THE ALPHA'S CURSE (Shadows Of Vaelderen I)

The air felt wrong here.

Heavy. Dark. Like the twisted branches above me were reaching down with grasping fingers, trying to pull me deeper into territory I knew I shouldn't be in. The Moorfrost Reaches were dangerous enough for humans in the safe areas-and this was definitely not one of those.

I pulled my cloak tighter, more for comfort than warmth. The strange blue- tinted aurora that perpetually lit the northern sky cast an eerie glow over the snow, making the shadows deeper, darker. More alive.

"Just find the flower and get out," I whispered to myself, though the words were quickly swallowed by the unnatural silence. "Simple."

Nothing was simple about trespassing in werewolf territory. Especially not this particular part of their lands, where even the werewolves themselves rarely ventured. But I'd searched everywhere else, and Father was getting worse. The rattling in his chest deeper, the fever higher, his skin taking on a grey pallor that made my healer's instincts scream in warning.

I needed Frost's Heart. The rare flower that bloomed only in places where magic ran hot beneath the eternal cold of the Reaches. According to the ancient texts I'd found in Father's library, it had powerful healing properties- if you could find it. If you were willing to risk everything to reach it.

Well, I was definitely risking everything now.

A branch cracked somewhere behind me and I spun around, heart racing. Nothing but shadows between the ancient trees. But the silence felt... different. Watching. Waiting.

I forced myself to keep moving, following the faint warmth I could sense beneath the snow. My gift wasn't just for healing-I could feel the way the energy moved through living things, could sense the threads of power that wove through the natural world. And somewhere ahead, there was definitely something. A pocket of heat that didn't belong in this frozen landscape.

Another sound. Closer this time. The crunch of snow under something heavy.

I walked faster, no longer trying to stay quiet. The heat was stronger now, and with it came a faint blue glow through the trees ahead. The same color as the aurora above, but concentrated, pure.

Frost's Heart. It had to be.

I broke into a run, pushing through snow that tried to tangle my feet. The trees thinned, opening into a small clearing surrounding a steaming pool. And there, growing along the edges where warm mist met frozen ground, dozens of luminescent blue flowers swayed in a wind I couldn't feel.

"Thank the gods," I breathed, starting forward.

A growl stopped me cold.

It wasn't the sound of a normal wolf. It was deeper, darker-it vibrated through my bones and set every instinct screaming to run. But running meant death. I knew that much about wolves.

Instead, I slowly turned.

He emerged from the shadows like a piece of darkness breaking free. Massive. Far larger than any natural wolf. Black fur rippled over powerful muscle, silver streaks in his ruff catching the aurora's light. But it was his eyes that held me captive-molten gold with black rings, burning with an

intelligence that was definitely not animal.

Not just a wolf. An Alpha. And from the waves of wrong magic pouring off him, a cursed one. As if being here wasn't dangerous enough, I had to run into a curse.

"..." My voice cracked. I swallowed and tried again. "I know I'm trespassing. I'm sorry."

Another growl, this one holding an edge of something almost like laughter. Dark mist swirled around his form and I stumbled back as he changed. The transformation wasn't smooth. I don't know what I had expected, I've never seen a werewolf shift, but it looked painful, wrong, like his body was fighting itself. When it ended, a man stood before me.

If he could be called just a man. He was huge, easily towering over me, his powerful body hewn from what looked like pure muscle. Black hair shot through with silver fell past his shoulders, wild and untamed. A network of ritual scars marked his broad chest and shoulders, telling stories of power and pain that made my fingers itch to trace them. Despite the bitter cold, he wore only torn black pants that rode low on his hips, as if clothing was an afterthought to the beast within.

But his face... gods help me. Sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw darkened by stubble that could have been carved from stone. His mouth was cruel, sensual, prone to snarling. And those eyes... they were still wolf-gold, rimmed in black, burning with barely contained rage and something darker. Something hungry. He watched me like a predator sizing up his prey.

Every line of his body radiated lethal grace and barely leashed violence. Like something wild had been forced into human form but hadn't quite settled into the shape. The raw power rolling off him made my heart race, while my healing magic stirred in response to the strange cursed energy mixing with his innate power.

"You're sorry?" His voice was rough, as though he didn't use it often. "You know the penalty for trespassing in these lands, little healer."

The way he said 'healer' made me stiffen. "How did you-"

"I can smell it on you. Herbs. Magic." His nostrils flared. "Power."

He stalked forward and I had to force myself not to retreat. "I only came for the flower. My father is dying. Please."

"Please?" A dark laugh escaped him, as cold as the snow at my feet. "Do you think I care about your father? About your reasons?" Another step closer. "You crossed into my territory. The penalty is death."

The last word rang with raw power, but beneath it... beneath it I could feel pain. Deep, twisting pain that radiated from him in waves. The curse, eating him alive.

I straightened my spine, putting on a show of bravery I did not quite possess. "Then why am I still alive? You could have killed me the moment you found me." I met those predatory eyes. "Maybe we can make a deal of some kind. Like you said, I'm a healer, and I suspect you're in need of one. Am I right?"

He went very still. The kind of stillness that preceded violence. But I had to press on. Not only for my own sake, but for my Father. If this beast were to kil me, my Father was sure to perish as well.

"I can feel it," I continued, my words coming quickly as if to ensure I could say them before he could strike me down. "You're cursed. I can feel it on you."

His continued silence spurred me on, and I gestured to the flowers. "Let me make you a deal. I'll heal you. In exchange..." I swallowed. "In exchange for one of those flowers to save my father."

This time, his laugh was even harsher, bitter even. "Heal me?" He closed the distance between us in two long strides, looming over me. "You think you can just... heal a curse like this?"

