Ripples of want clenched around his finger and my eyes snapped closed, forgetting I was cursed and shouldn't want this— “Already dripping from how much you milked from me. Fuck…” I choked on a groan. ——— A Cursed Heir. A Dangerous Alpha. After a brutal assassination leaves her orphaned at eight, Willa is heir to lead the Moonveil Pack. Only a child then, her uncle took over the Alpha role. A role he was greedy to leave when the young woman came off age. But the goddess seemed to fail her even more when her first love mysteriously bled to death while they made love for the first time. This dark event sparked rumors that any male who slept with her was cursed to die. Branded cursed, the traumatized Willa lost her wolf and was savagely exiled by her own uncle, who hunted her in other to keep the Alpha title. Willa strayed into a pack, but was captured and accused of a crime she knew nothing about and now found herself at the mercy of Nox, the ruthless Alpha of the Starfall Pack. A predator she couldn't avoid needing to regain all she had lost – her wolf, her title, her freedom.
View MoreWilla’s POV
I moaned as he glided into me. Kael, the love of my life, was the first man to ever touch me intimately. Under the full moon, I loosened myself to his ministrations, us alone in the woods. His groans were music to my ear, until they turned into sudden coughs. Something wet and warm splattered on my face. I touched it and under the pale moonlight, I saw that it was blood. “Kael?” I pushed his shoulder. He had stopped moving, rigid and tense. Panic climbed into my throat, erasing any hint of pleasure that lingered by. “What's wrong—” He coughed again, pushing himself off me. The sight was one I could never forget. Not in a million years. Not after the mountains have been ground into dust, and the woods are dry and barren. Nothing could have prepared me for this. Kael was bleeding from every orifice on his face. He was choking, trying to say something but all that poured out was more blood. The sounds that left him were gurgled animal sounds. Like a beast for slaughter. I screamed, scrambling up from the floor. “Kael! What's going on? Please, hold on…I need to get someone! Help! Help me! Someone please help us!” My voice echoed through the woods, but there was no help in sight. We were too deep in. He slumped into the dry leaves, jerking and grabbing at his throat. I followed him down, frantically wiping at his face with my discarded clothes. I was sobbing, trembling, and panicking. I tried to lift him, but he was three times my weight. I was too weak. I didn't know what to do. His eyes, which had once lovingly gazed at me, were completely red and unfocused. His jerking motions were becoming sluggish, still, his hand found mine, holding on tightly. “Willa…” I scrambled to my feet, looking around wildly, “I'm going to get you help! Please hold on, hold on! Please…my love, please..” “I’m sorry…” He whispered. His hand slipped from mine and fell into the leaves. He was still choking, weakly grabbing at his neck like there was something in there he was trying to get out. It hurt my soul to leave him there, but I could not help him on my own. Naked, I ran back in the direction of the pack, with tears and Kael’s blood running down my cheek. The moment I broke through the treeline, guards on patrol turned away from the bonfire. At the first whiff of fresh blood, they lunged at me, claws out. “Intruder!” “No, it's a woman!” They froze, eyes round as they took in my state. Naked, my skin cut from running through vines and thorns in the forest, and drenched with blood. “Willa? She's injured!” I collapsed at their feet, trembling. “No, it's not mine! Please help me! Kael— Help…” I was unable to speak properly through my shuddering breaths, but I already made so much of a spectacle that a crowd was quickly forming. A pair of rough hands grabbed my shoulders, shaking me violently. “This is my brother's blood!” He was the first son of the Beta family, Kael’s older brother. “Where is he?! What happened, Willa? Speak to me now!” “He started bleeding…! I tried but I couldn't …I couldn't do anything! Please help him..” My voice was a garble of sobs and sounds. I was pointing towards the tree line. “Please hurry! Hurry! Save him!” “I need the fastest men with me now! Follow his scent!” Colyn yelled, moving away from me. “Alert the physician now!” People were scattering about in panic and confusion. But I could only watch, crumpled on the floor as the men charged into the forest. I grabbed the soil under my hands, crying and praying for the goddess to spare Kael’s