Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman

Chapter 29: Chapter 29

Ivy’s Point of View

I returned to my room exhausted.

Nell placed a tray of food before me, but I barely touched it. My mind was too busy racing through possibilities. Calculating risks. Planning for survival.

The bond-breaking ceremony was in three days.

I couldn’t just sit here and wait for it to happen. Couldn’t leave my fate in the hands of priests who didn’t care whether I lived or died.

I was a shaman. A top shaman. And I would use every tool at my disposal to survive.

"Nell," I said suddenly. "I need you to fetch some things for me."

She looked up, surprised. "What do you need, Young Madam?"

"Moonroot powder. Silverleaf extract. Dried nightbloom petals." I ticked the items off on my fingers. "And if you can find it, a vial of spirit water from the temple."

Nell’s brow furrowed. "Those are... unusual requests."

"They’re for medicinal purposes." I kept my voice casual. "I want to prepare some tonics to help me recover after the ceremony."

It wasn’t entirely a lie. The ingredients would help with recovery. But their real purpose was something else entirely.

Moonroot powder, when ingested before a spiritual trauma, created a protective barrier around the soul. It wouldn’t prevent the pain of the bond-breaking, but it would keep my spirit from shattering under the pressure.

Silverleaf extract strengthened the connection between body and mind. During the ceremony, when the priests tried to tear the blood bond apart, my consciousness might try to flee from the agony. The silverleaf would anchor me in place. Keep me from losing myself.

Dried nightbloom petals enhanced spiritual resilience. They would help my body absorb and process the shock of the severed bond.

And spirit water was the key ingredient that bound everything together. It would carry the other components through my system, activating their properties at the exact right moment.

None of these preparations would eliminate the pain. Nothing could do that. But they would give me an edge. A better chance of walking away from the ceremony intact.

"I’ll find them, Young Madam." Nell gathered her things. "It might take some time."

"You have three days."

She nodded and hurried out.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in quiet meditation. Conserving my energy. Strengthening my spiritual reserves. Every ounce of power I could store now would be crucial during the ceremony.

By the time Nell knocked again, the room had grown dark. Evening had fallen without me noticing.

"Young Madam, I’ve brought dinner." She entered with a large tray laden with dishes. "Luna Helena sent this herself. She said you must eat everything."

I looked at the spread before me. It was far more elaborate than my usual meals.

"What is all this?"

"Luna Helena prepared the menu specifically for you." Nell began uncovering the dishes one by one. "This is ginseng and red date soup. It strengthens the blood and improves circulation. Very important for withstanding physical trauma."

The soup was rich and fragrant. I could smell the sweetness of the dates mingling with the earthy ginseng.

"This is braised lamb with wolfberry." Nell pointed to the next dish. "Lamb warms the body and builds core strength. The wolfberry supports kidney function, which helps with pain tolerance."

She continued down the line.

"Steamed fish with ginger and scallion. The fish provides light protein that’s easy to digest, while the ginger promotes blood flow and reduces inflammation."

"Lotus seed and lily bulb congee. This calms the spirit and promotes peaceful sleep. Luna Helena said rest is just as important as nutrition."

"And finally, honey-glazed walnuts. These nourish the brain and strengthen the will. You’ll need mental fortitude for the ceremony."

I stared at the array of carefully prepared dishes. Each one chosen for a specific purpose. Each one designed to prepare my body for the ordeal ahead.

Luna Helena had put real thought into this. Real care.

My throat tightened unexpectedly.

"Please thank Luna Helena for me," I said quietly. "This is... more than I expected."

"She cares about you, Young Madam." Nell smiled. "We all do."

I ate slowly, savoring each dish. The food was delicious, and I could feel the nourishing warmth spreading through my body with every bite.

I was halfway through the lotus seed congee when I felt it.

A movement.

Slight. Almost imperceptible. Like a twitch of fingers or a shift of breath.

I looked up sharply at the bed.

Dominic lay there as always. Still. Silent. Unchanged.

But I could have sworn I saw something.

"Nell." My voice came out strained. "Did you see that?"

