The Witch's Curse

Chapter Four

The night was thick with fog, the air damp and still, as if the earth itself was holding its breath.

Aria stood at the northern ridge, her senses heightened, eyes locked on the distant forest that marked the edge of their territory. Every hair on her body was on edge. Her wolf paced restlessly beneath her skin, pushing against the barrier of her human form.

She glanced over at Kael, who stood beside her, silent, his arms crossed. His usual calm presence was tinged with something darker tonight his jaw clenched, his gaze fixed ahead, unblinking.

“They’re gathering,” Lyra said from behind them, her voice low and laced with tension. “Just beyond the trees.”

“Zane?” Aria asked, her heart already pounding. She knew the answer before it left her lips.

Lyra nodded. “And the witch.”

Aria felt a cold shiver crawl up her spine. “What kind of witch?”

Lyra took a slow breath. “A cursed one. Banished by her own kind. Dark magic. Twisted soul.”

Kael growled low in his throat, the sound low and dangerous. “Witches don’t belong in our world.”

“They do now,” Lyra said, her voice grim. “Because Zane gave her a reason.”

Aria’s fingers clenched into fists. The rage inside her simmered, but there was something else beneath it fear. Fear of losing the only thing that had ever made her feel truly alive.

“She wants to destroy our bond,” Aria said, her voice steady, but her heart twisted in pain. The bond between her and Kael was still new, fragile, but it was hers. She wouldn’t let anyone tear it apart.

Kael turned to her, his eyes serious, no trace of doubt in them. “Then we don’t let him.”

Later that night, Kael called for a secret meeting in the war room. The fire crackled low in the hearth, casting long, dancing shadows across the stone walls. Aria stood beside him, surrounded by the trusted wolves of the pack Lyra, Jax, and Captain Rhys.

The room was thick with tension, the air heavy with the weight of their thoughts.

“She’s called Elandra,” Lyra said, breaking the silence, her voice soft but full of the heavy knowledge they all carried. “Born of fire. Twisted by rage.”

Jax’s lips curled in a snarl. “I’ve heard stories. They say she once turned an entire pack to ash.”

“She doesn’t just destroy bodies,” Rhys added, his voice hard. “She curses souls. Breaks bonds. Leaves wolves hollow.”

Aria’s throat tightened. Her stomach churned with a mix of dread and fury. This witch this creature of darkness was coming for her. For them.

“She’s here for me,” Aria said, her voice barely a whisper.

Kael reached out, his hand brushing her wrist. His touch was warm, grounding. “She won’t get to you.”

But Aria pulled away, stepping back, her eyes flashing. “You don’t know what it feels like, Kael. To be targeted. To be used as a weapon against someone you didn’t ask to be bound to.”

His jaw clenched, the hurt in his eyes fleeting but real. “I never saw you as a weapon.”

“No?” She shook her head, stepping away from him. “You claimed me the night I escaped a monster. You marked me without asking. You dragged me into your war.”

Kael stood still, wounded by her words, but the pain in his eyes softened. It was not just regret; it was understanding.

Lyra broke the silence. “There’s more.”

Everyone turned to her, all attention on the Beta.

“The witch is using Zane’s blood,” Lyra continued, her voice grim. “She’s building a ritual circle. She plans to break your bond, Aria and then use your wolf to destroy Kael.”

The words hit Aria like a punch to the gut. She went still, her breath catching in her chest.

“She can… control me?” Aria whispered, the horror of it sinking deep into her bones.

Lyra nodded, her eyes filled with sympathy. “Only if the bond breaks.”

The room fell silent, the weight of that possibility hanging in the air.

The next morning, Aria walked the training grounds, her steps heavy on the dirt beneath her feet. She watched the younger warriors spar, their movements fluid and practiced, but she didn’t feel like part of them. She felt like a blade hidden in a sheath, waiting to be pulled.

Her mind was elsewhere lost in the depths of the words they had spoken last night. The curse. The witch. Zane.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kael appeared beside her, his presence solid, unwavering. His eyes were soft as they met hers, but there was an undercurrent of something darker, more urgent.

He said nothing at first, only watching her for a long moment, as if deciding something in his own mind. Then, finally, he spoke.

“I was wrong to mark you that night,” Kael said, his voice low, full of quiet regret. “I should’ve waited. Given you a choice.”

Aria turned her head, her eyes meeting his. She could see the honesty in his expression, the weight of his words.

She nodded slowly, her own voice soft. “Yes. You should have.”

There was a long pause, the silence between them thick and palpable.

“But I don’t regret the bond,” he continued, his voice low and steady. “Because it’s made me stronger. It’s made this pack stronger.”

Aria took a deep breath, staring at the ground for a moment before she raised her eyes to meet him. “I’m still deciding what it made me,” she replied, her voice guarded.

Kael stepped closer to her, his movements slow, deliberate. “You’ve already survived more than most warriors in this pack,” he said. “That makes you more than a Luna.”

Aria raised a brow. “What does it make me?”

His voice dropped, his gaze intense as he looked at her. “A queen.”

Her chest tightened at the word, the weight of it sinking deep into her heart. The implications of his words were too heavy to ignore.

Before she could respond, Lyra came running toward them, breathless, her face pale with urgency.

“They’ve crossed the river,” Lyra said, her voice sharp with alarm. “They’re here.”

The border burned.

The clash of wolves in the forest was deafening, their snarls filling the air, their bodies colliding in a blur of fur and claws. The ground shook beneath the charging paws, the scent of blood thick in the air.

Aria’s wolf took over as the battle raged around her. Her silver fur gleamed under the blood moon, her eyes blazing with power and purpose. She fought like fury itself, each move calculated and deadly. Her body was a weapon, her wolf a force of nature.

Zane’s warriors were fierce, but they weren’t fast enough. She tore through them like a storm, a blur of movement and strength, until her gaze met Kael’s across the battlefield. He was tearing through the enemy lines with the ferocity of an Alpha, his roar echoing through the woods.

But then everything stopped.

Time shifted.

The air turned cold.

And she appeared.

Elandra.

The witch.

She walked calmly through the chaos, untouched by the violence surrounding her. Her cloak was woven with bones, her eyes glowing red with malevolent power.

The very air seemed to warp around her, thick with dark magic. Power leaked from her like poison, spreading through the battlefield like an infection.

Kael shifted back, his eyes locked on her, his expression one of grim determination. “Witch,” he growled, his voice low and threatening.

Elandra smiled, the expression cold and knowing. “Alpha,” she said, her voice sweet as venom.

Aria’s wolf growled, her teeth bared as she stood beside Kael, her body tense, ready to spring into action. Her eyes met Elandra’s, and the witch’s smile widened.

“You’re the girl,” Elandra said, her voice dripping with malice. “The one whose heart is torn.”

Aria bared her teeth. “You’ll get nothing from me.”

Elandra’s smile twisted. “Oh, I already have,” she said, raising a hand. The air seemed to crackle with dark energy.

Pain exploded in Aria’s chest. It was like fire and ice combined, tearing through her body, ripping at her very soul.

She collapsed, screaming in agony.

Kael rushed to her, catching her before she hit the ground. His touch was a lifeline as she writhed in his arms, her breath shallow, her body convulsing with pain.

“Aria!” Kael shouted, his voice filled with panic.

“It’s the curse,” Lyra cried, rushing to them. “She’s severing the bond!”

Kael’s eyes turned silver with rage. “No!”

He laid Aria down gently,

his fingers brushing her skin, before he shifted. His wolf form exploded from him, launching at Elandra with all the power and fury of the Alpha.

But