Chapter 3

The moment the machete fell, a hand suddenly appeared and broke the blade with bare hands.

"I told you to wait seven days, not to throw your life away this fast."

Damian was back. He released his Alpha pressure, making several rogue werewolves' legs go weak as they dropped to their knees.

"Get in the car." He scooped me up in his arms, and seeing the wound on my arm, said, "I'm taking you to the hospital."

In the emergency room, the doctor left after treating my wound.

"Why did you come back?" I asked Damian.

He blushed a little, embarrassed. "I was worried about you."

A warm feeling welled up in my heart—something Karen had never made me feel.

Suddenly, footsteps and Karen's anxious voice came from the hallway. "Nurse! Where's the injured person who was just brought in?"

Damian immediately turned off the lights and quickly pulled me into a cabinet.

"My business isn't finished yet. You can't face Karen head-on right now. Want to see how worried he gets when he can't find you?"

The cabinet was narrow. We were squeezed together face to face, our bodies pressed tight.

The hospital room door was pushed open.

"Nobody here?" It was Sophia's voice.

"Karen, is Ella angry and hiding on purpose?"

"She's so strong, she should be fine."

"But what about you? You drove so fast just now—are you feeling okay anywhere?"

Karen walked in, irritated.

"What could happen to her? She's been training in combat since she was little. Those rogue werewolves were no match for her. I think she's just making a big deal out of nothing, deliberately not answering her phone to make me feel guilty."

"True, she is the pack's princess after all. She probably feels too embarrassed about being left behind."

Sophia sighed. "Not like me—I really thought I'd never see you again."

"Don't be scared, I'm here. Ella's just been spoiled. Let her cool down—it's good for her, so she doesn't think I have to pamper her all the time."

Hearing their conversation, I couldn't help but let out a cold snort.

Afraid I'd make a sound, Damian suddenly leaned down and kissed me.

His heartbeat was racing, pounding against my chest through our clothes.

I didn't know how long it had been before Karen and Sophia finally left.

Damian released me, staring intently at my lips, his voice hoarse. "Sorry, I lost control just now."

He didn't stay long. "Be careful these next few days. Remember—seven days."

With that, he climbed out the window and left.

Half an hour later, I ran into Karen in the hospital lobby.

Seeing I was fine, his first reaction wasn't concern—it was blame.

"See, I told you you'd be fine. Since you could get to the hospital on your own, why didn't you answer your phone earlier?"

Karen frowned, adjusting his cuffs.

"In that situation, of course, I had to protect Sophia first."

"You're the future Luna. You need to think about the bigger picture."

"Making such a fuss over something so small—you're really losing face."

I looked at him coldly. "The bigger picture means leaving your fiancée to the rogue werewolves?"

"But you're perfectly fine, aren't you?" Karen interrupted impatiently. "Enough, stop making a big deal out of this."

"I'll give you an even grander wedding to make up for it."

"I don't need it."

"Ella!" Karen's face darkened. "Don't push my patience."

Confident I would give in, he turned and left.

That night, I returned to the apartment alone and started packing my things.

For six days straight, Karen never came back. I was happy for the peace and quiet.

On the sixth night, the balcony door was open, and a tall figure was leaning against the railing.

Damian had arrived at some point. My heart felt a subtle surge of joy.

"Looks like someone's in a bad mood. Let me take you somewhere."

He drove me to the top of the city's tallest clock tower.

"I thought maybe you'd like this."

He opened a glass jar, and countless fireflies flew out.

At the same time, he pressed a remote control in his hand.

The lights around the clock tower went out, and star-like lights lit up, mingling with the fireflies, weaving together into a dreamlike sea of light.

This was my girlhood dream—to see beautiful starlight. I never expected it would come true today.

"For these ten years, you've been living up to everyone else's expectations."

Damian stood in the starlight, his eyes gentle.

"I wanted you to know that you're just a girl too. You can look at stars. You don't have to be so strong all the time."

I reached out to catch a firefly that had landed on his shoulder.

In the faint glow, I saw a very familiar scar beneath his sleeve.

I gently touched the scar. "How did you get this?"