ALFA'S WİTCH (Midnight Oath)

Facts;

Joe walked in.

Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair and sharp gaze, he commanded everyone's attention in town. His eyes caught on Eva, then slid to David.

"Is there a problem?" he asked in his deep voice.

David backed up a bit. "Joe... this woman..."

"This woman what?" Joe cut in, his voice hard. "She's a customer. And she'll pay."

Eva looked at Joe in astonishment. Joe turned to her and nodded with a slight smile.

"Then I'll buy them," Joe said decisively. He took the shopping basket and placed it at the register.

David's gaze went first to the basket, then to Joe.

"Joe, but you're not buying these for yourself..."

Joe cut him off. "I said we're buying, David. You're going to sell me these items."

David seemed intimidated by him. The old man muttered as he calculated and asked for the money. Then he handed over the packages.

Joe turned to Eva with his handsome smile. He came up to her and held out the packages.

"Have a good day, Rose's daughter," he said and walked out of the market.

Eva was both surprised and irritated by his cocky attitude. Just as she was about to say something to old David, Elly grabbed her by the arm and dragged her outside.

"Thank you, David! Have a good day!" she said, practically running out.

Eva couldn't contain her anger. "Let me go! I'm going to tell him off. He wouldn't sell to me but sold to Joe? Why is he so afraid of him? He didn't accept you, he didn't accept me, but when Joe wants it, suddenly he agrees. What is this?"

Elly was laughing. "He's like the crown prince of this town. It's normal that he'd listen to him. Everything here depends on his family."

Eva grew curious. "What do you mean?"

"His father owns many of the workshops in town. He gives jobs to many people here. They're a noble family. They've been living here for a long time, they're deeply rooted."

Eva raised her eyebrows. "Well, look at that. The cursed girl can't get what she wants but the crown prince can. Let me ask you something..."

Elly turned her gaze away and nodded.

"In that tale you told me, what exactly is this Joe?"

Elly's face clouded with unease. "You could call him... a wolf."

Eva's eyes flew wide open in shock. She started giggling. "Those demons you told me about yesterday? No way! Weren't they supposed to be dead? I remember they disappeared along with the witches."

"Don't mock me," Elly muttered.

Eva said, "No, no, I'm genuinely curious. Yes, right now he's running the town's economy with workshops—a real bloodsucker. It's normal that he'd resemble a demon but... why exactly didn't they disappear? That's what I'm wondering," and burst out laughing.

"Eva, stop mocking already," Elly said and got in the car.

Eva also got in laughing, following her. She put the market packages in the back, then got in the driver's seat next to Elly.

As they drove, Eva was thinking about the town. The town was quiet, almost ghost-like. There were very few people on the streets.

"This place is really creepy," Eva said. "It's like time has stopped."

"Maybe it has," Elly whispered.

The road was winding, trees lined both sides. The sun filtered through the clouds, casting shadows on the snowy road.

Just as they were rounding a curve, a vehicle suddenly cut them off.

Eva slammed on the brakes to avoid a collision. The car skidded and stopped.

"What's happening?" Eva whispered.

Elly's face had gone white as a sheet. "Eva... back up. Now!"

But it was too late. Masked men surrounded the car. They had clubs in their hands. Their faces were covered with black ski masks, only their eyes visible.

Eva locked the doors, but one of the men punched the window.

"Get out, Rose's daughter!" he shouted.

"Get lost!" Eva shouted back. Her heart was pounding wildly.

Another man came to the front of the car and began hitting the window with his club. The window, which had held for a bit, finally shattered with a loud crash.

Elly screamed. Eva gripped the steering wheel, trying to hit the gas, but the men had blocked the car's path.

Just then, a shadow burst from the forest.

A wolf. But not a normal wolf. Compared to the giant wolf she'd seen on the forest road, this one was somewhat smaller, its muscles taut, its fur black-gray, its eyes shining silver.

The masked men backed away, first shouting in fear. But then, as if this were a familiar danger, they suddenly organized themselves. They grabbed their rifles and pulled back.

