Chapter36
764 Words
Kael’s pov
The world was still dark when I opened my eyes. My breath came rough and shallow, dragging against my lungs. The sheets clung to my skin, damp with sweat. At first, I thought it was the leftover heat of the night before…the memory of Willow’s trembling body beneath me, the sound of her begging my name, the taste of her skin when I’d finally claimed her.
But no, This was different.
It was pain.
A slow, searing rot spread through my veins. I pushed myself upright, every one of my muscle tensed, as though something had awoken inside my chest and now clawed against the cage of my ribs. My wolf growled low, restless, straining against me, as black streaks of veins appeared faintly beneath my skin.
The curse.
I gritted my teeth, pressing a hand to my chest, my fingers digging into my flesh as if I could hold it inside. I had known the curse was there…festering, waiting. But why now? Why after her?
The answer hit me like a blow.
Because I had taken her. Because she was my mate, my bond, my salvation…and my damnation.
“f**k,” I hissed under my breath, biting it back before it could wake her.
I glanced down at her.
Willow lay curled against the sheets, her hair a tangled mess from the previous act. Her lips parted softly in sleep. She looked wrecked from the night before..flushed, swollen, beautiful in a way that made my chest twist. My wolf’s claim written in every mark I had left on her body.. Mine, She was utterly and entirely mine.
And I would not let her see this.
I forced my breathing into rhythm, swallowing the iron taste of pain. The curse raged quietly, a beast gnawing at me from within, but I smoothed my expression when her lashes fluttered.
Her eyes opened slowly, hazy and soft, a little smile touching her mouth. She stretched, wincing with soreness, then buried her face against my chest.
“You’re awake,” she murmured.
“Barely,” I said, my voice rough, but I softened it with a smile. I smoothed her hair back, ignoring the tremor in my hand. “You wore me out.”
A flush spread over her cheeks. “I didn’t…”
“Yes, you did.” my hand caught her chin, tilting her face up to me. “And I’m not nearly done with you.”
Her breath hitched, and that was all I needed. I rolled her beneath me in a single movement, pressing her wrists above her head against the sheets.
The moment my teeth tore her flesh, the curse struck back.
My chest exploded with pain. Black veins seared down my arms, across my throat. My body convulsed even as I held her, my wolf howling in triumph and agony at once. The mark had sealed us and with it, unleashed the full fury of the curse.
I grit my teeth against her skin, trying to suppress the growl that tore out of me, but it was too late. My muscles locked, my heart hammering against my ribs as though trying to escape.
Willow moaned beneath me, lost in the haze of the bond, her hands fisting in my hair. She clung to me, bliss-struck, whispering my name in broken, breathless gasps. She didn’t see the shadows crawling under my skin. She didn’t see the way my jaw clenched against the pain that was ripping me apart.
I forced myself to move, to keep thrusting into her, to give her the only thing I could, in that moment…pleasure, not fear. If she saw my suffering, if she guessed what I had unleashed, she’d blame herself. I couldn’t let that happen.
Her climax tore through her, shuddering and fierce, and I followed her over the edge, spilling into her with a snarl muffled against her marked flesh. My wolf roared in victory. His body trembled in ruin.
When it was over, she collapsed beneath me, boneless, her eyes glazed with bliss. She touched my cheek, smiling weakly, unaware of the blood on my lips, the dark veins still retreating under his skin.
“You’re mine,” she whispered, voice full of wonder.
I kissed her slow, soft, hiding the taste of copper in my mouth. “Always.”
But as she drifted back to sleep in my arms, I stared into the dark, every breath a battle, the curse coiling tighter around my heart.
I had marked her. I had bound her to me.
And it might kill us both.
- Writer
