Page 36 of Cursed By Fate

Chapter eleven

Serena

The moonlight barely kissed the forest floor as we moved through it, my breath loud in the thick silence. The air clung to me, damp and heavy, sticking to my skin like the feeling that everything was about to go very wrong. Tristan signaled for me to follow, but I was already right behind him, my wolf instincts snapping with every shift in the shadows. He moved like the trees themselves, parting the night and winding between the roots and branches, his gaze sharp and unyielding. I was a littleless smooth, my heart pounding against the restraints of my chest as Ewan’s guards cut us off at every path, surrounding the compound like a chokehold.

Every step was like walking through a trap that had my name on it. I kept expecting one of the guards to call out, for us to get surrounded, for things to go to hell. The only thing that moved faster than my feet was the clock ticking down in my head. Tristan’s gaze flashed back at me, bright and piercing, cutting through the dark like he could slice a path to where we needed to be.

And then it wasn’t just guards; it was all the little things Ewan had changed about the compound. Strange places for sentries, new barriers in the woods—things that made no sense unless he knew we were coming. The air was different too, less like the powerful pack I remembered and more like a den of panic and uncertainty. The stench of fear was a heavy cloak, stifling and suffocating, a testament to Ewan’s rule. It crawled along the forest floor, seeped through the mountain cracks, and set my nerves ablaze.

Tristan gave me a signal to hold, then pointed out a less-guarded path through the thick trees. I barely nodded, my wolf senses screaming as I followed him, half expecting to run straight into an ambush. He was calm and sure, every move deliberate, like nothing could touch him, like nothing would dare.

A sudden rustling of the trees and branches snapping underfoot stopped us in our tracks. Tristan positioned himself in front of me, bracing for whatever was headed our way. As a familiar face and ash blonde hair stepped out of the trees, my jaw must have hit the floor, and I ran to throw my arms around her neck.

“Lila! What are you doing here?” My voice came out in a rush of disbelief and relief, my arms wrapping around her as if she were a lifeline in the chaos.

Lila's eyes held a mix of relief and urgency as she pulled back from our embrace, her voice hushed yet urgent. “Serena! Thank gods I found you. You father’s plans are darker than even I had feared. He used his alpha power to force the entire pack to Stormvale, claiming we’d be rid of you and the curse once and for all.” Her words hung in the night air like an ominous premonition, sending shivers down my spine.

“Alaric’s been working with my beta Ewan,” Tristan explained, turning his attention toward Lila. “They staged a coup so we fled, but we’re on our way to stop them now. We have to break this curse before it’s too late.”

“You might need this, then,” Lila replied, reaching into her backpack. She pulled out a large stone with ancient carvings on it that illuminated the forest in an ethereal glow. One of the celestial stones. It reminded me of the first time I’d seen the mark on Tristan’s wrist—how it had glowed between us, uninvited but undeniable. The stone pulsed the same way now, as if it remembered that night too.

Lila held the cracked stone in her hand, its glow dimmer now, fractured like the bond it represented.

“If you do this,” she said, “the mountain’s power won’t just vanish—it’ll scatter. You could destabilize everything. Stormvale’s sacred bond—its connection to the moon phases, to the mountain’s rhythm—it’ll all shatter. You’ll sever centuries of strength.”

“We know,” Tristan said.

“And for Serena…” Lila turned to me. “The curse is tied to the stones. If someone else uses them before you and Tristan complete the bond, it could lock the curse inside you permanently. Or worse…you’ll go mad.”

“So we’re out of time,” I said.

“You always were,” Lila whispered. “The mark never waits forever. Either you claim your mate now—or someone else will claim the stones. And whatever power remains.”

“What about you?” I asked.

“I’m going back to Stormvale to find a way to distract them while you two sneak in. Stay low and don’t get caught,” she replied, zipping her backpack up and throwing it back over her shoulder.

I tossed my arms around her neck for one last hug, gripping tightly. “I swear, we have to stop running into each other like this. Coffee, soon, okay?”

“Duh,” she answered swiftly, as if it was a guarantee we would all make it out of this alive. We had to. “Now go,” she ordered, motioning toward the tree line. I watched her disappear into the night again, wondering if this was the last time I’d see my best friend.

Tristan and I kept pushing on until we finally reached the tunnel he’d talked about, hidden beneath a curtain of moss and tangled roots. I paused for a breath, knowing once we went in, there’d be no turning back. It was old, this passage. Ancient. Tristan knew its secrets like he was the one who’d carved it into the mountain. No words were needed; we slipped inside, the weight of the entire compound pressing down on us. The walls were tight and stifling, crumbling stone that scraped against us as we pushed through.

I used to feel caged like this. Trapped by rules, by bloodlines, by the curse. But now, crawling through this ancient artery of stone, I wasn’t afraid. I was focused. I was ready. We moved in tandem, his heat, his scent, his everything overwhelming in the tight confines. Every nerve ending in me was lit up, both from the closeness and from the danger. I couldn’t tell which was more intense, which I craved more.

He shot a glance back, full of urgency and understanding, and it nearly took me out. The tunnel was longer than I expected, winding and endless. I wondered how many times he’d used it, if he’d ever planned on leading me through it.

Then I stopped wondering anything because we were at the end, bursting out into the open space inside the compound. I pulled in a sharp breath, tasting the mountain air. For a second, it felt like we’d made it, like we’d outsmarted them, like we actually stood a chance.

And then I froze.

Alaric.

His scent hit me harder than the forest wind, stopping me cold. He was close, closer than I’d been prepared for. I’d been so focused on what Ewan was up to, I hadn’t let myself think about what it would be like to face my father here. Now it was all I could think about. All I could feel.

I hesitated, torn between rushing to stop Ewan from finishing what he’d started and confronting the man who'd lied to me my entire life. Tristan noticed, his eyes locking on mine with a mix of impatience and concern. But even he knew what this meant to me, how much I needed to know why Alaric was here, what he was planning.

I thought slipping past Ewan’s guards would be the hardest part. I hadn’t prepared for the ache that hit when my father’s scent flooded my lungs. It wasn’t fear—it was betrayal, thick and bitter. And now I had to choose between ending the curse or finally facing the man who broke me.

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