WonNovels

Chapter 1: The Good Deed on a Snowy Night

The blizzard warning had been up all day.

By the time Clara finished her evening shift at the library and drove onto the road flanked by forest leading to the suburbs, the scattered snowflakes had turned into a dense, heavy snowstorm. Her headlights could only illuminate a few feet ahead in the whiteout night.

She was eager to get home. Today was her and boyfriend Mark's third anniversary. A carefully chosen gift was in the trunk, and she could imagine the candlelight dinner Mark had prepared and the possible surprise proposal waiting back in the warm apartment.

Life was so perfect, plain yet happy.

Until her headlights swept across a snowbank on the roadside, and a massive black shadow flashed past.

Clara instinctively slammed on the brakes. The car skidded on the slippery road, coming to a precarious stop on the shoulder. Reason told her she should drive away immediately; stopping in the middle of nowhere in this weather was extremely stupid. But an intense feeling of unease drove her to open the car door.

The cold wind, mixed with snow pellets, instantly poured into her collar, biting cold.

She turned on her phone flashlight and trudged through the deep snow toward the shadow.

When the beam of light fell upon it, Clara gasped.

It was a wolf. A giant black wolf, larger than any she had ever seen, its size defying reason. It lay in a pool of blood, its left hind leg clamped tight by a rusty old bear trap. The steel teeth were embedded deep into the flesh, bone visible, blood staining a large patch of snow red.

It must have been trapped here for a long time; its breathing was weak, its originally smooth black fur matted with ice.

Hearing footsteps, the giant wolf struggled to lift its head.

Clara thought she would see the fear or ferocity of a dying beast, but she was wrong. Those eyes glowing in the dark—one icy blue, one molten gold (heterochromia setting, adding mystery)—were staring coldly at her.

There was no begging in that look, only a proud scrutiny belonging to a king. As if even if it were to die the next second, it would never bow to fate.

Clara was awed by that look.

"Don't be afraid..." She found herself squatting down, her voice trembling in the wind and snow, "I'll help you."

She didn't know where she got the courage. She threw off her gloves and gripped the bone-chilling bear trap with both hands. It was a powerful spring device requiring immense strength to pry open.

The giant wolf didn't move, just quietly watching this fragile human girl's face turn red in the wind and snow, using all her strength to wrestle with the steel.

Click.

After agonizing minutes, the trap finally loosened a fraction.

Just as Clara was about to give it one last push to pry it open, an accident happened. The rusty mechanism suddenly snapped back, the sharp edge cutting a deep gash in her palm.

"Hiss—"

Blood instantly welled up, dripping onto the snow, and onto the giant wolf's wound.

In that instant, a strange, electric shiver penetrated Clara's entire body. The sound of wind and snow around them seemed to stop for a second, and the air was filled with an indescribable scent—like ancient forest, damp earth, and a faint trace of... rose fragrance?

The giant wolf on the ground jerked its body violently. Its heterochromatic pupils instantly contracted, staring dead at Clara, as if to see through her soul.

That was the look of a wolf species confirming its Fated Mate, but Clara at this moment knew nothing. She only felt a wave of inexplicable palpitations and dizziness.

She endured the pain and discomfort, exerted force again, and finally pried the bear trap completely open.

"Go quickly." She said weakly, sitting down in the snow.

The giant wolf struggled to stand up. Its size was even more oppressive when standing, its shadow almost completely engulfing Clara. It gave her one last deep look, a look so complex it was unreadable—there was shock, struggle, and a trace of... feverish possessiveness?

Then, it turned and limped away, disappearing into the boundless wind and snow.

When Clara got back to the car, her whole body was shaking. She briefly bandaged her palm, the dizziness getting stronger. She thought it was caused by blood loss and cold.

What she didn't know was that the moment her blood mingled with the Wolf King's blood, an ancient and domineering magical contract had been established.

And as the price for a mortal forcibly intervening in the Wolf King's fate, a cruel "backlash" curse was quietly descending.

