Page 27 of Christmas with a Cursed Werewolf

"Stay." The word comes out as a growl. "You mentioned magic shifting. What exactly are you watching?"

Her fingers twist in her apron. "I only meant... the castle seems different lately. With Miss Everly here."

Briar. Of course this is about Briar.

"Who asked you to watch her?"

Fiona's silence speaks volumes. The curse writhes under my skin as pieces click into place— her recent absences, the way she hovers near Briar's room, those furtive phone calls.

"Rurik." The name tastes like acid. "You're reporting to my brother."

She doesn't deny it. Doesn't run. But her eyes dart toward the exit, calculating.

"How long?"

"Mr. Wolfe, please understand?—"

"How. Long?"

“Since the beginning.” Her voice wavers, a tremor slicing through the tension.

A growl erupts from my throat, primal and raw, echoing off the stone walls. My beast stirs, furious at the implications of her words.

“You foolishly allowed Rurik to pull you into his dangerous game,” I hiss, my voice low and laced with menace. The air crackles with my anger as I step closer, forcing her to meet my gaze. “And I won’t let him—or you—use Briar.”

I can feel the walls closing in as I realize that this is the final strike. Fiona's deception has sealed her fate. It’s time to end this once and for all—I need to protect what’s mine, and that means kicking her out of the castle.

“He said... he said he could help me. That when the curse breaks?—”

Ice spreads from my feet, crackling across the floor. "The curse isn't breaking. It's killing us all."

"That's not what he says." A hint of defiance enters her tone. "He has plans. Ways to fix everything, if we help him study the magic's response to her."

The walls groan around us, ancient stones protesting as my anger feeds into the curse. Help him study the magic. Study Briar. My brother's "experiments" have found a new target.

"Get out." My voice drops to a dangerous whisper. "Pack your things and leave. Now."

"But—"

"Before I forget you're human."

"But…the curse."

"You should have thought about that before you fed my brother information." The words erupt from me, laced with fury. "Go!"

My command reverberates through the castle, shaking the very foundations.

Dust and plaster fall from the ceiling, the air thickening with tension as the walls seem to groan in response. My anger fills the space, and Fiona's expression shifts to fear.

She runs. The sound of her footsteps fades, leaving me alone with too many dangerous truths. The curse pounds through my blood, demanding action. My brother's reach extends further than I imagined, his corruption seeping into my home, threatening what's mine.

What's mine. The thought brings Briar's face to mind, and with it, a surge of protective fury I can no longer deny. The castle's magic responds, shadows deepening as my resolve hardens.

Time to end this. Time to face my brother and the darkness he's unleashed.

I pull out my phone, ignoring how it flickers in the castle's unstable magic. Rurik's number waits like a coiled snake, ready to strike.

My finger hovers over the screen, heart racing. “You’ve gone too far this time, brother,” I mutter under my breath, the weight of my words heavy in the dim air.

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