Blood remembered

Chapter 4: Ten Winters Ago

I’ve been running for hours and my feet don’t hurt anymore. That’s how I know I’m in shock. The snow is up to my knees now. Ryan is in front of me, shoulders rigid, eyes scanning the trees every 5 seconds. He hasn’t looked at me directly since we left the Blackwood. But I can feel him. Through the broken bond. Like a second heartbeat in my chest that isn’t mine. It hurts. Not the mark. The bond.

Because for years I thought he hated me.

Ten winters ago

I was 11. The river had frozen weird that year. Thin in the middle. I didn’t know. I just wanted to get the red ribbon my mom lost. It was floating on top. The ice cracked under me. Cold. So much cold. And dark. And my dress was dragging me down. I remember thinking:

Mom’s going to be mad I lost her ribbon.

Then arms. Strong arms. Pulling me out. I coughed up water onto the snow and looked up into angry storm-gray eyes. Ryan. He was 17. Already bigger than all the other boys. Already wearing that “future Alpha” look even then.

“You stupid omega,”

he snapped, wrapping his own jacket around me.

“You’re gonna die.”

“I’m sorry,”

I whispered, teeth chattering.

“For the ribbon.”

He stared at me. Then, so quiet I almost didn’t hear:

“Don’t die, okay?”

He carried me all the way back to House Vale. Didn’t say another word. The next day, my mom made me cookies and sent them to the Alpha house with a thank you note. He never ate them. I saw them in the trash. That was the last nice thing he did for me. For a long time.

Now

“Stop,”

Ryan says suddenly. I almost walk into his back. He’s kneeling in the snow, pressing his hand to his throat. Blood is seeping between his fingers. The broken crescent is worse. It’s splitting, like something inside is trying to claw out.

“Ryan?”

My voice comes out small.

“Don’t,”

he grits out.

“It’s fine.”

I know it’s not fine. I can feel it through the bond. Like fire under his skin. I kneel next to him. The snow soaks through my ruined dress immediately.

“Let me see.”

He jerks away.

“I said don’t.”

“Then why does it hurt me too?”

The words slip out before I can stop them. He goes still. Because he feels it too. The bond goes both ways. When his mark burns, mine does. When my ribs ache, his do. For a second he just breathes. Hard. Like he’s fighting himself. Then he drops his hand. The mark is ugly. Jagged black lines spreading from the broken crescent. Like a c***k in glass.

“It’s because of the prophecy,”

he says finally. Voice rough.

“My father told me stories when I was little. About mates the moon rejects. Said they were cursed. Said they brought ruin.”

My stomach drops.

“So that’s why they’re hunting us.”

“That’s why he’s hunting us.”

Ryan spits to the side.

“The current Alpha King isn't me again, as I'm now hunted. Alpha King Damon doesn’t care about curses. He cares about control. And we’re not controllable anymore.”

I pull my knees to my chest. The cold is seeping into my bones.

“I never wanted this. To be your mate. I never wanted any of it.”

“Liar.”

The word is soft. Not cruel. I look up. He’s watching me. Really watching me. For the first time since we were kids.

“You used to watch me in training,”

he says.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

My face burns.

“You called me trash in front of everyone.”

“Yeah.”

He drags a hand through his hair.

“Because if I didn’t, my father would’ve noticed too. And he notices everything.”

Oh.

Oh.

The bond twists in my chest. Pain and something warmer. Something I don’t want to name. In the distance, a wolf howls. Not close. But not far. Ryan stands, offering me his hand. I stare at it. The same hand that pulled me from the river. I take it. His grip is warm. Too warm.

“We should move,”

he says.

“Before they find us.”

We walk. And for the first time tonight, we’re not running. We’re just... walking. Together. Two cursed wolves under a broken moon.

And I remember what he said years ago.

Don’t die, okay?

Maybe he meant it