Last night, Eva had surrendered herself to the arms of the night in the uncomfortable velvet armchair, sinking into the deepest darkness of sleep, wandering through the most hidden corners of her dreams.

And unbeknownst to her, the wolf outside had already begun to roam through her dreams. The only difference was that now he was closer, and far more feral than before...

This time, the dream she experienced was very different from the ones before it. The dream was so powerful that she felt everything vividly in her body, as if she were living it in that very moment. So much so that she couldn't even control her own breathing.

She was half-naked in a crisp white bed. The muscular man lying over her looked down at her with his amber eyes and smiled. He had wrapped himself around her, caressing every curve of her body.

The reddish-brown hair falling across his handsome face and those amber eyes were absolutely driving her mad. It was him, with those tattooed arms and that roguish gaze. The man from her dreams was touching her with desire.

"You kept me waiting," he growled, his voice dark and husky.

Eva was taken aback. She had never heard his voice in her dreams before. "You can speak," she whispered.

"Yes, my little one, because you came to me," he said in a low voice. "I am much closer to you now!"

He took Eva's parted lips into his mouth. As he consumed her with a shameless groan, his hands suddenly began to roam her body with bold abandon. He pulled away the thin sheet covering her and gazed at Eva's bare body.

Her full, naked breasts lay exposed before him, tipped with small pink peaks. A deep hunger awakened in his eyes. One hand gripped and squeezed her breast, while the other slid between her legs, caressing her inner thighs. Eva had held her breath. He had never been this fierce in her previous dreams. Now, she could feel him at every point on her skin. The man's fingers effortlessly pushed aside the thin fabric of her underwear and made direct contact with the most sensitive spot of her womanhood. The touch was so arousing, so perfectly placed, that Eva's body arched off the bed like a bow. A suppressed, trembling moan spilled from her throat.

The man responded to the sound of this moaning woman with a deep growl of his own. His fingers began moving in firm, circular motions against the sensitive bud of her wet womanhood. His lips traveled along her neck while his palms moved over her nipples. Every touch of the man's was driving Eva to madness, sending electric shocks through her that began at her core and radiated to every part of her body.

Under the man's bold caresses, Eva's legs parted of their own accord, as if in invitation. Fear and desire were mingled together; while her mind was confused, her body had surrendered completely to that man. With the comfort of knowing this was a dream, she offered herself to him with the same hunger.

The man fixed his amber eyes on her and, stroking his hardness, pressed it against her core. Eva was momentarily startled by the firmness pressing against her. Then she remembered that her dreams had never had this level of physical contact before, and with a fleeting fear, she murmured, "No... stop..." but her voice was weak and far from convincing. Her body was saying the exact opposite. Her hips rose toward those relentless fingers, seeking more contact.

The man, with a sly smile on his face, continued to kiss her. His thumb pressed harder against that small, swollen point. His other fingers slid lower, slowly entering her wet core. He was preparing her for his hard masculinity, savoring the sensation of her damp warmth flowing down her thighs.

As Eva writhed with pleasure in the crisp white sheets, she drew a deep breath. Her core was trembling now, the heat rapidly spreading through her body. This uncontrollable physical response filled her with a mixture of shame and intense pleasure.

The man, meanwhile, was consumed by an entirely different kind of hunger, he was searching for a sense of belonging. Like a wild animal, he was claiming his mate.

"There it is, you're soaking wet. You're getting ready for me," he murmured, his voice full of satisfaction. "This is how you show that you belong to me, daughter of Rose..."

Eva was completely undone now, her core pulsing like a heartbeat. Sensing that she was ready, the man stroked his hardness and, in one swift, merciless motion, braced himself against the headboard and rose above her. Eva watched the man's muscular form through bitten lips, watching his rhythmic movements inside her. With hard, driving strokes, he was filling Eva's tight, wet womanhood.

Eva's mouth opened in a cry, but the sound lodged in her throat. She was burning inside, stretching, and filled impossibly with the maddening pressure of his considerable hardness. Eva had surrendered completely now, and in this state of wild passion, she moaned with pleasure as she dragged her nails across the man's muscular back.

As the man's hard rhythm quickened, Eva's body matched his pace. Her hips were meeting the bed with each thrust, her entire body slick with sweat. Finally, the pressure building inside her became unbearable.

"Please..." she moaned, no longer certain what she was begging for. For him to stop, or to keep going?

But the man's answer was to go deeper, to go faster. His hardness was intensifying its rhythm. And then... the contractions exploded suddenly, violently. Eva felt as though every part of her body had reached its limit at the same moment. The orgasm in her core pulsed like a heartbeat.

