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174 – Hope

ผู้เขียน: Polyana Leão
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-10-01 06:28:24

The sun wasn’t even born when I woke up. The skin was throbbing. The air seemed dense. For a moment, I didn’t know if it was still night. Or if I were still stuck in it. I got up slowly. The ground was cold. The silence of the house was so complete that I could hear the sound of the fire dying in the fireplace. I sat on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. That’s when I felt it. The smell.

It was not a common smell. It was iron, earth, and life fading. Blood. And it came from far away, from the forest on the other side of the river. As clear as if it were there, in the house. The wolf awoke at once. Breathing accelerated. Instinct came.

"No," I murmured, trying to cut off the impulse. But he didn’t listen.

The smell spread, dominating everything. I could feel it in my throat, in the air that entered, and in the hands that began to tremble. I left home.

The forest welcomed me. Wet leaves rubbed on my legs. Every step was silent, precise. The stones, the wind, everything seemed t
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  • The Price of a Second Chance   174 – Hope

    The sun wasn’t even born when I woke up. The skin was throbbing. The air seemed dense. For a moment, I didn’t know if it was still night. Or if I were still stuck in it. I got up slowly. The ground was cold. The silence of the house was so complete that I could hear the sound of the fire dying in the fireplace. I sat on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. That’s when I felt it. The smell.It was not a common smell. It was iron, earth, and life fading. Blood. And it came from far away, from the forest on the other side of the river. As clear as if it were there, in the house. The wolf awoke at once. Breathing accelerated. Instinct came."No," I murmured, trying to cut off the impulse. But he didn’t listen.The smell spread, dominating everything. I could feel it in my throat, in the air that entered, and in the hands that began to tremble. I left home.The forest welcomed me. Wet leaves rubbed on my legs. Every step was silent, precise. The stones, the wind, everything seemed t

  • The Price of a Second Chance   173 – Wolf

    The moon was high when she said it was time. The wall clock marked almost eleven, but time no longer held much meaning for me. Naomi insisted on training that night. She said the longer I waited, the more the fear would take root. And maybe she was right.The house was silent. I left my body free, without a shirt, trying to feel the air against my skin. "Anchor word?" I asked, even though I already knew."River."Assenti. I clung to it like someone grabs a twig in the middle of the current.We went outside. The field behind the house was covered with dew, and the smell of wet earth filled the air. The moon illuminated the ground enough. Naomi stood a few feet away, staring at me. No fear."Let’s take it slow today," she said. "No pushing.""You say that every time.""And every time you try to prove otherwise."Smile from the corner, but the truth is that I needed to try. It was as if something inside me asked to be tested. I closed my eyes. I breathed deeply. Likewise, I felt the cold

  • The Price of a Second Chance   172 – Future

    He stared at me. Then he nodded once, slowly. "There’s one more thing," he said, his voice dropping a tone. "The smell. Your smell. Before, he was my anchor. Now he’s also a trigger. It’s too good. It’s like hunger. I know I’m not going to hurt you. I know." He swallowed dry. "But knowing and feeling are two different things."He let the body give in to my hand. I was supporting his weight for a few seconds, like someone holding the trunk of a tree that swings in the wind. Then he straightened, put the blanket back on his shoulders, a gesture almost too human for that day, and stood up. I got up together."I want to show you something." He guided me down the corridor to the iron door on the floor that led to the staircase. The lock inside was still hot from the heat that remained. We went down slowly. The concrete walls had claw marks, yes, but not as deep as I feared. The smell of sweat and stone took everything, and I saw on the ground a semicircle of scratches, like steps that adva

  • The Price of a Second Chance   171 – Changes

    The road to his house was shorter than I remembered, as if the haste had swallowed up the miles. I left the car before the turn, as always, and followed on foot, with the cold wind hitting my face and bringing a smell that cut me inside: smoke, metal, and that rough note of wolf. The gate was half-open. The wood of the porch scratched. I stopped at the first step, took a deep breath, and went up slowly.The door gave in to the touch. The air inside was heavy, a remnant of heat coming from the stove and the breath of someone who did not sleep. I saw the broken frame leaning against the sill, splinters on the floor, and claw marks on the corner of the table. And then I saw him sitting on the steps of the room."Lancelot?""Naomi," he said.Closed the door, went to him, knees in the wood. I wanted to touch it immediately, embrace the pain, and cover the cracks. But first, I let him look at me."I smelled your scent on the road," I whispered. "What happened?"He turned his face only a lit

  • The Price of a Second Chance   170 – Many Thoughts

    The house still smelled of smoke and sweat. The wood of the balcony had claw marks, the handrail was scratched, and fresh memories of what had happened a few hours before. I sat on the steps with my body covered by a blanket and my chest still burning. The sun rose slowly, burning the clouds with shades of orange and gray.The transformation chamber was still locked. I could still smell concrete, dry blood, and trapped wolf. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Casper’s smile. That false calm, that sick pleasure in seeing the chaos he himself caused. He had not come to talk.I ran my hand over my face, feeling the rough beard and hot skin. My body hurt as if I had fought against a wall. The transformations always left a trail of tense muscles, throbbing bones, and the mind trying to reorganize itself between two natures that never accepted each other completely.I took a deep breath, trying to drive away the sound. The cold air came in and burned my lungs, bringing the smell of the fore

  • The Price of a Second Chance   169 – Pain

    I spent the morning fixing one of the pantry windows. My hands hurt, but the pain was welcome. It was simple, concrete. A crooked nail, a splinter in the wood. When I finished, I sat on the balcony chair, watching the smoke rising from the chimney of the most distant houses. And that’s when I heard the engine. Slowly approaching.My body reacted before even the mind understood. The hair on the arm shuddered, and the wolf stood up in the chest, sniffing the air. The smell came with the wind. Casper.The black truck stopped in front of the house. He came out as someone who is not in a hurry, with that damned smile of someone who thinks that the world revolves around his own ego. "Good morning, Lancelot."I stood. I did not answer.He climbed the steps of the balcony with the confidence of those who are at home. "Beautiful place. Simple, but functional. It suits you.""You should go away.""And miss the chance to see the great wolf trying to live like an ordinary man?" he laughed, that

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