life. I had never asked for the goddess’ help with this much desperation. Not even when my parents were slaughtered on their thrones, by an enemy that infiltrated our pack. I was only eight, and I thought I knew pain. Pain knew nothing of what I felt, with my lover’s life hanging in the balance. Someone covered my nakedness with a blanket. Another pair of soft hands placed a bowl of water before me, washing the blood off my skin with a towel. There were old pack mothers, familiar with pain, and quietly sharing in mine. The moonlight created a silver sheen on the surface of the water, with my reflection rippling at me. My pale hair and skin were smattered with blood and dirt. The scar on my chin throbbed in time with my frantic heartbeat. It was completely healed since the night my parents were murdered, but it always came alive in terrible situations. Like now. Tears drowned my amber eyes. I was the picture of hopelessness. “They're back! They're back, make way!” Clamors and shouts filled the night sky long before the men broke out of the treeline. When they did, all I could see was Kael lying limply in their arms. Blood trailed after them. “Kael!” I grew hysterical, breaking away from the women tending to me. My blanket fell off, but I barely noticed. I was running after the men, latching on to my lover's hand desperately. He was unconscious. He wasn't moving. The bleeding wasn't stopping. My heart was tearing apart. “Please wake up! Look at me, Kael … why isn't he moving?! Why isn't he responding to me?” I had no idea how loud I was screaming at that moment, but losing my voice afterward was an indicator. Colyn roughly shoved me away. “Hold this hysterical woman back! And for the goddess' sake, cover her up!!” I stumbled and fell, and hands caught up to me, tying a cloth tight around my body. I watched them take Kael into the nearest house, where the physician was already waiting. After a great deal of screaming and struggling, I finally broke free. When I stumbled into the room, there was a chill in the atmosphere. I froze in my tracks, noting the somber expressions on everyone's faces. Colyn, his older brother. Faruc, his second older brother. And the other men. They were all covered in his blood, and their eyes were stony. Slowly, I looked back at the physician. She was shaking her head, muttering words that I wished I could unhear. “I have done all I can. He could not be saved.” “What happened to him, healer?” “I cannot tell. He had bled too much, the exact cause cannot be ascertained.” My gaze fell upon Kael. I did not feel my legs moving, but I was suddenly by the side of the bed, my shaky hands checking for his pulse. There was nothing. No sign of life. That heart that was beating wildly for me just a memory ago, was now still. “No…” I whispered in disbelief. “This can't be… no… Kael?” I sounded broken, calling his name, waiting for him to answer. His face was still, peaceful, despite the violent way he died. That handsome face was pale, drained of his blood. He gave it all, bled till there was nothing left of his essence. Those loving eyes were shut permanently against me. His soul was gone, leaving behind an empty, cold shell of a body. A body that once burned hot and virile in desire for me. He looked so scared. In pain. Struggling. And I had left him alone, in the cold woods. I didn't comfort him, wrap him in my arms, and say my goodbyes. I didn't get to, yet his last words to me were an apology. I should be apologizing. My eyes were dry, because even my tears were too afraid to face what lay in front of me. I grabbed his hand, shaking in utter denial and disbelief, waiting for him to stir. The physician had to be mistaken. She was incompetent, and he was still alive. A sign of life… something…anything— “Where is my son?!” A woman’s voice screeched. I was so engrossed in my anguish that I was shocked when a hand grabbed me and spun me around with surprising force. I stumbled back, faced with Kael’s mother. Her face was red with rage and hate. “What have you done to my son?!” She demanded. Always hated me. Before I could react, her arm swung, landing a paralyzing slap across my face. The force of the blow sent my head against the wall. A ringing sound exploded in both of my ears, jolting me back to the present. “Haa…haa…” I shot my eyes open, shaking free from that terrible memory. My body took longer to realize it was no longer in the past —not that the present was any better— my heart was pounding, tears streaking down my dirty cheeks. The ringing in my ears had morphed into the clinking of the heavy shackles around my