Eleven Nights to Ruin Me

Nina ran.

Into the flower field, a loud scream tearing from her throat.

She crashed through the lavender flowers, the stalks snapping against her arms and shoulders, the tall heads whipping past her face as she pushed through them. She couldn’t see a single thing. All she could hear were the sound of paws breaking the stems behind her and the snarl of the wolf closing in on her in the dark.

Her lungs burned as she screamed in fright.

Was she going to die here?

Had she survived the eleventh night only to get torn apart by a wolf in a field?

Nina panted as she ran. She didn’t know where she was running to, but she knew she couldn’t stop, not for a second, not unless she was dead.

Her foot caught on a stem and the ground came up fast. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Nina shrieked as she fell forward, her hands meeting the ground first. The stem dragged across her shin on the way down and she groaned in pain. She lay still for a second, her cheek against the cold soil, her heart slamming against her chest.

Then she heard it.

A stem cracked behind her, then a low growl.

Nina turned slowly.

The black wolf stood less than two feet away. Its head was low, its lips pulled back, saliva dripping from the corner of its mouth. It was breathing heavily, its glare darker than before.

It took one step toward her.

Nina drew a shaky breath, her fingers digging deep into the soil.

No one was coming to save her.

At that thought, her eyes clouded.

She was going to die here, this wolf tearing her into pieces and having its fill.

Her eyes stayed on the wolf, her lips parting.

Her lashes fluttered as a tear slipped free.

If she had known this was how it was going to end, she would have told him she really wanted to be with him.

At that moment, in the face of death, nothing else mattered. Not the Vothraki. Not her powers.

Just the painful, heartwrenching ache to see him one last time.

The wolf took another step toward her and Nina’s lips trembled, her eyes closing as she waited for the impact, a tear rolling down her cheek.

She heard it leap, and she braced herself. It landed hard, but not on her.

Nina’s eyes opened when she heard the loud crash on the other side of the field.

Her breath caught in her throat as another wolf emerged from the darkness, a low growl leaving its lips. It walked toward her and stood in front of her, eyes fixed forward, a ragged breath leaving its mouth.

Nina froze as her eyes took in the sight, her heart slamming hard.

The wolf was massive — larger than the black wolf by almost twice its size, its frame broad across the shoulders, its legs planted firm in the soil. Its fur was silver grey and shifted slowly in the moonlight as it breathed.

It stood with its back to her and snarled, a low reverberating sound that shook the ground beneath her body.

The black wolf shrank back, whimpered, then ran off and disappeared into the dark.

The grey wolf stood still, its eyes watching the path the black wolf had taken. Then slowly, it turned.

Nina’s breath left her as it looked at her.

Its eyes were grey. The same grey as its fur, but darker, more piercing.

She had seen those eyes before. There was only one person...

Nina’s eyes blurred as she held its gaze, her lips trembling.

It took one step toward her and stopped, as though weighing whether she was scared.

Nina wasn’t.

She should have been, but she wasn’t. Instead she felt an incredible pull toward it.

It took another step toward her and Nina stayed still on the ground, her breathing fast and uneven.

It stopped beside her.

The warmth of it reached her first, close enough that she could hear its heavy breathing.

Nina held its gaze, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

Up close, the wolf was magnificent but frightening. It towered over her, a single paw larger than half her body, and yet she was not scared.

Instead —

Nina lifted her hand. She held it there between them for a moment, suspended. The wolf went still as it watched her.

Then slowly, she closed the distance.

Her palm found the side of its face, the fur coarser at the jaw than she had expected.

She watched something cross its eyes, and then it settled.

Nina’s throat tightened.

Her lips moved.

"Alpha?" she called softly, her voice breaking as another tear slipped free.

He had found her. Again.

Her heart squeezed tight as she held its gaze, her lashes fluttering. The wolf hadn’t moved. It stayed still, watching her. Then slowly, it leaned in.

Nina stilled as it approached, and then it pressed its nose to her neck and inhaled.

Nina’s eyes fell shut as her fingers dug into its fur and stayed. Her heart was loud in her ears but steadier than it had been all night, steadier than it had been since she had walked out of his chambers and sat in the dark trying to convince herself she felt nothing.

It pulled back slowly and looked at her.

Then it lowered itself to the ground, its eyes never leaving her face.

Nina looked at its back. Then at its eyes again.

She stood. Her legs were unsteady and her shin was still burning where the stem had caught it. She moaned softly as she pulled herself up, holding onto its fur.

It stayed still for a moment, then rose.

Nina’s hands held tighter, her heart racing.

It stood to its full height and Nina fell forward, grasping its fur tighter for support.

It began to walk forward, out of the flowers and toward the pack house.

Nina kept her eyes shut as they moved, and only opened them when it stopped.

They were in front of the Alpha’s quarters.

It stood still for a moment, then lowered itself slowly. Nina climbed down and turned.

But the space where it had been standing was empty.

He was gone.