Page 74 of Cursed
Ryland lets out a roar as he feels the last of his scars vanish, the weight of his curse lifting at long last. For the first time in decades, his body is whole. His relief is short-lived as he whips his head around just in time to see his Mate collapsing to the ground.
With a growl of panic, he lunges toward Nori, cushioning her head with his hand before it hits the ground.
On his knees, his hands tremble as he gathers her limp body into his arms, cradling her to his chest. His heart pounds, staring into her slack face. Ryland’s voice is barely a whisper…
“Nori?”
epilogue
Elise lies back on her plush chaise lounge in her expansive suite of rooms, admiring her beautiful dress. Rubbing the silk fabric between her fingers, she watches her husband pace back and forth, running a hand through his hair, wearing a hole in their lavish Persian rug.
She really couldn’t have planned it better if she had tried. As far as arranged marriages go, this one has worked out perfectly for her. Matched to a Beta in one of the wealthiest Packs, she wants for nothing. After so many years of marriage, they have become good partners.
“Explain to me why you are so agitated,Mal,” she says.
Malrik whips his head around to glare at her. He hates that nickname. “I am trying to rectify a mistake, and it’s not going as planned!”
“Who cares about a worthless slave girl who ran away?” Elise asks, frowning at her nails, wondering when she last had a manicure.
“She was my property. Rheena says the fact that I allowed her to escape makes me look weak.” He resumes his pacing. “She said Draven is considering opening up trials for the next Beta of Starfall. My position!”
He stops and rages at his oblivious wife. “I will have to fight to keep my position. Prove my worth to this Pack. To Draven!”
Elise sits up straight, hearing this new information. “This is the first time I am hearing that your position is in jeopardy. What are you going to do about it?”
“I’m working on it!”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Elise asks, the accusation evident in her tone.
“Rheena told me Norina turned up at Blood Moon. I sent a formal note to the Prince, asking him to return her, so she could be punished for breaking shifter laws, namely for abandoning her Mate.”
Elise’s entire face frowns. “But she’s not your Mate; he will figure out your lie if he deigns to speak with the wretch.”
“Which he obviously has because he promptly responded, telling me to fuck off!”
He rubs his jaw, thinking he was far too quick to reject that Mate Bond with Norina. But he had no idea she would be brave enough to accept his rejection and successfully escape.
“And what’s this new scheme causing your anxiety?”
He runs both hands through his hair. “I contacted one of Draven’s loyalists, embedded at Blood Moon. Bergeron. I arranged to have her kidnapped.”
Elise’s eyes widen in fear. “You what? Does he know?”
“No! Of course, Draven doesn’t know. I’m not even supposed to know who they are. That is not the problem. Draven’s contact was able to extract Norina without incident. Everything was going according to plan.”
Elise, agitated now, sighs with exasperation. “It’s like pulling teeth with you. Just tell me what the problem is.”
“The bounty hunter is late!”
“Now what? Can they trace the kidnapping back to you? Has this Bergeron told Draven?” Elise pummels him with questions, pissed that he didn’t even talk to her before doing any of this.
“No. He’s keeping this whole thing to himself for now.” Malrik storms off to his closet with Elise hot on his heels. “I don’t know if they can trace the kidnapping back to me. I wouldn’t think they could, but I just don’t know.”
When he starts gathering weapons, a crossbow and a short sword, she angrily asks, “Where are you going?”
“I cannot let Draven find out about my two failed attempts. I need to go and find out what happened. I’ll travel to Blood Moon, find the wretch, and either bring her back or kill her myself. I’ll take a few Guards and tell them we have orders from Draven.”
“You have lost your mind! They’ll kill you if you’re captured.”
He walks up to her and grabs her around the waist. “Do you like your life here with me, Elise?”
She sucks in a breath and nods.
“Well, the only way we get to keep it is to bring Norina back to the Packhouse or kill her. Clearly, I need to do this myself. Who knows, maybe I can kill the Cursed Prince in the process.” He grins at her and lays a loud, sloppy kiss on her mouth.
“Don’t worry. I will fix this. I’ll be back in a few days.” Malrik gathers his belongings and strides out the door.
Elise sits back down on the lounge chair thinking he’s probably going to screw this up too. She needs to tell her father, the Alpha of the Silver Claw Pack, about the trouble her husband has gotten them into. Maybe he can help if Malrik fails a third time.
