Chapter 7: The First Truth

I disappeared before Lucien could take another step toward me.

The moment the moonlight swallowed my figure, the courtyard returned to silence.

Lucien remained standing beneath the old oak tree.

He stared at the empty space where I had been, as if refusing to accept what his eyes had seen.

My parents slowly walked toward him.

Neither of them spoke.

For the first time, there was no excuse they could use.

No accusation they could throw at me.

No way to call my disappearance another childish attempt to gain attention.

My father finally broke the silence.

“We need to investigate the warehouse.”

Lucien turned around.

His eyes were cold.

“Why didn't you investigate it ten days ago?”

My father stiffened.

“We received no reliable information.”

Lucien laughed bitterly.

“She called us.”

“She called me.”

“She begged us for help.”

My mother’s face went pale.

“We thought she was lying.”

Lucien looked at her.

“So did I.”

“And now she's dead.”

The words fell heavily between them.

No one knew what to say.

Inside the healing center, Vivian watched them through the window.

Her expression was no longer frightened.

It was calculating.

She quietly pulled out her phone and sent a message.

“He knows.”

A reply arrived almost immediately.

“Then make sure he has no time to investigate.”

Vivian deleted the conversation.

Outside, Lucien turned toward the guards.

“Prepare the fastest patrol team.”

“We're going to the warehouse.”

My father caught his arm.

“Lucien, the Luna ceremony is at dawn.”

“You cannot leave now.”

Lucien slowly pulled his arm free.

“My promised mate is dead.”

“And you want me to stand on a ceremony platform and pretend everything is fine?”

My father’s expression tightened.

“Vivian is innocent.”

“This has nothing to do with her.”

Lucien stared at him.

“Maybe.”

“But I'm going to find out.”

He left with the guards.

My parents remained behind.

My mother looked toward Vivian.

“Are you all right?”

Vivian immediately lowered her eyes.

“I'm scared.”

“Evelyn appeared like a ghost.”

“What if she comes back?”

My father’s expression softened.

“She can't hurt you.”

Vivian nodded.

But beneath the blanket, her fingers were trembling.

Because she knew something they didn't.

There were people who had seen Evelyn being taken.

There were records of the ransom demand.

And there was one witness who had been paid to remain silent.

If Lucien reached the warehouse before that witness disappeared, everything could unravel.

Meanwhile, I stood beneath the Moon Goddess’s light at the edge of Gray Harbor.

The world around me felt increasingly distant.

My fingers had already faded past my palms.

My time was running out.

The Moon Goddess’s messenger appeared beside me.

“You have one night remaining.”

I looked at my fading hands.

“I know.”

“There is still one vow binding your soul.”

I closed my eyes.

Lucien.

The vow I had made when I was eighteen.

The promise that I would remain his until death separated us.

Death had already separated us.

But the vow remained.

“How do I break it?” I asked.

The messenger looked at me sadly.

“You must willingly release him.”

“Not because he rejected you.”

“Not because he hurt you.”

“You must release him because you no longer want anything from him.”

I was silent.

For ten years, I had wanted everything from Lucien.

His love.

His loyalty.

His mark.

His future.

His heart.

Now I wanted none of it.

I whispered, “Then I release him.”

The vow inside my soul trembled.

But it didn't break.

The messenger frowned.

“You don't truly believe it yet.”

I opened my eyes.

“What more do I need to do?”

“You must see the truth and choose to walk away from it.”

Before I could ask what that meant, a distant howl echoed through Gray Harbor.

Lucien had reached the warehouse.

My expression changed.

I knew exactly what he was about to find.

My body.

The place where I had died.

And perhaps, finally, the truth about the woman he had abandoned.