All Chapters of THE CHOSEN ONE: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

AIYANAMy fingers trembled as I pulled it out.Inside, there were only two things.A photo my mother, smiling with a beautiful pregnant belly, her eyes so full of life they seemed to follow me and the necklace she left for me. A crescent moon pendant, small, but my greatest treasure.I picked up the photo carefully, as if the old paper might fall apart beneath my fingers. For a moment, everything around me vanished. I could only see her. The sparkle in her eyes, her loose hair dancing in the wind. She looked so alive in that image it made my chest ache.Then I took the necklace and placed it around my neck with an almost ceremonial care. When it touched my skin, something inside me settled. As if a missing piece had finally found its place.I heard the creak of the steps.I stood up, closed the box, and put it back in the hiding spot. I replaced the board, pulled the rug over it, and turned toward the door."Ready?" Max asked, his voice low but steady.I nodded. And we left.The wood

AIYANAWe left before dawn. The mist was still kissing the asphalt when the refuge faded behind us, swallowed by the gray darkness of the forest. Three cars, one destination: the Sámi village. Or, as the elders still whisper, the savages.“Nervous?” he asked, eyes never leaving the road.I gave him my best relaxed-dog look, but I’m pretty sure it came off more like a needy puppy.“Aren’t you?” I murmured, resting my head against the cold glass.In the back seat, Alyssa was dozing off, the little boy curled up like a pup.Max, Isabela, Birguit, and the teenager, Caleb, that’s his name were in the car

AIYANAThe smell of roasted meat blended with the strong, sweet scent of Tuuri’s cigar, filling the cabin with a haze that made the air feel oddly comforting.Seated around an old wooden table, worn by time, Max, Icarus, Grandma Aldrich and I shared a meal like old comrades… or at least we tried to.Tuuri watched us from the other side of the smoke, his eyes gleaming with that insane sparkle of someone who knew more than he let on.If this place were a version of Wonderland, Tuuri would be some chaotic mix between the Mad Hatter and the Caterpillar. The only difference? No one here offered tea.As I chewed on a juicy piece of meat, I noticed Kamari, Tuuri’s second-eldest daughter m

AIYANAWe moved quickly to the back of the tent. The sound of screams and chaos outside was louder now, like a rising roar of ferocity and fury. Those creatures, the wolves altered by dark magic, were getting closer by the second.Tuuri’s tent, with its wooden beams and heavy fabrics, felt like a safe haven compared to what awaited us beyond. But stepping outside, the feeling of freedom was fleeting, an illusion that vanished as quickly as it came.As we slipped past the edge of the tent, the darkness of night swallowed our steps. The surrounding trees were wrapped in thick mist, and the screams outside seemed amplified by the eerie silence around us.Icarus looked ahead and gave a subtle signal for us to move quickly and si

AIYANAWaking up felt like swimming through honey, thick, slow, sticky.Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the canvas, bathing the inside of the tent in gold, a reminder that the darkness had lifted. A new day.I was still lying on the plush rugs, the warmth of the wool against my skin barely masking the cold that came from within.My grandmother sat beside me, her long, calloused fingers braiding something she didn’t even seem to see. Her eyes darted across the tent, avoiding mine."Grandma...?" My voice came out weak, but it was enough to make her freeze.She stopped braiding.Her lips tightened, f