The hospital hallways were too clean, too bright—blinding, almost—as Selene's shoes clicked down the corridor. She felt the pull of the full moon, even from behind the concrete walls. A quiet thrum beneath her skin. Her wolf stirred restlessly, pacing inside her like a caged flame.
And then she felt it.
A ripple.
A shift in the air.
He was here.
She didn't know how she knew. But every hair on her neck rose in warning.
Selene paused outside the staff lounge, her hand trembling slightly as it hovered over the handle. The hospital board had called an emergency staff meeting. Word was, there was a new CEO—one who'd taken over overnight. No one knew his name.
Only that he was rich. Powerful. Private.
And dangerous.
Selene's wolf whimpered. Dangerous… but familiar.
---
Inside the Lounge
The moment Selene stepped inside, her eyes locked with his.
Killian Black.
He was standing near the windows, backlit by the city's neon glow, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, his tie undone just enough to hint at rebellion. His dark hair was tousled like a storm had passed through it, and those eyes…
God.
Those eyes were the same ones from her nightmares—and her memories. Silver and shadow, the color of a full moon smothered in smoke.
She couldn't breathe.
Not because she recognized him—no, he was older now, sharper, more lethal. But because her soul remembered him. Her body did.
And worst of all, her wolf did.
Killian's head tilted slightly, as if sensing her reaction.
He didn't recognize her.
Not yet.
But he stared—too long. His brows furrowed in silent confusion, as if he were trying to recall a half-forgotten song that haunted him in dreams.
The air between them thickened like thunderclouds about to break.
"Miss…?" he said, voice low, rough, and melting. "I don't believe we've met."
Selene swallowed hard. "Selene Rivera. Night nurse."
His nostrils flared.
And then he smiled—a slow, dangerous thing that curled at one corner of his mouth like he was used to getting what he wanted.
"I'll remember that," he murmured.
She wished he wouldn't.
---
Hours Later – Hospital Rooftop
Selene needed air.
The rooftop was quiet, save for the hum of distant traffic and the soft hiss of her breath as she leaned on the railing.
What the hell was Killian Black doing here? CEO of the hospital? He wasn't supposed to be real. That night… that cursed, beautiful, dangerous night… she had told herself it was just a mistake. A ghost of a man she would never see again.
But now he was here.
And if he remembered her—if he connected the dots…
Aiden.
Her son.
His son.
Her hands gripped the metal railing until her knuckles turned white.
Behind her, the rooftop door opened.
She didn't turn. But her heart slammed into her ribs when she heard the voice again.
"I thought I'd find you here."
Killian.
He stepped beside her, and Selene's pulse quickened. She could smell him now—sandalwood and thunder, the scent of forests before a storm. Her wolf whimpered, confused, drawn, afraid.
He leaned against the railing too, gaze fixed on the moon. "Strange," he murmured. "Every time I look at that thing, I feel like I'm losing something. Or someone."
Selene stayed silent.
"You ever feel that way?" he asked.
"I've lost enough," she whispered.
Killian turned, studying her. "You're not like the others here."
"And you're not just a CEO," she shot back.
A smile tugged at his lips again. "Fair enough."
There was a beat of silence. Then he added, "I know this sounds insane… but have we met before?"
Selene stiffened. "No."
He frowned, stepping closer. "Are you sure?"
Her wolf screamed at her to run.
But her body stayed rooted.
Because even now—after everything—even with the weight of secrets and danger between them…
Her heart ached for him.
---
Danger in the Shadows
What neither of them saw was the figure watching from the lower rooftop—eyes glowing red, breath thick with rage.
"Selene…" the figure hissed, voice cracked with madness. "You thought you could hide him. But the child is mine."
A twisted hand clutched a photo—one of Selene and a little boy with golden eyes.
Alpha Raiden had finally found her trail.
And this time, he wouldn't fail.
The Scent of Secrets
The moment Raven crossed the threshold of the ancient library, her senses sharpened. The heavy scent of burning sage still lingered in the air, clashing with the musty pages of spellbooks and scrolls. Her eyes darted to the shelves, to the floor—searching for something. Or someone.
"You came," a hushed voice called from behind the central pillar.
She turned swiftly. Lucian.
He stood half-shadowed in torchlight, his dark clothes blending into the stone, his presence sending a shiver down her spine. He wasn't supposed to be here. He was banned—by order of the Coven themselves.
"You're breaking the Elder's code," Raven whispered, voice trembling not with fear, but anticipation.
"So are you," he stepped closer. "Don't tell me you didn't hear it too—the pulse. It's calling us."
Raven clenched her jaw. She had heard it. A rhythmic, ancient thrum beneath the floorboards that started the night her Mark of Binding burned. And only those with the Sixfold Curse could hear it.
Lucian took her hand before she could protest. "There's more at stake than the coven's laws, Raven. You know it."
