The man who killed my mother is my mate

On the eve of the Blood Moon Ceremony, the most sacred night for our pack, I discovered my fiancé and my mate, Damien, locked in a passionate embrace with my step sister, Ember. The sight clawed at my soul, a betrayal that ripped through my wolf and left me exposed, bleeding.

The shock of it sent my mother, our pack’s elder healer, into cardiac arrest. Her heart, weakened by years of service, gave out. She needed a rare, ancient ritual to save her, a ritual that required a powerful blood sacrifice.

I, as the eldest daughter, was the only one who could offer it. Without hesitation, I gave a part of my life force, knowing it would leave me weakened, vulnerable for the rest of my life.

Desperate for the rare herbs needed for the ritual, I turned to my fiancé. He, the keeper of Pack’s infirmary, claimed the pack’s stores were depleted, offering only empty promises.

In my despair, Lucas, a wolf from a rival pack, appeared. He possessed the herbs I needed and performed the dark ritual, saving my mother. But when I awoke, his expression was grim. "Your mother… the ritual… it was corrupted. It failed."

She was gone. Forever.

With tearfilled eyes, I clung to Lucas. He held me close, whispering words of comfort, swearing to protect me. I believed him and married him.

Seven years into our uneasy alliance, fate struck another cruel blow. A whispered conversation I overheard shattered my world.

"So you used Ava’s life force to empower the ritual for Ember? That’s… barbaric.”

"There was no other choice. Ember's bloodline is stronger. She’s vital to the pack’s future. Ava, being her step sister was the best choice for her,”

"But they had another good match ready. It would have taken only a few hours. Was it really that urgent?"

Lucas sighed, his voice laced with regret. "I couldn't take a risk on Ember. Not even for a moment."

Inside the alpha’s den, Lucas paced, his tone cold.

“If pack law prevented me from claiming her then, the least I could do was ensure Ember’s survival.”

Liam, a subordinate who assisted Lucas in his dark rituals, hesitated, his face etched with worry. “But Ava’s connection to her wolf is now fractured. She suffers from constant chills, weakness… and she can’t even shift fully.”

“Her wolf is barely clinging to her,” he pressed, desperation creeping into his voice. “She’s fading. Are you really going to make her suffer like this? She loves you more than anything. Just give her back the life force. You have other sources now for Ember’s strength.”

Lucas’s expression hardened. “No. The more life force I have, the stronger Ember will be. I won’t take that risk. Not for anyone.”

Liam’s heart sank.

“What about Ava? I still remember her mother’s eyes, the way they glazed over as her life force was stolen. Aren’t you afraid Ava will seek vengeance when she learns the truth?”

Lucas went silent, then let out a low, bitter laugh.

“If she wants my life, she can take it. I’m already intended to devote my whole life to Ava and taking care of her as my redemption. As long as Ember thrives, I’ll accept any fate.”

My claws dug into the wood of the den door, my body trembling, my wolf howling in silent rage.

Heart pounding, I fumbled for the enchanted stone, recording everything before fleeing to my own small dwelling, my legs barely carrying me.

The moment I collapsed inside, my breath hitched, my mind reeling. My wolf had never fully recovered from the loss of my life force. Weakness clung to me like a shroud, chills racked my body, and the shift, once effortless, was now a painful, incomplete transformation.

Lucas had told me the ritual required a willing sacrifice to sign a blood pact before getting their life force pulled out. My mother had been willing but too dead to sign the pact, which meant there was no way to restore what was stolen.

I had thought it didn’t matter so long as my life force could stay with my mom forever that I couldn't. But, It was all a lie.

No wonder Lucas had stopped me when I begged to be at my mother’s side during her final moments, insisting I was too weak. He had overseen everything himself.

So this supposed love, this supposed sacrifice, it was nothing but a calculated act of theft, planned by a monster.

He had never truly cared for my mother.

Both of us had been nothing more than offerings for the shewolf he truly valued.

And to keep me from ever suspecting the truth, he took my mother inside the ritual chamber first , forcing her to watch, powerless, as her own daughter’s strength was ripped away and given to another.

She had died in anger and helplessness, knowing she was too powerless to save her daughter going into death's den in front of her eyes.

I couldn't stand listening to their conversation anymore and ran back to my room. However, my wolf howled in anger. Desperate to avenge herself, she exerted too much force to get me shifted which resulted in my human body acting up. I couldn't properly shift to my wolf, instead I began shivering in the cold.

