Night settled quietly over the abandoned chapel. Ezrina lay stretched across the blankets silently, one arm beneath her head while the other traced absent circles against the fabric beside her. The empty space next to her felt strangely large tonight.

Too quiet.

Too cold.

Without realizing it, soft humming slowly slipped past her lips afterward. The same lullaby she had hummed years ago beneath a storm.

Gentle.

Sleepy.

Warm.

The melody echoed faintly through the ruined chapel while her reddish-brown hair spread messily beneath her. “…You better come back soon, Chunky,” she murmured softly toward the ceiling.

Meanwhile, far beyond the northern forests, Aries moved silently through the darkness alone.The cold night air rushed violently past him while forests blurred beneath inhuman speed.

Fast.

Sharp.

Restless.

Yet the longer he ran, the more the memories returned. A small cub running desperately through the woods. Blood staining silver fur. Breathing uneven.Terrified. Behind him, howls echoed endlessly through the night.

Not warmth.

Not family.

Predators.

God, those eyes. Filled with hatred.

Fear.

Disgust.

The same wolves who once called themselves his people hunted him down like an animal. The scent of blood returned so vividly that Aries nearly felt it coating his hands again.

His mother.

His father.

The screams.

The burning estate.

The realization that no one was coming to save him. Aries’ breathing slowly became uneven before his footsteps abruptly stopped deep within the forest. Silence swallowed everything afterward. For several long moments, he simply stood there beneath the night sky unmoving.

Then slowly, his blue eyes lifted toward the moon above. Cold silver light reflected faintly across sharp features while the forest remained deathly still around him. And suddenly, Another memory surfaced quietly through the chaos.Tiny trembling hands pulling soaked silver fur closer beneath an oversized hood.

Warm.

So unbearably warm.

A little girl shivering violently while trying to shield a wounded wolf cub from the rain instead of protecting herself. Aries could still remember how gently she held him that night. As though he was something precious. Something worth saving.The memory softened his expression unconsciously.Then came her tiny determined voice from years ago.

“Don’t worry little wolf, Ezi shall protect you.”

A small breath escaped him. The memory continued.

The little girl hugging him tighter beneath the storm while trying to look serious despite chattering teeth.

“Ezi shall become really strong,” she declared proudly. “No wolf will ever scare you again. Ever.”

Silence.

Then suddenly, a quiet laugh escaped Aries before he could stop it.

Soft.

Disbelieving.

Because even now, after all these years, the absurdity of that memory still affected him deeply. A tiny wolfless girl threatening the world on behalf of a monster she barely knew.

Ridiculous.

Foolish.

Warm.

Aries closed his eyes quietly afterward. And almost unconsciously, a soft melody slipped past his lips. Ezrina’s lullaby.

Gentle.

Warm.

The same lullaby that once reached a terrified cub freezing beneath a storm.The same voice that touched him without fear for the first time. As the melody echoed quietly through the forest, the memories slowly became quieter too.

The hatred.

The screams.

The blood.

All of it fading little by little beneath the warmth of one foolish girl who chose kindness instead of fear.

Meanwhile back in the chapel, Ezrina unknowingly hummed the exact same lullaby through the night before falling asleep. And despite the distance between them, neither of them truly felt alone.