As noon approached, Sofia suggested enthusiastically that they visit a natural hot spring on the edge of the territory.

It was said that the spring water contained special minerals that offered minor benefits for relieving muscle fatigue and residual silver toxin effects after battle.

"Damine, I heard the spring's energy has been really active lately. Great for healing wounds. Why don't we all go for a soak? Perfect way to relax." Sofia said, her gaze pointedly sweeping over me.

Damine looked at me, as if to ask my opinion or find an excuse to decline.

But Sofia didn't give him the chance. She stepped forward and latched onto his arm, half-pulling, half-dragging him toward the door. "Sylvia could use it too, right? Let's all go, more fun with a group."

I didn't say anything, just silently followed behind them.

A few young wolves from the pack who were friendly with Sofia came along too.

I rarely participated in purely social events like this and found it hard to join in their loud chatter.

I didn't force myself, so I found a secluded corner away from the group and sat quietly, watching the steam rise and the outlines of the distant forest.

Damine noticed my distance. He walked over holding a cup of freshly squeezed berry juice.

He had just handed it to me and was about to speak when his attention was drawn to a commotion over by Sofia.

Sofia was picking up a stone cup filled with an amber-colored liquid to drink. It was a potent distilled spirit made from some strong root plant, with high alcohol content that could cause discomfort for wolves with sensitive constitutions.

Damine's face hardened. He strode over, snatched the cup from her hand, his voice tight with suppressed anger: "You forgot what happened the last time you drank something this strong? You almost lost control and were bedridden for three days. You want to experience that again?"

Sofia blinked, her face innocent and wronged. She grabbed the berry juice from Damine's hand, the one he'd originally brought for me.

"I took the wrong one, I didn't mean to. This is mine. Thanks anyway." She smiled at Damine, a sly look in her eyes.

Damine's grip tightened on the now-empty stone cup, his knuckles turning white.

But in the end, he said nothing. He just walked back to my side, subconsciously holding out the now-empty cup that still smelled strongly of alcohol to me.

I looked at the clearly displeased man in front of me and the empty cup he was handing me, which had a pungent smell. I didn't reach for it.

I picked up my small purse, stood up, and spoke calmly: "I don't drink this. I'm going to sit by the other spring pool, where it's quieter."

Only then did Damine suddenly realize he'd handed me the wrong cup.

His entire focus had been on Sofia and the strong drink; he hadn't noticed what was in his hand at all.

He started to explain the confusion, but I had already turned and walked quickly toward another, more secluded, smaller spring pool.

The warm, mineral-rich water enveloped my body, soothing some of the fatigue and tension of the past few days.

I leaned against the smooth rock at the edge of the pool, watching the swirling white mist rise and dissipate. My consciousness gradually grew vague.

Maybe I was too exhausted, but I fell asleep without realizing it.

Perhaps because I was used to being alone and in quiet, I didn't hear the increasingly urgent knocking and calls from outside.

Damine called my name several times from the other side of the door without getting a response, and he grew more and more worried.

Finally, he just pushed open the slightly ajar door to the private bathhouse.

Seeing me with my eyes closed, motionless against the pool's edge, his heart skipped a beat. He thought something might have happened to me.

He immediately jumped into the warm spring water, scooping me up horizontally in his arms, eager to check my condition.

Startled by the sudden loss of balance, I woke up, blinking sleepily. Instinctively, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck to steady myself.

Steam from the hot spring filled the air around us. Our skin touched, the rising water vapor creating an oddly charged atmosphere.

Damine looked down at me in his arms, water droplets dripping from his hair. His throat bobbed, and he couldn't help but lean down, as if to kiss me.

Just as our breaths were about to mingle, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the brief tranquility.

Sofia and a few other wolves who had been searching for her arrived. She stood at the doorway, saw Damine holding me, the two of us standing intimately in the spring water, and froze.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, her eyes filled with shock and a betrayed disappointment. She spun around and ran off quickly.

Damine's body went rigid. His first reaction was to put me down immediately, then chase after Sofia without a second thought. He only managed to leave a rushed sentence: "She misunderstood. I have to explain it to her."

Misunderstanding?

He and I were mates bound by pack law and an ancient mark.

Even if we were seen in a more intimate act, what could possibly need explaining to another woman?

But he had already lost his way, still playing the role of Sofia's lover.

That was why his instinct was to explain.

For someone who had once been willingly tamed for love, breaking that habit is not easy.

