Page 44 of Cursed (Blood Moon Pack #1)

R acing through the forest, Bade feels the Mate Bond flare as soon as Aylin calls him her Mate. He grins with his tongue hanging out. “ You feel that, Ryland? She’s accepted the Mate Bond. ”

Ryland, on the other hand, refuses to let himself fully believe it. “ She still has to say the words, Bade.” In the next moment, Ryland’s voice becomes urgent. “We’re close! ”

Bade and his accompanying riding party abruptly stop. An explosion of golden light in the distance illuminates the forest, followed by a massive surge of power that crashes over them .

Bade howls and pounds through the forest faster than before, convinced that his Mate is in terrible trouble.

Adele, Garek, and Zayne glance at each other nervously.

The last time they saw that light, Nori had died.

They kick their horses into a gallop to catch up with Bade.

Within minutes, all four of Nori’s rescuers skid to a halt, completely unprepared for the scene in front of them.

Standing in the clearing is a magnificent she-wolf, her luminous white fur glowing under the moonlight. The only blemish in her pristine coat is a small black marking on her right hip—a crescent moon with a single star.

Recognizing Aylin’s mark, their mouths fall open. Adele covers her sharp intake of breath with her hand, and Zayne whispers, “She’s Goddess-blessed!”

Almost reverently, Bade says to Ryland, “ I was wrong. She isn’t lovely. She’s glorious! ”

Their gazes snap to a figure on the ground, howling and snarling, surrounded by a golden light. Aylin, wobbling a little on her feet, nudges the figure with her nose.

Garek is the first to realize the glowing body is a female Rogue and yells, “Rogue!”

All four rescuers make a move toward Aylin, intending to kill the Rogue Wolf.

Hearing Garek’s shout, Aylin whips her head around to face them with her glowing, golden eyes and growls a low warning.

The shift begins the moment her growl ends and is over in less than a second.

Aylin’s shift is so effortless and graceful; it’s like a waterfall cascading over Nori.

The three riders and Bade are stunned at what they’ve just witnessed.

It’s Ryland’s turn to whisper to Bade. “ What did we just see? Her shift is magical. ”

Nori’s hand is up and out in front of her before the shift from wolf to human fully ends. Using as much Influence as she can muster, Nori screams at the riding party. “STOP! PLEASE WAIT! DO NOT KILL THIS ROGUE!”

Adele, Garek, and Zayne all fall back from the push of Nori’s Influence. Zayne, still shocked, says, “Did you see her shift? It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before!”

Aylin's astonishment buzzes through Nori. “ He came for us, Nori! ”

“ Aylin, he will always come for us, ” Nori tells her.

Bade lets out a low huffing sound and ambles over to the dead male on the ground and sniffs him. “ This is not the male who took her. But he is dead. ”

Ryland replies, “ Check on Nori, but try not to scare her. ”

As Bade lumbers over to Nori, she panics, holding her hands out to stop him. “Bade! Bade! Please don’t kill her! She’s my mother, Bade. Please!”

Bade ducks his head under her hands and runs his nose all over her body, sniffing for injuries. Realizing he is not going to harm her mother, Nori falls to her knees. Bade growls, lowering his head to her chest .

“I’m all right,” she says, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Nori smiles at the giant beast. “You are fucking ferocious, Bade!” A rumbling noise erupts from his chest at her praise.

Nori rests her head on his, running her hands over his ears and plunging them into the thick fur on his neck.

Letting his scent fill her lungs, she whispers, “Thank you for coming to find me!”

She sits up, holds his head up with both of her hands, and looks deeply into his eyes. “I need to speak to Ryland now, please, Bade.”

He backs away from her; the air distorts around him, and he shifts back to his human form. Ryland’s breathing is labored, recovering from the shift. “Nori! Nori! Are you all right? I was out of my mind!”

He moves in front of her, reaching to embrace her, but she stops him, placing a hand on his chest. Ryland’s confusion evaporates when his senses are bombarded with a wave of warm emotions from her.

Nori cups his face in her hands and gives him her most dazzling, teary-eyed smile. “I, Norina Valcrest, Alpha Daughter, formerly of the Starfall Pack, accept you, Ryland Drakemoor, Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack and Prince of All Wolves, as my one true Fated Mate for now and all eternity.”

As soon as the words leave her mouth, Ryland’s eyes grow wide, then roll back into his head.

His entire body seizes, muscles locking, as he falls to the ground in front of her.

Writhing in agony, the air around him ripples.

He shifts uncontrollably between human and wolf.

His shouts of pain ring out through the forest.

Adele panics, screaming, “RYLAND!”

Garek and Zayne turn their horses toward Nori, and again, she uses her Influence and growls at them. “Wait!”

The three instantly obey. She blows out a breath and smiles. “He’ll be fine. His curse is broken.”

Nori watches the riders sit back in their saddles. She leans over on her hip and reaches over to Ryland. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she tries to provide some comfort as he continues to groan and howl in pain.

She can feel her strength waning. She looks at the three riders and says, “I don’t have much time, so short version. Rogue Wolves are actually regular wolf shifters who have been cursed by Draven. This Rogue female behind me...” She glances back. “Well, what was a Rogue female, is my mother.”

Nori takes in their stunned expressions and gives them a moment to shout over each other.

“Bullshit!”

“How is this possible?”

“How do you know?”

Waving her hand to quiet them, Nori takes a steadying breath. “I’ve got no time for that! Aylin and I used our combined powers on the female Rogue. I know you were close enough to see it. Now, the Rogue is busy transforming back into my mother. I hope.”

Her vision blurs, and with tears in her eyes, she whispers, “I’m begging you. Please. Please don’t kill her. Take care of her.”

Ryland lets out a roar as he feels the last of his scars vanish, the weight of his curse lifting at long last. For the first time in decades, his body is whole. His relief is short-lived as he whips his head around just in time to see his Mate collapsing to the ground.

With a growl of panic, he lunges toward Nori, cushioning her head with his hand before it hits the ground.

On his knees, his hands tremble as he gathers her limp body into his arms, cradling her to his chest. His heart pounds, staring into her slack face. Ryland’s voice is barely a whisper…

“Nori?”