Verveville's Curse

Chapter39

Kael’s Pov

I found them together.

Willow and Kaida, heads pressed close, whispering like sisters who had grown up that way. Willow’s laugh came soft, a little shy still, like she couldn’t quite hide what had happened last night.

And I knew everyone else could smell it too. My scent on her. Hers on me. The air between us had changed, the whole damn camp could tell.

I didn’t care.

But seeing her tucked so close to Kaida, I couldn’t help myself. My sister always thought she had the right to take what was mine, even if it was only Willow’s time.

I walked up slow, crossing my arms like I’d been waiting for this. Kaida gave me one of those looks, the kind that said “don’t even try”. Willow noticed me and her cheeks went pink right away. Gods, she was terrible at hiding anything.

“Lylah,” Kaida said, almost protective, her hand resting over hers like a shield.

“Kaida,” I drawled, c*****g my head, “don’t you think you’ve stolen enough of her attention this morning?”

She narrowed her eyes at me, but Willow looked down quickly, biting her lip. I swear I wanted to lean over and drag her away right then, press her against the wall again until she begged me like she had last night.

But I didn’t.

Instead I reached for Kaida’s wrist, tugged her lightly, like I was teasing. “Come on, sister, give me a moment.”

She frowned, annoyed, but I didn’t let go until I’d pulled her far enough down the path that Willow’s curious eyes couldn’t follow us.

Kaida yanked her hand back. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

I smirked. “Just wanted to borrow you. Don’t get all dramatic.”

“You dragged me away like a wolf stealing prey.”

“Maybe I did,” I said, leaning back against the wall of one of the training sheds. “You’d understand if you knew what I was about to say.”

She folded her arms, waiting. “Then say it.”

I dragged in a breath. My wolf stirred under my skin, remembering last night, remembering the moment my control snapped and the truth slipped from my mouth before I could stop it.

“I said something when I was with her,” I admitted.

Kaida’s brows pinched. “What?”

I looked her straight in the eye. “I called her my mate.”

She blinked, like I’d spoken in another language. Then she shook her head fast, almost laughing. “Kael, that’s impossible.”

“Is it?”

“She’s not a wolf. You can’t…”

“I didn’t choose the words, Kaida. They ripped out of me like a truth I couldn’t stop. My wolf saw it. He recognized her.”

Kaida stared at me hard, like she was trying to decide if I’d gone insane. “Do you even hear yourself? You’re telling me a human witch…”

“She’s not just a witch,” I cut in, my voice low. “You felt it too.”

Her mouth opened, then closed. She looked away for a second, rubbing her hand like she still remembered something crawling over her skin.

“What did you feel when you touched her this morning?” I asked.

Kaida hesitated.

“Tell me.”

She finally said it, voice quieter. “It was… power. Strong. So strong it startled me. Not even witch power, not like the kind I’ve known all my life. Something else. Something I couldn’t even name.”

I stepped closer. “And you’re saying that doesn’t mean anything?”

Her jaw tightened. “It could mean a hundred things. Maybe it’s just because you..” She stopped, flushed. “Because you two… consummated.”

“Don’t be naive,” I said. “That wasn’t just s*x, Kaida. You know it.”

She shifted her weight, restless. “If what you’re saying is true… if she really is your mate… then what does that make her? A wolf without being a wolf? Something more? Something we can’t even explain?”

“I don’t know.” My voice came out rougher than I meant. “All I know is when I touched her, when I marked her, my wolf knew. He knew she was mine.”

Kaida’s eyes searched me like she was trying to peel away my skin and look at whatever was underneath. “Kael, you’re scaring me a little.”

“Good.” I half smiled, though it didn’t reach my chest. “You should be scared. Because I’m scared. For the first time in a long time.”

There was something else gnawing at me, something I had almost told her but I stopped myself. The curse.

I had felt it stir in me this morning, right after waking beside Willow. My blood had burned hot, my head pounded, my skin crawling with it. I had shoved it down, hidden it, pretended nothing was wrong. Willow hadn’t noticed. She couldn’t. Not yet.

And Kaida didn’t need to know either.

She studied me with sharp eyes. “You’re holding something back.”

I straightened, masking my face. “I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

I cut her off with a low growl. “Leave it, Kaida.”

Her mouth pressed tight. She let out a slow breath, clearly unhappy, but didn’t push.

Her face softened, but only for a moment. Then she squared her shoulders, the way she always did when she was about to push back. “You can’t let yourself get blind over this”.

I forced a shrug. “Maybe. But even if it is, I don’t care. I’ve resisted everything in my life, Kaida. You’ve seen it. But not her. Not anymore.”

Kaida ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. “She’s strong, Kael. So strong I can’t even comprehend it. And now you’re telling me your wolf called her mate. That makes her more dangerous than we can guess.”

I leaned in, lowering my voice. “Or it makes her exactly what we need.”

She shook her head. “You sound too sure.”

“I’m not sure about anything.” My throat tightened, but I kept my face calm. “Except her.”

We stood there in silence for a long time, Kaida’s eyes flicking back and forth between mine like she was hunting for cracks. But I didn’t let her see them.

Instead she whispered, “Do you love her?”

The question hit me in the chest. I turned away, staring at the stone wall, the faint moss climbing it. My throat worked. “It doesn’t matter what I feel. She’s mine now. That’s enough.”

Kaida was quiet for a long moment. Then her voice came softer, almost thoughtful. “Maybe it does matter. Because if she is your mate, Kael, then the bond will change everything. For you. For her. For all of us.”

Her words unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.

I rubbed my jaw, trying to shake it. “She’s mine,” I said again, firmer this time, forcing the truth out like it could ground me. “Luna or not, wolf or not, whatever blood runs in her, she’s mine.”

Kaida’s eyes softened, though worry still lingered in them. “Then protect her. Because whatever power I felt in her… it’s awake now. And if it keeps growing, it’ll draw eyes. Some we don’t want.”

I nodded once, sharp. “I’ll protect her. No matter what it costs.”

But even as I said it, the curse coiled inside me, reminding me I was lying to her, and to myself.

Because the cost might already be coming.

Kaida didn’t answer. She just stood there, still staring at me like she was trying to read the ending of a story she hadn’t yet opened.

And me? I was still replaying Willow’s face, her flushed cheeks, the way she whispered my name when I touched her. The wolf inside me growled soft, content and restless all at once.

Mate.

The word still burned in my chest.

And gods help me, I believed it.