Raven lifted her gaze to meet Fenris's eyes, her voice trembling with practiced fear. "I'm so afraid she'll come after me once she's released. Back in the healing chamber, the way she looked at me... it was terrifying, like she wanted to tear me apart with her bare fangs."
Fenris held her tighter, sparing me a single cold glance. His voice was hard as winter stone. "As long as I'm here, she can't touch you."
At those words, Raven's eyes reddened with fresh tears. "But what if she holds a grudge? What if she spreads rumors through the howl-network, claiming my heat-conduct is shameful?"
"Everything she said just now was fabricated. She's jealous of me, that's all. She made it all up to destroy my reputation..."
"If this damages you or the Langford Pack's standing, that would be terrible."
"Fenris, please don't believe her poison words. You're the only one in my heart. She just wants to drive us apart so she can slither back to your side."
My teeth chattered from the cold, my whole body felt like it was being pierced by ice needles, and my mind was almost blank. The chill seeped into my bones, and my wolfish instincts struggled wildly within me, powerless against the extreme cold.
"Raven…do you dare show Ferris your communication stone…do you dare let him check your records at the border inn last week…?"
"Shut up!" Raven Langford's voice suddenly rose, sharp enough to pierce my eardrums.
"Brother Azhou, look! She's still talking nonsense! I didn't! She framed me!"
She deliberately leaned into Ferris Langford's arms, pretending to accidentally pull on the bruise on her wrist, immediately letting out a cry of pain, "Ah…it hurts…Brother Azhou, I don't want to hear her voice anymore!"
The coldness in Ferris's eyes deepened, like the coldest moonlight in a winter night. He ordered the enforcers guarding the door, "Turn the temperature down to the lowest setting, let's see if she dares to talk nonsense again."
The enforcers immediately complied.
The chill intensified abruptly, frost forming on the walls of the metal prison. My wolfish senses gradually numbed in the extreme cold, a metallic sweetness rising in my throat, my fingernails scraping harshly against the icy walls.
My vision began to darken.
I heard Ferris's final warning, "Selene, when you learn your lesson, I'll let you out."
"Otherwise, you'll never get out."
My consciousness began to fade, my body frozen stiff. A weak, mournful howl emanated from within me, but it was powerless to respond. With my last ounce of consciousness, I uttered, "Ferris... let me out..."
But he turned and walked away, carrying Raven.
Just before they were about to leave, the door to the passage was violently flung open.
Chief Healer Elena Everwell stormed in, carrying a stack of blood test results, her voice filled with anxiety: "Raven Langford's blood disease test result is positive! All instruments in the operating room must be incinerated and purified immediately!"
She slammed the test results onto the stone table beside her, shouting sharply, "You all just came into contact with her blood! Perform the containment purification ritual immediately, or it will be too late!"
Ferris's hand froze in mid-air, his face drained of all color. "What did you say?! How is this possible?!"
