Chapter 4 4 The Black Wolf

The moon lit up his body. His black fur glowed silvery in the moonlight. With a swing of his tail, the rope that bound me was torn off. I immediately picked up the clothes scattered on the ground to cover my body.

The wolf turned his head. His golden eyes were full of danger. His fangs were so sharp that I was sure he could eat me in one bite. Its big head sniffed at me. I closed my eyes and dared not move. His fur brushed my body and sent shivers down my spine, and his rapid breathing seemed to carry sparks. Suddenly, he lets out a roar in the direction of Nick's escape.

"Whooooooo!" The wolf's howl was so loud that the trees in the forest trembled. It was so familiar and angry that it made me realize that I hadn't been hearing things.

The wolf seemed a little agitated, and he spun around me on the ground. His tail made circles on the ground as if I were his prey. His golden eyes were glued to mine. I lay still in his circle, trying not to move. But he was unhappy with me. When I moved, he gave me the heebie-jeebies and hissed at me until I was back to my old place.

I tried to give him my scent, to make him realize that I was not human, that I was not his food, but he did not respond.

The Moon was heading west, which was supposed to be a time when werewolves were losing their strength during the night, but it seemed to have no effect on the giant wolf.

The constriction circles he drew with his tail became smaller and smaller, his golden eyes were bloodshot, and the heat from his nose made my long chestnut hair fly up over my bare back. As the wolf got closer and closer, I had to curl up little by little until I could no longer curl up.

He lowered his head and touched my cheek with his wet nose. His golden eyes were like glass, reflecting my disheveled state on the ground. I looked over my shoulder and could see the saliva on his fangs. I finally burst into tears. The reality of being abandoned by my father and the fear of being killed by a wolf made it impossible for me to remain calm. Since I was going to die, it was not a shame to let my emotions drown at the last moment.

Just die, I can finally see my mom.

……………………………………

“Mom, we werewolves all have our mates, right?” I asked as I sat next to my mother's dresser and watched her comb her long chestnut hair with a ruby-studded comb.

"Of course, my darling," my mother said, putting up her long hair with a barrette and holding me in her arms. She ran her long fingers through my hair. "My little princess, you will have a mate who loves you very much. He will love and protect you, just like me."

I looked at my mother in the mirror and she smiled at me. The golden sun was shining through the window on her bright face. It was so beautiful. My mother had a soothing scent that made me hold her tightly, as if a drowning man had caught the last piece of driftwood.

"Even... even if I'm a monster without a wolf?"

I slowly raised my head from her arms, and her blue eyes looked sadly at me, not saying a word. Tears flooded out of my eyes, and my mother's face began to become blurred.

Suddenly, her beautiful face became Haggard and her long chestnut hair became dull, and I began to lose my grip on her figure. She took off her pearl necklace from her neck and, with the last of her strength, gave it to me. I suddenly realized that I was dreaming. My mom, our pack’s noble Luna died ten years ago, and I dreamed of her again.

"Mom..." I grabbed the necklace and kept calling out to her, but her shadow had melted into the light.

In my teary eyes, I could hear my mother's distant voice, “The moon goddess will bless you, my child.”

I woke up crying, tears running down my face. Curled up on my cot in the broom closet, I fumbled under my pillow for my mother's final gift, a simple silver necklace with pearls on it. I put it around my neck and asked in my heart. Is mother watching over me? Was what happened last night a dream?

I still remember what happened last night. Nick knocked me out and took me to the woods by the lake... A big black wolf came out of nowhere. He had golden eyes...

But I don't have any memory of my coming back. The last memory is that I finally broke down and cried under the pressure of the wolf. I don't want to think too deeply. My heavy head can't bear too many memories.

Well, I'm still alive. I'll protect myself. Mom, I swear to you.

I don't have much time to think and grieve. Today is the day for the ceremony to welcome the Royal Prince. I was supposed to clean up the hall, so I scrambled out of bed, put on my tattered sackcloth, and put my old smock over it. I didn't have much to change into, so I could only covered myself like this.

When I opened the door, a bucket of cold water was poured on me without warning.

"Do you wake up, you lazy bum?" Bernice's bossy voice rang out before me.

I wiped the bone-piercing cold water off my face, and my hair lay limp and wet on my face.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Bernice standing in front of me with two attendants, who were carrying what I assumed was a bucket of cold water.

"Look at you, you're a mess," said Bernice, looking at me with her chin up and her arms crossed in her white silk dressing gown, "You're like a wild dog in the water," she said maliciously, admiring my disheveled look with delight. "I can't help but want to step on you.". I knew I was late and didn't clean up as usual, and she found a reason to punish me properly.

"Today is a big day. If the prince knew that his future wife was an abusive..."

Perhaps it was because the dream had provoked a little of my temper, so I did not remain silent as before, but without thinking to retort.

"Pa!" before I finished my words, I couldn't help tilting my head because of a slap.

The right side of my beaten face quickly became red and swollen, in sharp contrast to my pale left side. Bernice came forward, and she tugged at my collar so hard that I could hardly stand, and her sharp eyes cut into my face as if a knife could cut me.

“As the future queen, isn't it natural for me to discipline the disobedient wolf in my pack?” Bernice's thin lips parted as she spat out humiliating words. She examined my face carefully, wanting to see sadness or anger on my face, which would have made her happier. I knew this so well that I chose to avoid her gaze and stare silently at the ground.

"Useless bitch!" My silence bored her, and her long nails scratched my face and neck. There was a slight tingling in my red, swollen face, and it was only when her long, slender fingers slid down my collarbone that I realized what a terrible mistake I had made.