Page 17 of The Cursed Wolf King

He nodded, extending his hand. “You know I will. And I’ll inform Killian and Blair when they’re back from checking the eastern borders.”

My shoulders relaxed. I was alpha, but my team was second to none in this world. Time and again they had proven themselves. Other packs had numbers. We had strategy.

I took his hand, gripping firmly as we both pulled our joined fists to our chests, a silent promise sealed with tradition.

As I adjusted the straps on my pack, readying myself to leave, Elder Raina fell in step beside me, her expression as firm as the mountain itself. She walked slowlybut never faltered, her wisdom honed from decades spent watching over Orion with an unbreakable loyalty.

“Off to the city, I hear.”

“Handling business. Utilities,” I replied.

We strolled through the heart of the village, where an unexpected break in the clouds let the sunshine gleam off the window of the common kitchen and the sturdy one-room schoolhouse, already buzzing with activity. A baker pulled fresh loaves from the oven, their warmth spilling into the air as shifters began their morning tasks. Pups dashed by, laughing, barely noticing me as they chased one another toward the river.

Raina gave a faint, knowing smile. “It’s good to see them with that kind of energy,” she said. “When the pack thrives, it’s because of roots planted long before them. The Orion line is strong, Logan. You’re doing more than leading—you’re keeping the roots alive.”

“Orion’s always been more than just a name,” I said, trying not to show how much her words meant to me. “And I’d sooner die than see it fall.”

“Let’s not let it come to that. I know you can—” She tripped, and I caught her by the arm to set her upright.

She turned, regarding me closely, her nostrils flaring. She sniffed the air around me.

“What is that?” she whispered as she continued to inhale, longer and deeper.

I froze, my pulse quickening.

“Something wrong, Elder?”

She didn’t answer at once, her brows drawn together in concentration as she leaned closer. She sniffed again, and her lips pressed into a thin line, a puzzled look crossing herface. “Hmm.” She murmured as though to herself. “It cannot be.”

My pulse spiked, and I kept my expression neutral, even as tension twisted within me. Elder Raina rarely stumbled over her instincts. She always knew, always sensed more than anyone else.

“What is it?” I asked, trying to tune in to what she was feeling. I could have sworn she put a veil over her pack bond on purpose.

For a heartbeat, she seemed to debate saying more, studying me. She shook her head, dismissing it with an unease that remained in her expression. “Perhaps nothing at all,” she said, but I could feel there was more.

The silence that followed was thick, each of us standing firm yet both of us sensing something just out of reach.

And that we didn’t dare tell.

“I haven’t heard of fated mates in generations,” she finally said with a sigh. “Your scent is not what it was, and your heart is beating in someone else’s time.”

Except at that moment, I was sure my heart hadstopped.

“But it cannot be.” She patted my arm like I was a pup again. “It cannot be.”

8

EVE

Iclosed the door behind me, the latch clicking into place, the only sound that broke the stillness of my tiny cabin. I leaned sideways against it, my shoulders throbbing as pain seeped through my skin and into my bones. Gritting my teeth, I pressed my hands to the tender spots, feeling the sharp ache radiate with every touch.

It was like fire beneath my fingertips. Open wounds that I couldn’t heal.

Because of Damian.

A lump formed in my throat, hot and heavy. I forced it down, exhaling a long breath that didn’t ease a thing.

Outside, the alpha’s compound sprawled in manicured gardens, all bright flowers and neatly trimmed hedges. It looked more like a painting than a place wolves should call home. Grayson maintained everything perfectly—the pathways swept clean, the grass trimmed just so, an unspoken reminder of his control over every inch of his territory.

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