Chapter 4

That night, the howl was loud enough to wake me, and close enough to make me tremble. I sat up in bed, terrified, my heart pounding inside my chest like a drum. The same sound filled my ears and made it difficult to hear the clamor beyond the window. I didn’t know if it was near midnight or close to dawn, but I realized two things. First, I had not heard a single human voice yet. Second, that beastly sound was not far away. Another howl froze my blood. Closer this time. I clutched the thick blanket tightly and got out of bed, forcing myself to look outside, pulling the curtain aside just enough. The pale nighttime glow of the clouds helped me make out the nearby shapes of the trees once my eyes adjusted to the darkness. It could have been my imagination, but I saw something move—a shadow darker than the night itself. Startled, I left the bedroom and stepped closer to the terrace to see better. I leaned forward, brushing strands of hair away from my face. At first, it was easy to blame it on a bad dream… The next sound was not a single howl, but several, all around the mansion. But what was happening? I couldn’t see anything. The dead silence between each sound was almost more terrifying than the howls themselves. Still, curiosity overcame fear. I put on a satin robe the color of bone and went downstairs to the main hall, determined to find the source of those strange noises, until I reached the bronze latch of the front door. It was unlocked. My fingers wrapped around the handle, and I pulled, just enough to feel the freezing wind against my face and look outside. Something moved at incredible speed in front of the trees, and I slammed the door shut, trying not to scream and give myself away. Whatever those creatures were, they sounded canine—growls and cries everywhere, like a pack of playful hounds. Except much, much bigger. What had happened to the servants? Had they all vanished? Or were they sleeping so deeply that they had no idea wild animals were prowling around us? Was I the only one who could hear them? It couldn’t be. They were making far too much noise, far too close to us. My hands started shaking. Was this a nightmare, then? After a hundred heartbeats, everything stopped. The only thing left was the faint whistle of the wind through the forest. I waited another hundred heartbeats before opening the door again. I even gathered enough courage to step outside and stand on the staircase. That empty silence did not feel normal. My heart was still pounding hard, but I kept walking down until I reached the fresh snow. And there, in the darkness, I saw them immediately. Footprints. So many of them. Huge ones. Part of me still believed it was nothing more than a dream, because I left the safety of the mansion barefoot and defenseless, wearing nothing but a long nightgown and a robe over my shoulders. Fear settled quickly inside my stomach. It was as if everyone had disappeared. And even though I hadn’t heard him approach, I felt he was there. “What are you doing?” The voice came from behind me. That deep, rough sound pierced straight through me. I screamed and turned around immediately to find a gigantic figure looming over me. Wrapped in an ominous darkness like Death itself. I took a step back, finally aware of the cutting cold beneath the soles of my feet. His shoulders were trembling—perhaps with anger. A glimmer of silver eyes deep inside the fur-lined hood sent chills down my spine. “Artem!” I gasped, frozen in place. “I heard something strange, and—” He struck the wheel of the car parked near the entrance with the tip of his boot and barked: “GO BACK INSIDE!” A guttural growl underlined his words. Frightened, I tried to explain that I was fine, but he was faster and caught me above the elbow. His hand wrapped completely around my arm, making it look like a thin little stick in his grip. Without effort, my husband pushed me toward the entrance and up the stairs, shoving me roughly back inside the mansion. A strong smell of wet dog hit my nose like a wave. It was awful. I turned to apologize, but Artem grabbed the door handle in one sharp motion and barked: “STAY THERE!” Then came the slam of the door. He stormed away quickly, heavy footsteps disappearing fast, and then I heard agitated voices speaking in his language. At last, the faint glow of lanterns broke through the darkness. I couldn’t say how long I stood there, frozen with fear and humiliation, but it must have been quite a while. The last thing I remember was crawling back into bed and crying myself to sleep in silence, finally letting go of the tension that had been crushing my soul ever since I lost my freedom. Which, ironically, had happened long before that marriage.