Bound By The Moon's Curse

ChapterTwo

The Void Between

Arielle POV

"Do you ever wonder if the Moon Goddess makes mistakes?"

My words scattered into the darkness of my cell like broken glass. Two weeks since I'd had a real conversation now I was talking to shadows. Probably not the best sign of mental stability.

A violent cramp tore through my stomach. "Shut up," I muttered to it. "I hear you."

"Talking to yourself again, freak?" The guard's voice drifted through the iron bars, followed by his distinctive wheezing laugh. "First no wolf, now losing your mind? You're really checking all the boxes."

I pressed my forehead against the cool stone wall. "Don't you have someone else to torment, Marcus? Or am I the highlight of your day?"

"You know what I think?" His keys jangled as he leaned against the bars. "I think you're not even one of us. Probably some human trying to infiltrate the pack."

"Fascinating theory." I turned to face him, ignoring how the room spun. "Did you come up with that all by yourself, or did you need help with the big words?"

The lock clicked. Wrong move, Arielle.

Marcus stalked in, all six feet of barely contained violence. "You've got quite a mouth for someone who hasn't eaten in a week."

"What can I say? Starvation brings out my charming personality."

His hand shot out, catching my throat. "You think this is funny? You think being a cursed Omega is something to joke about?"

"No," I wheezed, clawing at his fingers. "But your face... definitely is."

He slammed me against the wall. Stars exploded behind my eyes. "Twenty-one in a week, right? No wolf, no mate, nothing. You're an abomination."

"Tell me... something I don't... know."

He released me, and I slid to the floor, gasping. "Liliana wants you presentable by sunset. Says you've got work to do."

"How thoughtful." I rubbed my throat. "And here I was worried I'd miss my social obligations."

"Food's coming. Try not to choke on it." He paused at the door. "Though honestly? That might be doing everyone a favor."

After he left, I let my head fall back against the wall. "Well played, Arielle. Antagonize the one person who controls your food supply. Brilliant strategy."

My stomach growled in agreement.

"I know, I know." I wrapped my arms around my knees. "But hey, at least we're not a vampire, right? Though honestly, that might be an upgrade at this point."

The shadows seemed to shift, drawing closer. I'd been seeing that more lately – movement where there shouldn't be any. Another symptom of starvation, probably. Or maybe...

"Come on," I whispered, closing my eyes tight. "Please. If you're in there, if you exist at all... just show me something. Anything."

Silence answered. As usual.

When the door creaked open again, I didn't bother looking up. The smell hit me first – something that might have been food in a previous life.

"Dinner time, cursed one." A different guard this time. Younger. Almost apologetic.

"Let me guess – gourmet prison slop?"

"Liliana's orders." He set the plate down. "You've got thirty minutes to eat and clean up. Then you're needed upstairs."

"Needed?" I cracked an eye open. "Don't you mean 'required to serve as a cautionary tale'?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Just... don't be late."

As the door closed, I stared at the plate. My vision blurred, doubled, then snapped back. Something was wrong. Different. The air felt thick, like trying to breathe underwater.

"No," I gasped, a strange heat building behind my eyes. "Not now. Please not now."

The room tilted sideways. My muscles seized, refusing to move. The shadows weren't just moving anymore – they were reaching.

"Help!" The word came out as barely a whisper. "Somebody... anybody..."

But as darkness crept in from the edges of my vision, I remembered the most important lesson of being a cursed Omega: Nobody comes. Nobody helps. Nobody cares.

And maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what the Moon Goddess intended all along.

When my eyes finally snapped open, everything had changed.

The cell was gone. Instead, I stood in the middle of a dense forest. Towering trees loomed around me, their twisted branches clawing at the sky. My bare feet sank into the damp earth, the air heavy with the smell of moss and decay.

*Where am I?*

I spun around, but there was no end to the trees. A strange force tugged at my body, pulling me deeper into the woods. I tried to resist, digging my heels into the ground, but it was like being swept away by an invisible current.

“Stop!” I shouted. My voice felt foreign, as if someone else were speaking.

The force dragged me faster. Deeper. The forest grew darker with every step. Shadows danced between the trees, and the further I went, the harder it became to breathe.

Finally, I stumbled to a stop.

The force released me. My legs buckled, and I dropped to my knees. Silence wrapped around me thick and heavy. My pulse thundered in my ears as I scanned the darkness.

Something moved.

I jerked my head up, squinting toward the river ahead. It shimmered like liquid silver, its surface unnaturally still. And there, on the bank, sat a small figure.

A girl.

She hugged her knees to her chest, her body shaking. Her long, dark hair hung in tangles, her pale skin streaked with blood and dirt.

“Hey,” I called softly, rising to my feet. My instincts screamed at me to turn back, but I couldn’t. Something about her pulled me closer. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t move.

I took another cautious step forward.

“Where’s your family?” I asked. “Why are you out here alone?”

Still nothing. Her shoulders shook harder, and then I saw it a dagger gripped in her small, trembling hand.

Blood dripped from its blade, seeping into the earth.

“Hey!” My chest tightened. “What happened? Who hurt you?”

The girl’s head lifted.

Our eyes met, and the breath rushed from my lungs.

Her eyes were like mirrors silver and empty reflecting my face twisted with confusion and fear. For a heartbeat, neither of us moved.

“Put the knife down,” I whispered.

She blinked slowly, her lips parting and then, without warning, she lunged.

The dagger pierced my chest.

I gasped, frozen in shock. Heat erupted from the wound, spreading like wildfire. Pain seared through my body, so intense I couldn’t scream. My knees gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.

The girl stood over me, her expression blank, her dagger dripping.

“Why?” I choked out, tears blurring my vision.

She knelt beside me, her cold hand cupping my face.

“Because you don’t belong,” she said softly. Her voice echoed a thousand whispers layered into one.

The forest darkened, shadows swirling above me. I couldn’t fight it anymore. My body felt heavy, my vision dimming.

*Is this the end?* I wondered as everything faded i

nto black.

*Mom… Dad… I’m sorry.*

The last thing I heard was the girl’s voice, faint and haunting:

“The cursed one always return.”