Chapter 3

Another line of pack members approached at that moment.

In their hands, they carried flowers, intricately carved silver vases, and honey cakes made from morning dew and berries—everything Lyla adored.

Maryjane stood frozen, her heart gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

Damien’s care and effort for Lyla far surpassed the grandeur of the bonding ceremony he once held with her.

“Damien…” Maryjane looked at him, her voice trembling. “Don’t you think I deserve an explanation?”

Damien opened his mouth, but hadn’t spoken yet, when Lyla suddenly reached toward Maryjane. Her voice was choked with emotion, and her eyes reddened with tears.

“Sister, this is all my fault. I just... I don’t have much time left. I wanted to know what it feels like to have a mate, even if only once, so I begged Damien to act it out with me.”

“I promise, I won’t take him from you. Once the ceremony is over, I’ll give him back. Is that okay?”

At her words, Damien and Leo’s expressions changed.

“Lyla, what are you doing? Your health is fragile—please, don’t push yourself!” Damien said urgently.

“Yes, Lyla, nothing is more important than your well-being!” Leo added, his voice filled with concern.

At that moment, our parents happened to walk over.

Seeing Lyla’s red-rimmed eyes, her mother hurried forward, distressed. “Lyla, my child, what’s wrong?”

Her father, the pack’s Alpha, however, cast a cold, sidelong glance at Maryjane before striding forward.

With a sharp crack, he slapped her across the face, the force of it resounding.

“Maryjane, you’re bullying your sister again! You know she’s weak, and yet you still push her!”

The blow was so heavy that Maryjane stumbled and fell to the ground.

Only Flames, her loyal companion, rushed to her side, licking her burning, stinging face. Its warm essence worked to soothe her pain.

Her parents, her mate, and her son—everyone surrounded Lyla.

Maryjane’s gaze swept over them all before a bitter smile curled her lips.

It didn’t matter. Soon, she would forget them entirely and never trouble them again.

Covering her face, Maryjane slowly stood up. “Flames, let’s go.”

Damien froze, an inexplicable unease rising in his chest.

He released Lyla’s hand, calling out, “Maryjane—”

Before he could finish, Lyla collapsed into his arms. “Damien, it hurts…” she whimpered.

Alarm flashed across Damien’s face as he lifted her into his arms without hesitation, carrying her toward her room.

Leo and my parents all followed closely behind.

Maryjane didn’t look back at their frantic figures. She didn’t care anymore.

Once she left, Damien could truly become Lyla’s mate, and Leo could be Lyla’s son.

At Sunset Haven.

Maryjane’s cheek was swollen and red.

She summoned her inner strength, channeling it to reduce the swelling. Then, she gently stroked Flames’ head. “Does your face still hurt from when Leo hit you?”

Flames shook its head, its crystalline eyes glimmering with sorrow.

Maryjane forced a smile. “You pity me, don’t you? It’s alright. I’m used to it.”

She had endured days like this for nearly a century.

Even the deepest wounds eventually grew numb.

That evening, as darkness fell, Damien returned.

Seeing Maryjane and Flames curled up together, he frowned slightly but softened his tone as he approached. “Maryjane, don’t take what happened today too seriously. You know Lyla’s health is fragile, and her emotions are extremely unstable.”

“She said a bonding ceremony was her only wish. Even if it’s fake, she wanted to experience it once. I had to make it happen for her.”

Maryjane gazed silently at the man who had once sworn to protect her for life.

Suddenly, she felt warmth on her forehead, as if the Moon Mark was heating up.

Then she realized she could no longer recall the moment she first met Damien.

The words of the Moon Goddess echoed in her mind.

“Seven days from now, this mark will sever your bond and erase your memories.”

So this was how forgetting began—slowly, piece by piece.

No wonder her heart no longer stirred.

“I don’t mind,” she said softly.

Her calm demeanor unsettled Damien even more. “The ceremony is not real.”

Maryjane’s lips curved faintly. “Why not make it real? Let’s go to the Oath Stone and sever our mate bond.”

Damien froze, visibly shaken. “You want to break our bond?”

“After you and Lyla finish the ceremony, and once Lyla’s health improves, we can return to the Oath Stone to form a new bond,” Maryjane said, her voice light. “It’s all for Lyla. It’ll make her happy, won’t it?”

Damien hesitated, his instincts telling him it wasn’t necessary.

But thinking of Lyla, he took Maryjane’s hand. “Maryjane, I knew you still cared about Lyla. Does your father’s slap still hurt?”

“It doesn’t,” Maryjane replied calmly.

The pain they inflicted on her no longer hurt at all.