WHISPERS OF THE PAST

Chapter 10

Lucia sat on the floor of her dimly lit bedroom, the old journal resting in her lap. Her fingers trembled slightly as she traced the worn leather cover, the scent of aged paper filling her senses. She had locked her door, drawn the curtains, and silenced her phone. Whatever secrets this journal held, she was determined to uncover them alone.

The first few pages were ordinary. Her mother, Eleanor Grand, had written about simple things—her favorite flowers, childhood memories, and how she met Lucia's father. It was strange reading her mother's words, knowing she had never been given the chance to hear them in person.

But then, as she flipped further, the tone shifted. The entries became… unsettling.

"There are things I cannot tell Austin. Things he wouldn't understand. But I have to write them down somewhere, or else I will go mad."

Lucia's brow furrowed. Her mother had kept secrets? From her father? She turned the page, her heart pounding.

"He warned me today. He told me the curse cannot be undone. That no matter how much I run to, fate will always find me. But I love Austin. I chose this life. I chose him."

Curse? Fate?

Lucia's grip on the journal tightened. She read on, flipping through more pages. Her mother spoke of a man—someone unnamed, someone who knew about the curse. Someone she had trusted once, but feared.

"I saw him again tonight, lurking in the woods. He didn't speak, but his eyes said enough. He pities me. He thinks I have doomed myself ."

A chill ran down Lucia's spine. Who was he? And what curse was her mother talking about?

Her breath hitched as she reached the final passage written in shaky, hurried handwriting.

"If you are reading this, then the curse has already begun."

Lucia gasped and shut the journal, her pulse thudding in her ears.

What did that mean? The curse had begun? Was it talking about her?

Before she could process, a sharp knock on her door made her jolt.

"Lucia!" It was Helena's voice, her stepmother. "What are you doing in there?"

Lucia scrambled to hide the journal beneath her bed. "Nothing! I was just resting."

Helena didn't sound convinced. "Come down for dinner. Your father wants to speak with you."

Lucia hesitated. After their last confrontation, she wasn't sure she wanted another argument. But her father rarely asked to see her. It was always orders, cold dismissals, or silence. Maybe this time, she could press him for the truth.

"Okay. I'll be down in a minute," she called back.

When she arrived in the dining room, she noticed right away that something was off. Her father was already seated at the head of the table, his expression unreadable. Eloise sat beside him, idly playing with her fork, smirking at Lucia as if she knew something she didn't.

Helena placed a plate in front of Lucia, but she barely noticed.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked cautiously.

Her father exhaled heavily, rubbing his temples. "Lucia, I need you to stop asking questions about your mother."

Her stomach twisted. "Why? What are you hiding?"

"You don't need to know," he said firmly.

"Yes, I do! I found her journal." The words spilled out before she could stop them.

Her father's face darkened instantly. Helena stiffened. Even Eloise looked surprised.

"You what?" her father said dangerously.

Lucia swallowed hard. "She wrote about a curse. She wrote about someone warning her. Who was it? What did she mean?"

Her father slammed his fist against the table, making the dishes rattle. "That journal should never have been found!"

Lucia flinched but didn't back down. "Why are you so afraid of the truth?"

"Because the truth got her killed!" he snapped.

The room went dead silent.

Lucia's breath caught in her throat.

Her father looked away, his jaw tight. He hadn't meant to say that. But it was too late.

Her mother… hadn't just died. The truth had killed her.

Lucia's head spun. She barely heard Helena scolding her for upsetting her father or Eloise snickering under her breath.

All she could focus on was the burning question in her mind.

Had her mother died because of the curse?

And if so… was she next?

.........…

Meanwhile…

Ezekiel stood at the edge of the forest, the cool night air thick with tension. His blood burned, his senses heightened.

He had caught her scent again.

Lucia.

His wolf howled in his mind, restless and eager. He gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to track her down, to find her, to claim her.

"You're losing control," a voice said behind him.

Ezekiel turned sharply. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood watching him—his second-in-command, Dorian.

"You smell like desperation," Dorian added. "It's pathetic."

Ezekiel exhaled through his nose, trying to stay calm. "You don't understand."

"I understand that you're letting a human girl shake your entire existence." Dorian stepped closer, his gaze sharp. "And for what? A mate you can never have?"

Ezekiel's claws itched beneath his skin. "She is my mate."

Dorian scoffed. "And she's also cursed. You think the elders will allow this? You think the pack will stand by while you bring doom upon us all?"

Ezekiel said nothing. He knew the risks. He knew the legends.

But none of that mattered.

Because the moment he had caught Lucia's scent, the moment he had laid eyes on her…

Fate had already decided.