The gray-haired lord sat in a velvet and mahogany armchair with a large storybook in his lap. There were a pair of silver-rimmed reading glasses perched on his nose, and though his face was lined with age, he was still considered to be quite a handsome and distinguished-looking man. Beside him, there was a thin blonde boy tucked within a king-sized canopy bed, and, despite the child’s pale complexion, his eyes were bright with anticipation as he listened to his father’s deep voice reading over the enchanting fairytale.

Near the black marble fireplace, a bronze-skinned maid watched over the pair with a practiced smile on her lips. At first glance, the young master and the lord certainly painted a heartwarming picture as they read the story together, but appearances were often deceiving when it came to the aging Ambassador. The girl knew better than to think of Lord Jervaise as anything close to a “loving” father, let alone consider Master Alexandre as his “beloved” son.

If anything, the little maid mused silently, they would have been much better off without each other…

Once upon a time, there was a young wolf that fell in love with a human girl. Every morning, she would come to fetch water from the forest lake, and he would watch over her with longing eyes from the shadows. He learned of her favorite flower, the lotus blossoms that grew upon the lake, and of her favorite fruit, the juicy strawberries that grew in the coolest part of the forest. He loved everything about her, the way she hummed as she walked barefoot through the trees, the lightness of her laughter, her free-spirited innocence, and her kindness to the forest creatures…

As the years passed, the young girl slowly blossomed into a beautiful woman. Men from all around her village began to court her with flowery sonnets and expensive jewelry, hoping to make her into a wife.

By then, the young wolf’s love had grown so strong that he could not bear to see her marry a human man. But when he told his mother that he wanted to marry the girl, she laughed in his face and thought him foolish and absurd. “Wolves and humans could never marry, you stupid pup! Go find yourself a real mate and forget about the girl.”

Yet, try as he might, the wolf could not relinquish his love. Finally, he paid a visit to the evil spirit of the forest and begged the spirit to change him into a human man. The evil spirit readily agreed, his red eyes glowing with desire and greed. In a sinister voice, the spirit promised, “I can grant your wish, little one, but my powers are only strong enough to make you human when the moon is out. You will become a wolf again between sunrise and sunset. If the girl should ever see you in your true form, however, the spell will be broken and your soul will belong to me for all eternity.”

Love had made the young wolf reckless, and he did not think twice about accepting the spirit’s ominous bargain. Fearlessly, he declared with snarl, “I will risk anything to be with her! As long as we can be together, nothing else matters…”

Later that evening, a mysterious young man traveled to the village where the beautiful girl lived. Beneath the silvery light of the moon, he confessed his love and presented her with a pale pink lotus blossom from the forest lake of their childhood. Touched by the sincerity of his words and the sentimental gift, the girl agreed to marry him, blissfully unaware of the powerful curse that ruled over her new husband.

As they settled into married life, the girl was quite happy and content at first. During the daytime, a parade of forest animals would shower her with lovely gifts, such as rare flowers plucked from the furthest reaches of the forest, and delicious fruits and berries that tasted as though they had been dipped in honeyed nectar. At sundown, her husband would visit her bedchambers, holding her as they slept while whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

Several months later, however, the girl became lonely and curious as to why she never saw her husband during the day. That night, in the bed they shared, she decided to confront him, “My love? Why do you only visit me upon nightfall? Do you not wish to see me during the day?”

At that, her husband remained silent for a long time. When he finally spoke, his ice-blue eyes were darkened with sadness and regret. “I apologize deeply, but this is the way it has to be. Please do not ask me about this again! If you love me, then you must learn to trust me…”

The girl loved her husband with all her heart, and so she surrendered to his request without another word. But as summer changed to fall, and fall changed to winter, the girl’s feelings of loneliness and curiosity did not fade away. If anything, they only grew stronger, consuming her thoughts at all hours. And so, upon one cold winter’s night, she pretended to fall asleep in her husband’s embrace, determined to discover his secret at any cost.

In the twilight-hour preceding dawn, she felt her husband press a gentle kiss upon her cheek as his body slipped away from the warmth of their bed. Silently, she counted to ten before rolling out of bed to follow him.

