Chapter 2 Snatched by Death

“Levi… my love… I’ve missed you so much,” Viviane purred sweetly, drawing a happy laugh from Levi.

Amidst the pool of her own blood and the overwhelming pain tearing through her, Scarlett heard every sigh and breathless moan of pleasure between Levi and Viviane clearly.

“Whatever you wish, my love!” Levi replied, lifting Viviane easily into his arms and carrying her toward the bed at the far end of the room.

All the while he held her, Viviane never stopped caressing and kissing his face and jaw, glancing back at Scarlett over his shoulder. She wore a smug, triumphant smile as she watched Scarlett weeping uncontrollably. Scarlett ground her teeth together, fighting the throbbing, burning ache and the heavy, dragging weight deep in her abdomen. Every small movement made the sharp object inside her scrape and slice through her flesh and organs, as if tearing her apart cell by cell.

“Darling… what should we do about my sister? I feel so sorry for her, just lying there all alone. Besides… I’m embarrassed having her watch us like this,” Viviane said, her voice dripping with feigned innocence and sweetness.

“Let her be. It won’t be long before she can’t see or hear anything anymore. Dead people don’t talk, my love,” Levi answered coldly, and the two of them chuckled together, amused by their own cruelty.

‘Oh, Moon Goddess… what wrong have I done to them? I loved them with my whole life. My own sister… and my fiancé…’

Pushing past the agony, Scarlett forced her arms and legs to move. A biting cold began to creep over her entire body, making her hands and feet go numb and heavy.

With trembling, blood-soaked hands, she dragged herself forward slowly, supporting her weight on her elbows—even though every inch she crawled drove the dagger deeper, lacerating and ripping at the tissue inside her. She gasped for breath, straining to reach the edge of the table, hoping to grasp the doorknob just beside it.

‘No! I have to get out of here! I have to live. I refuse to die!’

She ignored the floor slick with her own blood, she knew she had lost far too much already, and her vision was blurring and swimming.

She paused for a moment, struggling to steady her ragged breathing. Then she pushed herself up again with every last bit of strength she had left, trying to summon the wolf spirit within her—the spirit that, for some reason, had refused to awaken from the very start.

‘What is wrong with Alea? Please… wake up…! But her wolf spirit was gone.’

Vanished entirely.

‘What happened to Alea? She should have protected me even before Levi could stab me. Where is she? I can’t feel her presence at all. Alea… Scarlett stared at the silver crescent moon mark on her left wrist; it was fading fast, almost invisible now.

She tried to recall what had happened, using the little energy she had left. She whispered a prayer, her voice barely audible, breath coming in short, broken gasps. Tears trickled down from her temples as she caught sight of the last faint sparks of Alea’s energy, forming a vision that revealed exactly what had become of her wolf. It was as if Alea had left her one final message with the very last of her power.

Scarlett saw it all, that night, during their engagement ceremony, Levi had handed her a different goblet of drink—even though tradition dictated they should drink from the same cup. Not long after drinking it, she had fallen into a deep, heavy sleep. And in that sleep, she had seen Alea, bound in chains of fire wrapped around her entire snow-white body. The wolf had roared in rage and agony, fighting for what felt like hours, until she could endure no more, until those fiery chains had burned her away completely, leaving nothing behind.

“No… my Alea… don’t leave me…” she stammered, tears streaming freely down her face.

Scarlett’s hand reached uselessly into the air, grasping at the last wisp of pale blue-white light that slowly faded away before her eyes. She wept uncontrollably.

Hearing her cries and seeing she had dragged herself across the floor trying to escape, Levi roared in fury—mostly angry that she had interrupted his pleasure with Viviane in bed. Irritated, they quickly straightened their disheveled clothes, then grabbed Scarlett, dragged her roughly, and forced her into a horse-drawn carriage, ignoring every scream and plea she made all the way.

Viviane clamped her hand hard over Scarlett’s mouth, her voice sharp with annoyance. “Be quiet! Stop being such a crybaby! Who told you to try and run away? You should have just died quietly, so we could have given you a proper burial. Now we can’t even lay you to rest decently. And it’s all your own fault, Scarlett!”

“But… it doesn’t matter. Levi has already planned the perfect story. And I will be forced to take your place—as the future Luna bride for Levi and for both our clans. Don’t worry though… I will truly cherish this final sacrifice of yours… oh, my dear big sister, my protector.” Viviane giggled in wicked delight, emphasizing every word with cruel satisfaction.

Scarlett could only hold onto every word Viviane said, storing them deep in her memory—though her mind was already beginning to fade. She caught a scent, damp wood, wet earth… a distinct, familiar smell that her sharp senses recognized instantly. She knew this place well, it was where she used to come to train and practice. But her body could hold on any longer. She knew she was going to die.

Her fear became reality in an instant. Suddenly, her body was lifted effortlessly into the air, then plunged violently into cold water that crashed over her dying form. The freezing water could swallow her broken body, but it could never wash away the heartbreak and pain tearing her soul apart.

Scarlett thrashed weakly, trying to pull herself upward. She attempted to swim with whatever little strength she had left, but instead, she sank deeper and deeper as the wound in her abdomen flared with unbearable agony. Suddenly, a swirling current slammed against her body, forcing her to cough up a rush of red liquid that floated around her in the water. She knew then, her time had come. Her body went limp, drifting downward. For a fleeting moment, the smiling, triumphant faces of Levi and Viviane flashed through her mind, and then… one last prayer formed in her final breath.

‘Oh, Moon Goddess… I want to live. Please… help me. Grant me just one more chance. I swear… I will make them pay for everything they have done.’

Just before her eyes slipped shut forever, a brilliant white light wrapped around her. And suddenly, she saw a figure diving deep down through the lake toward her, reaching out and catching her in his arms just as her vision faded completely.

A dazzling burst of white light erupted and shot high into the sky, engulfing them both entirely.

‘Who is that…? He feels so familiar…’