Ms. Nine Tailed Fox

Chapter 4

The curtains were drawn together tightly, blocking the sunlight and making the already gloomy room even dingier. The old tacky furniture was covered with a thick layer of dust, making it nearly impossible to inhale deeply without having a coughing fit, and the dirty bedsheet was stained with blood, filth, vomit, and cheap alcohol, causing a nauseating stench that could choke the life out of a person. However, the only occupant in the room seems to be used to it as her lifeless golden orbs stared into the distance and her thin small body crouched into a ball with no intention of getting up. Her once glorious hair was a tangled mess and her ethereal little face was bruised with alarming shades of blues and purple. Her body was barely holding on as her skin was sunken to her bones that each rib could be counted with the naked eye. Most disturbingly, her little flower hole between her thighs which should have been meticulously taken care of and protected attentively was bleeding profusely with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

The little girl stayed motionless in her battered state for a long time and would have stayed that way even longer if not for the unfamiliar sound of angry hooves nearing the estate's entrance. At first, she wondered whether she was hearing things but as the sound of heavy hooves neared at an alarming speed, she sprung to her feet with great difficulty. After fighting the bout of dizziness from the sudden movement, she was sure that she was not hallucinating as the distinct sound of powerful hooves came to an abrupt stop near the entrance. Her breathing was labored and she was struggling to keep her balance as she walked to the window. Unfortunately, her injuries were so severe that before she could even reach the window and peep at the source of the foreign sound, the intruder had already entered and was searching for her with big strides, sharp eyes, and decisive movements. As a matter of fact, calling him an intruder was doing great slight and injustice to his breathtaking appearance, as his long shining silver hair resembled the moonlight dancing on the finest silk and his upright body oozed charisma and authority that comes from power, despite his young age. However, at the moment, the hands of the young man were slightly shaking as his bright golden orbs were shimmering with anxiety, expectation, and many other emotions that even he himself could not decipher entirely.

When the door separating the two was finally opened with great determination, the dusty dark room sunk into a deadly silence instantly. Suffocating stillness enveloped the entire surrounding as two pairs of almost identical shimmering golden orbs stared at each other as if fearing the other will disappear the moment they blink their eyes. At first, both their mesmerizing eyes showed their unconcealed shock, but within the seconds, one turned into fierce rage and the other into fear and terror. Truth be told, the young man had by no means the intention of scaring her with his fierce expression or actions. However, the moment her naked body that was showing all the evidence of the abuse and torture she had withstood appeared in his line of sight, the rage consumed him entirely. And, in a moment of extreme agitation and fury, his shadow beast, a four-eyed wolf with pitch black enormous body with streaks of golden energy pulsating through its body like lightning, broke free from the shadow of its master and pounced at the terrified little girl.

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Seraphina was startled awake with gasps and irregular breathing. She often dreamt about her previous life, and this time, it was the first meeting of her and her eldest brother Ihan.

"I was frightened into fainting at that time," she mumbled begrudgingly. However, contrary to her tone, her eyes held no grudge or fear, only leaving mischievous humor and an indulgent smile inside them. The image of fourteen-year-old Ihan along with his terrifying four-eyed shadow wolf was deeply engraved into the mind of the eight-year-old broken girl that two lifetimes were not enough to wash it away. In her previous life, the memory of it alone brought her bone-chilling dread that never seemed to fade, whereas now, her little heart was only filled with warmth and longing.