Chapter 2: The stranger

"I didn't kill them," I whispered, clutching the silver dagger tighter. My voice broke, but my eyes stayed locked on the figure in front of me.

The stranger standing still, tall and cloaked, their face hidden beneath a dark hood. But their words cut through me like the blade I was holding.

"Perhaps you didn't," the stranger replied, their voice calm, almost mocking. "But they're dead because of you. The wolves won't care who swung the knife they only care that the last of your kind is still breathing."

My stomach twisted. I wasn't even sure if this person was human, wolf, or witch. Their scent was unfamiliar, their presence unnerving. But something about the way they spoke like they already knew my story made my blood run cold.

"What do you want?" I demanded, my voice trembling but firm at the same time.

The stranger stepped forward, their boots crunching against the ash-covered ground. "To warn you," they said. "You're walking straight into the jaws of your enemies, and you don't even realize it."

"I don't need your warnings." My grip tightened on the dagger, though it felt like a toy in my hands compared to the power of the wolves. "Who are you?"

"Someone who knows what you're up against." They paused, letting the silence stretch between us. "You think the witches raised you out of love? You think they kept you alive for your sake?"

I faltered, the stranger's words hitting a nerve I didn't know I had.

"They told me my life mattered. That I was important," I said, though the words felt hollow as I spoke them.

The stranger laughed bitterly. "Oh, you're important, all right. But not to them. You're just a pawn, Elara. A weapon. And the wolves... they're coming for you because they know what you are."

A shiver ran down my spine.

"What am I?"

The stranger leaned closer, their hood slipping slightly to reveal a pair of piercing, inhuman eyes. "Something that shouldn't exist," they said softly. "The child of two enemies. A wolf and a witch. You're an abomination to them all."

The words hit me like a punch to the chest. I staggered back, shaking my head. "That's not true. My mother"

"Your mother was a fool," the stranger interrupted. "And you'll die like her if you don't start using that brain of yours."

The dagger in my hand felt heavier now. My heart pounded as I tried to make sense of their words. Was this why the witches had been so secretive about my past? Was this why the wolves were hunting me?

Before I could ask more, the stranger stepped back into the shadows.

"Wait!" I called, panic rising in my throat. "Why are you telling me this? What do you want from me?"

"I want you to survive," they said, their voice fading as they disappeared into the darkness. "Because if you die, so does everything else."

I was left standing there, the dagger shaking in my hand, my mind racing with questions I couldn't answer.

The wind around me, carried the faint scent of wolves.

They were close.

I gritted my teeth, pushing down the fear clawing at my chest. If I was going to survive, I needed to be ready. I didn't know who I could trust, but one thing was clear now: the wolves weren't the only ones after me.

And if the stranger was right, my very existence could destroy the fragile balance of this dangerous world.

For the first time in my life, I wasn't sure whether to fight for my survival or fear it.