"Ava?"

At some point, Lucas had appeared.

His expression darkened at the sight of me laying on the floor, shivering in cold.

Without hesitation, he scooped me into his arms and laid me on the bed, his fingers trembling as he wrapped me in a blanket and began rubbing my hands and sole of the foot.

"I'm sorry, Ava. I failed to take care of you." He said in a regretful voice. I could see his eyes moistened with guilt and concern, just as they always were whenever he saw me in pain.

"Don’t worry. I’ve arranged for the best moonstone this time. It will last longer than the previous one. In a few days, I’ll replace the moonstone in your body with this new one."

I used to believe that those tears in his eyes were genuine for me. I even forced myself to be strong, and patient. I would even laugh and crack jokes while being in pain just to lighten his mood. Looking back now, I was such a fool.

"Lucas, I've endured so much pain all these years while inserting a stone in my chest." My voice was weak, yet every word carried the weight of my torment. "Can I stop using these moonstones anymore?"

‘Didn’t you already prepare spare life sources for Ember? Then… Can I have my life source back?’

But I knew the truth – the life force giving energy to Ember was mine, stolen from me by the man I loved. A cold dread seeped into my bones, leaving me numb. Yet, I managed a faint smile, a very good attempt to conceal the turmoil brewing inside. "You're right, as always. I was being foolish.”

After dinner, I grabbed an opportunity to mix a sleeping potion in his wine. As expected, he fell asleep early. Even in his sleep, due to the presence of intoxic Wolf's Bane in the potion, he couldn't help muttering his heart out loudly, “Ember… I’ll protect you forever, even if it costs my life.”

I laughed at his words in irony. The person who was risking their lives for his beloved was not him, but me and my mother.

I quietly left our bedroom and walked into his study room, a place I was never allowed before.

As expected, the room’s door was locked with patterns. I drew the pattern that resembled the initial of Ember’s wolf name and it cracked open. As I scanned the room, I found it to be filled with Ember's memory. There were many paintings showing Ember with Lucas, their interaction looking intimate, and considering the relationship they shared with each other, one would call them shameless.

I found a diary lying on his study table that was supposed to be his journal. Five words were written on it: “First and last love: Ember”

I flipped the pages of his journal. Every page was filled with sketches of Ember that were drawn by him with affection. His journal was filled with his feelings and devotion towards Ember. He wrote

[Today, I saw Ember for the first time, and I think she is the one made for me]

[We live at the same home. I can touch her whenever I want but I can't claim her because of the rules of our pack. The distance between us is getting me crazy]

[Today, I married Ava. She is Ember’s step sister and looks similar to her. I couldn't hold myself in bed. Despite knowing her body is fragile, I went for three rounds. I miss Ember too much, so I keep calling her name in my heart as if that would turn the woman beneath me into her…]

And that wasn’t all. Pages after pages, he wrote how he slept with me thinking about Ember or made me close my eyes while he stared at her painting when releasing himself in me. He also mentioned all the expensive gifts he had been sending to Ember all these years.

Not a single one for me.

He had even bought a necklace made up of the precious gemstone that was one of its kind in the whole world.

And the only thing Lucas had ever given me… was a stone in my chest that brought nothing but agony.

While I was drowning in grief over my mother’s death, shivering in cold and losing my wolf, Ember had been flaunting the necklace to her friends that she received from my husband.

In rage, I closed Lucas’s journal, planning to return. As I turned to leave his study room, my legs stumbled on something and a wooden box fell from the table. The shining stone placed on the top of its lid grabbed my attention and I couldn't help opening it. Inside were laying several pacts signed by the blood, just as the one I signed before I agreed to donate my life source for my mother.

I opened all the pacts and read the content written on them. There were several pacts Lucas had managed to sign with those who were in need of money or some dark rituals he could perform only on one condition, and the condition was whenever he asked them to give their life source to Ember, they would be ready to hand it over.

Since my pack was filled with healers and shamans, I knew very well that whoever performs dark rituals, his wolf suffers worse than death and after dying, both heaven and hell reject him. Being a top shaman in the whole kingdom, he must have known the consequences of all those dark rituals he had been doing for these people yet he did it willingly, all for Ember. He was indeed a devoted lover, but he was my mother’s murderer and I was never ever going to forget that.

