While I was at my desk, going over some subjects, I overheard a group of girls talking about a tree, which appeared to be magical, with leaves of a bluish hue, on the banks of the Relva River. I wondered if this could be the same tree my mother had told me about years ago. The thing is, this tree was located on our property, on private land. This made me question why that girl was there.

I never really believed in magic stories. I was quite skeptical about all of that. However, something about that conversation piqued my interest. One of them was recounting that she had witnessed a ritual being performed at that location during the early hours of the morning. The others questioned her as to why she was there at that hour. After all, it was an isolated place, there isn't much to see besides the landscape, but during the early hours of the morning, it was certainly quite unusual.

"It doesn't matter what I was doing there. What really matters is that it was quite strange to witness those women dressed in white, holding candles and dancing around the tree. I'm sure that tree is magical. The scene gave me goosebumps and, to this day, when I remember what was happening there, I get the same feeling. It felt like the song was being etched into my soul."

"You're being very superstitious. In a few days, there will probably be a video on the internet with these same characteristics. It's quite possible that you were filming something for a specific purpose."

"I can assure you there was no one filming. They were just dancing and singing a song I had never heard before, in a language I'd never heard spoken. And the tree seemed to glow."

At that moment, the teacher walked in and everyone fell silent, returning to their seats. However, that situation continued to occupy my thoughts. What if this tree really was magical? If it could actually grant wishes? All I needed was one opportunity. And I would be willing to risk everything for it, including my own freedom, knowing that this was the possible consequence if I was caught.

My father would confine me to the house, and I would only be allowed to leave on my wedding day. I wondered why I had to be the firstborn. It would all have been so different if it were my sister. She was excited about the idea of my father choosing a suitor for her, which could only happen after my marriage, according to another idiotic rule.

My sister was, in this case, counting the days until I got married as soon as possible. My family had an endless list of rules, and even though we are in such an advanced century, some of them remain unchanged, some are remarkably archaic.

We are part of a closed organization, in which members marry each other. There is no direct kinship between couples, eliminating any possibility of consanguineous marriage. However, this is still a deeply archaic tradition. From birth, the firstborn child was promised to someone chosen by the leaders of the organization. Even when we reach adulthood, we are not free to break this commitment, as this would bring dishonor to our family and put them at risk of being expelled from the organization.

I never agreed with this practice, however, to refuse the husband chosen by the organization would represent the destruction of all that my family knew. Furthermore, it would mean losing everything we have achieved so far.

The boy I was promised to I barely knew. Although he had never treated me badly, I longed for a marriage based on love. I wanted to be with someone by choice and not because of some idiotic agreement that had been made at the time of my birth.

I wanted to experience the butterflies in my stomach, the feeling of sweaty hands, the shiver down my spine, and the constant longing to be near someone, the way the books I secretly read described. I didn't want to just lie in a bed and give myself to a husband who had not been my choice.

I craved that fire, that passion, the urgency you only feel when you're close to someone you love. However, with each passing day, that seemed to be getting further and further away from me, and I was beginning to lose hope...until I heard that conversation.

I've never had any friends. I was known as a model student, labeled by the other students as a "nerd", for not mixing. I was forbidden from forming bonds with people who were not within our circle, and friendship was considered one of those forbidden bonds. To this day, I don't understand what it is they wanted to hide so much.

After dinner, I waited until everyone was asleep. However, as I got ready to leave, I noticed my mother saying goodbye to my father, wearing a long white dress. I waited until my father entered his room, and set out towards that magical tree. I was surprised to see an entourage of women dressed just like my mother, holding lit candles and following the same direction I was headed.

I kept my distance to avoid being discovered. It was a considerable walk and there were countless women, singing a song in soft voices that, as the girl in my class mentioned, seemed to touch the soul. However, it was a language I didn't understand, something I never knew my mother spoke.

After a few hours there, singing that song, they blew out their candles and went back to their homes. Only then, when I was sure they were well away, did I approach that tree and admire it up close. I searched my heart for the one wish I hoped to have fulfilled and spoke it out loud. However, nothing actually happened, no sign of a gust of wind as I expected, no rustling of leaves, nothing out of the ordinary.

I was deeply disappointed to have risked so much in vain, and my disappointment was such that I ended up not paying attention to the roots of the tree. I tripped and, to avoid falling into the river, I leaned against its trunk, feeling an overwhelming energy draining me. I tried to pull away, but the more I resisted, the more intense this energy became, until finally, I was dragged into darkness.

I wasn't sure how long I had been unconscious, but when I finally opened my eyes, I was still lying near that tree, and the sound of the river's running water told me I was in trouble. I would have to explain to my parents where I was so late at night, but, at that moment, my concern had dissipated, because I was convinced that they were also hiding things from us, things we had a right to know.

