The moment Faye opened her eyes, the first person she saw was her girlfriend by her side. She blinked against the bright light, her lungs expanding with a faint, shallow breath while her eyes adjusted to the face hovering close above her.

They happened to be inside their room, lying on their bed.

"Good morning, baby," Princess said, gently stroking Faye’s hair. Her fingers glided smoothly through the brown strands, her voice low and sweet near Faye’s ear while her breath brushed warm against her skin.

"Hey..." Faye said faintly. She looked at her girlfriend and barely touched her face. Her hand felt heavy as lead, her fingers weakly brushing against Princess’s jawline while her pulse beat a slow, tired rhythm against her ribs.

"What happened?" Faye muttered. Her throat felt dry as bone, her chest rising in a small, quiet huff as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"You passed out." Princess answered softly, keeping her hand resting against Faye’s cheek while her lungs pulled in a deep, cautious draft of bedroom air.

"Oh..." Faye began to remember what had happened before she passed out. Then she remembered Bambi. The horrible images of the bloody street, the body on the gym mat, and her own fangs sinking into Bambi’s wrist rushed back into her mind, making her heart skip a sudden, violent thud.

She was about to sit up, but Princess immediately told her to rest. Princess’s arm wrapped securely around her, holding her down gently against the pillows while her pulse thuttered with protective urgency.

"Bambi, she is..." Faye pressed, her eyes widening as her breath caught sharp in her throat.

"She’s fine. Bambi is fine. You need to rest," Princess said, pulling her close to her chest before kissing the top of her head. The sweet press of Princess’s lips made Faye’s posture relax slightly, her lungs letting out a long, trembling exhale against Princess.

"She’s alive... My bite saved her." Faye leaned closer to her girlfriend with a sigh of relief.

Then she looked at Princess’s face. She looked drained. Dark circles sat beneath Princess’s eyes, her skin slightly pale while her breathing came out in heavy, weary cycles that showed she hadn’t slept a wink all night.

"Have you been crying babe? What’s with that face, huh?" Faye asked softly, reaching up again to cup her chin while her pulse tapped a concerned, gentle beat.

"You passed out...." Princess repeated, her eyes flashing with lingering terror while her chest heaved in a short, emotional wave.

"I’m fine... Okay? I don’t know why I feel so cold, but look I’m fine." Faye reassured her, though a sudden shiver ran down her spine, her lungs pulling in a chilly draft that made her teeth click together faintly.

"That’s because you gave your life to Bambi Butcher."

Hearing that from Princess left Faye confused. If she had given her life away, how was she still alive and breathing?

Princess explained what had actually happened. Her voice carried a low, quiet weight, her lungs expanding in long, solemn drafts as she laid out the events of the terrifying night.

It was like a flashback.

The moment Faye passed out, Princess had started panicking because she couldn’t feel or hear her mate’s heartbeat.

Kiara and Beam had also arrived at the gym. Since they didn’t want to take Faye and Bambi to the Kings Hospital because the news would eventually reach Princess’s brother, Beam suggested calling Uncle PP and Doctor Brown to check on them.

When they arrived, Jacqueline couldn’t do much because Faye’s condition wasn’t exactly medical. The doctor had knelt beside the two motionless girls, her medical tools useless in her shaking hands while her heart beat a rapid, helpless rhythm against her ribs.

Pali, however, recognized what was happening. His eyes had narrowed as he examined the bite mark on Bambi’s arm, his chest rising in a slow, heavy draft of realization while the rest of them stood frozen in suspense.

Faye was trying to transfer her life to Bambi.

It was called a Life Sacrifice. Pali’s raspy voice had echoed through the room, his posture stiffening as he explained the ancient, dangerous force taking place inside their bodies.

Faye had transferred part of her life force to Bambi by biting her after she had already died. The life force was flowing continuously between the two vessels, leaving Faye’s body cold as ice while her pulse dropped toward nothingness.

According to Pali, if a Moon Wolf bites a recently dead body, it must happen within 7 minutes of death. But the price was that the Moon Wolf would have to share her life force with the person she was reviving.

Unlike the normal Moon Wolf bite, which could raise someone after biting them while they were still alive, this method came with a price.

Bambi was already dead when Faye gave her the bite.

Princess wasn’t listening to most of his explanation. All she wanted to know was whether her girlfriend was going to be okay. Princess had remained glued to Faye’s side, her eyes unblinking while her lungs heaved in rapid, furious cycles, her mind refusing to accept any outcome where Faye didn’t wake up.

Because if Faye didn’t wake up, only God knew what Princess was going to do. Her blue Alpha aura had flickered violently beneath her skin, her heart thundering with a dark, dangerous rage that threatened to tear the entire room apart.

Pali couldn’t give her an answer. He didn’t know enough about the lore to know what would happen next.

So, to prevent one of them from living while the other died, Doctor Jacqueline brought out a method she had learned about.

They prepared two tubs. One was filled with hot water, while the other was filled with cold water.

After Jacqueline successfully removed every bullet from Bambi’s body, she also removed her damaged heart since Bambi could generate a new one if she survived.

Faye was placed inside the cold water while Bambi was placed inside the hot water. The sudden splash had rippled across the surfaces, Faye’s pale body sinking deep into the icy liquid while Bambi lay submerged in the steaming heat, their breaths completely stopped.

As time passed, the cold water became room temperature, and so did the hot water. The thermal energy shifted slowly, everyone holding their breath in the quiet room while their heartbeats thuttered in intense, agonizing suspense.

Then, somehow, Faye’s heart began to beat. A single, distinct thud echoed through the silence, making the air freeze.

Princess was the first to notice. Her eyes and ears had been focused on her girlfriend for hours.

Then they heard another heartbeat. A second thud sounded right after the first, echoing in perfect, synchronized harmony through the gym.

Both girls’ hearts were beating. The twin rhythms thunted together in a steady, unbroken cadence, bringing an instant wave of heat back into the cold room.

Whatever Doctor Jacqueline Brown had done had worked.

When Pali asked what kind of ritual it was, Jacqueline simply whispered,

"It’s called the Equilibrium Rite. Two lives. Two opposing vessels. Neither can survive alone, so the ritual forces their life forces into balance."

Pali, who was an apothecary and pharmacist, knew that only a werewitch could perform something like that.

He didn’t ask the question that was on his mind.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about it. His mind raced over the forbidden magic, his heart thumping a heavy, uneasy beat against his ribs.

Princess, however, didn’t care about any of that.

She only cared that her girlfriend was alive. Her eyes had filled with warm tears, her pulse beating a victorious, fierce rhythm against her collarbone.

So she carried Faye home. She had lifted Faye’s soft body out of the water, wrapping her tightly in warm blankets before carrying her gently to the car, and home...

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