Page 30 of Cursed (Blood Moon Pack #1)

R yland and his troops gallop along a dirt road that runs between the castle and the forest. After two hours, they slow their horses and turn into the dense forests toward the small town of Silver Pine.

Riding through the trees is more challenging, but they have a trail they can follow for a few more hours, keeping their pace at a brisk walk.

By late afternoon, the trail has run out, and the air pressure starts to drop. The men grumble as they sense a storm coming. They won’t make it to Silver Pine tonight.

Just before dusk, Ryland calls a halt to their progress to give them time to make camp before the storm arrives. Finding a decent area to spend the night, everyone gets busy with their jobs.

Five men clear the underbrush, while the rest work on the shelter for the horses, building a basic lean-to covered in the newly cleared underbrush.

After that, two of the men light fires around the campsite to warm the area until the snow falls, while Ryland and two other men feed and water the horses.

Their regular cook, Erik, heats up a roast and some potatoes he brought.

Each man pitches his own tent, grouping them together.

They strap the tents securely to each other and to the ground in order to brace against the winds that will soon arrive.

Since there are only eleven of them, it doesn’t take long before their encampment is completely set up and ready to weather the storm.

Once the food is prepared, they set camp chairs around the central fire and take a break to eat together. One of the larger males, Chief Enforcer Kane, teases Ryland. “So, Prince Ryland, you’ve finally found a woman who can gaze upon that wretched face of yours?”

The men erupt into raucous laughter, and even Ryland's lips twitch into a smile.

“Yes, Kane,” Ryland says. “I have finally found a Mate.”

“Well, go on. Tell us how it happened, man! We’ve waited years for you to find someone to break that curse of yours,” Kane says, shoving a potato into his mouth .

Ryland gives the men a brief recount of his story, including the details of Nori’s arrival at the castle and the Mate Bond flaring to life. He also tells them that she’s from Starfall.

Ash, a blond Enforcer, sitting across the fire from Ryland, chimes in, “I was there the day she ran onto our lands, covered in mud and grime, being chased by a Rogue. She looks a whole helluva lot better now than she did that day.”

Ryland agrees. “Yes, she does. I assumed she would reject me immediately, like all the others, but when she didn’t, I brought her up to my rooms to get cleaned up and eat some food.

” Ryland lets out a low whistle, shaking his head.

“When she stepped out of the shower, all clean and wrapped in nothing but a towel, I knew I was in trouble.”

The men smile and laugh again, congratulating him and commenting on Nori’s beauty.

Erik hesitantly says, “I remember Starfall’s former Alpha, Aldric Valcrest. He was a great man. Is she the one who murdered her parents?”

Ryland growls at the accusation but tries to respond without anger. “Yes, Nori is Aldric’s daughter, and yes, she was accused of murdering her parents.”

Ryland pauses, waiting for the grumbling to stop. “She was ten years old at the time and has no memory of their deaths. She told me that she loved her parents and couldn’t imagine murdering them. The fact that she has no memory of the event leads me to believe she was falsely accused.”

Erik continues, “I witnessed her trial, Ryland. I only saw her once. She was a small thing. I thought it odd that they didn’t kill her outright for the crime.”

Ryland nods. “Nori would agree with you. Instead, they made her a slave. Her uncle, the new Alpha, and various other members of the Pack repeatedly abused her. She doesn’t know why they kept her alive.”

The men growl and curse at hearing how they abused a she-wolf.

Ryland continues, “I know. I can hardly stand to hear her horrible stories of how they mistreated her. One day soon, I will find a way to kill everyone who laid a hand on her.”

Another Enforcer next to Zayne asks, “I hate to ask, but if she’s a slave, how will your father ever accept her?”

Ryland smiles slightly. “The King believes the Mate Bond is sacred; her status will not bother him. Also, she’s not a slave, not really. They made her a slave, but Nori’s blood is teeming with Alpha Power. She doesn’t even know the depths of her power. The King will love her; I have no doubt.”

Kane lightens the mood. “Why the hell haven’t you two accepted the Bond yet? Why haven’t you Claimed her?”

Ryland sighs and runs his hand through his hair, leaning back in his seat. “It’s complicated. She’s terrified of her own shadow after twelve years of suffering abuse at the hands of her Pack Leaders.” He waits again as a rumble rolls through the men, and they exclaim their disapproval.

“Twelve years?”

“Those bastards!”

Instead of giving them the details of how he nearly killed both of them last night, Ryland simply says, “I am proceeding cautiously while we get to know one another. But, damn, this Mate Bond is a fucking force of nature. Thoughts of her are constantly rolling around in my head.”

Another round of laughter escapes the men, all being Mated themselves. One says, “Welcome to being Mated, Alpha. All Mate Bonds are a force of nature. It eases up a bit after the acceptance, but only a little!”

They stay up for a while, telling stories of their own Mate Bond experiences. When the wind starts to blow through the trees and the snow begins to fall, they quickly clean up and prepare to weather the storm.

A s promised, Adele leads Nori out of the castle after lunch the following day. They walk along a narrow path to a small stone cottage.

They are about ten feet from the front door when both women are frozen in place. Their wolves have stopped them from moving any closer to the house.

“ Nuh uh; no way, Nori! Can you not smell the witch? She smells evil and wrong, ” Aylin growls.

