Chapter 3

I took the phone from Liam and looked down at the screen.

The photo was blurry, but I could still make out the outline of an old hospital. Behind it stood a towering mountain, dark and endless beneath the night sky.

The last message read, [I'm here. I'm scared. Let's talk tomorrow. Good night.]

"Olivia!"

Liam suddenly broke down.

"I know Munskar did this! He's trying to force you to agree!"

"Don't panic."

"How can I not panic?"

He pressed his forehead against the cold floor, desperately gripping his hair.

"Every year, witches are sent to Snow Town, and some of them never make it back. She's just a girl. How is she supposed to survive there? Please, Olivia. I know you hate Munskar. But Ophelia is innocent. Why is she being dragged into this?"

He cried so hard his shoulders shook violently.

"You can hit me or yell at me. I don't care. Please, save my daughter!"

I reached down and helped him to his feet.

"Liam, get up. I promise you, Ophelia will be safe."

Liam froze, tears still shining in his eyes.

"Then you... agree to save Vivian?"

"I have another way."

I patted his shoulder.

"Trust me. Ophelia will be fine. But I'm still not accepting this mission."

Liam's lips parted. Whatever he wanted to say got caught in his throat.

Then suddenly, the roar of engines filled the night. Two beams of headlights cut through the darkness.

The entire Herbalist Guild shook from the force of the approaching vehicle.

A car with a special license plate came to a stop outside the guild entrance. The chrome emblem on the hood reflected the streetlights, shining with an almost blinding arrogance.

The car had barely come to a complete stop before the door was yanked open.

Munskar stepped out in a black coat, the collar of his white shirt perfectly straight. Behind him followed two bodyguards dressed in black, along with a shewolf wearing a cashmere coat.

It was Timora.

Ten years had passed, yet time seemed to have left no mark on her. She still looked just as delicate and fragile as before.

After all, she was the shewolf Munskar cherished for more than twenty years.

Munskar carefully helped her out of the car, making sure she stepped down safely in her high heels.

It was them.

I turned around and looked at Liam.

Fear and rage battled across his face. His fists tightened, his knuckles cracking under the pressure.

"Olivia, they brought bodyguards with them..."

"It doesn't matter."

I put on my witch's robe, fastened the clasps, and pulled a mask over my face.

"Let's go."

Munskar stood in the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the rust-covered iron gate.

Then his eyes landed on me, but he didn't recognize me.

How could he?

The gentle, long-haired mate he had known ten years ago had cut her hair short.

"Who is Olivia?"

Munskar's voice carried the impatience and authority of someone who was used to standing above everyone else.

Liam instinctively glanced in my direction.

I stepped forward.

"It's me."

Munskar finally looked at me properly.

"You?"

"Me."

The corner of his lips lifted as he let out a cold laugh. Then, he turned his head and quietly gave a few orders to the bodyguards beside him.

When he finished, those emotionless eyes shifted toward Liam.

"And you must be Liam. Your daughter is at the hospital in Snow Town. She's doing fairly well."