CRIPPLED

MAYA

The sharp autumn air bit into my cheeks as I stepped away from the grand estate, my hands wrapped tightly around the handle of my leather bag. Every step away from the front doors felt like pulling a sharp blade out of my chest, but I kept my eyes fixed on the massive iron gates ahead. I needed freedom. I needed clarity.

As I got to the gates, I felt a heavy breeze pull me back.

It wasn't an ordinary gust of wind. It was dense, freezing, and thick with an invisible pressure that wrapped around my waist like a spectral rope, yanking me backward half a step. I gasped, my boots skidding against the damp gravel.

"No," I gritted out through my teeth, tightening my jaw. "I'm leaving."

I ignored the unnatural chill lingering in the air and attempted to move further, lifting my foot to cross the threshold of the pack boundary.

Immediately, the air turned ice-cold. The invisible force slammed into my chest again, pulling me back with twice the strength. The wind roared in my ears, sounding almost like a chorus of low, ancient whispers warning me away from the perimeter line.

I shook my head, tears of frustration blurring my vision. I was done being a prisoner in this house. I was done with ghosts, curses, and Maria's endless web of poison. Gathering every ounce of willpower left in my body, I planted my heels into the ground and pushed forward for a third time.

This third time, the force didn't just pull—it struck.

A violent shockwave of dark wind lashed out from the boundary posts, blasting against my shoulders and pulling me back so hard that my grip on the bag snapped. My feet swept out from under me, and I fell heavily to the stone floor, my knees and palms scraping against the rough gravel.

"Ah!" I cried out, cradling my bleeding palm against my chest, my breath coming out in ragged, terrified gasps.

"It won't let you leave. The goddess of the moon wants you to be here with me."

A deep, hollow voice echoed from the shadow of the arched stone entryway. I lifted my head, my hair falling wildly over my face, and saw Edward standing near the open front doors.

He was watching this mysterious move, his arms hanging lifelessly at his sides, his face completely drained of color. His dark amber eyes were hollow, filled with a dead, numb acceptance as he stared at me sprawled on the ground. He had watched the invisible wind strike me three times, yet he said nothing to comfort me, made no move to help me up, and offered no explanation. He stood there like a statue carved from stone, defeated by the invisible cage holding us both hostage.

I pushed myself up from the ground, my body trembling with exhaustion and sheer disbelief. I picked up my dusty bag, staring at the invisible barrier hovering over the iron gates.

I had to go back to the house.

Every step back toward the front porch felt like walking into a open grave. This strange, violent force showed me that my work here was not done. The ancient magic tied to my reincarnated soul and the curse hanging over Edward's bloodline were far from resolved. I was bound to this territory whether I liked it or not.

I walked past Edward without a word, stepping back into the dim, heavy atmosphere of the estate. But as I sat down on the edge of the bed in my room, burying my face in my hands, a suffocating despair washed over me. I knew my fate was tied to this place, but at the moment, I was completely lost with ideas or what to do. My grimoire had vanished, the ghost of Philomena was haunting my every turn, Edward was slipping deeper into madness, and I had no tools left to fight back.

To make matters worse, there was Maria in the corner, watching my every move like a hungry scavenger waiting for a corpse to rot.

Now that she saw I was trapped and Edward was broken, she didn't even bother hiding her malice. She refused to let me be recognized as the Luna, barking orders at the house servants to ignore my requests and ensuring my name was kept off all pack registry documents.

That afternoon, I heard her sharp, loud voice echoing from Edward's private study. She was standing over his desk, slamming her manicured hands onto the dark wood while Edward sat staring blankly out the window.

"She is a walking curse, Edward!" Maria screamed, her voice carrying down the quiet hallway. "You saw it yourself at the gate! The pack ancestors are rejecting her! The territory itself is throwing her out! You need to divorce her right now and sign the papers to cast her out as a rogue!"

Edward didn't even look at her. "No," he said softly, his voice dead and emotionless.

