68\u2013Into His Basement\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline:\u00a0<\/p>\n
I asked the driver to drop me off at the address.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I began to realize it was much farther from the usual pack houses, all the way near the border of the pack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There stood a lonely house surrounded by dying trees and overgrown grass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even as I stepped onto the front porch, the floorboards creaked beneath my feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knocked gently on the door, then looked around in confusion, growing impatient.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in,\u201d came a voice from inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was old and shaky, yet it sounded as if he already knew I was coming, because he didn\u2019t ask who I was, he simply invited me in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I was about to step inside, the voice continued, \u201cDo you see the groceries outside? Bring them in when you come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hand was on the doorknob when the request came.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked around for the groceries and, sure enough, found several bags piled near a large vase.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I picked them up, turned the doorknob, and stepped into the small, vintage\u2013style house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Right at the entrance, a staircase led to the upper floor, and beneath it was a door to the basement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the right was the kitchen, and on the left, a living room, where an old man sat in a wheelchair, gazing out the window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHi,\u201d I greeted, walking into the living room and awkwardly placing the groceries on the table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t put them there. Could you please keep them in the kitchen?\u201d he instructed without turning around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I noticed his wheelchair and figured he must have a nurse who came by to help him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the way, I\u2019m the woman who wanted to know about the diary,\u201d I explained, in case he thought I was the\u00a0<\/p>\n
nurse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He chuckled softly and turned toward me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked kind old man with big glasses, overgrown hair, and a white beard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. Actually, I don\u2019t know when she\u2019ll come, and I didn\u2019t want the groceries to go bad,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smiling, I walked toward the right side of the house, where the kitchen was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, everything was clean and neatly arranged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I began unloading the groceries, putting food in the refrigerator and cleaning supplies in the storeroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It only took about ten minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I returned, the old man was smiling, holding an old diary in his hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHave a seat, please,\u201d he invited.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
68\u2013Into Has Basement\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat across from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other day I was in the library and read about wolves, but I noticed that one particular wolf type had missing pages,\u201d I mentioned with an awkward smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My smile faded slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, we\u2019ve never met,\u201d I murmured quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no, I\u2019ve seen you on TV. You\u2019re the human researcher, the savior, right?\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed awkwardly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019m just trying,\u201d I replied. \u201cSo, do you have the pages about the grey wolf?\u201d I asked, bringing the conversation back to the topic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Grey Wolf, a mystery in itself,\u201d the old man began, almost zoning out. \u201cYou know, I have spent most of my life curious about wolves. I would go from pack to pack, place to place, meeting those said to be unique and different.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He paused, reminiscing about his adventurous years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there was one wolf I could never figure out. Every time someone told me about a Grey Wolf, I went there, and it was gone by the time I arrived.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He flipped through the pages of the diary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, these packs all once claimed to have a Grey Wolf. I never came across one myself. I only heard stories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stopped and glanced at me, noticing my puzzled expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo\u00a0<\/p>\n
you\u00a0<\/p>\n
don\u2019t have any information on the Grey Wolf? Then what did you write in the book?\u201d I asked, watching him nod with appreciation, as if he was glad I cared about his work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI did write about it,\u201d he continued, \u201cbut only what I heard from the witnesses. Later this year, I realized I wasn\u2019t satisfied. I needed to see one for myself, to finally write about it, to know how the wolf would respond to stress, pain, anger, joy, sorrow, all of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The old man looked heartbroken, as if his life\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
biggest mystery had slipped away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behind him, I noticed awards covering the wall and shelves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAll these, I won during my research on wolves. They are my pride,\u201d he said proudly. \u201cI never got married, never had children, never even had a girlfriend, never found my mate. This was my passion, the only thing I cared about,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He spoke with pride, and his achievements were truly impressive, but I couldn\u2019t understand how someone could be so devoted to his work that he gave up everything else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, I supposed everyone had their own choices.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWow, you must have been very popular back then,\u201d I commented.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded happily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, kids these days aren\u2019t so interested in learning about their origins. But I was a curious child. And look at\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
68\u2013Into His Basement\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
this empty box.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pointed toward the box.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe council told me that if I could find information about the Grey Wolf, they would give me a lifetime medal and call me the Father of Werewolves, the one who knows everything about them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He sighed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess the council was joking, because they knew I\u2019d never solve it. But I took it seriously. That was years ago. Then I grew old, and now I\u2019ll die with that one wish unfulfilled.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He placed a trembling hand on his chest. I felt bad for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo does that mean there\u2019s no information?\u201d I asked, returning to the topic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThose torn pages, maybe they\u2019ll help you. I have an entire library in the basement, filled with diaries from my years of research. When I tore the pages out myself, I stored them down there. You can check them, but please tell me before taking any book.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He handed me a small key.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took it quickly, stood up in excitement, thanked him with a small bow, and hurried toward the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew he hadn\u2019t personally seen the Grey Wolf, but I could still use the accounts others had given him, like he said, recorded in his diaries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rushed to the basement door and unlocked it with the key.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment I opened the door, a sharp, rotting smell rose from the basement, mostly from the decaying books.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I started down the steps, surrounded by darkness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned on my phone\u2019s flashlight and began to look around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The staircase was long, each step echoing under my feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I felt a presence behind me, though no one was supposed to be there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned, and the old man stood on the stairs, holding a large needle filled with a green liquid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d I shouted, recognizing it to be wolfsbane.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It all happened within seconds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I knew it, he had plunged the needle into my neck and kicked me down the stairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
BIG SALE: 3500 bonus free fou you\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby\u2019s writing style is bold and irresistible\u2014perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.<\/p>\n
68\u2013Into His Basement\u00a0 Madeline:\u00a0 I asked the driver to drop me off at the address.\u00a0 And I began to realize […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19064"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19269,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19064\/revisions\/19269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}