Page 70 of The Cursed Wolf King

So I shifted.

The relief was immediate, my wolf reveling in the freedom of the transformation. The wind against my fur, the earth beneath my paws—I needed the release. My wolf was simpler than the man. He didn’t worry about strategy or politics or the fragility of emotions. He just felt, and it was a comfort to live in that space, even if only for a while.

Her scent grew stronger, and my pace quickened. My wolf’s joy was boundless, his instincts driving him forward with singular purpose. When I crested the ridge overlooking the Moonstone Plateau, I saw her.

She stood at the edge, her figure framed by the endless sky. Her silhouette was captivating, as if the heavens had chosen her to complete its canvas. The breeze toyed with her hair, sending it tumbling in loose waves that shimmered with the morning light. Her profile was serene and unguarded, and I admired the delicate curve of her jaw. Her hands hung loosely at her sides, fingers brushing the fabric of her tunic, a simple garment that seemed regal on her, molded to her figure by the wind. The way she tipped her face toward the horizon made her seem untouchable, yet she drew me in with a gravity I couldn’t fight.

She wasn’t just beautiful. She wasbreathtaking. It was the kind of beauty that demanded reverence, not words.

She was utterly still, and I froze, my emotions fierce as the sight of her stole the breath from my lungs.

Love.

The realization struck hard and fast, and entirely unfiltered. I didn’t care about logic or circumstances.I only knew she was mine, and seeing her there, so satisfied, solitary and contemplative, made my heart ache for her.

My wolf was ready to take her, claim her, bond with her, and make love to her, all in that moment. And he would have, if I let him.

The man in me hesitated. A deep sting took hold as I remembered she couldn’t shift. She was trapped in her human form, unable to feel the freedom my wolf had just reveled in.

Given her circumstances, she couldn’t understand my wolf’s emotions. It would be too intense, overwhelming. As much as it pained me to continue playing the human game of subtlety and measured steps, I shifted back into human form, containing my wolf—to his great displeasure.

My human feet felt cold against the stone. “Eve?”

Her expression was suddenly guarded. Her shoulders stiffened, her back straightening as she turned to face me. A smirk pulled at her lips.

“Did you forget your clothes again, Alpha?”

I laughed loudly enough that it echoed across the expanse of the Plateau. Before I’d even thought about it, I closed the distance, cupped her face in my hands, brushed my lips against her forehead.

“We’ve finally got some information on what’s happening in Heraclid. I want you to be there to hear it.”

“Me?” Her half-chuckle was almost sarcastic.

“Yes, you. You bring a perspective none of us have.”

“You mean I’m the closest enemy you’ve got.”

I cocked my head, her response catching me by surprise. Especially since her racing heart told me there was a lot more happening than I could see on the surface.

“You aren’t the enemy.”

She swallowed. “Of course I’m not. I didn’t mean it like that. I mean…”

Something in the way she said it made my wolf whine. Her face clouded over, the calmness I’d seen seconds earlier overtaken by darker thoughts.

“Eve.” I traced my finger along her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear. At once, her sadness took root in me, my heart breaking in spite of myself, and I swallowed back an emotion that wasn’t my own. “Are you happy here?”

“I’msohappy here,” she whispered.

“Then what is it?” I urged, but she lowered her eyes as though she were a submissive follower and not mate to an alpha. I knew this wasn’t who she was.

“When you’ve lived through what I’ve lived through, something like this—your pack, your confidence in me,you—it’s hard to believe it’s for real.”

“And yet it is.”

My lips found hers, soft and trembling. Electricity crackled through me as I felt her in every part of me—in my wolf, in my soul, in the space where fate had written her name next to mine.

My hands tangled in her hair as I pulled her closer. Her arms slid around my neck, her fingers brushing against the back of my head, and the tenderness of the touch nearly undid me.

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