The Curse’s Shadow

I don't know what I expected from Kael Draven, but turning his back on me wasn't it. His words — "If you stay near me, we're both dead" — echoed like an ill omen, and my wrist flared where the now-pulsing crescent mark burned there, like it was annoyed I hadn't taken its advice. The forest surrounding us, the in-between lands just beyond Silverclaw territory, felt alive, the mist twining through the trees like it was watching us. Kael's wide shoulders led the way, his dark coat faded into the black as he started to leave me in the dust, and I wasn't having any of that. "You don't get to drop a bomb like that and walk away," I said, my voice biting in the chill of the early morning. I trashed my boots in the damp ground as I ran after him, my heart pound with a mix of anger and that damn mate bond tugging me like a chain.

Kael stopped but didn't turn, his voice low with grit. "You're pig-headed, Lila Thorn. That's gonna get you killed."

"You're running like a coward," I shot out, catching up. The leather jacket I was wearing made a creaking noise as I turned, but I still had my knife in hand and was prepared for anything. The mate bond was screwing with me and making my blood buzz every time I got too close to him. It was walking the perimeter of a storm: electric, dangerous, and way too tempting. "If this mark connects us, I need to know why. What's this curse? Why me?"

He turned toward me, and those gray eyes got me like a jab, stormy and rough. Up close, I could see the ground-in scars on his jaw and realize he must have survived things most people don't. He was tall, too tall, and the way he peered at me made my chest feel tight. "You want the truth?" he growled. "Fine. But you don't weep when that becomes more than you can bear."

He gestured to a fallen log, and we settled, the space between us crackling like a live wire. I gripped my dagger tighter, my tracker's senses screaming to be on alert. The woods were too silent and I suspected that Blackfang scouts might be out there. The scent of Kael — savage, pine-trees and earth and something that made my heart race — made it difficult to think naturally. I bit my lips, shoving the feeling aside. Some magical bond was not going to tell me what to do.

Five years ago," Kael began, his voice gravelly as though he was pulling out the words, "I was the Alpha of Silverclaw. Youngest in a century. Led the pack through two wars, made sure we stayed strong in the face of the Blackfangs. Then someone screwed me over. "evidence I didn't promote the secrets of the enemy. The elders didn't have to think twice — they banished me. Not a hand was raised by Torin, my second-in-command.

My breath hitched. I'd heard stories of Kael Draven, the traitor Alpha, but they were half-told, turned by pack gossip. They seemed to hold a hurt that made me want to believe him, even though every bone in my Silverclaw body screamed at me not to. "Who set you up?" I asked, leaning forward.

"Not sure," he said, his jaw clenched. "Not yet. But the Blackfangs had their opening. Their witch, Isolde Vey, found me in exile. Said the Silverclaws would go down so long as I lived. So she cursed me." He moved in closer, his voice getting lower, a hushed secret that made me shiver. "The moment I find my fated mate, my life began to go down the drain. A countdown, days, maybe weeks, until I don't make it through. And now, here you are."

My mark flared up, and it was a sharp sting that had me wincing. "So this thing here on my wrist that's killing you is because I turned up?"

"Not because of you," Kael spoke softer now, a whisper almost tender. "Because of Isolde. Her magic, her rules. The nearer we keep, the faster it goes. If you die, perhaps it will cease — but I'd rather see this forest burned to the ground than let that happen."

My heart jumped stupidly, between his words and the way his eyes settled on mine. I had to fight the urge to snap at him and tell him I could take care of my self, but the mate bond was like a current again, tugging me toward him. I got to my feet and did a lap around the room to shake it off. "So what's the plan? I'm not sitting around for you to drop dead. Or for the Blackfangs to turn this around on my pack."

Kael's lips twitched, nearly a smile. "You're as terrifying as they say, Thorn. But you have to return to your pack. Stay safe. I will find Isolde, make her reverse it."

I laughed, short and bitter. "You think I'm gonna hide? I'm a tracker, Kael. I have stood for days in storms and hunted rogues, sneaking by Blackfang patrols. I know I'll be the one to find this witch anyone else is finding this witch, it's me." I met his gaze, my chin up. "With or without you."

He rose, towering over me, his expression unreadable. "You pursue Isolde, you enter a war. The Blackfangs are aware of your mark - don't ask me how. And if they get you, they'll use you to bring me down. Or worse, to gut your pack."

My stomach dropped. The Silverclaws had been my home—Jace with his ditzy look, Mara with her I'm-going-to-sleep-even-if-it-kills-me look, and yes, even Torin, the pain in my ass. Thinking about those Blackfangs with their merciless warriors and that macabre witch pounding down our land sent shivers down my body. But backing down? Not my style. "Then we run like hell," I said, my voice even. "Locate Isolde before they locate us. You know her. Where is she?"

There was a pause, his eyes looking deep into my soul as if he was trying to find a gap in the wall, before the door opened and my father stepped through. "Blackfang stronghold. Deep in their territory. It's a fortress—guards, traps, and Isolde's magic over all. You'd need a damn army."

"Or a tracker," I said, my mind already whirring. I had infiltrated enemy lines before, but the Blackfang fortress was different than anything I'd ever experienced. But sitting still was not going to work — not when I had this mar k scarring my living soul. "I can get in. "Just give me the info on what I'm out to find."

He took my arm and his grip shocked my mark. "You're not listening, Lila. Isolde isn't merely a witch — she's a mean one. And the Blackfangs? They'll rip you apart."

I tore my eyes away, burning with hatred. "Don't put your hands on me unless I say so. And don't underestimate me. I'm not here simply because some goddess thought it'd be funny. I am here because I want to be. So, you helping me or not?"

He just stared for a beat, and damn if I didn't catch the flicker of respect in those stormy eyes. Then he sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "You're impossible. Fine. We go together. My way — silent, cautious, no daredevil stunts.

I chuckled, my trembling hands tucked away. "Deal. I don't expect to salute, though, Alpha.''

Before he could snap a reply, a growl shivered through the trees. My dagger was in my hand in a heartbeat, my eyes screaming. Kael stiffened, eyes roving through the dark. "Blackfang scouts," he murmured. "They've tracked me."

Three wolves emerged, half-shifted, their gold eyes shining and claws reflecting glimmers of light. My heart pounded, but I stood my ground. "Don't stand behind me" Kael growled, his own claws outstretched.

"Like hell," I said, dashing toward the nearest scout. My dagger cut his arm, blood spurting. He bellowed, swinging down, but I ducked, action training making me pretty quick. Kael took on another, throwing him against the tree with savage strength. The third advanced on me, but I kicked his legs out from under him, and down he came.

"Enough!" Kael's voice was a booming, Alpha command that seemed to make the air shake. The scouts stopped, froze, and bolted, their tails down. I was panting, my mark aflame with fire. Kael gasped and turned toward me. "You're reckless. But damn, you're good."

"And you're slow," I said, cleaning the dagger to make sure it wasn't going to kill me any time soon. "We need to move. They'll bring friends."

He gave a short nod, his eyes resting on me, dark and inscrutable. "You sure about this, Lila? If we run after Isolde, it'll be the end of us."

Dangerous, alive; and not just me but the mate bond and now.— A jammed channel exploding, crashing banks and roaring sound alive. "I knew the second this mark appears. Let's end this curse."