Aria's pov.
The moon hung high, casting a silver glow over the forest as I walked along the narrow path.
My heart raced, fueled by unease. Ryder had been distant lately, his normally confident demeanor shadowed by something he refused to share.
I couldn't shake the feeling that something dark loomed between us. My wolf stirred inside, restless and eager for answers.
As I reached the clearing near the river, I saw Ryder from a distance as he stood by the water's edge, his broad shoulders tense.
He gleaned his dark hair under the moonlight, and despite the heaviness in the air, my heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.
“Ryder,” I softly called.
He turned his sharp features softening when his eyes met mine. “Aria,” he breathed as if saying my name was both a burden and relief.
I crossed the distance between us. “I know you've been avoiding me, which I demanded of you, but there's something I want to find out.”
He signed by running a hand through his hair. “What’s it? Although It's not that simple to avoid you I kept thinking about you”.
“Then make it simple,” I insisted. “What are you hiding?”.
His jaw clenched. “It's better if you don't know”.
I stepped closer, my finger brushing against his arm. “We're supposed to be a team, remember? Whatever it is, we need to face it together”.
His eyes darkened with an internal struggle. “You don't understand, Aria. Knowing the truth can put you in danger”.
“I'm already in danger,” I countered. “Being in the dark doesn't make it any safer”.
Ryder hesitated, then exhaled sharply. “There's a curse,” he admitted. “A rival pack cast it on me at birth. It was meant to keep me from uniting with my mate.”
His words hit me like a blow. “A curse? Why?”.
He nodded grimly. “It bends me, Aria. I've spent my entire life fighting it, but now… it's stronger than ever”.
I felt a strange energy thrumming through my veins as if my wolf was responding to his confession. "Why now?"
"Because of you," he said quietly. "Being near you is awakening something in me. Something the curse was meant to suppress."
My breath caught. "Are you saying I’m your true mate?"
Ryder's gaze burned into mine. "I don’t know. But what I do know is that you’re the only one who makes the curse tremble."
I could feel the air crackling between us with high tension, I struggled to process his revelation. "Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"
"I'm doing this for our sake, that's why I wanted to protect you," he said fiercely. "If the rival pack finds out, they’ll come for you. And I can’t let that happen."
My mind raced, piecing together fragments of an ancient prophecy I had stumbled upon in the pack’s archives.
It's a power that spoke about a wolf that would rise alongside a cursed mate. And the only way the curse can be cured is by breaking ancient bonds that will reshape the future.
"Ryder, this is serious," I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil within me. "I think I’m connected to your curse."
His eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
"I found an old prophecy," I explained. "It mentions a wolf with growing power—power that’s linked to breaking a curse."
He stared at me, disbelief mingling with hope. "You think that’s you?”
“I don't think so—I don't even know,” I admitted. “But I can't ignore the signs”.
Ryder's hand found mine, his touch grounding me. “This changes everything,” he murmured.
“It doesn't have to be so,” I firmly said. “I believe we can figure this out together.”
He brushed his thumb over my knuckles. “Aren't you scared?”.
“Have been scared of so many things. I confessed. “But now I'm not afraid of losing you; I only care.”
My heartache by the vulnerability in his gaze. “To be honest, I regretted ever rejecting you; I know I don't deserve you,” he whispered.
“Experience will always teach one a lesson, fate has its own choices and that's not your decision to make,” I said, stepping closer. “Aren’t you stuck with me?”.
A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. “Maybe I'm lucky then”.
Despite the gravity of the situation, warmth bloomed between us. I leaned into him, and he rounded his arms around me, his scent enveloping me in comfort.
But as much as I wanted to stay in this moment, reality loomed like a storm cloud.
“We need answers,” I said, pulling back. There's one way to break this curse”.
Ryder's expression hardened. "And what’s that?"
I hesitated, the weight of the prophecy pressing down on me. "I need to confront whoever casts it."
His grip on my hand tightened. "That’s suicide, Aria."
"Maybe," I admitted. "But it’s the only way to end this."
Ryder's eyes blazed with determination. "Then I’m going with you."
"No," I said firmly. "You’re the one they cursed. If they see you, it’ll only make things worse."
His expression darkened. "You think I’m going to let you do this alone? It's never gonna happen we are on this together"
"Don't worry I can handle it," I insisted, even though fear gnawed at the edges of my resolve.
Ryder shook his head. "No way. We must handle this together."
I wanted to argue at first, but I knew he wouldn’t back down. His words struck through my heart, electrifying the warmth in my body.
"There's no problem about that," I relented. "But we need a plan."
He nodded. “Let's work and figure it out."
All I could see was the rustling wind that went through the trees, carrying with it a sense of foreboding.
"Ryder," I said softly. "What if the prophecy is wrong? What if the curse can't be broken?”
His gaze was unwavering. “Then we'll find another way. I'm not giving up on us, Aria”.
His words filled me with both hope and dread. The path ahead was uncertain and the danger lurked at every turn.
But one thing was clear to me, a reminder of the fact that we were in this together.
I couldn't shake the questions that lingered in my mind as the ethereality of the moonlight bathed us in his glow.
Would love be enough to break the curse, or were we destined to be torn apart by forces beyond our control?
