Verveville's Curse

Chapter10

Willow’s Pov

“You’re awake,” she said softly, like she didn’t want to startle me.

I nodded, still staring at her, at everything. At the unfamiliar ceiling, at the faint lines in the walls, at the faint scent of herbs and ash clinging to the air like memory. Everything felt foreign. And yet… not unsafe.

She moved gracefully, like someone used to quiet places, carrying a small tray with a steaming bowl of soup, a pieceof warm bread, and a bowl of shiny berries. “You must be starving.”

I was, my stomach gave a low, embarrassing growl, traitorous and loud. She smiled like she’d heard it but decided to spare me the shame.

She was beautiful, in a different way than I expected, soft yet commanding. Her dark brown curls were tied into a loose braid that twinkled with strands of silver like moonlight. Her eyes were a weird but beautiful shade of pale gray, almost silver, in a darker shade. Her tunic was simple, light green and belted with leather, stained faintly with what looked like crushed herbs or dye. She wore comfort like armor, and confidence in the ease of her movements.

Kaida handed me the bowl with a gentle nudge. Steam rose in soft curls, warming my face. I looked down.

The soup was thick, and filled with chunky root vegetables, carrots, potatoes, and something soft and green that melted the moment it touched my tongue. There were tiny bits of shredded meat, tender and seasoned with rosemary and thyme, which floated beneath the surface. The broth was rich, earthy, and warm, with a faint taste of citrus at the end, like someone had squeezed a drop of orange or lemon into the pot just before serving.

The flavor bloomed slowly in my mouth, comforting, balanced, almost ancient, like it had been made this way for generations and carried the warmth of a hundred hands before hers.

Even the berries were fresh, blackberries and tiny blue berries, fresh as if they had just been plucked

“You cook?” I asked, voice rough from sleep, and something else.

“I do,” she replied with a small smile. “Especially when I want people to like me.”

It startled a laugh out of me, small, surprised. I didn’t even know I was capable of laughing like that

She sat gracefully on the edge of the bed, just enough to not crowd me. “I’m Kaida. Kael’s sister,” she added gently, watching my face for a flicker of recognition.

The name settled into my mind like it had always belonged there.

“You’re his sister?” My voice still rasped. “You don’t… look like him.”

Kaida chuckled softly, and it was a soft sound. “I get that a lot. He got the brooding. I got the charm.”

Something about the way she spoke,light, open and teasing, made me feel like I could breathe again. I studied her carefully. There was strength in her. Not loud, but rooted deep. She felt like earth and moonlight and midnight healing. I didn’t know how else to explain it.

“Thank you… for the food,” I said, shrinking my body slightly into the furs.

“You don’t have to thank me. You’re one of us now.” Her gaze was gentle but persistent. “And besides…” She tilted her head. “You looked like you could use a friend.”

The words cracked something in me

“May I?” she asked, gesturing to the edge of the bed again, though she was already there, still asking, still waiting.

I nodded.

“Eat slowly,” she advised. “You’ve been asleep for five days. That’s not exactly a light nap.”

“Five days?” I blinked. The spoon in my hand felt heavier suddenly.

She nodded. “You were barely breathing when Kael brought you in, you were covered in blood and unconscious.”

I looked down at my hands which were pale and clean but trembling a bit. “But I wasn’t bleeding.”

“No,” she said quietly. “But the blood wasn’t yours.”

That should have meant something. But it didn’t. The memory was gone, no matter how hard I tried.

“Do you remember anything?” she asked after a beat, she didn't sound probing just curious.

I shook my head. “Nothing. Just… floating. Like I didn’t exist. Like I was made of air.”

Kaida nodded solemnly. “That’s not uncommon. Sometimes the body protects the mind. Blocks out what it can’t bear… until it can.”

“Do you think it’ll come back?” I asked quietly, hating how small my voice sounded in this big, beautiful room.

She tilted her head again, like she was weighing the question. “Maybe, Maybe not. But you’re here now, that’s what matters more.”

She smiled and looked at me longer then, her eyes scanning mine with something tender underneath them, it wasn't pity, but recognition.

“You remind me of someone,” she said.

“Who?” I asked, my spoon frozed mid-air.

She smiled, “Someone fierce, Someone brave.”

I didn’t know how to answer that. I didn’t feel fierce. Or brave.

“I don’t feel brave,” I whispered.

“Bravery doesn’t always feel like roaring,” she said softly. “Sometimes it’s just waking up. Breathing. Starting again.”

I swallowed

She reached over and gently tucked a stray strand of white hair behind my ear, her touch was feather-light

“You’ve been through something, Lylah. I don’t know what. But whatever it was, you survived it.”

Her hand lingered for a second longer than necessary, then slipped away.

I stared into the bowl again, spoon stirring slowly.

Outside the window, I noticed the mountains beyond the trees, soft with fog. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled, low and mournful. Or maybe it was just the wind.

“Where are we exactly?” I asked, suddenly even if Kael already told me. I needed the distraction.

“Aetheria,” she said. “Home of the Moonpack. Our people.”

“Am I… am I a werewolf?”

Kaida blinked at me. “No,” she said gently. “But that doesn’t matter here.”

Her voice was firm, Comforting and final

She stood then and took the tray from my lap,

“I’ll braid your hair later,” she added with a grin. “You have enough of it to clothe half the pack.”

I actually smiled, a real one. It was Small, but honest.

“I’d like that,” I said.

She smiled wider. “Good, sisters should look after each other.”

She left the room with quiet steps, but her warmth lingered like a blanket pulled over my shoulders.

I looked at the door long after it closed.

And for the first time since waking in this strange, sacred place, I didn’t feel like a ghost wearing someone else's skin.

I felt… here.

Maybe not whole, maybe not ready.

But maybe, just maybe…

I could start again.