Sylvia raised her hand to fondly touch the wolf. "Are you here to send me off, darling?" She muttered, half-conscious and half-not.

But unexpectedly… the wolf answered her back…

​​

"NO. I am here to take you with me." The animal's deep husky voice sounded, gruff and unmistakably male.

"Did he just talk to me?" Sylvia blinked, wondering if she was imagining things.

She looked at the wolf, peering into its deep blue eyes that were similar to her own.

In her current state, she wouldn't be too surprised if she was delirious and was just seeing things that didn't exist.

But the wolf surprised her once again and it grinned like a human being. "When you can talk why can't I?"

"Umm… I am a human being? And you are a beast?"

The wolf shook its head, letting out a soft chuckle. "Oh, you poor thing. You don't even know who you are."

"What… what did you just say?" Sylvia trembled.

"Sigh… Just go to sleep now. We will have plenty of time to talk later."

The wolf took another step forward and snapped its mouth and Sylvia felt a wave of tiredness taking over her.

She tried her best to remain alert and conscious. She knew that she needed to escape now somehow, but it was beyond her strength.

Her head dropped on the floor, everything else a blur. She had no idea what happened next.

She only heard bits and pieces. Glimpses flashed past her eyes that were barely open.

The snow white wolf morphed into a man with silver hair, who muttered something.

Sylvia felt her body being lifted up.

"Thanks for the teleportation circle geezers." Someone said, his voice was also a deep husky one like the wolf.

"Attack his barrier."

"How did he get in here?"

"Such a strong barrier."

The old men scrambled on their feet, trying to muster up every bit of their power but their eyes showed fear.

Loud thundering noises rumbled and blinding lights flashed.

Sylvia felt her headache and she finally let go, completely losing consciousness.

In her dream, she felt as if she was being submerged in something warm and nourishing. All her wounds were slowly getting healed.

The pain that had been plaguing her for days disappeared, replaced by a comfortable feeling.

She could finally breathe. She was flying like a bird in the sky, free and unfettered.

Ughh… Sylvia stirred awake slowly.

She almost didn't want to wake up from that pleasant dream which felt like heaven.

But unfortunately… it was time to face the cruel reality again… the prison and her dark and bleak future.

She woke up, and she rubbed her eyes as they tingled from the bright sunlight.

Sylvia shuddered, suddenly realizing that something was amiss. She jolted up and flashed her eyes open in a panic.

Bright light flooded into her eyes but she didn't care because this meant that she was alive and more importantly, she was outside.

But what was the point of it all… if she was just still with them… to be held as a captive for life?

She clutched her chest and rubbed her eyes vigorously, cursing them to clear up. She needed to see where she was.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she felt the weight of that small hope in her chest. She knew that there was no way it could be true but still…

"Slow down. Slow down. Are you alright? You are safe now. Slow down."

Sylvia trembled as she once again heard the familiar deep husky voice which she thought only existed in her dreams.

And when she opened her eyes, she could now see…

The shackles on her wrists and the cuffs around her legs were no longer there.

The smell of the damp and the dingy prison was replaced by fresh cool air. Her mind was clear and her heart felt light.

The abyss of pain she was drowning in, her energy and life slowly being sucked dry had disappeared altogether.

A gorgeous gurgling brook ran beside her and she seemed to be sitting on top of its grassy shore.

And lastly…

Standing in front of her was the familiar snow white wolf, or rather it was a silver wolf.

Its body was covered in blue runes, its fur sparkling splendidly under the bright sunlight.

"What happened?" Sylvia asked, touching everything, including the grass, the mud, the dirt, the small rocks.

She touched them slowly, and carefully, her hand gently grazing over them as if she was hesitantly trying to ascertain if this was indeed reality.

"I saved you from those geezers. You should first say thank you." The wolf licked its mouth lazily, revealing a cocky grin.

Sylvia giggled even though several thoughts swirled in her mind. Without the pain that plagued her very soul, she felt light and free.

"Alright. Let me thank you first." She shuffled herself closer to the animal that was laying beside her, half its paw in the cool waters of the brook.

She hugged it tightly and planted a light kiss on its neck, not noticing the surprised expression on the wolf's face.

"Thank you. I owe you my life. Thank you." She smiled and whispered.

She had only meant to thank the beast, but in the end, her voice croaked and without her permission tears dripped from her eyes.

She silently cried, relieving the grievances of her heart. She had suffered too much these past few days, beyond what she was capable of withstanding.

She hugged the wolf tightly and cried to her heart's content.

The wolf or rather Roman sighed.

The damn girl was ruining his fur. Nevertheless, he didn't move and he allowed her to settle down a little.

He had actually expected a volley of questions to be thrown at him but it looked like the girl was not herself just yet.

So he sighed and patiently stared at the brook, playing with his paw in the waters. Has she completely forgotten that I am a grown ass man?