Damien and Leo froze when Seraphina finished speaking.

Damien stared at her in shock. "W-what did you just say?"

Seraphina calmly repeated herself.

Then, before their expressions could grow any worse, she pretended not to understand and asked casually, "I heard you say that sentence in the Primal Tongue earlier. What does it mean?"

"Oh, you're asking what it means?" Damien visibly relaxed.

He stepped forward, took her hand, and smiled gently. "It means, 'My soul has chosen you.'

"If you wanna learn the Primal Tongue, I can teach you every day from now on."

Seraphina slowly pulled her hand back. "No need. That kind of ancient language is too complicated. I would never manage to learn it."

And even if she did, it wouldn't matter. In six days, she wouldn't remember anything at all.

Damien didn't push the issue. After kissing her forehead, he said, "By the way, I remember a flower sprite once gave you a Frostbloom, right? You're from the Sunfire bloodline, so you can't really use something that cold in nature anyway. Why not give it to Layla to help keep her alive?"

So that was why he came back.

She was just wondering why he would leave Layla at all.

Seraphina nodded. "Sure. Take it."

Her tone was calm, which seemed to make Damien uneasy. He spoke again, "Sera, why don't you come with us to visit her later? She's still your sister, after all."

Seraphina shook her head. "No. I have something else to do."

Damien frowned and asked unhappily, "What could possibly be more important than your sister's life?"

Seraphina found it bitterly ironic. To her mate and her parents, nothing had ever been more important than Layla.

But she didn't explain. She simply walked past the two of them.

Leaving her stone house behind, Seraphina went to Whisper Ridge.

Years ago, during the Wild Hunt, she had been gravely injured and collapsed by the banks of the Oblivion Stream. Bryan, Miriam, Damien, and even Leo hadn't come looking for her because they were all with Layla.

At the brink of death, a fiery spirit wolf had carried her to Whisper Ridge and shared its life essence with her, helping her survive and heal.

After she recovered, Seraphina wanted to bring the spirit wolf back to the Sunfire Pack's territory, but it refused to leave.

So she came to visit it every month instead.

Now, as she prepared to forget everything and go to Howlpeak to suppress wild spirits, the one she was most worried about was this spirit wolf she had named Blaze.

The moment she stepped onto Whisper Ridge, Blaze came bounding toward her, tail wagging, rubbing against her like an oversized puppy.

Seraphina rubbed its head, her heart heavy. "Blaze, in six days, I will leave this land. I won't be able to see you anymore. I know you don't wanna leave Whisper Ridge, but promise me you'll take good care of yourself, alright?"

Blaze understood her words. He sat down sadly, tail drooping, letting out soft whimpers from his throat.

Seraphina smiled helplessly. "What should we do, then? Should I take you to Howlpeak with me?

"The abyss aura of Howlpeak is too heavy. A pure spirit beast like you won't be comfortable there. You should stay here and live an easy life."

After playing with Blaze for a while, Seraphina decided to head back.

This time, Blaze followed after her and even crossed the barrier of Whisper Ridge with her.

"You wanna come home with me?"

Blaze caught the hem of her clothes in its mouth and nodded.

Seraphina thought the Sunfire Pack's territory was large enough to accommodate a spirit wolf, so she brought Blaze back with her.

She didn't expect to run into Damien and Leo the moment she returned. They were on a walk with Layla.

Blaze caught Seraphina's scent on Leo and instinctively grew fond of him. It trotted toward Leo happily, wanting to get close to him.

Leo didn't understand what was happening. He raised his hand and gathered a ball of energy, then blasted Blaze with Shadowfire.

Blaze had no chance to react. It was thrown through the air and slammed into the ground, letting out painful cries.

"Blaze!" Seraphina's heart clenched. She rushed over to check on it, then glared at Leo. "Why did you do that?"

Leo looked a little frightened, then he put his hands on his hips and complained righteously, "He almost ran into Aunt Layla. Mom, are you trying to hurt Aunt Layla on purpose?"

Damien also pulled Leo behind him, frowning at Seraphina.

"Seraphina, how can you speak to Leo like that over a stray beast? With you acting like this, no wonder he likes Layla more."

Seraphina's face went completely cold, her heart sinking even lower.

So her son liking Layla more was her fault.

And Damien probably thought the same thing, too.

For a moment, neither side spoke.

Then Layla broke the silence, looking sorry. "Phina, Leo only did it to protect me. If you're angry, take it out on me. Please don't be upset with Leo. He's still just a kid."

Before she finished, Leo immediately objected, "Aunt Layla, it's not your fault!"

A trace of mockery flashed through Seraphina's eyes. So, who was really his mother here?

Before she could speak, she suddenly noticed a line of pack members approaching, carrying white wreaths, silver ribbons, and ornaments carved with moon runes.

