Chapter 248: Azizie

Azura’s POV

"There is something carved here," I called out into the dark cave. "But it also doesn’t make any sense."

"What is it?" the wolf asked, her voice filled with sudden curiosity.

I leaned closer to the stone, reading the carved words aloud so she could hear me.

"To blank the blank and blank the blank, you must blank the blank, blank the blank, and blank."

"That’s the key!" the wolf barked from inside, her voice suddenly rising with pure excitement. "Open it! You have the lock right there. You have the key to it. Open it!"

I rolled my eyes and let out a harsh laugh.

"You’re kidding me, right? What do you mean I have the key to it? It’s just another stupid puzzle to solve!"

"But you are meant to have the missing pieces," the wolf insisted patiently.

Something clicked in my mind.

Missing pieces. Puzzles. Words.

A sudden memory flashed across my brain. I remembered something from my past, something that had been given to me for a long time that I had never quite understood.

"Wait," I gasped out, my eyes going wide as I stared at the carved stone.

"The nine words."

"Nine words?" the wolf asked, sounding completely confused.

"They were written in my journal!" I said quickly, my pulse beginning to race with excitement.

"Really?" the wolf urged, her voice turning bright and hopeful.

"Then use them!"

I stood there, my excitement suddenly dying down as a cold wave of worry hit me.

"The problem is... I can’t remember all of them clearly. And I need to place the right words into the exact right spaces. This is almost the hardest puzzle I’ve ever had to solve."

"Then calm down and solve it," the wolf said gently, her tone completely calm and steady.

I let out a heavy sigh, rolling my eyes at the cave entrance.

"Easy for you to say. This is going to take a really long time."

"I don’t mind," the wolf replied softly.

"I’m just glad I’ll be free anytime from now on."

****

It took days.

I sat on the hot ground right in front of that stone wall, staring at the missing gaps until my eyes hurt. I managed to figure out the first five words on the first day, fitting them into the spaces that made the most sense.

Then I spent another entire day trying to remember the rest of the list I had seen in my old journal.

The sun went down, casting the desert in cold moonlight, and then the sun came up again. I lost track of time. I was there for three full days, maybe even longer.

I sat slumped against the rock, exhausted, my brain feeling totally fried. But the strangest thing about that place was that I never felt hungry, and I never felt thirsty. My body did not age or grow weak. It was a truly strange, mystical realm.

"I don’t know when I can get this figured out," I admitted, my voice sounding flat and despondent.

"I keep getting the order wrong."

"I know," the wolf whispered from the dark cave. "But I really want to leave this place. I want to be free so badly."

I looked toward the dark opening, feeling a sudden wave of sadness wash over me.

"I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’m sorry I kept you locked away for so long."

"Well," the wolf said softly, her voice turning surprisingly gentle.

"I don’t actually mind. As long as it keeps you safe, I can stay in here as long as it takes."

I sat up straight, my gaze turning firm and determined.

"No. I want you out today."

"Me too," she admitted with a soft, breathy chuckle. "I want to get out too."

I could not help but laugh out loud at how quickly she changed her words, the small sound echoing off the desert cliffs.

"What’s your name anyway?" I asked, leaning my head back against the stone.

"If we are going to be stuck together, I should at least know what to call you."

"Azizie," the wolf stated proudly.

I smiled, repeating the sound slowly on my tongue.

"Azizie. I’m Azura."

"Azura," Azizie said at the same moment I spoke my own name.

We both went quiet for a second before Azizie let out a soft sound that sounded like a laugh.

"I know who you are, silly girl. I’ve been living inside your mind for a very long time."

I pulled my brows together in confusion.

"If you’ve been living inside my mind all this time, then why haven’t you said anything to me before this?"

"Because I couldn’t," Azizie explained quietly.

"I was bound by powerful magic. I didn’t have the strength to speak."

"That’s weird," I frowned, remembering a specific moment from my past.

"I’ve heard your voice say something to me before. The exact day I met Rhydor."

"Ah, that," Azizie murmured.

"The reason I did that was so you would know who your mate was right away."

"Then why didn’t you say anything to me after that day?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I had to use every single drop of power remaining inside me just to push that one word into your mind," Azizie confessed.

"After that moment, I had nothing left. That is why I wasn’t able to communicate with you anymore."

A sudden realization hit me like a heavy weight in my chest.

