The black wolf listened quietly, his warm body supporting mine. He occasionally gently licked the less severe wounds on my arm, offering a small, comforting touch. "…She hates werewolves…" I sobbed, revealing this deeply buried family secret for the first time. "Hates them with a passion… She says… they ruined everything… She forbids me from having any contact with them… She said… if I see wolves again… she"ll kill me…" With every tear-soaked word, Luke"s heart felt squeezed by an invisible hand, aching desperately. He finally understood. Her previous rejections, her distance, her secrets—they weren"t by choice. She was living under a brutal tyranny, a constant threat. Looking at the fragile, battered girl in his embrace, a towering rage and a deep, aching heartache for her wove together,