Chapter 2: The Vanished Twenty-Four Years

The next morning, Clara woke up freezing.

The apartment heating seemed to be broken. Groggily, she reached out to touch Mark by the bed, but touched empty space.

"Honey?"

She sat up and found something wrong in the bedroom. Mark's clothes were gone, the photo of their third anniversary on the nightstand vanished, leaving only an empty frame.

An ominous premonition welled up in her heart. She grabbed her phone, wanting to call Mark, but found the phone showed "No Service."

She walked out of the bedroom; the living room was empty, as if no one had ever lived here.

Just then, the door opened. Mark walked in, carrying breakfast.

"Mark! Where did you go? Scared me to death, why are things at home..."

Clara welcomed him pleasantly surprised, wanting to hug him.

However, Mark looked like he saw something dirty, suddenly took a step back, eyes filled with strangeness and vigilance.

"Who are you? Why are you in my house?"

Clara froze, smile stiff on her face. "Mark, stop joking. Today isn't April Fool's Day. I'm Clara, your girlfriend."

"Clara?" Mark frowned, as if hearing the name for the first time, "Miss, I don't know you at all. You are trespassing, please leave immediately, or I'm calling the police."

His eyes were icy cold, completely devoid of any past warmth. That wasn't pretending; he really didn't know her anymore.

Clara was kicked out of the apartment. She stood on the street in the cold wind, wearing thin pajamas, holding only that phone with no signal.

Panic began to spread. She hailed a taxi, headed straight for her parents' house.

"Mom! Dad!" She opened the door with the spare key, rushing into the home where she had lived for twenty-four years.

Parents eating breakfast looked at this suddenly intruding "crazy woman" in horror.

"You... who are you? How do you have my house key?" Mother held a rag in hand, scared backing away step by step.

"Mom, I'm Clara! Your daughter!" Clara cried wildly, she rushed to the photo wall in the living room.

There recorded bits and pieces from her childhood to adulthood. First walk, first graduation, family portrait...

However, now only the photo of parents two people left on the wall. All photos about her disappeared.

"We don't have a daughter." Father picked up the phone, "Madam, please leave, we are calling the police."

The next few hours were the most terrifying nightmare in Clara's life.

She went to the bank, teller told her no such person found, her account didn't exist.

She went to the library where she worked, colleagues looked at her like looking at a stranger, someone else sat at her workstation.

She took out the ID card from wallet, photo and name on it fading at speed visible to naked eye, finally becoming a whiteboard.

Traces of twenty-four years wiped clean overnight.

She became a ghost in this world. A transparent person with no past, no identity, no one remembers.

Night fell, Clara curled up on park bench, cold and hungry. She looked at lights of thousands of houses in city, but not a single light was lit for her.

She remembered that black wolf last night. Those heterochromatic eyes.

It's that curse.

She saved an existence that shouldn't be saved, the world to correct this mistake, erased her.

Chapter 3: The Only Truth

Three days.

Clara didn't know how she survived these three days. She was like a rat crossing street, avoiding strange looks of police and passersby. She rummaged for food from trash cans, slept under bridge at night.

Once exquisite life, loving girl, quickly withered into a dirty homeless woman.

Despair drowned her like tide. If whole world forgot her, then what's the point of her living?

On a night of heavy snow, she somehow walked back to that roadside. Back to forest edge where she saved that wolf.

Here was where everything started, should also be where it ends.

She was too tired, too cold. She leaned under a fir tree covered with thick snow, consciousness began to dissipate. Hypothermia made her no longer feel cold, instead have a kind of false warmth.

Just sleep like this, she thought. Anyway no one would care.

Just when her consciousness about to fall into dark abyss, bursts of heavy footsteps crushing snow came.

A warm breath sprayed on her face.

Clara opened eyes with difficulty.

A huge black beast stood in front of her. Its fur shining black in snow night, those signature heterochromatic pupils—ice blue and molten gold—were looking at her quietly.

Wound on its left hind leg already scabbed, but walking still a bit lame.

It's him.

