Did I just hear a tree fall?
I hold my spear with both hands. They shake, but it’s the most I can manage for now. My heart stutters in my chest, and I instinctively hold my breath. Every part of me is screaming to run, to move, but my legs feel like they’re anchored to the ground.
Could it be a bear? I’ve never seen one, not in real life, only in my mother’s books.But something doesn’t feel right.Mother said they’re more afraid of humans than we are of them. If I don’t bother them, they won’t bother me. They live far from the villages, in the depths of the forests, and rarely venture out.But a bear wouldn’t make trees fall.Arnold said there wasn’t much farther to go, that we were almost there.
I’m close to vólkin territory.
I swallow the lump in my throat. The vólkins should be avoided at all costs. But I’m not in Ávera, I’m still in the forest, right? The forest that surrounds it. It can’t possibly be a vólkin... right?
Run, Noël. Run.
But I can’t. My heart is pounding so loudly in my ears that I can’t even think straight.
Another crack makes my head jerk to the side. Something heavy is moving through the trees, snapping branches like they’re nothing. I force myself to scan the spaces between the trunks, but all I see is shadows. The forest feels darker. The sunlight that offered soft comfort now barely reaches through the dense canopy above.
I need to move. But my body isn’t listening. The fear is paralyzing, and I curse myself for standing here like a helpless child.Mother... please. I need you.
I hear a growl, it’s unmistakable. Low, deep, and so close it vibrates through my bones. It’s here.Goddesses, please.
If you hear a growl, it’s already too late.
A massive figure emerges from the mist, and with every step it takes, the ground quakes under its weight.
This . . . this is a vólkin.
Nothing could have prepared me for the sight.
The vólkin is massive, easily twice my height. A living wall of violence that dominates the space around it. The sunlight glints off the thick, grayish-blue fur that clings to its body, and as it steps closer, the fur ripples, revealing muscles so enormous they look unnatural. Its entire body is carved out of raw power, built not just for strength but for war. I can’t even imagine a whole army of beasts like this one. Humans have zero chance.
I’m rooted in place, staring at it, feeling like a mouse caught in the shadow of a predator. I force myself to look away fromthe broad expanse of its chest, and my eyes move down its arms to catch on the—large, terrifying things that hover somewhere between paws and human hands. Claws glint in the light, long and vicious, capable of rending flesh like it’s paper. The thought sends a cold shiver down my spine. I swallow, my throat tight, as I imagine those claws slicing through me.
But when I lift my gaze up to its face, I stop. Its features are fierce, chiseled like stone, yet the eyes... The eyes are what make me pause. They’re a deep hazel, but there’s something in them, something that doesn’t match the rest of its terrifying appearance. A gentleness, a softness that almost feels... human. How?
I blink fast. There is no way I’m humanizing it.
Blue crystals embedded in its forehead in a V shape, they glow like stars. With such strong features, that’s definitely a male. A he.
He’s godlike, like he stepped out of some ancient legend meant to frighten and awe all at once. How... How is this possible? Is this what all vólkins look like? We were shown paintings of them in the army, but they looked nothing like the beast before me. He’s not matted with blood, doesn’t even look like a normal wolf.
I tear my eyes away from his face to take in the sheer mass of his torso. With every breath, his muscles ripple. Each one sharply defined and solid. I’ve seen men, soldiers, bare-chested after training, their bodies honed for battle. But this... is something entirely different. His body... No.
No. No. No.
Look down, Noël. Stop staring at his abs. There is no way I feel my most private parts heating. What is wrong with me?
I swallow hard, my eyes widening. I try to dart my gaze away, but it’s too late. The sight of him, fully erect, is right before me. His cock is massive, thick and pulsing. It’s pulsing! And a ruddypink color with a pointed tip, like a wolf. Literally. Blood rushes to my cheeks, my skin burning at the sight of it. Why does he breathe so heavily? His knees tremble.
I snap my gaze upward. No. I can’t focus on that.
His nose twitches, moving ever so slightly left to right. What is he scenting? Is there another vólkin around? This is not good.
He lowers his gaze to my thighs, and his pupils expand. Shit. Could it be...? Can he scentme?
I have to charge him. I have to end this madness.Come on Noël, take a step forward, and??—
Is he . . . kneeling?
The massive creature lowers himself before me, a gesture so out of place I can only stare in disbelief. He bows his head, averting those piercing eyes and showing a vulnerability I would never have expected from such a monstrous being.
