Page 19 of The Cursed Wolf King

Kenza didn’t look convinced. “A rough night? Eve?—”

“Please, Kenza,” I said quickly, cutting her off before she could press further. “I just need a bit of space right now. Give me some time, okay?”

To my relief, her hand slipped off my shoulder, though I felt her hesitation. “Alright, fine,” she muttered, taking a step back. “But you’re not getting off that easy. We’ll talk later.”

“Of course. Later.” I turned away as swiftly as I could manage without giving away the agony in every step. I walked on, feeling her eyes on my back.

“Take care, Eve,” she called after me, and I heard her concern.

I didn’t look back.

As I moved further away from the compound, I silently pleaded with the Shadow Moon Goddess that the shifter meant Seattle when he talked about going to the human city. It was the nearest one, sprawling and busy—a place where supernaturals, even those from outside the Shadow Moon packs, gathered in secret to conduct their affairs. It was neutral ground, like most human cities had been since the Shadow Moon Goddess had arrived and created new alliances to calm the chaos that had dominated this world before. In the cities, wolves didn’t vie for territory, and grudges were set aside—at least for as long as it took to do business.

It would make sense that he meant Seattle, but if he hadn’t… I didn’t know what I would do.

Nor did I know what I would do when I got there, and I didn’t know what I’d say to him even if I did find him.

I’d figure all that out when the time came. With pain searing down my back, one step at a time was all my brain could manage. I turned a corner and slammed into someone solid. Pain shot through me, sharper than before, and a cry escaped my lips.

“Oh, you’ve got nerve screeching like that,” Sable spat, not even trying to hide her disdain. “You’re the one who bumped intome.”

I gripped the wall beside me, huffing softly as I fought to keep the world from blurring out. “I’m… sorry…” I managed, forcing the words out even as my vision swam.

She glared down at me, lips twisting. “You should be sorry—” Her eyes dropped to my shoulder, and her expression of fury calmed. “Eve, you’re bleeding.”

I pulled my sleeve closer, giving her a tight smile. “Clumsy as ever,” I said quickly, trying to sound breezy. “I’ll be fine. Just need to be more careful. Like Damian says,” I added for good measure, stepping to the side and forcing my legs to carry me forward.

I could feel her gaze burning into my back as I hurried off, each step harder than the last. My mind raced, hoping she’d do what she always did—shrug me off, turn away, and leave me forgotten.

With a final glance over my shoulder, I saw Sable watching me. There was a chink in her armor, something I’d never seen before. I could swear she looked worried. Aboutme.

That couldn’t be good news. I knew whose side she was on.

Forget I ever existed. Forget this ever happened. Shadow Moon Goddess, let me get out of here.

I made it to the main road that led into Heraclid pack lands, all the way to the bus stop, and used a few of the coins I’d found in pockets in the alpha’s cloakroom. The bus rumbled beneath me, each bump in the road jostling me closer to the city, closer to him.

Seattle. It had to be where he meant.Had to.

My heart raced with each passing mile, and as I settled into the worn seat, I pressed my forehead against the window, watching the trees blur into smudges of green.

I closed my eyes, hoping for a few moments of rest before I reached the city. When my lids shut, the shifter was there, vivid as ever.

A vision.

In the vision, I was in my wolf form, powerful and swift, bounding through the forest. His form was beside me, his dark brown coat gleaming as he kept pace, an equal in every way.

We ran together, the world stretching out before us, open and endless. Cool earth beneath my paws, the wind through my fur. And then, in a heartbeat, he nudged me, playful and wild, and we tumbled together. His wolf form wrapped around mine, his warmth spreading through me, fierce and steady, like nothing I’d ever felt. My wolf’s eyes met his, and there was no question of trust or danger, only a deep, mutual understanding.

With a man I didn’t know.

When I opened my eyes, the vision still clung to me, hazy yet powerful. My chest rose and fell with quick breaths, and I reached instinctively to touch my shoulder. My backstill ached and the wounds remained open, but I wasn’t actively bleeding anymore. It was impossible, Damian having whipped me only a few hours earlier.

Unless it was my wolf. As if running free in the vision had given her space to act on my human form in real life.

The bus rattled to a stop at the Seattle terminal, a plain, utilitarian building tucked between looming high-rises and the bustle of city streets. I stepped off, blinking in the early morning light. The concrete platform stretched wide, lined with benches, each filled with tired travelers and scattered bags. Rows of buses idled nearby, releasing clouds of diesel smoke that mixed with the salty tang of the Puget Sound just beyond the terminal. In the distance, ferries moved across the water like silent sentries, and the cry of gulls cut through the din of traffic and engines.

None of that held my attention. Instead, something sharp and familiar wove its way through the scents of the city, the damp concrete, and the smells of the port.

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