Chapter 3

HANNAH POV

Morning came too quietly. For a brief moment, I lay still, staring at the ceiling hoping the promise I whispered to my mum that night would sound stupid to me. I really wanted to dismiss all what Valerie told me as desperation and my stress talking to me, but my heart decided otherwise. The feeling didn’t fade, rather it sat heavily in my chest. It was all I could think about while laying on my bed.

From the next room, I could hear my mum coughing. The sound was soft but strained. I closed my eyes and sighed. I counted to three, and pushed myself out of bed.

The apartment felt colder than usual. The tiles beneath my feet sent a chill up to my legs as I walked to the kitchen. I looked at the heater, remembering I was meant to call the landlord yesterday, concerning it and I got carried away.

I made my mum tea and got her pills and went to her room to give her.

She was awake, her eyes following me with the same quiet smile and attentiveness she always had. Even sick, even tired, she still noticed everything.

“You didn’t sleep?” she asked gently.

I forced a smile like always. “I slept enough mum, no need to stress yourself about my sleep schedule.”

She looked at me with concern, I knew she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t press further. She never did. I knew she understood how I just needed my space and I’m glad she didn’t press further. I helped her sit up, handed her the cup of tea and also her drugs, and waited while she took her pills one by one. Her hands trembled slightly, and I pretended not to notice.

“How’s work?” she asked after a moment.

The question made my chest heavy.

“Fine mum. I’m always busy, but I’m getting used to it. “

She nodded.” You work too hard Hannah.”

I wanted to tell her I didn’t have a choice. Life didn’t give me the luxury of choosing how hard I’ll need to work, that if I slowed down for a second, everything we had would crumble down. Instead, I kissed her forehead and adjusted her blanket so she would be comfortable.

“Try to rest mum, I’ll be back soon.” I said.

She reached for my hand before I turned away. “You’re a good daughter Hannah, and I hope you get past the silent battles you don’t tell me.”

The words stayed with me long after I left the room. I couldn’t break down in front of her. She needed me to be strong for both of us.

Back in my bedroom, I closed the door and leaned against it. My heart was racing. It knew what I was about to do without admitting it.

I pulled out my phone, there were still unread messages from Elias, but I didn’t bother opening it. I’ve closed that’s chapter of my life and I wasn’t planning on opening it anytime soon.

I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at my phone, doubt creeping in. Valerie’s voice echoed in my head. A ritual. A wish. A bride.

It sounded ridiculous but I knew Valerie couldn’t lie about something as serious as that.

I’ve heard a lot about the werewolf kingdom, but I never really bothered to know more about them. But hearing about the one wish, I knew this was my chance to change everything.

I unlocked my phone and opened the browser. For a few seconds, I just stared at the empty search bar. Slowly, I typed the words Valerie had told me. The page loaded almost immediately. No flashing banners. No dramatic headlines. Just a simple, dark background with white text. My stomach twisted as I scrolled.

There were warnings at the top. Legal disclaimers. Statements written in careful language that somehow made everything feel more real.Participation is voluntary, Survival is not guaranteed, The organizers are not responsible for loss, injury, or death.

My breath caught in my throat. Was I ready to really go for something this dangerous, what if I don’t survive, and I die. Would I leave my mother alone to cater for herself?.

I pushed the negative thoughts aside and continued to scroll through the page. I scrolled back up and read it again, slower this time. Every word felt deliberate. Cold. This wasn’t a scam, It wasn’t some joke, but it was real and extremely organized and hidden very well.

I set the phone down and stood up, pacing the small space of my room. My mind raced, listing every reason I shouldn’t do this. I could find another job. Take on more shifts. Borrow money. Sell what little I owned.

But I had already tried all of that, Nothing was enough. I thought of the hospital bills tucked away in my drawer, doctors shaking their heads gently, telling me time was running out, my mother pretending she didn’t notice how much pain she was in so I wouldn’t worry.

My chest tightened until it hurt. I picked up the phone again.

The registration section was at the bottom of the page. Name, Age, City. Each field I filled made my pulse pound louder in my ears. My finger hovered over the screen more than once, waiting for fear to win. It didn’t. I hesitated when I reached the final warning.

Once submitted, withdrawal is not guaranteed. I closed my eyes. I thought of Elias, how easily he had walked away from me, how little my love had meant in the end. I thought of how unfair it felt that after everything I had given, I was still the one left struggling.

And then I thought of my mother. I pressed submit. For a moment, nothing happened. My heart hammered so hard I thought I might be sick. I kept on looking at my screen, I didn’t know when or how I would be accepted, but I knew I needed it. I’ve gone this far to be rejected.

After about an hour of staring at my phon, I finally saw the message.

Your application has been received.

Time: 6pm

Venue: old townhouse close to the forest

Date: 10th February 1985

I stared at the words, my hands shaking, my breath shallow. A strange mix of fear and relief washed over me, leaving me dumbfounded. I had done it. I had crossed the line. There was no undoing this.

I locked my phone and sat there in silence, letting the reality settle. Whatever this ritual was, whatever world it belonged to, I had just tied my fate to it.

I didn’t know if I would be selected, I didn’t know if I would survive. All I knew was that I had chosen to fight instead of waiting for life to break me completely.

I stood up and went back into the living room, checking on my mother once more. She was asleep now, her breathing shallow but steady. I watched her for a long moment, memorizing her face like I was afraid it might disappear.

“I’ll fix this,” I whispered, even though she couldn’t hear me.

I didn’t know how.

I only knew I had started something that could never be undone.