Transmigrated: The Lycan King's Pet-Chapter 379 Of All People (Bonus)

I sat up so fast my head spun, my breath catching as my eyes locked onto the familiar figure standing a few steps away from me.

’Seraphina.’

Of all people, it had to be her. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, and I swung my legs off the ground, pushing myself to my feet with every intention of leaving immediately.

I couldn’t afford to let her know of my condition.

I took two steps forward, and her next words struck me so hard I almost stumbled.

"You are dying."

The world tilted, for a moment, everything went quiet, like someone had pressed their hands over my ears. I felt it in my chest, a deep hollow thud that echoed through my bones.

Slowly, I turned back to face her, my expression calm, and my eyes a little stern.

"No one can know about it," I said, my voice flat and controlled.

Seraphina studied my face carefully, then asked, "Including Alpha Damon?"

My fingers curled at my sides. "Especially Alpha Damon."

Her brows pulled together in a deep frown, genuine confusion flashing across her sharp features. "Why?" she asked. "He is your mate."

I looked away, my gaze fixing on a crack in the wall, anywhere but her eyes. "That is none of your business."

I moved again, intent on leaving, but suddenly her hand wrapped around my wrist, firm but not painful, stopping me in my tracks. I looked down at her grip, then slowly back up at her face, irritation sparking in the depths of my eyes.

"Let go," I said calmly.

She did not.

"You are the Chosen," Seraphina said, her voice steady but edged with disbelief. "You are the only one who can change the course of this war. You are dying, and you expect everyone to remain ignorant, even your mate?"

Something hot and sharp flared in my chest. I yanked my arm free and turned fully to face her, anger finally bleeding through the cracks of my calm mask.

"How many times are you planning to ask me the same thing?" I snapped. "My answer will not change no matter how many ways you phrase it."

She stared at me, clearly unable to understand, and that only made my frustration grow. People always thought love was enough to fix everything. They never stopped to consider that love could also destroy the very thing it wanted to protect.

If Damon knows of my condition... no I won’t be able to bear the devastation of his heart... If only he could forget about me... could he?

I inhaled sharply and glanced around my surroundings, finally registering that it was where I had lost consciousness.

Seraphina followed my gaze but said nothing.

I turned back to her. "Why are you here?" I asked. "And more importantly, why did you help me? You had every reason to let me die. You could have called it justice."

She leaned back against the wall, folding her arms across her chest, her posture deliberately casual. "I could have," she said, her tone almost nonchalant. "But revenge without truth is meaningless. I will only act when everything is revealed."

I let out a slow breath I did not realize I had been holding. The tension in my shoulders eased slightly. It struck me then how strange this was. The two of us standing here, not shouting, not threatening each other. Just talking almost civilly.

It was unsettling.

I clenched my fist tightly by my side. "Promise me," I said seriously. "Promise you will not tell anyone."

She studied me intently, her eyes narrowing just a fraction. Something shifted in her expression, understanding dawning slowly on her.

She must have thought we both shared the same fate, after all we carry similar burdens, only that mine was heavier.

"I promise," she said finally.

Relief washed through me so suddenly that my knees nearly buckled. I exhaled, my shoulders sagging as some of the pressure loosened its grip on my chest.

But of course, she was not finished.

"I will keep your secret," Seraphina continued. "On one condition."

I frowned. "What condition?"

"You will receive treatment," she said firmly. "Your heart is failing. This is not natural, and it is likely the result of a magical backlash."

I clenched my fists. Treatment meant attention, attention meant questions and questions meant truths I was not ready to let see the light.

"I wonder if this is from the goodness of her heart?" Layla muttered in my head. Even the illness has started affecting her.

"We need to make her believe us, so she will not rat us out," I replied to Layla through the mindlink.

After a long moment, I nodded once. "Fine," I said quietly. "I agree."

She straightened, satisfied, and turned toward the exit.

"Wait," I said.

She paused and looked back at me.

"There is something else," I said carefully. "Do you know how to remove an enchanted bracelet?"

Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly before she masked it. Her gaze dropped briefly to my wrist, then returned to my face.

"That depends," she said slowly. "What kind of enchantment?"

I clenched my jaw, my fingers curling instinctively. Of course, I knew it would not be simple.

"It’s a bracelet that bonds two hearts, where emotions are shared between the wearers. I want to take mine off."

Seraphina’s expression darkened. "Those are not meant to be removed easily," she said. "Most who attempt it do not survive."

A bitter smile tugged at my lips. As if I had not been dancing with death my whole life.

"I am already dying," I said calmly. "What is a little more risk?"

She held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Rest for now," she said. "We will speak of this again."

As she turned and left, I sank back against the wall, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. I pressed a hand over my wrist where the bracelet was, and I caressed it gently.

"I just don’t want you to feel my pain..." I muttered under my breath in a daze.