Marked by the Alpha's Curse

Chapter 16

#MBTACChapter16

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The silence in the bookstore was suffocating, thick with the weight of what I had just witnessed. My hands still trembled as I clutched the charm, its once-glowing light now dim and lifeless. Nimbus nuzzled against my side, his warmth a small comfort against the chill creeping through me.

Timothy broke the silence first, his voice low but steady. “He looked like me?”

I nodded, my throat tight. “Not exactly, but enough that I noticed the resemblance. The scars, the intensity in his eyes… it was there. He was like you, Timothy—part of the curse.”

Timothy leaned against the counter, his jaw clenched as he stared at the shard. “It means the curse didn’t just affect my pack. It’s older than us—rooted in your family’s magic. This man… whoever he was, he’s a piece of the puzzle.”

Lyra paced the room, her staff tapping the floor in quick, sharp beats. “The curse is a tangled web, and this memory is a thread. But it raises more questions than answers. Why was your mother protecting the shard? And what happened between her and that man?”

“I don’t know,” I said, frustration lacing my words. “But she looked… scared. Determined, but scared. She said the magic fractured, that it was too powerful.”

Lyra stopped pacing, her brow furrowed. “If the magic fractured, it could explain the curse’s instability. It wasn’t meant to exist in its current form—it’s a corrupted spell.”

Timothy’s expression darkened. “A spell that’s killing my pack, driving them mad. If your family knew it was unstable, why didn’t they destroy it?”

I flinched at the edge in his tone, but Lyra stepped in before I could respond. “It’s not that simple, Timothy. Magic like this is ancient and deeply rooted. Destroying it could have consequences far worse than the curse itself.”

“And what about fixing it?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Is that even possible?”

Lyra’s gaze softened, but her silence was answer enough.

The tension in the room was broken by Nimbus, who leapt onto the counter and pawed at the shard’s casing. His golden eyes met mine, as if urging me to act.

“We can’t stop now,” I said, straightening my spine. “If my family was involved in this, I need to know why. And if there’s even a chance we can fix it, we have to try.”

Timothy nodded, though the tightness in his jaw didn’t ease. “Agreed. But we need to approach this carefully. Whoever—or whatever—is behind this curse won’t let us uncover the truth without a fight.”

Lyra sighed, rubbing her temples. “The next step is clear. We need to find out more about this man from the memory. If he’s connected to the curse, he might hold the key to unraveling it.”

“But how?” I asked, glancing at the charm. “The memory didn’t give me a name or anything to go on.”

Lyra’s expression brightened slightly. “The charm may hold more memories, but we’ll need to unlock them slowly. For now, we focus on what we do know: your mother’s connection to the shard and this man’s connection to the curse.”

Timothy pushed off the counter, his movements sharp and purposeful. “We’ll start with the archives. My pack kept records of everything—battles, alliances, betrayals. If this man was part of our history, he’ll be there.”

“You’re sure you can access them?” Lyra asked.

Timothy’s eyes narrowed. “They’re guarded, but I’ll get us in.”

The determination in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. I nodded, swallowing the knot of fear in my throat. “Then let’s do it. The sooner we find answers, the better.”

That night, sleep was a distant thought. I sat in my room, the charm resting in my palm, its weight a constant reminder of the responsibility I carried. Nimbus curled up beside me, his soft purring filling the silence.

The memory replayed in my mind like a loop, my mother’s voice echoing with every beat of my heart. This must be protected… the curse will consume everything.

Protected from what? From whom?

The questions swirled in my mind until exhaustion finally pulled me under.

I woke to a sharp knock at the door. Timothy’s voice came through, low and urgent. “Iviel. We need to move.”

Nimbus leapt from the bed as I stumbled to the door, rubbing sleep from my eyes. “What’s going on?”

Timothy’s expression was grim, his scars glowing faintly. “Something’s happening at the pack. We don’t have time to wait.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, panic rising in my chest.

“There’s been another attack,” he said. “One of my packmates succumbed to the curse. He… he didn’t make it.”

The weight of his words hit me like a blow. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

Timothy’s jaw tightened, his pain visible even as he tried to mask it. “This is why we can’t stop. Every moment we wait, the curse takes more of us.”

I nodded, grabbing the charm from my nightstand and slipping it over my neck. “Let’s go.”

As we left the bookstore, the fog of Evermoor seemed thicker than ever, the shadows deeper and more menacing. Nimbus trailed close behind, his golden eyes scanning the darkness.

The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: the battle against the curse was far from over. And the closer we got to the truth, the more dangerous the journey would become.

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To be continued…