She looked at the bed, then back at me. "See what, Young Madam?"

"Dominic. I thought I saw him move."

Nell studied Dominic’s motionless form for a long moment. Then she shook her head gently.

"I didn’t see anything, Young Madam. Perhaps you’re overtired. The stress of the upcoming ceremony..."

"Maybe." I set down my spoon, still staring at Dominic. "Maybe you’re right."

But I wasn’t so sure.

I had stopped his harmful treatments just days ago. Was it possible his body was already beginning to respond? To heal on its own without the physician sabotaging his recovery?

I made a mental note to increase the frequency of my spiritual assessments. If Dominic was showing signs of improvement, I needed to know.

But that would have to wait until after the ceremony.

’Survive first,’ I reminded myself. ’Then worry about everything else.’

The next three days passed in a blur of preparation.

Nell found all the ingredients I needed. I spent my nights grinding, mixing, and infusing them with carefully channeled spiritual energy. By the morning of the ceremony, I had prepared a small vial of pale blue liquid.

My secret weapon.

I drank it an hour before the priests arrived. It tasted like river water and starlight. Cool and strange on my tongue.

The ceremony was held in the Temple of the Moon Goddess.

It was an ancient structure at the heart of the Silvermoon Pack territory. White marble walls. Soaring ceilings. Massive windows that let in streams of silver moonlight. The full moon hung heavy in the sky, its light flooding the temple like liquid mercury.

I was led to the center of the main chamber. A stone altar waited for me there. Cold. Flat. Covered in runes that glowed faintly in the moonlight.

Luna Helena stood nearby, her face pale with worry. Alpha Alaric was there too, his expression unreadable. And in the corner, watching with barely concealed satisfaction, were Bastian and Seraphina.

They wanted to see me suffer.

I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

The High Priest approached. He was an ancient man with a long white beard and eyes that seemed to see through flesh and bone.

"Lie down," he commanded.

I obeyed. The stone was ice cold against my back.

Acolytes moved forward with silver chains. The metal had been soaked in wolfsbane. I could smell the poison before it even touched my skin.

They bound my wrists first. The silver burned instantly. Then my ankles. My waist. My throat.

Every point of contact was agony. Fire spreading through my veins. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

And the ceremony hadn’t even begun.

"We gather under the full moon to sever what was wrongly joined," the High Priest intoned. "To break the bond of blood and release these souls from their chains."

He raised his hands. The runes on the altar began to glow brighter.

"Let the sacred words be spoken. Let the bond be torn asunder."

The chanting began.

Low at first. A rhythmic drone that seemed to vibrate through the stone beneath me. Then louder. More insistent. The words were in the old tongue, harsh and guttural.

I felt the bond respond.

It was like a thread inside my chest. A connection I had never noticed before, linking me to Bastian somewhere across the room.

The chanting grew faster. More intense.

And the thread began to burn.

I gasped. The pain was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Not the sharp sting of a wound or the dull ache of a bruise. This was deeper. More fundamental. Like someone was reaching inside my soul and tearing out pieces.

The wolfsbane chains flared with heat. My skin sizzled where they touched. The smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils.

I screamed.

I couldn’t help it. The sound ripped from my throat before I could stop it.

But I didn’t break. The moonroot powder held my soul together. The silverleaf kept my mind anchored. The nightbloom gave me strength.

The thread inside me stretched. Frayed. Began to snap.

Each broken strand was a new wave of agony. Each severed connection a fresh scream tearing through my lungs.

I don’t know how long it lasted. Minutes. Hours. An eternity.

But finally, finally, I felt it.

The last thread snapped.

The bond was broken.

The chanting stopped. The runes faded. The chains were removed from my smoking, blistered skin.

I lay on the altar, shaking uncontrollably. Tears streamed down my face. My throat was raw from screaming.

But I was alive.

I was free.

Luna Helena rushed to my side, gathering me in her arms.

"It’s over," she whispered, stroking my hair. "You did it, Ivy. It’s over."

I couldn’t respond. Could barely breathe.

But somewhere, deep inside, I felt something like triumph.

I had survived.

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