Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Ivy’s Point of View

The ceremony was over.

I lay on the altar, trembling and weak. But as the initial shock faded, I realized something surprising.

The pain was manageable.

My preparations had worked. The moonroot powder had protected my soul from shattering. The silverleaf had kept my mind anchored. The nightbloom had cushioned the worst of the spiritual trauma.

I was hurt. Exhausted. Burned in places where the wolfsbane chains had touched my skin.

But I was intact.

The same could not be said for Bastian.

Across the temple, he lay crumpled on his own altar. His face was ashen gray. Sweat poured down his forehead. His whole body convulsed with violent tremors.

He had no shaman’s protection. No secret preparations. He had endured the full force of the bond-breaking with nothing but his own strength.

And it had nearly destroyed him.

"Bastian!" Seraphina rushed to his side, tears streaming down her face. "Bastian, can you hear me?"

He groaned. A weak, pitiful sound.

Margot and Vivienne pushed through the crowd, their faces twisted with horror.

"My son!" Vivienne dropped to her knees beside him. "What have they done to my son?"

Margot’s eyes found me across the temple. Even from this distance, I could see the hatred burning in them.

"This is your fault!" She jabbed a finger in my direction. "You did this to him! You cursed him somehow!"

I was too tired to respond. Too drained to care.

Luna Helena helped me sit up. "Ignore her. We need to get you back to your room."

Alpha Alaric appeared at my other side. Together, they supported me as I stumbled off the altar.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Margot’s shrill voice followed us. "Your own son is lying there in agony, and you’re worried about her?"

Alpha Alaric didn’t turn around.

"You’re abandoning your flesh and blood for a stranger!" Margot screamed. "How can you be so heartless? So biased?"

Still, Alpha Alaric said nothing. He simply gestured to a nearby guard.

"Send Physician Aldric to tend to Bastian."

"Yes, Alpha."

Then we left. Margot’s curses echoed behind us, growing fainter with each step.

"Heartless monster! You’ll regret this! You’ll regret choosing her over your own son!"

The walk back to my residence felt endless. My legs could barely support my weight. Every step sent jolts of pain through my blistered skin.

By the time we reached my room, I could no longer speak. Could barely keep my eyes open.

"Put her on the bed," Luna Helena ordered. "Gently. Be careful of her burns."

Hands lifted me. Soft mattress beneath my back. Cool sheets against my feverish skin.

"Where’s the physician?" Luna Helena’s voice was tight with worry. "She needs treatment immediately."

"I’m here, Luna." An elderly man appeared at my bedside. Not Aldric. Someone else. Someone with kind eyes and gentle hands.

"Use whatever medicines you need," Luna Helena commanded. "I don’t care how expensive they are. Cost is no object. Just help her."

"Yes, my Luna."

The physician began his work. He cleaned my burns first, dabbing them with cool salves that smelled of lavender and aloe. The relief was immediate. The fire in my skin dimmed to a bearable warmth.

Then came the bandages. Soft white cloth wrapped carefully around my wrists, my ankles, my throat. Each wound was treated with meticulous care.

"She’s fortunate," the physician murmured as he worked. "I’ve seen wolves lose limbs from wolfsbane burns this severe. But her skin is already beginning to heal."

"Will she be alright?" Luna Helena hovered nearby, wringing her hands.

"With rest and proper care, yes. She’s remarkably resilient." He paused, studying my face. "Almost unnaturally so."

I kept my expression blank. The physician couldn’t know about my preparations. Couldn’t know about my shaman abilities. As far as anyone was concerned, I had simply been lucky.

He gave me something to drink. A bitter tea that made my head swim. Then another potion for the pain. And finally, a sleeping draught.

"Rest now," he said softly. "Your body needs time to recover."

I didn’t argue. Couldn’t have even if I wanted to.

The darkness took me.

When I woke, night had fallen.

The room was quiet. Moonlight streamed through the windows. Beside me, Dominic lay still as always, his breathing slow and steady.

I tried to move. My body protested immediately. Every muscle ached. Every joint complained.

But the pain was duller now. More distant. The physician’s medicines were doing their work.

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