Page 4 of The Cursed Wolf King

In one breath, he was a man, powerful and sure, the kind who could silence a crowd with a look. As if the night itself reshaped him, he shifted into a wolf, his fur a dark brown shimmer that blended with the shadows, the color of the earth itself. His eyes still fierce, still watching me.

The sight of him stirred a wildness in my chest.

He moved with the confidence of someone who belonged to the moonlight, as if it wasn’t only illuminating him but drawing strength from him. In a flash, he shifted again, back to a man, his form rising like a phoenix from the ashes, glowing as if he’d been reborn.

The moonlight clung to him, outlining his every curve and scar, making him seem both real and impossible. He looked straight at me, as if he could see me as clearly as I saw him.

I didn’t know if he was real or a symbol, or perhaps a gift from the Shadow Moon Goddess…

A gift, I thought as I was hit with a sudden realization.

In each vision, this man—this wolf—was closer than the last. He held something I needed, something that was mine to find, to command.

He was the key, the answer, the spark that whispered to me that one day, my life would belong to me.

To me, and me alone.

Speak the final curse!The command hit and I wasripped away, the vision leaving me breathless as the air from my lungs was sucked out of me.

And I was changed.

My voice broke free, fierce and unrestrained as I screamed at Alpha Grayson, “Don’t you see? I can’t!”

His eyes flared, his grip loosening as his jaw slackened. My words rang out with a force even I hadn’t expected. It didn’t sound like my voice at all. For a single breath, shock rippling through Grayson’s carefully composed expression. I could feel his control slip, just for a heartbeat.

I rushed off the platform and found Kenza waiting for me as confusion broke out among the pack. “Run,” she said. “I’ll cover for you tonight. Be back by morning. Go!”

Muscles primed and ready, fueled by a rush of adrenaline, I didn’t look back. I bolted into the forest, my feet pounding against the soft, damp earth. Behind me, I heard shouts and commands. The darkness swallowed me, closing around me like a shield.

The trees blurred as I ran, thorns snagging my dress, the cold air whipping against my skin as my braid caught in branches. My heart thundered in my chest, every beat screaming one command.

Find him.

3

LOGAN

Iwill not let my pack die.

The Moonstone Plateau stretched out before us, stars shining over the sharp edges of pines and rocks. To the Orion pack, it was as familiar as our own hands. This was home—rugged, open, and ours. We’d shed blood to keep it that way.

The air was sharp and fresh this night, carrying the scent of the forest and the last traces of rain. It had a bite to it, the kind that woke you up, kept you grounded, reminded you of your place in the wild. But even in the chill, there was warmth here, a sense of welcome, like the firelight that flickered against a rock. Away from the human world—a world that knew nothing of us—we could be ourselves.

I rolled up my sleeves, feeling the night air on my forearms, and traced the ink that marked the brothers who had disappeared. We had once been four brothers, so different from each other and yet bound by our blood, but only two of us remained. This reminder of them was tattooed into myskin. They were one more reason I wouldn’t let us fall. My youngest brothers—twins—were lost, but not dead, no matter what everyone else thought. I felt them in the air the way only a hunter could.

And when they returned, I intended for them to have a pack to come back to.

A fire crackled in the center of the gathering, casting a soft, warm glow. Around it, we sat in circles—pups, scouts, hunters, and the wisdom keepers to whom this night was dedicated. Our elders.

Rhys, my remaining brother and now my beta, strummed an old guitar, his fingers moving over the strings with a familiar ease, sending the melody floating through the air. It was simple, a few chords, but here on the Plateau, it was all we needed to keep the night alive.

Laughter rose in soft waves as someone retold a story of Orion’s glory days, one that had grown over the years with each retelling, but was filled with the truth of our power.

Power we would find again one day.

A few child-pups ran around the circle’s edge, weaving through the pack with bright cheeks and easy giggles. The sound made my heart ache—no child had been born in more than five years. One of the elders reached down, catching a girl to gently ruffle her hair, her laughter lighting up the cool night air. The aroma of mulled cider from the apples of our orchard along with smoke from the fire wrapped around us, and as Rhys shifted to a livelier tune, a few clapped along.

Here, we gathered as one, in the same place our elders had gathered for generations. It was a habit as old as the pack itself—sharing stories, firelight,and a bit of music under an open sky that felt endless, like the land itself was a part of our family. There was no bitterness here, no need for empty words. It was an ease I knew didn’t exist anywhere else.Family.

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