Chapter 3

Cyril's lowered lashes continued to tremble. Beneath the curtain of silvery hair, his amber eyes showed a flicker of rare emotion.

"If you really meant it, you would've dissolved the bond mark long ago. Why wait until now? What new trick is this?"

Cyril was different from the other beastmates. He hadn't been captured by Caius—he had come on his own.

It seemed he had known the original Lunara since childhood. However, Lunara couldn't tell from the fragmented memories she'd inherited whether he'd voluntarily received the bond mark.

But judging from his tone now, he wanted out too, didn't he?

Lunara glanced at Cyril. She knew he would one day become an exceedingly powerful villain. "I told you. My goal is for you to accompany me to find my father."

After a pause, she glanced at the barely conscious Galen. "Cyril, use your spiritual power to heal his wounds. I'll give you a drop of blood for it right away."

As a cleric, Cyril possessed spiritual power that could heal others, but Lunara had always forbidden him from using it, even on his own injuries.

Yet, she was not only allowing him to heal Galen now, but she was even offering him a drop of blood to dissolve the bond mark?

Though Cyril didn't believe a word she said, Galen was indeed in critical condition. This was also a chance for him to see what she was really up to, so he nodded and started treating Galen.

A soft white glow emerged from his fingertips—the spiritual power of a yellow-tier cleric. He gently placed his hand over Galen's tail. Once the gentle light seeped into the wounds, the torn flesh stopped bleeding and scabbed over at a visible speed.

A faint sigh of relief escaped Galen. The tension in his body gradually eased, and a trace of color finally returned to his pale face.

Cyril withdrew his hand. A thin sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead, his breathing slightly uneven from the exertion. He looked at Lunara with a scrutinizing gaze, clearly not expecting her to keep her word.

Lunara removed the necklace from her neck. It was a sharp, finger-length ornament of unknown material, something Caius had found years ago and specially polished into a protective charm for her.

She gripped it tightly, took a deep breath, and slashed it across her fingertip. A sharp sting followed, and bright red blood welled up instantly.

After walking over to Cyril, she raised her hand, letting a drop of blood fall onto the scorpion mark on his chest.

Upon contact with her blood, the dark purple mark seemed to fade a little, as if diluted. Its edges blurred slightly. It was still there, but looked visibly lighter.

The cave fell completely silent.

Cyril's eyes widened. Almost instinctively, he raised a hand to touch the mark. His fingertips brushed the faintly heated skin. The lingering warmth and the unmistakably lighter color told him this was no illusion.

Emory stared at the mark on Cyril's chest, his eyes wide as well. His throat bobbed uncontrollably. He had never heard of a female willingly offering her blood to dissolve a bond, nor had he ever seen a bond mark fade.

The mockery vanished from Kieran's face, replaced by shock. He unconsciously reached up to touch his own bond mark.

Levi's breathing grew heavy, disbelief churning in his eyes. He looked between Cyril and the blood on Lunara's fingertip, unable to speak.

Inside the barrel, Galen struggled to sit upright. His eyes were also fixed on the fading bond mark on Cyril's chest. For the first time, something other than hatred appeared in his gaze—a glimmer of hope.

"Do you believe me now?" Lunara asked as she pinched her bleeding finger, pressing it to stop the flow.

The five males fell silent, their gazes fixed on her, complicated and unreadable. Their doubt lingered, but it was no longer as firm as before. The change in Cyril's bond mark was undeniable proof.

Cyril was the first to come back to his senses. He looked at the blood still seeping from her fingertip. Though his throat moved slightly, as if to speak, in the end, he only pressed his lips together.

Emory took a deep breath, suppressing the tumultuous emotions inside of him. A trace of seriousness appeared in his dark red eyes. "You said just now that you want us to take you to find your father?"

He paused before pointing out the most crucial matter. "But we don't know where he has gone off to."

Caius was a wandering beastkin. He had no fixed routes, and this time, he hadn't even mentioned a destination.

Lunara recalled the plot before replying, "Pa has most likely gone to the Eagle clan. Before he left, he said he wanted to get me an eagle beastmate."

Cyril froze for a moment before frowning slightly. "The Eagle clan's territory is at the edge of the Black Forest. It'll take at least seven days to get there."

"Then we'll go to the Eagle clan," Lunara said decisively.

And just like that, it was settled.

She looked at their still-wary expressions and said, "I'm tired. I want to rest. You all can start preparing for the journey. We leave early tomorrow."

Emory gave her a long look, his emotions unreadable, before finally heading out of the cave. Cyril followed close behind. As he passed Lunara, his steps slowed for just a fraction, but he didn't turn back.

Kieran cast a meaningful glance at the blood on her fingertip, his lips curling in a way that could've been mockery—or something else—before leaving as well.

Levi glanced at Galen in the barrel before striding off, leaving only Lunara and Galen in the cave.

There was a questioning look in Galen's eyes, but he said nothing and simply soaked in the water in silence.

Lunara walked over to the bed made up of a thick layer of dry grass. After collapsing onto it, she exhaled heavily. Leaning back against the cool cave wall, she finally felt some of the tension ease from her body.

At least, she had given her beastmates a sliver of hope and temporarily stabilized the situation for now. Nevertheless, this wasn't enough.

She knew very well that the deep hatred they felt for the original Lunara couldn't be erased just because she offered to dissolve the beastmate bond.

Right now, they were only willing to protect her because of that bond. But once the bond was truly broken, and the restraint of the bond mark was gone…

Given the soul-crushing resentment that was carved into their bones, she would most likely die at their hands still.

Therefore, her first and most crucial step was to find Caius. And before that, she had to find a way to change their attitude toward her. At the very least, she couldn't let them continue to hate her to the core.

Once their relationship with her had improved a little, she could dissolve the beastmate bond peacefully and find a few males she actually liked to be her new beastmates.

After all, the males in this beast world were all so good-looking. Now that she was here, she might as well find several males for herself.

Just as her thoughts started to wander, soft footsteps came from the cave entrance.

Kieran walked in, holding a large green leaf. On it were several pieces of roasted meat that glistened with oil. The edges were slightly charred, and the meat released an irresistible aroma. It had clearly been cooked with care, crisp on the outside and tender inside.

He stopped a few steps away from Lunara, his tall figure casting a large shadow. With a charming smile, he held the leaf out to her, offering in a magnetic voice, "Are you hungry? Do you want to have some?"

There was no such thing as a free lunch. He had to have some kind of ulterior motive. Was he trying to poison her to death?

Lunara eyed Kieran warily, only to hear him add, "If you eat the food, will you give me a drop of blood, too?"