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chapter 12: mark of the curse
Last Updated:
2025-02-14 00:22:32
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The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within chapter 13: the moon's shadow
Her breath caught, her pulse hammering against her ribs. She pressed a hand to her mark, as if she could silence whatever was stirring beneath her skin. The sensation was fleeting, gone as quickly as it came, but it left behind an unsettling emptiness—as though something had just awoken inside her and was waiting for the right moment to take hold. She shook her head, pushing the thought away. This was exhaustion, stress—nothing more. At least, that’s what she told herself. The drive to Damien’s ancestral home was silent, heavy with unspoken thoughts. The further they traveled, the deeper they ventured into unfamiliar territory. The towering city skyline faded into the distance, swallowed by dense, ancient woods that stretched endlessly in every direction. And then, it appeared. Damien’s ancestral home loomed before them, an imposing structure of dark stone and ivy that seemed to breathe with the history of his kind. The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, the fores
Last Updated : 2025-02-14The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within chapter 14:
The door creaked open wider, and Jake stepped into his ancestral home , his cold, mocking smile illuminated by the faint glow of the symbols carved into the room. Damien moved instinctively, placing himself between Sofia and Jake, his body taut with tension, like a predator ready to pounce. "Well, well well," Jake drawled, his eyes flicking between Sofia perched on the desk and Damien standing protectively in front of her. "I thought you'd moved on, Sofia, but I didn't realize you were this eager to replace me." "What the hell are you doing here, Jake, are you stalking sofia?" Damien's voice was low and dangerous, his golden eyes starting to gleam with the telltale light of his wolf. Jake ignored him. He locked his gaze on Sofia. "You've changed," he said, his tone shifting from mockery to something almost reverent. "I can feel it. Whatever he's done to you, it's starting, isn't it?" Sofia swallowed hard, gripping the edge of the desk to steady herself. "You don't know what
Last Updated : 2025-02-15The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within chapter 15: the blood moon
“I knew you’d try something,” he said, his voice a growl. Sofia’s heart sank as he stepped closer, his claws flexing. “Jake, please, let me go” “Don’t,” he snapped, his eyes glowing with anger. “Don’t make me hurt you.” “You don’t have to do this,” she said, her voice trembling. “You can let me go. We can end this.” Jake laughed bitterly. “You think it’s that simple? You think I can just let you walk away? You don’t get it, Sofia. I’ve already sacrificed everything for you. My humanity. My soul. You’re all I have left. Jake looked away, his shoulders slumping. “My sister. She... she looked just like you. She was strong, like you. She never gave up, even when the world tried to break her. And I couldn’t save her. I let her die, Sofia. But I won’t let that happen to you.”
Last Updated : 2025-02-16The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within chapter 16: Aftermath of the blood moon
The drive back to the penthouse was silent. Sofia leaned against the car window, her body exhausted, her mind even more so. The city lights flickered past in a blur, but she barely registered them. The mark on her skin still pulsed faintly, a reminder that the battle wasn’t over. That something inside her was still changing. Damien sat beside her, his hands gripping the wheel tighter than necessary, his jaw locked in silent rage. He hadn’t spoken since they left the estate. He was too lost in his own thoughts, his own war. When they finally reached the penthouse, Damien helped her inside, his touch lingering longer than necessary as he steadied her. Neither of them spoke. Sofia exhaled slowly, looking around the familiar space, but something felt... different. As if the battle had followed them here, clinging to the walls, hiding in the shadows. She turned to Damien, her voice softer than she intended. “We made it.” His golden eyes flicked to her, unreadable, before he gave
Last Updated : 2025-02-16The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within chapter 17: The prophecy
Damien’s eyes darkened as he pulled away from Sofia, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that made her shiver. ”There’s a prophecy,” he began, his voice low and weighted with something unspoken. ”One that ties your bloodline to the origins of the curse. It’s been whispered among the packs for centuries, but I never thought—” He hesitated, his jaw tightening as if the words were too heavy to say aloud. Sofia’s heart raced, her pulse thrumming in her ears. ”My bloodline?” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. ”What does that mean? How could my family be connected to this?” Damien’s hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing against her skin in a gesture that was both comforting and possessive. ”Your ancestors were not just human,” he explained, his tone grave. ”They were part of the first pack. The original werewolves. The curse didn’t just affect us—it started with them. And now, with you, it’s come full circle.” She felt as if the ground had shifted beneath h
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"Damien," she finally said, turning to face him. He stood in the center of the room, his hands braced against the marble counter, his head bowed as if waging an internal war. At the sound of her voice, he lifted his gaze, and the moment their eyes met, Sofia felt it—that pull, sharp and inescapable. A muscle ticked in his jaw. "You should rest." She swallowed. "I don’t think I can." Damien pushed off the counter and stalked toward her with slow, deliberate steps. "You’re still shaking." Was she? She hadn’t even noticed. All she could focus on was him—on the way his golden eyes darkened, on the heat radiating from his body as he came closer. Her breath hitched when he reached her, towering over her, his presence overwhelming. His fingers ghosted over her arm, sending a shiver through her. "You're still burning up from the fight,"
