Chapter 5. A New Beginning
The young female wolf sitting next to Rishima, perhaps feeling bored while waiting, initiated a conversation: "Hey, why are you here to remove your mark?"
Rishima lifted her head, looking into the curious eyes of the young female wolf, and forced a smile, saying, "Our bond has been severed."
The young female wolf was shocked, "You're so beautiful, how could any wolf even think of breaking the bond with you?"
In the hierarchy of the wolf world, Omega wolves were considered the most beautiful, whether male wolf or female wolf. Most of them had snow-white skin, slender figures, and delicate, doll-like faces.
Rishima’s appearance could be considered the most beautiful in the entire empire. Her irises were a light smoky color, her eyes shimmering like enchanting glass, and the slightly upturned corners of her eyes drew others in, mesmerizing them.
The first time Rishima met Zvonimir was when she attended a fashion party as the designer of new jewelry styles for Wolven Empire.
Zvonimir fell in love with Rishima the moment he saw her, and quickly began courting her. Unexpectedly, after just three years, the result of his deep love was a severed bond and the harshest words for the female wolf he once adored. How ironic.
Not long after, the nurse called Rishima's name, leading her into the sterilization room to prepare for surgery.
Erasing a mark was not an easy task, because during mating, a male wolf injects his scent into the female wolf's body to make her submit and depend on him both physically and mentally. So, erasing the mark also meant erasing the male wolf’s scent from deep within the female wolf’s glands.
During the marking removal process, the surgeon could not use anesthesia on the patient to avoid affecting the glands in their body. This was why the doctor repeatedly asked Rishima if she was certain she wanted to proceed, as the surgery was truly painful.
Rishima lay silently on the operating table, feeling the cold blade slowly piercing the back of her neck, and with each passing minute, the pain multiplied tenfold.
Within just two minutes, cold sweat had already formed on her forehead. Her already gaunt face became even paler, and the faint blue veins beneath her skin became visible.
"If you can’t bear it, feel free to cry out," the nurse gently reassured Rishima.
Rishima made no sound at all; she only bit her lip tightly, biting so hard that her lips bled. Her ten fingers gripped the bedsheet with such force that the veins on the back of her hands and arms bulged as if she were on the verge of passing out.
The nurse let out a sigh. She had seen many female wolves come in for marking removal surgery, but she had never seen any wolf endure the pain as well as Rishima. This was truly the most stubborn and resilient female wolf she had ever known.
A tear slipped down from the corner of Rishima's eye, and she suddenly let out a bitter laugh, mumbling, "Zvonimir, from now on, you and I will have nothing to do with each other for the rest of our lives!"
Two hours later, Rishima slowly stepped out of the hospital building.
Her body trembled slightly from the pain of the recent surgery. Her face was as pale as a sheet, and her back was drenched in cold sweat, with her clothes sticking uncomfortably to her skin.
After barely taking two steps, her legs buckled from the pain, and her vision turned black, forcing her to lean against a pillar outside the hospital to rest.
At that moment, a familiar couple appeared in her line of sight. The male wolf was tall and handsome, and the female wolf was cute and sweet, holding hands as they walked toward the entrance.
It was Zvonimir and Farah!
Rishima gritted her teeth, wanting to hide behind the pillar to avoid them.
Unexpectedly, Farah’s sharp eyes spotted her. She quickly let go of Zvonimir’s hand and rushed over to Rishima, feigning concern. "Rishima, what are you doing here? Are you feeling unwell?"
Looking at the female wolf putting on an act in front of her, Rishima’s face showed a trace of disgust as she coldly said, "Farah, please stay away from me. I don’t want to see you."
Farah put on a pitiful expression. "Rishima, why would you say that? I’m just concerned about you."
She turned to look at Zvonimir, who was approaching, and wrapped her arms around his, saying, "Zvonimir, Rishima says she doesn’t want to see me, but I haven’t done anything wrong."
Zvonimir’s gaze lingered on Rishima’s pale face. He frowned slightly, wanting to ask her a few questions, but Rishima turned her face away, completely ignoring him.
Immediately irritated, Zvonimir coldly said, "Farah, don’t pay attention to her."
He extended his hand to take Farah away.
However, Farah refused to leave and even asked Rishima, "Rishima, are you here to treat your damaged uterus? I know it must be really painful for you, being a female wolf but unable to have wolf cubs, so of course you’re not willing to give up and are seeking treatment everywhere. But there are some things in life that are destined. You don’t need to suffer so much. If you can’t get pregnant, you could always adopt…"
"Does rubbing salt in my wound bring you joy?" Rishima couldn’t hold back any longer. "Farah, I don’t like you, yet you shamelessly appear in front of me. You make me feel utterly disgusted!"
"Rishima!" Zvonimir snapped coldly, his sharp eyes glaring at her. "Watch your attitude! Farah is not someone you can insult."
"Oh? Do you plan to hit me again?" Rishima taunted, turning the left side of her face toward Zvonimir. "Look, this is your masterpiece from last night."
Seeing her swollen face, Zvonimir’s breathing faltered, and his entire body tensed.
Last night it was dark, and in his anger, he didn’t notice and hit her twice. Now looking at her, her once pale face was bruised, with even a small cut seeping blood, making her appearance unsightly.
Zvonimir reached out toward Rishima’s face, but she dodged him.
He grabbed her chin, his expression darkened as he stared at the bruise, slightly frowning as he said, "You shouldn’t have provoked me last night."