Clara wanted to scream, wanted to run away, but her body already frozen stiff.

Giant wolf didn't attack her. It lowered huge head, close to her neck fossa, sniffed deeply.

Its nose breath warm and moist, carrying a faint bloody smell and... that kind of rain-after rose fragrance she smelled that night that made her soul dream?

No, that wasn't smell on its body.

That was smell it smelled on her body. Smell belonging to fated mate.

A low, extremely complex whimper came from giant wolf throat. Like confirming some lost and found treasure.

It suddenly stepped back, spat out something from mouth, dropped in Clara's arms.

That was a wild rabbit still carrying body temperature, just bitten to death.

Clara was stunned. She looked at food in arms, then looked at beast in front.

"You... remember me?"

Her voice hoarse, tears burst out instantly. Scalding tears slid across frozen cheeks, bringing bursts of stinging pain.

Giant wolf didn't answer. It walked forward, huge body lie down beside her, like a windbreak wall, circling her between its warm abdomen and thick fur.

It stuck out rough tongue, clumsy but gentle licked away tears on her face.

At that moment, Clara collapsed crying. She buried face into beast fur carrying wild atmosphere, crying heart-rendingly.

Parents forgot her, lover forgot her, whole world abandoned her.

Only this beast she casually saved, crossed boundless wind and snow, found her.

In this fake world, this beast's body temperature became her only truth.

Chapter 4: Infiltrating the Wolf's Den

Clara survived in the forest. It all depended on that black wolf she called "Nightshade."

He took her to an abandoned hunter's cabin deep in the forest. Although dilapidated and leaky, it barely sheltered wind and snow. Every night, he would bring food—sometimes wild rabbits, sometimes surprisingly still warm roasted chicken wrapped in oil paper, even clean blankets got from nowhere.

Clara was like a human pet kept by Wolf King.

She no longer felt afraid. In this world that abandoned her, this beast was her only reliance. Only late at night, when his huge body blocked at small cabin door to keep watch, could she barely fall asleep in sound of his breathing.

But she knew she couldn't hide here forever being a savage. She needed to return to human society, figure out what exactly happened to her.

Turning point appeared in early morning of fifth day.

Nightshade brought a thick cashmere scarf last night. When Clara wrapped it to keep warm, she accidentally found a corner of scarf embroidered with exquisite silver logo: A stylized wolf head, below was a line of small words—APEX Industries.

APEX. This city's most colossal, most mysterious business empire. Rumor had it its ruler Eamon Valerius was a cold-blooded, powerful tyrant.

Clara's heart beat accelerated. This wolf, had connection with that business empire? Was it watchdog there? Or some big shot's lost pet?

Anyway, this was a clue. The only clue.

That evening, Clara bid farewell to forest. Wearing that ill-fitting old coat, wrapped in that expensive scarf, she sneaked into city night color like a ghost.

She found that curse had a "benefit"—she became a truly transparent person. Because no identity information, she couldn't take public transport, couldn't stay in hotel. But also because no matter what she did, people would forget her turn head, so she could easily pass some lax security checks.

She was like a BUG in system.

Clara came to APEX Tower located in city center. That soaring black glass curtain wall building, like a dormant steel behemoth in night color.

She was cold and hungry. Seeing a cleaner pushing a cart out from side door of building, she somehow slipped in. She didn't want to do anything bad, she was just too hungry, wanted to go to top floor pantry of those overtime elites, steal some biscuits or instant coffee.

To survive, former morality already thrown to back of head by her.

Chapter 5: First Encounter

2 AM, APEX Tower top floor CEO office.

Eamon Valerius sat behind wide desk, rubbing distended and painful temples.

His state recently very wrong. Since that snowstorm night, he woke up from coma in forest, he became extremely irritable.

A fire seemed to burn in his body. That primitive instinct belonging to Alpha Wolf King—desire to kill, desire to possess, desire to destroy—was impacting his human reason with unprecedented intensity.

Worse, a smell always lingered in his mind.

An extremely weak, yet could instantly ignite all his nerves... Rain-after Rose aroma.

