Elara's POV
"Which one of us has to die?" I demand.
Morgana's smile doesn't reach her glowing purple eyes. "Isn't it obvious, dear? The curse needs a sacrifice. Either the cursed Alpha dies and frees you from the bond, or—"
"Or I die and the curse dies with me," I finish. My hands clench into fists. "That's what my mother tried to do, isn't it? She tried to take the curse into herself and die to save Ronan's father."
"Very clever." Morgana tilts her head like a bird studying a bug. "Grace was brave but foolish. She bonded with an Alpha she barely knew, tried to absorb a curse she didn't understand, and paid the price. The backlash took years to kill her, but kill her it did."
Through the bond, I feel Ronan's shock. He didn't know. He never knew my mother tried to save his father.
"So my whole life was a lie." My voice sounds hollow. "My mom raised me, taught me about flowers and kindness and helping people, and the whole time she was just preparing me to die for some werewolf I'd never met."
"Not die for," Morgana corrects. "Transform with. The curse can be broken, child. But it requires perfect balance. Moon Blessed blood mixed with Alpha frost. Human sacrifice merged with wolf power. Death and rebirth happening simultaneously." Her eyes gleam. "You're already halfway there. You're neither human nor wolf now. You're the bridge. All you have to do is finish the transformation and let the curse burn through you completely."
"And then I die," I say flatly.
"Not necessarily." Morgana waves her hand dismissively. "If you're strong enough, you survive and become something new. Something more powerful than any werewolf or Moon Blessed in history. If you're weak like your mother..." She shrugs. "Then yes, you die screaming."
Ronan moves between us, frost spreading from his feet. "She's not doing it. I'll die before I let another mate sacrifice herself for me."
"Noble." Morgana's laugh is like breaking glass. "But stupid. If you die, the curse transfers to your next of kin. Your sister Luna becomes the cursed one. Then her children, and their children, forever. The curse doesn't end with your death, Alpha. It spreads."
Luna. Sweet Luna who showed me kindness. The curse would destroy her.
"There has to be another way," I say desperately.
"There isn't." Morgana's expression hardens. "I've spent thirty years researching, searching, and trying to find alternatives. This is the only solution. Elara completes the transformation and absorbs the curse, or everyone Ronan loves dies slowly. Those are your options."
Before anyone can respond, the shop's roof explodes.
Not from fire or bullets this time. From wolves.
Four massive werewolves crash through the ceiling in their animal forms—bigger than horses, with fur ranging from gray to brown to rust-red. They land in fighting stances, snarling at Morgana.
Behind them, a woman drops through the hole with inhuman grace. She's beautiful—silver hair, ice-blue eyes exactly like Ronan's.
"Luna," Ronan breathes.
His sister lands and immediately shifts from wolf to human, completely naked and unbothered by it. "Big brother, you have exactly ten seconds to explain why half the pack is tracking your blood trail through town and why there are dead hunters in the alley."
"It's complicated"
"Eight seconds."
"Cassius betrayed us," Ronan says quickly. "He's been behind everything. The curse, the hunters, all of it."
Luna's eyes snap to Cassius, still frozen against the wall. Her expression goes ice-cold. "I'm going to rip his throat out."
"Get in line," I mutter.
Luna finally looks at me. Her eyes widen as she takes in the silver glow under my skin, the mark on my chest, the way I'm standing close to Ronan without freezing to death.
"You bonded." Luna's voice is barely a whisper. "Ronan, no. Not again. You can't watch another mate die—"
"She's not dying," Ronan snaps.
"She's already dying!" Luna gestures at me wildly. "Look at her! Half-transformed, glowing like a moon goddess, sharing your curse. She's got days at most before—"
"Before I complete the transformation and either save everyone or die trying," I interrupt. "Yeah, I got the memo."
Luna stares at me. Then she starts laughing—a slightly hysterical sound. "Oh, Ronan. You finally found a mate with a spine. About time."
"Can we focus?" One of the werewolves shifts into a tall, muscular man with tattoos covering his arms. "The hunters aren't dead. They're regrouping. We've got maybe five minutes before they come back with reinforcements."
"Ash is right," Luna says, suddenly all business. "We need to get you both back to pack territory. Now."
"What about her?" I gesture to Morgana, who's been watching everything with amused interest.
"The witch comes with us," Ronan decides. "She's the only one who can guide Elara through breaking the curse."
"I'm not going anywhere." Morgana examines her nails. "I gave you the information. What you do with it is your choice. I'm done playing shepherd to doomed wolves."
Luna's hand shoots out, grabbing Morgana's wrist. Ice spreads from the contact, but Morgana just smiles.
"Careful, little wolf. I'm not as helpless as I look."
Purple fire explodes from Morgana, meeting Luna's ice. The two women lock eyes in a battle of wills.
"Luna, stop!" Ronan orders.
Too late.
The ceiling collapses completely.
More wolves crash through—but these aren't allies. Their eyes glow red instead of yellow or gold. Rogue wolves. At least a dozen of them, all focused on Ronan with killing intent.
"Ambush!" Ash shouts, shifting back into wolf form.
Everything descends into chaos.
The rogues attack from all sides. Ronan's pack members fight back, teeth and claws tearing. Blood sprays across my mother's dying flowers. The shop that survived Marcus's betrayal is being destroyed by a supernatural war.
Ronan pulls me close, his body shielding mine. "Stay behind me."
But I'm done hiding.
The silver fire in my veins responds to my anger. I push past Ronan and face the nearest rogue—a massive gray wolf with scars and red eyes full of madness.
"Bad dog," I say.
Then I hit it with everything I have.
Frost and fire explode from my hands. The rogue flies backward, crashing through what's left of the front window. Two more leap at me, but my new speed kicks in. I dodge, move, strike—fighting on pure instinct.
It's like my body knows what to do even though I've never fought before. The Moon Blessed blood, maybe. Or the bond with Ronan. Or just pure survival instinct.
Whatever it is, it's working.
"She's a natural," I hear Ash say, impressed.
"She's insane," Luna corrects. "I like her."
But we're outnumbered. For every rogue we take down, two more appear. They keep coming, wave after wave, all focused on reaching Ronan.
"They're being controlled," Ronan snarls, frost exploding from him in a defensive barrier. "Someone's sending them. Someone who knows exactly where we are."
Cassius laughs from his frozen prison. "Did you really think I came alone? I've been planning this for thirty years, old friend. The hunters outside are nothing. The rogues are nothing. They're all just distractions."
"Distractions from what?" Luna demands.
Cassius's smile is terrifying. "From the real attack."
The floor beneath us starts to glow with purple symbols. A trap. A massive magical trap that we've been standing in this whole time.
"Everybody out!" Ronan roars. "NOW!"
But the symbols pulse, and invisible walls spring up around us. We're boxed in. Caged in my mother's flower shop with an army of rogues and a death trap beneath our feet.
"What is this?" I demand.
"A containment spell," Morgana says calmly. She's still standing there, unbothered, like she knew this would happen. "Very old magic. Very powerful. Once activated, nothing gets in or out until someone dies."
The symbols pulse brighter. Hotter.
"Someone has to die to break the spell," Morgana continues. "And I think we all know who the target is."
She points at Ronan.
The symbols under his feet burn white-hot.
He screams.
The curse activates—not slowly like before, but all at once. Frost explodes from his body uncontrollably, spreading across everything. But it's not protective ice anymore. It's killing ice. The kind that freezes and shatters and destroys.