Page 64 of The Cursed Wolf King

“You’re right, Alpha.” His lips were set in a firm line. “I am behind you.”

He extended his hand between us and I took it firmly, and our wolves flashed their mutual respect for each other. We beat each other’s chests, and that was the end of that.

The others in the room did the same with me, and I tookmy time, fulfilling the ancient custom for the shared heart of Orion.

We each had tasks to fulfill if we were to make a call on where to go next with the Heraclids and this curse, but for me, there was only one place to go.

A little bungalow on the edge of the village.

The doorto the bungalow stood ajar, faint sunlight slanting across the floor inside. I knocked, but there was no reply.

I slowly pushed the door open, peering around the edge.

Eve was huddled in the corner, her knees pulled tightly to her chest, her face hidden in her hands. She wasn’t moving. She was just sitting there, her entire body radiating an unbearable stillness. The kind that spoke of fear so deep it locked a person in place.

My wolf surged forward, snarling, demanding I act.

I stepped inside and closed the door with a quiet click behind me. “Eve?”

At the sound of my voice, she leaned forward, head tilting to one side. She looked like a hare on the verge of bolting.

Instinct kicked in—years of hunting, tracking, understanding the subtleties of prey behavior. My human side recoiled at the analogy, but my wolf pressed forward, certain of what had to be done. She needed calm. She needed safety.

“Eve,” I said again, softer this time. “It’s just me.”

Her breathing hitched, her hands tightening around her knees. Still, she didn’t look at me.

“Hey,” I said, lowering myself to her level and crouching a few feet away. “What’s going on?”

She shook her head, the motion quick and dismissive. “Didn’t sleep well. I’m fine.”

She wasn’t. My wolf paced, agitated, desperate to close the gap between us and do something, anything, to ease her tension.

“Eve, you don’t have to talk. Just… I’m going to come closer, okay?”

She briefly met my eyes. The vulnerability in her was almost enough for me to pull her into my arms. She looked away again, her walls snapping back into place.

I exhaled, running a hand through my hair, and considered my options. My wolf wasn’t having it, demanding action, but this wasn’t about forcing my way in.

Carefully, I closed the distance, moving slowly enough so as not to spook her. I knelt beside her, leaving enough space for her to feel like she could breathe, but close enough that she could feel my presence.

Her emotions hit me like a wave through the bond—fear, confusion, pain, and something else, buried deep enough I could hardly access it.

Our bond.I was feeling her through it. She wasn’t Orion—I hadn’t claimed her, we hadn’t sealed our bond, she still wore the Heraclid mark… and yet there was no doubt I was connected to her, more than any other wolf.

“I’m not going anywhere.” I meant it. Despite the obstacles in front of us, I was never,evergoing to leave her. “Whatever this is, whatever you’re feeling, I’m here.”

She didn’t speak. Her breathing slowed, her shoulders relaxing. It was progress, small but real. My wolf rumbledhis approval, and I finally let myself touch her—the lightest brush of my fingers against her arm.

She flinched, and I froze. Slowly, she looked at me.

“Why?” she whispered, her body trembling. “Why is this happening to us?”

I didn’t have any other answer than the one that had screamed truth into my heart the moment I first touched her.My fated mate. To speak those words aloud to her would take us down a path that was completely unknown in these times.

Instead, I offered her the truth I could give.

“Because we are a part of something bigger,” I said simply. “And we belong together.”

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