CHAPTER 008
956 Words
Darkness wraps around me like a suffocating shroud. Cold chains bite into my wrists, pulling me down into the abyss. Shadows whisper my name, their voices curling around my ears like venomous snakes.
"Leonie... you can't hide forever."
The voice slithers through the void, and suddenly, I am back in my childhood home. Blood stains the walls, pooling at my feet. My mother’s eyes—once warm—are frozen wide in horror. My father’s body is twisted unnaturally, his throat torn open. The metallic scent of death clogs my lungs.
A figure steps forward from the shadows, boots crushing broken glass.
Viktor.
He grins, his face half-lit by the flickering candlelight. "You did this, Schwester. And no one will ever let you forget."
I try to run, but my feet won’t move. The walls close in. My own breath turns to mist, the air growing unbearably cold.
I wake up with a sharp gasp, body drenched in sweat. My fingers claw at the sheets, my pulse racing.
A presence looms in the doorway. Elias.
His golden eyes glint in the dim light, sharp and unyielding. "Nightmares again?" His voice is low, unreadable.
I swallow hard. "What time is it?"
"Late."
His gaze drags over me like he’s searching for something. I shift under the weight of it, suddenly too aware of how exposed I am in the oversized shirt he gave me.
I pull the blanket up to my chest, heart still pounding from the nightmare. "What do you want?"
He steps inside, and the temperature of the room seems to shift. "The attack earlier—it wasn't random. Someone knew you were here. Someone who wants you dead."
I stiffen. "And you think that has something to do with me?"
"It has everything to do with you."
I want to argue, but I can’t. Because I know he’s right.
Elias moves closer, the scent of him—dark spice and something distinctly wolf—curling around me. "The assassin's body bore marks of dark magic. Ancient spells designed to suppress power."
My stomach twists. "Power? I don’t have any power."
He watches me carefully. "Then why would someone go through so much trouble to erase it?"
I shake my head, gripping the blanket like it’s the only thing anchoring me. "I don’t know. I don’t remember anything before my parents’ deaths."
Silence stretches between us. The air is thick with something unspoken, something dangerous.
"You expect me to believe that?" His voice is calm, but there’s an edge beneath it, like a blade waiting to cut.
I clench my fists. "Believe what you want. It doesn’t change the truth."
His jaw tightens, and for a moment, I think he might press further. But instead, he exhales sharply and turns toward the door.
"Get some rest."
on die here. But the words tumble out before I can stop them.
"Do you think it's possible? That magic could erase a wolf entirely?"
Elias pauses. His fingers curl against the doorframe.
"I don’t know," he admits. "But I intend to find out."
The next morning, Johann returns with answers. And they aren’t the kind that bring comfort.
We stand in Elias' office, sunlight filtering through the massive windows. Johann sets a thick file on the desk, his expression grim.
"Her wolf wasn’t just bound," he says. "It was erased."
The words land like a hammer to my chest. I sink into the nearest chair, my hands trembling.
"What does that mean?" I whisper.
Johann exchanges a glance with Elias before continuing. "There's a form of dark magic—old, dangerous. It doesn’t just suppress a wolf. It buries it so deep that even the host forgets it ever existed."
My throat tightens. "So... my wolf... is dead?"
Johann hesitates. "Not dead. Just... lost."
A cold, twisting sensation coils in my gut.
Elias leans against his desk, arms crossed. "Whoever did this to you wanted to make sure you never reclaimed your power."
My heart pounds. "But why? I was just a child."
Johann flips open the file, revealing pages of handwritten notes and faded photographs. One in particular catches my eye—a symbol etched into the skin of a corpse. A mark I’ve seen before, though I can’t remember where.
Elias notices my reaction. "You recognize it."
I nod slowly, fingers brushing the image. "I think so. But I don’t know why."
"Try," Elias says, his voice softer than before.
I close my eyes, forcing myself to reach into the dark corners of my memory. Shadows shift. A flicker of firelight. A voice, deep and commanding.
"She is the key. She must never awaken."
My eyes snap open, breath coming in short gasps. Elias is suddenly in front of me, steadying me with a firm grip.
"What did you see?"
I shake my head. "I... I don’t know. Just fragments."
Johann looks between us. "We need to dig deeper. If Leonie’s wolf was erased, then whoever did it isn’t finished. The attack last night proves that."
Elias nods. "Then we prepare. Whoever is hunting her won’t stop until she’s dead."
A chill runs down my spine. I meet Elias' gaze, my chest tightening.
"What if they’re not just after me?" I ask. "What if they're after... my child?"
Silence crashes over the room like a tidal wave. Johann’s expression hardens. Elias’ fingers twitch at his sides.
Then, his voice drops to something lethal. "Then we make sure they never get close."
I swallow hard, my hand unconsciously moving to my stomach.
But deep down, a terrible truth claws at me.
If my wolf was erased… what else was stolen from me?
And worse—if I do remember everything—will I wish I never had?
- Writer
