Chapter 3

The atmosphere at Spring Hunt Caravan was incredibly lively, yet Magnus felt strangely unsettled.

For some reason, he felt restless. He tried to initiate a mind-link with me several times, but every attempt failed.

He thought about calling to check on me, but when he saw all the unanswered calls and messages, he irritably tossed his phone aside.

Tala never stopped finding excuses to get close to him. She even went as far as to sprain her ankle on purpose so he would carry her in his arms.

Ronan cheered excitedly from the side, "You two look just like a loving pair of mates!"

He was too young to understand the true meaning of mates.

At his words, Magnus immediately snapped at him, "Your mother and I are mates! Stop talking nonsense!"

Even Magnus didn't understand why he instinctively felt the need to explain to Ronan.

When Tala heard that, her expression twisted ferociously for a fleeting second. But then she leaned back against Magnus' chest and looked up at him with pitiful, tearful eyes.

Without me by his side, Magnus suddenly found Spring Hunt Caravan dull. He decided to return home and check on me, so he summoned Fenwick to get the car ready.

But Fenwick hesitated, seeming as if he had something to say.

Magnus' expression darkened as he demanded that Fenwick speak his mind.

Fenwick exchanged a subtle look with Tala before walking to the side and pulling out a knife. "Alpha Magnus, Luna Maeve ordered me to give this to you. She said…"

"She said what?" Magnus pressed hard.

"She wants you to kill Tala with your own hands and bring the body back to her."

Tala shrieked and dropped to her knees right before Magnus, tears streaming down her face. "Magnus, no! I know you'd never do that to me!"

Staring at the knife from home, Magnus completely lost faith in me. He comforted Tala, saying, "Don't be afraid. You did nothing wrong. It's just the gentle Maeve I once knew who's changed."

He refused to believe it, but looking at the familiar knife made him scrunch up his features in pain. The gentle, loving person he remembered me to be was now nothing but a troublemaker.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew.

"When we get back, I'll send her to the Moon Goddess' church so she can never threaten you anymore, nor will she frighten Ronan."

Satisfied with his arrangement, he no longer felt the need to come home and check on me.

Instead, he drank until he was all relaxed, and the liquor completely erased him from my mind. It wasn't until Sage called that he remembered that there was still a sick Luna at home, still suffering from wolfsbane poisoning.

The sound of Sage knocking on the door leaked through the receiver into Magnus' ears. "Are you not home, Alpha Magnus? Luna Maeve is incredibly frail and needs your comfort. How could you possibly be away at a time like this?"

Magnus frowned, while Sage continued, "The antidote is ready. I wanted to give it to the Luna, but I can't open the door.

"Besides, there's a terrible smell coming from your house. I don't even want to step inside."

What he described was the smell of my rotting body.

Magnus only grew more agitated upon hearing Sage's words. He impatiently snapped, "Since you know the Luna isn't well, stop bothering her. I'll pick up the antidote and give it to her when I'm back."

Even after hanging up, he was still simmering with rage. So, he sent me another message.

"What did you do at home, Maeve? Why does Sage smell a foul odor? You'd better deal with it before I get back.

"Get the antidote from Sage and heal up. Stop looking so sickly and acting like you're on the brink of death."

Still, his text received no response. He had no idea Sage's antidote could no longer save me.

He simply assumed that I was throwing a tantrum, so he tossed his phone aside and stopped thinking about it altogether.