The Wolf at Midnight

floor to ceiling, each one a piece of a history long buried. The faint glow of moonlight filtered through the dust-covered windows, casting long sha

t reverent. "My ancestors kept these records hidden for a reason. Th

. "We have to know everything, Elias. We can't break t

d and cracked with time. The chest was locked, its metal clasp worn from years of use. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key, the family heirloom he had ca

und together by a faded red ribbon. Elias carefully lifted the bundle

h a mix of fear and reverence. "The histor

r eyes scanning the faded ink. The text was written in an old script, a language that Mara could barely understand, but she

s shrouded in mystery and darkness. According to the records, it had begun with a pact, one made by Elias's earliest ancestors, who had been desperate to protect the town from a force far older and far more

llable. The wolf was a protector, a guardian, but it came with a price. With every transformation, the human side of the protector grew weaker, the wolf side more dominant.

luding the one trying to break it. The ritual required a great sacrifice: the blood of the one cursed, mingled with the blood of the town's protector. If done correctly, the curse could be broken, and t

. "There's a ritual... I've heard stories about it. But it's never be

ocus on the text. "We can do it, Elias. We can break th

ng the curse. It's about control. Whoever performs the ritual takes on the curse. They become the new protector, bound by the same bloodline, the same curs

. The weight of what they were facing, the true cost of breaking the curse, was too much. It wa

tion, though she could feel the doubt creeping into her mind. "There has

ned. "Mara... I don't want to lose you. If the curse takes me, if I l

n heart was racing. "You won't hurt me, Elias. I believe in yo

thing in her eyes-something that would give him hope, something that would reassure him

sper. "I don't know if we can, Mara. But I want

holding it close to her chest. "We'll try, Elia

wling. Mara and Elias both froze, their instincts immediately on alert. Elias's body tense

ered, his voice low and tense.

now. We have to keep going. We need to find a way to break the cu

We'll fight, Mara. But we have to be careful. The ritual...

d open, and a pack of creatures spilled into the roo

rning primal as the transformation began

ening around the bundle of records. They w

only just beginning. And this ti