"-"

"This isn't some simple magic that can be undone with herbs and healing touches, little girl. This is blood magic. Ancient. Powerful."

Ice shot through my veins at those words. Blood magic. The darkest, most corrupted form of power. The kind that twisted both caster and victim, that spread like a disease through bloodlines. The kind that could never truly be undone.

Every instinct screamed at me to run. But his next words froze me in place. "And it's not just me. My entire pack suffers."

The pain flowing from him intensified at those words. Not just his own pain- I could feel it now, threads of agony stretching out into the darkness. Connecting him to others. To his pack. Blood magic would flow through all of them, corrupting pack bonds that were sacred, ancient.

"Then let me help them too." I lifted my chin, fighting back my fear of what that magic might do to me if I tried to heal them. But I want to live. And I want my father to live. I'll do anything to keep him safe. "I may not be able to break the curse, but I can feel how it hurts you. All of you. I could help ease that pain. Make it more... manageable."

Something flickered in those predatory eyes. Hope? Desperation? It was gone too quickly to tell.

"Three months," I offered. "I'll stay and help for three months."

"A year." The counter-offer came swiftly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You stay for one full year."

My heart clenched. Father... could he survive that long? But if I didn't get that flower, he wouldn't survive at all.

"I have conditions." I forced strength into my voice. "First, my father gets the Frost's Heart now. Today. I won't agree to stay if I don't know he'll be cured."

His eyes narrowed. "And what guarantee do I have that you won't run the moment your father is healed?"

"You're an Alpha. Make it a blood oath. Bind me to my word." The suggestion was dangerous-blood magic always was-but I needed him to trust this deal. "I swear to stay for one year if you ensure my father gets this cure."

He studied me for a long moment, head tilted in that wolf-like way. Finally, he nodded. "Very well. A blood oath. But remember this, little healer-break it, and the consequences will be... severe."

I fought back a shudder at his tone. "I understand. I'll need to write him a letter, explain where I am, send it with the flower-"

"The curse binds us all to this territory," he cut in, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "None of my pack can cross the boundaries."

My heart sank. "Then how-"

"There are others who can deliver messages. Merchants. Traders. Those few who dare to deal with cursed wolves." His lips curled in what might have been disgust. "I'll arrange for your letter and the flower to reach your father, along with supplies he'll need for the year you're... away."

The way he spoke of outsiders told me there was more to that story, but now wasn't the time to ask. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet." He lifted his hand, palm up. A claw extended from one finger, sharp and black. "The oath first. Then we'll see if you survive long enough to regret this bargain."

I stared at the claw before meeting his gaze. "One last thing. I need your word that no harm will come to me from you or your pack while I'm here."

That dark laugh once more. "Brave little healer, making demands of an alpha." He stepped close enough that I had to crane my neck to hold his gaze. "But very well. You have my word, for what the word of a cursed wolf is worth. No harm will come to you from my pack."

He held out his other hand. I hesitated only a moment before offering my own.

His claw pressed against my palm-not breaking the skin, not yet. "A blood oath requires three elements: blood, intent, and power." His voice had taken on a ritual cadence that raised the fine hairs on my neck. "Are you certain you want this, little healer? Blood magic is not to be taken lightly."

Using blood magic to seal a deal about healing blood magic. The irony. But I nodded. "I'm certain."

"Then speak your oath."

I took a steadying breath, trying to ignore how warm his skin felt against mine, how my magic hummed at the contact. "I, Lily Breighton, swear to stay in this territory for one full year, to heal and aid your pack to the best of my abilities." The words felt heavy on my tongue, charged with power.

His claw pressed deeper, and there was a sharp sting as it broke skin. "And I, Dante Valenar, Alpha of the Guardian Pack, swear to ensure your father receives the Frost's Heart and necessary supplies, and to guarantee your safety within my territory for the duration of your oath."

Dante. The name suited him. Dark magic swirled around our joined hands, his blood mixing with mine. The sensation stole my breath-it was like ice crystals forming in my veins, like shadows coiling around my heart. But there was something else too, something that made my healing magic rear up in response. A heat spread up my arm and through my body.

The curse's magic recognized me now. Bound me. I could feel it like a second pulse beneath my skin, a thread of power connecting me to him. To his territory. My head spun with the intensity of it, and I swayed slightly on my feet. His free hand shot out to steady me, gripping my shoulder. The touch sent another jolt of that strange heat through me.

He growled, releasing me almost roughly, as if he'd felt it too.

I stared at the small cut on my palm as he stepped back. It was already healing, but a faint silvery mark remained-like a crescent moon etched into my skin. A visible reminder of my oath. But more than that, I could feel the magic settling into my bones, twining with my own power. Not corrupting, not exactly, but changing something fundamental within me.

His eyes fixed on the mark, nostrils flaring slightly. "It is done, little healer." Those gold eyes gleamed with something almost like satisfaction, though his voice was strained. Was the oath affecting him too? "Try not to die too quickly."

With that, he shifted back to wolf form-that same painful, wrong transformation-and threw back his head in a howl that shook the trees. Answering howls echoed from the darkness, and I felt each one ripple through the new bond, giving me a momentary sense of other presences. The pack. I was connected to them all now through him, however faintly. What had I just bound myself to?

I looked back at the Frost's Heart flowers, their gentle blue glow a stark contrast to the growing shadows. I'm sorry, Father. Please hold on just a little longer.

The alpha's-Dante's growl pulled my attention back to him. He stood waiting at the edge of the clearing, those intelligent eyes clearly saying follow or die. Even in wolf form, I could feel him through the bond now, a presence of controlled violence and barely leashed power.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped away from the flowers and toward my fate. This was going to be a very long year.