"So you actually gave up all your remaining power just so I could know who my mate was?" I asked softly, feeling a sudden rush of deep affection for the creature inside the cave.

"Yeah," Azizie said simply.

"I mean, once you knew your mate, things were bound to get a whole lot easier for you."

A genuine smile broke across my face.

"I think I like you already."

"Of course you have to like me," Azizie replied with a playful snort.

"I’m your wolf! Who else are you supposed to like if not me?"

I let out a loud laugh, the cheerful sound filling the empty desert air.

And then, right in the middle of my laughter, something sudden triggered inside my brain.

It was like a sudden flash of light behind my eyes. The missing words from my journal suddenly lined up in my memory, dropping into a clear, perfect order that made complete sense.

I stood up off the sand instantly, my heart pounding against my ribs as I rushed over to the carved stone. I raised my hand and began placing the nine words into the carved gaps, speaking each word out loud as I touched the rock.

I filled the last space and waited, holding my breath.

Nothing happened. The chains remained completely still.

"What?" I gasped out, my stomach sinking into a pit of frustration.

"Please, Azizie. I need your help. It didn’t work!"

"Tell me the riddle again," Azizie urged quickly. "Tell me where you put the words."

I read the full sentence out loud to her, explaining how I had arranged the nine missing words.

"I thought I got it right this time," I groaned, stomping my foot on the ground.

"Try mixing the last two words around," Azizie suggested, her mind working fast.

I quickly swapped the last two words, pressing my palm against the carved rock.

Nothing happened.

"Try mixing the first word and the second-to-last word," Azizie offered next.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and rearranged the words according to her instructions.

’To break the seal and open the lock, you must hide the key, carry the truth, and endure.’

The moment my fingers touched the stone, the carved letters began to glow with a blinding white light.

Rumble!

A loud, violent vibration shook the ground beneath my feet. The heavy iron chains wrapped around the cave entrance began to shake furiously, glowing with the same brilliant light. I took three quick steps backward, shielding my eyes with my arm.

Snap! Crack!

A deafening noise shattered the silence of the desert as the massive iron chains snapped into pieces, exploding outward and raining down onto the sand like harmless dust.

From deep inside the dark cave, a massive white paw pushed forward, stepping out into the light. Then another heavy paw followed.

A sudden, blinding flash of white light flooded the entire desert, so bright that I had to squeeze my eyes shut completely.

When the blinding glare finally faded away, I slowly opened my eyes and gasped.

Standing right in front of me was a majestic, breathtaking creature. She was massive, far larger than any normal wolf I had ever seen. Her fur was a pure, dazzling white, so clean it almost looked like fresh snow.

She had pointed fox ears standing tall on her head, and behind her, nine long, fluffy white tails swept through the air. Running along her back and sides were soft black stripes, exactly like the markings of a rare snow tiger.

Her piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, burning with divine power and deep intelligence. Her mouth did not open, but her loud, clear voice echoed directly inside my mind.

"Hello, Azura."

I stared at her in complete awe, my breath catching in my throat as I looked at my true wolf.

"Hello, Azizie," I whispered back.

****

"Azura?"

A deep, familiar voice broke through my thoughts, snapping me back to reality.

I blinked hard, the bright desert sun and the giant white wolf disappearing instantly. I was sitting right back inside the warm lace tent, the soft afternoon light streaming through the silk fabric above us.

Rhydor was hovering right over me, his dark brows pulled together as he looked down at my face with a deeply confused expression.

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head quickly to clear the lingering memories.

"I was just... remembering how it all happened."

Rhydor frowned, his thumb gently stroking my jaw.

"Yeah, but you haven’t said a single word for the last ten minutes."

I pulled my brows down in confusion.

"Huh? What do you mean I said nothing?"

A slow, amused smirk spread across Rhydor’s lips, his eyes twinkling with warmth.

"You didn’t say anything at all. You were just staring up at the canopy and smiling to yourself the whole time."

My eyes went wide, my cheeks instantly burning with heat.

"Ahh!"

Overcome with sudden embarrassment, I slumped my head right back onto his broad chest with a loud groan, hiding my red face against his warm skin.

Rhydor let out a deep, chest-rumbling chuckle, leaning his head down to press a soft, lingering kiss against my forehead.

"I’ll wait," he whispered warmly against my skin.

"Whenever you’re ready to tell me the full story, I’ll be right here."