Watching his hurriedly retreating back, my face remained expressionless, though a hint of bitterness surfaced in my eyes, quickly vanishing. I wrapped a dry pelt around myself and walked to the window for some air. Just in time, I saw Sofia on the empty ground below, hurrying toward the parked SUV.

She yanked the car door open. Damine caught up and grabbed her wrist.

Their heated argument carried clearly across the distance.

"Sylvia passed out in the spring! I was just worried she might slip and choke or get cold! Do you have to overreact like this?"

"Right! She's your bonded mate! What right do I have to be jealous? You should go take care of her! Why waste so much time explaining to your 'ex-girlfriend'?"

"Sofia! Do you have to talk like that?"

"What did I say? Am I not telling the truth?"

A few words back and forth, and they parted on bad terms.

Sofia's eyes were red-rimmed. She forcefully shook off Damine's hand, got into the driver's seat, and roared the engine to life. The tires screeched as she sped away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Left alone, Damine stood frozen for a few seconds, his expression dark.

After that, he quickly got into his own car and sped off in the same direction Sofia had taken.

I looked down at the empty roadside, where dust was slowly settling, and turned silently to the dressing room.

When I came out after changing into dry clothes, I was immediately surrounded by several pack members with anxious faces, pacing agitatedly. One of them spoke in a rushed, panicked tone:

"Luna! Something terrible has happened! We just got an urgent message! Alpha and Sofia were ambushed by those bastards from Shadowfang Pack on their way out!"

When we hurried to the pack infirmary, I saw Damine slumped on a stone bench outside the treatment room. His black tactical vest was stained with large patches of darkened blood and grayish marks from silver toxin burns. His sweat-soaked black hair clung to his forehead.

The light in his eyes was gone, filled with panic and helplessness. He was slumped forward, his back curved.

I had never seen him look so broken.

Sofia's friends immediately rushed forward to ask what happened.

Damine ran a hand roughly through his hair, his voice tight with pain and guilt: "It's all my fault... I shouldn't have said those things to make Sofia angry. I shouldn't have let her drive off alone... She was just emotional because we fought... Otherwise, she wouldn't have been driving so fast, she wouldn't have crashed into those damn roadblocks and silver spike traps set by those bastards from Shadowfang Pack..."

Just then, the pack's most senior healer emerged, his expression extremely grim.

"The patient's condition is critical. The silver toxin has penetrated deeply, triggering a severe depletion of her primal wolf essence. Standard anti-toxin serums will have limited effect. Right now, we need a concentrated transfusion of an Alpha's blood to forcibly neutralize the toxin and jumpstart her life force. Does anyone know of an Alpha willing to donate their essence blood... though it could weaken the Alpha's powers?"

Everyone exchanged glances, their gazes eventually landing on Damine.

Only he, the Alpha of Stormfang Pack, possessed the purest, most potent bloodline.

Without a moment's hesitation, Damine rose to his feet, swaying slightly as he pulled off his blood-stained jacket. He took the sterile cloak the healer offered and followed a staff member quickly into the treatment room.

About half an hour later, the door to the treatment room opened again. A healer's assistant helped Damine out.

The man who was usually so strong and imposing now looked deathly pale, his lips bloodless, as if all his strength had been drained. He could barely stand.

Seeing me standing nearby, he nearly collapsed directly toward me. I instinctively reached out to support him.

His body was heavy and cold.

The assistant didn't leave. His tone was still urgent: "The patient's vitals are temporarily stable, but the silver toxin is fighting back. We need at least one more, substantial dose of Alpha essence blood to consolidate the treatment and completely eliminate the remaining poison. Can we contact any other Alpha?"

While we waited, the pack had already tried all their connections. There were virtually no wolves with pure Alpha bloodlines who could arrive in time.

Seeing everyone's silent, anxious expressions, Damine grew even more agitated.

He struggled, trying to force himself to his feet through sheer willpower alone.

"I... I can." His voice was weak but stubborn.

The assistant stared at him, as if looking at a man completely disregarding his own life.

"Alpha Blackwood, you've already given more essence blood than your body can handle! Doing it again will severely damage your wolf, you might not even be able to transform, and your powers could decline drastically!"

The expressions of the others changed. They all stepped forward, trying to dissuade him.

"Alpha, please stop! We can think of other ways. Perhaps we can contact friendly packs and ask their Alpha for help... After all, Stormfang donates a great deal of supplies every year."

But Damine just shook his head firmly, his eyes locked on the closed treatment room door.

"Sofia... she can't wait that long."

