POV: Amara
But if I was the key… who or what was trying to unlock me?
I opened my eyes to a world that didn't feel like mine anymore.
The forest was gone. The air was heavy, thick with smoke. Fire roared in the distance. Shadows danced across walls made of silver. I wasn't standing. I was floating above a silver altar my body burning but not consumed.
Screams tore through the darkness. Ancient voices. Gods maybe. Angry. Betrayed.
You gave him death…
The voice was mine. But not mine. Older. Colder. …now give him ruin.
Then it all vanished.
I gasped awake, choking on nothing, back in Rahel's chamber, sprawled across the floor like a discarded doll. My wrist still burned where he'd marked me, but the pain was nothing compared to what just tore through my soul.
Mira's voice pulled me from the edge. Amara hey. Hey! Look at me.
I turned my head, and there she was. Kneeling, shaking, eyes wide.
You were speaking in another tongue, she whispered. Not wolf. Not human. It sounded… ancient.
I swallowed hard. It wasn't me. It felt like something took over.
She glanced at my wrist, then back at me. That mark. It's not a mate mark.
My heart dropped. What do you mean?
She lowered her voice further. It's divine.
I blinked. Divine?
From the gods. Or whatever came before them. She looked around, nervous. You weren't supposed to survive the bite, Amara. No one ever has.
My breath caught.
Outside, a roar shattered the silence.
Rahel.
Mira stood instantly. Stay here.
No But she was already gone.
I staggered to my feet, dizzy. That vision it wasn't just a dream. It felt like a warning. A memory. Maybe even a command.
Meanwhile…
RAHEL'S POV
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Visions kept bleeding into my mind. Blood. Not red but black. A woman standing over a pile of ash. My name on her lips, but not with love. With fury.
You swore to serve me, she hissed. Now bleed for me.
I gripped the edge of the stone wall. It cracked under my grip.
Alpha? one of the warriors called nervously.
I need space. He backed off.
My wolf was restless. Unruly. I'd never lost control like this, not even during the full moon. But the moment I bit Amara everything changed.
Why her?
Why now?
Why does her scent taste like a promise and a threat?
Behind me, Elder Marek approached slowly. You saw it too, didn't you?
I stiffened. Saw what?
The truth in her blood.
I turned. Speak plainly.
She carries the mark of the gods.
I didn't speak.
Marek continued, You thought she was the offering. The sacrifice. But she's not. She's the reckoning.
AMARA'S POV
The great hall was colder than I expected. The pack council had gathered elders, warriors, seers. They all turned when I entered, eyes narrowed, cautious.
I wasn't supposed to be here. I was supposed to be dead.
Rahel entered from the opposite end, his black cloak sweeping behind him like a storm cloud.
Let her speak, he growled.
Elder Marek stood. She doesn't need to. Her survival speaks for itself.
Whispers rose.
She's cursed
Or chosen
Or both.
She's the Second Curse.
I froze. What does that mean?
Mira reached for my hand, but Marek spoke over us. A thousand years ago, a vampire queen was cursed by the gods. Her bloodline was wiped out. Or so we thought.
I stared at him. You think I'm related to that queen?
She was not just a queen, he said. She was a goddess in mortal flesh.
My head spun.
Rahel's jaw clenched. Enough. She's under my protection.
That's exactly the problem, Marek snapped. She marks you too.
Rahel's eyes glowed faint gold. Watch your tongue.
I whispered, Is this why I saw the altar? The fire?
Everyone went quiet.
You saw what? Marek asked.
A silver altar. Fire. Screaming.
He nodded slowly. Then it's begun.
Rahel stepped closer to me, his voice low. What else did you see?
I hesitated. Someone using my voice. Saying… 'You gave him death. Now give him ruin.'
Mira gasped.
Rahel stared at me like he was seeing a ghost. That was the vow.
What vow?
He didn't answer.
Instead, the doors slammed open.
Beta Cullen stormed in. Enough of this! he barked. This girl is a danger! We should end it before it spreads.
Two warriors moved toward me.
Rahel growled, stepping between us. Touch her…
His eyes flared gold, glowing, shifting.
…and I'll show you what real monsters look like.
The ground beneath us cracked.
Wind howled through the stone walls.
And then
I screamed.
Because the mark on my wrist began to glow.
Not gold blood, but red blood. Like it was alive. Like it was… waking up.
Rahel spun to me, horrified. That's not my power.
Mira backed away slowly, eyes wide. Amara… you're not cursed.
She swallowed hard.
You're the curse.
I stiffened. What did you just say?
Mira stepped back, her hand trembling slightly as she pointed to the burning mark on my wrist the place Rahel had bitten. That's not just a mating mark. It's divine. Touched by something ancient. You survived his bite. No one survives the full moon bite unless... unless they are part of the curse.
My heart pounded. I don't even know what that means.
You don't have to, she whispered, eyes flicking toward the pack house where shadows moved like whispers. But they will.
Before I could ask who "they" were, a deep, echoing horn sounded in the distance. Mira grabbed my arm.
They've called a council meeting, she hissed. Come on. You don't want to be late for your own sentencing.
The pack council's chamber was a dark, stone room lit by a ring of blue fire torches. Ancient sigils glowed faintly along the walls, and a massive throne sat at the head of the circle empty. Always empty.
Rahel stood near it, arms folded, head low, but his eyes burned into me the moment I entered. I couldn't read him. Fury? Regret? Hunger?
The council members sat in silence, all cloaked in black robes, their faces masked in silver bone.
The Elder spoke. His voice was gravel. She lived.
Whispers rippled like a wave.
That means… another murmured, she's the Second Curse.
My breath caught.
Second? I asked. There was a first?
You speak out of turn, the Elder barked.
Rahel's growl vibrated the walls.
Then I'll speak, he snapped. You dragged her here. You forced the marking. You think I don't know what you hoped would happen?
You bit her, Rahel, one of the councilwomen said coldly. Of your own will.
I was ordered.
She should be dead, another snarled.
I took a shaky step forward. But I'm not. What does that mean?
It means, the Elder said, rising, you are the second herald of the curse that nearly destroyed our bloodline centuries ago. You carry fire in your veins and death in your name. Your survival means the gods have returned.
The room erupted into chaos.
Kill her now!
Exile!
Cut off the mark!
Silence! Rahel's voice exploded through the room like thunder.
He stepped in front of me.
Touch her, he growled, his eyes glowing black, and I'll show you what real monsters look like.
The torches flickered. The floor cracked.
Everyone went still.
Rahel, the Elder warned, if you defy us
You made me a weapon, Rahel said, low and dangerous. You don't get to act surprised when I act like one.
He turned slightly, just enough for me to glimpse the vein pulsing at his neck, the tension rippling under his skin. He was barely holding himself back.
Mira whispered from behind me, They're afraid of him. They should be.
The Elder hissed. So be it. She remains. For now. But the next full moon decides everything.
As the council exited, murmuring and furious, Rahel stood still.
You shouldn't have defended me, I whispered.
He looked over his shoulder. I didn't. Then why ?
I defended myself, he said softly. Because if they take you… I'm not sure what I'll become. And just like that, the curse felt less distant and far more personal.