Page 31 of Cursed
Ryland shakes his head in confusion, trying to clear the rage that was riding him. “What?”
Bade is frantic. “THE CURSE! YOU CANNOT SWAY THE MATE OR ELSE THE CURSE WILL KILL HER!” Bade howls mournfully in Ryland’s head.
Ryland is in a daze. “But. No. This Mate Bond is not real! She cannot possibly be meant for me.”
He watches Nori as if in slow motion, clutching her chest with one hand, and her other hand latches onto his arm for support. Her knees buckle as she struggles for air. Lungs seizing, she stammers, “I can’t…I can’t breathe!”
Ryland falls to his knees, catching her as she collapses to the floor.
Nori looks at him with confusion in her eyes, trying to suck in air. “Ryland?”
Her eyes roll back into her head. She stops breathing.
chapter twenty-one
Ryland rears back, crying out from the agony of the Mate Bond as it begins to crack and shatter. His soul feels like it’s being ripped apart. Burning electric shocks spread across his skin. Understanding dawns on him. The Bond with her was real, and he has killed his Mate.
Ryland throws his head back and roars at the colossal mistake he has made. A surge of immense power accompanies his roar, rattling the entire castle. Pack members all around, inside and out, stop and look toward his rooms with concern.
He stares down at Nori in shock.
His whole body shakes from the agonizing grief, magnified tenfold by Bade’s grief. Solemnly, he whispers, “That was the first time she said my name.”
Adele sinks to the floor, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Garek hangs his head, mourning the impending death of his friend and Alpha.
Zayne paces the room, running both hands through his hair. He doesn’t want to lose his brother over this damn Mate Bond. He growls low, angry at this she-wolf for stumbling into their Pack and possibly killing his brother.
All they can do is wait. Wait and see if Ryland is strong enough to withstand the physical torment that comes from killing a Mate.
Ryland, now drowning in his despair, hardly notices the pain from the Mate Bond severing. He cradles Nori, rocking her lifeless body back and forth. Tears slowly fall down his face. “I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean it. Oh, gods! What have I done?”
Why did he succumb to his rage so completely? The memory of her reaction to his outburst replays like a movie in his head. The fear on her sweet face. The fear that he caused. The tears that rolled down her cheeks were because of him. Her last moments were filled with terror. Because of him.
He should have listened to his wolf. He should have talked to Nori about the note.
He should have done anything other than what he did.
Adele crawls over to Ryland cautiously to feel for Nori’s pulse. She looks around at Garek and Zayne and shakes her head, confirming that the she-wolf is dead. “This is bad, guys. I don’t know if he can survive it.”
Ryland continues rocking Nori, his breaths coming in stuttering gasps. “I killed her. I killed her. I killed my Mate!”
Adele moves next to Ryland and places a hand gently on his shoulder because he hates to be touched ever since the curse. She feels his body trembling from his pain and sorrow.
Bade resumes howling in Ryland’s head and berates him for being so careless and getting so damned angry. “I will never forgive you for this!” Bade screams at Ryland.
Ryland is too distraught to care anymore. “Don’t worry; the Moon Goddess will end me soon enough for killing a Mate.”
Through the haze of his suffocating anguish, Ryland hears Adele draw in a quick, shaky breath and whisper, “Ryland, look.”
He opens his eyes to find a strange golden light that shimmers like stardust creeping over his Mate. The light gradually surrounds her entire body.
Zayne recoils. “What the fuck?”
Garek looks up, taking a couple of steps back. “Have you ever seen anything like this? What is she?”
Adele grabs Ryland’s shoulder harder this time. “M-Maybe you should put her down and back away, Ry!”