Seeing him in this nearly irrational state, I finally couldn't help but speak. My voice was shockingly clear in the quiet hallway: "The healers are already doing everything they can. They'll find another way to get Alpha essence blood. You don't need to... exhaust yourself like this."

Damine froze for a moment. His gaze seemed to flicker over me, but there was no hesitation in it.

He ignored what I said and pulled himself from the assistant's grip. He turned again, dragging his weakened body but taking determined, staggering steps toward the door.

Watching his resolute back disappear through the door, everyone fell into a deeper silence.

Someone sighed heavily, their voice filled with helplessness and a hint of barely concealed resentment.

"As long as it's about Sofia, the Alpha acts like a madman! Remember when he challenged that guy to a duel just because someone accidentally bumped into Sofia during training? He hadn't fully mastered his wolf back then and ended up with a fractured leg, lying in the infirmary for a whole month!"

"Tell me about it. Even earlier, to find that so-called 'Ocean Heart' for Sofia, he dove alone into the Dark Lake Abyss filled with dangerous aquatic predators and almost didn't make it back... And now it's the same thing. To save her, he's willing to damage his own wolf. I... I always thought she was still the one who mattered most to him, that's why... why I sometimes wanted to help create opportunities for them. Seeing this now... sigh..."

They whispered among themselves, as if completely forgetting I, his legal mate, was standing right there.

Listening as they recounted one by one all the past events between Damine and Sofia that I had never known, I felt a strange sense of daze.

It wasn't until this moment, hearing this 'care' stacked up by life-threatening risks, that I saw with crystal-clear clarity just how absurd and ridiculous my former hope of "maybe I could replace her" had been.

Love is love. No love is no love.

I don't know how much time passed before the emergency treatment was finally over.

The door opened. The healer looked exhausted. He was followed by Sofia, still unconscious but with a slightly better complexion, being wheeled out on a gurney, and Damine, who was being nearly carried out by two assistants, almost unconscious.

Everyone's heart leaped. They immediately crowded around, asking with concern about Sofia's condition.

The healer wiped the sweat from his forehead, his gaze resting on the unconscious Damine with a touch of emotion.

He sighed to the group gathered by Sofia's bedside: "They... must be true mates, right? It's so rare to find a male who would be willing to pay such a price for her, even to the point of damaging his own wolf."

I was left alone on the outskirts of the crowd. My lips curved into a faint, bitter smile.

It turned out that even at the brink of life and death, even with his official mate standing right there, in everyone's eyes, they were still the rightful pair.

And I, from beginning to end, had only been a superfluous onlooker.

It wasn't until the next day at noon that Damine slowly came out of the coma induced by the extreme blood loss.

His mind was still fuzzy. His throat was dry, and the first words that slipped out were: "Sofia... how is she? Is she out of danger? Has she woken up?"

Seeing his anxious expression, even though he was so weak, I nodded. I had stayed by his side almost all night, and my voice was hoarse with fatigue.

"The healer said the most dangerous phase is over. She'll need a long period of rest to regain her strength."

Hearing this news, the huge weight that had been pressing on Damine's chest finally seemed to lift.

But he was still not at ease. He struggled to throw back the covers and get out of bed, insisting on going to see her for himself with his own eyes.

I couldn't talk him out of it. In the end, it was a therapy assistant who was bringing him a nutrient drip that stopped him.

Damine glanced at the several bags of medication that needed to be administered slowly, and a flicker of irritation crossed his eyes. His thoughts were still completely on Sofia's condition.

His gaze swept around the room, finally landing on a basket on the corner table filled with fresh berries and rare Moontrace Herbs—a gift of condole from other pack members.

It was as if he'd finally found a reasonable excuse. He looked at me, his voice carrying a subtle request:

"Sylvia, I used the comm yesterday to contact Sofia's parents. They're wandering in the south, but they should be arriving soon. Could you take this berry basket to her for me? Give them my regards, and... while you're at it, check if Sofia's condition has stabilized."

I stared at him for a long moment before letting out a quiet "Mm."

I picked up the exquisitely crafted berry basket and silently left his private room.

Sofia's room was on the upper floor.

I walked to her door and raised my hand to knock, but noticed the heavy wooden door was slightly ajar.

Through the crack, I saw Sofia nestled in the arms of a strange male wolf in another pack's attire. Her voice sounded weak and sweet:

"Liam, didn't you say this time you came back, you'd take me to meet your elders and officially confirm our relationship? Why did you come alone?"

