In a dark and deep land lives young Marjorie, a woman desperate for something more than her conventional life in her tiny village, Core. She aches for something dangerous, something like the dark forest, Mirkwood, which borders her home. Yet, there is a curse which haunts her people: a Wolf. For the last eighteen years, he takes one innocent life. Fate seems to change at the hands of Vivian, a Wardeness who promises Core a safe passage through Mirkwood. For a moment, Marjorie has everything she has ever wanted: An escape from a fate set in stone... until the Wolf set its dark intentions on her. Now, she is forced to decide: Will she defeat the Wolf or will she willingly be devoured? __________________ The stranger turned to face her. This close, it was easy to see his handsome features. From his high cheekbones to his piercing gray eyes, he was unlike any sully-faced villager. Instead, he wore his beauty with a casual grace, as if he were clueless to the plumpness of his lips or the flat, smooth surface of his chest. "Am I a what?" The man cocked a thick, dark brow up. He pushed his right hand into the pocket of his trousers, but not before Marjorie caught a glimpse of the heavy jewels on his fingers. He drowned in an opulence few villagers could afford. "I take that as a no," she said. "What is your name, stranger?" He looked to her, and then his gaze traveled to where men and women continued to fling themselves around the heat of the bonfire. You don't belong here, she thought.

After the sudden death of his best friend, Cedar Lockwood's life came to a standstill, filled with nothing but illusions born from grief and sighs carrying the hint of unending exhaustion. That is, until one day, he finds a random stranger he met in the graveyard sitting in his bedroom, claiming to be the one assigned to fulfill the final wish of the only person Cedar ever loved. "Our love, holding the innocence of honey droplets amidst the petals of white roses, cried tears of tormenting grief that day. But it also left me with one final wish that will bind us for the last time ever." A story of agonizing loss, shattering realities, newborn friendships and thrilling experiences. Will Cedar be able to break free from his cage and embrace what he wants? Will the wish become not only a gift, but also a curse for him? ----------------- Cover illustration by Tom Haugomat More info on Tom Haugomat in author's notes. ----------------- Started : 14 March, 2020 Ended : 07 July, 2020 ----------------- Achievements :) - Wattpad Editor's Choice (Jan, 2021) - 1st place in teenfiction; Bookaholics Awards - 1st place in lgbtq; The Creators Choice Awards - Best Opening, The Creator's Choice Awards - 2nd place in teenfiction, The Millenial Awards ----------------- #tmaawards2020