The wolf leaped in front of the car with a terrifying roar, the sound so powerful it resonated in Eva's chest. The men jumped into their vehicles at full speed and drove away.

Inside the car, Eva and Elly sat slumped in their seats, watching him with fearful gazes in shock.

The wolf stood there for a few more seconds. Its eyes locked onto Eva's. There was something in that gaze... It wasn't the warm feeling like in the wolf she'd seen last time. It was looking at her with an icy, chilling sensation.

Then, in a split second, it turned and disappeared into the forest.

Eva's hands were trembling. She couldn't breathe. Reality and fantasy had now become intertwined.

"Eva... Eva, are you okay?" Elly's voice came from far away.

"What... what was that?" Eva whispered. "Did... did you see it too?"

Elly said, "I saw it." Her eyes turned to the forest and she murmured, "You know what it was," she said quietly.

A few minutes later, another car arrived. It was Joe's car. He quickly parked next to them and got out.

"Are you two okay?" he asked worriedly.

Eva was still in shock, but nodded. "Yes... I think so."

Joe looked at the car's shattered window, then turned to Eva. "I was following you. I didn't want to leave you alone on this road. But I didn't make it in time, I'm sorry."

"You... were following us?" Eva asked.

Joe smiled slightly with a roguish look. "This town is dangerous, Eva. Especially for you. I wanted to protect you."

Eva stared at him. "I can protect myself, and besides, you were late anyway."

"From what I can see, you can't," Joe said seriously. "Those men came to kill you. If that..."

He stopped. Didn't continue.

Eva had noticed that Joe knew about what had just happened. With suspicious eyes, she completed his sentence: "If that wolf hadn't been there, right?"

Joe remained silent. But he understood that Eva was a smart woman.

"That was you, wasn't it?" Eva suddenly asked. Her voice was trembling. "That giant wolf... was it you?"

Joe looked at her. Something flashed in his eyes. Then he smiled slightly.

He approached Eva and as his warm breath touched her face, he whispered,

"Perhaps it was, Rose's daughter," he said quietly. "But if I admit that... everything changes, Eva."

Eva's heart was beating wildly. Her logic refused to believe this, but her heart... her heart was telling her something else.

She had to escape this fairy tale. For now...

She turned to Elly. "Let's go home," Eva said. Then she gestured for her to get in the car. "Now."

Half an hour later, Eva and Elly were sitting in the warm living room of Elly's house. Elly's mother, a middle-aged woman with a kind face, had brought them tea and given them both blankets to wrap themselves in.

"It's so wonderful to see you, Eva," the woman said with a warm smile. "Having you here brings me great joy. Your grandmother was a wonderful woman."

Eva nodded, feeling warmth inside. "Thank you. She loved you very much too."

The woman murmured, "We loved her very much too. I'm sorry for your loss, Eva."

Eva could only manage, "Thank you." It was as if she was clinging to this town, to her grandmother's memories, because she didn't want to accept that she was gone.

A few minutes later, the woman began to talk. They spoke of the past, the town, memories.

Then the woman said something actually, it slipped out.

"Your mother made a terrible mistake but... your grandmother tried so hard to protect us."

Eva froze, her brows furrowing. She was trying to understand what she meant. "What do you mean?" she asked.

The woman suddenly fell silent, her face turning ashen. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. That was wrong."

She quickly returned to the kitchen, distancing herself.

Eva turned to Elly curiously. "What did your mother mean?"

Elly's face was shrouded in darkness. She averted her eyes from Eva.

"I'm sorry," Elly said quietly. "My mother was just talking nonsense."

"Elly!" Eva shouted. "What does this mean?"

But Elly didn't answer. She just lowered her head, her hands trembling. Finally she composed herself. "I'll tell you when the time comes, my friend. Please don't ask now," she murmured.

Until this time, Eva hadn't heard a single word from her grandmother about her parents' death. It was as if it were an event that needed to be kept secret from everyone. Now, from the fear in Elly's eyes, she understood that something big had happened.

Everything was about to change. Eva could feel it.

But was she ready?