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CHAPTER 36 - OCTAVIA
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A Dark Curse CHAPTER 37 - OCTAVIA
“The Mark symbolizes the permanent reminder of this commitment and their union with the Moon Goddess’s blessing.” The elder turns to Ezra, giving him a slight nod. “You may now Mark your mate.” I bite back a scream as Ezra’s fingers dig into my waist. He yanks me toward him, going for my shoulder. Pain sears through me when his canines pierce my skin, warmth blooming from the wound. I can feel my blood trickle down my arm, staining the fabric of my dress. His lips burn into my shoulder, so violent, so different from the kiss that it causes me to choke on my fear. When he pulls away, his mouth is smeared with my blood, streaking down his chin and turning the white of his shirt as bloody as my gown. Something like surprise crosses his eyes as he wipes his mouth. The Wyres go deadly silent. Behind him, Dominic’s eyes go wide, something like pain flickering beneath the gold of his irises. No one says a word. Ezra whips toward the Wyres, a growl in his throat. It’s a warning, but I
A Dark Curse CHAPTER 38 - EZRA
With wolf’s bane coursing through my veins, I stumble from my room and into the hallway, my vision swimming and my muscles aching with every step. The poison burns like fire, consuming me from the inside out, and yet I press on, driven by a singular purpose. I needed to get away from her. Something was happening—something I knew had nothing to do with the Mark. My vision blackens at the edges, my legs weakening as I lean heavily against the door. Dominic is there, his presence a steady anchor in the storm of my agony. As if he had been waiting for me, his hand reaches out to catch me before I can fall, his touch a lifeline in the darkness that threatens to engulf me. Without a word, he guides me down to the basement, the cool stone walls closing in around us like a protective cocoon. With every step I take, the pain of the wolf’s bane coursing through my veins intensifies, a relentless torment that threatens to overwhelm me. Each breath is a struggle, each heartbeat a reminder of
A Dark Curse CHAPTER 39 - OCTAVIA
He bit me. The words echo in my head, over and over again. I stumble from the bed, the sheets twisting around my bare legs. The Mark burns against my skin, flaring with each fluttering beat of my heart. I hadn’t noticed the pain before. I was too distracted. Too focused on Ezra than anything else. But now? Now I feel it all. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. Gasping, I stumble toward the door, needing to get out of there. To get to the forest and make sure I still had…me. How did this even work? Did the poison spread slowly? Did it kill my wolf right away? Would I be just as cursed as the Wyres…forever? Had that been his plan all along? It can’t be. He needs me alive and not all Shifters make it through the transformation. It’s excruciatingly painful, and only the strong survive. Only the strongest make it. I know what happens when a Shifter is bitten—my parents made sure I knew that much about our enemies. They used to tell me about it whenever I misbehaved, warning me that I
A Dark Curse CHAPTER 40 - EZRA
As I lay in the dimly lit room, my thoughts drifted back to the night of the Marking ritual with Octavia. The memory flooded my mind, vivid and intense, like a scene from a dream I couldn't quite shake. She had been radiant, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the trees, her eyes alight with an inner fire that seemed to consume everything in its path. In that moment, she had been the epitome of beauty, a vision that stole the breath from my lungs and left me reeling in her wake. And yet, it wasn't just her physical appearance that had captivated me—it was something deeper, something primal and instinctual that defied explanation. From the moment I laid eyes on her, there had been an undeniable pull, a magnetic force that drew me to her like a moth to a flame. I had tried to resist it, to deny the feelings that surged within me, but in the end, it was futile. The bond between us was stronger than any force in the universe, an unbreakable tether that bound our souls
A Dark Curse CHAPTER 1 - OCTAVIA
We were wild once. Creatures that belonged to the world, and the world to us. Before there were laws and progress, before humans, there was us. Those days are long gone, forgotten by man. But we still remember. It’s in our blood, this wildness. Our people were blessed. When the world was young and still evolving, we were in tune with the nature that surrounded us. It ran through our veins and filled our lungs. Now, I fear that we’re losing ourselves. I sit at the window, staring at the blank night sky. I know there are stars…somewhere. Just not here. Whatever blinks in this sky is not made from light but from metal. I try to picture it in my mind, what it would look like uninhibited by the city’s lights. But I fail. “Miss? It’s almost time for dinner.” I turn, warily studying the maid that dares to interrupt me. Her nose twitches slightly as her fingers twist in front of her. Her spirit animal is a nervous creature—a Rodent and lowest ranking Shifter there is. I can almost see h
A Dark Curse CHAPTER 2 - TRISTAN
I take my time going home. It’s hard to leave her behind when everything inside of me is screaming at me to stay. Especially when she needs me. My fox growls as I force myself to leave her family’s house behind, whining to go back. I ignore him. I’ve been in love with Octavia Hart since we were kids, though I never realized what these feelings meant until we were older. By then, it was too late. I know how she sees me. How she thinks of me. To her, I’m her best friend. Her partner-in-crime that she can always depend on. I wish I was more. Letting go, my fox leaps forward as I change. My paws sink into the earth, leaves and grass flying as I run through the woods toward my own home. It’s just a few miles down the road, an old house passed down from generation to generation. When my parents pass, it was supposed to go to my older brother. But he’s no longer here. As soon as I spot the lights of our mansion flicker through the trees, my fox slows. Even he dreads going home. I can
A Dark Curse CHAPTER 3
“They can’t do this.” Tristan runs his fingers through his hair, leaving a tousled mess behind. “I mean, they can. But it’s fucking barbaric.” I pace before him, my claws extending and retracting anxiously. “No. They can’t do this. This isn’t the 1600s. I still have rights.” “Rights are for humans,” Tristan comments blandly. “We’re Shifters. Completely different.” “Now is seriously not the time to joke,” I snap. “Do you want me to be shipped off? To the bloody Wyres of all people?” Tristan’s dry expression turns dark. A vein ticks along his sharp jaw. “No. Of course not.” “Then help me figure out a way to get out of this.” He shifts on the bed, snatching my hand in one, smooth move, and pulls me closer. “I would do anything for you. You know this. But I’m also a nobody.” “Your father owns half of Atlanta,” I reply. “You’re not a nobody.” Tristan waves my words away. “An heir is nothing. A Fox Shifter heir to Wolf Shifter parents is even more than nothing. They tolerate me beca
A Dark Curse CHAPTER 4
Nothing has been working. My usual repertoire of resistance goes virtually unnoticed by my parents. Wolves are stubborn, and this battle between us is turning into a cold war. It doesn’t matter how many times I refuse to attend dinner, or how long I refuse to speak with them—they just…don’t care. In between the bouts of silence and petty behavior, I spend most of my time in the library. Usually, I avoid confining myself to the mansion as much as possible, but duty calls. I’ve read up on everything we have about the war, though most of its earliest accounts were lost to myth and legend. My family brought over most of their records from the Old Country, but it’s not enough. With a frustrated sigh, I slam one of the few hundred old texts shut. More are scattered around the long table in the center of the hall, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. I’m not even sure why we have so many books. It’s not as if anyone actually comes to the library and reads. Not in this day and age. W
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