Page 21 of Cursed (Blood Moon Pack #1)

R yland 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!”

He nods, placing Nori gently on the ground, and scoots back against the wall, not wanting to be too far from her.

The four of them stare, mouths open, at the golden, sparkling light completely enveloping the she-wolf.

“What kind of power is this?” Adele asks no one in particular.

They shield their eyes as the golden light starts to change. Losing its shimmer, the light gets brighter and brighter. An instant later, a bizarre, blinding flash of light fills the room, followed by a shockwave of power that shoves the four of them backward.

Garek catches Zayne when he looks like he’s about to fall over. Adele has a death grip on Ryland’s arm, and Ryland leans forward, staring at his Mate. Waiting.

When he hears Nori coughing and gulping air into her lungs, Ryland covers his face and leans against his sister, shuddering with relief.

Garek, still holding onto Zayne, exclaims, “How is she alive?”

Nori clutches her chest and coughs as she tries to catch her breath. Her senses are swamped by Aylin’s blind panic. She looks around the room and says, “What—?”

Before she can finish, Aylin takes over Nori’s body. She flips off the floor and backs against the wall on the opposite side of the room from Ryland and the others. She crouches down in a defensive position, claws out, growling at everyone.

Her head whips to Zayne when she hears the shock in his voice. “Look at her eyes!” Then back to Adele when she whispers, “Quiet, Zayne!”

Aylin growls loudly at Adele because she’s still mad about her earlier ‘little mouse’ comments. Adele shrinks back against the wall in fear, worried about what kind of magic this she-wolf can wield.

Ryland stares at Nori like he is seeing her for the first time. He fights the urge to run and grab her in his arms and never let her go. Instead, he slumps against the wall, raking his hands through his hair. His relief takes his breath away.

Nori has no idea what is happening. “ Aylin? ” Her tone is gentle. “ Aylin, you need to calm down and let me back in. ”

Aylin growls her answer, “ No, they are our enemies! ”

“ Umm. I don’t remember what happened, but they aren’t attacking us, right? ” Exasperated, Nori waits because she can’t override her wolf when she gets like this.

“ Agreed. They are not attacking us right now, ” Aylin finally responds. “ OK. But if they make a move, I’m shifting and kicking someone’s ass, ” she says with a huff.

Nori sighs with relief. “ Agreed. ”

Aylin’s gold eyes fade back to Nori’s amber color.

Nori slumps back against the wall, rubbing her sore chest. She looks around the room and says, “I would appreciate it if you would all sit down slowly, and please, make no move to approach me. Aylin is hysterical and has allowed me to have control back...for now.”

Garek and Zayne slowly take a seat against the opposite wall next to Adele and Ryland. Hearing his Mate’s voice, Ryland hangs his head in his hands, sucking in ragged breaths of relief. Adele does her best to console her brother.

Nori slides down to the floor. “Now, can someone please explain what has happened here?”

Unfortunately, that was the wrong question because everyone answers at the same time.

“The curse!”

“You were dead!”

“You were glowing!”

Aylin growls in her head, “ He tried to kill you! ”

Nori holds up her hands. “Okay, stop! Clearly, we need to go one at a time. Aylin first. What do you remember?”

“ The Prince tried to kill you! ”

Nori frowns and replies out loud, so the group can follow her conversation. “He tried to kill me?”

She glances at Ryland; he still hasn’t looked up at her. Nori leans her head back, rubbing her chest. “Well, to be fair, I did tell him to kill me rather than send me back to Starfall. Do you know how he tried to kill me?”

Aylin replies, “ No. No, I don’t. ”

Nori looks at the group and says, “She doesn’t know.”

Adele gently asks, “What do you remember, Nori?”

Nori’s eyes flick to Ryland, then return to Adele. She frowns and stutters, “He...He was so angry.”

She covers her face, releasing a couple of sobs.

Trying to regain her composure, she wipes her tears with her sleeve and clears her throat.

Her voice trembles as she struggles to catch her breath.

“S-so m-much angrier than I thought he would be. I told you he’d be mad, but this was so far beyond.

..” She trails off, her breaths hitching.

Nori glances at Ryland, watching tears roll down his face, his chest heaving, as he mutters, “I’m so sorry; so very sorry.”

“After that, there was yelling and accusations, and then...” Nori pauses, trying to remember; she sucks in a sharp breath. “The Alpha Order,” she whispers, rubbing her chest. “I can still sort of feel it rolling around in my chest.”

Bade, concerned for Nori, forces Ryland’s head to look at her. Angrily, he yells at Ryland, “ You need to rescind that order, you unbelievable asshole! ”

Ryland immediately complies. Using his Alpha Influence, he says, “I rescind my order for you to reject the Mate Bond and to return to your Alpha.”

Instantly, the pressure from the order lifts off her chest. Finally able to take a full breath, she mumbles, “Thank you; that’s better. ”

Garek looks at her suspiciously. “How in the world are you able to withstand his Alpha Order?”

Nori points her thumb at her chest and simply says, “Alpha Daughter.” She shifts her gaze to Ryland. “And, possibly, the Mate Bond that isn’t fake.” She almost regrets her biting tone when she sees him flinch.

Nori turns her gaze back to Adele. “I’ve told you all I remember; now what has happened to freak out my wolf so thoroughly?”