"Are you insane?!" Maria shrieked, leaning closer to his face. "She is driving you mad! She is making you see dead people! Sign the divorce decree, Edward, or I will take this straight to the Pack Elders before the sun rises tomorrow!"

"I said no, Maria," Edward repeated, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous growl that made the room temperature plunge. "I will never divorce her. Do whatever you want with your threats, but Maya remains my wife."

Maria stormed out of the study, her face twisted in pure, murderous fury. As she passed me in the corridor, her dark eyes locked onto mine with a look so full of hatred it made my skin crawl.

Night fell over the estate, heavy and suffocating.

I lay in my bed, completely exhausted. The emotional toll of the day, combined with the physical exhaustion from being slammed onto the gravel gates, left my body feeling as heavy as lead. I couldn't even keep my eyes open. I didn't lock the bedroom door—I was simply too weak to care.

In the middle of the night, the heavy double doors of my bedroom were suddenly kicked open with a loud, violent bang.

I jolted awake, my heart leaping into my throat, but my muscles were so weak and heavy I could barely sit up against the pillows.

Maria stepped into the room, draped in a dark velvet cloak, her eyes gleaming with ruthless determination. Behind her stood four tall, heavily built men dressed in dark executioner attire, their faces hidden behind leather masks. They carried heavy iron chains and thick rope.

"Drag her out," Maria ordered coldly, pointing a sharp finger straight at my bed. "Take her deep into the eastern woods and dump her past the border. If she tries to come back, break her legs."

"Maria... stop..." I rasped, my voice barely a breathless whisper. I tried to lift my arms to defend myself, but my limbs felt completely paralyzed with exhaustion. "Edward..."

"Edward won't help you tonight," Maria sneered, stepping closer as the four large men advanced toward my bed with heavy, ominous footsteps. No one is coming to save you, maid."

The four men reached the edge of my bed, their massive hands reaching out to grab my shoulders and legs to drag me onto the cold floor. I cringed, shutting my eyes tight, waiting for the painful impact of their grip.

Suddenly, a strange, low hum filled the room.

It sounded like a deep, vibrating frequency humming straight out of the floorboards, vibrating the air until my teeth ached.

Before the men’s fingers could even touch my skin, a sharp, horrific snap echoed through the bedroom!

"AARGH!"

The lead man let out a blood-curdling scream, collapsing instantly onto his knees. His legs twisted at sickening, unnatural angles beneath his body, his knee bones shattering loud enough to sound like dry branches snapping underfoot.

"What—what is this?!" another guard yelled, scrambling backward in terror.

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

One by one, as the remaining three men tried to reach for me or run away, invisible, crushing hands slammed down onto their shoulders and legs. Their knees buckled backward with loud, agonizing cracks. Screams of unbearable agony filled the room as all four massive men collapsed onto the hardwood floor, writhing, weeping, and clutching their ruined, crippled legs.

They were completely paralyzed, their bodies broken before they could even lay a single finger on me.

Maria let out a sharp, horrified shriek, jumping back against the doorway, her hands flying over her mouth as she stared at her crippled guards in absolute terror.

I sat up in bed, my eyes wide, clutching the bedsheets against my chest. My heart was pounding so violently I thought it would burst out of my ribs.

I myself was terrified.

I hadn't spoken a spell. I hadn't raised my hands. I hadn't used any visible magic. Yet an ancient, unseen force had risen up from the very shadows of the room to destroy anyone who tried to harm me.

I looked up from the broken men on the floor and locked eyes with Maria. The room was deathly quiet now, save for the painful groans of the crippled guards bleeding on the floor.

Maria was shaking violently, her skin as pale as a bedsheet, looking at me as if I were a demon returned from the underworld.

"You..." Maria whispered, her voice trembling so hard she could barely form the word. "What... what are you?"

I didn't answer. I just sat there in the dim moonlight, staring at her with cold, dark eyes, finally realizing that whatever magic was trapped in this house... it was protecting me.