Verveville's Curse

Chapter45

Thorne’s pov

Of course, I already smelled it off her. Her scent had changed already. That bond, that mark, it was on her now. I didn’t need Kael to announce it for me to know. The moment she walked into that courtroom, I knew. She was his. She was claimed.

But she didn’t even look at me. Not really. Her eyes skimmed past me the way strangers do. Like I was just another face in the crowd. Nothing more.

It cut deeper than I thought it would.

I had told myself, long ago, that this was the way it would be. That if she ever lived, if she ever came back into the world, she would not remember me. She would not remember what I did, or who I had been to her. It was the only way it could be. That was part of the bargain. The curse. The punishment. The lie I had allowed.

Still, standing there, watching her alive, breathing, glowing with power, claimed by Kael, who I joined hands with, in destroying her kingdom. My chest felt heavy. My hands clenched into fists. And I thought, is this really better than her being dead?*

Because in a way, it was worse.

She smiled faintly at Kael when he touched her hand. A soft, almost shy smile. I remembered when she used to smile like that at me. Back when she was little and trusted me more than anyone. I had been her safe place once. Her uncle. Her blood. Her protector.

And now? Now I was nothing.

She didn’t even know my name.

I stood at the edge of the hall, listening as Kael’s voice rang out, telling the pack she was their Luna. I could hear the mixed reactions. Some cheered. Some muttered. Some hissed under their breath. And I thought, this is only the beginning. They didn’t know who she was. They didn’t know what blood flowed through her veins. They didn’t know the truth that was buried, the one I had buried myself.

And if they ever did?

Everything would burn.

I rubbed at my face, tired. I should leave. I should stay in the shadows where I belonged. That had been my choice the day I betrayed her. That had been my sentence. But my feet moved before I could stop them. Moved toward her.

She turned when I stopped near. Her eyes, those eyes looked right into mine. But there was nothing there. No spark of recognition. No old memory waking. Just polite, blank distance.

“Luna,” I said, bowing my head slightly. My voice was steady even though I felt like I was breaking apart inside.

She nodded back. “Thank you. After asking who i was”

That was all. Nothing more.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her until she remembered me. Until she said my name the way she used to. Until she looked at me with something more than that empty civility.

But I didn’t. I only stepped back and swallowed it down. Like I always did.

Kael was watching me. His eyes sharp, suspicious. He didn’t trust me. He never would. And maybe he was right not to. But gods, it stung to see him have what I had destroyed.

I walked away. My head lowered. My chest hollow.

In the corner of the hall, I leaned against the cold stone wall and let myself breathe. For a moment, I almost closed my eyes. Almost let myself go back. Back to the day I held her as a child, when her mother still lived. Back to when she clung to my cloak and laughed when I swung her in the air. Back to when her tiny hand gripped mine with so much trust.

If I’d been stronger, if I hadn’t chosen the path I chose, maybe things would have been different. Maybe she would’ve known me still. Maybe she wouldn’t look at me like a stranger.

But I had been weak. I had been selfish. I had let the darkness in.

And now, this was my punishment.

I watched her across the room, the way Kael leaned close to her, the way he looked at her like she was his whole world. She didn’t know. She didn’t remember. And maybe that was best. If she ever did, if she ever remembered the truth about me, she would hate me.

I think she would kill me.

My throat tightened. For a second, I wanted to run to her anyway. To throw myself at her feet, to beg her for forgiveness she couldn’t even give because she didn’t know what I’d done. To tell her everything.

But then I thought about Kael’s eyes on me, and about the curse still heavy in my veins, and about how dangerous it would be if she ever touched that truth.

So I stayed still. Silent.

She laughed at something Kaida whispered to her. That sound… it almost brought me to my knees.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to rage. I wanted to tear apart the room and everyone in it. But I only stayed where I was, pressing my fist against my chest, forcing my breathing slow.

She doesn’t know you. She’ll never know you. This is the price.

I mouthed the words like a prayer, like a chain I had to keep myself bound by.

When the gathering finally broke apart, I slipped out before anyone could stop me. Outside, the air was cool, sharp against my skin. I looked up at the night sky and whispered to no one, “I’m sorry.”

Sorry to her. Sorry to the ghost of her mother. Sorry to the boy I had once been, before betrayal had carved me hollow.

But sorry was never enough. It never changed anything.

And when I closed my eyes, all I could see was her face. Beautiful, strong, alive. And empty of me.

That emptiness was the sharpest blade of all.