The Sickened Luna's Last Chance novel Chapter 398

**TITLE: The Perfect 398**

The curse had been shattered, and in its wake, so had I.

The price I had paid to save Liam’s life was steep—it was the mate bond that had connected me to Alexander. An ethereal thread that had woven through our souls across countless lifetimes, a bond that was fated, destined.

But now, it was severed.

Or at least… the sensation of it was absent. I wondered if I was simply misinterpreting the silence that enveloped me. Perhaps I was merely fatigued, or maybe…

Every rationale that flitted through my mind felt increasingly ludicrous. The mate bond had vanished. I longed to convince myself that there was another explanation for the profound void echoing in my chest, but deep down, I understood that there was none.

At least my wolf remained, a constant presence within me, steady and unwavering as ever. Yet, even she felt the absence; she didn’t seem weaker, just… more isolated.

“Ella? Sweetheart, are you alright?” My mother’s voice broke through the fog of my spiraling thoughts, her gentle hand resting on my forehead. The coolness of her palm was a soothing balm against my skin, pulling me back to the present moment.

I managed a nod and forced a faint smile. “I’m okay. Just… a bit overwhelmed.”

Lilith’s expression remained skeptical, but to her credit, she didn’t press me for more details. She understood, as well as I did, that the truth would reveal itself in time.

“What about Liam? What happened to him?” I inquired, my heart racing with worry.

“He woke up shortly after you fainted,” Lilith said, a radiant smile lighting up her face. “The doctors are amazed; they’ve never seen anyone come back after their heart stopping for that long. He was clinically dead for almost ten full minutes!”

A wave of relief washed over me, and I couldn’t help but smile. Liam was alive. This meant the curse was indeed lifted.

“We did it,” I whispered in disbelief, my voice barely rising above a breath. I scrubbed my hands over my face, sitting up straighter. “We actually did it. But Margaret…”

As soon as her name slipped from my lips, my voice faltered. Lilith’s expression dimmed, and she fidgeted with her hands in her lap, a sign of her own unease. Margaret was gone, and that fact weighed heavily on my heart.

“I never intended to kill her,” I murmured, the guilt pooling in my chest.

“I know, dear. I know,” Lilith replied softly, her gaze fixed on her trembling fingers.

There was little more to say. Margaret had been a terrible person, yet that didn’t mean I had wished for her death. But if I hadn’t acted, would she have continued her reign of terror, tormenting others as she had?

Thoughts of Julie flooded my mind—the vacant expression she wore, the way she had crumpled to the floor the moment Margaret fell. Julie, the kind-hearted witch I had barely come to know, reduced to a mere shell, devoid of her spirit. Just a puppet in the hands of a necromancer.

Perhaps it was for the best, but the burden of that thought was not something I would bear lightly. I found myself wondering what my father would think of it all, or if he would even care.

Not wanting to linger on those dark thoughts any longer, I tossed aside the hospital sheets and swung my legs over the side of the bed. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?” Lilith asked, concern etched across her features. I nodded resolutely, standing tall.

“I need to see him.”

Lilith didn’t stop me as I made my way out of the room, my heart pounding in anticipation as I approached Liam’s room. Voices drifted from within—Alexander and the doctor, their tones low and serious.

As I stepped inside, Alexander’s gaze met mine, and something flickered in his eyes—something that sent a pang of anxiety twisting in my stomach.

Yet, he continued his hushed conversation with the doctor, not approaching me just yet. I turned my attention to Liam’s bed.

He was asleep again, but there was a noticeable improvement. The pallor of his skin had lessened, and he appeared less gaunt than before. His condition had nearly claimed his life; even with the curse broken, it would take time for his body to regain its former vitality.

I kept my gaze locked on Liam, unwilling to meet Alexander’s eyes. I didn’t want to confront that knowing look again, didn’t want to validate the sacrifice I had made.

But I could feel Alexander’s gaze burning into the back of my head. He approached Liam’s bedside, pausing beside me, and cleared his throat, the tension palpable in the air.

“Ella—”

“I didn’t understand what I was giving up,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Alexander inhaled sharply. “What do you mean?”

I wrapped my fingers around the edge of Liam’s blanket, the fabric crinkling under my grip. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, a mixture of joy and sorrow swirling within me.

“She said I would have to make a great sacrifice to bring him back. I never imagined… I never thought it would be this.”

“Ella…”

“Was it worth it?” I asked, my eyes finally meeting Alexander’s, though his form blurred through the veil of my tears. “In those moments, I thought—I thought I would give anything. And I am grateful I did. Goddess, I truly am. Liam is alive because of me, but I feel so hollow!”

Alexander stepped closer, his expression softening. “What did you sacrifice, Ella?” he whispered, his voice laced with concern.

We both knew the answer, of course. I had felt it the moment I awoke, and Alexander had sensed it the instant I entered the room. It was a truth as deep within us as the very essence of our beings.

I held his gaze, the weight of the revelation heavy between us.

“I sacrificed our mate bond.”