Ethan panicked and carried the single drop of my essence to the Council of Elders.
The moment the elders saw it, every one of them was stunned.
"I-Is this the essence of a spiritual healer? Ethan Gray! What have you done to Selena?" the First Elder shot to his feet, his commanding presence pressing down on Ethan.

Ethan's face went pale under the crushing weight. At last, he could no longer endure it. He sank to his knees and confessed everything.
He told them how he had abandoned me during the bonding ceremony because of Chloe, forced me into a soul-intervention ritual, and coerced me into surrendering my essence.
In an instant, the council chamber fell into a deathly silence.
"You bastard!"
The First Elder trembled with rage, smashing the stone table beside him with a single blow. "You forced the finest spiritual healer our pack has ever known, our future Luna, to sacrifice herself, all for a worthless she-wolf! You have shaken the very foundations of our pack!"
"Guards!" he bellowed. "Strip Ethan of his Alpha authority! Until Selena is found, he will remain on his knees in repentance before the Moon Altar!"

Just like that, Ethan was escorted away by his personal guards. In that moment, the honor and pride he had carried as Alpha were utterly shattered.
The pack was in an uproar. Those who had once whispered behind my back now spoke about me with voices edged with guilt and sympathy.
Meanwhile, Ethan became the pack's greatest sinner.
Every day, he kneeled before the cold stone altar, his mind consumed by the image of my resolute figure as I walked away.

He searched for me like a madman—posting bounties and sending notices. He used every method he could think of.
At last, a reward-hungry outcast revealed my location to him.
That afternoon, Ethan found Kyle's cabin. When he saw me, he froze.
I wore simple linen and kept my eyes closed as I quietly restored the chaotic life energy of a bird with an injured wing.
There was no golden light, yet the bird gradually grew calm, its wound healing before Ethan's eyes.
The affection and gentleness I once bore were gone. All that remained was a transcendent calm.
"Selena…" Ethan called out hoarsely.
I opened my eyes, released the bird, and looked at him coldly. "What do you want?"
"Come with me," he said, stepping closer. "Chloe is dying, and only you can save her. Selena, I know I was wrong. I truly do."
Ethan reached for my hand, his face twisted with regret and anguish. "I'm begging you! If you save her, I'll do anything. I'd even die for it!"
He was about to fall to his knees, but I stepped back to avoid him. Seeing him so desperate, I couldn't help but find it laughable.
"Save her?"
I shook my head, my voice calm as I replied, "Ethan, I never intended to harm Chloe. What's happening to her now has nothing to do with me.
"The essence is punishing her. It's her own greed and malice that are consuming her from within. After all, the Moon Goddess' gifts were never meant for corrupted souls."