The night was still when Zack suddenly felt an awful scream in his head. He was way out in the woods, leading another attack against a rival group that had come into their area. The light of the moon shone on his wolf body as he ran through the trees, his muscles ready for action. His group fought with him, claws out, growls filling the air. The other group was all over the place, scared, and not ready for how strong he was. Then, without any warning, everything changed.
A shadow moved silently, quickly, and on purpose behind him.
Something hit his side, and he saw a bit of silver and heard a whoosh of air. Pain shot through his side, burning like crazy. Zack stumbled, quickly turning around, his teeth showing.
The figure disappeared into the darkness, and he only heard a faint sound of a footstep going away. He reached down and pulled the small knife out of his body. A thick and strange poison covered the metal. He couldn't see clearly right away. His legs gave out, and the forest seemed to tilt to the side. People shouted his name, but they sounded far away, quiet, and like they were being swallowed by the night. His heart beat fast and unevenly, wild and out of control.
The poison rushed through his body like ice, taking the strength out of all his muscles. Zack fell to the cold ground, his claws digging into the dirt as the pain took over. And far away, in a completely different world, Lyra woke up with a loud scream.
She sat straight up in bed, covered in sweat and shaking really hard. A terrible pain cut through her side, just like the wound Zack had. She couldn't breathe as she grabbed her ribs. Blood came out between her fingers, his wound was happening to her because of their cursed connection. Lyra got out of bed and fell against the wall as the pain kept coming. She couldn't see clearly, and her knees shook. She could barely breathe in without crying.
This was not like the dreams, the quick flashes, or the feelings they shared. This pain was complete, like she couldn't breathe, and it took over everything. It felt like her body was being torn apart. "Zack," she said, gasping in fear. She didn't know why she said his name. She didn't want to say it. But as soon as the pain hit her, she knew it was him. She felt how scared he was. She felt his heart beating slower. She felt his fear as he lost control of the world around him.
The healer moved from her plant-covered house before Lyra got to the door. Her eyes opened a bit wider. "The one with the curse," she mumbled. "You shouldn't be walking around." Lyra fell to the ground on her knees. "Help me," she struggled to say. "He's dying… and it's killing me too." The healer got down next to her, putting a cold hand on Lyra's hot skin. Her face looked worried as she felt the mark beat hard under Lyra's collarbone. "Your spirits," the healer whispered softly, "have started to join together." Lyra stopped moving. "What does that mean for me?" "It means if he dies… you will also die with him." Lyra stopped breathing for a moment. The healer went on, her voice full of serious certainty. "A cursed connection usually joins feelings, dreams, or natural reactions. But yours has gone farther than that. Your lives are becoming mixed together. His pain becomes your pain. His death becomes your death." Lyra's heart beat fast and unevenly, but she didn't know if it was her heart or Zack's she was feeling. "Can we stop this somehow?" she whispered quietly. "Not right now," the healer answered. "The connection is already working. You are already tied to his heartbeat. Your lives are connected until the Blood Moon arrives." That meant two months of shared pain together. Two months of shared danger as well. Two months of their lives hanging by a thread. Lyra swallowed hard, as fear started to grow inside her. She didn't want this connection between them. She didn't want his feelings, his pain, his heartbeat mixed with hers. But she already felt it getting tighter, stronger, turning into something she couldn't undo.
Meanwhile, far away, Zack was close to dying. His group pulled him into their secret hideout, and laid him on a soft bed made of animal fur. His breaths came in rough gasps, each one weaker than the last one.
The poison moved through him like snakes made of fire and ice together. His healer, Talin, knelt next to him, saying quick spells, and crushing moonroot leaves into a thick mix. "Stay with me," Talin asked urgently, his voice shaking a little. "Alpha, stay awake and alert." Zack tried to talk, but he couldn't get the words out. His throat felt closed up by unseen claws, his sight disappearing into streaks of shadow.
Then, all of a sudden, he felt something pull inside him. A heartbeat that wasn't his own. A cry of pain, far away but clear. A spark of warmth in his chest. Lyra's presence. Talin gasped as Zack jerked suddenly, his body lifting off the ground. The healer put glowing hands on his wound, putting every bit of magic into him. Little by little, Zack's breathing became more steady. Little by little, the poison began to go away. Talin wiped sweat from his face, shaking with worry. "You should be dead now," he whispered quietly. "Only one thing could have kept your spirit here." Zack forced himself to open his eyes. "What was it?" Talin swallowed hard nervously. "Your spirit is connected to another person now." Zack stared at him, surprised and confused. Talin continued, his voice shaking a little. "Whoever you marked… your life is now connected to hers. If you die, she will die too. If she dies, you will fall with her." Zack closed his eyes, feeling the truth of it go deep inside him. Lyra's pain had been what saved him in the end. Her heartbeat had made his own heartbeat steady. Her life was now closely tied to his own.