Chapter Three
659 Words
Elara barely slept that night.
The room assigned to her at the roadside inn was small but comfortable, with a narrow bed, a wooden wardrobe, and a single window overlooking the Blackwood Forest.
Moonlight spilled across the floor.
She remained awake beside the window, staring at the trees.
Someone had watched her.
She was certain of it.
The voice had been calm, almost amused.
Interesting.
Two words.
Yet they had been enough to make the hairs on her arms rise.
Elara pulled the curtains shut.
Maybe she had imagined it.
Maybe exhaustion had made her paranoid.
After all, she had died, awakened inside a novel, discovered she was an SSS-rank Guide, and nearly been eaten by a magical wolf within three days.
Paranoia was probably reasonable.
She climbed into bed.
But sleep refused to come.
Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the Moonfang.
Its pain.
Its fear.
And the strange warmth that had flowed through her when she touched it.
That hadn't happened in the novel.
Guides could stabilize Sentinels, but they weren't supposed to heal magical beasts.
At least, not according to anything she remembered.
Elara stared at the ceiling.
"Who am I?"
The question escaped her lips before she could stop it.
She remembered being herself.
Her old life.
Her family.
Her apartment.
The city.
The novel.
The accident.
Everything.
Yet beneath those memories was something else.
Something buried.
Something she couldn't reach.
Her eyes slowly closed.
And this time, she dreamed.
She was standing in a field covered with white flowers.
The sky above her was crimson.
Five moons hung in the distance.
Elara looked down.
She wasn't alone.
A little girl stood several feet away.
The child had long black hair.
Silver eyes.
And the same face Elara had seen in the mirror.
Elara's breath caught.
"Who are you?"
The girl didn't answer.
Instead, she raised her hand.
A silver thread stretched from her palm into the darkness behind Elara.
Elara turned.
Five shadows stood beneath the crimson sky.
She couldn't see their faces.
But she knew them.
Adrian.
Lucien.
Kael.
Zayn.
Elias.
Her heart began pounding.
The little girl spoke.
Her voice was soft.
"You promised."
Elara turned back.
"What did I promise?"
The girl's eyes filled with tears.
"You promised you'd come back."
The world shattered.
Elara woke with a gasp.
Morning sunlight filled the room.
Her heart pounded violently.
She sat upright.
For several moments, she couldn't breathe.
The dream remained painfully vivid.
Five shadows.
A little girl.
A promise.
She touched her forehead.
"What was that?"
A knock sounded at the door.
"My lady?"
Elara quickly composed herself.
"Come in."
Her maid entered carrying breakfast.
"We'll depart in half an hour."
Elara nodded.
She didn't mention the dream.
She didn't mention the voice.
She didn't mention anything.
The journey resumed shortly after sunrise.
This time, Elara kept the curtains open.
The road wound through hills covered with purple flowers. Birds with translucent wings flew above the trees, occasionally disappearing into clouds of sparkling dust.
It should have been peaceful.
Instead, Elara felt watched.
She wasn't sure whether it was because of the previous night or because the dream had unsettled her.
Around noon, the carriage suddenly slowed.
Her father opened the door.
"We're stopping."
"Why?"
"The road ahead is blocked."
Elara stepped outside.
Several guards stood around a fallen tree.
Beyond it, the forest was silent.
Too silent.
Her instincts immediately screamed.
Something was wrong.
Then she noticed the blood.
Dark red stains covered the road.
Her expression changed.
"Father."
Cedric followed her gaze.
His face hardened.
"Everyone, stay alert."
The guards drew their weapons.
A low growl echoed from the trees.
Then another.
Elara's fingers tightened around her cloak.
Dozens of golden eyes appeared between the branches.
Not Moonfangs.
Shadow Wolves.
And there were at least twenty of them.
One of the guards cursed.
"That's impossible. They're supposed to stay deep within the forest."
The wolves emerged.
Their
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