Verveville's Curse

Chapter42

Kael’s pov

The slam of the door echoed behind me, but it wasn’t enough to quiet the storm inside my chest.

I walked fast, almost running, my boots striking hard against the stone floor. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. My throat burned.

I yelled at Kaida.

My sister. The one person I swore I’d never raise my voice at.

It wasn’t me. I know that. At least, I want to believe it wasn’t me. But when it happens, when it comes, it feels like someone else crawls into my skin and pulls the strings.

The curse.

I could feel it clawing at the edges the whole morning. A twitch in my jaw, a weight behind my eyes. Like something waiting for a crack to slip through. And then Kaida spoke, simple, harmless words, and it was like I wasn’t even there anymore.

My voice came out sharp, cruel, too loud. I saw the fear in her eyes. Fear of me.

Gods.

I pressed my hands to my face as I stumbled down the corridor, leaning against the cold wall. My breath came fast, ragged. My heart thudded like I’d just fought a battle.

Kaida doesn’t know. She can’t know.

To her, I was just angry. To her, maybe I looked like the brother who snapped over nothing. But I know what she saw in my eyes. That glow. That storm. It wasn’t natural. It wasn’t mine.

It was the curse.

And it’s slipping more often now.

I thought I could control it. I thought if I buried it deep enough, if I kept my focus sharp, it would stay down. But it’s not staying down anymore. It’s rising. Each day, a little stronger.

I pushed away from the wall and kept walking, down the stairs, through the empty courtyard, out into the air. The cold slapped my face, but it didn’t clear the dread choking me.

The courtyard hung low, pale and watchful. I lifted my head, staring at it, wishing it could give me answers. Wishing it could take this curse from me. But it only looked back, silent.

My hands curled into fists. I wanted to punch something. To tear something apart. To release the pressure before it swallowed me whole. But I couldn’t. Because if I let it out, even a little, I don’t know if I’d come back.

Kaida’s face burned in my mind. The way she froze when I shouted. The way her hand trembled around that cup. She was scared. Of me.

And Willow. If Willow had been there, If she had seen me like that…

I can’t even think about it.

I leaned against the stone wall of the outer yard, my head dropping forward. My chest felt too tight, like I was wearing chains.

I swore I’d protect them. My pack. My sister. Willow. Everyone under my name. But how do you protect them when the monster is inside you?

A shiver ran through me, sharp and cold, though the morning wasn’t that bitter. It was the curse again. I felt it moving under my skin, restless, hungry. Like it enjoyed that moment in the hall, enjoyed snapping at Kaida, enjoyed the crack it forced between us.

I whispered through my teeth, “Not her. Never her.”

But the curse doesn’t listen. It only waits.

I hate it. I hate the weakness it drags out of me. I hate the fear it puts in me.

Because I’m not just scared of losing control.

I’m scared of hurting them.

Kaida trusts me. Willow… gods, Willow chose me, even after everything. What happens the day my hands stop being my own? What happens when my voice isn’t my voice, when the curse sinks its claws deeper, when I can’t pull back in time?

What if one day, I don’t stop at shouting?

I pressed my forehead to the wall, cold stone against hot skin. My eyes burned, but I forced the tears back. I can’t afford them. I can’t afford weakness. But tonight, for the first time in a long time, I felt like a child again helpless, cornered, drowning.

I thought of Axel. He probably saw the whole thing. He’ll dismiss it. He always does. He’ll say I’m restless because of Willow, because of change, because I carry too much. And I’ll let him believe that. Because the truth is worse. The truth is a rot in my blood, a curse that will only spread if it’s spoken out loud.

But Kaida saw too much. She noticed. She’s sharp, sharper than she lets on. She’ll hold onto that look in my eyes. She’ll turn it over in her mind until it doesn’t leave her. And one day, she’ll realize the truth.

I can’t let that happen.

I can’t lose her.

I stepped back, dragging air deep into my lungs, trying to steady myself. The morning was quiet, only the sound of leaves shifting in the wind. My own breathing felt too loud, too harsh.

I have to fight harder. I have to bury it deeper. I can’t slip again, not with Kaida, not with Willow, not with anyone.

Because if I do…

If I do, I’ll be the very thing I’ve sworn my whole life to kill.

And that thought alone was enough to make my knees weak.

I gritted my teeth, forcing my spine straight. I can’t break. Not here, not now. Tomorrow, I’ll face Kaida again. I’ll pretend it was nothing. I’ll tell her she misunderstood, or I’ll act like it didn’t happen. Maybe she’ll believe me. Maybe she’ll want to believe me.

But I’ll know.

I’ll always know.

The curse is winning ground.

And I am running out of time.

I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm down, but then it hit me. A sharp pain, right under my ribs, climbing fast. My breath caught. My throat tightened. I coughed, once, twice, then blood spilled from my mouth, hot and metallic.

I stumbled, gripping a tree, my vision blurring. My veins burned, twisting under my skin. I looked down and saw them darkening, turning black, crawling up my arms like poison. My body shuddered.

This isn’t just the curse whispering in my head anymore. It’s eating me alive.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, but more blood came, dripping down my chin. My chest felt like it was splitting open, like claws were tearing me apart from the inside.

I looked around, hoping nobody saw me.

For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like an Alpha, or a brother, or a mate. I felt weak. Fragile.

I leaned against that tree, gasping for air, watching the black spread.

“Am I dying?”