She froze and frowned. "Is the pack holding some kind of celebration?"

Damien and Leo's confident expressions instantly turned awkward.

After a moment, Damien finally said, "It's Layla's bonding ceremony."

Seraphina stared at him in disbelief. "Bonding ceremony? With whom?"

Leo blurted out proudly, "Aunt Layla and Dad are holding the ceremony."

Another line of pack members walked in at that moment.

In their hands were moonflowers, carved silver vases, and cupcakes made with morning dew and berries.

Every single item was something Layla loved.

Seraphina stared at the scene, feeling as if an invisible hand had clenched around her heart.

What Damien prepared for Layla far surpassed what he had done for her during their own bonding ceremony.

"Damien…" Seraphina looked at him, her voice trembling slightly. "Care to explain?"

Damien opened his mouth but didn't speak.

Layla suddenly reached out toward Seraphina, her voice choking up and her eyes turning red.

"Sera, this is all my fault. I just felt like I didn't have much time left and wanted to know what it felt like to be a real mate. That's why I begged Damien to play along and act it out with me.

"I swear I won't steal him from you. The moment the ceremony ends, I'll give him back to you. Alright?"

She swayed as she spoke, looking like she was about to collapse.

At that, both Damien and Leo looked alarmed.

"Layla, are you okay? You don't look well."

"Aunt Layla, be careful. Nothing matters more than your health."

Just then, Bryan and Miriam walked in.

Seeing Layla with red eyes, Miriam rushed forward in distress. "Layla, what's wrong?"

Bryan shot Seraphina a cold look and stepped forward without hesitation.

A sharp crack echoed as his palm collided with her face.

"Seraphina, why did you push Layla over the edge again? You know she's weak, so why make her upset?"

The blow was brutally hard. Seraphina stumbled and fell to the ground.

Only Blaze rushed over to her side, licking her burning cheek and using its warm life force to ease the pain.

Everyone else gathered around Layla instead.

Her parents, her mate, her son.

Seraphina looked across all of them and finally let out a self-mocking smile.

It didn't matter. Soon, she would forget them all, and she would never appear before them again to bother them.

Seraphina pressed a hand to her cheek and slowly stood up. "Blaze, let's go."

Damien froze, a sudden and inexplicable sense of unease rising in his chest.

He released Layla's hand and called out, "Sera…"

Layla immediately collapsed into his arms. "Damien, it hurts so much…"

Damien's expression tightened. Without hesitation, he lifted her and rushed toward her room.

Bryan, Miriam, and Leo hurried after him.

Seraphina didn't look back at their panic. She no longer cared.

When she left, she would let Damien truly become Layla's mate, and Leo would become Layla's son.

Back at Afterglow Lodge, half of Seraphina's face was already swollen.

She channeled the power in her body to reduce the swelling, then gently touched Blaze beside her.

"Does it still hurt where Leo hit you?"

Blaze shook its head, sadness shining clearly in its eyes.

Seraphina forced a small smile. "Are you feeling sorry for me? It's fine. I'm used to it."

She had lived like this for almost 100 years.

Even the deepest wounds eventually went numb.

When night fell, Damien returned.

Seeing Seraphina and Blaze leaning against each other, he frowned, but still softened his tone as he stepped closer.

"Sera, don't take what happened today to heart. You know Layla is weak, and her emotions are unstable.

"She said holding the bonding ceremony is her only wish. Even if it's fake, she just wants to experience it once. I have to fulfill that for her."

Seraphina quietly watched the man who once swore to protect her for life.

Suddenly, she felt a warmth blooming at her forehead. It was as if the Mooncrest was heating up.

Then she realized she could no longer remember the first time she had ever met Damien.

The Moon Goddess's words echoed again in her mind. "In seven days, this Mooncrest will sever your ties of love and erase your memories."

So the forgetting was happening slowly, little by little.

She was already beginning to lose her memories.

No wonder her heart felt so calm now.

"Sure. I don't mind."

She did not make a scene, yet Damien looked even more unsettled.

"The ceremony is just for show. It's not real."

Seraphina curled her lips faintly. "Might as well go all the way. Let's go to the Promise Stone and sever our mate bond."

Damien went rigid. "You want to sever our mate bond?"

"After your ceremony with Layla is finished, and after her condition improves, we can go back to Promise Stone and reestablish the bond," Seraphina said lightly. "We'll do it for Layla. That would make her happier, wouldn't it?"

Damien hesitated. His instincts told him this was unnecessary.

But when he thought of Layla, he took Seraphina's hand. "I knew you still cared about Layla. Does it still hurt where Dad hit you?"

"It doesn't," Seraphina replied quietly.

The pain they caused her no longer reached her heart at all.

