Page 39 of Cursed Love

My mind races, piecing it together. Novak. That name is familiar, too familiar. “That’s Koa’s last name,” I whisper, the implications of their findings settling.

Hunter nods, his grin slipping. “Yeah. It is.”

I glance at Moses, his gaze fixed on the glass in his hand. It all makes sense now—the way Hunter stormed into the room earlier, needing an outlet, the way they probably tore into each other downstairs, the bruises, the barely restrained fury. This isn’t just about business anymore. This is personal.

“So you’re telling me that someone in Koa’s family—herfamily—is behind this?”

Moses sets the glass down, his jaw tight. “It’s looking that way. And if it’s true...”

Hunter cuts in, his voice a growl. “This just got a little more complicated.”

I don’t respond immediately, my mind racing through possibilities, contingencies. Koa doesn’t need this right now, not with everything else she’s been through. But we can’t ignore it. If someone in her family is trying to take us down, they’ve made a grave mistake.

Moses leans back against the edge of the counter, arms crossed over his bare chest, his bruised shoulder catching the light. “Is Koa already asleep?” He asks, gesturing to Koa’s bedroom.

I shake my head, exhaling slowly. “No. Maybe? She’s in her room, probably trying to piece herself together after today. But we’ve got a bigger problem.”

Hunter raises an eyebrow, his focus sharpening instantly. “What now?”

I rub a hand across the back of my neck as I meet their gazes. “We ran into Damien at the store,” I begin, the words heavy as they leave my mouth. “And a couple of his friends.”

The shift in the room is immediate. Hunter’s jaw clenches, his fingers curling into fists. Moses doesn’t move, but the air around him suddenly feels charged, like the calm before a storm. “Go on.”

“His friends; they were the Alphas. The ones who hurt Koa during her first heat. And Damien—” My voice catches for a second and I have to force the words out. “Damien orchestrated the whole thing.”

Hunter is on his feet before I can finish, pacing like a caged animal, his growls low and constant. “I’ll kill him,” he snaps, his voice a razor’s edge. “I don’t give a fuck what it takes. He’s dead.”

“They’ll get what’s coming to them,” I say firmly. “But not tonight. Not until we know how to handle this without dragging Koa through more hell.”

Hunter stops pacing, spinning to face me. “How the fuck are you staying so calm about this?”

“Because I don’t have the luxury of losing it,” I snap back, my voice sharper than I intended. “Koa’s been through enough. She doesn’t need us losing our heads and making this worse for her.”

Hunter glares at me for a moment, then lets out a growl and sits back down, his head in his hands. “What else did he say?”

I take a deep breath, bracing myself. “He said a lot of things. Cruel things. Things meant to hurt her, to make her doubt us, to make her doubt herself. And it worked. She’s carrying all of it, Hunter. All the pain, all the anger, all the shame. She’s going to ask for bonds.”

Both of them freeze, their gazes snapping to mine. “What?” Moses asks, his voice low but sharp.

“She’s going to want to feel grounded,” I explain, my tone softening. “She’s going to want to feel loved, feel safe. It might be tonight, or tomorrow, or next week. But it’s coming. And when it does, we have to be ready.”

Hunter lets out a heavy sigh, running his fingers through his hair. “How could you know that when she hasn’t asked us into her nest yet? I thought most Omegas are eager to have those scents around them all the time.”

I let out a snort, shaking my head as I stretch my legs out in front of me. “You don’t understand Omegas at all, do you?” I say, giving him a sidelong glance. “You and Moses, with your rut-addled brains, can’t see past all the textbook nonsense.”

Moses raises an eyebrow, a small smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “Oh, enlighten us, great and wise Amel.”

I roll my eyes but lean forward, resting my hands on the counter. “Omegas don’t just build nests for us,” I explain. “They build them for comfort, for an escape, for safety. It’s not just about scents or instincts. It’s about what they need in that moment.”

Hunter frowns, clearly trying to process what I’m saying. “But her bed is covered in our clothes,” he points out. “She’s already letting our scents in.”

“Exactly,” I say, leaning back and gesturing at him with one hand. “In a way, shehasinvited us in. Her bed, her space—it’s full of us. Our scents, our presence. She’s finding comfort in it, but it’s different from outright asking us into her nest.”

Moses tilts his head, his expression thoughtful. “So what’s stopping her from asking?”

I glance between the two of them, my tone softening as I answer. “She’s been independent for so long. Alone for so long. She’s only recently started to reconnect with her instincts and that kind of vulnerability... it’s hard. Asking us into her nest isn’t just about proximity or scent. It’s about trust. It’s about letting down her walls completely.”

Hunter lets out a slow breath, leaning his head back against the couch. “So, what you’re saying is... we wait.”

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