You ever get the feeling the universe is laughing at you?
Yeah. That was me, staring down a massive, midnight-black wolf with eyes like molten silver and the audacity to look amused.
The ghostly, ancient woman behind me giggled softly, like I was tonight's entertainment. Meanwhile, I was one clumsy misstep from becoming a cautionary tale on what not to do in a magical ruin.
"Nice wolfy," I mumbled, inching back, heart pounding so loud I was convinced the whole forest could hear it.
Naturally, I did the most logical thing possible. I tried to run.
The universe, being its usual overachieving self, had other plans.
My boot caught on a rock—because of course—and I face-planted into the mossy ground with all the grace of a stunned pigeon.
Behind me? Definite wolf snickering. I swear.
I groaned, rolling onto my back, glaring at the glowing sky, questioning every life decision that led me here. "Stupid tripping curse," I muttered. It had followed me since childhood—uneven floors, rogue school supplies, my own shoelaces… Apparently, falling into another realm didn't change my luck.
When I sat up, the wolf was closer. Way closer.
I froze as it padded forward, sleek fur rippling like liquid shadows. Its silver eyes gleamed with eerie intelligence. Then… something shifted.
The air crackled. Glowing symbols along the ancient stones pulsed to life, casting flickering blue light across the ruins. The wolf's form shimmered, bones stretching, shadows twisting unnaturally.
Before my very wide eyes, the massive predator… stood upright.
Limbs elongated. Fur receded. Muscles rippled beneath pale skin. Silver hair tumbled over broad shoulders. Sharp jawline. Sculpted everything. Naked.
My jaw hit the floor.
"Oh my God," I gasped, eyes darting everywhere—sky, ruins, floating ghost lady desperately looking at the region that definitely required censor bars.
And yet… In the fleeting second my gaze betrayed me… Majestic.
Absolutely, frustratingly majestic.
"Nope, nope, nope," I slapped my hands over my face, muffling a scream so loud birds probably migrated continents.
The man—or wolf-man—tilted his head, eyes glowing silver, faint amusement curling his lips. He spoke, voice deep, melodic… and completely unintelligible.
Ancient language. Perfect.
Still covering my eyes, I babbled, "Look, I don't know if this is a curse, a hallucination, or some twisted magical meet-cute, but I am—" My voice cracked, "—so done."
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes—frustration, fear, confusion, embarrassment. I probably looked feral: dirt-streaked, backpack askew, breathing like a panicked toddler.
The ghost woman hovered beside me, her long red hair drifting like fire. She whispered softly in that same unfamiliar tongue, her voice soothing, but it barely registered over the sound of my spiraling brain.
The wolf-man—silver hair falling into his eyes—crouched slightly, gaze softening as he observed me falling apart.
"Veylin'ka… ethar'i suun?" he murmured, words curling through the air, deep and strange. Something in his tone felt… curious. Almost concerned.
My brain translated exactly none of it.
Still covering my eyes, I wailed, "If you're gonna kill me, at least put pants on first!"
The ruins pulsed again, glowing brighter. The ghost snickered softly behind me, clearly amused by my public meltdown.
I shoved my hands onto the ground, determined to stand—dignity hanging by a thread.
But luck? Yeah… luck hated me.
The moment I pushed upright, my legs buckled beneath me. A sharp, electric jolt shot through my body, nerves fizzing like they'd been overloaded.
Sound dulled.
The ruins blurred—the glowing symbols smearing like dripping neon paint.
My ears rang. Everything grew muffled, like someone shoved cotton into my head.
I stumbled, swaying—and in that cursed, final second before gravity won, my traitorous eyes drifted lower.
Straight to the area no innocent bystander should be analyzing.
Majestic.
Stupidly majestic.
The only regret stabbing through my brain? My phone, in my pocket, unable to immortalize the ridiculous, fantasy-cover-level… situation happening between that man's legs.
"Unfair…" I croaked weakly, the world tilting sideways.
I collapsed back onto the mossy ground, limbs heavy, breath shallow.
Shapes swayed at the edges of my vision—the sky, ruins, shadows shifting like watercolor paint.
And then… him.
The silver-haired stranger—the wolf-man—his tall frame cutting through the haze as he sprinted toward me, expression sharp with panic.
His silver eyes… wide. Focused. Like seeing me crumple to the ground mattered—like I wasn't just some confused idiot trespassing in his forest, but something… important.
His mouth moved—calling out words I couldn't hear.
The ghost woman hovered nearby, her crimson hair a drifting blur, her golden eyes bright with unreadable emotion.
But all I could register… was him.
The wild panic in his face.
The protectiveness in his eyes.
The ache twisting in my chest into something unfamiliar… and raw.
And then—
Darkness.
Total, suffocating, inescapable black.
Just my luck.