clearly displeased, but in the end, he rose and left the room.

As the stone door shut, Maryjane’s tears finally fell.

Although most of her memories were gone, the fragments that remained still filled her with an uncontrollable ache, an overwhelming sense of injustice, and a powerless anger.

She wiped her tears fiercely. This would be the last time she shed tears for them.

Only two days remained.

The moon mark on Maryjane’s forehead burned again.

"Father, Mother, Damien, Leo... Soon, I’ll grant your wish and disappear completely."

The next day, the Sunblaze Pack decorated the territory inside and out, making the atmosphere even more festive.

Maryjane no longer cared, but the sight of silver silk and white moonlight flowers everywhere still stabbed at her eyes, making them ache.

Her wounds had mostly healed. Thinking of Flames, she left the pack and headed to Whisper Hills.

As expected, Flames was hiding there.

The moment it saw her, it let out a low whimper and backed away, dried blood still crusted on its fur.

Maryjane sighed. "Flames, I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. Come here. Let me see your spirit memories."

Flames hesitated before crawling closer, lying prostrate on the ground.

Maryjane placed her hand on its head, and the events of the previous day unfolded before her eyes—

Flames had been resting in her home when footsteps startled it awake. Lyla had walked in, smiling faintly as she cast a "mind control" spell on it.

Under Lyla’s control, Flames had appeared to attack her, but its true target had been Maryjane all along.

"So it was her," Maryjane murmured, withdrawing her hand. The revelation didn’t surprise her.

The reason was simple—Lyla didn’t need a life exchange. She had to stop the ritual at all costs.

Maryjane’s lips curled into a faint smile. She raised her hand, using her power to clean the dried blood from Flames’ fur.

"Tomorrow, I’m heading to Howling Summit. You’re carrying this blame, and I can’t leave you behind. Why don’t you come with me?"

Flames silently wrapped its tail around her arm.

Maryjane never imagined that in the end, the one to stand by her side would be a spirit wolf she had met by chance.

After spending half the day there, Maryjane left Whisper Hills. She didn’t return to the pack but instead went to the Temple of Fate.

The trees in front of the temple were draped with countless silver threads, each representing the soul bond of a pair of mates.

Maryjane found hers with Damien effortlessly, grasping it silently in her hand.

The temple guardian approached her with a warm greeting. "Maryjane, what brings you here today to visit me—wait, what are you doing?"

A blade of light formed in Maryjane’s hand, and without hesitation, she severed the silver thread binding her soul to Damien’s.

As the thread broke, the names engraved on the Oath Stone began to fade, disintegrating into starlike fragments.

Soul bonds connected both partners, and the severance was something both could feel.

It wasn’t long before Damien arrived at the temple.

He saw the two severed pieces of silver thread in Maryjane’s hands, now dull and gray.

Panic surged in his chest, making his voice tremble. "Maryjane, what have you done?"

He rushed to her, trying to tie the two pieces together. "How could you break our soul bond?"

Maryjane’s voice was calm. "Didn’t we agree? You and Lyla will perform the ceremony. We had to sever the bond first."

Damien’s eyes turned red. "That was fake! A performance! We didn’t have to do this!"

No matter how hard he tried, the threads wouldn’t hold. The knot always came undone.

The guardian sighed from a distance. "Don’t waste your effort. The tapestry of souls isn’t something that can be mended so easily."

Damien froze, his eyes reddening further. "Then what do I do?"

The guardian stroked his long beard. "Only the Moon Goddess can fix it."

Damien grabbed Maryjane’s hand. "Maryjane, let’s rebind ourselves. We’ll go pray to the Goddess now!"

Maryjane looked at him steadily, unable to understand why he cared so much about this thread.

Her silence only made Damien more anxious.

He took her back to the pack, only to find Leo in the courtyard, trying to cheer up Lyla.

Damien’s brow furrowed as he called Leo over. "Leo, your mother was injured. Have you shown her any concern?"

Leo flinched, unable to meet Maryjane’s gaze. In a small voice, he muttered, "Mother is too strict. Lyla is gentle. I like being with Lyla."

Damien’s frown deepened. "You—"

Lyla interjected softly, "Damien, Leo is still a child. It’s my fault. I know my health is fragile, and I may never have children of my own. That’s why I’ve treated his child as if he were mine. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

With her delicate appearance, Damien opened his mouth but said nothing.

Maryjane chuckled lightly. "If he likes Lyla, let him spend more time with her."

After all, tomorrow, Leo could truly call Lyla his mother.

As for the life exchange ritual, their dream was destined to shatter.