While still lying there, I began to hear angry howls, sounds of something genuinely scary. It could be a wild animal, and it was very close. I started to run from it when I heard distant screams, but I couldn't identify where they were coming from. Only then did I realize that the tree was the same, but the place where I was was not.

That situation left me desperate, and I wondered why I hadn't listened to my mother. However, I needed to run and find a safe place, away from that beast, which I was sure would consider me a snack.

I ran toward the forest that stretched out before me, and when my breath grew ragged, I stopped and leaned against a tree, trying to catch my breath. At the same time, I examined the area around me. Everything was dark, and only the moonlight illuminated the path I was walking on. The tops of the trees were high, but I considered climbing them as a way to keep myself safe.

I heard some groans of pain, which made me think someone was hurt nearby. Still frightened, I began to search for the source of those sounds, and to my surprise, I came across a completely naked man, sitting and leaning against the trunk of one of the trees. I approached him slowly, wondering what had happened to make him be without clothes. Even from a considerable distance, he noticed my approach.

He gave me a strange look, something threatening that scared me. However, I was somehow able to visualize the wound on his shoulder, which was bleeding profusely. My professional instinct kicked in quickly. Although he tried to get up, I managed to act faster, placing my hand on his unharmed shoulder and instructing him to remain seated.

Surprised, he stared at me in silence. I looked for something I could use to tear a part of my dress and stop the bleeding from the wound. Right next to him, I found a knife. For a moment, I hesitated, wondering if he could be an aggressor, but in the medical field, we cannot judge an injured person in that way. I took the knife and, automatically, he held my hand in a tight grip.

"I won't hurt you. I need to use the knife to cut the fabric." I pointed to my own dress, and he watched me before letting go of my hand.

I took the knife and noticed how sharp it was, besides being heavier than usual for a knife. I cut a sizable piece of fabric from the bottom of the dress, folded it over, and placed it over the wound. He cried out in pain as I pressed the fabric against the cut.

"Forgive me, but I need to stop the bleeding, otherwise, you could bleed to death."

I asked him to hold the cloth against the wound while I cut the other part of the dress. The cloth he was holding was already soaked with blood, but I noticed that the bleeding had subsided a little. With the clean cloth in hand, I held the one that was covering the wound and removed it to analyze the injury. It was a deep cut, possibly caused by the very knife that was there, and when I removed it, it caused the bleeding. He was watching my face intently.

"You're going to need stitches. You need a hospital. Do you know of any nearby where I can take you?" He looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language and he didn't understand anything I was saying. "Do you understand what I'm saying? Do you speak my language?"

"Get away from him, unless you wish to face my wrath!" I heard a menacing voice coming from behind me.

That voice sent shivers down my spine, because somehow I knew every word was true. My back was turned and I hadn't seen anyone approach. I took the injured man's hand and placed it over the cloth dressing, while holding out both my hands to show that I posed no threat. Then I stood up and moved away from the man who was on the ground. I noticed that the other man was also completely naked, and I wondered where I was that they were walking around naked like it was perfectly normal.

"Brother, she was only helping me." The newcomer examined me from head to toe as if I were some kind of exhibit. However, his incisive gaze burned me from the inside out, awakening sensations I had never experienced before.

"What happened?" The newcomer asked.

The injured boy faced the newcomer as if they were sharing a secret, something only they understood. The taller man approached the injured man and helped him to his feet, supporting his uninjured arm on his shoulder. I took a quick scan of the injured man, and when he tried to stand, he let out a sharp cry, startling the other man, who watched him without understanding.

"His foot is hurt, probably sprained or fractured. He's not going to be able to walk with his foot like that. If you're running from someone, I suggest you find another way to carry him." He looked at me and then exchanged a look with the other man, as if they were sharing some secret information.

While I was distracted, looking around for a possible way out for myself, the second man bent down and lifted the injured man, carrying him over his shoulders as if he were a sack of potatoes. If the injured man had any internal injuries, that could be fatal for him. I wondered what strange and unknown place I had stopped in.

"You can't carry him like that, you could make his injury worse!" I almost shouted to the taller man. He looked at me with an expression that made me fall silent, then he began to walk away, while I stood there, watching.

"I believe it is best to come with us if you want to survive here, woman!" He said rudely, while he was already a few meters away. Without much choice, I tried to keep up with him.

After walking for quite some time through the forest, they entered a cave. They must have been crazy to think I would step inside. When the larger man noticed I wasn’t following, he shot me a look.

