THE CURSE OF MIRA CONSTANCE

Chapter One

"Humph!"

I hit the ground face-first, the impact knocking the breath out of my lungs.

Pain shot through my body as I lay there for a second, trying to gather enough strength to push myself back up. I was furious. Not only was Sebastian winning, but he was giving me the greatest beating of my life.

"Mira, you can't keep falling on your face. You're supposed to be our future leader. If your performance is all you can do, then you're pathetic," Sebastian mocked.

"I told you, Sebastian, I'm trying," I snapped, sucking in a deep breath before blowing it out through my nose. It felt so angry.

My hands curled into fists until my nails dug into my palms.

"Come on! Show me, girl!" he taunted. "Show me what you can do, or are you going to continue being weak; a disappointment to our pack?"

Every word struck deeper than his attacks.

Heat surged through my veins. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, and my blood boiled with humiliation. I had trained every single day for this moment. Today was my coronation. I couldn't afford to fail.

"Careful, Sebastian!" I warned, glaring at him. "You might be my trainer, but don't you dare disrespect me."

"I'll do whatever is necessary to get the job done." A smug smile spread across his face. "Luna Kayana ordered me to make sure you gain full control over your powers, and that's precisely what I'm going to do."

"Now, block my attack like I've been showing you for the past hour."

His hands moved in a slow spiral while his feet glided effortlessly across the ground.

Before I could react, he lunged.

I reached for my shield instinctively, but I wasn't fast enough.

A powerful force slammed into me.

I crashed onto the ground once again.

A groan escaped my lips as pain spread through my body. Tears blurred my vision from the force. My muscles screamed in protest when I tried to stand, but they refused to obey me.

"Weak," Sebastian spat. "Pathetic. Is this really what our pack has turned into? Disgusting."

I breathed heavily, struggling to steady myself.

"You'll never be fit to be our leader."

My vision darkened.

"Take that back, Sebastian," I growled. "I'm warning you."

"Make me."

His laugh echoed through the clearing.

Then, suddenly, his laughter faded.

The smug grin slipped from his face.

His eyes locked onto mine, and all the colour drained from his face.

"Mira..."

His voice came out as a whisper.

I frowned.

"What?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he stumbled back a step, staring at me as though he had seen a ghost.

"Your eyes..."

"What about them?"

"They're changing."

A strange chill crawled down my spine.

"What are you talking about?"

"They're glowing."

His breathing became uneven.

His expression twisted into horror.

"No..."

"That's impossible." "What... are you?"

Before I could ask him what he meant,

The next thing I remembered was an explosion.

A deafening blast shook the training ground.

I blinked.

Sebastian was no longer standing.

He lay several feet away, his body burnt and completely motionless.

My heart stopped.

I slowly looked around, expecting to see someone hiding nearby.

Nothing, no one.

We were completely alone.

I waited for him to get back up.

To laugh. To mock me again.

To tell me it was another lesson.

But he didn't move.

A wave of horror crashed over me.

"No..."

That wasn't possible.

Sebastian was one of the strongest wolves in the pack. He possessed a rare healing ability. Even if I had somehow attacked him with my wolf power, his wounds should already have been closing.

Instead, He wasn't moving at all.

"What... what did I just do?"

I pressed trembling fingers against my temples, desperately trying to remember what had happened after he laughed.

Nothing.

My mind was completely blank.

My name is Mira Constance, a twenty-year-old wolf, and today is supposed to be the happiest day of my life.

Mother insisted that I train with Sebastian every day until I gained complete control over my powers. She even instructed him to use whatever methods were necessary, no matter how harsh they seemed.

That explained the constant insults.

But this...

This wasn't supposed to happen.

"What will Mother do if she finds out?" I whispered, sinking onto the grass.

"What will the elders do?"

My eyes drifted back to Sebastian's body.

Fear twisted painfully inside my chest.

I couldn't let anyone find him like that.

I needed his body to disappear. But how?

The only person I trusted enough to help me was Austin.

Without wasting another second, I mind-linked him.

He'd walk through fire for me if I asked. That's how close we were.

"Mira," he sighed immediately. "I told you I'm busy today."

"Busy doing what? Austin, this is an emergency."

"You always have emergencies," he grumbled. "I already told you I'm going over to Sara's place. She invited me."

"That thirsty b***h. You do know she wants you, right?"

"What?"

"Never mind." I rubbed my forehead. "Please... can you come over? I'm in deep shit."

His playful tone disappeared instantly.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yes... I will be once you get here. How far away are you?"

"I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Make it twenty."

A long sigh.

"Whatever."

The link disappeared.

Those twenty-five minutes felt like an eternity.

Every passing second made me more certain someone would discover Sebastian.

When Austin finally arrived, relief flooded through me.

"What was so...."

