Chapter 3 The Guardian's Tale;

That evening, the crackling of the fireplace filled the silence between us.

"I still can't believe you're here," Elly said softly.

I pulled my grandmother's old knitted blanket tighter around my shoulders and let out a long breath. The weight I'd been carrying since the funeral suddenly felt like something I could share. I had to be strong against the townspeople all day. But here, with Elly, I could finally let my guard down.

"I'm barely holding on, Elly," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I keep telling myself I'm fine, that I can do this, that I'm honoring her memory. But the truth is I'm scared. She was all I had. And now she's gone, and I'm in this place where everyone looks at me as if I'm cursed, as if I carry death with me."

Elly moved closer and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "You're not cursed, Eva. You're brave. You came back here knowing exactly what kind of welcome you'd get. That takes real courage."

I laughed bitterly and wiped at my eyes. "Courage or stupidity, I'm not sure which."

"Courage," she insisted. "Definitely courage."

A deep laugh burst out of me. "You know what? I think I'm actually losing my mind." I shook my head. "Since childhood I've been dreaming of a man with fire in his eyes, and I just compared him to a wolf."

Elly's expression shifted instantly. "What do you mean?"

I took a sip of my coffee. "Just before you arrived, I was getting firewood from the shed. And I swear, Elly, I saw something. A wolf. But not a normal wolf. This thing was massive, bear-sized. Reddish-brown fur. And those eyes." I paused, still feeling the weight of that gaze. "Its eyes were exactly like the man in my dreams. Glowing. Amber. It just stood there staring at me, and then it vanished."

The moment the words left my mouth, Elly went pale. She set down her cup with trembling hands, moved toward me quickly, grabbed the edge of my sweater, and pulled it aside, exposing my collarbone and upper chest.

"Hey! What are you doing, Elly?" I yelped, pulling back.

Her shoulders sagged with what looked like relief. She let go of my sweater and sat back. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I just needed to check something."

"Check what exactly?"

She bit her lip. "Do you have a fever? High fevers can cause hallucinations. I was checking if you felt hot."

I burst out laughing despite myself. "Elly, I'm a nurse. I think I'd know if I was running a fever high enough to cause hallucinations. And wouldn't checking my forehead be a little more effective than looking at my chest?"

She smiled. "You're right. Of course. That was silly of me."

But I could see it clearly. The fear still sitting in her eyes. The tension in her shoulders. She was scared of something, and it was connected to what I'd just told her.

Then she turned to me with forced cheerfulness. "Hey. Let's play a game. Scary story time. I'll go first."

I shook my head. "Seriously? Aren't we a bit old for that?"

"Come on," she insisted. "It'll be fun. Besides, you're in a creepy mountain cabin in the middle of winter. Perfect setting."

I sighed and sank deeper into the couch. "Fine. But if I have nightmares, I'm blaming you."

Elly's expression turned serious. "They say that long ago, in this valley, blood-drinking demons lived. Not metaphorical demons. Real ones. They hypnotized people, enslaved them, tortured and killed them for entertainment. The demons built their kingdom on human suffering."

Despite my sarcasm, she had my attention. "Go on."

"The witches, a sacred lineage of women with ancient magic, couldn't defeat the demons alone. So they created something new, something powerful enough to protect both themselves and humanity. They combined three elements: the soul of a demon, the body of a wolf, and a witch who willingly gave herself to complete the transformation."

I couldn't help myself. "Let me guess. In every story like this, there's always some foolish girl sacrificing herself for a man."

Elly gave me a look. I just shrugged. "What? Why is there always a woman throwing herself into danger to keep a man or some Frankenstein creature alive? It's basically sexism."

Elly rolled her eyes and continued. "The wolf-kind was born. The Börü lineage. Each wolf had a witch-woman bound to him. Connected by both a curse and a love so powerful it transcended death. Together, they overthrew the demons. Humanity was saved. The witches became the wolves' mates, and the wolves became everyone's protectors."

She paused, her voice dropping. "But then, one of the wolves' women committed betrayal."

Now she had my full attention. "I didn't expect a Lilith to come out of this story. What did they do, ostracize her? Burn her at the stake? How very progressive for enlightened supernatural beings."

"Eva, please," Elly said seriously. "The wolf's woman fell in love with a human man. But she was deceived. The man she loved was a hunter. She betrayed her own kind for him. She broke the ancient magic that bound the witches and wolves together, the midnight seal, the seal that gave the wolves their immortal forms and their ability to shift. It shattered. The wolves became trapped in their immortal wolf bodies, unable to die but unable to truly live. The witches were scorned by humanity because of the betrayal."

"And the hunter? What did he do?"

Elly's voice grew darker. "Once he got what he wanted, he and his hunter bloodline began systematically destroying the witch lineage. They slaughtered them. Hunted them down one by one. They also massacred the common people who had supported the witches and wolves. Their goal was never love. It was only power."

A chill ran through me that had nothing to do with the cold. An inexplicable sadness settled over my heart. Something in this story was wounding me in a way I couldn't understand.

"You didn't tell me this story just for fun, did you?" I asked.

Elly swallowed and nodded.

"Rose's daughter," I said slowly, the pieces clicking into place. "That's why they call me that with such hatred. Because of some old legend?"

Elly reached out and took my hand, squeezing it tight. "Eva, listen to me. People can be shallow, narrow-minded, cruel. But legends don't always lie. Promise me something. If you ever see anything that could prove this story is real, you'll come to me and ask for help."

I studied her face. Genuine fear. Genuine concern.

"Alright. I promise. But tell me one thing. Where do you fit into this story?"

"I'm a guardian," she said simply. "My family has always been guardians. We protect the ancient bloodlines, both wolf and witch. We believe in the balance they brought, the peace and harmony. We remember their sacrifice."

I wanted to dismiss all of it as the superstitious raving of a small town with too much history and not enough sense. But looking at Elly's sincere face, I understood something important. She believed it. Completely. And whether the legend was real or not, she was a real friend.

"I'm glad you're here, Elly," I said. "Even if you are a little crazy."

The tension broke into laughter. "Same to you, Eva Rose."

An hour later, Elly's taillights disappeared down the mountain road. I was alone again with the crackling fire and my swirling thoughts.

I found several bottles of my grandmother's homemade wine in the cellar and poured myself a glass. I settled into the velvet armchair by the fireplace and closed my eyes.

My grandmother always had a Turkish song she used to hum. She hummed it while hanging ornaments on the Christmas tree. While her weathered hands braided my hair. Her voice was always full of love and longing. I never knew what the words meant, but I had learned the sounds, the melody. It was hauntingly beautiful, melancholic and passionate all at once.

Now, with the wine warming my blood and the fire casting dancing shadows on the walls, I found myself murmuring those same words.

"Yar elinden ölüm, olacak benim sonum. Sonu yok bu, Aşk-ı kıyamet..."

Death by my beloved's hand will be my end.

This has no end, this love is apocalypse.

Whether you take it or throw it to the ground,

this heart yearns for you, is your servant.

Look, my pain never ends. It cannot be without you.

My voice faded into the quiet crackling of the fire. The wine weighed down my limbs and my eyelids. I didn't even try to make it to the bedroom. The velvet chair was comfortable, the fire was warm, and I was so tired.

I fell asleep.

Outside, hidden in the pitch-black darkness of the winter night, a pair of amber eyes watched the house. Eyes that held centuries of pain, centuries of longing, and perhaps love.

The wolf had heard every word of that song.

And deep within its cursed form, something ancient and powerful stirred.

The midnight seal had begun to awaken...