Chapter 4

Elena's POV

At my question, my parents finally tore their attention away from Vivian. A trace of awkwardness crossed their faces.

Mom frowned and waved her hand impatiently. "Elena, don't say things like that. You're only testing whether the restoration ritual is safe. It's not as if we're saying goodbye forever!"

Dad let out a cold snort. "Are you seriously thinking of backing out now? You've already signed the agreement. Just go inside. Once we know the ritual works, we'll come get you."

But Adrian's tone suddenly softened. He stepped forward and took my hand.

"Stop being difficult, Elena."

"When the experiment is over, I'll take you shopping for the latest jewelry. Didn't you always want that blue diamond necklace?"

I looked at him, then at the hopeful expressions on my parents' faces.

At last, I let out a quiet sigh and slowly withdrew my hand.

"I don't want the necklace anymore," I whispered. "I don't want anything."

With that, I turned and walked into the dark, damp cellar without looking back.

The so-called Wolf Spirit Restoration Ritual was nothing more than an inhumane torture session.

The old witch, Ravena, didn't give me anything to ease the pain.

She chanted her incantation, forcing a violent surge of magical energy into my body.

It felt as though molten lava were burning through my veins and countless fire ants were devouring my skin.

The unbearable torment lasted for eighteen whole days.

Not once during that time did anyone come to see me.

Perhaps they were busy celebrating. Perhaps Adrian was out beneath the moonlight with Vivian, gazing at the stars.

I would never know.

All I could feel was my already failing Wolf Spirit letting out one final, mournful howl.

Then it vanished completely.

The moment my Wolf Spirit disappeared, my heart gave several violent spasms before finally stopping.

I was free.

Ravena entered the cellar to begin the next stage of the ritual, assuming I had merely passed out from the pain.

Impatiently, she prodded my arm with her wand.

"Get up. Stop pretending to be dead. We need to finish the final step today."

The only answer was a deathly silence.

Ravena froze. She reached down to check for my breath, and her face instantly drained of color. She stumbled backward.

After a long moment, she shakily pulled out her phone and called the emergency number her employers had given her.

"Ma'am... something's happened. Elena... she's dead!"

There was silence on the other end for several seconds.

Then Mom let out a mocking laugh.

"Witch, are you trying to squeeze more money out of us? Don't try that trick on me."

Ravena stared at my bruised, rigid body on the ritual table. Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

"I'm not joking! Her Wolf Spirit has vanished, and her heart has stopped beating. She's really dead!"

On the other end, Adrian snatched the phone away.

He should have felt the excruciating pain of our Mate Bond breaking just moments ago.

But he had convinced himself that I was merely throwing another tantrum.

"Put Elena on the phone."

"Tell her to stop pretending to be dead just to get sympathy! And don't think you can scare me by claiming our Mate Bond has broken!"

"Tell her to cooperate with the ritual."

Beep—

The call ended.

Ravena stood there with the phone in her hand, unable to believe what had just happened.

Unwilling to give up, she called my father and mother repeatedly. Every call was immediately rejected.

Finally, she cursed under her breath.

"Every last one of them is insane."

If her employers didn't care, she wasn't about to get herself into trouble over it.

In the end, Ravena dragged my body to a storage room at the far end of the cellar.

The place was piled with moldy junk, and rat droppings covered the floor.

She casually grabbed a tattered piece of cloth, threw it over my face, locked the door, and left.

No one knew that the so-called Wolf Spirit Restoration Ritual had been a scheme devised by Vivian from the very beginning.

She had done it all to maintain her image as a frail, sickly girl, monopolize our parents' affection, and steal the position of Moon Luna that should have been mine.

My soul had already left my body. Like a silent spectator, I watched as my battered remains were discarded in the darkness like a piece of trash.

Before long, the heavy smell of blood attracted several enormous rats. They climbed onto the stone table and crawled beneath the ragged cloth.

Even as a soul, I instinctively recoiled.

I had been worthless while I was alive, and now that I was dead, even my body was left for rats and insects to devour.

My entire life had been a joke.

But I couldn't leave.

An invisible force bound my soul tightly to my body. All I could do was watch helplessly, day after day, as my remains slowly rotted away.

Seven full days passed before familiar voices finally sounded outside the door.

"Ravena, was the experiment successful? Is the ritual safe for Vivian now?"