Chapter 5

The sound of a key sliding into the lock echoed through the cell. It felt like my blood had gone cold.

My limbs were cold, and every muscle in my body was tense from fear.

I scrambled backward desperately before pressing myself against the freezing stone wall, but there was nowhere left to go.

The door slowly creaked open.

The two guards were smiling like perverts. The torchlight outside lit their horrendous-looking faces.

However, their smiles only lasted for a second.

A deep, deafening roar that felt like it came from the depths of hell suddenly echoed through the dungeon.

The sound carried warning and lethal intent, along with a dominance rooted deep within one's bloodline. The entire dungeon seemed to tremble from it.

The color drained instantly from the guards' faces. Their bodies locked in place as if frozen by a spell. They didn't dare move at all.

A massive silhouette slowly emerged from the darkness behind them. It completely blocked the doorway.

It was a wolf.

A giant wolf.

Its fur was black and flawless. It was as if it could absorb every trace of light around it.

Its muscles looked smooth and full of power. Every step it took was silent, but it carried the aura of absolute authority.

What shook me the most were its eyes.

It had golden eyes that glowed in the darkness. They were cold, domineering, and emotionless as they locked onto the two guards.

"I-It's–" One of the guards stammered. His teeth chattered so violently he couldn't finish the sentence.

The other dropped to his knees with a thud. He likely pooped and peed himself at the same time. The foul smell of excretion filled the air.

The black wolf didn't make any other sound. It simply bared its sharp, white fangs.

"Please have mercy! Your Majesty! Please!"

The guards stumbled over themselves trying to escape. They fled down the hallway, leaving their torch rolling across the floor until it burned out.

Their panicked footsteps and desperate screams slowly faded into the distance.

Silence settled over the dungeon once more, but the massive black wolf didn't leave.

It didn't enter the cell either.

Instead, it lay silently in front of the doorway. Its enormous body blocked the entrance like a wall.

Then it turned its head. Those golden eyes pierced through the darkness and landed on me.

This time, the murderous coldness was gone. It was replaced by a complex emotion I couldn't describe.

It felt deep and restrained, almost like it was hiding an ocean with ravaging waves.

Strangely, my fear disappeared.

That was because I recognized those eyes.

I had seen them earlier that day on the Alpha King's throne during the coming-of-age ceremony.

They belonged to Jamie.

It was him.

Why was he here?

Earlier that day, he had condemned me to the dungeon with cold, merciless words.

Yet now, he appeared outside my cell in his wolf form. He even drove away the guards who intended to hurt me.

Was he watching me to make sure I wouldn't escape before getting exiled?

Or was it something else?

I didn't dare think further.

I stayed curled up in the corner. Through the darkness, I silently watched those golden eyes.

For the rest of the night, I no longer felt cold or afraid.

The heavy sound of his breathing no longer felt threatening. Instead, it became oddly comforting. I felt protected like never before.

At the break of dawn, sunlight spread across the horizon and slipped through the high window.

I blinked my tired eyes.

The black wolf at the door was gone.

It was as if it had never been there at all.

There were no paw prints or lingering scent in the air, but I knew it hadn't been a dream.

The extinguished torch still lying on the stone floor and the faint trace of excretion in the air reminded me that he had been here.

The one who sentenced me to death was also the one who protected me.

Even so, he hadn't given me so much as a glance.

I didn't understand what he was trying to do.

I no longer dared to hope either.

All I could do was wait quietly for death to come.