The forest was silent that morning, eerily so.
Mist clung to the trees like ghostly breath, and the air carried a sharp chill that made even the birds keep still.
Inside the apothecary, the light of dawn filtered through the shutters in faint golden streaks, falling across Lucian's sleeping form. His chest rose and fell steadily now, though his skin glistened with cold sweat. Beside him sat Selene, her hand hovering just above his wound as soft threads of light pulsed from her fingertips, knitting torn flesh together little by little.
Every breath he took seemed to echo inside her chest.
Darius stood guard at the door, silent and watchful. His eyes had not left the window since she had told him the truth, that his Luna, Seraphina, was dead and the pack had fallen into the hands of a traitor.
He couldn't qstill bring himself to believe it, yet in his bones he knew it was true. The silence through the bond told him everything. He could no longer feel the comforting hum of his Alpha's power that once reached every heart in Moonfang. The link was faint, flickering like a dying flame.
"His strength is returning faster than I expected," Selene said softly, breaking the silence. "But the curse inside him… it stirs with every pulse of his heart. It feeds on anger, on grief."
Darius glanced at her. "Can it be broken?"
She hesitated. "Curses of blood rarely die. They change, they grow, sometimes they turn on their maker. If I could reach the source, perhaps.... "
She stopped when Lucian shifted, a faint groan escaping his lips. His eyes opened slowly, meeting hers.
For a moment neither spoke.
Selene's breath caught. His eyes were no longer just silver; threads of pale blue and faint gold shimmered within them, light moving like liquid moonfire.
"Where… am I?" Lucian asked weakly, his voice rough as gravel.
"In my care," Selene replied quietly. "You were struck by a blade meant to kill. I had to draw the poison before it reached your heart."
Lucian pushed himself up slightly, grimacing. Darius rushed forward, but Lucian raised a hand to stop him.
"I am alive," he said, his gaze shifting between them. "That means the gods are not done with me."
Selene turned away to hide the strange heat that flushed through her at his voice. "Do not move too much. You are still weak."
Lucian's eyes softened for a moment, then hardened again as memories struck him, the meeting, the ambush, the screams of his men and the dream of his mother's death.
"Caius," he said darkly.
Darius nodded. "He sits on your throne. He killed your mother, imprisoned your sister, and spread the word that you are dead."
Lucian's fingers tightened around the edge of the bed, his claws threatening to emerge. The air in the room trembled faintly and a faint silver aura shimmered around him.
Selene stepped closer, her voice calm but firm. "If you let the curse take hold now, it will consume you. You must control it, not let it control you."
Lucian met her gaze, the rage in his eyes clashing with the strange calm in hers. For a heartbeat the world around them faded and there was only the silent pull between witch and wolf.
"What do you know of my curse?" he asked.
"Enough," she whispered. "It was born of vengeance and moonlight. It was your bloodline that hunted mine and in return, my ancestors bound your strength to the moon's cycle. But this curse, Lucian, is no longer bound to the past. It lives through you. It listens to you. It obeys you, if you choose."
He stared at her for a long moment, as if weighing her words. Then he spoke quietly. "And if I choose wrong?"
"Then the moon will fall," she said simply.
Silence followed, broken only by the faint crackle of the fire.
Darius turned away, his heart heavy. "We must go back soon," he said at last. "The pack is breaking apart. The traitor will not stop until every loyal wolf is dead."
Lucian's eyes glowed faintly. "He will not have the chance."
Selene rose, wiping her hands on her apron. "You cannot fight yet."
Lucian looked up at her, his expression unreadable. "You would stop me?"
"I would save you," she said. "You owe your life to me, Alpha. Do not throw it away before it serves a purpose."
Her words hung in the air like smoke. Darius looked between them, sensing the growing tension or perhaps something else, something deeper.
Later that night, while Darius slept near the door, Selene stood outside under the silver moonlight. Her long dark hair caught the light, shimmering faintly. The air around her hummed with quiet energy.
Elara joined her, her cloak wrapped tightly around her shoulders. "You are growing too close," she said softly. "Every moment you spend with him draws the curse closer."
Selene's eyes stayed fixed on the moon. "He is not what they say he is."
"He is still the one your ancestors cursed," Elara whispered. "The prophecy warns that when witch and wolf unite, the heavens will bleed. Do you not see it already beginning?"
Selene closed her eyes. "Maybe the prophecy is not a warning. Maybe it is a path."
Elara sighed. "You are letting your heart speak instead of your power. That is dangerous, Selene."
"I know," Selene murmured. "But if love is forbidden by fate, then perhaps fate needs to be rewritten."
Inside the apothecary, Lucian stirred in his sleep. His dreams were strange, flashes of fire and moonlight, of a woman's voice whispering his name. He reached for her in the dark, but the dream slipped away.
When he woke, the first rays of dawn were breaking through the trees. His strength had returned more than he expected. He sat up slowly, feeling the faint thrum of magic within him, not the wild chaos of the curse, but a new kind of power, steady and deep.
Selene entered with a bowl of herbs. "You should be resting."
He smiled faintly. "I dreamt of the moon speaking to me."
Her hand stilled. "What did it say?"
Lucian looked up, his eyes glinting. "That the cursed Alpha was never meant to die. He was meant to rise."
Selene's heart skipped. The light around him seemed brighter now, his aura stronger, steadier.
The curse had begun to change.
And deep within the forest, the moon pulsed once, as if in answer.