Ariella's POV
HEALING ROOM
The air in the healing room felt heavier than before, like the walls themselves were holding onto the fear inside it. The strong smell of herbs filled my nose, mixing with something bitter that I could not ignore.
Rohan lay on the bed, looking worse than he had the day before. His skin had lost more color, and faint dark lines spread slowly from his neck down toward his chest like something inside him was eating him alive. His breathing was uneven, shallow, like he was fighting for every breath he took.
Lysa sat beside him, holding his hand tightly.
But unlike yesterday, there was something different in her eyes.
Hope.
"I found a way," she said suddenly, her voice trembling but filled with excitement.
Rohan slowly opened his eyes. They were dull, tired, but they softened the moment he looked at her.
"What way?" he asked weakly.
Lysa leaned closer, her grip tightening around his hand. "There's a place… the Crystal Moon Lake. A seer told us about it. She said the water there might cure the poison. Just one drop."
I stayed quiet, standing at the side, watching everything.
For a moment, Rohan said nothing.
Then slowly, he shook his head.
"No."
Lysa blinked, confused. "No?"
"That place…" he exhaled slowly, his voice barely steady, "it's dangerous. Wolves don't go there for a reason."
Lysa frowned. "I don't care about that."
"You should," he replied, his eyes narrowing slightly despite his weak state. "Many go there and never come back."
Sky shifted uneasily inside me.
He's not wrong.
Lysa shook her head harder this time. "I'm not losing you."
"And I'm not letting you risk your life for something uncertain," Rohan said, his voice firm despite the weakness in it.
"It's the only chance we have!" she snapped, her voice breaking.
"It's not a solution," he said quietly. "It's a risk."
Silence filled the room.
Lysa's grip on his hand tightened, her knuckles turning pale.
"Then I'll take that risk," she said.
Rohan looked at her for a long moment. "I won't allow it."
Something in her eyes changed again.
Something stronger than fear.
"You don't get to decide that," she said quietly.
PACK HOUSE CORRIDOR
We left the healing room in silence.
The hallway felt colder, quieter. Even the people passing by seemed distant, like their voices were far away.
Lysa walked ahead of me, her steps fast and determined.
"Lysa," I called.
She didn't stop.
"Lysa."
This time she paused, but her back was still facing me.
"I'm going," she said.
Her voice was calm, but there was something unshakable in it.
My chest tightened. "You heard him."
"I did."
"Then why are you still saying this?"
She turned to face me, her eyes sharp now.
"Because I don't have another choice."
Sky stirred.
She won't back down.
I stepped closer to her. "You do have a choice. Stay."
"And watch him die?" she asked immediately.
Her words hit hard, but I didn't step back.
"That place is dangerous," I said firmly. "Even the seer said it. People don't come back from there."
"I will," she said.
"You don't know that."
"I have to try."
I shook my head slowly. "Trying doesn't always mean surviving."
Lysa's expression hardened. "So what do you want me to do, Ariella? Sit there and wait for seven days until he dies in front of me?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Because there was no good answer.
But that didn't mean I would lie to her.
"Yes," I said quietly. "If the other option is dying with him."
Her eyes widened in shock.
Sky went still.
That was harsh.
But I didn't take it back.
"You're not thinking clearly," I continued. "You're desperate. And desperation makes people do stupid things."
Her face changed instantly.
Anger replaced everything else.
"So now I'm stupid?" she snapped.
"That's not what I said."
"That's exactly what you meant."
I sighed, frustration rising. "I'm trying to keep you alive."
"And I'm trying to save my mate!" she shouted.
The hallway went quiet around us.
A few people turned to look, but neither of us cared.
"You don't understand," Lysa continued, her voice shaking now. "You don't feel what I feel."
I froze slightly.
Sky spoke softly.
She's right.
Lysa took a step back, her eyes burning with emotion.
"I'm going," she said again. "With or without anyone's approval."
I shook my head. "Then you're making a mistake."
Her expression hardened completely.
"Then let me make it."
There was nothing more to say.
She turned and walked away.
And this time… I didn't stop her.
Sky spoke quietly.
You should have agreed.
"No," I whispered.
Because I knew one thing.
If she went…
There was a chance she wouldn't come back.
Third Person's POV
PACK HOUSE CORNER
Just beyond the turn of the hallway, hidden where the shadows touched the wall, Celene stood still.
She had heard everything.
Her silver blonde hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, and her fitted dark outfit clung perfectly to her figure. Her posture was relaxed, but her eyes held something darker.
Interest.
A slow smile spread across her lips.
"The Crystal Moon Lake," she murmured quietly.
Inside her mind, her wolf stirred.
Lilia.
That place is not forgiving.
Celene's smile widened slightly.
"Exactly."
She pushed herself off the wall and stepped forward slowly, her boots making soft sounds against the floor.
"They want to walk into danger," she continued softly.
Her eyes gleamed.
"Then I'll make sure they never walk out of it."
Lilia's voice was calm, almost pleased.
This could end everything.
Celene let out a quiet laugh.
"Oh, it will."
And just like that, a new plan began to form in her mind.
One that would not only destroy Ariella…
But anyone who stood in her way.