The White Wolf’s Curse
The Best Werewolf Short Stories 1800-1849This flow follows Krantz’s inherited family tragedy from flight and forbidden marriage to supernatural punishment and death.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
Inherited Violence

Inherited Violence
Double Murder
Krantz’s father kills his unfaithful wife and her noble seducer in Transylvania. Serfdom makes lawful defense impossible, so escape replaces justice.
Flight to Exile
He carries his children into the Harz Mountains. The family’s refuge is also the landscape in which the supernatural later claims them.
The White Wolf’s Lure

The White Wolf’s Lure
Mountain Pursuit
Krantz’s father follows a rare white wolf into a forbidden clearing. The animal’s behavior suggests intelligence and deliberate enticement.
Supernatural Threshold
The wolf disappears, replaced by an encounter with fugitives. The apparent rescue quietly introduces the spirits whose influence will govern the family’s future.
A Cursed Marriage

A Cursed Marriage
Binding Oath
Krantz’s father marries Christina by invoking the spirits of the Hartz Mountains rather than Heaven. His promise to protect her carries an explicit supernatural penalty.
Fatal Condition
The vow includes the destruction of his children if he raises a hand against his wife. Marriage becomes a magical contract whose language outruns human intention.
The Children’s Deaths

The Children’s Deaths
Caesar’s Pursuit
Cæsar follows Christina after her nocturnal departure and disappears after a gunshot. His body is found mangled, while Christina conceals the cause.
Marcella’s Murder
Later, the white wolf attacks Marcella in the cottage. The children’s deaths fulfill the curse’s imagery while revealing Christina’s predatory nature.
Curse Fulfilled

Curse Fulfilled
Revelation
Krantz’s father catches Christina devouring Marcella’s corpse in human form and shoots her. The expected wife becomes visibly a she-wolf after death.
Final Judgment
Wilfred appears as a supernatural agent, declares the oath fulfilled, and condemns the father to live with his guilt. Krantz inherits a destiny he fears cannot be escaped.
before Krantz’s childhood
Krantz’s seventh year
three weeks after Christina’s arrival
the following winter and spring
the final night at the cottage