Silver steel wolf.

It would seem that everything is bad. It's just worse. When the dearest and most beloved person dies in your arms, and you are unable to do anything about it. Just die with her. And neither magic will help, even if you are at least three times the most powerful magician in the pack, nor Wolf's blood, which vampires consider the drink of life, and, even more so, neither persuasion and orders not to leave this world. It would seem that life is no longer worth living. Yes, and there is no need.

After all, the meaning of your whole life, having touched your cheek in parting, now lies in your arms with your eyes closed, and you, through evil tears, watch how her heart measures out the last blows. But as it turned out, even that could be fixed. Even though saving her life seemed like a miracle...

Any romantic story tells about the complex relationship of future lovers, who then must marry. A wedding is usually the end of a love story. "Happy end", as it is customary to write at the end of happy American romantic comedies. But this love story only begins after the wedding. But, in order for it to end with the notorious "Happy end", the heroes have to overcome many obstacles in their path...

Chapter 1

When I woke up, a whole waterfall of feelings and memories fell on me - everything that could hurt terribly hurt. Including the soul. Horrible images of the past week flashed through my mind's eye one after another—Alex's burnt face; the humiliation to which the Traitor subjected me; terrible scars on the face of the one I love more than life itself; Victor lying near death; Alex studded with daggers like a pincushion...

Alex...

I did not want to open my eyes, from which soundless tears flowed and I could not force myself not to think about what was tearing my heart apart. I did not feel my body, but even that was not so important - the worst thing was that I betrayed Alex and now he is unlikely to want to see me again ...

- E-o-o-m-m ... - I felt someone move next to me and yawn. “If you wake me up with such thought-feelings every morning now, I will have to sleep on the sofa in the living room ...

Alex?! - I wanted to say it out loud, but my tongue refused to obey me, so I abruptly opened my eyes, which I immediately regretted - they were unbearably cut from the bright light flooding everything around, and my head immediately responded with a sharp pain. Squeezing my eyes shut and blinking back my tears, I made another attempt to open my eyelids - it looked like we were in our bedroom on the estate. My head ached with renewed vigor, as if it had been split in two with an ax, but I was ready to endure all this, just to see Alex again. Through tears, I looked at his mutilated face and a short crew cut of darkened hair, but still I could not imagine anything more beautiful. I tried to get up, but I couldn't - I still couldn't feel my body.

Don't worry, it's just a hold spell. The crossbow bolt hit your spine, and I'm not the best healer in this crazy world, so I had to immobilize you so that you don't inadvertently hurt yourself. Alex ran his gloved hand over my cheek. We'll talk about everything else later...

After that, he simply got up and left the room without letting me say a word in his defense. Those two days that I lay in bed, after I came to my senses, were the most terrible - I felt great, except for weakness and mental state, but one of the healers constantly watched me, allowing me to get up only for to go to the restroom and eat. During all this time, my friends came to me several times - Viktor, Nastya, twin brothers and, of course, Gerda, who was also brought to the estate, was always pushing around. Alex never showed up again. I was very worried about this and tried to ask about it, but my interlocutors either remained silent or took the conversation in a completely different direction. Only Nastya once let slip about the reasons for the reluctance of others to talk about him:

- Alex promised a terrible death to anyone who let slip where he went, so no more words!

Victor sat with me the longest - he was already too kind to me, and after I saved him from certain death, the lord was completely ready to do anything for me. He entertained me, helped me take my first hesitant steps around the room and talked about the rituals and laws in the pack, but studiously avoided talking about his son and what happened between us. Our innocent conversation with Victor was just about how I saved him when I saw Alex again for the first time in two days.

- Victor, it's hard for me to live knowing that what happened to you happened through my fault ... - I started again, but Victor did not brush it off, as he usually did.

“But you saved me, and what the Traitor did is not your fault at all!” Once I should have executed him, but I couldn't...

If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened! And you wouldn't lose the ability to regenerate...

- Nonsense! I survived - that's what is more important to me!

- Can this be called life? I asked quietly, trying not to look Victor in the eyes. “To grow old, knowing that I could live forever, if only some hysterical fool hadn’t done stupid things! ..

- Natalie! I don't want to hear you say something like that about yourself again! You acted under the influence of the Traitor, not of your own free will! Victor, who was sitting on the edge of my bed, moved closer and put his arm around my shoulders. Trust me, a short life is better than none at all. Moreover, I always dreamed of being an ordinary person ...

- What?! I didn't believe my ears.

Pulling away from Victor, I looked into his eyes, trying to see a grin in them, but they were completely serious.

- That's it! he said, smiling and drawing me close to him again. "But never mind, it's a long and sad story!" Better tell me, how much longer do you think such a peppy old man like me will stay in this world?

- I think about ... fifty or seventy years ... - It was painful for me to think about it and make such assumptions. - The main thing is that you should lead a healthy lifestyle. Probably telling a werewolf that he will die in fifty or seventy years is like saying to a person who has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer that he has a couple of years left. After all, the memory of werewolves is arranged in such a way that decades fly by for their minds as imperceptibly as two or three years for a person. It was this that explained the childish behavior of seventy-year-old Nastasya.

- Yes Easy! Viktor said in a cheerful voice.

Suddenly, he sharply leaned over and lightly kissed me on the lips - I did not expect this from him at all, therefore, not yet understanding what exactly had happened, I was still unable to resist. And just at that moment, Alex entered the room.

- Father! Again you for yours!

I frightened out of Victor's arms and looked up at Alex, but my ridiculous excuses stuck in my throat when I saw his face - he was again the same as before, as he was before I threw that ill-fated ball of fire at him. Well, or almost the same - looking closer, I still saw a barely noticeable thin web of scars that covered his face. Victor looked at my expression, then at Alex and they both laughed.

- So it is! You, - Alex looked in the direction of his father, - stop pestering the girl! ..

- Why? - Victor was indignant in response, hugging my waist. - She is a beautiful girl, besides, she is not married! ..

- That's for sure! – unexpectedly easily agreed Alex. - I entrusted her with almost the most valuable thing that only I had, a family heirloom, one might say, and she sowed it! I had to turn Konstantin's whole apartment upside down to find my mother's unfortunate innocent ring. But, returning to our conversation - the fact that the ring is not on her finger does not mean that our engagement is canceled, since it was sealed with magical daggers!

Victor smiled smugly and kissed me again, this time paternally, on the forehead.

- I beg you, do not do anything stupid this time, - touching my forehead with his own, Victor said quietly and left the room.

I remained sitting on the bed, helplessly wringing my fingers, trying to find the right words, somehow explain my behavior, but I was unable to utter a couple of words aloud. Alex was still standing in front of me, but in the end, he was the first to break the silence.

- Are you going to think so? he asked sternly. "Or do you still want to tell me something out loud?"