Katia felt herself floating in nothingness, everything around her blurred.
A white-furred wolf stood by a stream, drinking. Katia walked toward it without thinking. The wolf lifted its head—its eyes were filled with such deep sorrow that Katia’s chest ached.
"Wait," she reached out. The wolf turned and ran into the forest.
"Don't go!" She chased after it, splashing into the stream.
Water wrapped around her ankles. The next second, she plummeted.
Like falling into a bottomless sea.
The sensation of falling and searing pain hit simultaneously.
Katia screamed—She jerked awake.
Sweat soaked her forehead. She gasped for air, her heart pounding violently.
A nightmare? Then the sting on her neck brought everything back—she'd been marked by the Mad King.
The room re