His touch was electric—warm, yet dangerous. Their bond was forbidden. But right now, that didn't matter.
With a nod, she allowed him to lead her deeper into the catacombs beneath the library—a place where forgotten curses breathed, and one wrong step could awaken death.
The danger was real.
And so was the feeling blossoming between them.
Whispers Beneath the Stone
The catacombs were colder than Raven remembered—every breath left her lips in visible puffs. The further she and Lucian ventured, the thicker the silence grew, pressing against their skin like invisible weights.
"Why here?" she finally asked, her voice barely audible above the echoes of their footsteps.
Lucian glanced back, his eyes gleaming like ink under candlelight. "Because the truth was buried, not burned."
They reached the gate—a rusted, ornate arch with ancient sigils etched in bloodstone. Raven traced one with her fingertips. It pulsed.
The same pulse in her veins.
"Lucian..." Her voice cracked. "This is a tomb."
He nodded. "Not just any tomb. It's where the first Hexbound made their oath. The beginning of the curse."
Raven's breath caught.
Six witches.
One betrayal.
A curse that bound bloodlines for centuries.
Lucian stepped closer, pulling a silver talisman from under his shirt—a twin to the one Raven wore unknowingly since birth. "We were meant to find this place. Together."
Her eyes locked onto his. Every ounce of logic screamed at her to run. But something ancient within her said stay.
As Lucian pressed the talisman into the central glyph, the gate groaned.
The stone beneath their feet trembled.
A whisper rolled through the chamber. Not wind.
Words.
In a tongue older than magic.
Something was waking.
And Raven realized—they hadn't just found a forgotten place.
They had just opened a sealed destiny.
The Binding Flame
The door creaked open with a groan that echoed like a scream through the ancient tomb. Beyond the arch, firelight flickered — but there were no torches. The flames hovered in the air, suspended as if caught in time.
Raven stepped through the threshold, heart hammering. Each step forward was like walking deeper into her own forgotten soul. Lucian followed, his hand brushing hers once, accidentally—or not.
Symbols lined the walls, glowing faintly.
She touched one, and pain lanced through her palm.
"Raven!" Lucian caught her as she stumbled. But she didn't scream. She looked at her hand.
A mark.
Not burned. Not cut.
Branded.
The exact same sigil from her nightmares.
"It's the Seal of the Sixth," Lucian said softly, stunned. "The final mark. No one's ever seen it form... not in generations."
"What does it mean?" she whispered.
"It means you're not just Hexbound… You're the Key."
Before Raven could ask what that meant, the flames parted.
A pedestal rose from the ground. Atop it lay a book — bound in serpent leather, chained in silver, and humming with raw magic.
Lucian's face paled. "The Codex Umbra."
"Shadow Codex," Raven translated.
"No," Lucian replied, eyes never leaving the book. "The Cursekeeper's Journal."
Raven reached out, trembling. The silver chains rattled but did not stop her. As her fingertips brushed the cover, every candle in the tomb flared.
A voice spoke from nowhere and everywhere at once:
"The Hexbound are gathered. The price must be paid."
Suddenly, Raven wasn't in the tomb.
She was somewhere else—a memory that wasn't hers.
A circle of six witches stood under a blood moon.
And one… was her mirror image.
Echoes of the First Curse
Raven gasped, her lungs begging for air as she blinked back to reality. The memory — vision — whatever it was, clung to her like smoke. Lucian gripped her arms, shaking her gently.
"Raven! What did you see?"
Her voice was hoarse. "The Six… they weren't just cursed. They cursed themselves."
Lucian's expression darkened. "You saw the original binding."
"I saw me," she whispered. "Or someone who looked exactly like me. She… she was the one who led the ritual."
Lucian took a step back, brows furrowed in alarm and awe. "That's impossible."
Raven shook her head. "She wore the same pendant. The same voice. It was me."
A terrible silence filled the tomb.
The Codex Umbra pulsed again, this time emitting a sharp screech of metal grinding against bone. The silver chains fell away.
Raven didn't flinch.
The book opened on its own.
Wind howled through the chamber, and pages flipped until they landed on a symbol — the same one branded on Raven's palm. Beneath it, ancient glyphs twisted into legible script:
> "When the Key awakens, the Sixfold Path must converge. Only blood bound by fire can break what was once willing."
Lucian backed away slowly. "This isn't just a curse… This is prophecy."
The tomb began to tremble, the stone beneath them cracking with ancient unrest. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the hovering flames scattered like frightened birds.
Raven closed the Codex.
Silence returned.
But her soul was no longer still.
"I started this," she whispered. "Whoever I was in that past life… I'm responsible. And I have to finish it."
Lucian stared at her, something shifting in his eyes — fear, admiration, and something unspoken.
"You won't face it alone," he said. "Not this time."
And as they stepped back into the moonlit ruins, Raven felt it — the power, the memory, the pull of fate.
The Sixfold Curse had begun again.