By morning, the whispers had already spread.
I could feel their stares burning into me as I walked through the village—the mothers clutching their children tighter, the warriors watching me with suspicion, the elders exchanging hushed, worried glances. Wherever I turned, the word followed me like a shadow.
Cursed.
Kieran had wasted no time.
"He says you bewitched the Alpha," a young she-wolf hissed as I passed, her words meant to wound. "That your glow is nothing but dark magic meant to bind him."
I kept my head low, fighting the sting in my chest. My wolf stirred restlessly, growling at the insults, but I forced her down. If I lashed out, even once, they'd have proof of their fears.
When I reached the training grounds, the pack was already gathered. Damien stood at the center, his arms folded across his chest, his expression cold and unreadable. Kieran was there too, standing proudly among the warriors, his voice carrying loudly as he recounted the night before.
"She glowed like the moon itself," he said bitterly. "Her eyes were silver, her power unnatural. You all saw what happened—wolves twisted into monsters, and who was at the center of it? Her."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd. Some nodded, others looked away, but the seed of doubt had been planted.
Damien's voice cut through the noise like a blade. "Enough."
The crowd stilled instantly. His dark gaze swept over them, sharp and unforgiving. "You will not question me, or her. She is my mate, and she will be respected as such."
His words sent a shockwave through the pack, but instead of silencing their doubt, it only deepened it. The line was drawn now—Alpha against pack.
And me at the heart of it.
My stomach twisted. I had never wanted this. I had lived my whole life as a shadow, desperate to be unseen. But now, all eyes were on me, and their hatred burned hotter than ever.
The elder stepped forward then, his old eyes fixed on Damien. "Alpha, you cannot deny the signs. The prophecy warned us of this—of the silver wolf born under the blood moon. She is not simply your mate. She is destiny. And destiny does not come without cost."
Damien's jaw tightened, his aura pulsing dangerously. "I make my own destiny."
But even as he spoke, I felt it—the curse stirring inside me again, restless, hungry.
And in the corner of the crowd, Kieran's eyes gleamed with triumph. He had started something that would not be easily stopped.
The air was heavy with tension, so thick it felt hard to breathe. The pack stood divided—fear and doubt on one side, loyalty and silence on the other.
Damien's aura rolled over them in waves, his voice sharp enough to cut stone. "Do not mistake prophecy for truth. You saw her last night. Without her, that cursed wolf would have destroyed us. Without her, half of you wouldn't be standing here."
Some wolves lowered their heads, shame flickering in their eyes, but others remained stubborn, muttering under their breath. Kieran smirked openly, feeding off the unease he had sown.
"She may have killed one monster," he spat, "but how many more will she create? The prophecy is clear—she'll either save us or destroy us. Can you really gamble the fate of this pack on her?"
His words rippled through the crowd like poison, and for the first time, doubt flickered even in the eyes of wolves who had once stood proudly at Damien's side.
Damien stepped forward, his presence crashing down like a storm. His voice was low, dangerous, each word vibrating with power.
"You question me again, Kieran, and I will tear your throat from your neck before this pack."
The warrior paled, his smirk faltering, but he didn't back down. Instead, he turned his eyes to me, filled with venom.
"Cursed one," he hissed, loud enough for all to hear. "You'll be the end of us."
Damien's growl thundered through the clearing, silencing everything. "Enough! She is mine. And if anyone dares to raise a hand against her, they raise it against me."
His declaration rang out like iron, final and unyielding. The pack bowed their heads, some out of respect, others out of fear. But as I stood there under the weight of their glares, I knew this battle was far from over.
That night, silence filled the Alpha's quarters. I sat by the fire, staring at the flickering flames, trying to steady the chaos inside me. My wolf paced restlessly within, unsettled by the hatred surrounding us.
When Damien finally entered, the room seemed to shrink. His presence filled every corner, his dark eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my pulse quicken.
"You felt it last night," he said, his voice quiet but commanding. "When you shifted. When the shadows came."
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "Yes."
He stepped closer, crouching in front of me so his eyes locked onto mine. "What aren't you telling me, little wolf? What do you know about this curse?"
My lips parted, but no words came. I had spent years hiding it, burying the truth deep inside me. Speaking it aloud would make it real.
But Damien wasn't a man I could hide from. His hand brushed my jaw, tilting my face up. His touch was gentle, but his eyes were unyielding.
"I can protect you from the pack," he murmured. "But I can't protect you from yourself unless you trust me. Tell me what you fear most."
The fire crackled between us, shadows dancing on the walls. And for the first time, I felt the truth clawing its way to the surface.
The curse wasn't just inside me.
It was me.
The words clawed at my throat, desperate to be spoken, yet I had spent my whole life swallowing them down, terrified of what they meant. But Damien's gaze held me in place—unyielding, steady, fierce. He wasn't going to let me hide anymore.
"I was born cursed," I whispered, my voice trembling.
Damien didn't flinch. He waited.
I swallowed hard, the memory burning like acid as I dragged it from the shadows of my past. "The night I was born, the blood moon filled the sky. The midwives said the air grew heavy, the ground trembled. My parents… they thought I was a blessing at first. But then the first screams came."
My hands shook. I pressed them against my knees to still them.
"Wolves died that night," I whispered, my chest tightening. "Three of them—strong warriors. They collapsed, their bodies twisting with shadows, before they could even hold me in their arms. And the midwife who delivered me… she said she saw the silver glow in my eyes the moment I opened them. She called me an omen."
Damien's eyes darkened, but not with fear—only with something sharper. Fury.
"My parents abandoned me the next morning," I continued, my voice breaking. "They said if I stayed, the curse would consume the pack. So they left me behind like I was nothing but poison."
Tears blurred my vision, but I forced the words out anyway. "They were right. Wherever I go, the shadows follow. Every time I lose control, something bad happens. Wolves die. And now…" I looked up at him, my voice barely a whisper. "Now the curse is stronger than ever. If I stay, Damien, I'll destroy you too."
The silence that followed was suffocating. My heart pounded as I waited for him to recoil, to turn his back like everyone else had.
But instead, Damien's hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer until his forehead rested against mine. His voice was a low growl, steady and unyielding.
"Listen to me, little wolf. You are not poison. You are power. And power is only a curse if you let it control you. But with me…" His lips brushed my temple, the bond between us pulsing like fire. "…with me, it will never control you."
My breath hitched, my heart screaming at me to believe him, even as the shadows inside me stirred restlessly, whispering that no one—not even Damien Blackthorn—could save me from what I truly was.