Chapter 1 — The boundary line, the marriage between a girl and a wolf . Part 7

“s.h.i.+ro, can you go a little slower?” I whispered into his ears as I clung closer to his body, leaning forward .

“Are you not feeling well?”

“No . I just want to talk for a bit . ”

“Then it can wait until we are outside the forest . ”

“No, it has to be here . ”

He nodded and reduced his speed . The sound of the wind diminished proportionally .

“What do you expect from me as your wife?”

“To just be a normal, regular wife . ”

“I don’t know what being normal

means . That’s something I have no memory of . ”

“I don’t know either, but, hmm…”

He ceased talking to think, only letting out small growls from time to time .

“Do not betray me . Trust, love, and be loved . ”

Those were sad words . A pitiable wish for something I had never experienced .

They were almost like a mirage .

“That’s hard to do . ”

“Yeah, it’s really hard . ”

“I’ll have to do my best . ”

He smiled bitterly, his silver fur brus.h.i.+ng against my cheek .

“Then I guess I’ll have to start with an apology . For a moment back there, I

I thought that you had perhaps only found and married me simply out of hate for your father, and that when you were done with this, you’d abandon me . I’m sorry . ”

Although in a roundabout way, I spoke about what had been bothering me .

After a moment of silence, he apologetically told me .

“In part, you are not wrong . ”

“And for the rest?”

“Intuition . The moment I saw you, I felt it—that I belonged with you . ”

“Love at first sight,” I pa.s.sionately mumbled . “That’s what we humans call that intuition . ”

I buried my face in that warm silver fur, felt his pulsing

his pulsing muscles and the flow of his blood .

“I bid the forest farewell . ”

s.h.i.+ro suddenly changed the topic .

“I guess I’m an enemy of the forest now,” he proclaimed . Words spoken for me, but also for someone else on behalf of me .

A declaration to the forest .

No comprehensible answer came . Only the sense that the rustling of the leaves and the wind had become stronger .

“And I,” I murmured softly, “will stand by your side . ” Inaudible words for the silver wolf as well as for the forest .

I will not betray him, and I will trust, love, and be

love, and be loved .

Those words entangled us like chains .

How ridiculous, for someone who doesn’t even know love, to want to be loved .

If the two of us were the only ones left in this world, everything would be so much better . If only there was nothing else .

Wishes sweet as honey, thinking of them brought a broad smile to my lips .

“It reeks of destruction, of decayed souls,” s.h.i.+ro murmured while the premonition of a battle came upon the part of me that behaved like a beast .

And from far away, the howl of a wolf could be heard .