(Damien's POV)
The night was too quiet.
I stood at the edge of the pack's borders, staring into the dark forest that stretched endlessly beyond. The moonlight bled through the branches, silver light flickering like ghosts between the trees. My wolf shifted restlessly inside me, pacing, growling, unsettled. It wasn't just the silence. It was the absence.
She wasn't here.
Luna.
Her name echoed through my mind, no matter how much I tried to shut it out. She had left, gone beyond the safety of the pack, into the wild where rogues roamed and death could find her with one careless step. I should have been relieved. I had done what I thought was right. I had pushed her away, rejected her, made it clear that whatever bond tied us together meant nothing.
Then why did I feel like I couldn't breathe?
My chest tightened every time I thought of her being out there alone. Every time my wolf caught the faint trace of her scent lingering in the wind, fading more and more with each passing night, rage and panic tore through me. I had marked myself as strong, unfeeling, unshakable. But inside, my wolf howled with a grief I didn't dare name.
"She chose this," I muttered under my breath, my fists clenching. "She wanted to leave."
But even as I said it, I knew it wasn't true. Luna hadn't chosen this. I had forced it on her.
My thoughts spiraled back to the moment I saw her eyes when I pushed her away. The hurt. The betrayal. The disbelief. That look haunted me worse than any nightmare. I told myself it was necessary, that keeping her close was too dangerous. That I couldn't allow her into the darkness that surrounded me.
Because the whispers were getting louder.
At first, I thought they were just echoes of my own guilt. Quiet murmurs that slipped into my mind when I was alone. But lately, the voices have grown clearer. Shadows slithered at the edges of my vision, and sometimes, in the stillness of the night, I swore I heard words spoken directly into my ears.
Cursed Alpha… doomed Alpha… she will be your ruin.
My hands trembled as I pressed them against my temples, trying to drown out the voices. They weren't real. They couldn't be real. But no matter how much I fought, they kept coming, relentless, like a storm I couldn't escape.
"Damien."
I snapped my head up at the sound of my Beta's voice. Marcus stood a few feet away, his brow furrowed with concern. He had been with me through countless battles, had seen me bleed and rise again. But lately, even he looked at me differently. As if he saw the cracks forming beneath the surface.
"You've been standing here for hours," Marcus said quietly. "The patrols are worried. Some say you haven't slept in days."
I forced my expression into stone. "I don't need sleep. What I need is control over this pack. The rogues are getting bolder. They're testing our borders. If we don't stay vigilant…"
"This isn't about rogues, Damien." Marcus's voice cut sharp, firm but careful. "This is about her."
A muscle twitched in my jaw. "She made her choice."
"No," Marcus said, shaking his head. "You pushed her away. And now you're unraveling because your wolf can't accept it."
His words hit harder than I wanted to admit. My wolf snarled, torn between pride and truth. Marcus didn't understand. He couldn't. The bond was more than longing, more than desire. It was a tether, one that pulled tighter the further she went. The more distance between us, the more it burned, like a rope cutting into my very soul.
"I did what I had to," I growled. "Luna doesn't belong here. She doesn't belong with me."
Marcus hesitated, then asked, "Or are you afraid she does?"
The silence that followed felt like a blade pressed against my throat.
I turned away from him, stepping closer to the tree line. My gaze fixed on the darkness beyond, where I could almost imagine her figure slipping between the shadows. My wolf pressed harder, restless, desperate to run after her, to drag her back where she belonged.
But then the whispers returned.
This time, they weren't just in my head. They carried through the air, faint but clear, as if the night itself had a voice.
Cursed Alpha… the bond will destroy you… She is the key to your fall.
My blood ran cold. My wolf went silent, his ears pricked, his body tense. I wasn't imagining it. Someone was speaking to me. Someone was watching.
"Did you hear that?" I demanded, spinning toward Marcus.
He frowned. "Hear what?"
"The whispers." My voice was sharp, unsteady. "Don't tell me you didn't hear it. Someone's out there."
Marcus's expression darkened, his eyes scanning the trees. But after a moment, he shook his head. "I don't hear anything. Damien… maybe you need rest. The rejection bond- it's breaking you down faster than you think."
"No." I shook my head violently. "This isn't the bond. This is something else. Something darker."
I knew what I felt. The air had shifted, heavy with a presence I couldn't see but could sense pressing against me. Like a shadow breathing down my neck.
Run from it if you want, Alpha… but you cannot escape fate.
The voice slithered through the air, curling into my ears. I froze, every muscle locking. My wolf bared his teeth, but fear coiled deep in my gut.
Because this wasn't just guilt. This wasn't just my imagination.
Something was haunting me.
And worse… it was tied to her. To Luna.
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails cut into my palms. Rage surged through me, hot and wild, because no matter how much I denied it, no matter how far I tried to push her away, she was at the center of this storm.
I had thought rejecting her would protect us both. But now, the shadows whispered her name, and the darkness closing in on me carried her scent.
If I didn't find her… if I didn't uncover the truth… this curse, whatever it was, would destroy me.
And maybe the entire pack with me.