Last Updated : 2025-02-17The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within chapter 19: show me how much you love me
The morning after their passionate night, Sofia had laid out her plan, telling Damien exactly what she thought they needed to do next. She hadn’t expected him to agree so easily, but he had. And that’s what led them here. Jake’s apartment had been abandoned for weeks, the air inside stale with the scent of something long forgotten. It felt wrong being here, stepping into a place that had once been his sanctuary. A place where she had once belonged. But that was a different life. A different Sofia. Determined, she sifted through his old belongings, searching for anything ....any clue that could explain why Jake had changed, why he had aligned himself with the hunters, and what it all meant for her and Damien. Jake's body was never found, but he is alive and watching them, waiting for the right moment to strike. He knows their every move, every weakness, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Sofia’s fingers trembled as she unfolded the old, faded parchment, th
Last Updated : 2025-02-17The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within chapter 20: He is alive
The door creaked open, revealing a figure silhouetted against the dim light of the hallway. Sofia’s breath hitched, her fingers clutching the edge of the desk as Damien stepped in front of her, his dagger gleaming in the low light. “Who the hell are you?” Damien growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that sent shivers down Sofia’s spine. The figure stepped into the room, and Sofia’s eyes widened in disbelief. It was Jake. But... how? His body was never found, but she had assumed... Jake, his face pale and drawn but his eyes gleaming with a chilling intensity, let out a low chuckle. "well isn't it cozy ,Long time no see, Sofia." Damien’s grip on the dagger tightened, his body tensing as he moved to shield Sofia once more. "You’re dead," Damien snarled, his voice low and deadly. "How…?” Jake smirked, his gaze flicking between them, a cruel amusement in his eyes. "Let’s just say I have a knack for survival." He took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. "And I’v
Last Updated : 2025-02-17
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The relentless twilight of the 'Wolf Born Twice' reality began to fray at the edges. The sharp scents of pine and blood softened, the perpetual chill lessened, and the oppressive shadows receded. It wasn’t a sudden transition, but a gradual melting, like frost under a hesitant sun.Sofia felt the change, a subtle shift in the fabric of this dreamscape. She was still the predator, vigilant and detached, the cold logic of survival dictating her every instinct. But a different sensation was bleeding in – a warmth, a pull, a persistent, gentle pressure she had been ruthlessly pushing away.Let go, Sofia. The voice was Lyra’s, no longer distant and pleading, but closer, clearer, imbued with a quiet strength. Let go of the fight. Not the one out there, but the one within you. Come back to the in-between.The 'in-between'. The place she had visited before, a liminal space connecting her conscious mind, her wolf, and the deeper currents of her being. It felt… safer than the twilight world. Le
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The biting wind whipped around Damien and Kieran as they descended the worn stone steps into the ancestral crypts beneath the pack house. The air grew colder with each step, thick with the scent of damp earth and something else – something ancient and heavy, the accumulated presence of generations of wolves laid to rest. This wasn't merely a burial site; it was a reservoir of lineage, of history, of secrets best left undisturbed.But secrets were exactly what they needed.After Draven Thorne's chilling message, Damien’s focus had shifted. Protecting Sofia from this external threat was paramount, but he couldn’t fight blindly. They needed to understand the Blackwood curse, its true nature, and its connection to The Hollow Order and this terrifying figure, Thorne. Kieran’s frantic research had unearthed fragmented mentions of Elias Blackwood, a figure shrouded in mystery at the very genesis of the curse, and the possibility of contacting ancestral spirits bound to powerful bloodlines.“
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Damien stood by the infirmary window, the first weak light of dawn painting the sky in hesitant greys and pinks. Sleep was a luxury he couldn’t afford. The image of Sofia’s still form, the echo of Kieran’s devastating words about the Blackwood curse and its terrible solutions, were etched into his mind. He had refused the grim options presented, choosing instead the impossible path: to find a way to reach Sofia, to pull her back from whatever twilight realm held her, and face the curse together.A sharp rap on the door shattered the fragile quiet. Kieran entered, his face even more strained than before, if that were possible.“Alpha,” he said, his voice tight. “We have a problem. Another one.”Damien turned, his jaw set. “More Hollow Order?”Kieran nodded, but his eyes held a different kind of dread. “Yes. But… not just a sigil this time. It’s… a statement.”“Where?”“Just outside the western border. The Creekside Pack.”Damien’s eyes narrowed. The Creekside Pack. A small, quiet group