wrists and ankles. I hissed in pain, feeling the iron further aggravate the sores formed by the rough chains. It had been months after Kael's death, and my situation had only gotten worse. I felt hands jostling me up, cursing and spitting at me. I forced my dangling head up, feeling my skin scrape and scab against the dirt. The sudden light was too bright for my eyes, and I squinted up at the two men manhandling me. “Move it! Cursed wench.” Guards. They were dragging me out of the dungeon.Nox’s POV My body coiled tight, steel cables ready to snap, every sinew screaming to tear Eamon apart. Rage crackled deep in my chest like electricity—one heartbeat, two— I didn’t even realize I’d moved until Eamon’s voice stopped me cold. “Not. Another. Step." Eamon's voice was glacial. My claws ached to sink into his flesh, my wolf howling in frustration. Willa’s wide eyes met mine, and I saw the fear there—the fear I never wanted to see on her face again. But beneath it, there was anger too, a fire that hadn’t been extinguished. It made my chest tighten, a sick mixture of fury and helplessness. “Let her go,” I growled, my voice raw and guttural. Eamon smirked, his claws flexing against her skin. “Oh, I don’t think so. You make one wrong move, and I’ll slit her throat right here.” Willa winced as his grip tightened, and my entire body tensed, the mate bond hammering through me like a second heartbeat. My wolf pushed harder against my control, despe
Nox’s POV The night pressed down like a curse, sharp and unforgiving. The air was thick, heavy with ash, and carried the weight of a thousand untold stories. It reminded me of sharp fangs sinking deep into flesh—relentless, excruciating, and unyielding. Rest was a luxury we couldn’t afford, and complaints felt pointless now. Once this ends, Willa will learn the truth about what indeed happened to the second man she had been accused of killing. Draven was on it already, and I'm certain she would get the hang of it quickly. Maybe there was a bright end to this after all. My eyes swept across the maw of the mountain. The Ash Eyes Pack. Once, they were revered. Legends spoke of their lands—a paradise enriched by volcanic soil that made their harvests plentiful and their people untouchable. But that was all gone now, like ash falling from the sky and disappearing into the wind. No one spoke of what had happened. It was as if an unwritten rule had silenced their me
Willa’s POV The Blood Moon would be here soon, I thought, tightening my grip on the hilt of my dagger. If we survived this night, perhaps we'd celebrate it at last, instead of merely surviving under its light. Maybe this time, it would bring renewal, not more bloodshed. I tore my eyes from the heavens to face the land before me: Gerald’s Way. “What is this place?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, though the tension crackling through the air ensured everyone heard me. “This,” Nox replied, his voice smooth, almost indifferent, “is where it all started for Eamon.” Vad’s lips twisted into a smirk that made my wolf bristle. “This is his true home,” he said, gesturing grandly to the crumbling castle perched on the volcanic mountain. “Where he was born.” The small castle loomed, its jagged towers stretching into the ashen sky. Steam hissed from cracks in the earth, the very air heavy with heat and sulfur. “It’s massive,” I murmured, scanning the da
Astridl’s POV How did I end myself in this situation? I could just punch him and get this over before I regret my next action. But I couldn't bring myself to say the word, to act like I used to. His eyes were still on me, waiting. Gods, he was waiting, and the thought that his eyes were this focused on me, the thought of what my answer would do to my body made me nearly curse out. “Say it, Astrid.” Goddess, why can't he just… “Give me more.” I couldn't care about what we were doing—who he was. “I am at your service,” he grunted, and then he reached between us, his finger snagging the latch of my carry-on and he yanked them off. Metal met the floor. And then the one on my thigh. More daggers off. Then he reached for my pants. He pulled on them hard enough to lift my hips. Buttons popped free, tossing onto the floor. “Goodness,” I murmured. He barked out a short, harsh laugh as he shoved my pants down until one leg was completely free, and
