Chapter 7

It wasn't until the next day at noon that Damine slowly came out of the coma induced by the extreme blood loss.

His mind was still fuzzy. His throat was dry, and the first words that slipped out were: "Sofia... how is she? Is she out of danger? Has she woken up?"

Seeing his anxious expression, even though he was so weak, I nodded. I had stayed by his side almost all night, and my voice was hoarse with fatigue.

"The healer said the most dangerous phase is over. She'll need a long period of rest to regain her strength."

Hearing this news, the huge weight that had been pressing on Damine's chest finally seemed to lift.

But he was still not at ease. He struggled to throw back the covers and get out of bed, insisting on going to see her for himself with his own eyes.

I couldn't talk him out of it. In the end, it was a therapy assistant who was bringing him a nutrient drip that stopped him.

Damine glanced at the several bags of medication that needed to be administered slowly, and a flicker of irritation crossed his eyes. His thoughts were still completely on Sofia's condition.

His gaze swept around the room, finally landing on a basket on the corner table filled with fresh berries and rare Moontrace Herbs—a gift of condole from other pack members.

It was as if he'd finally found a reasonable excuse. He looked at me, his voice carrying a subtle request:

"Sylvia, I used the comm yesterday to contact Sofia's parents. They're wandering in the south, but they should be arriving soon. Could you take this berry basket to her for me? Give them my regards, and... while you're at it, check if Sofia's condition has stabilized."

I stared at him for a long moment before letting out a quiet "Mm."

I picked up the exquisitely crafted berry basket and silently left his private room.

Sofia's room was on the upper floor.

I walked to her door and raised my hand to knock, but noticed the heavy wooden door was slightly ajar.

Through the crack, I saw Sofia nestled in the arms of a strange male wolf in another pack's attire. Her voice sounded weak and sweet:

"Liam, didn't you say this time you came back, you'd take me to meet your elders and officially confirm our relationship? Why did you come alone?"

The male, Liam, held her close, his voice gentle: "I wanted to bring my parents for a proper visit, but your injuries haven't fully healed. It's just not the right time. The moment you're completely recovered, I'll take you back to my pack for our mating ceremony. Okay?"

Hearing this conversation, my hand clenched hard on the woven handle of the basket.

Sofia already had a new mate? They were even to the point of having a mating ceremony?

Just as that thought hit me, the healer for the routine check pushed the door open, startling the two people inside.

Sofia looked up and saw me standing in the doorway. Her expression instantly shifted, turning guarded and displeased: "What are you doing here?"

I didn't answer her question. I just silently placed the berry basket on a low cabinet by the door, then turned and headed straight for the stairs.

Sofia, surprisingly, dragged her seemingly weak body out after me, grabbing my arm firmly at the stairwell. Her grip was so strong, it didn't fit someone supposedly recovering from serious injuries.

"Stop! You're not going to run straight downstairs and tattle to Damine, are you?" Her voice was low, with a hint of barely concealed panic.

I turned my head, looking at the flash of flustered panic on her face, my voice as cold as ice: "If you already have a mate you're willing to bind with, why do you insist on holding on to Damine?"

At my words, Sofia raised an eyebrow, and the panic on her face quickly transformed into a shameless calm.

"Can't you see I enjoy having them both fawn over me? I like playing them against each other," she sneered, a mocking curve on her lips. "I have the capital to make them dance to my tune. What's wrong with that?"

"Must you trample on his genuine feelings like this?" I felt sick to my stomach.

Seeing my suppressed anger, Sofia snorted, her tone filled with parade: "I'm just that good at making them go crazy. Even someone like Damine Blackwood, an Alpha so high above everyone else, is no exception. What, are you jealous? Why not just admit it? If I'm in a good mood, I might even give him back to you."

Her brazen words left me speechless.

My silence only fueled her arrogance. She looked me up and down triumphantly, her gaze finally landing on the mating mark on my neck.

"You're nothing but a substitute, a placeholder I left behind when I left. What makes you think you have the right to question me?"

She leaned in closer, her voice laced with vicious glee: "Let me let you in on a secret. I wasn't even that badly injured! I paid off the healer to see if Damine would be willing to give his essence blood for me. And the result? He was willing to damage his own wolf for me, to give me his very life. What do you have that could possibly compare to that?"

Her words were like a dagger coated in silver toxin, stabbing deep into the core of my being.

"If Damine treats you so well, why would you betray him for another man?" I asked Sofia.

"That was all Damine's doing. Being a Luna means taking on responsibilities and losing my freedom. I'm not willing to do that."

The fire that had been suppressed for so long—a mix of pain, humiliation, and anger—finally burst through the dam of my reason.

I almost instinctively raised my hand, reaching to grab Sofia and demand an explanation.

However, Sofia let out a dramatic cry of pain as if struck by a great force, staggering backward and falling!

I hadn't even fully registered what happened when I was suddenly shoved hard from the side, my back slamming against the cold stone wall.

It was Damine, coming up the stairs.

He didn't even glance at me. In one large stride, he rushed down the stairs, his face a mask of fury and heartache as he scooped up Sofia, who had fresh scrapes and bruises on her body after falling at the stairwell. He looked up at me with a look of disbelieving anger and accusation.

"Sylvia! Do you have any idea her condition isn't stable?! How could you be so vicious as to hurt her like this!" His voice trembled with weakness and anger.

Sofia nestled in his arms, turned her face at just the right moment to reveal the faint red mark of a handprint on her cheek, and wept like a willow in the wind, her voice choked: "Don't blame her, Damine... it's my fault. I must have said something to make Sylvia misunderstand... she is your bonded mate, it's only natural she'd be upset... I don't blame her... let's just go, it hurts so much..."

With these words, she completely cut off any chance for me to explain myself.

Watching the storm clouds gather on Damine's face, I knew that anything I said now would only sound like a weak excuse and a shifting of blame.

My silence, in Damine's eyes, was undoubtedly an admission of guilt.

The last spark of hope in his eyes died, replaced by deep disappointment.

"Sylvia! I thought you were a kind and gentle Luna. I never imagined you would go after Sofia too. I was wrong about you."

With that, he looked away from me, as if even a single glance was repulsive. He just carefully adjusted his hold, cradling the softly weeping Sofia, and turned, walking away step by heavy step.

He never once looked back at me.

I stood there alone, the only sound in the stairwell my own ragged breathing.