第3章

My mother had always been loyal to the pack. The former Alpha once saved her life, and she was willing to give everything for the Alpha family.

During that time, Kane's mother's wolf was rapidly weakening, her heart function failing. My mother must have signed this life debt contract to repay that gratitude.

My mother's wolf had strong healing abilities back then, so she thought she could survive whatever payment was required.

But not now. My mother's wolf has long fallen into dormancy, losing all self-healing abilities.

Now taking her heart for this potion means directly taking her life!

I grab Kane's sleeve and beg desperately, "The doctor said my mother's condition is starting to improve. She can't handle this kind of trauma right now. Please don't do this! Surely there's another way to make this potion!"

Hearing me say this, Kane's fury grows even more intense. He shoves me hard to the ground.

"How is heaven so unfair? Someone like your mother gets to improve while my mother faces death from heart failure. This is what she owes my mother! The debt must be paid!"

"Kane, I'm begging you, please spare my mother! There has to be another ingredient that works!"

Kane looks down at me begging desperately on the ground. He wants to reach out his hand, but it freezes in place and he quickly pulls it back.

How could this be possible? How could he still feel sorry for this woman? It was her and her mother's appearance that brought such disaster to his family!

"Stop dreaming. I will never forgive you mother and daughter in this lifetime!"

Seeing it's hopeless, I crawl over to plead with Ethan beside him.

"Ethan, please, for the sake of our past relationship, help me. Ask the witch if there's another way!"

A flash of reluctance crosses Ethan's heart, but he still cruelly turns his head away from me.

"It's useless begging anyone. Our family was too soft-hearted before, which is why we ended up like this today. We won't trust you again."

As soon as he finishes speaking, Kane calls in guards and healers to prepare for the ritual extraction.

I try to stop them, but a group of guards blocks me first, pressing me firmly to the ground.

As I struggle desperately against their grip, Sage leans down and whispers in my ear with a cruel smile, "You want to know a secret? This potion doesn't actually require a heart at all. Any strong magical essence would work."

My eyes turn bloodshot with rage and horror. "You're lying! Kane! KANE! Stop this madness!"

But no matter how I scream and roar, I can only watch helplessly as my mother is prepared for the ritual extraction.

The witch begins chanting while the healers ready their silver blades. For me, every minute feels like a year. I pray continuously toward the sky, praying that someone will stop this.

Several hours pass. Kane's mother is brought out first, glowing with renewed health from the potion. The Sterling brothers are overjoyed.

"But the other patient..."

I nervously grab the healer and ask, "What happened to my mother?"

The healer looks away sadly, "Her wolf had almost completely lost its self-healing ability. We couldn't save her after removing her heart for the potion."

In an instant, I'm struck like lightning, my whole body collapsing powerlessly to the ground.

We had persisted for so long, just half a month more and we could have left this place to start a new life.

And it was all for nothing. The potion didn't even need her heart.

How could this happen?

When my mother's body is wheeled out covered with a white sheet, I can no longer suppress my emotions. I hold the cold corpse and cry heartbreakingly.

Tears flow like a broken string, soaking my mother's clothes.

My crying sounds desolate and desperate.

Sage appears at the wrong moment, sneering coldly, "How pitiful. But who can you blame? If you had left earlier, maybe your mother wouldn't have had to die."