Winter Woods Novels & Stories

I blamed Derek's influence. The house was everything the listing had suggested and more. Stone exterior, wide windows, the kind of light that came in at multiple angles and made the interior feel like it was in conversation with the outside rather than separate from it. The garden had indeed gone to wilderness, beautiful wilderness, the kind that happened when something was left to its own devices long enough to develop opinions. Overgrown hedges. A stone path half-covered in moss. An apple tree at the far end that had clearly been there longer than any of the other things and considered itself the elder statesman of the situation.

Winter arrived in the Snow Fork Mountains with gentle snowfall and strong northern winds. Wayfinder moved camp further from the mountain and deeper into the forest, under the cover of trees. The mountains were dangerous this time of year, with avalanches and occasional flash floods that could decimate a camp like ours.

“Zayn MacQuoid, you can’t be this selfish! I’m working hard right now. I can’t have kids!” I compromised to quell her anger. I valued her career, but she resigned so that she could take care of Charles and Caleb better. Besides, she used the money I had saved for retirement for Caleb’s wedding. My leg hurt terribly during that winter, but I was too poor to see a doctor. Moreover, the temperature at home was freezing. It made me shiver. I tried calling Layla for money, but she hung up on me repeatedly. I could not hold on since I was old. In the end, I froze to death.

{TW: Family violence} The balcony overlooked the sprawling woods, now blanketed in a thick layer of pristine snow. The winter scene was breathtakingly beautiful, with the snow-covered treetops stretching out as far as the eye could see. The silence was profound, broken only by the occasional rustle of a bird or the distant creak of a tree swaying gently in the wind.

MAERWYNN POV The wind nipped at my cheeks as I rode into the woods, my horse’s hooves sinking into the frost-laden earth with each deliberate step. The familiar path was narrow and winding, framed by gnarled, ancient trees whose branches clawed toward the slate-gray sky. The scent of damp earth and decaying leaves lingered in the air, mingling with the crisp bite of winter that threatened to settle in the marrow of my bones.

Amante POV The deafening silence of the forest contests with the calmness of my winter breaths. The thick forest is dark with snow fog, gloomy, and chilly without any living things around other than the frozen podocarp conifers and southern beech trees. It is a wonder how those gigantic, sturdy, and massive hedges withstand in this frigid region. “Incredible, isn’t it?”, I mumbled, smirking boastfully at Maziar conscious of his awe of a lifetime.

Not the kind you dress for, but the kind that seeps through your skin and makes a home in your chest like frostbite. Winter is here in its fullest, cruelest form. The trees are nothing more than skeletal outlines, their branches stretched toward the gray sky like twisted hands pleading for mercy from the never ending chill. Not a single leaf clings to them anymore. Instead, the ground is a blanket of brittle decay with leaves long dead and forgotten, piled in thick drifts along a narrow, winding path that seems to lead nowhere.

It felt like something crashed into his chest and he knew that it was Hendrix’s growl. Winter heard the growl as well as she snapped another head from its body. She turned on her heels racing towards the sound. The fire caught her eyes quickly. She saw Hendrix pacing the other side of the tree aflamed, trying to find a way across. The death wolf watching him glaring and waiting.

Sleep didn’t come easily anymore. When I finally pulled away the blanket and stood, my legs felt half-frozen. The cabin was quiet, but I could sense the pack outside—silent and sharp-eyed. Watching. I slipped outside. The Cold Lands stretched out endlessly—mountains and silver woods covered in deep snow. But it wasn’t lifeless. I could hear bird sounds and see torchlight flickering along the outer walls. The Northwood pack wasn’t extinct, they were fierce and surviving. A movement caught my eye—up on the ridge. It was Aether Thorne

No wonder he couldn’t keep a smart girl like her. “Well, we have people who make the money for us while we relax,” I replied, taking the remote while I switched on the TV. We were getting comfortable watching the movie when a sudden loud scream came from Winter. This got me startled, and before I could process what was going on, she had landed on my lap. She squirmed on my lap while I held her tightly. I didn’t say anything while she was on my lap, as she was clearly looking troubled. When she calmed down to look at me, we were barely inches apart.