Eden Grace
"MATE!!!"
The monstrous growl crashed into like a thunder that Eden gasped violently.
Instinctively, she turned toward the sound, but then her legs gave out and she fell on her back in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing!
"No… this… this can't be real…" Eden whispered, her voice shaking uncontrollably.
Because standing before her was wolf. A gigantic black wolf. It was so massive, so overwhelming that it looked like something born from ancient legends rather than reality.
Eden had never seen a wolf like this!
Every inch of it sculpted with lethal perfection. Thick obsidian fur covered its frame like living darkness, absorbing the faint light around it, making it look as if shadows themselves had gathered to form this beast.
The fur shimmered faintly with silver under the moonlight that slipped through the broken roof, giving it an almost divine, otherworldly glow.
It was beautiful.
And terrifying.
"Oh my god..." Eden freaked out, her hands instinctively dragging her backwards. She didn't expect the wolf to be this big! She has to escape. Now!
"Where do you think you are you going…?" The big black wolf growled deeply, its voice echoing loudly. "You are mine. You are my Ishira."
Eden froze. What?
"I… Ishira…?" she whispered weakly, her breath coming out in uneven gasps.
"Yes, my Ishira. I see her." The massive black wolf took a slow, unsteady step toward her, its movements powerful yet imperfect, weakened by its injuries.
Blood dripped silently from a wound along its side, staining the floor beneath it, but even wounded, it radiated terrifying dominance.
"My wolf mate. Show me my wolf mate, Ishira! Shift, right now!" Its voice cracked with desperation beneath the dominance.
Eden felt it instantly. The sheer force of its presence hit her like an invisible wave, slamming into her chest and stealing her breath.
She shook her head frantically, panic flooding her. "No… no, you're wrong." she cried, scrambling backward. "I don't have a wolf. I'm wolfless. You must be hallucinating because of wolfsbane poison. You're just confused!"
"NO!" It roared, shaking the shed. "I am not mistaken. Do you think a royal wolf like me would mistake his mate!? I felt her. I smelled her. From the moment your scent wrapped around my blood, I recognized you. I recognized my Ishira. You are mine!"
The ground seemed to tremble beneath its voice.
Eden's chest tightened painfully, a massive pain surging inside her, like something was cracking apart.
What is this pain?
This creature was powerful.
Injured. Unstable. And obsessed.
What if it lost control?
What if it hurt her?
Her breath hitched as terror finally overpowered everything else. I need to escape now.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" she whispered, tears slipping from her eyes. "You're wrong. Please… just let me go."
She turned and ran.
Her feet barely touched the ground as she sprinted out of the shed, her heartbeat roaring in her ears.
Behind her, she could feel the wolf following her. His massive body surged forward, muscles straining, claws digging into the dirt.
But his strength failed him.
She heard a heavy crash as the wolf's injured body collapsed painfully.
Eden looked at it stunned. The wolf was yet to be healed completely.
"Don't go!" it howled, its voice filled with anguish. "Ishira! Don't leave me!"
But Eden did not wait any longer. She could not. Fear had already taken over her body, flooding her veins.
Her breath tore out of her lungs in painful gasps as she pushed herself deeper into the forest, branches clawing at her arms, leaves whipping against her face, roots rising suddenly beneath her feet as if trying to trip her and drag her down.
Still, she ran. Like her life depended on it.
But then a violent, crushing agony tore through her, as if her heart were being ripped apart from the inside. She collapsed on the ground.
"Ahhhh!!" A broken scream ripped from her throat as she staggered, clutching her chest with one hand and her head with the other.
The pain coming through her body was suddenly unbearable, more brutal than the first, spreading into her skull, pounding relentlessly against her temples.
What was this pain? Why was she feeling so much pain even though she wasn't injured anywhere…?
Eden curled into a ball, screaming in pain. "What is happening to me…?" Her voice shook with fear and disbelief.
The pain did not answer. It only grew stronger. It burned through her nerves and muscles, flooding her senses, making every breath feel like fire.
She tried to move. Tried to crawl. But she made it only a few inches before her strength gave out.
The sounds of the forest faded into distant echoes, replaced by a dull ringing in her ears.
Her breaths became shallow and suddenly darkness crept into her vision, swallowing the edges of the world.
Then everything disappeared into blackness.
.
.
.
.
Eden woke up holding her head and suddenly a soothing warmth wrapped around her like a soft blanket, easing the ache in her limbs and quieting the storm inside her chest.
Eden frowned. She was no longer in the forest.
There was no cold ground beneath her, no thorny bushes tearing at her skin, no biting night air pressing against her lungs. Instead, she lay upon a vast field of silver grass that shimmered softly beneath her, as smooth and delicate as silk.
Pale mist curled around her in slow, graceful waves, glowing faintly with moonlight.Above her, the sky stretched endlessly.
Where was she…?
Eden drew in a sharp breath and pushed herself upright, her heart pounding as she stared around in disbelief.
Her pulse quickened. This was not an ordinary dream. It felt too vivid, too solid, too real. A strange pull stirred within her chest, gentle yet insistent, like a quiet voice calling her forward.
Come.
Follow.
Without fully understanding why, Eden rose slowly to her feet and began to walk into the drifting mist.
Like someone was there ahead, something was waiting for her.
With every step, the strange pull in her chest grew stronger, guiding her deeper into the glowing haze.
And then she saw it.
At the center of a small clearing, bathed in soft moonlight, lay a wolf.
It was unlike any wolf she had ever seen.
Its fur was pure white, untouched by shadow, glowing faintly as though it had been woven from starlight itself. Tiny flecks of silver and pale gold shimmered across its coat, sparkling softly whenever it moved, as if fragments of the night sky had settled upon its body.
It was beautiful.
Unreal.
Almost divine.
But the wolf was very small compared to normal wolves. Its body was slender and too fragile, curled slightly upon the glowing grass as though it lacked the strength to stand.
Eden stopped in her tracks. Why did her heart clench painfully seeing it? A forgotten part of her soul stirred. A fragile connection snapped into place.
The wolf lifted its head slowly and its eyes met hers. Eden suddenly felt a spark and tears fell automatically.
Is that her wolf?