Chapter 3

In the end, Sebastian never took me to see the sunrise. The morning we were supposed to leave, a massive plague broke out along the Bloodmoon Pack's border.

Before Sebastian could even get into the car, several pack members rushed over, voices shaking as they begged him to save their families.

He turned back to me, guilt filling his eyes. "Christina, the situation at the border is too critical. Can we watch the sunrise another day?"

I waved him off, forcing back the ache in my chest, and managed a smile that said I understood. "It's fine. Go save them."

The pack members bowed to me again and again in thanks. By then, Sebastian had already turned away. He had his phone pressed to his ear, urgently ordering his assistant to pull up past epidemic records.

It wasn't the first time he had left me behind for an emergency. It wasn't that I didn't feel hurt; I just didn't want to be another burden. I never expected that everything else could take priority over me, while Sabrina somehow came before all else.

When I returned home the next day, Sebastian was at his workbench. His hair was messy, his sleeves rolled up, and he was frantically brewing an antidote that had nothing to do with the border plague.

When he saw me, he sighed in frustration. "Sabrina tested poison on other pack members. Someone reported her to the Alpha. I have to make an antidote fast and get her out of detention."

I stared at him in disbelief. "What about the plague at the border?"

Sebastian paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Other healers will handle it."

He hadn't gone to the border at all.

Watching his profile, so anxious and focused on Sabrina, he suddenly felt like a stranger. The man I loved was kind, principled, and someone who couldn't even bear to see a small animal hurt. Yet, he was willing to ignore the lives of his own pack for Sabrina.

After he finished the antidote, he took me with him to bail her out. The moment she was released, Sabrina threw herself into Sebastian's arms with a bright smile and shot me a provocative look.

"Thank you, Chief Healer Sebastian. I knew that if I needed you, you would drop everything to help me," she said.

I couldn't help but feel the absurdity of it all.

"Do you even know how many pack members had their treatment delayed because of this—"

"So what?" Sabrina cut me off with a sneer. "They're just low-ranking wolves. Are they more important than me? Waiting a few days for treatment won't kill them. Maybe it will even strengthen their immunity. I'm helping them. They should be thanking me."

Sebastian patted her back gently, then shot me a faintly reproachful look. "Enough, Christina. Stop berating her. Being locked up scared her. She needs to rest."

I lowered my gaze and said nothing more. Sooner or later, Sabrina would learn that those wolves she called low-ranking would make her pay. I had kept evidence of everything she had done. Before I left this world, I would hand it all to the Alpha.

A few days later, Sebastian finished soothing Sabrina and finally remembered me.

"Sabrina wants to browse the trading market tomorrow. I will take her. Do you want to come?" he asked.

I shook my head. A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes, followed by quiet relief.

Actually, I was going to the market too, just not with them. I was about to return to the human world. Before that, I needed to sell everything I could and donate the money.

The market was small, so it took less than an hour before I ran into them.

I turned to leave, but Sabrina's laughing voice drifted over.

"Sebastian, do you think the baby in my belly will look more like me or you?"

I froze and stiffly turned around. In front of a pup supply shop, Sabrina was holding up several pup toys and examining them.

Sebastian's face went completely pale as he covered her mouth. "Stop talking nonsense. Someone might hear you."

Sabrina pulled his hand away, unconcerned. "What are you scared of? Even if Christina finds out, so what? She'll just have to put up with it. Besides, she was the one who threw away my pearl powder. I got so mad I ran into the forest and got hit with a heat poison. I had to sleep with you to cure it. So, this baby is partly her fault too."

It felt like the blood in my veins had turned to ice. I could barely stay on my feet.

So, the day I tossed the pearl powder away and Sebastian stormed out with Sabrina, they had slept together.

And Sebastian was still murmuring to her, "No matter what, Christina can never find out about this."

I couldn't listen anymore and fled the market.

Back in my room, the tears wouldn't stop. I thought I had already let go, but how could a fated bond be severed so easily?

A metallic taste filled my throat. I wiped at my mouth with a handkerchief and coughed up blood, my chest twisting with pain. My vision blurred, and I slipped into another dream.

The Moon Goddess appeared again, her voice carrying a faint trace of regret as she said, "If you drink one more vial today, you can return to the human world."

I smiled numbly. "Is that so? That's good news."

-

By evening, Sebastian returned.

He leaned in, studying my face carefully, worry flickering in his eyes. "Are you feeling unwell? You look so pale."

I lowered my head, letting my hair shield the sickly pallor of my face. "I'm fine. Maybe it's just because I haven't taken the medicine yet."

Sebastian hurriedly brought the vial over, holding it gently to my lips. "I know you hate bitter medicine, but this will save your life. Just bear it for a moment. Here, babe, I'll feed you."

I opened my mouth obediently, letting the deadly liquid slide down my throat. Agonizing cramps ripped through my abdomen in an instant. I bit my lip and forced a broken smile.

'Remember this, Sebastian Grant. You're the one who fed me the poison that will drag me straight to hell.'