Chapter 4:The Wolf's Embrace

 The air seemed to freeze, and no matter how many strategies Wan Ou usually had, in the presence of this primal beast, all she could feel was fear, the kind that made her tears fall uncontrollably.

She sobbed silently.

It stared at her in silence.

They stayed like this for a long while, and then, slowly, the wolf crouched down and lay at her feet. With its wet paw, it patted the spot in front of it.

It wanted her to lie facing it… was this the same position the beautiful woman had been in under it earlier?

Wan Ou was stunned, and her tears flowed even harder.

"Howl—"

That howl completely broke her. She collapsed, crying uncontrollably.

The wolf's green eyes widened, and the sight of its frail shoulders heaving seemed like a forgotten dream from long ago. Suddenly, it pulled her into its embrace, using its thick, fur-covered paw to pat her back.

The white fur brushed against her face. Her tears soaked its soft, gentle chest fur, as if they had fallen directly onto its heart.

Why wasn't it her King Kong?

Being held by a wolf made her feel a sense of utter despair. It was ruthless. She didn't know when she had become the main course on its feast table. She didn't want to be devoured like some helpless "white bone spirit" ready to be served on a wolf's platter.

Calm down!

She forced herself to stabilize her emotions. Right now, her entire body was trapped in the wolf's grasp. She had no idea where they were. Earlier, she had been too absorbed in watching the raw display of "Beauty and the Beast" to pay attention to the terrain.

Failure!

She scolded herself quietly. Whether animal or human, desires were truly destructive. She should have sensed the situation before idly staying here. Regret was useless now. She needed to turn her fear into courage and escape as soon as possible—it was the only way to survive.

It turned out it wanted her to sleep beside it. Once she understood its intentions, Wan Ou gently stroked its snow-white fur.

"You want me to lie here with you, watching the moonlight, don't you?"

A woman and a male wolf lay side by side in the room. The moonlight poured in through the window, casting a gentle glow on them. Wan Ou had imagined romantic moonlit nights with a man, but never had she thought of spending such a moment with a male wolf.

As she saw the wolf's gaze soften, Wan Ou realized she was right. For an animal stronger than herself, the best strategy was to gain its trust and then destroy it—but then again, maybe escaping was the better option.

"I'll stay with you, until the day you grow old," she whispered softly, almost ashamed to use a line from a love song, trying to soothe the half-awake beast.

When the first light of dawn poured in through the window, Wan Ou had already escaped from the room. Lying motionless on the cold floor, she had spent several agonizing hours sharing a bed with a wolf. She wasn't a romantic idealist. How could she, of all people, have to repeat the world's most romantic thing with a wolf—growing old together?

Running through the desolate landscape, the world seemed barren and empty, leaving her no time to think about where she was or how she had gotten there. Wan Ou just wanted to escape.

In the light of the rising sun, a small woman stumbled forward, but when she heard the familiar howl, her heart sank entirely.

"Howl—" The sound shattered the last remnants of her hope. Wanyou's world was coming to an end.