Chapter 6

Damien approached just in time to see a surge of energy, one no human could wield, manifesting on the Oath Stone.

He paused, glancing around to ensure no one else was present, before stepping forward to pull her aside. "Maryjane, how could you use such power in the human world?"

The vanished memories left Maryjane calm as she looked at Damien, her heart devoid of turmoil. The brief sting she had felt earlier had sunk like a stone into the abyss, leaving no ripples behind.

She quietly withdrew her hand. "It’s fine. No one saw."

Her expression was no different from when she had been standing by the bridge moments earlier. Yet, somehow, Damien felt something had changed about her. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but the unease it stirred in him was undeniable.

Grasping her hand, he hesitated, about to speak. But before he could, Lyla wrapped herself around his arm from behind. "Damien, let’s go explore somewhere else," she said, pulling him away without waiting for an answer.

Damien was forced to release Maryjane’s hand, glancing back at her as Lyla led him off. Maryjane remained where she stood, unmoving. In that fleeting moment, he felt as though she had slipped beyond his reach forever.

After a brief tour of the human world, they returned to the pack. Barely any time had passed, yet Lyla acted as though the excursion had drained every ounce of her energy. Leaning weakly against Damien, she murmured, "Damien, the human world is so much fun. When I’m feeling better, can we go back often?"

Damien glanced at Maryjane but said nothing in reply.

Suddenly, a wave of murderous intent swept over them, chilling the air. Maryjane’s head snapped up, her eyes just catching a streak of white hurtling toward them. She moved to dodge, but a strong hand shoved her from behind, pushing her directly into the path of the white blur.

"Slash!"

The massive beast’s claws tore through Maryjane, carving three deep gashes across her torso. She collapsed to the ground, her white dress instantly soaked in crimson. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she looked up and froze.

"Flames?"

Her assailant was none other than Flames.

Turning her gaze behind her, she saw Damien shielding Lyla with his body. The hand that had pushed her moments ago—it had been his.

To protect Lyla, he had sacrificed her.

Clutching her chest, Maryjane coughed up blood. Damien’s expression changed as panic flashed across his face as he ran to her. "Maryjane!"

She felt a cold emptiness inside, wanting to ask him—why feign concern after pushing her away? But the pain was too overwhelming for words. She let Damien scoop her into his arms, her strength fading.

As they rushed back to the heart of the territory, they were met by the Alpha, the Luna, and Leo. Seeing Maryjane covered in blood, her parents’ faces turned pale. The Alpha barked orders to the pack, "Quick! Bring out every last bit of moon grass we have!"

Through her fading consciousness, Maryjane’s eyelashes trembled at his words. But the next moment, she heard her father say, "Maryjane cannot die! If she does, we won’t be able to save Lyla!"

The words cut through her like a blade of ice, piercing her heart. So that was it. What they truly cared about was Lyla. Her survival was merely a means to prolong Lyla’s life.

A chill spread through her soul, and she felt tears slide from the corners of her eyes. Moments later, she succumbed to the darkness and lost consciousness.

When she awoke, three days had passed.

Damien sat by her bedside, looking as though he hadn’t slept in days. The moment she stirred, he stood up. "Maryjane, you’re awake! How do you feel? Does it still hurt?"

She stared at him quietly.

Though unconscious, she had been acutely aware of the burning sensation on her forehead where the moon mark rested. Each time it burned, her memories grew dimmer. It had burned three times in total. She knew she had been unconscious for three days.

Now, much of her memory of Damien was gone. Even recalling the events before her collapse, she no longer felt the sting of heartache.

She parted her pale lips and asked softly, "Do you still care whether I hurt or not?"

Damien’s face paled. Guilt flashed across his face. "Maryjane, that day, it was an emergency. I didn’t mean to... The spirit wolf was clearly targeting Lyla. I only wanted to protect her."

Maryjane’s lips curved into a faint, bitter smile. The motion tugged at her chest wound, sending a fresh wave of pain through her.

"Lyla has your Silver Heart. No one could harm her, not even slightly."

Damien flinched, as if the realization had only just struck him. His explanation now seemed even more hollow.

Maryjane no longer wished to argue. "What about Flames?" she asked.

Damien’s gaze turned cold with fury. "After injuring you, it disappeared. But I’ll find it—I’ll tear it apart!"

"No!" Maryjane interrupted. "It was under someone’s control!"

Despite the chaos of that day, she had noticed the unnatural purple glow in Flames’ eyes. Someone had cast a mind-control spell over it.

Damien remained silent, and for a moment, Maryjane thought he was contemplating who could have orchestrated such an attack. But then, after a long pause, his eyes turned on her, sharp with suspicion.

"Maryjane, that day, Flames was after Lyla. You brought it here, and it doesn’t trust anyone else. Could it be... you were the one who commanded it to kill Lyla?"