God, I am so done.
My backpack hangs off one shoulder like a dead weight, textbooks slipping out like they want to escape, and my brain feels like it's been run through a blender. College is supposed to be this exciting, "live your best life" thing, but after eight hours of lectures, caffeine that tastes like burnt rubber, and people who treat the library like a fucking nightclub, I just want my bed.
Finally, I kick the door open to my apartment, toss my shoes in the corner, and collapse onto the couch like a rag doll. My laptop, my savior and worst enemy, sits there glowing like it's mocking me.
"Maybe one article. One measly article," I mutter to myself, dragging it onto my lap. My fingers tap at the keys like a nervous heartbeat. I'm tired, but curiosity has a way of eating me alive.
And then I see it.
A strange notification blinking on my screen. Not an email. Not a pop-up ad. Something… different. A link with letters I don't recognize. My stomach tightens. Every warning bell in my brain screams *don't click it*.
Of course, I click it. Because of course I do.
The screen goes black. My fingers freeze. My apartment disappears.
Or… maybe it never existed.
Suddenly, I'm falling. Not like falling asleep, not like tripping over my own feet. Falling through darkness, twisting through air that smells like iron and smoke, my stomach rolling like a stormy sea. My laptop crashes against my chest, sparks flying, and I feel my heart trying to leap out of my throat.
And then — stop.
Silence. Darkness. And… chains.
Metal bites into my wrists and ankles. I'm lying on cold stone, and the air smells of blood, sweat, and something wild. My hands are shackled, my legs chained, and somewhere above me, I hear whispers in a language that scratches at my brain.
"Where the fuck am I?" I whisper, but my voice sounds tiny and useless.
Footsteps. Heavy, deliberate, echoing across the stone hall. I try to pull back, strain against the chains, but they hold fast.
And then I see him.
Tall. Golden eyes like molten fire. Hair black as midnight. Broad shoulders, perfect posture, and a presence that makes the air around him feel sharp, like knives. He doesn't walk. He glides. Every step screams *power*, *danger*, *don't fuck with me*.
He stops a few feet from me and tilts his head, like he's inspecting an insect he's unsure if he wants to crush or keep alive.
"You're human," he says, voice low and lethal. "And very, very stupid."
"Stupid?" I spit. "I didn't *ask* to be here!"
A faint smile tugs at his lips. "No. You were chosen. Or cursed. Depending on how you survive."
My stomach twists. "Chosen? Cursed? What the hell are you talking about?"
He leans closer. Too close. Heat rolls off him, dangerous and overwhelming. I want to shove him, scream at him, do anything — but the chains stop me.
"You're in my kingdom now," he says. "And everyone here wants you dead."
I laugh. A short, hysterical laugh. "Of course they do. I mean, why wouldn't they? I just fell into some medieval wolf-kingdom hell, got chained up, and—oh yeah—have no clue what's going on. Perfect."
He watches me. And I swear, his eyes flash like he's both amused and annoyed.
"You're going to learn," he says, stepping back. "Whether you like it or not."
I grit my teeth. "And if I don't?"
His laugh is sharp, dark, like it could cut glass. "Then you die. And everyone will cheer."
Twist one hits me like a punch: *I'm not just a human in a new world. I'm part of some prophecy or game I don't understand.*
Twist two hits harder when I notice the court behind him — wolves,creatures,nobles in furs and armor — all staring at me like I'm prey. Some sneer. Some whisper curses I can't comprehend. And a woman. Oh, fuck. The most beautiful, cruel woman I've ever seen, is glaring at me like I just pissed on her throne.
"Kill her!" she hisses.
And he just… shakes his head.
"She lives," he says, voice calm but deadly. "Because I say so. For now."
My heart skips. Relief? Fear? I don't know. All I know is I'm alive, for some reason, under the control of a man who doesn't believe in mercy or love — and somehow, I think, I'm already in way over my head.
And the worst part? He's *watching* me. Always watching.
I should hate him. I want to hate him. But even as my gut screams *stay the fuck away*, another part of me wonders… what the hell did I just get myself into?
Because this is only the beginning