Bree
I woke up with a pounding headache and my eyes adjusting to the bright fluorescent lights. My pulse raced as I sensed something wasn't right.
“Bree,” Rosa’s gentle voice pulled me from the haze.
I turned to see her sitting by my bedside, her face pale and full of worry. Rosa, our pack's head healer, was known for her calm demeanor, so seeing her like this sent chills down my spine.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice weak and raspy.
She hesitated but her eyes drifted down to my wrist. I slowly followed her gaze and froze. The mark that plagued me for years was back, twisting around my skin like a chain, faint but visible.
“No,” I whispered, yanking my arm away as if that could make it disappear.
Rosa exhaled a shaky breath as her trembling hands touched my arms.
"It's back, Bree. The curse has returned."
Her words pierced through me, and suddenly, the room felt smaller. Memories flashed back in my head, vivid and cruel. I was just a child lost in the woods when I found a witch. She was injured and weak, surrounded by a group of rogues. Without thinking, I defended her by screaming and throwing stones at the rogues until they fled.
"You are kind, child. But this kindness will come at a cost. And when you get betrayed, it will return," she warned.
And she was right; the mark appeared that very night. Years later, when I mated with Alpha Kyle, it vanished just as suddenly.
"Why now?" I asked Rosa.
She looked at me with sadness and pity in her eyes.
"It's possible that... the mate bond is broken."
My heart sank. How could that be? The mate bond was supposed to be unbreakable. In denial and desperation, I left without listening to Rosa's advice. All I could think about were her words: "You have ten days to live."
As I entered the packhouse, immediately something felt off. Everything was quiet, too quiet for a bustling werewolf pack. But as I made my way upstairs, I heard a soft, feminine laugh echoing through the halls from my bedroom. I followed the sound, and it grew louder and louder; then I heard a low, husky voice joining in - Kyle's voice.
I froze outside of the door, my shaking hand on the doorknob. My heart pounded as I struggled with the urge to turn back and pretend, I hadn't heard anything. But I couldn't resist. I pushed the door lightly, ensuring it wouldn't make a sound. And there they were - Janice's naked body tangled with Kyle's, his hands roaming over her skin and his mouth tracing kisses on her breasts.
I stumbled back, gasping in disbelief. It wasn't some cosmic accident that brought back the curse; it was Kyle breaking our mate bond. I couldn't believe he would do this to me.
Desperate to escape, I ran downstairs with tears clouding my vision. My legs carried me to the rose garden, a place that used to bring me joy. Now, they mocked me. Every flower reminded me of the promises he broke. The smell of roses only fueled my anger, and I couldn't stand being there any longer. I stormed back into the house and encountered two omegas returning from the laundry room. They immediately bowed and greeted me.
"Clear out the entire rose garden. Not a single rose should be left by morning," I commanded without hesitation.
One of them hesitated, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"But Luna, they..."
"Just do it," I snapped, cutting her off.
The omegas nodded and quickly went to carry out my orders. Destroying the roses wouldn't erase Kyle's betrayal or break the curse, but it was a start.
When I returned to my room a few minutes later, it was empty and tidy. I sank onto my bed, feeling the throbbing pain in my wrist where the mark glowed in the dim light. Only ten days left to live - a constant reminder of the cruel fate that awaited me. But I refused to let this curse destroy me without a fight. And everyone who had hurt me should pay for their actions.
