The next few days breezed past like the wind, and Marisol would like to describe them as uneventful, but she knew it was far from that. As much as she hated to admit it, Marisol and Cedric had developed some sort of arrangement. They would spend their nights together in the throne room, with Marisol convincing herself that it was just so she could keep an eye on Cedric’s wolf, but it slowly became more than that.
One day, instead of waking up in the throne room with Cedric’s wolf curled around her as usual, she found herself in what she guessed was his room.
She wasn’t able to detangle herself and slip away from his massive weight like she normally would, because it had curled around her so meticulously this time that there was no way she could move without stirring the large creature.
Huffing angrily after a couple of failed trials, Marisol drifted back to sleep. When she woke up this time, neither Cedric nor his wolf was anywhere in sight, but she found that clothes and breakfast had already been set out for her.
Surprised and with a nagging suspicion taking root within her, Marisol made her way towards the food and outfit. As she took in the very lavish sight, she couldn’t help feeling that something was amiss but was unable to place what it was. Her wolf, on the other hand, all but jumped in excitement, swooning at the thoughtful and kind gesture.
The fabric of the new clothes rustled with her quick movement as she hurriedly got dressed, with a knot settled deep in her stomach. A sense of premonition loomed over her like a dark cloud as she took a seat at the table, anxiety brewing within her with every bite that she forced down her throat, tight with apprehension.
She ended up pushing her plate away, half-eaten, gathering what courage she could muster and began the stride to the door, determination warring with dread in her heart. Just as her hand hovered just above the doorknob, a low growl echoed from behind Marisol. Frozen in place, her breath was caught in her throat as she turned around ever so slowly to find Cedric’s wolf standing before her, his massive form towering over her.
Her heart jumped at the sight, sending terrified shivers down her spine as memories of their past encounters flooded her mind. It was just as huge and menacing as she remembered and, at that very moment, it felt as though she’d been transported back into one of her many horrifying nightmares. Fear gripped Marisol, its cold, unforgiving claws breaking through her skin and filling every single cell of her body with alarm and a sense of impending doom.