Prologue
“Oh, the starry nights and the princess of the moonCould you chase away the fears? The little one is waiting to see the lightOh, The starry nights and the princess of the moonCould you teach us to be brave like youThe little one’s ready to run away from the dark...”
...
The rain that night felt endless. Cold drops slipped through the trees as a little girl ran barefoot deeper into the forest, struggling to keep her hood from falling over her face. Ezrina could still hear their voices behind her.
Disgust.
Shame.
Monster.
Wolfless.
Her chest hurt from running. She didn’t understand why her own family looked at her with such hatred just because she had never found a wolf.
The little girl finally stumbled near an overturned carriage hidden deep between the trees. Tiny trembling fingers pulled the soaked hood tighter around herself as she curled beside the broken wood, trying to hide from the storm. Ezrina hated thunderstorms. The distant howls only made it worse.
Then she heard it. A weak growl.
Ezrina blinked before carefully peeking beneath the shattered wheel beside her. Two glowing blue eyes stared back from the darkness. A wolf cub. A very fat wolf cub. Mud stained his silver fur while one tiny paw dragged weakly beneath him. Despite barely standing, he still bared his teeth at her proudly.
Ezrina gasped softly. “You’re huge…”
The cub growled louder. Even injured, he somehow looked offended. Far away, more howls echoed through the forest. The little wolf instantly tensed.
Ezrina noticed the fear in his eyes immediately.
“Oh…” Someone was chasing him too. The little girl slowly sat beside him despite her own shaking body.
“Don’t be scared.”
The wolf stared at her silently. ‘Strange human.’
Her body was trembling more than his. Yet she still carefully reached toward him. After hesitating for a moment, Ezrina removed her hood and gently wrapped part of it around the soaked wolf cub before pulling him closer against her chest.
“Ezi shall protect you, little wolf.”
The cub froze. Nobody had ever held him like this before.
Rainwater slid through Ezrina’s hair as she nervously began humming beneath her breath. Her voice shook badly from the cold. Still, she sang. “Oh, The starry nights and the princess of the moon…”
The wolf’s ears twitched weakly.
“Could you chase away the fears?” Ezrina’s teeth chattered softly between the lyrics. “The little one is waiting to see the light…”
The cub quietly listened. Warm. She was warm. And strangely soft. ‘Maybe I should just eat her,’ he thought sleepily. She could make a decent dinner.′
The girl continued singing anyway, completely unaware of the dangerous thoughts inside the tiny predator’s head. “Oh, The starry nights and the princess of the moon…”
The wolf slowly relaxed further against her chest.
“Could you teach us to be brave like you…”
′…Anyways, her body is warm.′ His eyelids drooped lower. I’ll keep the human alive until I get hungry again.′
“The little one’s ready to run away from the dark…”
The cub suddenly pushed closer against her neck. Ezrina stiffened as wet silver fur brushed beneath her chin. Quiet little sniffs escaped him as he buried his face deeper against her skin. She smelled sweet. Not like fear. Not like blood. Just warm. Safe. His racing heartbeat slowly began calming for the first time that night.
Ezrina carefully held him closer beneath her hood to shield him from the rain. “Chunky,” she whispered suddenly.
The wolf opened one eye lazily.
“You’re chunky, so I’ll call you Chunky.”
The cub looked deeply offended. Ezrina giggled softly for the first time that night. Then, just before sleep finally claimed him, the tiny wolf gave one final soft lick against her neck. He never noticed the way the little girl froze in surprise. His body had already gone limp in her arms. For the first time in his life, Aries Vale fell asleep feeling safe.
