Chapter 1

When Sebastian Grant pushed the door open, the infirmary had just delivered the freshly prepared antidote. The potion sat in a crystal vial, catching the light and scattering it into cold, fractured reflections. He shrugged off his coat, still carrying the faint scent of crushed herbs.

"Babe, were you waiting for me to feed you? Still so spoiled," he teased softly, with that familiar gentle smile.

I looked at him in silence.

So many years had passed, and I was finally going home to the human world. But the excitement I had imagined never came. My chest felt hollow, like a room long since emptied of everything it once held.

When I didn't react, Sebastian stepped closer, his tone turning coaxing as he said, "You need to drink this quickly. That's when it works best."

I forced a smile and lifted the vial, then swallowed it in one go. But as I drank too fast, the liquid burned its way into my airway. I doubled over, coughing hard, probably looking completely pathetic.

Sebastian didn't seem bothered.

Chuckling lightly, he pulled out a tissue and gently wiped my lips. "Slow down. Your mate is the best healer in the pack. You can have as much medicine as you want. You're unusually obedient today. You didn't even insist I feed you."

The potion hit my throat, pain flaring like fire spreading through my veins.

I leaned into his arms without resistance and quietly said, "It's fine. You won't need to feed me anymore."

He froze for a beat, his smile slowly fading.

"Are you still angry about Sabrina poisoning you?" He sighed, releasing that steady, woody scent that always carried a calming effect. "My mentor and I have spoiled her all these years, but she isn't a bad person. Since you're fine now, don't hold it against her. Alright?"

I listened, then suddenly laughed, asking, "What if... I had actually died?"

He looked at me like I had said something childish and absurd, something that could never happen.

"With me here, how can you possibly die?" he said.

Right.

My mate was the most gifted healer on the entire continent. There was no poison he couldn't cure.

Over the years, Sabrina had tested countless poisons on other wolves. Side effects included blindness and nerve failure, and there had even been near-death experiences that should have shattered their souls. Regardless of their condition, Sebastian had always saved them.

Even with this poison in my body, he was absolutely certain he could save me. But this time, he was doomed to be wrong.

I thought back to what the Moon Goddess told me in my dream last night. She said that Sebastian still loved me. She told me that if I couldn't bear to leave, all I had to do was point out the flaw in the prescription.

If I did that, he would blame himself. He would go mad with guilt and spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to me.

I couldn't help but shake my head in exasperated disbelief. What use was his guilt to me? Right now, all I wanted was to go home.

"But didn't you already give up on returning to the human world?" the Moon Goddess had murmured, her voice still echoing in my ears.

I fell silent.

Yes, Sebastian's love had once been so intense that I thought dying by his hand was impossible. I had thought I might as well stay, as there wasn't a thing in the human world worth missing.

But I had forgotten something. Times changed, and so did people. No matter how solemn a vow was, it couldn't withstand time.

I shook my head. "No. I want to go back. Also, please block his ability to sense me through the mate bond."

It was fine. I only needed to drink the poison for a month. I could wait.