The night had been endless, and sleep seemed like a distant dream. By morning, Lucas assumed I had woken up early and suspected nothing. Perhaps because he had seen me struggling to shift the night before, he made breakfast himself, a table filled with carefully arranged, nutritious dishes, each one an illusion of care.

When Lucas saw me sitting quietly, he watched me with concern. "Ava, why aren't you eating? Are you feeling unwell?"

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Just a little tired, that's all."

Lucas's gaze softened, and he reached out to stroke my hair. "You've been pushing yourself too hard, Ava. You need to take care of yourself."

I felt a surge of anger at his feigned concern, but I pushed it down. I was about to bring up the divorce, but Lucas casually continued. "Ava, I was thinking... since the full moon is approaching, why don't we hold a Pack's gathering at the late Alpha’s residence ? It might do you some good to get out and stretch your legs."

I raised an eyebrow, my tone cold. "You want me to go on a run with the pack and your mother, knowing how much she hates me?"

Lucas's expression turned sheepish, but he quickly recovered. "I know it's been tough, Ava, but I promise I'll be there to protect you. And besides, your sister will be there too. It'll be good for you to bond with her."

I felt a pang of anger at the mention of Ember's name, but I kept my cool. "I'll think about it," I said, my voice neutral.

Lucas smiled, seemingly satisfied with my response. "That's all I can ask for, Ava. Now, let's get ready to head out. The pack is waiting for us."

When we arrived at the pack's gathering spot, I saw Ember, dressed in her usual elegant attire, chatting with Lucas's mother, Emily. Emily was also sparing no chance of showing her adoration to her. Ember's eyes locked onto mine, and she smiled, saying pretentiously to Emily, “Grandma, stop feeding me so much out of love, I’ll get fat. Why don't you offer your special dishes to Auntie? Maybe by then, she will not look this sickly?”

Ember, was the maternal granddaughter of Emily’s husband from his first wife. Lucas didn't have any blood ties with Ember since he was Emily’s son, and Ember’s mother was Emily's step daughter. Since the late Alpha didn't have any male heir from his first wife, he married Emily and had Lucas. Lucas later inherited the pack while Lucas’s step sister married my father out of love, who was the Alpha of the pack and had been already married to my mother.

My father, being seduced by his new mistress, chased my mother and me out of his residence and we lived in isolation, only to be robbed of both my fiance and husband by Ember just like her mother robbed my mother's. Lucas's mother hated me for being ordinary and sick. She also felt ashamed of accepting me as her daughterinlaw in public.

As soon as her gaze fell on me, her knuckles tightened and she rushed to my side, whispering coldly, “Who asked you to come here? You are nothing but a sickly thing. Do you want everyone to assume we don't treat you well?”

“My son is getting older day by day, still without a son to inherit his pack. You can't give him a son, can't help him in running his pack, too sick to even please him in bed. Why don't you leave him to marry someone else? Or just die?”

There was nothing new in it. I was accustomed to being cursed by my motherinlaw every time she saw me. Earlier, Lucas would stand up for me and defend me in front of his mother, even if it was a feign concern. But now that his beloved was standing before his eyes, fresh and cheerful, he didn't bother even looking at me.

“Uncle…” Suddenly Ember jumped over Lucas, hugging him tightly, her chest rubbing against his and lips almost brushing with his as she said while looking upward to face his eyes, “Long time no see, Uncle. Have you already forgotten me now that you have Auntie by your side?”

“How can it be possible, Ember? No one can take your place in my heart. Ember… I”

“Sssh…” Ember pressed her finger on Lucas's lips, a gesture looking very passionate as she continued, “I know Uncle misses me. You don't need to explain anything to me. I understand! I was joking with you.”

The conversation going between them in public seemed to be an adorable conversation between uncle and niece but only I knew what it was about.

“Uncle, did you bring me a gift?” She asked excitedly, “Do you remember what day it is?”

“Of course,” said Lucas, “How can I forget the day we met for the first time?”

So holding a gathering in a pack was just an excuse. What Lucas wanted was to celebrate the day of their first meeting, as an anniversary. I laughed bitterly. He had never remembered or asked me about my birthday. He didn't even celebrate our anniversary, giving excuses of his mother’s dislikeness that could disturb my mood or my weak body. But, he took the chance only to celebrate a little occasion that could relate him with Ember.

Soon maids and servants wheeled in several luxurious gowns, each designed by different designers in the world and matched with executive jewelry.

