The Wolf's Game
A small sprig of moonpetal flowers.
I untie the thread, and the parchment unfurls. My mother’s handwriting spills across the page in elegant, curling strokes.
My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes.
I read.
‘Aria, my little wolf:
If you are reading this, then the path you walk has led you to the place I feared most, and the place I knew you would one day reach.’
My chest tightens painfully as I continue to read.
‘I have seen the Game. I have seen the goddess. I have seen the way fate twists itself around certain children, those born with too much strength, too much heart, too much destiny in their bones.’