­

The sound that tore from her throat as she came plunged her into deep shame.

But she hadn't been able to stop herself...

In this moment of pleasure, the man who had released himself forcefully into the depths of her womanhood shamelessly wet his fingers with the moisture flowing from Eva's inner thighs and caressed her womanhood again and again. Now every spasm, every tremor felt more intense than before. His eyes were fixed on his woman, his mischievous, roguish gaze recording the satisfied expression on Eva's face.

Eva had gone completely rigid with the force of her orgasm, left almost breathless. She could feel the wetness flowing from between her legs down her thighs.

The man withdrew from her in one sudden motion, and Eva arched like a bow, feeling a large, warm, quivering emptiness inside her.

The man leaned down, his lips brushing Eva's sweat-dampened ear.

"That was only the beginning," he whispered. "The seal is awakening, and I am coming for you, daughter of Rose..."

As the voice echoed in her ears, a chill swept across her skin. Then the image before her eyes suddenly shattered. Eva opened her eyes alone in the mountain cabin, her core still trembling. Her breath had been cut short, her heart pounding in her chest.

Her pajamas and the sheets were clinging to her skin with a cold dampness. The space between her legs was still throbbing, her insides still quivering. The sensation of the man's fingers and the intensity of that burning peak still reverberated through her muscles.

Her face had gone bright red. She brought her trembling hands to her core. The wetness was physical proof that the dream had not existed only in her mind. She felt like herself back in adolescence, when she had first begun to experience these feelings. Well, it was true she had no experience up to this point, but she had never felt such a meaningless, consuming sexual hunger before.

It was as though her body had entered some kind of process. None of her previous dreams had ever ended like this.

"How can it feel this real?" she grumbled to herself.

The image of those amber eyes, that roguish gaze, was still vivid in her mind. The patterns of the tattoos, the weight of his body pressing down on her, the burning fullness inside her... All of it was too real. And that terrified Eva.

She took a deep breath and brought her hands to her face. "This is madness," she murmured to herself. "It was just a dream. From stress. From loneliness."

Her tongue and her mind were busy making excuses. But her body wasn't lying. She was wet, she had felt immense pleasure, and she was completely satisfied.

She shook her head, trying to collect herself. She noticed the room was ice cold. The fireplace had long gone out, and every last trace of warmth had vanished from the room. This physical cold formed a terrible contrast to the burning heat of the dream.

She got out of bed and stood up on trembling legs. The cold floor made her legs tremble even more. Her steps were still unsteady as she walked toward the fireplace. The physical echoes of the dream were still reverberating through her muscles. *If even a dream with him left me this drained, I'd die if I actually slept with a man like that,* she thought.

At that moment, the cold air that struck Eva's skin as she threw off the warmth of the bed brought her back to herself for an instant.

"Ahh... Is this cursed mountaintop always going to be this cold?" she grumbled to herself.

One of the definite comforts of city life was proper heating systems. In these mountain conditions, she would have to quickly get the fireplace going to avoid freezing. She immediately got up from the armchair to go fetch more firewood from the shed.

As she got ready and opened the door, the rustling sound beneath her foot made her look down. What she saw surprised her.

On the veranda, left right in front of the door, was an enormous bouquet of flowers.

She bent down and picked up the flowers, looking around. But there was no one. Just snowdrifts, trees, and silence. Nothing else. She couldn't have expected anything different.

"Is this a joke..." she murmured. "We're literally on top of a mountain, who could have put this here?"

To be honest, she didn't dwell on it for long. She had always been a results-oriented woman, and her priority right now was not freezing to death. She set the flowers on the table inside and headed straight for the woodshed. She filled her arms with firewood and returned to the house. She went quickly to the fireplace and lit the fire.

When the flames crackled to life, Eva let out a comfortable sigh. Warmth slowly began to fill the room. She crouched in front of the fireplace and held her hands out toward the fire.

"Oh God, there's nothing more comforting than a fire. I think I really am a cursed witch," she murmured with a laugh.

A few minutes later, her eyes drifted to the flower bouquet on the table. She went over with curiosity and began to examine the flowers.

There was no note, and it didn't look like a random bouquet either. But she had to admit, these colorful, small-leafed flowers really were quite beautiful.

Eva brought the flowers to her nose and took a deep breath. The refreshing scent that filled her nostrils genuinely made her feel happy. A warmth seemed to spread through her from within. Strange as this morning had been, she was starting it in better spirits than most other days.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Eva fixed her eyes on it, and what she was thinking was plain to see.

Who was at the door? Could it be the owner of the flowers?