Ember again jumped in excitement. She immediately hugged Lucas before placing a soft kiss on his cheeks, “You are still the best, Uncle.”

“Thank you so much for these gifts, Uncle,” she said while breaking the hug, “You gave me so many expensive gifts. I’m afraid someone would get jealous.”

After she mentioned this, Lucas' gaze could shift to me and see that I was wearing a plain Tshirt and jeans. He seemed to be hesitant as he reached out his hands to me, saying apologetically, “Don't overthink anything, Ava. It was a special moment for Ember and mine. So, as her Uncle I just…”

“Ouch…”

Before Lucas could complete his words, Ember held her chest and cried in pain, “Uncle, my chest is aching. I… I think my condition is acting up again.”

Lucas immediately let go of my hands and rushed to Ember’s side, asking in concern and worry, “Why are your chest aching all of a sudden? Where exactly is it hurting? No, I should check it right away.”

After throwing out these words, he immediately picked her up in his arms and headed straight to the stairs to take her upstairs, showing his back to me in front of the whole pack members.

"No wonder Lucas would rather lavish Ember with attention and gifts, but treats his wife like a mere afterthought. A woman of her... limited abilities isn't worthy of being the mate of the pack's future alpha, let alone deserving of his affection."

"If not for his obsession with Ember, why would he have ever married her who looked similar to Ember? I bet she used her pitiful health to manipulate him into this union. Pathetic! She'd even cling to him like a leech just to maintain her status."

“I heard her mother died in one of the rituals Lucas performed. I bet she killed her own mother just to blackmail Lucas into marrying her. After all, he is the best shaman in our kingdom. How could he make such a mistake to even cost a life?”

“But, isn't Ember Lucas nice? How can they show affection for each other publically? Isn't it wrong? If the late Alpha was alive, would he let this happen in his pack?”

The murmurs grew louder, their voices sharp as claws. Seeing that they didn't mind pulling their Alpha Lucas into mud along with me, Lucas's mother, clearly disgusted, sneered at me. "What are you still standing here for, embarrassing us? Get back upstairs and bring back your husband this instant! Haven't you shamed us enough already?"

"My son was gracious enough to accept you as his mate despite your... frailties; it's your good fortune to have him! If your mother died in the rituals you asked for her, how is that my son's fault? You should be grateful instead of trying to cling to him. You'll get what's coming to you one day!”

My motherinlaw’s words passed chills down my spine. But, I chose to stay silent. Arguing with her would do no good to me. It was even useless to keep standing there and listen to the packmates’ whispers and my motherinlaw’s taunts. Also, I was looking for a chance to bring up the divorce with Lucas. So, I decided to follow her instructions and walked upstairs through the stairs, intending to clear things between us.

I had only reached out the door and my ears were filled with Lucas's voice, laced with concern and worry.

“Ember, what are you doing?” He asked in desperation, “Your condition is acting up, you should lay still on the bed. Please don't get up.”

As I reached out to the door, my legs got frozen at their place. I couldn't move at all. There was a scene, too improper to even watch, let alone interrupt. Ember's hands were wrapped around Lucas’s shoulder and legs around his waist. He had held her on him with the support of the wall, clinging to each other as passionately as they could.

“Ember…” he moaned, “Please don’t do this.”

“Why, Lucas?” She said seductively before brushing her lips against his, “Don't you like this?”

“Are you worried about my condition?” She asked after partying her lips, “I lied! Just to get you up with me alone.”

“Why are you holding back, Lucas? I know you want me as desperately as I want you. Aren't you married to Ava just because she has similar facial features as me?” She asked seductively, “Tell me, Lucas! How many times have you slept with her imagining me in your bed? I bet it's everyday.”

“Ember…” he moaned, struggling hard to not respond to her kisses as he groaned, “You are making things harder on me,”

“That's what I want, Lucas.” she said while moving her hands downward to his shirt, “I want you to get harder!”

As soon as her hands grabbed the zipper of his pants, he lost all his control. He couldn't hold himself anymore and soon the sound of undressing the clothes echoed in the room, followed by the sound of skins’ intervention. I clenched the door’s knob in my hand, that hadn't been pushed open till now, and ran away, leaving them alone to bring shame to their relationship and to the pack.

I burst out and reached the balcony, gasping for air. The thought of them intervening to each other, naked in the same bed, was disgusting to me. But even the cool night breeze couldn't calm the storm raging inside me. I felt like I was drowning, like I was losing myself in a sea of despair.