As she stepped outside their little cottage, the girl noticed that the sun had begun to rise, though the wintry air was still crisp and chilly. Glancing around quickly, she caught a glimpse of her husband’s shadow disappearing into the forest. Running after him, she called out, “Wait, darling, wait for me!”

Just then, the first rays of sunlight burst through the outlines of the trees. Her husband turned to her with a look of horror on his face. In a beastly voice, he growled, “Don’t come any closer! Look away, quickly!”

There was a blinding flash of light, and the girl paled immediately at the scene unfolding before her. Breathless and terrified, she watched as her beloved husband’s raven-black hair began spilling all over his body, changing into a wolfish gray color. His fingers and toes disappeared as his palms and feet grew into monstrous white paws. A pair of pointed, furry ears appeared on his head as a thick, bushy tail emerged behind him.

Within seconds, there was nothing left of her husband except a large gray wolf, staring back at her with eerily familiar blue eyes. His soulful gaze was filled with a gleam of human-like remorse.

With a trembling voice, she whispered, “Who…who are you? What have you done with my husband?”

The wolf parted his mouth to speak, only to find that he had no human voice to reply. Instead, the poor beast could only fling its head towards the rising sun, releasing a violent howl that sounded like the cries of every broken-hearted soul in the world.

In that moment, the girl realized the wolf and her husband had been one and the same person. In the deepest part of her heart, she instinctively knew it had to be him. She still loved him, even though he had become a cursed four-legged beast.

Crumpling to the ground in despair, the girl’s whole body shook uncontrollably as her eyes flooded with bitter tears. “Oh, my darling! It is all my fault, I am so sorry I didn’t listen to you, I am so very sorry…”

Lord Jervaise shut the book and released an irritable sigh. “I must go out for an errand now, Alex, we will have to finish the story some other day.”

The boy’s mouth twisted into an unsightly scowl. In high-pitched tones, he began to whine, “Oh, Father! Why did you have to stop there? It was starting to get exciting…”

Sternly, his father replied, “Your mother will be upset if I don’t let you rest, and you know how she worries over your condition. Do you want to get the both of us in trouble?”

At the mention of his mother, the boy immediately quieted down, though his dove-gray eyes were sad as he watched his father turn away. “Very well, but…you have to promise to finish the story next time. You better not forget!”

“Yes, of course! Don’t badger me about it though,” the elderly lord agreed in a careless manner. He then beckoned to the exotic green-eyed child waiting in the corner. In brusque tones, he ordered, “Hurry along now, Rieze, I need you to come with me…”

“It’s not fair, Father!” Alex glared at the dark-haired maid as he muttered beneath his breath, “You spend more time with her than you do with me.”

The maid’s perceptive eyes darted warily between the father and son, not wanting to offend either of them. Although, she did not have much time to resolve the situation, since the Ambassador was not a man known for his patience.

With a booming voice, he barked at her, “Are you going to stand there all day, child, or will you be coming with me?”

At that, Rieze curtsied apologetically to the sickly young master, and dashed away to follow the fuming lord. She closed the double doors quietly on their way out, leaving Alex alone again with the ancient book of fairytales.

Angrily, the boy grasped the heavy book and threw it across the room with all his might. For such a slight child, he had a surprising amount of strength. The book crashed into the ornate sconces hanging along the wall and shattered the delicate glass in a loud tinkling explosion.

Flushed from the minor exertion, the boy leaned into his pillows and grumbled in bitter tones, “Who needs them, anyway? It was a stupid story. I didn’t like anything about it, and…”

But before he could finish his heated monologue, Alex’s shoulders began to shake violently as he broke into a series of dry coughs. He fumbled for the handkerchief on his nightstand to cover his mouth. Several moments later, he removed the handkerchief and noticed a few drops of blood marring the pristine white cloth. Immediately, he crumpled the soiled handkerchief in his fist and hid it beneath his mattress.

If his mother ever found out, Alex thought gloomily, then he would be “resting” in bed until he was eighty-years-old.