Page 32 of Cursed By Fate

The compound was a storm of chaos, wolves everywhere, a blur of fur and fangs and rage. We skidded to a halt, barely processing the scene before it shifted and changed again. Ewan was at the heart of it, rallying the pack with accusations and shouts. His voice cut through the noise, every word a stab at Tristan.

“Your obsession with this outsider has weakened you,” he yelled. “The pack deserves a leader who puts Stormvale first.” The words struck with brutal clarity, and I saw wolves breaking ranks, half joining Ewan while others hesitated, caught in the growing divide. Tristan’s expression was a mix of anger and something deeper, an old hurt opening fresh and raw. “Ewan!” he called out, but his voice was lost in the uproar. It was a coup. It hit like a gut punch. Before I could react, Tristan’s hand was on mine, pulling me away from the fray. “We need to go. Now,” he said, the urgency in his voice cutting through the confusion and fear. We turned to race back toward the trees, dodging the chaos left and right.

The noise was deafening, a storm of snarls and yelps and bodies crashing against each other as they defended their side. Ewan stood on a raised platform, like some twisted ringmasterin the center of a violent circus. His brown eyes glinted with a fervor that chilled me to the bone.

“You've lost your way, Tristan,” Ewan shouted, his words cutting through the clamor like a knife. “You've lost your right to lead.”

I felt Tristan’s grip on my hand tighten, a reflexive clench against the betrayal that surrounded us. The wolves were splitting before our eyes. Some looked back at Tristan, uncertain, their loyalty stretching like a thin, fragile thread. Others turned away, heads low as they sided with Ewan, falling in line with the harsh certainty of his accusations.

“Tristan, what do we do?” My voice sounded small, even to me.

He looked at me, the fury in his eyes barely masking a deeper, older hurt. “We don’t have a choice,” he said. His jaw set in determination, the kind that comes when you’ve lost everything and have nothing left but to fight your way back.

I didn’t want to leave, not like this. But Ewan’s voice rose again, and the raw, animal intensity of it sent a chill through me.

“He’ll drag you down with him, Serena!” Ewan’s gaze locked onto mine, fierce and sure. “You don’t belong here. You were born to betray us.”

The words hit harder than they should have, given all I’d been through. Given how many times I’d heard them before. I wasn’t going to hear them again, not if I could help it. Tristan pulled me closer, his expression shifting from anger to something sharper, more urgent.

“Trust me,” he said, low and fierce.

And I did. Despite everything. Maybe because of everything.

We turned from the chaos, sprinting for the cover of the forest. My heart thundered in my chest, a wild rhythm of fear and defiance and raw, unyielding hope. Tristan's eyes met mine, a silent understanding passing between us as the chaos of the coup faded into the distance. Without a word, he never brokestride as his form began to shift and blur in a mesmerizing dance of transformation. Rich black fur sprouted from his ankles first all the way up his back, the sound of his bones snapping loudly just as he dropped to all fours. In a matter of seconds, Tristan became the fierce alpha wolf with fur as dark as midnight running before me. Time seemed to slow down as I watched in awe, the air crackling with an electric energy that tingled on my skin.

Heart pounding in my chest, I felt a surge of something primal stir within me, an ancient call that echoed through my veins. As if in a trance, I let go of all hesitation and embraced the wild magic coursing through my being. With a rush of power and sensation, my own body twisted and contorted, morphing into the sleek form of a silver-haired wolf as we sprinted through the woods. My senses exploded—the sharp tang of pine needles, the whisper of a squirrel too high in the trees, the power of my limbs as they hit the ground in rhythm with his. For once, I wasn’t running away. I was running with him.

We moved fast, too fast to think about anything other than putting distance between us and the madness behind. The trees blurred past, a streak of green and brown and shadow as we tore through the woods. I stumbled, my lungs burning, but Tristan was there, always there, pulling me forward.

“Serena, keep up,” he called in my mind, urgency lacing every word.

I pushed harder, matching his pace, matching the desperation that fueled our flight. When we finally halted, breathless and exhausted, I couldn’t tell if the trembling in my legs was from running or the adrenaline of knowing we’d just left everything behind. I met Tristan’s eyes, saw the same mix of disbelief and grim determination reflected in them. We quickly shifted back into our human forms to catch our breath.

“That was—” I started, but couldn’t finish. Words felt inadequate for the enormity of what had just happened.

“A clusterfuck,” Tristan said, raw and ragged. It was the most honest thing I’d ever heard.

We stood there, in the dark embrace of the forest, letting the magnitude of our escape settle over us. I didn’t know what was next, but I knew I wasn’t alone. Not in this, not in anything. I clung to that as fiercely as I’d clung to Tristan’s hand. As fiercely as I’d clung to my hope, despite everything.

We didn’t look back. Not at the fire behind us, not at the betrayal. Only forward—into the night, into the unknown, into whatever fate had left for two wolves born to defy it.

Chapter ten

Tristan

Ipushed forward, my lungs burning and legs heavy. The forest blurred past in smears of shadow and moonlight, and my ears pounded with each thud of pursuit behind us. Ewan and his new allies were relentless. They followed like a curse I couldn’t shake, intent on taking her from me. The fury and chaos, the last moments of indecision before my gut overrode my loyalty to a pack that wasn’t what I thought it was. I had grabbed Serenaby the wrist and pulled her into the night, a storm of wolves snapping at our heels.as we left.

A shout rang out somewhere to my left, close enough to shoot adrenaline through my exhausted legs. We tore through trees and thickets, leaping fallen logs in frenzied zigzags as we tried to shake them. And when the first silver bullets flew past, I almost lost it. This was war. If we didn’t find some way to hide, some fucking miracle, they would catch us before sunrise.

Serena ran beside me, her eyes narrowed with fierce determination, matching my stride with strength I didn’t expect. A fallen branch snagged my foot, sending me crashing forward. She caught my arm, her grip firm and unyielding, hoisting me back to my feet. No words passed between us; they weren’t needed. We both knew what was at stake.

I forced myself on, each breath a ragged gulp, each step a jolt of pain. I wasn’t sure how long we could last like this. They were fresh and focused, fueled by the belief they were doing the right thing. It made them ruthless, a threat I couldn’t underestimate. I cursed Ewan and every memory I had of his loyalty. How had he turned so easily? It all circled back to the fucking curse. If I’d never met Serena, never found out what she meant to me, we wouldn’t be in this position. But I’d be lying if I said I regretted it. Her presence was like a pulse of energy, pushing me forward, keeping me alive.

Another shout cut through the night, followed by a howl of triumph. They were closing in. Panic clawed at my gut. They’d spread out, and our erratic trail would only confuse them for so long. We needed to find cover. We needed—

Light.

My eyes caught the barest flicker in the distance, and for a second, I thought I imagined it. I slowed, my senses tingling with something new, something strange.

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