Astrid’s POV Once this was over, my family could finally rest, knowing the man who destroyed their lives would breathe no more. A part of me dreamed of escaping with Asher, finding a home beyond the sea—somewhere far from this chaos. This wasn’t home. It never had been. But first, there was work to be done. Willa would get her pack back. That was why I’d joined the fight, after all. And if I wasn’t mistaken, her relationship with the Alpha might not end, not even when the war ended. I knew the dynamics shifting around me. Willa would likely become the Alpha's Luna, and the tension between Starfall and Moonviel might dissolve into an unexpected alliance. Maybe even merge. Packs up north had done it before. Not that it mattered to me. My focus was singular: kill Eamon and complete my revenge. Then I'd be gone. Everything else—the alliances, the titles, the futures of others—was irrelevant. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. I c
Willa’s POV Justin's lifeless body lay crumpled on the floor, a pool of crimson spreading beneath him. Astrid didn’t so much as glance at her handiwork as she secured the bloodied fabric back onto her hip—a lethal weapon I'd only just witnessed—gleamed with a deadly shimmer, the embedded daggers barely visible against the rich fabric. She stepped away from the mess, spitting outside the open window like it had been nothing more than a chore. I’d seen that fabric with her but never known it to be a weapon, or so. Vad, on the other hand, seemed invigorated, the gleam in his golden eyes unsettling. His gaze landed on the man who’d called Nox his cousin and that smirk of his grew. "The people you hoped would help you crawl onto the throne are nothing but weaklings," Vad snickered. He stepped over Justin’s corpse without hesitation, his boots smearing red across the floor. "You should’ve stayed in the shadows where you’ve been hiding all these years…” Vad turned.
Willa's POV The air, already heavy, seemed to grow denser as the council members filed in behind the Deacon whose face had gone several shades paler, his composure crumbling like wet paper. The unfamiliar man—their uncle, I guessed—looked utterly stunned, his disbelief written across every line of his face. My gaze flicked to Vad, who was watching him with that infuriating smirk, as if savoring the man’s discomfort. He looked like one who already regretted his move too late. But how will I know, judging that he was one of their bloodline, who knows what could exactly come off them? Only a few guards remained inside—Marcus and two others. I pulled at my sleeve. So, this had been the brothers’ plan all along? How? When? Was I kept in the dark again? Not that it mattered now. What a family dynamic. “What is the meaning of this?” The Deacon's voice cracked with indignation, like a man who'd just discovered he was nothing more than a puppet.
Willa’s POV It wasn’t that I was used to Vad’s presence—far from it. But recently, my wolf had stopped baring her teeth every time he was near. That shift meant something, though I wasn’t entirely sure what. The room felt charged, and I couldn’t tell if it was the tension or just Vad’s inherent ability to turn a space into a pressure cooker. I had come in looking for Nox, expecting a quiet moment. Instead, I found Sylvia, and to my surprise, Vad. Hunter had acted strange earlier, avoiding my gaze when he told me where to find Nox. But soon it made sense. Astrid’s expression gave it all away the moment I walked in on her. The rumor. Of course, there was always a rumor when it came to me, but this one didn’t sting. This one was different. My wolf purred at the thought, and I cursed myself as a flush crept up my neck. My sweater sleeve became an anchor as I pulled it over my palm, pretending to focus on something—anything—other than the weight of Nox’s gaze.
Nox’s POV "How do you know?" I prompted, my voice low and measured. Her lips curved—not quite a smile, more a razor's edge of knowing. "Because I can still feel that cold, shivering stare on me since I arrived. It's a sensation you don't forget.” “Unbelievable," Vad muttered, swirling the amber liquid in his glass before throwing a few into his mouth. “What?" Sylvia's eyebrow arched, a challenge wrapped in silk. "You find something amusing?" “No?” Vad drawled. “It’s always something with you. Ever so dramatic." I watched the interplay, my wolf prowling beneath my skin. Something was off. Vad's unusual calm wasn't lost on me. My twin had always been the type to unravel spectacularly when things didn't align with his vision—a mirror of my own younger self, only I'd learned to temper that rage into something more surgical. "Forgive my brother," I said dryly, rubbing my temple, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "He was dropped on his head enough tim
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