"I’m not going into that cave; I have no idea what kind of creature could be in there, and I’m not too fond of dark places. I bet you can hardly see a hand in front of your face." I said, justifying myself.

"I hope you know how to start a fire, because this area has a lot of wolves, and they are not nearly as friendly as we are. As for my vision, it’s excellent in the dark." The injured boy laughed, though I didn't understand why.

Weighing my options, I decided I had a better chance of survival outside that cave, where I could at least see something. I simply sat at the cave entrance while the boy glanced at me one last time before continuing on, leaving me behind.

Since I couldn’t make friends at college, I spent my time in the library reading various books, some of them about survival. Therefore, I was aware that after finding water, my priority should be making fire. However, I had no tools to help me ignite one, so I would have to attempt the primitive method, using friction between two sticks. I wasn't sure I could do it, but I needed to try.

I was relieved to have kept that knife with me, as it would be very useful at the moment. I scraped some wood to create tinder and chose two sticks, beginning to rub them together in a drill-like motion. However, after several attempts, my arms were tired. I made one last try, and, with a stroke of luck, I finally succeeded.

A big smile spread across my face. That cave man would be surprised by me now. Remembering his voice sent a shiver down my spine. After a few hours there, I noticed the chill in the air. I stayed as close to the fire as possible to keep warm.

Yet, the place seemed even more frightening. I couldn’t see anything inside that cave, and outside, with the trees so close together, not much light from the moon filtered through. I began to hear howls, and the words of that man started haunting me. I grabbed a larger piece of wood from the fire and placed it closer to me, prepared to defend myself if necessary.

I began to hear growls, which frightened me and made my body tremble. I took the flaming piece of wood in one hand and the knife in the other. Before I knew it, five wolves larger than typical dogs stood before my fire. When they noticed me, the wolves began to growl in a more menacing way. I started taking steps back, trying to distance myself from them and moving deeper into the cave, but those creatures followed my every move.

One of the wolves lunged at me, but I thrust the flaming piece of wood in its direction, startling it and causing it to retreat. How was I going to escape this? I was spiraling into panic, unsure how to escape that situation when I felt my body collide with someone behind me. Instantly, I turned with my knife in hand, ready to face any attacker. However, nimble hands seized mine, causing the knife to drop to the ground. I didn’t know what that individual had done, but the wolves quickly backed off. I couldn't tell if my body trembled more from the cold or from fear.

From the moment I saw that woman, I knew she wasn’t an ordinary woman. My wolf sensed her scent, the aroma of peaches, from miles away. I was surprised to see her next to my brother, as the jealousy I felt was immense. When I told her to stay away from him, it wasn’t out of fear of what she might do to him, but rather what I might do to both of them.

It was becoming difficult to contain my wolf. He wanted to present himself to her; he desired to mark her as his. I couldn’t believe that he had chosen exactly that woman for himself. She didn’t even seem to be from here, but my wolf roared longingly within me.

“Mine” — was what he kept claiming, over and over.

She was practically naked, and I could imagine her entire body beneath that torn dress. It was difficult to control myself while I was bare. Normally, when we transformed, clothes were lost, and when I felt my brother needed help, I didn’t hesitate to come to him.

I decided to focus my attention on my brother first, and once I was more in control, I would deal with her. For now, I would completely ignore her and keep her at a distance for her own safety. My brother was captivated by that woman, not in a romantic way, but by the altruistic gesture with which she treated him, thinking he might die from the injury despite not knowing him.

My brother was utterly outraged when I left her at the cave entrance, but that was her choice, not mine. I had warned her about the wolves, and even so, she chose to stay. After a few hours, my parents asked me to check on her, and I was on my way to do so, but I kept that information to myself. To my surprise, she had managed to make a fire, but she wouldn’t survive the wolves or the rising cold.

It took only the wolves sensing my presence for them to back away quickly. When her body pressed against mine, a powerful energy coursed through me, the scent of her fear mingled with peaches. However, I wouldn’t yield to her so easily.

"You wouldn’t survive a single night alone in this forest," I said, irritated by her foolishness in wanting to be alone without even knowing how to defend herself. "Where did you get that knife?" My eyes spotted it before she could accidentally harm me. That knife was made of silver. I couldn’t just grab it.

"From your brother!" she replied, although she couldn’t see me clearly. The fire only partially lit the cave, and she looked quite frightened.

"Give me that knife before you cause an accident." I took off my shirt and wrapped it around the knife. Taking it directly would cause me severe burns. Now I understood why Paul still hadn’t healed. "Are you willing to come with me now?" I asked rudely, and I didn’t even know why I was angry. Maybe it was simply because she had put herself in danger like that. She just nodded in agreement.