*

  In fire’s glow and shadows deep, I woke within a dreamer’s sleep. A silver wolf with emerald eyes, stood watching ‘neath the crimson skies. A whispered call, a tether tight, a pull that felt both wrong and right.?I reached—I fell—darkness swayed, and waking stole the dream away. Yet in the light of morning’s hue, a different gaze still held me true. A presence strong, a voice so clear, a heart that throbbed with something near. What binds me now, what fate unknown, what restless fire beneath my bones? I do not know, I cannot say, but something woke in me today.

  *

  ---

  I opened my eyes to darkness.

  For a moment, I thought I was still in the forest, still lying on the cold ground near my fire. But as I sat up, the air around me felt thick, almost suffocating, and carried the acrid stench of smoke and sulfur. My chest tightened as my eyes adjusted to the eerie glow of distant fmes flickering across a hellish ndscape. Jagged rocks jutted out of the ground like broken teeth, and a strange red haze hung in the sky, casting everything in a dim, unsettling light.

  My heart pounded as I staggered to my feet, my hands trembling at my sides. Where am I? What is this? My mind raced, searching for answers. But nothing made sense.

  I gnced down instinctively, expecting to feel the sharp ache in my leg, the pain that had defined me for years. But when I shifted my weight, there was nothing… no pain, no limp, nothing to hold me back.

  “What… what’s happening?” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the distant crackling of fmes.

  The realization made my stomach churn. My leg—my useless, broken leg—was fine. I flexed it cautiously, then crouched and stood again, testing it. It felt strong, whole in a way it hadn’t been in years. It should have been a relief, but all I felt was a deep, gnawing fear.

  Before I could process anything further, a sound pierced through the stillness: a low, mournful howl that sent a shiver racing down my spine.

  I froze. The sound wasn’t close, but it cut through the air with a raw intensity that made my skin crawl. It wasn’t just a noise it was a feeling, a pull, like it was calling to me.

  I don’t know why, but I started walking.

  Each step was hesitant, my bare feet crunching on the strange, cracked ground. My instincts screamed at me to turn back, to run in the opposite direction, but the howl came again, stronger this time, and I couldn’t ignore it. It tugged at something deep inside me, something I didn’t understand.

  As I walked, the ndscape began to shift. The jagged rocks smoothed out, the fiery ground faded, and the suffocating heat eased. The red haze in the sky lifted, repced by a soft golden light that seemed to emanate from nowhere.

  I stumbled into an open field, my breath hitching in my throat. The grass beneath my feet was cool and damp with dew, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of wildflowers.

  Nearby, a river sparkled in the light, its waters so clear I could see the smooth stones lining the bottom.

  It was beautiful.

  For a moment, I forgot my fear, my confusion. I just stood there, staring at the tranquil scene, feeling a strange sense of peace settle over me.

  And then I saw it.

  By the riverbank stood a wolf, nearly as rge as the silver wolf I’d helped in the forest perhaps even bigger. Yet this one was different. It was stunningly beautiful in a different way, with sleek silver fur that shimmered faintly in the soft light, as though the moon itself had kissed its coat. Its paws were adorned with elegant white markings, like delicate socks, and its eyes—those mesmerizing emerald eyes—held me captive the moment they locked onto mine.

  It stood there with an air of quiet strength, its posture regal and commanding, yet strangely inviting. A magnetic pull I couldn’t expin.

  My breath caught.

  I didn’t know what it was about this wolf, but something deep inside me stirred. It wasn’t fear, I should have been afraid, given its size and presence but I wasn’t. Instead, I felt… drawn to it, as though we were connected in some inexplicable way.

  I took a tentative step forward, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. The wolf didn’t move. It just watched me, its gaze steady and unflinching.

  “Hey,” I whispered, my voice cracking. I wasn’t sure why I spoke, or if I even expected it to respond.

  Another step, then another. My hands shook as I reached out toward it. My fingers hovered just inches from its fur, desperate to make contact, to confirm that it was real and not some hallucination.

  The wolf didn’t flinch. It stood still, calm and composed, as though it had been waiting for me.

  But just as my fingers brushed the edge of its fur, a sharp wave of dizziness smmed into me. My vision blurred, and my knees buckled beneath me.

  “No, wait…” I tried to reach out again, but my body felt heavy, my limbs unresponsive. The world around me began to spin, the beautiful field fading into darkness.

  The st thing I saw before everything went bck was the wolf’s beautiful emerald eyes, still watching me.

  …

  When I opened my eyes again, the world was different.

  Gone was the field, the river, the wolf. Instead, I found myself staring at a white ceiling, soft light filtering in from somewhere nearby. I blinked, disoriented, my heart racing as I tried to piece together what had happened.

  The bed beneath me was soft… too soft. My hand brushed the fabric of the bnket, clean and smooth, so different from the rough, patched-up clothes I was used to. I sat up slowly, wincing as a dull ache radiated through my body.

  My gaze darted around the room, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The walls were pin, painted in muted tones, and the faint scent of herbs lingered in the air.

  Where am I?

  Panic began to set in. My breathing quickened as I looked down at myself. My old shirt was gone, repced by something soft and clean. My hands trembled as I touched my face, my fingers brushing against skin that felt smoother than I remembered.

  And then I saw her.

  A girl sat slumped in a chair beside the bed, her head resting on her arms as she slept. Dark waves of hair cascaded over her shoulders, shifting slightly with each slow breath. She looked peaceful, but something about her presence sent a shiver through me. My stomach twisted, an unfamiliar warmth curling low in my chest.

  I didn’t know who she was, but I knew one thing, she wasn’t just anyone.

  A strange pressure settled in my ribs, making it hard to breathe. My heartbeat thumped unevenly, too fast, too loud. Something inside me stirred at the sight of her, a pull that made my fingers clench against the bnket. It was like a whisper in the back of my mind, an instinct I didn’t understand.

  I froze, unsure of what to do. My heart pounded as I stared at her, a thousand questions racing through my mind. Who is she? Where am I? Why am I here?

  I needed to leave.

  Throwing off the bnket, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand. My movements were clumsy, my limbs weak, but I couldn’t stay here. I didn’t know these people, didn’t know what they wanted from me—

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  A voice stopped me cold.

  I turned slowly, my eyes meeting hers. She was awake now, her sharp gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made my breath hitch.

  Queen