5. False Hope

The door to my chambers slammed behind me with enough force to crack stone. I didn't care. Anything to put more distance between myself and the healer below.

My hands still burned where l'd touched her, steadying her after that healing attempt. The memory of her collapsing against me, trusting despite her exhaustion, made both man and wolf stir with dangerous interest. Through the blood bond, I could feel her now-a bright presence amidst the darkness of my curse, her magic humming even in her depleted state.

This bond... it wasn't like the pack bonds. Those were familiar, ancient connections twisted by the curse into something darker. But this? Every breath she took echoed through me. Every flutter of her pulse called to something primitive and hungry that I thought the curse had destroyed years ago.

I stalked to the window, bracing my hands against the warped frame. The glass reflected my eyes-more gold than usual, the beast too close to the surface. Below, I could sense her settling into exhausted sleep, her magic reaching unconsciously toward the pack's pain even in her dreams.

What was I thinking, bringing another healer here?

But she wasn't like Helena. The thought came unbidden. Where Helena's healing had been calculated, precise, Lily's magic poured from her like a spring, instinctive and pure. She'd stood up to me about her father, showing more spine than most wolves would dare. Even now, I could feel her determination through the bond, her genuine desire to help despite her fear.

The wolf in me approved of her strength. Wanted to... No. I wouldn't think about what it wanted. What /wanted.

My claws dug into the wooden frame as another wave of awareness hit me-her scent still clinging to my clothes, her warmth lingering on my skin. The curse stirred, responding to my agitation, but for once its pain felt distant, muted.

Dangerous. This was dangerous.

l'd thought myself immune to this kind of reaction after Helena's betrayal.

Had built walls around what was left of my heart, focusing only on protecting what remained of my pack. But something about Lily's presence called to both man and beast in a way I couldn't afford to examine too closely.

A howl rose from below-Kira, the pain in her voice noticeably lessened. Lily's healing had worked, if only partially. More than we'd achieved in years of searching for a cure.

Hope was a dangerous thing for a cursed wolf.

Almost as dangerous as the way my body wanted to turn around, to go back down those stairs, to- A knock at my door snapped me back to my senses. Ash's scent, tinged with urgency.

Time to face my pack's questions about our new healer. And time to bury whatever this strange awareness of her might mean.

Some lessons about trust should only need to be learned once.

The pack gathered in what was once our war room. Now, like everything else, it was twisted by the curse. Maps on the walls had turned to shadows of themselves, ink bleeding into dark stains. Those who could still maintain human form sat at the scarred table. The others prowled the edges of the room, their partially shifted forms casting grotesque shadows in the firelight.

Maven sat to my right, her white form nearly glowing in the dim light. Even cursed, unable to shift back to human, she commanded respect. Her thoughts reached me clearly through our pack bonds.

The girl's magic is unlike anything I've seen in decades. Raw. Untainted.

Something of the old powers in it."

"She partially healed Kira," one of the younger wolves said. The hope in his voice made my chest ache. "I felt it through the pack bonds. The pain... it lessened."

"Partial healing isn't enough." This from Reid, one of my warriors, his face caught permanently between human and wolf. "We need a cure, not temporary relief."

Maven's thoughts cut through the rising murmurs. "There are old stories.

Legends about curses like this.

I growled softly. "We've been through every legend, every scrap of lore- Not all.'Her golden eyes fixed on me. 'Some speak of other ways. The girl's magic responds to you differently. You felt it. We all did."

The pack stirred at that, and I could feel their hope building like a physical force. Dangerous hope. False hope.

"She's just a healer." I said, but the words felt hollow even to me.

"A healer who stood up to an alpha." This from Ash, speaking for the first time. "A healer whose magic actually affected the curse, even if temporarily."

His scarred face turned to Maven. "What aren't you telling us?"

Maven's thoughts came slowly, deliberately. 'There are tales of curses broken not by magic alone, but by something stronger. Something that even dark magic can't corrupt.'

"No." I stood abruptly, my chair scraping back. "We're not discussing this."

"The curse grows stronger,' Maven pressed. We lose more of ourselves each day. If there's evena chance- "I said no." The curse surged with my anger, and I fought to keep my form human. "The girl is here to heal, nothing more. This meeting is over."

But as I stalked from the room, I could feel their emotions through the pack bonds-hope warring with desperation, determination building beneath despair.

This wasn't over.

Ash followed me to my study, ignoring my growl of warning. My beta had never known when to back down-it's why he'd survived this long.

"You can't ignore this," he said, closing the door behind him. "You saw what her magic did for Kira.!

"I saw a temporary healing that nearly drained her completely." I turned to face him, letting my eyes shift to wolf-gold. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

"You know what Maven was talking about." Ash moved closer, his scarred face intent. "The old tales about true love breaking curses- A snarl ripped from my throat. "Fairy tales."

