Chapter 14 - The King’s Curse

Leo’s POV

It has been almost a week since I returned to my kingdom, leaving behind the only solace I’d found in years—her. Ivy. My light. The thought of her was the only thing keeping me sane, the only relief from the shadows that clawed at my mind and soul. But here, in this cursed place, the weight of my reality crushed me.

The council chamber was suffocating, filled with the same stale air and the same tired arguments. They spoke of rebellions in the eastern provinces, of lands dying, of crops failing. They spoke as though these were mere inconveniences, not symptoms of the curse that was consuming me and the kingdom.

I let their words wash over me, my mind slipping back to the past. To when it all began. Dina, the sorceress my father had scorned, had cursed me before I’d taken my first breath. My father’s betrayal of her had sealed my fate. She sent plague after plague against my family, but my mother’s magic had shielded us. Until I was born.

I was her weakness.

The curse had latched onto me, a shadow that grew stronger with every breath I took. My father thought giving me a different name—separating me from the family line—would save me. It didn’t.

I was hidden away, raised in the human world, far from the kingdom. Far from the truth. But when my parents died, I had no choice but to return and claim the throne, although I still hid behind a mask and only a few people had actually seen my face. The shadows were waiting for me when I came.

“Your Majesty,” Garrik’s voice cut through my thoughts, dragging me back to the present. “Malrik has rallied three packs in the eastern provinces. They march under the banner of rebellion, claiming your… affliction is the cause of the kingdom’s decay.”

Ah, my affliction. How delicately they tried to phrase it. As if my curse wasn’t the reason the land was dying, as if the shadows weren’t draining life from everything around me.

“Do they truly believe that killing me will end the curse?” I asked, my voice calm, measured.

Garrik hesitated, and that hesitation told me everything.

“They do, my king,” he said finally.

Fools. They thought my death would save them? If only they knew that the shadows were tied to me, feeding on my soul, my very existence. My death wouldn’t save them—it would doom them.

Zane, my Beta and one of the only people who truly knew me, leaned closer. “Malrik isn’t just spreading lies, Alpha. He’s dangerous. If he unites the eastern provinces, we’ll have a war on our hands.”

War. Again. I should have felt anger, but all I felt was exhaustion. How many more battles would I fight? How many more lives would I take, only to be hated for saving the same people who wished for my death?

Lady Cordelia, sharp and poised as ever, spoke next. “There’s another matter, my king. An emissary has been spotted approaching from the west. They claim to come on behalf of Dina.”

Dina. Her name sent a shiver down my spine. After all these years, she still haunted me, her curse poisoning every part of my life.

“What does she want?” I asked, my voice colder than the shadows curling at my feet.

“They say she seeks to negotiate,” Cordelia replied cautiously.

I laughed bitterly. “Negotiate? Dina doesn’t negotiate. She destroys.”

Zane’s gaze met mine, a flicker of concern in his eyes. He knew better than to question me, but I could see the worry etched in his features. “What do you want us to do?”

I didn’t answer immediately. My thoughts were a storm, memories and possibilities colliding. The council droned on about strategies and defenses, but all I could think about was Ivy.

My sweet Ivy.

I knew from the moment she walked into that café years ago that she was different. The light that shone in her, the way she unknowingly pushed back the darkness that consumed me—it was undeniable. She was my salvation, the answer to the prophecy the council had desperately sought after I told them about my curse.

Only light can banish the shadows.

Ivy was my light. She didn’t know it, but she was my chance at redemption. My chance to finally lift Dina’s curse.

But now, another man dared to call her his mate. The thought alone made my blood boil, my claws threatening to extend. No one would take her from me. She was mine.

A guard burst into the chamber, his face pale, his breath ragged. “My king,” he stammered, “the emissary… they’re not alone. An army marches behind them.”

The council erupted into chaos, voices overlapping as they debated what to do. I barely heard them, my focus narrowing to the shadows swirling around me.

Good. Let them come.

The shadows whispered, feeding off my rage. If Dina thought she could send her forces to threaten me, she was mistaken. If Malrik thought he could unite the provinces and overthrow me, he would learn the price of defiance.

I stood, the room falling silent as I did. The council looked at me with a mixture of fear and reverence.

“Prepare the defenses,” I commanded. “And send a message to Malrik. If he wants war, he’ll have it.”

Zane lingered as the others filed out. “Leo,” he said quietly, “are you sure about this? The kingdom is already on the brink. If the rebellion grows—”

“I’ll handle it,” I interrupted, my voice cold and final.

I wouldn’t let this kingdom fall. Not to Malrik, not to Dina, not to anyone.

As Zane left, I allowed myself a moment of weakness. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift to Ivy. To her smile, her warmth, her light. Thinking about her had a way of silencing the shadows.

I had to protect her. No matter the cost.

But the shadows whispered another truth, one I couldn’t ignore.

The light cannot save you if you destroy it first.

The thought made my blood run cold, but I pushed it aside. Ivy was my second chance. My salvation. I wouldn’t lose another mate.

Not again.

In the distance, the sound of war drums echoed through the mountains. And for the first time in years, I felt the darkness stir with anticipation.