Chapter 43: "The Alpha’s Wrath"

The Alpha's Wrath

Aria's breath came in sharp, ragged gasps as the figure dissolved into the mist, leaving only an unnatural stillness in its wake. Her fingers clenched around the black stone, its cold surface seeping into her palm like ice. The whisper still echoed in her mind, a sinister presence curling through her thoughts like a shadowy tendril.

The curse cannot be broken.

A shudder ran down her spine, but she forced herself to move. She had to get back to the packhouse. Whatever this thing was—whatever had spoken to her—it was not something she could fight alone.

She turned on her heel, her boots crunching softly against the damp forest floor as she retraced her steps. Each sound around her felt amplified—the rustling of the wind, the distant hoot of an owl, the faint crackling of leaves beneath her weight. The eerie silence had lifted, but the sense of unease clung to her skin like a second layer.