That night, Damien left again with the excuse that Layla couldn't be alone.

Even though Layla's Moonstone Cottage was right next to Seraphina's Afterglow Lodge, and there were pack members guarding both inside and out, Damien still insisted on sitting by Layla's bedside.

Leo didn't come back either. He had most likely stayed the night with Layla.

Seraphina didn't mind. She held Blaze a little tighter.

When the next morning's light rose, the Mooncrest on her forehead began to burn again.

This time, what faded from her mind were her childhood memories with her parents.

Back then, before Layla existed, they had adored Seraphina and treated her as the pride of the pack's future.

They gave her all the finest pelts, the richest hunts, and the most sacred ceremonial weapons.

Later, when Layla was born, her parents didn't favor one over the other. Whatever Seraphina had, Layla had, too.

So even now, Seraphina couldn't understand why Layla had thrown herself into Thornfrost Grove that year and then blamed it on her.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Five days remained until she would forget them completely.

At noon, a pack member came to call Seraphina to eat at the communal longhouse.

When she arrived, everyone else was already eating with Layla.

Miriam was gently blowing on the spoon before feeding Layla soup, while Bryan was cutting the most tender slices of roasted meat for her.

Damien held a soft cloth, ready to wipe her mouth. Leo sat nearby, reminding Layla not to eat too fast.

When Seraphina walked in, only Damien paused.

Layla smiled sweetly and waved at her. "Sera, you're here. Come on. Sit down and eat with us."

Seraphina's gaze fell on Layla's chest.

There, a crystalline stone shaped as a wolf's fang glowed faintly, protecting Layla's heart.

Seraphina would never mistake it. It was the Shadow Wolfheart Damien had given her when they bonded as mates.

She remembered his vow. "Seraphina, in this lifetime and the next, my wolf spirit howls only for you."

The powerful Shadow Wolf Pack would refine part of their own wolf spirit essence into a Shadow Wolfheart and give it to their chosen mate.

After Seraphina gave birth to Leo, she had temporarily passed her Wolfheart to him, to keep him safe until his own guardian light awakened.

And now, that Shadow Wolfheart was on Layla.

Was it Damien's choice, Leo's, or a decision they had made together?

Damien noticed where she was looking and opened his mouth to explain. "Sera…"

Seraphina calmly walked over and sat down.

"Dad. Mom."

She picked up her wooden bowl and took a sip of soup, showing no intention of asking questions.

When Layla saw Seraphina ignoring her, her face turned pale. She spoke pitifully. "Sera, I'm so sorry. I ruined your birthday—"

Before she could finish, she broke into a fit of hard coughs. Bryan and Miriam hurried over to pat her back and comfort her.

Watching this, a sudden ache stabbed through Damien's chest.

He hesitated, then reached out for Seraphina's hand.

She quietly avoided his touch and spoke softly, "It's fine. I don't mind."

She was saying that to both Layla and Damien.

Only then did her parents realize once again that they had left Seraphina out.

But they never felt guilty toward her. Miriam said coolly, "It's only a birthday. After Layla and Damien's ceremony in five days, we'll hold a party to celebrate."

Seraphina paused. 'Five days, huh?'

Everything really lined up. In five days, Layla and Damien would hold their bonding ceremony.

And she would forget everything, sever every bond, and remain forever on Howlpeak.

Bryan nodded as well. "Yeah. Layla's health matters most. You're the elder sister. You should understand."

That line again. She was the older sister. She owed Layla. She should understand.

Seraphina had heard it so many times that her ears had gone numb.

Then Leo spoke up. "When Aunt Layla and Dad complete the ceremony, does that mean Mom can trade her life for Aunt Layla's?"

Seraphina froze.

She lifted her head. Everyone looked at her, waiting for her answer.

The food in her mouth instantly turned tasteless and stuck in her throat.

Seraphina clenched her fist and forced the bitterness down. "It's true that the Sunfire bloodline lets me go through Ember Rebirth. But what if my life essence isn't enough, and I fail to come back?"

Before her words even settled, everyone spoke at once.

Bryan said, "You carry the Sunfire bloodline. How could your life essence possibly be insufficient?"

Miriam said, "We'll be right by your side, guarding you. Nothing will happen to you."

Leo said, "Mom, don't use that as an excuse to avoid saving Aunt Layla."

Seraphina turned to Damien. After a moment of silence, he sighed. "Sera, I've prepared many rare moon herbs for you. Once you are reborn, they will help your wolf spirit become even stronger than before."

Seraphina smiled, and as she did, her eyes turned red.

"Alright. I'm willing to trade my life for Layla's."

She was willing to trade lives. But five days later, once she went to Howlpeak, she would never be able to leave again.

Whether they could ever find her then was their problem.