Fragments of a Vow

By the time Seraphina regained consciousness, a whole week had passed.

When the healer saw her stirring, he hurriedly alerted Caelum in delight.

"Luna Seraphina, you finally woke up! Alpha Caelum and Liam brought in almost every healer from all the territories. To pray for your safety, Alpha Caelum even offered a rare white deer to the Moon Goddess and wished for all the blessings to go to you so that you would wake soon.

"They'll be overjoyed to hear that you're awake."

Before he had even finished speaking, Caelum and Liam hurried into the room.

Upon seeing that she was awake, they immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.

Their voices were trembling with fear and relief. "Sera, you finally woke up. Do you know how worried I was this whole week?"

Liam's eyes were red as he said in a choked voice, "Mom, I was so scared you wouldn't wake up."

Caelum seldom cried. Yet, Seraphina felt a hot tear fall onto the back of her hand. Tears welled up in Liam's eyes too.

Still, their tears stirred no emotions in her heart because all she felt was deep irony.

When disaster struck, the one they instinctively protected had been Rayna.

Seraphina would be lying if she said seeing that didn't make her heart ache. She had offered Caelum her whole heart and loved him with everything she had. She had raised Liam all by herself with complete devotion since the day he was born.

Rayna, who had only appeared a few short months ago, had erased all of that so effortlessly. Just like that, she took Seraphina's place.

Caelum and Liam grew visibly uneasy due to her silence. So, they tried to explain themselves.

Caelum said, "It was too chaotic that day. I couldn't see which one was you, so I grabbed the wrong person."

Liam added, "Mom, Dad and I will never put you in danger again. We're so sorry for what we've done."

Seraphina had just woken up, so she was still very weak. Right now, she felt exhausted and couldn't muster the energy to expose their flimsy lies.

Just one more week, and she could leave this place. She would get away from her pretentious mate and pup very soon.

Over the next few days, Caelum and Liam stayed by her bedside in the healer's quarters without leaving even for a moment. Perhaps they felt guilty about abandoning her.

However, Caelum's phone never stopped ringing. Calls came every day, yet he didn't answer any of them.

One day, his phone buzzed as a message came in. His eyes widened upon reading it, and his expression shifted.

Seconds later, he said apologetically, "Sera, something urgent happened in the pack. I need to deal with it."

Liam leaned in to glance at the screen.

A moment later, he said, "Mom, I have to go with Dad to handle this."

Seraphina noticed the subtle changes in their expressions.

Would a young pup like Liam need to be involved in any of the pack's affairs? Of course not.

Obviously, it could only be Rayna.

With a nod from her, Caelum and Liam rushed out immediately.

Seraphina got out of bed and followed them.

At the corner of the healer's quarters, she saw Rayna throw herself into Caelum's arms. She wept so pitifully that it was heartbreaking to look at her.

Nevertheless, Caelum's expression was grim as he pulled her hands off him.

He warned in a low voice, "What are you doing here? I already told you that Sera hasn't fully recovered. You must stay in your quarters for now. Don't show yourself in front of her."

At that, Rayna cried even harder. She threw herself into his arms again and clutched his waist tightly.

She wailed miserably, "I just missed you both too much. It's been ten days since I last saw you. You promised you'd spend at least two hours with me every day."

Liam panicked at her tears and quickly explained, "Rayna, Dad and I missed you too, but Mom's still recovering. We have to stay with her. Dad, hurry and comfort Rayna!"

Feeling the wetness soaking through his chest and hearing Liam's urging, Caelum sighed.

His expression softened as he comforted her. "Don't cry. When you cry, I feel sad. I'll spend the next two days with you, okay?"

Rayna's tears stopped instantly. "Really?"

After Caelum gave her his assurance, she broke into a bright smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and her eyes were brimming with tender affection.

Caelum's gaze darkened, and his Adam's apple bobbed. In the next second, he grabbed the back of her head and kissed her deeply.

Their kiss was passionate and lingering, occasionally punctuated by wet, smacking sounds. It was as if they were pouring ten days of longing into that one kiss.

Liam covered his eyes and turned away.

He teased, "Dad and Rayna are being naughty!"

Seraphina walked back to her room like an empty husk whose soul had left its body. Tears slipped silently down her face, soaking the pillow as she bit her lip to stop herself from sobbing aloud.

She reminded herself over and over again that she would be leaving soon. This would be the last time she would shed tears for Caelum and Liam.