His words died the moment he saw the body.

"What the f**k, Mira!" he shouted. "What happened to him?"

"I... I don't know."

The words came out weakly.

"We were sparring. He kept taunting me... then suddenly..." I looked at Sebastian again.

"...that happened."

Austin slowly approached the body, examining the burns.

"How?" he whispered.

"We both know Sebastian is a special wolf."

"I don't know!" I cried, running both hands through my hair. "I don't understand anymore."

Silence settled between us. Finally, I spoke.

"Where do we bury the body?"

He spun around.

"Bury the body?" he stared at me in disbelief. "Are you insane? We need to tell your mother before the elders find out."

"And then what?" I asked desperately. "How do I explain this? You know how important today is. Think about what's going to happen if they find out before my coronation."

He hesitated.

"Please, Austin."

I could hear the panic in my own voice.

"Please... let's bury him."

After what felt like forever, he sighed.

"Alright."

He lifted Sebastian's body while I grabbed a shovel.

Neither of us spoke.

Within minutes, the body had disappeared beneath the earth.

We silently agreed never to tell anyone what happened.

I prayed we'd made the right decision.

Then I returned home to prepare for the event.

By evening, I was fully dressed.

The arena overflowed with thousands of wolves.

Among them stood Sara.

She wore the same sour expression she always reserved for me, making faces every chance she got.

I ignored her.

Today belonged to me, or at least, it was supposed to.

Soon the elders arrived with my mother.

She looked every bit like Luna as she sat proudly upon my father's throne.

The ceremony began almost immediately.

I was called to the centre of the arena.

Four warriors stepped forward.

Without warning, they attacked.

One after another, I defeated three of them.

Only Phillipe remained.

Defeating him would officially make me the next leader of the pack after my mother.

"Murderer," he whispered only I should have heard.

My blood froze.

He knew.

My stomach dropped.

Had he somehow found Sebastian?

I forced myself to smile.

"That's right," I replied loudly so everyone could hear. "That's exactly what I'm going to do to you."

"I'll kill you and eat you up."

Rage overtook me.

I drove my fist into his jaw.

The satisfying c***k echoed through the arena.

He crashed onto the ground.

His eyes swept across the crowd before settling on me.

"You are not fit to lead," he spat. "Your hands are stained with innocent blood."

"Shut up!"

I slashed his face with my knife.

He couldn't be allowed to keep talking. He could expose me.

I rushed forward to finish him.

A powerful force suddenly slammed into me.

I hit the ground hard.

"Enough!"

Mother's voice thundered through the arena.

Confused, I looked towards her.

Then I noticed something strange.

She wasn't looking angry.

She looked terrified.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Mother slowly stepped backwards as I approached her.

"Mira..." she whispered.

"What happened to you, child?"

"Why do you look like that?"

My heart skipped.

"What do you mean?"

I searched desperately for something reflective.

Sara stepped forward with a cruel smile and handed me a mirror.

The moment I looked into it, I couldn't breathe.

My eyes glowed an unnatural green. My ears had become longer.

Massive wings stretched proudly from my back.

I stared at my reflection in horror.

How? I could still feel my wolf, Vina. She wasn't responding.

It felt as though she was ashamed of me, hiding deep inside my mind.

"Luna Kayana," Elder John announced loudly. "It seems your daughter carries the curse as well. She is no longer fit to lead this pack."

The old goat was the first to speak against me.

He had hated me ever since I beat his daughter for calling me a short beast.

"We don't know that for certain," Mother replied through gritted teeth. "We will consult the healer first. Surely you don't expect me to give up on my daughter so easily."

"Why not?" John sneered.

"You did it before."

Mother's eyes turned blood red.

"Don't you dare disrespect me, John. You may be an elder, but I won't hesitate to kill you."

He immediately lowered his head.

No one challenged Luna Kayana for long.

"The coronation is postponed," she declared.

Then she looked towards me.

"Where is Sebastian?"

My heart stopped.

"I need to speak with him."

I couldn't meet her eyes.

"I... I don't know."

"I haven't seen him since training."

"Liar."

Phillipe's voice cut through the silence.

"You know exactly what happened to him."

I had forgotten he was still there.

I should have finished him.

"Mira", Mother commanded.

"Daughter of Alpha Richard and Luna Kayana..."

"Look at me."

Against every instinct, I obeyed.

Her Alpha command left me no choice.

"What did you do?"

Tears burned my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Luna."

My voice trembled.

"I lost control during training."

"I... I didn't mean to burn him."

"I didn't mean to bury him."

For several long seconds, she stared at me.

Then every ounce of warmth disappeared from her face.

She turned towards the Warriors.

"Lock her up."

Her voice was cold enough to freeze blood.

"She will await trial."

Without looking back at me even once, she walked away.