The male, Liam, held her close, his voice gentle: "I wanted to bring my parents for a proper visit, but your injuries haven't fully healed. It's just not the right time. The moment you're completely recovered, I'll take you back to my pack for our mating ceremony. Okay?"

Hearing this conversation, my hand clenched hard on the woven handle of the basket.

Sofia already had a new mate? They were even to the point of having a mating ceremony?

Just as that thought hit me, the healer for the routine check pushed the door open, startling the two people inside.

Sofia looked up and saw me standing in the doorway. Her expression instantly shifted, turning guarded and displeased: "What are you doing here?"

I didn't answer her question. I just silently placed the berry basket on a low cabinet by the door, then turned and headed straight for the stairs.

Sofia, surprisingly, dragged her seemingly weak body out after me, grabbing my arm firmly at the stairwell. Her grip was so strong, it didn't fit someone supposedly recovering from serious injuries.

"Stop! You're not going to run straight downstairs and tattle to Damine, are you?" Her voice was low, with a hint of barely concealed panic.

I turned my head, looking at the flash of flustered panic on her face, my voice as cold as ice: "If you already have a mate you're willing to bind with, why do you insist on holding on to Damine?"

At my words, Sofia raised an eyebrow, and the panic on her face quickly transformed into a shameless calm.

"Can't you see I enjoy having them both fawn over me? I like playing them against each other," she sneered, a mocking curve on her lips. "I have the capital to make them dance to my tune. What's wrong with that?"

"Must you trample on his genuine feelings like this?" I felt sick to my stomach.

Seeing my suppressed anger, Sofia snorted, her tone filled with parade: "I'm just that good at making them go crazy. Even someone like Damine Blackwood, an Alpha so high above everyone else, is no exception. What, are you jealous? Why not just admit it? If I'm in a good mood, I might even give him back to you."

Her brazen words left me speechless.

My silence only fueled her arrogance. She looked me up and down triumphantly, her gaze finally landing on the mating mark on my neck.

"You're nothing but a substitute, a placeholder I left behind when I left. What makes you think you have the right to question me?"

She leaned in closer, her voice laced with vicious glee: "Let me let you in on a secret. I wasn't even that badly injured! I paid off the healer to see if Damine would be willing to give his essence blood for me. And the result? He was willing to damage his own wolf for me, to give me his very life. What do you have that could possibly compare to that?"

Her words were like a dagger coated in silver toxin, stabbing deep into the core of my being.

"If Damine treats you so well, why would you betray him for another man?" I asked Sofia.

"That was all Damine's doing. Being a Luna means taking on responsibilities and losing my freedom. I'm not willing to do that."

The fire that had been suppressed for so long—a mix of pain, humiliation, and anger—finally burst through the dam of my reason.

I almost instinctively raised my hand, reaching to grab Sofia and demand an explanation.

However, Sofia let out a dramatic cry of pain as if struck by a great force, staggering backward and falling!

I hadn't even fully registered what happened when I was suddenly shoved hard from the side, my back slamming against the cold stone wall.

It was Damine, coming up the stairs.

He didn't even glance at me. In one large stride, he rushed down the stairs, his face a mask of fury and heartache as he scooped up Sofia, who had fresh scrapes and bruises on her body after falling at the stairwell. He looked up at me with a look of disbelieving anger and accusation.

"Sylvia! Do you have any idea her condition isn't stable?! How could you be so vicious as to hurt her like this!" His voice trembled with weakness and anger.

Sofia nestled in his arms, turned her face at just the right moment to reveal the faint red mark of a handprint on her cheek, and wept like a willow in the wind, her voice choked: "Don't blame her, Damine... it's my fault. I must have said something to make Sylvia misunderstand... she is your bonded mate, it's only natural she'd be upset... I don't blame her... let's just go, it hurts so much..."

With these words, she completely cut off any chance for me to explain myself.

Watching the storm clouds gather on Damine's face, I knew that anything I said now would only sound like a weak excuse and a shifting of blame.

My silence, in Damine's eyes, was undoubtedly an admission of guilt.

The last spark of hope in his eyes died, replaced by deep disappointment.

"Sylvia! I thought you were a kind and gentle Luna. I never imagined you would go after Sofia too. I was wrong about you."

With that, he looked away from me, as if even a single glance was repulsive. He just carefully adjusted his hold, cradling the softly weeping Sofia, and turned, walking away step by heavy step.

He never once looked back at me.

I stood there alone, the only sound in the stairwell my own ragged breathing.