Wolves Of Fate

Chapter 12: The Weight of Truth

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A scarred hand, now smooth and bare, a past erased like whispered air. The breath is short, the heart beats wild, a trembling pulse, a lost, scared child. The world tilts, the truth cuts deep, no room to run, no space to weep. Fangs in flesh, a mark unseen, a fate now tied to what has been. No turning back, no waking free, the wolf inside now calls to me.

*

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“Where do you think you’re going?”

The voice froze me in place. Low and sharp, it cut through the chaos in my head, commanding my attention. I turned slowly, my eyes locking onto the girl who had been sitting by the bed.

She was awake now, her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward slightly, her posture both casual and intense. There was no anger in her tone, but there was something there, authority, maybe? Or just curiosity. Either way, it sent a chill through me.

I tried to speak, but my throat tightened, my voice caught somewhere between fear and confusion.

“Hey,” she said, her voice softer now, though her gaze didn’t waver. “You shouldn’t be moving yet. You’re still recovering.”

Her words only made me more uneasy. Recovering? From what? My gaze darted around the unfamiliar room. The pristine white walls, the faint hum of fluorescent lights above, the faint scent of medicine in the air—it all felt foreign. Too clean, too… strange.

“Who… who are you?” I managed to whisper. “And where am I?”

The girl—no, the woman—didn’t answer immediately. She stood, crossing the room in a few smooth steps, and stopped a short distance from me. Close enough to block the door but far enough that I didn’t feel cornered.

“My name is Sophia,” she said finally. “And you’re safe here.”

Safe. The word felt hollow. My instincts screamed otherwise. I glanced toward the door, calculating how fast I could reach it.

“Hey,” she said sharply, her voice snapping me out of my thoughts. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Her tone carried a strange mix of authority and reassurance. It made my pulse steady, if only slightly, but I still couldn’t shake the tension coiling in my chest.

“I… I need to go,” I muttered, taking a hesitant step back.

“Go where?” she asked, arching a brow. “You don’t even know where you are.”

She wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t matter. I couldn’t stay. Not here. Not with a stranger.

As I tried to gather the courage to push past her, a sudden flood of sensations hit me like a brick wall.

The light seemed brighter, harsh against my eyes. The scent of medicine burned my nose, mingling with the subtler, earthy smell of the girl standing in front of me. I could hear her breathing, steady and calm, but also the faint murmur of voices down a distant hallway, the hum of something mechanical nearby, and even the rustle of fabric as she shifted her weight.

It was overwhelming. My head spun, and I gripped the bedframe to steady myself.

“Breathe,” Sophia said, her voice cutting through the noise. “You’re okay. Just breathe.”

I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut. “What’s… happening to me?”

“Your senses are heightened,” she said gently. “It’s normal. You’re still adjusting.”

“Adjusting to what?” The panic in my voice rising.

She hesitated, then stepped closer, her gaze steady but cautious. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Her question pulled me back to the forest. The firelight flickering against the trees. The sound of heavy paws crunching the underbrush. The black wolf’s eyes, glowing with malice.

“I was attacked,” I said slowly, the words heavy on my tongue. My hand instinctively went to my shoulder, but there was no pain, no wound. Just smooth skin where there should’ve been scars.

“And?” Sophia prompted, her tone careful.

“There was a silver wolf,” I added, frowning as the memory sharpened. “It came back. It… saved me.”

She exhaled softly, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “That was me.”

I blinked, staring at her in disbelief. “What?”

She nodded, her expression calm but serious. “That silver wolf—it was me.”

I took a step back, my mind racing. “How? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Sophia sighed, running a hand through her hair. “It’s a lot to explain, but I’ll start simple. I’m not human. I’m a wolfen.”

“A… wolfen?”

She frowned slightly, as if bracing herself. “Think of us as wolves in human form. But don’t call us werewolves—that’s insulting.” Her voice sharpened at the last word, and a low growl escaped her throat.

I flinched, pressing myself against the bedframe, and she immediately raised her hands in a calming gesture. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said quickly.

I didn’t respond, my chest heaving as I tried to process her words. Wolves in human form? What did that even mean?

Sophia took a deep breath, her tone softening. “The black wolf that attacked you—his name is Kael. He’s the son of an alpha from another pack. He’s been… causing trouble lately.”

I frowned. “Why was he after me?”

“He wasn’t,” she admitted. “He was after me. I stumbled onto your camp while I was injured, and he must’ve followed my scent.”

I swallowed hard, the memory of Kael’s glowing yellow eyes flashing in my mind. “He bit me,” I said quietly.

Her expression grew somber. “I know,” she said. “And that’s why you’re here.”

Her words hung heavy in the air, and I felt my stomach drop.

“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Sophia hesitated, her gaze flickering to my shoulder. “The bite,” she said carefully, “it… changed you.”

“Changed me how?”

“It made you one of us,” she said simply. “A wolfen.”

The room spun again, and I gripped the bedframe tightly. “No,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s not possible.”

“It’s rare,” she admitted. “Most humans who get bitten don’t survive, let alone transform. It’s about a one-in-a-hundred chance, maybe less. Unless special circumstances are involved.”

Her words didn’t feel like comfort. They felt like a curse.

I looked down at my hands, expecting to see the familiar scars and burns that had etched themselves into my skin over the years. But they weren’t there. The twisted, jagged marks that had been a constant reminder of my past were gone. My skin looked smooth, unblemished—as if the years of pain and suffering had been wiped away in an instant.

My breath caught, a surge of shock rushing through me. I flexed my fingers, turning my hands over again and again, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. The trembling in my hands grew as confusion mingled with fear. Was this real? What was happening to me?

A shaky exhale escaped me, and I staggered back a step, my legs giving out as I practically fell onto the bed. The soft mattress barely registered beneath me as I looked up at the girl—Sophia, she’d said her name was. My voice wavered, trembling like the rest of me.

“So… what happens to me now?”

Sophia didn’t answer right away. Her expression softened, and for the first time, she seemed unsure of what to say.