7. Destroyed from within.

The clock's short hand had touched the number nine, twenty minutes past nine, indicating that time was moving according to plan, and everyone still had to enjoy the upcoming festivities leading up to the New Year's change.

When Lysander stopped his motorcycle in the hospital's courtyard, he became increasingly panicked due to Josephine's silence since leaving the scene.

The girl refused to speak, as if experiencing trauma, which created fear in the minds of those who helped her.

"It's okay, she's fine. We'll take care of Miss Josephine's wounds." A few words from the doctor managed to alleviate the intensity of Lysander's anxiety.

Josephine sat on the edge of the stretcher, her expression empty, without showing any emotion, as if she were numb. Instead of wincing or whimpering in pain when her wounds came into contact with the alcohol swab, Josephine remained still.

The sight made Lysander's heart ache, and his thoughts became chaotic again, like when he was late finding her. Fear crept in, making him feel uneasy.

"Make sure to change your bandages regularly, Miss Josephine." The doctor's voice pierced Josephine's ears, and she nodded mechanically.

She, who was always polite and awkward around others, now showed a stark contrast, not even looking at her interlocutor.

Lysander took over the conversation with the doctor, receiving advice and a friendly demeanor before parting ways with both of them behind the partition.

"I'll take you home. You live in the dormitory-"

"Taxi." That single word from Josephine was enough to affirm her presence of mind. "Please call a taxi for me."

However, Lysander's feelings weren't entirely calm. "Why? I can take you home."

"It's cold to sit on your motorcycle and be exposed to the wind outside." Josephine met his gaze without hesitation, her eyes locking onto Lysander's gray eyes.

"Alright, I won't force you." He relented, suppressing his inner reservations. Lysander's gaze drifted to Josephine's hand. "Fortunately, the year-end holiday has been set, and you can take care of your wounds comfortably during that time."

Yes, Josephine was supposed to enjoy her time off by working on e-books for a client, but with her left hand injured, how could she maximize her productivity using only one hand on the keyboard?

As she struggled to cope, things ended in chaos.

"Yes, of course." Her voice was soft and fragile as she stood up, shouldering her backpack, and exited the room filled with patients with minor injuries.

Lysander followed behind Josephine, navigating through the crowded hospital, where a commotion was brewing about a single-vehicle accident involving a car that had slipped on the wet road and crashed into a large transformer.

Josephine's steps halted after passing the reception desk, where she saw another ambulance arrive. The medical staff quickly pulled out a body bag and transferred it to a patient trolley. As they passed by, some police officers discussed the discovery of a man's body near a shopping alley in a gruesome condition.

Josephine flinched, remembering the man who had injured her hand. She had no idea what his final condition was. She was still trying to process her presence here, suddenly, and with someone who was a stranger to her.

"What's wrong?" Lysander asked, noticing her pause.

"That." Josephine turned around, her face pale. "How did you know my name?"

Of the many questions she could have asked about tonight's situation, she chose to ignore them and try a different approach.

"Ms. Mellisa, I often see you around the campus library, but you don't notice." "I see."

She nodded, pretending to understand fully, though she wasn't entirely sure. She thought only her lecturers and Mellisa Graham knew her name at Kingston University.

"Is there a problem?"

Josephine shook her head. "No, there isn't."

Lysander offered, "I'll keep you company while waiting for a taxi."

"Yes."

The vehicle arrived right on time as they waited on the sidewalk. Lysander immediately opened the passenger door and invited Josephine in. He spoke to the driver, handing over several tens of dollars as travel expenses without checking the taximeter at the end. "I'll follow behind," Lysander said before running towards the hospital's parking area.

"Miss, your boyfriend is very caring."

Josephine just murmured, too many surprises had hit her life today, and the thoughts in her head formed a tangled thread that made it hard to find the starting point. The taxi rejoined the traffic, and the driver checked the rearview mirror to ensure Lysander was following behind, but Josephine didn't notice, lost in her overwhelming confusion.

Lysander watched over her from afar after the taxi dropped Josephine off near the dormitory area. She had to walk a few meters to the gate, which was still wide open, but the guard showed curiosity upon seeing Josephine's left hand.

"I had a little incident, but it's okay, everything is under control." She smiled flatly in response to the gatekeeper's concern.

Before opening the door to her room, she deliberately hid her left hand behind her back, but fortunately, Monica was already asleep. Josephine dropped her backpack on the bed, then unwrapped the bandage on her hand, staring at each bruise caused by the pressure of the rough and heavy boots.

"I'll heal you."

No matter what, it didn't matter to her, whether the wound was big or small-she could restore everything to its original state, born as a healer from the Starweaver Clan, that specialty accompanied Josephine wherever she went.

"Let's do it."

She remained calm, taking a deep breath before grasping the back of her left hand. During the healing process, the wounds would feel slightly hot, and a glow would appear.

Strangely, there was no heat or light, so Josephine examined the back of her hand. The wounds were still intact.

"No. How is this possible?" She repeated the method, but the wounds remained unchanged, showing no signs of healing.

"This can't be." Josephine tried to deny it, doubting the change within herself.

While crying, she continued to try and try, her right hand trembling with fear that she had lost her special side. "Why, how could this happen?"

She began to lose hope, the pain from her wounds mixing with the physical pain that was hard to erase.

"What's wrong with this change? I couldn't even call upon my true self."

In one tragedy, she was forced to realize she had lost her identity as a werewolf, no bodily changes when she was angry.

Josephine's confidence was increasingly eroded, was she just an ordinary human now?

Now her whole body trembled, and she fell to the floor, still trying, hoping everything would return to its place. She could only sob, feeling physical and mental torture, it seemed she had been shattered from within.

She had to count what had destroyed her, it turned out Josephine was too naive when reincarnation could make facing past tragedies easier, the fact was some things changed in the wrong way.

Her lover killed her, the ability to transform into a werewolf disappeared, and the privilege as a healer was taken away.

She transformed into a weak and pitiful human, this long nightmare would accompany her to meet Thane in a few days.

***