Just then, there was a knock at the door. She wondered for a few seconds who it could be, then finally gathered her courage and went to the door. When she saw Elly standing there, she relaxed and smiled.

"Hi, good morning!" Elly said cheerfully. "I brought you fresh pastries!"

She was holding a basket, from which the aroma of fresh dough wafted.

Catching the scent, Eva excitedly said, "Come in!"

Elly entered.

"Should we make tea, or would you prefer coffee?"

"You know I'm always a coffee person," Eva said.

"Okay, agreed then. Let's make coffee."

When Elly turned her head, she saw the bouquet on the table. Her eyes grew wide.

"Oh! Gerberas! How did you gather these? They're beautiful!"

Eva casually pulled her shawl over herself. "I don't even know where they came from," she said.

Elly's eyes grew even wider. "What do you mean? Really?"

"Yes. I woke up this morning and they were at the door."

Elly picked up the bouquet and examined it. Curious, she came closer to Eva.

"Eva," Elly said seriously. "These flowers are a messaging technique used many years ago, they mean 'welcome.' And they only grow at the mountain peak. They couldn't have come down here on their own. Didn't you wonder at all how they got here?"

Eva shrugged playfully. "I guess I have a handsome admirer," she said. But then, noticing the detail, she asked curiously: "Excuse me, exactly when was this flower tradition from?"

"About fifty years ago."

Eva turned to Elly with a playful expression. "Great! So I have an elderly stalker. Bringing me flowers from the mountain peak. What more could there be? Perfect."

Elly started laughing, but none of this really made sense to her.

Eva got up and sat at the table with appetite. "Come on, I'm starving, let's eat!"

Elly smiled and brewed the coffee. As they began breakfast, Eva asked curiously, "So, is your offer to shop at the town center for me still valid? I don't like drinking tea without sugar and I forgot to buy some yesterday. Plus, I want to get some Christmas decorations. The townspeople won't sell me anything."

Elly said, "Of course my offer still stands. Let's go out after breakfast. And I'm taking you to my favorite café! We'll investigate your elderly platonic lover. Maybe he's in the town history," she said with a laugh.

Eva let out a deep laugh. "Oh monsieur, whisk me away! Take me far from here."

Now the laughter of these two young women filled the mountain house.

A few hours later, Eva and Elly decided to head down to town.

"This town is really strange," Eva said. "People act like they're living centuries ago. Witch hunts, wolf tales... Don't they have more sensible things to do?"

Elly glanced at her sideways. "You won't believe it until you see it yourself, will you?"

"You're talking about many years ago, Elly. Have you seen them yourself?" Eva asked.

Elly answered with great devotion in her eyes, "I believe, Eva! Sometimes you need to hope and believe."

When they arrived at the town center, Eva parked the car in front of the market. They both got out. Eva took a deep breath. If that old fool said one more word, she could seriously tear him apart. She breathed and steadied her pulse.

"Ready?" Elly asked.

"Ready for an old fool to kick me out as cursed? Yes, I think I'm ready, let's go get my daily dose of bullying."

When they entered the market, all eyes turned to Eva again. Whispers began. Old David was at the register as usual, arms crossed over his chest, glaring hostilely at Eva.

Eva ignored him. She began putting the things she needed into a basket. Canned goods, flour, sugar, eggs... basic items. She also added some Christmas decorations. Then she handed the basket to Elly.

Elly, tossing her braids with a smiling face, came to the register. "Hello, dear David! I'm buying these," she said.

David's face soured even more. His gaze didn't even turn to Elly; he was completely focused on Eva, staring with furrowed brows.

"I won't sell to her," he said in a harsh voice.

Blood rushed to Eva's veins. She couldn't contain herself. "Excuse me? I'm a customer and I'm paying!" she growled.

"I won't sell anything to Rose's daughter," David said. "Get out of here!"

The people around watched silently. No one intervened. Elly grabbed Eva's arm, trying to calm her down.

Just then, the market door opened.

Joe walked in...

Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair and a sharp gaze, he commanded everyone's attention in town. His eyes caught on Eva, then slid to David.

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

David backed up a bit. "Joe... this woman..."

"This woman what?" Joe cut in, his voice hard. "She's a customer. And she'll pay."

Eva looked at Joe in astonishment. Joe turned to her and nodded with a slight smile.

"Then I'll buy them," Joe said decisively. He took the shopping basket and placed it at the register.

David's gaze went first to the basket, then to Joe.

"Joe, but you're not buying these for yourself..."

Joe cut him off. "I said we're buying, David. You're going to sell me these items."

David seemed intimidated by him. The old man muttered as he calculated and asked for the money. Then he handed over the packages...