Page 44 of The Cursed Wolf King

EVE

Where in the name of the Shadow Moon Goddess is Grayson taking me?

Hooded and bound, I reached out with what senses I had left, straining to make sense of the world around me.

The steady growl of the engine filled the silence, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the sharp crunch of gravel beneath the tires or the occasional drunken curse from Grayson up front. My pulse hammered in my ears, the weight of the unknown worse than the ropes biting into my wrists.

I sniffed the air instinctively, a faint trace of wet earth and blackthorns cutting through the staleness. Familiar. Too familiar. My stomach twisted as recognition crept in.

Blackthorn Grove.

I shifted slightly, my fingers brushing the rough metal of the truck bed for balance as another bump jarred my knees. I bit back a cry, more from fear than pain.

Please, wake up,I said to my wolf.The plea whispered through my mind.

My wolf stirred faintly, a flicker of warmth in the dark. I clung to it, hoping, willing her to come alive, to rise and shield me as she was meant to. She stayed quiet, still. Not gone, but not there for me either.

Please, come out. I need you.

Tears pricked my eyes, hot and useless beneath the hood. I couldn’t give in to despair, but it was a battle to keep breathing.

The truck skidded to a halt, the tires crunching against loose gravel. A door slammed, heavy boots crunching across the ground. The scent of alcohol rolled off Grayson as he yanked open the tailgate.

“Get out,” he growled.

The tailgate creaked open, and rough hands seized my ankles, dragging me out into the night.

I bit back a cry as I landed on my knees, but the sting was nothing compared to the way his alpha command locked on to me like chains.

“Walk,” he snapped, and I had no choice. My legs moved on their own, and I got up and stumbled forward as the weight of his authority bore down on me.

The air outside was cold, crisp with the sharp bite of the coming midnight. Almost twenty-four hours I’d been waiting in a cell, the anticipation clawing at my insides. And now we were here.

My senses screamed that I was near the platform—the place he made me give my visions. Every step brought me closer to the memories of humiliation and pain. My legs hit stone,confirming it.

The hood was ripped away, and the sudden light of the moon stung my eyes.

“Up,” he barked.

Grayson’s rough grip clamped down on me, yanking me up onto the platform. My shoulder flared with pain as he nearly dislocated my arm.

I hesitated for half a second and his grip tightened. He pushed me forward with such force I nearly fell. The sharp tang of blood hit my tongue as I bit down hard to keep from crying out.

Grayson towered over me, his breath hot and rancid as he sneered down at me.

“Let’s see what your visions have to say tonight,” he spat. “You better speak that curse that you have thus far refused me.”

My wolf stirred faintly, a weak pulse in the back of my mind, and I clung to it desperately.

“Perhaps I can’t kill you, but I can make this as easy or as hard as you want it to be.”

Hold on, I told myself.Don’t let him snake words onto your tongue.

If I was going to survive this, I’d have to find a strength in myself that the Shadow Moon Goddess herself would have to deliver.

“Don’t move.” The weight of the alpha command bore down on me, locking my limbs in place as though I were a statue carved into the platform. Grayson stumbled back toward the truck, his footsteps uneven and dragging.

He mumbled to himself, low and slurred, the words half-lost to the wind. “Damian, you reckless, stupid boy. Couldn’t even hold on to what was yours. Shouldn’t cursethe dead, should I? Even if he brought it all on himself…” His bitter laugh cut through the night.

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