Chapter 11: The Truth Beneath the Mark

Isla's POV

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was snow.

Not the gray winter sky of the Blackwood territory, but endless white mountains stretching beneath a brilliant blue horizon.

Switzerland.

For the first time in weeks, I could breathe without smelling Damien's Alpha scent.

There was no mate bond tugging at my chest.

No voice in my mind telling me where he was.

No painful reminder that he had chosen another woman.

I had thought severing the bond would destroy me.

Instead, the silence felt strangely peaceful.

My phone buzzed on the bedside table.

A message from the Laurel Healers' Guild.

"Dr. Isla, the research council would like to meet you at ten. The Ancient Life Energies project has been waiting for your arrival."

I smiled faintly.

For years, I had been known only as Damien's future Luna.

Here, I was Isla Harper, a healer with my own achievements and my own future.

I got dressed and headed downstairs.

The Guild headquarters was breathtaking.

Ancient stone walls surrounded modern laboratories filled with glowing crystals, medicinal herbs, and enchanted instruments I had only read about in old healer texts.

An elderly woman in a silver robe approached me.

"Dr. Harper?"

"Yes."

"I'm Head Researcher Evelyn Laurent. We've heard a great deal about your work."

She handed me a crystal tablet.

"Your research on regenerative moon herbs was one of the reasons we invited you."

I looked down at the research proposal.

My heart skipped.

This was everything I had dreamed of.

"I'll do my best."

"We aren't asking you to do your best," Evelyn said with a smile. "We're asking you to change the future of supernatural medicine."

For the first time in months, genuine excitement warmed my chest.

I spent the entire morning studying ancient energy patterns.

By noon, I had completely forgotten about Damien.

Almost.

Then my phone lit up.

Twenty-three missed calls.

All from the Blackwood territory.

I stared at the screen for a moment before turning it face down.

I didn't want to know what he wanted.

But another message appeared.

This one was from Chloe.

"Isla, call me immediately. Something is very wrong."

I called her.

"What happened?"

There was silence on the other end.

Then Chloe whispered, "The pack healer repeated Seraphina's tests."

My fingers tightened around the phone.

"And?"

"The pregnancy report was altered."

My breath caught.

"What do you mean altered?"

"The original bloodwork shows that Seraphina was already pregnant before Damien marked her."

I closed my eyes.

I had known the dates didn't make sense.

But hearing it confirmed still made my stomach twist.

"How far along?"

"Almost nine weeks."

I went completely still.

Nine weeks.

That meant Seraphina had been pregnant before the first marking ceremony.

Before Damien's so-called life-saving arrangement.

Before everything had supposedly become complicated.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Yes. The healer found something strange in Seraphina's blood."

"What?"

"There are traces of an ancient fertility tonic. One that can mimic certain symptoms of Moon Sickness."

My eyes narrowed.

So that was it.

Seraphina had never been dying.

She had manufactured the symptoms.

And Damien had fallen straight into the trap.

"Does Damien know?"

"Not yet."

I looked through the laboratory window at the snowy mountains.

A strange calm settled over me.

In the past, I would have rushed back.

I would have demanded answers.

I would have tried to save Damien from his own stupidity.

But that woman was gone.

"Don't tell him where I am," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Chloe hesitated.

"Isla, Damien is apparently tearing the pack apart trying to find you."

I laughed softly.

"That's his problem now."

I ended the call.

Then I noticed Evelyn standing behind me.

"Bad news?" she asked.

"Old news," I replied.

She studied my expression before nodding.

"Sometimes leaving is the bravest form of healing."

I smiled.

"I think I'm finally learning that."

Across the ocean, Damien was about to learn something too.

The truth.

And unlike before, I wouldn't be there to soften the consequences for him.