Once Betrayed Never Forgotten

hapter 32: The Uninvited Guide

My heart flutters, and dread seizes me as the ghostly flash of silver before me solidifies. It takes me a moment to realise that it’s a wolf, moving so fast that it’s barely visible. The wolf is colossal, silver fur glistening in the moonlight, and its eyes, a brilliant shade of gold, lock onto mine. My breath catches, and I’m rooted to the spot in awe.

The massive wolf effortlessly pins the black wolf to the snowy ground. My eyes widen in shock as it rips out the attacker’s throat, a single motion of deathly finality, which sends blood spraying onto the white snow in a macabre display. The other wolves watch their alpha being mauled, and when the silver wolf turns his attention to them they whire and scatter, tails tucked between their legs, vanishing into the forest. I hear their fearful yelps fading into the night.

My gaze

v gaze remains fixed on the massive silver wolf before me. It’s like no creature I’ve ever seen, and I’m overcome with awe and trepidation. I take a step back, nearly stumbling but managing to

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The wolf turns its gaze on me, and to my astonishment, it speaks. The voice resonates deep within. my mind, telepathically, as if bypassing the need for vocal cords. “Are you all right, Arianna?” it asks, its voice foreign yet strangely soothing.

My mouth opens and closes in stunned silence for a moment. Did I imagine it? But then the wolf’s voice echoes again in my mind, pleading, “Please, you must follow me. There’s no time to waste.”

I hesitate, my mind racing with questions and fear. Why is this wolf speaking to me? Is it real, or am I delirious from fear and exhaustion? How does it know my name? My instincts tell me to run in the opposite direction, but I find myself unable to move.

The wolf gets up and begins to walk uphill, toward the castle. Panic wells up within me. I can’t go back there. I’ve already seen too much. The horrors within that castle are etched into my memory.

“You must follow me,” the wolf implores, but I shake my head vehemently.

“Why not?” it asks, its stern golden eyes focused on me.

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My voice quivers as I respond, “The only thing up there is the castle, and those monsters. I’m not going back.”

The wolf lets out a low, rumbling chuckle, and its voice enters my mind once more. “Monsters? That’s a bit harsh. They are as they were made, and they do what they must to survive. Just like you. Just like me.”

Doubt gnaws at me as I regard this enigmatic creature. “What are you, anyway?” I ask, my

Chapter 32: The Uninvited Guide

curiosity piqued. “Wolves don’t usually…” I pause, unsure of the right word. “Talk?”

“Who or what I am doesn’t concern you,” the wolf replies. “But know that I have only your best interests at heart.”

“Did the Vasilievs send you?” I ask, though I already suspect the answer.

“Yes,” the wolf replies curtly.

“In that case, why didn’t they just come themselves?” I question, a hint of irritation creeping into my voice. I’m hurt that neither my mother nor Aleksandr made the effort to find me personally, despite the harsh words I hurled at him when I left. If he was really worried about me – if he really cared – wouldn’t he have come himself?

The wolf sighs wearily. “This is no ordinary forest, as I’m sure you’ve realised. Only a select few may enter it, and those of the castle dwellers‘ kind are forbidden. That’s why they sent me. They

had no other choice.”

“Do you work for the Vasiliev family?” I inquire further, wondering why I never noticed him at the castle. True, apart from Seraphina, most of the servants at the castle kept their distance from me, hiding in the shadows, almost invisible at times… but I’m sure I would have noticed a giant shining silver wolf traipsing around the corridors.

“I’m no servant of theirs, if that’s what you mean,” the wolf says. “I work for no one but myself.”

“Then why are you here?” I press. “Why help them?”

“I owe no, owed them a debt,” the wolf explains. A debt now paid. Now, if you will please follow

me…”

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“No,” I respond firmly, digging my heels into the snow. The wolf turns away, sitting in the snow with a resigned air.

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“Think this through,,” it says with a sigh. “There’s a blizzard coming, and you’ll surely freeze if 05: stay out here. Where will you go?”

Ignoring its question, I turn my back on the wolf and continue my descent toward the distant village lights. The Blood Moon’s crimson hue has shifted back to a normal silver moonlight colour, something I failed to realise until now. Does that mean the Blood Moon Ball is now officially over? Have the guests left the castle, and has my mother realised yet that I’m gone? Does she even care?

push the intrusive thoughts back, fighting to ignore them. A frigid wind gusts, heralding the

Chapter 32 The Uninvited Guide

impending blizzard..

The wolf’s soft footfalls follow me, and I can feel its presence despite not hearing its voice. “You don’t want to go to the village, despite what you may think,” it murmurs into my mind.

“And why wouldn’t I want to do that?” I retort, my stubbornness flaring.

“Those who dwell in the village are lost,” it says simply, offering no further explanation.

“Whatever,” I mumble, resolved to ignore the wolf’s cryptic words. “Thanks for saving me back there. I appreciate it, but I can take it from here. You said it yourself – your debt to the Vasiliev family is now paid. You can go now.”

The wolf ignores this, continuing to walk behind me beneath the cold dark canopy of the frozen

forest.

We continue in silence as I reach the edge of the clearing. The snow–covered hillside stretches before me. A cold wind is whipping up the falling snowflakes, the start of the building blizzard.

I’m

now able to discern the individual shapes of buildings in the village below, perhaps just a few hundred yards away. The village looks like something sprung from the pages of a fairytale, with its stone church and rows of cozy houses illuminated by the silver moonlight in the distance below. Smoke rises from chimneys, and there’s the faint, unmistakable sound of distant music singing, like that of a ghostly choir. I take a deep breath, bracing myself for the journey ahead as I step out past the tree line.

Finally, the wolf speaks again, its voice tinged with urgency. “This is the last time I will ask you, Arianna. Return to the castle with me. Let me guide you to safety. I cannot follow you further

than this.”

“Good,” I reply firmly, not bothering to turn around.

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should you

“As you wish,” the wolf murmurs, his voice sounding soft and distant now. “But rememb

find yourself in the fire, you need only invite him in.”

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That last part doesn’t make any sense, so I stop walking and turn around to face the wolf, demanding an explanation of their cryptic riddle – but he’s vanished.

So I continue my solitary descent into the snowy night, toward the village and the unknown that awaits me there, bracing for the impending blizzard.