Page 6 of The Cursed Wolf King

They moved in perfect sync around me, shadows weaving through the trees, a fluid mass of muscle and instinct. I could feel each member’s presence, the subtle connections linking us together, humming in my mind like a second heartbeat. My wolf led the way, his senses heightening, urging us onward, hungry for the rush of this run. The smell of damp earth filled the air, and the towering pines seemed to stretch on endlessly, welcoming us as only our own land could.

A pair of younger wolves veered forward slightly, ahead of me, their excitement pushing them too far from the group’s center. I let out a low growl, a command sent through the pack’s bond, and they fell back immediately, their eyes wide with apology as they returned to their place.

They were learning, finding their own feet within the pack, but they had yet to understand what it meant to run as one. Tonight, they’d know.

Rhys fell into step beside me, a privileged spot for my beta. His eyes met mine in a brief, wordless exchange that needed no interpretation. My brother and I didn’t need words. We’d spent a lifetime running together, knowing each other’s abilities, weaknesses, and instincts better than our own. His pace matched mine effortlessly, his gaze sharp and alert as he took in the land around us, a silent reassurance that he was there, watching, protecting. Always.

He bumped into my side to make me stumble and though I gave him a look as a reprimand, he winked in return.

The landscape opened into a clearing, a place where moonlight broke through the canopy in silvery threads, spilling across the grass in patches. The pack spread out here, taking advantage of the open space, every wolf’s spirit rising. My wolf lifted his head, breathing in the scent of our land, our territory, a place that had belonged to our ancestors and would one day belong to our pups. Borders that we would reclaim from those who dared to encroach and call it their own.

The night stretched ahead, vast and open, and in this moment, nothing could touch us.

Rhys’s eyes flicked to mine, the glint in them sharp,questioning. Through the bond, I let him feel my intention—a wordless exchange that told him where I was headed. The borders had been harder to hold, our numbers too few to patrol as thoroughly as we once did. If we were going to keep this territory safe and stand any chance at reclaiming what we’d lost, I needed my scent along every inch of those borders.

And this part, I would do alone.

Rhys’s wolf jogged in sync with me, paws hitting the earth in time as we reached the edge of the clearing. I gave him a nudge, brushing my side against his, urging him toward the main group. My wolf’s push was gentle, a command, but softened, knowing he’d resist me running alone.

Indeed, Rhys’s steps stayed with mine even as the others continued on, their forms blending back into the shadowed pines.

I stopped, letting the others disappear into the trees, and sent the command with more weight this time.

Go back, Rhys.My wolf’s growl came low, steady, with the force I rarely had to use on him.

But this wasmyrun along the borders. My duty.

After a beat, he gave a low huff, and he dipped his head in agreement. Rhys turned toward the pack, his movements begrudging as he joined them, casting one last glance over his shoulder before disappearing into the trees.

I waited until I could no longer hear him before heading toward the borders, feeling the weight of my duty settle like stone as I began my patrol alone, intending to leave the trail of my scent across every inch of our land.

I moved steadily along the edge of our land, my wolfalert, senses heightened as I neared the borders of the Heraclid territory. The forest thickened here, shadows pooling around the dense trunks, and every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig sent my wolf’s instincts humming. This land was familiar, but it demanded attention, vigilance—especially this close to enemy lines.

Suddenly, I froze.

A scent drifted through the trees, light at first, carrying enough to pull me up short, my paws rooted to the earth. I inhaled sharply, drawing it in. Apples, rich and sweet, with an exotic spice I couldn’t quite place. It was warm and clung to the air, stirring something deep inside me.

It was a scent unlike anything I’d ever known, yet somehow familiar, a whisper of something I should have known, so familiar it took me back to childhood.

My wolf surged, powerful and urgent, wanting—no,needing—to follow it. The scent tugged at me, intoxicating, a taste of the forbidden and essential all at once.

Muscles tense, claws digging into the ground, I fought to keep control. The scent lingered, wrapping around my senses until I was drowning in it, losing grip on where I was, on why I’d come here. My wolf clawed, wild and insistent, pushing against my will with a strength I hadn’t felt in years.

Unable to control him otherwise, I shifted, falling into my human form with a sharp breath. The night air hit my skin.

Still that scent filled my lungs.

I forced myself to steady, muscles taut as I stepped forward, pushing past the branches that scratched at myskin. They left thin marks along my arms, stinging and fresh, but they healed as quickly as they’d appeared.

I was drawn deeper into the shadows, and the scent grew stronger, filling the air. I barely noticed the scratches or the leaves clinging to my skin as I moved through the undergrowth, entirely focused on whatever—or whoever—was drawing me in.

Through the thick branches, I saw her.

Mine.

The word crashed through me, unbidden and primal, as my eyes locked on her form through the shadows of the trees. My wolf’s claim, possessive and absolute, gripped me like a vice, leaving no room for doubt or question.

She was everything I hadn’t known I was waiting for, yet here she stood—a vision wild and untouchable, drawing me closer with each heartbeat.

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