Chapter Four
819 Words
The tea was spiced, warm, and did absolutely nothing to settle the restless magic humming beneath Nia’s skin.
She sat apart from the others—witches to her left, wolves to her right—sipping slowly, her gaze fixed on the embers of the dying ceremonial fire. The binding ritual had left her drained, her veins still thrumming with the echo of Kai’s blood mingling with hers.
Married.
The word tasted bitter.
Across the clearing, her new husband stood beneath the gnarled branches of the ancient oak, his broad shoulders tense as he spoke in low tones with another wolf. Even from here, she could feel the heat of his glare when his eyes flicked toward her.
Like I’m the one who cursed him.
Nia exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. She just needed to sleep. To close her eyes and pretend this nightmare of a day never happened.
Then—
A shiver.
Not from the cold.
Something darker.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
She barely had time to turn before the shadows moved.
A spectral wolf lunged from the darkness beneath the tree, its form wispy as smoke but its teeth gleaming like polished obsidian. It moved faster than thought, a snarl ripping from its throat as it aimed straight for her throat.
Nia’s magic surged—but she was too slow, too tired—
A blur of black and silver slammed into the creature.
Kai.
He moved like lightning, his body colliding with the phantom wolf mid-leap. They crashed to the ground, Kai’s snarl deeper, wilder than anything human. His eyes burned gold in the firelight as he twisted, his claws raking through the specter’s insubstantial form.
It screeched—a sound like nails on bone—and writhed beneath him.
Then—
Diana’s voice cracked through the night. She uttered a spell in the ancient witch language.
A searing blast of white-hot energy erupted from her outstretched hands, striking the spectral wolf square in the chest. The creature screamed, its form dissolving into wisps of black smoke before evaporating entirely.
Silence.
Nia’s heart pounded so violently she could hear it in her ears.
Kai was already on his feet, his chest heaving, his claws still out. His gaze locked onto hers—furious, protective, terrifying.
"You alright?" he growled.
Nia opened her mouth. Closed it. All she could manage was a frantic nod.
Because the truth was undeniable now.
This wasn’t just a curse.
This was a war.
The silence in the cabin was thick enough to choke on.
Diana’s words still echoed in Nia’s mind as she stepped inside, the wards humming beneath her skin like a second pulse. “The spell needs time to settle. Stay close. Don’t leave the circle.”
As if she had a choice.
The cabin was small but sturdy, the scent of pine and sage lingering in the air. A single room, open and sparse—kitchenette to the left, sitting area with a worn couch, and a bed tucked against the far wall. The only door led to a cramped bathroom.
Kai moved through the space like a shadow, his broad shoulders tense beneath his suit jacket. He hadn’t looked at her since they’d stepped inside.
Nia exhaled through her nose and headed straight for the closet. Inside, she found fresh clothes—soft cotton pants, a plain t-shirt, and, of course, a set of lace lingerie that made her roll her eyes so hard it hurt.
Leah. Her coven sister had always been too amused by the idea of this arranged marriage.
She snatched the practical options and turned, only to find Kai at the kitchenette, pouring a glass of water with deliberate slowness.
“There’s soap and clean clothes in the closet,” she said, because the silence was worse than the awkwardness.
He didn’t turn. Just nodded once, his grip tightening on the glass.
Right. Conversation over.
Nia didn’t wait for more. She ducked into the bathroom, the shower’s scalding water doing little to ease the tension coiled in her muscles. When she emerged, dressed and damp-haired, the main room was dark save for the moonlight filtering through the curtains.
Kai was a silhouette on the couch, one arm thrown over his eyes.
She didn’t speak. Just slid into the bed, the sheets crisp and cool against her skin. The lamp clicked off, plunging the room into darkness.
For a long moment, there was only the sound of their breathing—hers measured, his a low, steady rhythm. Then the creak of the couch as Kai shifted, the rustle of fabric as he turned away.
Nia stared at the ceiling.
This is your life now.
Bound to a man who hated her.
Trapped by a curse neither of them wanted.
And outside, something—or someone—was waiting to tear them apart.
- Writer
