Chapter 2

After I emerged from the water, Ethan immediately rushed over and held Leo. As for his mate, who had just returned from Shadow River, he just glanced at me. He seemed to want to approach me, but Serafina pulled him away.

I was just about to get ashore when I felt a pressure on my ankle, as if it were being tightly grasped by a cold hand.

Lily was so scared that she burst into tears and tried to catch me, but she could not reach me. "Dad, hurry and save Mom! Something in the water is grabbing her!"

A trace of panic flashed in Ethan's eyes. Just as he was about to turn his head and walk toward me, Serafina held him firmly.

"Ethan, Clara is a Spirit Soother and the best swimmer in the pack. How could anything go wrong? I think this is just another trick to get your attention and make you pity her."

Ethan paused, and a trace of realization flashed across his face. "I see. Fortunately, you reminded me."

Having said that, he shouted at me, who was struggling in the water, "Clara, stop it! Come up quickly! Leo is still unconscious. We can't handle it all. Stop causing more trouble, okay?"

The murky river water filled my mouth and nose. I could no longer speak and could only let the strange force drag me to the bottom of the river. At the last moment when the river water flooded my view, I saw Ethan gently embracing the weeping Serafina and soothing her softly.

My numb heart froze completely. It turned out that all those years of mutual support were no match for the regret of not being able to get what you wanted.

Scenes from the past flashed before my eyes.

I managed the pack for him, took care of his mother for him, gave up the chance to inherit my family's legacy for him, and worked hard to become a worthy Luna. All my effort was ultimately nothing compared to a drop of Serafina's tears.

I suddenly lost all hope of living and let my body sink.

"Mom! Mom!" Suddenly, Lily's heartbreaking cry dispelled all my despair and awakened my will to live.

I could not die. If I did, what would become of Lily?

I had to take a gamble, so I immediately held my breath and followed the force, letting myself sink to the bottom of the river.

The riverbed was littered with rusty silver artifacts left by predecessors. I picked up a dagger and slashed at my left wrist without hesitation.

Blood instantly dyed the water red, and the force that had been grabbing me vanished. We Spirit Soothers had been dealing with river spirits for generations, and the one we revered the most was the Moon Goddess.

My elders had once said that if you were bound to the river, it meant the Moon Goddess had taken a fancy to something you had and was refusing to let you leave. The only way to break free was to exchange something you held most precious for it.

For our family, the most important thing was these hands that could communicate with the living and the dead.

A hand in exchange for a life was worth it.

After struggling to climb ashore, I could not hold on any longer and passed out from the blood loss.

When I woke up again, I was already lying in my room in the manor.

Only Lily was beside me. My injured wrist was bandaged sloppily. It was clearly not done by a healer.

Tears welled up in Lily's eyes, and her childish voice was heartbreakingly hoarse. "I went to find a healer, but Serafina stopped me. She said Leo hadn't woken up, and there aren't any extra healers to treat your wound. Dad actually believed her.

"Not wanting to disobey Dad, an elderly healer secretly gave me a bottle of hemostatic potion and told me to apply it to your wound and bandage it tightly with a cloth. He said this would temporarily save you..."

I endured the excruciating pain in my wrist and smiled, praising Lily, "Lily, you did a great job. You saved me."

Lily finally burst into laughter.

After putting Lily to sleep, Alva Lamington happened to return. She looked at my mangled wrist, her eyes turning red. "Luna, let me find you a trustworthy healer first."

I grabbed her, anxiously asking, "How was it with the Council of Elders?"

Alva shook her head. "The elders are out inspecting the territory today and won't be back until tomorrow morning to stamp it. You should rest and recuperate first tonight. I'll retrieve the documents tomorrow morning, and we'll leave immediately."

I nodded. "Okay, we'll wait another night."

I thought we could wait until dawn in peace, but Ethan and Serafina unexpectedly barged into my room at midnight. A hint of reluctance crossed his face, but he finally spoke after Serafina's prompting. "Clara, I'm afraid I have to trouble you to get into the water again..."