Three Years of Silence

Chapter 5: Three Years of Silence

Her footsteps echoed faintly against the cold marble floor as she hurried down the corridor, her breath uneven, her body burning with unnatural heat.

“Not here… not now…”

She pressed a hand against the wall to steady herself.

Her vision blurred again.

The effects of the drug were getting worse.

Faster than she expected.

“I need air…”

Her voice was barely a whisper.

She forced herself forward, each step heavier than the last.

But just as she reached the end of the corridor—

Her body gave in.

Her knees buckled.

And darkness swallowed her whole.

—

When she opened her eyes again—

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

The faint sound of wind brushing against the windows filled the room.

Soft.

Cold.

Calming.

She blinked slowly, her mind sluggish.

“…Where… am I?”

Her voice came out weak.

Her body felt heavy—but the burning heat was gone.

Instead, a strange warmth lingered.

Different.

Not painful.

Not overwhelming.

Just… there.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

Something felt off.

Very off.

—

Memories didn’t come immediately.

Only fragments.

Broken pieces of the night before.

The party.

The drink.

The dizziness.

Running.

And then—

Darkness.

That was all.

Her heart tightened.

“…What happened after that?”

Silence answered her.

—

She slowly pushed herself up, her body stiff.

The room around her was unfamiliar.

Large.

Dark.

Cold.

Decorated with a simplicity that felt… intimidating.

Not elegant like a noble’s chamber.

But powerful.

Dominating.

Her breath hitched slightly.

“This place…”

A strange sense of danger crept into her chest.

As if she shouldn’t be here.

As if just being in this room was a mistake.

—

She pulled the blanket tighter around herself as she tried to stand—

And froze.

Her movements stopped completely.

Her mind went blank.

“…No.”

Her voice trembled.

Slowly—

Very slowly—

She looked down.

Bare skin.

Marks.

Faint.

But unmistakable.

Her heart dropped.

“No… no, no…”

Her fingers trembled as they brushed against her shoulder.

And then—

She saw it.

A mark.

Deep.

Possessive.

Burned into her skin like a brand.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Her entire body went cold.

“…This… this isn’t…”

But she already knew.

Even before the truth fully formed in her mind—

She knew.

—

A wolf.

Only marks one person in its lifetime.

Its mate.

Its forever.

—

Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

Her thoughts shattered.

Her worst fear—

The one thing she had tried to avoid for three years—

Had happened.

In one single night.

—

“I…”

Her voice broke.

“I avoided him…”

Three years.

Three years of careful planning.

Three years of distance.

Three years of silence.

All gone.

Destroyed.

In just one moment of weakness.

—

Tears slowly gathered in her eyes.

Not loud.

Not dramatic.

Just quiet.

Shaking.

“I didn’t even do anything…”

She hadn’t chased him.

Hadn’t used magic.

Hadn’t tried to trap him.

And yet—

The result was the same.

—

Her chest tightened painfully.

“Is this… fate?”

No matter what she did—

No matter how far she ran—

Would she always end up here?

—

A faint sound broke through her thoughts.

The door.

Opening.

Her body stiffened instantly.

Fear shot through her veins.

She turned toward the sound slowly.

And then—

He walked in.

—

Tall.

Dominating.

Wrapped in quiet power that filled the entire room.

Silver hair.

Golden eyes.

Sharp.

Cold.

And locked directly onto her.

—

Her breath stopped.

Her heart forgot how to beat.

—

The Wolf King.

—

For three years, she had avoided him.

For three years, he had been nothing more than a name.

A shadow.

A distant fear.

But now—

He was real.

Standing right in front of her.

Closer than she had ever imagined.

—

His gaze slowly traveled over her.

Careful.

Deliberate.

As if assessing something that belonged to him.

Her body tensed under his stare.

Fear.

Pure fear.

—

“…You’re awake.”

His voice was deep.

Low.

Carrying a quiet danger that made her chest tighten.

She couldn’t speak.

Couldn’t move.

Couldn’t even breathe properly.

—

His eyes lingered on the mark on her shoulder.

And something in his expression shifted.

Not softer.

Not kinder.

Just…

Darker.

More possessive.

—

A slow step forward.

Then another.

Each one closing the distance between them.

Her instincts screamed.

Run.

But her body refused to listen.

—

“I…” she finally managed, her voice barely audible.

“I didn’t mean to—”

“You were drugged.”

He cut her off.

Calm.

Certain.

As if he already knew everything.

Her eyes widened slightly.

“You… know?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead—

He stopped right in front of her.

Close enough that she could feel his presence.

His warmth.

His power.

His scent—

Overwhelming.

Dangerous.

—

“You entered my room.”

His voice dropped lower.

“And you didn’t leave.”

Her heart pounded violently.

“I tried to—”

“You stayed.”

His golden eyes locked onto hers.

Sharp.

Unyielding.

“And now…”

His gaze flickered once more to the mark on her skin.

A silent claim.

A bond that could never be undone.

—

“You’re mine.”

—

The words hit her harder than anything else.

Her fingers clenched tightly around the blanket.

“No…”

Her voice trembled.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen…”

For the first time—

Real fear filled her completely.

Because this—

This was exactly how it all began.

—

And this time—

There was no going back.

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