Page 34 of The Cursed Wolf King

Eve.

Where was she? My eyes darted across the crowd, searching for a flash of her dark hair, the familiar set of her shoulders, just in case she appeared.

The joy of the pack surrounded me, infectious and overwhelming, but it couldn’t dull the sharp edge of unease twisting in my chest. Was she tending to her wounds? Avoiding crowds? Avoiding me?

Nearby, Rhys was entertaining a circle with one of his stories, gesturing wildly, drawing laughter from even the most reserved of our pack. I caught snippets of his tale, something about a fox and a stubborn elk, but my mind couldn’t stay with it. It drifted, unbidden, to the fantasy of Eve standing here, beside me.

She should be here. She belongs here.

At the edges of the gathering, I caught sight of couples slipping off into the shadows of the nearby trees, stolen moments and whispered promises exchanged in the privacy of the forest. For a second, I imagined Eve there with me,teasing me for being so damn brooding as her hand explored down my chest, down my torso, pulling me into the darkness of the forest.

The image flickered and faded, leaving only the ache of her absence.

A group of children played in the shadows, darting in and out of sight, their giggles blending with the low hum of drums and the strumming of a guitar. Some of the youngest drifted off to sleep, curled up against their parents’ shoulders, tiny hands fisting into their parents’ shirts as they dreamed in a place finally free of fear.

For them, this moment was whole, unbroken. I wished I could feel it the same way.

This night was close to perfect, the closest I could remember. Orion was mine to protect, mine to make proud, and this night was the closest to perfect that I could remember.

Still, it wasn’t complete. Not without her.

Eve.My wolf whispered her name into the night.

17

EVE

Darkness pressed in on me, damp and heavy, seeping through the rough stone walls and creeping into my skin.

I couldn’t tell if it was day or night—there was only a hint of light, the musty smell of mildew and the cold presence of iron bars. I forced my eyes open despite the ache between them. A constant throb pulsed behind my forehead, making everything blur around the edges.

Where was I?

I tried to piece it together, but memories kept slipping, fragmented and hazy. The last clear image in my mind was Logan.

Fierce and unyielding, his wolf tore through Damian like he was made of paper. He’d fought for me, killed for me.

And now, the freedom he’d carved out of that fight had vanished, leaving me trapped here—more prisoner than I’d ever been before.

The cold stone floor bit into my skinas I adjusted my position, and a rough, rattling sound echoed. Chains on my wrists scraped against the floor. They were heavy, digging into my skin, and I winced.

“Stay awake,” I muttered. I’d learned in the Heraclid pack that drifting too far from reality was dangerous. Letting my mind slip meant giving up control.

I touched my forehead, feeling the faint imprint of a bruise, the reminder of that old woman’s rings before everything had gone black. It felt distant, foggy, like it had happened to someone else.

I pressed my fingernail into the center of my palm, the small pain keeping me tethered. The chains bit deeper into my wrists, and a bitter laugh escaped my lips, rough and hollow.

“Stupid,” I whispered. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” For a single, unguarded moment, I’d thought I had made it out. Something new in front of me, a real life, maybe. Freedom.

The Shadow Moon Goddess must have known I was naive to even imagine it.

Logan’s face surfaced in my mind, clear and sharp. His eyes had held such fury, such a primal need to protect. And for one wild, reckless moment, with Damian gone, I’d believed in that protection. I’d believed I could let my guard down.

Did Logan even know where I was? Or had he moved on, the fact that he’d fought for me enough to satisfy whatever instinct gripped him?

He’d done his part, and now I was gone. What more could I expect from the man?

I let out a long, shaky breath.

---