Jaelyn
"You're alive?"
The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Liora blinked slowly, her eyes still heavy with sleep. She looked confused, like she was trying to remember where she was.
But that was not what shocked me.
What shocked me was the simple fact that she had woken up at all.
My heart was beating faster than it should.
How is she still alive?
I kept the question inside my head, careful not to let it show on my face.
Every woman before her had not been this lucky.
Every single one.
Liora pushed herself up slowly from the bed, wincing a little like her body still felt weak.
"Why… why are you looking at me like that?" she asked softly.
I quickly looked away.
"No reason," I said.
That was a lie.
A very big one.
But what was I supposed to say?
Sorry, I thought you would die the moment I touched you?
I ran a hand through my hair and stepped back from the bed.
"You fainted," I said instead. "Your body probably couldn't handle everything that happened tonight."
That part at least was believable.
She looked down at her hands, quiet for a moment.
"I've never fainted before," she said slowly.
Something about the way she said it made my chest tighten.
Of course she hadn't.
This was not normal.
Nothing about this was normal.
I turned away from her and walked toward the window, trying to steady my thoughts.
The moon hung high in the sky outside, bright and silent.
My mind drifted back to the past.
To the curse.
The first girl had died three years ago.
She had been from a nearby pack. Strong. Beautiful. Everyone believed she would be my mate.
The moment I got close to marking her, her body went cold in my arms. She died.
The second girl lasted a little longer.
But she died the same way.
Then the third.
And the fourth.
Each time the same thing happened.
And each time the fear in my pack grew worse.
Some of them began to whisper.
Some said I was cursed.
Others said the moon goddess was punishing me.
Finally the elders took me to the temple.
The pack gods had said it was a curse.
Their words still echoed clearly in my head.
"There is only one woman your wolf will accept."
"Only one mate meant for you."
"Until you find her, every other will fall."
At the time it had sounded like nothing but a cruel joke.
How was I supposed to find one woman in a world full of wolves?
But now…
I slowly turned back toward the bed.
Liora was sitting there quietly, watching me.
Her hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves. Her eyes still held a bit of fear from everything she had been through tonight.
She looked small.
Fragile.
And yet…
She was alive.
"Jaelyn?" she said softly.
I realized I had been staring at her again.
"Yes?"
"Did I do something wrong?"
The question caught me off guard.
"Why would you think that?"
"You looked scared when I woke up."
I hesitated.
She wasn't wrong.
For a moment earlier, I had been terrified.
Not because she was alive.
But because she shouldn't be.
"You didn't do anything wrong," I finally said.
She relaxed a little at that.
Silence filled the room again.
But this time it felt heavier.
"Thank you," she said after a moment.
"For helping me tonight."
Her voice was sincere.
I nodded once.
"You would have done the same."
She gave a small, sad smile.
"I don't think anyone from my pack would have."
Her words made something inside me twist.
I leaned against the wall and studied her more carefully.
There was something about her scent that felt… different.
When I first pulled her into the bushes earlier, I thought it was just the wind carrying a strange smell.
But now it was stronger.
Familiar.
My wolf stirred inside me.
A low feeling spread through my chest.
I frowned slightly.
That reaction was new.
My wolf had never reacted to any woman like this before.
"Liora," I said suddenly.
She looked up.
"Yes?"
"Has anyone ever told you that you're… different?"
She blinked.
"Different how?"
I did not answer immediately.
Instead I pushed myself off the wall and walked closer.
The moment I stepped near the bed, my wolf reacted again.
Stronger this time.
A low growl almost rose in my throat before I forced it down.
Liora noticed the change in my expression.
"What is it?" she asked quietly.
I stopped beside the bed.
Close enough to smell her clearly now.
My heart started pounding.
It couldn't be.
Could it?
Slowly, carefully, I leaned closer.
Her scent filled my senses.
Warm.
Soft.
And something else.
Something that made my wolf restless.
Liora froze when she realized how close I was.
"Jaelyn…?"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
I ignored the way my pulse was racing.
Ignored the confusion in my head.
There was only one thing I needed to know.
One thing that could answer everything.
"Liora," I said quietly.
"Yes?"
"When you fainted earlier…"
She nodded slowly.
"I remember."
I took a slow breath.
"My fangs touched your neck."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Yes…"
My heart pounded harder.
"And yet you're still alive."
She stared at me, clearly confused now.
"I… I guess so."
I studied her face carefully.
Then the truth hit me like a lightning strike.
"Only one woman your wolf will accept".
My eyes locked onto hers.
And the realization slammed into me.
"Oh no," I whispered under my breath.
Liora frowned slightly.
"What?"
I stared at her like I had just seen a ghost.
Because suddenly everything made sense.
The scent.
The way my wolf reacted to her.
The fact that she survived.
There was only one explanation.
Only one.
My voice came out low and stunned.
"You're my mate."