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back in reality The sterile scent of the infirmary chafed at Damien’s senses. He sat beside Sofia’s bed, his hand holding hers. It was slack and unresponsive in his grasp. Her breathing was shallow, her face pale and drawn. She hadn’t stirred since collapsing hours ago, after the invisible struggle that had wracked her form, leaving her locked within whatever twisted reality her mind now inhabited. He remembered the look in her eyes just before they fluttered closed – distant, cold, utterly unlike his Sofia.Lyra, usually a comforting presence, was silent within him, a dull ache where fierce protectiveness should have been. It was as if even his wolf was reeling from whatever had happened inside Sofia’s dreamscape.A soft knock preceded Kieran’s entry. He looked even more weary than he had earlier, dark circles under his eyes, ancient scrolls clutched in one hand. He moved quietly, stopping respectfully a few feet from the bed.“Any change, Alpha?” Kieran’s voice was low, filled with
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within Chapter 82 – The Wolf Born Twice
The world was a canvas of perpetual twilight, painted in hues of bruised purple and blood-red. Sofia didn’t walk; she stalked. The ground beneath her boots was hard-packed earth, stained dark in places that still smelled faintly of iron. The air was cold, carrying the scent of pine and something sharp and acrid – fear.She moved with a predator’s grace, silent and efficient. Every muscle was coiled, ready to strike or vanish. Her senses were honed to a razor’s edge. The rustle of leaves wasn’t just wind; it was a potential ambush. The snapped twig wasn’t just nature; it was an intruder. This wasn’t the soft, familiar world of the pack house, or the vibrant, sunlit forest she knew. This was a battlefield, a hunting ground, a place where the weak were consumed.Her hand rested habitually on the hilt of the blade strapped to her thigh. The metal was cold, worn smooth by countless grips. It felt right, an extension of her will. Her clothes were practical, dark leather and sturdy cloth, de
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The heavy oak door of Damien’s study burst open, slamming against the wall with a force that rattled the framed maps on the opposite side. Damien looked up from the reports on his desk, his eyes narrowing as Kieran Ash stumbled in, his usual composed demeanor replaced by a frantic urgency. Dust and what looked suspiciously like dried blood smudged his worn leather armor.“Kieran! What in the name of the Goddess happened?” Damien’s voice was sharp, immediately on alert. He rose, circling the desk.Kieran leaned against the doorframe, breathing heavily, his gaze wild. “No time for pleasantries, Alpha. It’s happening again.”“What is? Spill it,” Damien demanded, reaching for the hunting knife habitually sheathed at his belt.“The killings,” Kieran choked out, pushing off the frame. He crossed the room in a few strides, his eyes locking onto Damien’s. “Across the border territories. Three packs hit in two nights. Brutal. No survivors left to talk.”Damien’s jaw tightened. He’d heard whisp
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(Damien’s POV – Present Day)The blood on the floor had long since dried. The candles flickered as if they feared what we were about to do.Lyra stood at the center of the chamber barefoot, her cloak discarded, her runes fully exposed across her arms and collarbone. Her breathing was shallow, but her gaze had steadied. Focused.“This is not a spell,” she said, voice low. “It’s a bridge. Once we begin, I won’t control where you go. The memories will pull you toward the piece of her soul that still remembers you.”“And if it doesn’t?” I asked.She looked at me with those storm-gray eyes. “Then you’ll wander her past until your spirit forgets who it was.”I didn’t flinch.“If there’s a part of her that still remembers me,” I murmured, stepping closer, “that’s all I need.”Lyra knelt beside the basin of now-consecrated blood. She whispered an ancient chant, tracing her fingers in precise patterns above the surface. The blood began to glow faintly, pulsing—like it was responding to my hear
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within Chapter 79 – The Vision Walker
(Damien’s POV – Present Day)The moon was barely more than a sickle of light in the sky. Clouds churned over the forest, and the air was heavy—too quiet, too still. The trees whispered warnings in a language only the cursed could understand.I hadn’t planned to return to the ritual site tonight.But something—a pull—dragged me here.The clearing still bore the markings of the ceremony that broke me. The silver runes carved into stone still shimmered faintly, and the scent of magic hung in the air like cold smoke.I stepped into the circle.And stopped.Someone was there.A body.A woman.She lay curled at the edge of the stones, half-covered in leaves, her skin dusted with blood and soil. A torn cloak clung to her frame, silver thread stitched into its seams—ancient symbols I hadn’t seen in centuries.I rushed to her side.She wasn’t a rogue. Her scent was strange, like rain and stardust. Not of this land.Her breathing was shallow. Her skin ice-cold.But then, her lips parted.And in
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within Chapter 78
(Damien’s POV – Three Moons Without Her)Time moved differently without her.Slower.Heavier.Like the minutes were dragging their feet through wet concrete.Three days had passed since the ritual.Since I bound my name to another woman to deceive ancient spirits.Since I whispered goodbye into the ear of the only woman who ever made this cursed blood of mine feel worthy.I still felt her breath on my neck.Still caught her scent in the folds of the sheets.Still expected her to walk barefoot into the kitchen every morning with a sleepy smirk, teasing me about my obsessions.But she didn’t.And she wouldn’t.Not for three moons.And I was starting to forget how to breathe without her.---The penthouse was too quiet.I left it behind after the second day.I couldn’t walk into that room without hearing the machines beeping beside her bed. Without seeing the imprint of her body on the pillow. Without smelling cinnamon and honey on the linens.So I returned to the Blackwood manor—a place
