Page 98 of The Cursed Wolf King

He was surrounded, dimmed but unbroken. Even from a distance, I could see the tension in his stance, the way hisshoulders squared despite the weight pressing down on him. My wolf growled, her defiance flaring to life.

Rhys was on the edge of the clearing, surrounded by Grayson’s enforcers, and couldn’t do a thing to help.

This was it. The moment we couldn’t turn back from. My wolf’s instincts roared and I let them.

The closer I got to him, the more the bond clawed at me, urging me forward like a relentless tide pulling me toward the shore. My wolf’s instincts screamed to protect, to act. I hesitated. Not out of fear, but out of the sharp awareness that the man I was running toward was not the unyielding force I had always known him to be.

He needed me.

The realization shot through me, so evident, clear as day, and yet I hadn’t fully grasped it before. He needed me.

And I needed him.

We weren’t floating alone in this world anymore, and our bond demanded that we accept our weakness. That we not even try to stand alone against our enemies, including the enemies that resided in our own hearts. We needed each other, and we would only be whole when we learned to rely on each other.

Even the thought made me teeter, my wolf shaky on her feet. The pieces fell into place, instilling a peace in me, and the way forward was clearer than it had ever been. My wolf had a new confidence within her.

My mate.

Logan’s head was held high, but the effort was visible in every tense line of his body. Grayson leaned casually against a weathered post, his arms crossed and a smirk curving hismouth. The kind of smirk that had no fear, no doubt. The kind that said he knew he’d already won.

“Look at you,” Grayson said, his voice carrying across the clearing like a blade slicing through the silence. “From the great alpha line of Orion. Leader among the Shadow Moon packs.Savior.” His smirk deepened, his words dripping with venom. “What you’ve become is a far cry from your ancestors, boy. You are weighed down by the consequences of your own arrogance.”

Logan didn’t flinch, but I could feel the strain through the bond. He was weakened, legs on the verge of giving out, though he was fighting the fatigue with every ounce of energy he had.

He was exhausting himself.

Grayson stepped forward, the smugness in his movements making my wolf snarl in my head. “You thought you could outrun it, didn’t you? The curse. The shadow hanging over you and your precious little pack. Here you are, barely standing. And why? Because ofher.”

My wolf was baring her teeth in silent defiance. Grayson’s gaze flicked around the clearing, as if searching for me, but I stayed hidden, watching, happily letting my wolf take the lead for now.

“It started long before her, though. You can safely drop the blame square on the shoulders of one of your alpha ancestors. Each and every one of them brought some curse into Orion, and now it’s your turn.” Grayson walked closer to him, the scene more intimate, though everyone could hear what he said. “Youdid this. Brought her into your pack. And look what it’s done to you. You’re weaker than I’ve everseen you, Logan. And the best part?” He leaned in slightly. “It’s only going to get worse.”

His words struck like a whip, each one filled with a history I didn’t fully understand but could feel in my bones. My wolf held back her disgust with a near-silent growl, the sound vibrating through me as I moved closer, my paws silent on the soft earth.

Logan’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

Grayson laughed, the sound piercing and joyless. “Oh, but I do. You think you’re the first Orion alpha to fall for her kind? That you’re the first to believe a bond like yours could bring salvation instead of ruin?” His hissed, evil seeping from his lips. “You should have killed her when you had the chance.”

Kenza stepped in front of me, her wolf telling me I had to wait. It wasn’t the time to act, despite the wickedness he spoke.

“And let’s not forget,” Grayson straightened, spreading his arms wide, “your twin brothers. How much of this is for them, Logan? How much of your desperation comes from the hole they left behind? Or maybe,” he added, his grin turning cruel, “you’re trying to make up for the fact you couldn’t save them either.”

Logan staggered slightly, the weight of Grayson’s words visible. My wolf whimpered, the bond between us tightening like a noose. I felt his shame, his rage. It threatened to tear him apart from the inside out.

“Say what you want,” Logan said finally. “But you’re wrong about one thing.”

Grayson raised an eyebrow, mockingly intrigued. “Oh? Do tell.”

Logan lifted his head, meeting Grayson’s gaze with a fire that made my wolf pause. “Eve is not the cause of any suffering,” he said, and I held my breath. “She’s my strength.”

Grayson laughed again, shaking his head as if Logan had confirmed everything he’d ever believed. “Strength? You think that’s what this is? Look at yourself, Logan. You’re barely standing. And her? Wherever she is, she’s just as broken as you are. You’ll both fall, and I’ll be standing by to witness it.”

My wolf surged forward, her growl spilling out. Grayson’s head snapped in my direction, his smirk faltering for a split second. Logan’s eyes flicked toward the sound, his body tensing as he sensed me.

I moved further into the clearing, my wolf’s defiance blazing as I locked on to Grayson.

“Ah,” Grayson said, his grin tighter. “There she is. The curse herself. Sick little thing managed to find her wolf form.”

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