Page 12 of The Cursed Wolf King

Alaric pressed me to fight for it, to rally the pack to attack and retake our land. And when I refused—knowing we couldn’t risk more lives on a lost cause—he’d taken it as an insult, letting bitterness fester until it drove him away. I didn’t know where he’d gone, but I saw his wolf’s eyes the morning he left.

They’d been full of hate.

The thought of it twisted inside me, a betrayal beyond imagining. Alaric had been like a brother, once, before he’d crossed to the other side. I cried on him when Wyatt and Nash were lost. The thought of him, a betrayer, standinghere on soil that had once been ours, filled me with a fury I could barely contain.

My wolf felt the torment with me, and a low, guttural sound built in his throat until it broke free, an anguished howl that tore through the clearing, spilling into the thick, heavy air. The howl rang out across the clearing with a fury that had no place to go but here, back to the land that had been stolen from us.

A sound broke through the air—a gasp, soft and sharp, slicing through my fury. My ears perked, my wolf’s hackles rising as I caught the scent of another wolf, one who didn’t belong here.

I shot forward, claws digging into the earth as I propelled myself toward the sound. Anger ran through me, the primal need to protect my borders crashing against every other thought. My wolf braced for a fight, ready to lay down his life if it meant keeping this intruder from slipping deeper into our lands. Whoever they were,they would not threaten Orion.

Then the scent hit me.

The same intoxicating pull from yesterday, apples and warm spices, something that shouldn’t have had any power over me but instead tore through every thought like a hurricane.

My wolf fought against me, fierce and unyielding, clawing to push us forward, faster, toward the source.

My muscles tensed. Fury and desire rushed through me at once—yet beneath it all lay an edge of fear. Fear of losing control, of not understanding this maddening pull that unsettled everything I knew about myself. My mind pushed back, my instincts warring between protectiveness andanger, the pull of duty clashing with something wild, something I didn’t want to name.

My wolf surged again, pushing harder, his need thrumming in every beat of my heart, louder than the blood roaring in my ears. I clenched my jaw, trying to force it down, but the woman’s scent only grew stronger, winding through me, teasing and taunting, until every sense burned with it.

The air thickened with it, and the scent tightened its grip, making it impossible to think. Each breath felt like I was inhaling fire, each inhale feeding the frenzied need and warping it until I couldn’t tell where the wolf’s wants ended and my own began.

All I knew was that I couldn’t stop.

My legs pushed harder, faster, the forest around me blurring as we tore through it together—man and wolf caught in a battle neither of us could win.

I broke through the trees, paws skidding as I came to a halt, my chest heaving with the exertion and confusion clawing at me. Then, through the nighttime haze, I saw it.

A long white dress, the fabric hanging from a high branch like a ghost caught in the trees. I traced the line of it upward in a slow, almost reluctant draw.

Until I saw her.

6

EVE

Iperched high among the branches, gripping the rough bark to keep myself steady. From up here, I could barely make out the forest floor below, where thin beams of moonlight sliced through the leaves, scattering patches of brightness on the ground.

I’d been waiting in this spot for hours, since the end of Alpha Grayson’s dinner. The dinner had been the usual display, like Grayson was some sort of king and his immediate entourage the royal family. The whole estate was lit up, tables set with silver platters and crystal goblets, food piled high like we were celebrating a victory instead of holding on to scraps. Every Heraclid who mattered was there, dressed in their best, falling over themselves to impress him and his son. They toasted, laughed too loudly, all to keep in Grayson’s favor, as if his approval might somehow protect them from the reality many Heraclids faced on the outer edges of the territory.

I’d sat through it, stiff-backed and silent, watching thewhole show from the far end of the table. Grayson’s speeches, his sharp smiles, his way of nodding like he was some magnanimous ruler—it made my skin crawl. And yet, the pack devoured every bit of it.

I played my part, pretending not to notice the empty compliments, the way they treated him like he was untouchable. That seemed to be enough to keep Damian in line, though that bitch-wolf Sable continued to stare at me like I was an enigma she was desperate to figure out. The way she sidled up to Damian made me sick. She was the only thing that had made me squirm, and I was relieved when I could finally sneak out.

And I ran. Ran to the very edge of Heraclid lands. I was ready to spend the night in the tree, hoping that would keep me safe from anyone roaming in wolf form. I waited and waited, starting to question why I ever thought that was a good idea. It wasn’t like he was going to come back to the same place two nights in a row. He wasn’t looking for me the way I was looking for him.

And then he appeared.

The wolf moved with a grace that belied his size, muscles rippling beneath a coat the color of rich earth. He circled the base of the tree, his movements both impatient and purposeful. Every so often, he’d pause, lifting his head to sniff the air, scanning the branches. A low whine escaped his throat, and he placed his front paws against the trunk, claws scratching lightly as if testing its strength.

I held my breath.

Up close, he was even more imposing than I remembered from the visions—a blend of unadulterated power and restrained energy. There was no question he was thewolf who infiltrated my visions, the one who might hold the key to my freedom.

As I crouched above him, a pulse of feeling broke through my senses, steady at first, then flooding in waves that knocked the air out of me. His emotions struck like gusts of wind, stirring something deep within my own chest. I was feelinghisfeelings.

He surrounded me, pulling me in. I hadn’t seen that coming.

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