THE ABOMINABLE WOLF

A NEW BEGINNING.

LERBIATON’S POV

The cave was quiet. My raven landed on my shoulder and clicked its beak.

“The coast is clear,” it rasped. “Denkville sleeps. The wards are weak. The protector is gone.”

Seventeen years. The number tasted bitter on my tongue. Seventeen years since I last fed from that city, since I last felt its warmth and its power. Tonight, the wait would end.

I adjusted the veil covering my mouth. It hid my face and kept people guessing.

“Kai.” My voice was calm. My assistant looked up from where he knelt, and his head still bowed. Fear had become his habit.

“Yes, my lady?” he whispered.

“I want the blood of a child from Denkville,” I said simply. “The city that believes it is safe. The one I have craved for seventeen years.”

His fingers tightened on his knees. “A child, my lady? That is—”

“Dangerous?” I cut in, stepping closer. My boots echoed softly on stone. “I have waited long enough. Do you think a few fading wards and a proud Alpha line can keep me away? No, Kai. They will remember fear. They will remember who holds true power.”

My raven shifted its wings. “Their wards are weaker, yes, but the city has changed. It will not be as easy as before.”

I touched the edge of my veil. My hand trembled, not from doubt, but hunger. “Then make it difficult enough for them to notice. Make it precise.”

Kai swallowed hard. “And what if someone sees? what if the child screams?”

“If the child cries, I will drink,” I said evenly. “Their screams will not save them. I have gone without for too long. Seventeen years is enough. Do you understand?”

My raven tilted its head and began to sing. “They say you are dead,” it croaked. “Burned in the fires. The Veiled One buried.”

A humourless laugh escaped me. “Let them think so. Let them sleep easy in their lies.” Cold calm filled my chest. “They will kneel when I return. They always do.”

Kai flinched. “Even the wards, my lady?”

“They will fall,” I said sharply. “Their protector is gone. The light is gone. Denkville is unguarded. Tonight, I take what was denied me.”

I faced the black mirror in the wall. Silver veins ran through it like scars. My veiled reflection stared back, pale and sharp. I touched the fabric.

“Go,” I told Kai. “Prepare everything. No mistakes tonight.”

He stumbled to his feet and bowed deeply before hurrying down the tunnel. His footsteps faded into the dark.

I drew in a slow breath. The shadows around me seemed to listen. My raven looked up.

“How long until they notice?” I asked.

“Soon,” it said. “Soon they will scream.”

I did not smile. There was nothing soft left in me. I tucked a stray lock of hair beneath the veil.

“Good,” I said. “Seventeen years is long enough.”

Far below, Denkville slept, unready for what was coming.

---

MISHA’S POV

I walked toward Principal Portia’s office, each step careful, almost shy. I was only here for one thing. The envelope with my dorm number. Nothing more.

The principal looked up as I entered. She looked so calm and gentle. Middle-aged. Something about her made the air feel lighter, and even I felt safer.

“Good morning, Misha,” she said kindly. “Here for your dorm assignment?”

I nodded, my hands folded in front of me.

She opened a drawer and pulled out a small envelope. As she handed it over, her eyes caught on my hand, on the ring.

For a moment, her expression changed. Surprise, maybe recognition. Then she blinked and smiled again, soft and cautious.

“That is a lovely ring,” she said lightly. “It almost looks like a key. It looks like it unlocks something important.”

I pulled my hand back, pressing it to my chest.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “My mum gave it to me.”

Her smile stayed gentle. She placed the envelope in my hand. “Here you go. I hope your dorm feels like a good place to start. Take your time settling in.”

I nodded, holding the envelope tight, like it could protect me from everything outside this office.

“Thank you, Principal Portia,” I whispered.

She tilted her head and watched me a little longer. “You will do fine here, Misha. Just give yourself a chance.”

I swallowed and nodded again. The words were simple, but something in her tone made me want to believe them, I felt very relieved.

As I turned to leave, I realized I had been holding my breath the whole time. My chest felt lighter. The office, her voice, even the way she looked at my ring, none of it broke me.

For the first time since arriving, I felt the faintest thread of hope tug at my heart.

A thread I was not ready to let go of.