And at that moment, I knew I had to get out. I had to leave Lucas, leave Ember, leave the pack. I had to find a way to heal, to move on, to forget.

I reached for my enchanted stone and used it to contact one of my trusted friend and ally, a fellow werewolf named Lucy.

"I need your help," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the sound of my own heartbeat.

Lucy's response was immediate. "What do you need, Ava?"

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. "I need you to help me take back what's mine."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and for a moment, I wondered if Lucy would abandon me. But then, her voice came back, strong and resolute. "I'm with you, Ava. Always."

At first, I wanted to confront Lucas and talk to him face to face about what he did to me. But now, I was disgusted with the thought of even looking at him. There was nothing left to talk about. What's done was already done. I could not change what had already happened in the past. But, my future was in my hands and I would never let myself be bewitched by him again. So, in that short moment, I had already decided what I needed to do next.

The full moon was rising, and with it, a new era would begin. I was ready to unleash my inner wolf and take back what was rightfully mine.

I hadn’t moved from the bench placed on the balcony for what felt like an eternity, the scent of damp earth and pine needles doing little to soothe the ache in my soul. Suddenly, an iced mug of frozen beverages spilled across my head. The chilling sensation made me shiver in the cold.

Ember, her eyes gleaming with cruel amusement, sauntered into view. She’d shed her human guise and stood before me in her magnificent wolf form, a cup of the chilled beverages clutched in her powerful jaws.

"Ava," she growled after shifting to her human form, her voice a low rumble, "Did you enjoy the show? Watching you leave with tears in your eyes, was truly delightful."

So, she’d been watching.

"I heard your wolf is rejecting the change. Shivers, fever, weakness… you must be suffering, hmm? You can’t even hold your wolf form properly. But me? I shift effortlessly. You're now a halfbreed, but at least your life force was good for something. I owe you one. Thanks for the… entertainment."

“Do you know I never needed a life force! I purposely defected my life force just at the time when your mother needed yours, forcing Lucas to put yours in my chest, causing your mother to die instantly.”

"And our father, the late Alpha, that fool had a change of heart after knowing how I slept with your mate, causing the death of his first wife. He really thought he could challenge me for Alpha and give my pack to you? Keep dreaming. They belong to me. You were nothing but a weakling, a disgrace."

"The old fool had the nerve to challenge me when I demanded him to leave the Alpha's position to me. So, of course, I had to teach him a lesson. I shifted and… persuaded him to yield. He was so humiliated. But, he was still powerful. That fool would have won, had I not whispered into his ears how I snatched your life force, causing you the suffering for your whole life. That was when he lost his desire to live, and died, murmuring your name in his last breathing.

"When the elders were considering you as Alpha since you are the eldest daughter, I reminded the pack of your human weakness. As I expected, they were easily swayed; they chose me instead. Your human blood made you vulnerable, they needed a pureblood Alpha."

"By the way, you were too weak to witness your father's final submission. He whimpered like a pup, his tail tucked between his legs, as he was forced to surrender his title to me. Serves him right! He dared question my claim, so I took his leadership in return!"

My eyes burned with a fury I’d never known.

I had never imagined this was the true reason for my father's decline.

My body trembled, overwhelmed by the shock. How could she be so ruthless? How could she usurp my birthright and speak of it with such callous indifference?

I lunged, claws extended, ready to tear her apart, but before I could reach her, Ember deliberately spilled the chilled beverages over herself, letting out a dramatic yelp.

The next instant, someone shoved me violently backward.

Lucas, my husband, still sweating and wearing wrinkled clothes, stood protectively in front of her, his eyes narrowed with fury as he snarled at me, "Ava! What in the name of the Moon Goddess do you think you're doing?!"

With feigned distress, Ember whimpered, "Lucas, I only wanted to offer her some comfort and apologize for stealing her mate. But she accused me of killing her father, attacked me, and even… poured the frozen beverages on me on this cold night. If you hadn’t intervened, she might have killed me!"

"Offering her drink was my idea," she added, affecting a wounded expression. "I know they weren’t much, but it was a gesture of goodwill. And now I’m even injured…"

Lucas’s expression hardened immediately.

"Ava, your father was weak. He couldn’t handle the pressures of Alpha. He shouldn’t have challenged Ember’s rightful claim. Before the challenge, it’s expected for the Alpha to prove their strength. Ember was only asserting her dominance, and instead of accepting the natural order, you’re blaming her for everything?"

