CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71: THE WOLF’S DESPAIR

Selene’s POV~

The wolf did not answer me and instead looked like I was talking to him in a language he couldn’t understand. A sigh escapes my lips, realizing it is really useless to ask him.

It’s better if I go back to my place; staying here is not safe.

"Alright," I muttered, brushing the dirt from my cloak as I stood. "That’s it. I’ve done my good deed for the night. Now go back to your home, where you came from."

But he didn’t move.

Instead, he wobbled to his paws—still shaky, but stubborn—and padded after me as I turned away. His claws clicked softly against the roots and stones, his tiny paws barely making a sound, but I could feel him trailing me like a shadow.

I stopped. Spun around and narrowed my eyes at his clumsy attempt.

He froze instantly, ears perked, tail swishing once before drooping under my glare.

"You’re seriously following me?"

A tiny whine.

I sighed, dragging a hand down my face. "Unbelievable. Do you think I have time to babysit some wolf? I barely have time to keep myself alive."

He tilted his head, tongue peeking out as though mocking me. My jaw clenched.

"Fine. Do what you want. But you won’t find me so amusing when you get caught in one of the traps I left behind."

"After all, I am not a good person; I kill your kind," I said darkly, hoping it would be scared and run away. But he’s just a normal wolf; how could he understand it.

I started walking again, longer strides this time. His small legs scrambled to keep up. A minute passed. Then two. He was still there, panting but determined, like a burr I couldn’t shake off.

Something in my chest softened, but I forced it back down. No. I couldn’t let him stay. Attachments were a luxury I couldn’t afford—not to a wolf, not to anything.

So, after another hundred paces, I let my cloak drape me entirely, weaving threads of illusion around me. My form shimmered, the night swallowing me whole until I was nothing but air and shadow.

The little wolf blinked and stumbled to a stop. His nose twitched frantically as he sniffed the air, spinning in a slow circle.

Then he threw back his tiny head and let out a howl.

It wasn’t loud. Not the commanding call of a grown wolf, but a thin, wavering sound...broken, uncertain, echoing into the forest like he had lost something precious.

My feet paused mid-step, hidden a few paces away. The sound clawed at something buried deep in me, something I didn’t want to name.

The wolf whimpered after his call died out, lowering himself onto the ground. His little tail curled tight around his body as he stared at the empty patch of forest where I’d just been standing, eyes wide with confusion and loss.

I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms.

Don’t look back. I fucking felt pain creeping back to my bones as I saw his lonely figure. Get a grip, Selene. How could you show attachment to a wolf you only met?

But even as I forced myself to keep moving, my ears caught the faintest sound—the wolf giving another soft, broken howl into the night, as if he still believed I’d return.

"Stupid wolf," I whispered, more to myself than to him. "Don’t look for me."

And with that, I vanished into the trees, leaving his cries to fade behind me like ghosts.

The forest was quiet again. My cloak’s enchantments had carried me far enough that even the faint echoes of the wolf’s howls couldn’t reach me anymore.

Good. The less I thought about him, the better.

But my body didn’t agree. Every step I took, I felt the pull like an invisible thread tied me to that ridiculous little creature. My chest was still tender, though the searing pain from earlier had dulled into something softer.

I hated it.

By the time I reached the edge of the woods and wandered into human society, my small house came into view, tucked away where even the nosiest wolf couldn’t sniff it out. I dropped my cloak over the chair, fingers brushing absentmindedly at my chest. The ache was gone.

My lips pressed thin. That wasn’t normal.

And neither was that wolf.

Shaking the thought off, I lay down on my bed, staring at the beams of moonlight bleeding in through the windows. Sleep dragged at me, heavier than I’d felt in weeks.

For the first time in a long time, I slipped under quickly.

~~~

Author’s POV

The little wolf’s whimpers died as the forest swallowed Selene’s fading presence.

He lay curled where she’d left him, chest rising and falling in shallow, trembling breaths. His small frame shuddered once... twice... before a ripple passed through his body, fur stretching, bones cracking, and muscles reshaping under his skin.

The pup vanished.

In his place stood a massive wolf, his coat black as midnight, swallowing even the silver light that tried to touch it. His shoulders were broad and towering, his frame lined with power meant for killing. But it was his eyes that betrayed him—steel grey, haunted, and raw.

He lifted his head, sniffing the air. Selene’s scent clung to the moss, the bark, and the very earth she had walked upon.

He inhaled deeply, the wild thrum of his heart slowing, calming, as though her presence still lingered in him. The storm in his gaze softened, even as pain bled through it—sharp and unhealed, etched deep in every line of his massive body.

A low whimper rumbled from his throat, barely audible over the rustle of the wind. He sank to the ground, curling into the moss where she had stood only moments ago, burying his nose into the scent she left behind.

Comfort.

Her scent was the only thing that dulled the emptiness clawing through his chest.

His heavy lids closed, breath even but restless, as though fighting dreams. The great wolf lay still beneath the moonlight, a creature of power and despair bound by invisible chains that no strength could break.

And even as sleep pulled at him, his final sound was a faint, broken whine.

The kind that said he had found what he needed... only to lose it all over again.