CURSED TO BE HIS MATE

chapter 13

I stood on the balcony, watching the pack move below. Some were kind… others stole prey right from the mouths of weaker wolves. I knew that pain all too well—my father had to hunt for me, even as a teenager, because I couldn’t shift.

I missed the days when I could just wake up, crack jokes, bask in the sun, or watch my age mates howl and fight, showing off their power like they had something to prove.

“You miss her, don’t you?”

The voice was soft. I only nodded, eyes brimming with tears, unsure whether they were from grief—or betrayal.

“I have to leave you now,” she whispered. “Where you’re going… you won’t need my guidance.”

I would miss her, but I knew this next part, I had to face alone.

A subtle knock.

“Come in,” I said.

“They’re waiting for you, Luna,” the maid said quietly. Then she bowed and left.

I rose, hurriedly washed my face, and put on one of my best gowns. Twenty-four elders and the priestess stood outside, waiting for me. My eyes scanned for Kade… but he wasn’t there.

“Can we go?” the priestess asked. I nodded.

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

His voice. I looked up—there he was, leaning against the railing of his shadowed balcony, a glass of wine in hand. I didn’t have to guess who was in the room with him. Tasha.

“Not in that form, Luna,” one of the elders said.

I understood what they meant. I was still in human form. But I barely knew how to shift—my wolf had only just come to me. I had no control over her.

But fate answered me. My wolf stirred, as if summoned, and took over my body with ease. Her voice echoed in my mind… but I was still relying on my cursed version.

We walked through the dense forest. I felt Kade’s eyes on me the entire time, even as I disappeared from his view. I felt nothing but resentment. For a man I was putting my life on the line for… he really hurt me.

We finally reached the ruins of an ancient temple. It didn’t seem familiar—until I noticed a broken corner in the stone. The same place I’d seen in a vision. The marking on my wrist glowed faintly. Two lines. I quickly covered it. If they knew I’d made a deal with a witch… that would be the end of me.

“You’ll remain here. We’ll return when you’re ready,” the frail priestess said, and one by one, they left.

I looked around. No trials. No tests. Just… silence.

“You’re welcome, child.”

A calm, soft voice echoed around me. I froze.

“I see your doubt. But I assure you—this is your destiny.”

There was no one there.

“Close your eyes, child.”

Something about her voice made me feel… safe. Safer than I’d felt in a long time. So I obeyed.

Visions flooded my mind.

Luca and Tasha… smiling. Holding a child. Kade looked truly happy. My heart ached. I had never made him smile like that.

Then I saw myself, holding my own pup, laughing… until Tasha entered the room. She looked around—nervous. My bladder was full, so I excused myself.

Then she struck.

Tasha stabbed my pup. Again. And again. I screamed in the vision, but no one heard me. No one stopped her.

Then Kade chased me away. I was holding my lifeless pup, and he stood with Tasha and their child… watching me with cold eyes. She smirked.

The next vision was worse—I was surrounded by dead bodies, holding my child. The same haunting vision I saw when I touched Kade’s snake tattoo.

Then it changed again.

I was on the throne. With Kade beside me. Just like the mirror vision.

I gasped and opened my eyes.

A glowing pool had formed in front of me. It hadn’t been there before.

“Choose your path,” the voice said. “One leads to peace. One to revenge. One to surrender. These are your end results. Choose wisely.”

Moon Goddess.

She was the only one who could speak this way—so calmly, with no form. But how could her sacred cave also house such evil?

“Before you step into the pool, you must make a choice that will shape your future,” she said again.

I hesitated.

“Your rival is pregnant,” she added. “What would you advise me to do with her child?”

The thoughts came fast and cruel. Burn them. Tear them apart. Feed them to the dogs. Why should vampires have the mercy of this job?

But what would I gain?

Nothing.

The man I cherished had already chosen someone else. Whether they lived or died, I would still be alone.

“Think hard, Azren,” she whispered. “Give your answer before you step into the pool. I’m giving you the power to shape your fate.”

I took a breath.

“Spare them,” I said. “The child is innocent. It doesn’t deserve cruelty.”

“Are you sure?”

A brilliant light flickered before me. It hurt to look at it. I nodded, closing my eyes to the brightness.

“You will be the most remarkable Luna the Bloodfang Pack has ever known,” she said, and the light surged toward me.

I screamed.

Pain wracked my body as I fell into the glowing pool. I couldn’t fight it. Couldn’t swim. It felt like drowning and burning and being reborn all at once.

I let go. I surrendered.

And everything went black.

—

When I finally woke, Kade was beside me. His hand held mine gently, his eyes full of relief.

I yanked my hand away.

“Shouldn’t you be nursing your pup with Tasha?” I snapped, barely holding back the urge to slap him.

“I never touched Tasha,” he said, voice shaking.

“She has your pup! What are you saying?” I sat up, confused.

“I was never with her,” he said. “I didn’t mate with her.”