THE CURSE RETURNS

Warm light filtered through the cracks in the wooden cabin walls. The smell of herbs and old timber filled my lungs as I slowly blinked my eyes open. Pain flared in my ribs, dull and persistent. I tried to sit up, groaning.

“You’re awake,” a deep voice said.

I turned, squinting. Rowan stood near the fireplace, shirtless, wrapping a bandage around his arm. Blood stained the cloth.

“What happened?” I croaked.

“You passed out,” he said, crossing the room. “You’re safe now.”

Flashes of memories surged through my mind—the fight, Kael’s warriors, Rowan pulling me into his arms. “They tried to kill me…”

Rowan nodded. “Kael sent them.”

I sucked in a breath, disbelief settling over me like a heavy fog. “Why? Why would he want me dead?”

Rowan knelt beside the bed. “Because he’s afraid.”

“Of me?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“Of what you might be,” he said. “But we don’t have to talk about that yet. Let’s take it slow.”

I looked down at myself—my arms were bruised, my legs wrapped in linen. “You saved me.”

He offered a small smile. “Of course I did.”

Later, after I managed to sit up and eat the warm stew he brought me, Rowan sat beside the fire and began to speak.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said. “Something you have a right to know.”

I looked at him, waiting.

“Kael and I… we used to be like brothers,” Rowan began. “I was his Beta. We grew up together, trained together, fought together. When his father went mad with power, we killed him. Together.”

My eyes widened. “You killed the former Alpha?”

“He was a tyrant,” Rowan said, his voice dark. “We had no choice. After that, Kael became Alpha, and I stood at his side.”

“And Andrea?” I asked softly.

He looked at me, pain flickering in his gaze. “She was everything to Kael. Graceful, strong, beautiful. But something changed in her. A curse took root. She became unstable, dangerous. She attacked innocents… our own kind.”

“You had to stop her,” I whispered.

“Kael couldn’t,” Rowan said. “He loved her too much. I did what had to be done. I killed her.”

I froze. “You…?”

His jaw tightened. “Kael never forgave me. He said I betrayed him. And then… a seer told him Andrea would return. In another body. And when he met her, he’d know—because the bond would form instantly.”

I looked at him, my heart pounding. “He thinks I’m… Andrea?”

“I don’t know what he thinks anymore,” Rowan said. “But I do know he’s terrified.”

I sat in silence, absorbing the weight of his words. The curse… Andrea’s death… the bond.

That night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Memories of Kael’s touch, his rejection, his cold eyes all flooded back. Rowan had made me feel safe, but the truth was still a heavy burden.

The next morning, I found Rowan cooking breakfast.

“You cook?” I asked, raising a brow.

He grinned. “I do more than fight and brood in the shadows.”

I chuckled, sitting at the table. “Well, that’s a surprise.”

As we ate, I shared parts of my story. “I was raised in a home for orphans. Harsh place. No one cared much. But I had one friend—Marta. She made everything better. Until I went out to gather herbs and met Kael.”

“You miss her,” Rowan said.

“I don’t even know if she’s alive.”

“We’ll look for her after the seventh day,” he promised. “I swear it.”

My smile faded. “I don’t think Kael wants to mark me again. He wants to kill me instead.”

Rowan grew serious. “Maya… the mark doesn’t always happen intentionally. You saw that. Kael lost control. It’s not about want—it’s about instinct. But he’s not as strong as he once was.”

I frowned. “He broke the bond.”

“Yes,” Rowan said quietly. “He rejected you. And he’s weaker for it.”

Before I could respond, a loud bang shook the door.

Rowan’s body tensed as he stood and opened it.

Kael stood there, eyes wild. “We need to leave. Now.”

“I’m not going back,” I said, stepping forward.

“They’ll kill me there.”

Kael’s jaw clenched. “They won’t have the chance. The cursed hunters are coming.”

Rowan cursed. “We don’t have time for this.”

I hesitated, but the fear in Kael’s eyes told me this threat was real. Reluctantly, I nodded.

We ran through the forest, breath ragged. The air grew colder, and then we saw them—figures in black capes, their faces twisted and monstrous.

The cursed hunters.

Magic shimmered in the air. Rowan and Kael were hit, thrown back by invisible force. I screamed as cold hands grabbed me, dragging me through the trees.

“No!” I cried.

“Maya!” Rowan shouted.

Kael struggled to his knees, blood running down his face.

“It’s not midnight yet,” Rowan called out. “You can still do it!”

Kael’s eyes met mine. “It might activate the curse…”

Rowan coughed. “It’s our only chance! You think I like the idea of you marking her again?”

I gasped. “He wants to mark me again?”

Kael roared, breaking free of the magical binds. He ran at me, grabbed me from the hunters, and sank his teeth into my shoulder.

Pain erupted through my body, a burning light surrounding us. I cried out as the bond reignited, the mark sealing again. The world tilted.

I collapsed to the ground, everything fading.

The last thing I heard was their voices yelling—fighting.

And then, silence.