I couldn’t believe the absurdity of his words.

"Lucas, tell me the truth. How did my mother truly fall? Did she truly receive my life force?"

Lucas’s face tightened with annoyance.

"Of course. Didn’t I already explain? The ritual backfired. These dark rituals can be brutal. Didn’t I tell you already? Don’t you understand? And now you’re turning Ember into the villain. Apologize to her. Now."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

Tears welled in my eyes, the weight of betrayal crushing me. This was the man I had loved for seven years, who wouldn’t even offer me the truth.

In a haze of despair, I snatched another cup of chilled beverages from Ember's hands. She had emptied only one forth of it on herself, I emptied the rest in one sip.

The moment the liquor hit my empty stomach, a searing pain ripped through me, and I stumbled, collapsing to the earth, my wolf form flickering uncontrollably, the chilled beverages, now poison, chilling my veins.

Lucas’s eyes widened in shock as he urgently called out, "Ava, what are you doing? It’s too cold! Stop now!"

I threw the empty cup to the ground and flashed him a smile.

"Ava, what have you done?" Lucas's voice was laced with a mixture of anger and worry, but I knew it was all an act.

I tried to speak, but my voice was barely a whisper. "You... lied to me, Lucas. You knew the truth about my mother's death, and you lied."

Lucas's expression faltered for a moment, and I saw a glimmer of guilt in his eyes. But it was quickly replaced by a mask of indifference. "Ava, you're not thinking clearly. The cold in your veins has affected your mind.”

My wolf, filled with anger and resentment, lost its control, and I had to shift, though my form was only half and looked very disturbing. Lucas chuckled, he immediately said, “Stop shifting, Ava. You will exhaust the moonstone in your chest. Don’t shift, please.”

Lucas reached out to grab me, but Ember quickly stepped in his way.

"Uncle, I'm feeling a little off. I think it's because Auntie's wolf is so unstable..." Lucas’s eyes lingered on my retreating figure for a moment, his hesitation palpable, but he didn't chase after me.

That night, Lucas never came back. I packed up all my things and left our den, watching as the trees disappeared into the distance.

It wasn't until the next day that he finally called me through the enchanted stone,"Ava, I was wrong yesterday. I know your inability to control your shifts is a deep wound, and I shouldn't have said those things."

"But Ember is still traumatized, having watched you like that. I'm worried something will happen to her, and I won't be able to protect her. As her uncle, I need to take care of her."

I replied, my voice cold and distant, "It's okay. I was impulsive yesterday. You should take care of her."

"You've been struggling to control your shifts, so you must be exhausted. I'll arrange for you to meet with the pack's elder tomorrow. She'll help you learn to control your wolf."

"Okay."

But the next morning, Lucas didn't show up. It didn't matter. Not every goodbye had to be spoken in person. I placed the divorce papers on the table and walked out the door.

At the forest's edge, Lucas called again, his voice full of regret. "Sorry, Ava, I have a pack meeting that ran late. I won't be able to meet with you until tonight. I'll send someone to pick you up."

"Tomorrow is the full moon. After the pack's run, I'll perform the ritual and change the moonstone in your chest."

It was the perfect excuse, one that could easily cover up a lie. What Lucas didn't know was that he was still wearing the pink gem pendant that I gifted him on our wedding anniversary, the same as I wore around my neck. It could share our location to each other whenever we wanted.

Tracing his location through my pendant, I knew Lucas had taken Ember to the pack's sacred hunting grounds, a place reserved for mates and family.

"Okay, I was actually planning to give you a gift, too." I said.

"Really? I can't wait to see it."

After hanging up, I took one last glance at the forest, then walked away without a second look back, took off the pink gem pendant and crushed it under my legs. Lucas, goodbye.

On the other side, after sharing the hunt with Ember, Lucas took her out for a candlelit dinner. Only after that did they rush to Lucas's ritual chamber to prepare the herbs required for transplanting another stone in my chest.

He waited for a long time, but I didn't not show up. Worried, he tried to contact me with the enchanted stone, but couldn't catch up. His heart began panicking as he knew I desperately needed my moonstone exchanged with a new one. As if remembered something only now, he took out his pendant in haste and tried to trace my location. But unfortunately, it wasn't working either.

“Ava…” he whispered in a hoarse voice, “Time is slipping, where are you?”