"Maybe. But we're running out of options." He gestured to his corrupted eye.

"The curse grows stronger every day. Jensen lost his human form completely last week. Even Maven can barely hold herself together." His voice dropped.

"How long before we're all gone? Before you can't control it either?"

The truth in his words cut deep. I could feel it in my own body-the curse eating away at what remained of our humanity, the transformations growing more painful, the beast harder to control.

"So what?" I bit out. "You expect me to court her? To risk her life on some ancient legend?"

"l expect you to try something." Ash's remaining eye fixed on me. "The pack bonds don't lie. Your curse responds to her differently. Even now, with her asleep below us, your control is stronger than it's been in months."

I turned away, unable to deny it. "And if I mark her before"I couldn't finish the thought.

"Then she shares our fate. But she took that risk the moment she agreed to stay" He moved to the door, pausing with his hand on the handle. "At least consider it. Court her. See if there's a chance. What do we have to lose?"

"Her life." I said softly. "Her humanity."

"We're losing ours anyway" His laugh was bitter. "Maybe it's time to risk everything on a fairy tale. Gods know nothing else has worked.!"

The door closed behind him, leaving me alone with possibilities I didn't want to consider. Through the blood bond, I could feel Lily stirring from her rest, her magic beginning to recover.

Court her. Risk her. Trust again.

Memories of Helena's betrayal warred with the memory of Lily's pure magic, her genuine desire to help, her courage in facing down an alpha.

I found myself moving to the writing desk, pulling out parchment before l could think better of it. An invitation to dinner. Formal. Proper. The kind of thing a cursed beast shouldn't be considering.

What was I doing?

But my hand was already moving across the paper, and somewhere in the castle, I could feel Lily awakening.

The invitation felt ridiculous in my hand as I approached her door. What was I thinking? We were cursed wolves, not courtly nobles. Yet here I was, like some lovesick- 'Alpha!"'Kira's excited thoughts burst through our pack bond. The young wolf, still in her cursed form but moving easier after Lily's healing, sat in the shadows of the hallway. Are you going to ask her to dinner?"

"Go. Away."

But of course she didn't. If anything, her tail wagged more vigorously.

Through the pack bonds, I felt others gathering, watching. Curious. Hopeful.

Interfering.

I forced myself to knock on Lily's door, crushing the parchment slightly in my grip.

She opened it looking sleep-tousled and wary, her scent hitting melike a physical blow. The beast stirred, wanting to-No. Focus.

"Dante?" Her voice was rough from sleep, making both man and wolf respond in ways I didn't want to examine.

"" Gods, when had words become so difficult? "The pack traditionally dines together." A lie, but close enough to truth. "Your presence would be expected."

Her eyebrows rose. "Expected?"

From down the hall came the distinct sound of Kira's tail thumping against the stone floor. Lily's gaze shifted past me, and I knew the moment she spotted the gathered pack members trying-and failing-to appear casual.

"Is this about the healing earlier?" she asked. "Because I'm still rather tired after "No" The word came out harsher than intended. I took a breath, tried again.

"Simply dinner. Nothing more."

She studied me for a long moment, and I fought the urge to shift under her scrutiny. The beast didn't like being examined this way. Didn't like feeling so. exposed.

"You're a terrible liar for a cursed wolf," she said finally.

A growl built in my chest. This wasn't going as planned. Behind me, I could sense the pack's growing anxiety. Their hope turning to concern as their alpha floundered at a simple dinner invitation.

"Never mind." I turned to leave, the beast too close to the surface, my control fraying

"Wait." Her hand caught my arm, and the contact sent fire through my blood.

"I didn't say no."

I looked back at her, thrown by the hint of amusement in her eyes. Even tired, even knowing what we were, she wasn't afraid to challenge me.

"Dinner would be... nice," she said. "ThoughI hope you don't expect me to dress formally. Someone only left me practical clothes."

From down the hall came poorly stifled sounds of excitement. I was going to kill my entire pack.

"Ill send something suitable" I managed. Along with the distinct feeling was walking into a trap of my own making.

"Then I accept." She smiled slightly, and something in my chest twisted. "Try not to look so terrified, Dante. It's just dinner."

Just dinner. Right. Nothing to do with curse-breaking or fairy tales or the way her magic called to mine.

I managed some kind of acknowledgement and retreated before I could do something stupid like catch her scent again or notice how her sleep-mussed hair made me want to- 'That went well!l'Kira's thoughts were practically singing as she bounded up beside me, entirely too pleased.

I growled at her, at all of them, but it did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm. Through the pack bonds, I could feel their excitement building, their hope rising.

What had l just started?