Nori looks to her left; Adele is clearly having a similar conversation with her wolf. Rolling her eyes, Nori tries to lighten Aylin’s mood. “ What does evil and wrong smell like, exactly, Aylin? ”

“ Oh, you are making fun? We are not going into that house! ” Aylin’s anxiety is palpable.

“ We need her. ” Nori pleads with her wolf. “ I don’t want to need her help, but we do. She’s the only person here who can possibly tell us what our power is. So, please. Please put up with it for a little while. ”

Aylin snarls, “ Fine, but make it quick 'cause her smell is driving me crazy! ”

Nori relaxes as Aylin releases her; she waits for Adele to finish negotiating with her own wolf. After another minute, Adele blows out a breath and says, “Let’s get this over with.”

Adele knocks on the door, and a small, but curvy female with long, wavy, brown hair answers the door. The woman is clearly unnerved by Adele’s presence. Nori watches her eyes practically pop out of her head, but she recovers quickly.

“Hello, Princess Drakemoor. What can I do for you?”

“Lyra Blackwood, this is Norina Valcrest. She is Mate Bonded to Prince Drakemoor, and she needs your assistance. ”

“Come in. Come in,” Lyra says.

As they step inside, Nori looks around to find a small but cozy living area with a few pieces of well-worn furniture and a fire blazing in the stone fireplace. An equally small kitchen and dining area take up the remaining space.

Nori whispers to Aylin. “ It only smells of ginger in here; why can’t I smell what you smell? ”

Aylin barks at her. “ I don’t know, but you need to hurry! ”

Lyra directs them to sit at the small dining table. “I had heard the rumors that the Prince had been graced with a Mate. Why haven’t you accepted the Mate Bond yet, Norina Valcrest?”

Nori flinches at the use of her full name and replies, “The Mate Bond flared only a few days ago, and we are getting to know one another. And call me Norina again, and I’ll—” Nori’s eyes widen, and her hand flies to her mouth.

“Whoa, sorry! My wolf’s emotions seem to be bleeding into mine.” Nori laughs and says, “What I meant to say was, please, call me Nori.”

“It’s fine. What can I do for you, Nori?”

Last night, Nori and Aylin discussed how to talk to this Seer without giving away too much information.

“I am aware that I possess some sort of power, but I don’t understand what it is.

Based on what I’ve read, you have the ability to tell me what this power is and how to use it.

Is this true? Are you able to sense my power? ”

Lyra places both hands on the table, her palms facing up. “I need to hold both of your hands in order to read your power, Nori.”

When Nori moves her hands toward Lyra, Aylin freezes her again, screaming in her head. “ Do not touch her! ”

Nori winces and uses her most gentle voice with her angry wolf. “ It will be alright…and hopefully brief. ”

“ Shit! Fine. ”

Nori exhales loudly and places her hands in Lyra’s, while Aylin growls and howls in her head.

Lyra closes her eyes and holds Nori’s hands. Breathing deeply, she concentrates for several minutes. Nori is about to have to take her hands back when Lyra finally releases her.

“You are a healer, Nori. Very rare. Very powerful. Now, if you shift, I can tell you what your wolf’s power is. They are generally complementary.”

“Yeah, that is not going to happen. How do I access this healing power? How do I use it? How does it work?” Nori asks excitedly.

“To access the power, you will need to calm your thoughts and search inside yourself. Most people describe their power as a warm, bright light. With practice, accessing it will be as natural as breathing.”

Aylin breaks into Nori’s thoughts. “ She’s trembling. Is she afraid of you? How powerful are we? ”

“I’m sorry, Lyra, could you repeat that? My wolf is quite loud in my head today,” Nori says, shaking her head.

“I said, healing typically manifests in the hands. Why don’t you try to look for your power now?”

“Oh, no, thank you.” Nori doesn’t want to spend any more time with the Seer than necessary, but she’s also leery of showing Lyra her power. “How does the healing work?”

“I’ve only known one other healer. He had to touch the injured person with his hands. Most powers just sort of work when you use them. If you pay attention while attempting to heal someone, you will know what to do,” Lyra says. “In theory.”

When Nori stands to leave, Adele jumps up and practically runs out the door without even saying goodbye. “Thank you for your time, Lyra. Why does my wolf keep calling you a witch?”

Lyra smiles sadly and stands with Nori to follow her out. “I am, in fact, a she-wolf, but I do have a smidge of witch blood from a full-blooded witch in my family tree. I know. Most wolves don’t like being near me.”

Nori frowns, thinking how lonely Lyra must be if no one can stand to be around her. “I see. Thanks again for your help today.”

Nori turns to leave, but stops short, turning back to look at Lyra. “I have the urge to ask you not to mention this visit to anyone, but I am not sure why. ”

Lyra’s eyebrows raise. “You carry a tremendous power, Nori. It is quite frightening. I will not tell anyone what we discussed here today.”

Nori nods and swiftly leaves the cottage.

As soon as they are back in the castle, Adele breaks out into a frantic laugh. “Shit! My wolf was howling at me the whole time we were there. I am glad Lyra could tell you something about your power, though.”

Nori nods her head, following Adele through the maze of the castle. “There was a lot of snarling and howling when Lyra was gripping my hands.” Then Nori frowns. “It must be awful for her to be in a Pack, but not really be part of the Pack. Does she have any friends?”

“I honestly don’t know. I’ve only spoken with her a few times. But you are right. She must feel very isolated, even though she’s a member of this enormous Pack. I have no idea how to fix that, though.”