That taste sweet, fresh, carrying a hint of rain moisture and soil fishy smell. It was like top drug, making him addicted, making him crazy, making him want to find source regardless of everything, then ruthlessly take for himself.

But his human memory empty. He didn't remember seeing any woman with this taste.

This made him feel uncontrollable rage.

"Damn it."

Eamon cursed low, pushed away mountainous documents, stood up walking to exclusive pantry, want to pour cup of ice water to calm down.

Moment he pushed open pantry door, that rose aroma that tortured him for days suddenly became ten times stronger, exploded like bomb in front of him.

Muscles all over his body instantly tightened, ice blue pupils contracted into pinpoints in dim light.

In corner of pantry, shrunk a woman.

She wore dirty ill-fitting coat, hair messy, dust on face, like a frightened mouse. Her hand was tightly clutching a pack of just opened soda crackers, biscuit crumbs still stuck around mouth.

Four eyes met.

Clara looked in horror at this man suddenly appeared in front. He was tall, handsome almost evil, a body of handmade custom black suit radiated cold aura stranges shouldn't enter.

But what made her most terrified was his eyes—those ice blue eyes, cold without a trace of temperature.

These eyes very familiar. But when that wolf looked at her, although proud, carried temperature. While this man, looking at her like looking at pile of garbage.

"Who are you?"

Eamon's voice cold like ice slag. His reason told him this was just a homeless person who didn't know how sneaked in, or a clumsy commercial spy. He should immediately call security throw her out, or directly call police.

But his body betrayed him.

That damn fragrance continuously emitted from this dirty woman, drilled into his pores, ignited his blood.

Wolf inside him roaring madly: It's her! Is ours! Catch her! Don't let her run!

Violent conflict between reason and instinct made Eamon's expression become a bit ferocious.

"Sorry... I was just too hungry..." Clara wanted to retreat, but behind was wall.

Eamon strode forward, grabbed her wrist. His movement rough, without trace of pity.

"Ah!" Clara cried out in pain.

Moment skin touched, electric-like shivering sensation spread through whole body of two people.

Eamon seemed to be scalded, but didn't let go, instead grabbed tighter. He pulled her in front, lowered head, nearly rudely sniffed at side of her neck.

Correct, it's this taste.

This discovery made him even angrier. He dignified Wolf King, APEX Emperor, actually would react to such a lowly homeless woman? This simply奇耻大辱 (great shame).

"Who sent you? Who made you get this taste to seduce me?" He pressed her on wall, voice low and dangerous, carrying rage of being offended.

Clara completely couldn't understand what he was saying. She only felt fear and humiliation.

"Let go of me! I don't know you! I just wanted to eat something..." Her tears fell down.

Seeing her tears, Eamon heart somehow twitched. That irritability even more.

He suddenly let go hand, threw her away like throwing garbage. Clara hit cabinet beside, circle of blue purple finger marks quickly appeared on wrist.

"Get out." Eamon turned back, voice cold hard, "Before I change mind send you to prison, immediately disappear from my sight."

Clara enduring tears and severe pain in wrist, grabbing that pack of unfinished biscuits, fled in panic from that place full of oppression.

She fled back to dark cold street.

This man too terrible. How could he and that wolf be the same? No, absolutely not. Wolf was her guardian spirit, while this person, a complete devil.

Chapter 6: Nocturnal Comfort

Clara didn't dare stay in city anymore. She dragged exhausted body, fled back to forest small cabin before dawn.

She curled up in corner, looking at shocking blue purple on wrist. That man's strength amazing large, almost crushed her bones.

Grievance and despair surged up heart again. She didn't understand what she did wrong, why whole world treat her like this.

"Wu..."

Familiar low whine came from outside door.

Huge black shadow squeezed into narrow wooden cabin. Nightshade came.

It seemed exceptionally anxious tonight. It circled around Clara soon as entered door, nose sniffing nonstop on her body.

When it smelled that rough breath belonging to "strange male" (actually its own human fo