Verveville's Curse

Chapter37

Willow’s Pov

When we walked out of Kael’s chamber. I thought no one would notice. I thought maybe the mess of last night, the heat, the way he had marked me, would stay between us. But I was wrong.

Every eye turned. Every head lifted. Their nostrils flared.

I didn’t understand it at first, but then I saw the look on their faces. Shock. Recognition. Some even lowered their heads in respect. That’s when it hit me.

Our scents.

Kael’s scent on me. Mine tangled all over him. The pack could smell it. They knew.

Blood rushed to my face. I tried to look at the ground, at the walls, anywhere but at them. My whole body warmed up with shame and heat. I wanted to hide. Kael only stood there, taller than ever, face unreadable, his hand brushing against my lower back like he owned me now.

I liked that it made me feel safe. And I liked that I almost leaned into it.

The silence followed us out of the hall like a shadow. No one said anything outright, but I caught the flicker of grins from the soldiers. Whispers. I could swear I heard one of the women giggle behind her hand. I kept my head down until Kael finally broke away, striding off with his usual coldness, leaving me to breathe on my own.

When I reached Kaida, she was waiting. Her eyes widened the second she saw me. “Oh, gods. You didn’t.”

I didn’t answer, but my face must have said enough. I was still burning, still carrying him inside me.

“You did.” Kaida grabbed my arm, pulling me aside. “Tell me everything.”

“Not here,” I whispered, almost begging. The walls had ears. Everyone already smelled it, I couldn’t bear them hearing my words too.

She dragged me back to her room, shut the door hard, and rounded on me like a sister ready to dig for secrets. “Start talking.”

I sat down, clutching the blanket on her bed, trying not to look at her. My voice came small. “It just… happened.”

Kaida raised her brows. “ ‘It just happened’? Don’t you dare give me that.”

Heat spread over my skin again. I pressed my hands into my lap. “He… he was different. He wasn’t cold anymore. He…” I stopped, my throat tightening. The words were too much, too raw. But Kaida just waited, her eyes sharp, patient.

“He kissed me,” I finally whispered. “And I couldn’t stop him. I didn’t want to stop him. He… he made me feel…” I broke off, burying my face in my hands.

Kaida laughed softly, not cruel, just knowing. “So the ice king finally melted. My brother.”

I touched the side of my neck without thinking, where Kael’s teeth had broken skin, where the mark still tingled like fire beneath my flesh. “Last night.He..he claimed me.”

Kaida came closer, crouching in front of me. Her hand reached out, slow, careful, like she wanted to see for herself. “Lylah…”

When her fingers brushed against my wrist, something sparked. Not just warmth. A crackle, sharp, alive, like lightning under my skin. Kaida gasped, pulling back fast, shaking her hand like she’d been burned.

“What was that?” she breathed.

My chest tightened. “What do you mean?”

She looked at me, eyes wide with confusion. “That wasn’t normal. That was…power.” She stood up, pacing. “But maybe it’s just… maybe it’s the bond. You just got consummated, so of course the energy would be strong. Maybe that’s all it is.”

Her words sounded hollow, like she was trying to convince herself.

I pressed my hand to the mark on my neck. It still pulsed, a dull heat that wouldn’t leave me. My body didn’t feel like my own anymore. It felt like something had woken up inside me. Something bigger, older, stronger.

Kaida finally stopped pacing and looked at me again. “And your scent…” she hesitated. “It’s different. Not just his on you. Yours has changed. It’s mixed with him. The whole pack can smell it.”

My face flamed again. “Gods, Kaida…”

“It’s not bad,” she cut in, softening. “It’s… powerful. Like you’ve stepped into something else entirely. You don’t smell normal anymore. You smell like…” She shook her head, unable to find the word.

I sat there, speechless.

The silence grew heavy until Kaida reached out and grabbed my hands again, gentler this time, ignoring whatever she had felt before. “Are you happy?”

The question hit me like a stone. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to tell her I was glowing, that being with Kael had filled some empty place in me I didn’t even know was there. But at the same time, fear twisted inside me.

I forced a small smile, shaky at the edges. “I think so.”

Kaida studied me, then let out a sigh and sat beside me on the bed. “Good. Because You’re his now. He’ll fight the whole world if he has to. And…” she gave me a sideways look, a little smirk playing at her mouth, “judging by the way you’re blushing, you didn’t exactly hate it.”

I smacked her shoulder, groaning, but the warmth in my chest betrayed me.

Still, when I touched the mark again, the flicker of power that hummed there reminded me it wasn’t just about Kael. Something else had awakened last night. Something neither of us fully understood.

And I wasn’t sure if I should be happy about it or terrified.