Page 26 of Curses and Casualties (Hunters Hollow #3)

Georgia

W e called Amara from the road to update her on our meeting with the lone wolf.

She directed us to a safehouse where we could rest for the night.

When we pull up, it looks like something out of a fairytale gone wrong—a moss-covered cottage hidden so deep in the woods we missed it three times despite her detailed instructions.

“This is it?” Scarlett eyes the sagging roof and crooked chimney. “Looks like it’ll collapse if we sneeze too hard.”

“Looks like Shrek and Donkey probably live here,” Ethan mutters, kicking at a mushroom growing from the front step.

“Appearances can be deceiving,” Ryan says, pulling out the velvet pouch Amara gave us. Inside are five smooth stones, each carved with symbols that shift in the dim light. “She said to place these at the threshold before entering.”

I watch as he arranges the stones by the door. My geological mind notes they’re not ordinary rocks—they have an internal luminescence, like starlight captured in crystal. When the last stone touches ground, the air shimmers.

The transformation is breathtaking. The sagging roof becomes sleek slate.

Mossy walls transform into honey-colored timber with glowing blue carvings.

Dark windows gleam with warm light, and the crooked chimney straightens, releasing welcoming smoke.

Even the air changes—rot and damp replaced by lavender and sage.

“Holy shit,” Ethan breathes. “That’s some serious magic.”

“Illusion and protection combined,” I muse. “To anyone tracking us, it still looks abandoned. But there’s more—” I reach out carefully, feeling the invisible barrier humming beyond the doorway. “Wards. Strong ones.”

Ryan tests the door—it swings open silently, revealing a cozy interior that’s bigger than the outside suggests. There’s a full kitchen with copper pots, a living area with a crackling fireplace, and a hallway that stretches longer than the cottage should allow.

“Dimensional expansion,” I muse. “The inside exists in a slightly different space than the outside.”

“Nerd,” Scarlett teases. “Dibs on the shower!” She starts forward, then stumbles, catching herself on the doorframe.

“You OK?”

“Fine. Just tired. I kind of feel that the magic blocking the Alpha’s mark was reacting poorly to Magnus’s dampening field.

That’d explain why it got so much worse the closer we got, right?

” She shrugs, but her hand goes to her chest, fingers pressing against her ribs.

“I’ll feel better after a shower and some rest. If not, maybe you and Ryan can do that healing thing again? ”

“Of course,” I say, even though I don’t buy her reasoning for a second. She’s normally so full of energy. But right now, it’s like her aura’s flickering like a broken lightbulb. Even Luna seems unsettled. But Scarlett’s halfway down the hall before I can press her.

Then Ethan follows, muttering about checking the perimeter, leaving Ryan and me alone by the fire. Blue flames cast dancing shadows, and I notice protective sigils carved into the mantelpiece too.

“She’s not fine.”

“No,” Ryan agrees, settling beside me.

“What really happened back there? Why did Magnus react like that? He seemed... enraged by her. Like her existence was an affront.”

Ryan’s arms tighten around me, and I can feel him hesitating. “I think Magnus is Scarlett’s mate.”

“And that’s how he reacted to her? What an ass.” I twist to look at him. “Is it because his wolf is bound? Is that why he was so nasty.”

“I think that’s just how Magnus is. But even with his wolf bound, the connection is still there. He can’t ignore it.” He pauses. “Even if he chooses to reject it.”

“He can reject a mate bond?”

“Magnus wants to become human. A mate bond would anchor him to this world permanently. As for Scarlett...” He sighs. “She doesn’t want to accept what’s happening. To her, after what the Alpha did, this probably feels like dying.”

I think about Scarlett’s confusion, how she kept touching her chest. “Should we talk to her? She’s trying to convince herself it was just the dampening field.”

Ryan is quiet, the only sound the crackling fire and wind through trees.

Through our bond, I feel his internal struggle.

“Not yet. She’s holding it together with duct tape and sarcasm.

Adding ‘surprise, you have a mate who wants nothing to do with you’ might break her.

Besides, it’s not our bond to force. If she decides to acknowledge it herself, we’ll handle it then. ”

I swallow hard. “It feels wrong. She deserves better than this.”

“She always acted like she didn’t believe in mates. Like it was fairy tale bullshit. But now...” Ryan runs his hand over his stubbled jaw. “It’s different when it’s your fairy tale breaking.”

“So how do we help her?”

“For now, we keep her close and safe. And get you ready for what’s coming.” He brushes hair behind my ear, and for a moment the future seems simple.

Soon, Luna murmurs, stronger than ever. Soon we dance together under moon’s light.

I lean into Ryan’s warmth, processing everything.

Magnus orchestrating our bond while rejecting his own, Scarlett unknowingly experiencing her first mate pull—it’s almost too much.

But underneath it all, Luna thrums through my veins like a second heartbeat.

She’s no longer distant. She’s right there, waiting.

“Do you think we could ask the witch to help her? If Evanora’s powerful enough, she could remove the Alpha’s mark. Maybe even help Scarlett sever the bond to Magnus?”

Ryan’s thumb circles on my thigh. “Maybe. Though witches like her always want payment. And messing with mate bonds... that’s dangerous magic. The kind that backfires.”

We sit quietly, drifting toward sleep when Ryan speaks again. “How are you holding up?”

“Honestly? No idea.” I turn to face him, studying his scars in the firelight. “Everything’s happening so fast. Luna was so difficult to hold onto before. But now...” I place my hand over my heart. “She’s constant. Like she’s knocking on a door that’s getting thinner.”

“The curse is weakening. Just like Magnus said. The closer to the supermoon, the stronger you’ll become.”

“What if I’m not ready? What if I can’t control her? What if I lose myself?”

Ryan silences me with a kiss. Through our bond, I feel his absolute faith. “You’re the strongest person I know. You survived the Soulcave, absorbed an ancient wolf spirit, faced down the Elders and Magnus. You’re ready.”

I want to believe him. But doubt lingers like a cold knot.

You will not lose yourself, Luna says. We become more, not less.

“Come on.” He stands, pulling me up. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

The kitchen is stocked with regular food and things I don’t recognize—color-shifting preserved flowers, bottles of shimmering liquid, packages wrapped in whispering leaves.

“Spell supplies. Don’t eat those. Amara mentioned some are toxic to non-witches.”

We cook together, and briefly it feels normal. Like we’re just a couple making dinner, not fugitives with ancient spirits and a curse to break.

We offer food to Scarlett and Ethan, who take bowls to their rooms. Alone again, we sit at the worn table where I pick at my pasta, nerves tangling my appetite.

“Could you ever see us doing this for real? Just... normal life?”

Ryan looks up, surprised, then smiles. “I can see it. Our own kitchen. Less panic, more carbs. Maybe a garden for some herbs. A place to just... be.”

I laugh. “I’d like that. Tell me something about you that has nothing to do with wolves or curses.”

I want to peel back his layers, not with magic, but with questions. I want to know him the way people used to fall in love—slowly, one detail at a time.

“You want to know what I was like as a human?”

“You know that’s what I’m asking. You’re in my head.”

“And you’re in mine. So you already know everything.”

I blush. When our bond advanced and memories shared, we learned everything instantly. Overwhelming. But I long for slow discovery, conversation by conversation—the human way.

“Humor me.”

He tears off bread, chewing thoughtfully. “I was training to be a firefighter. EMT certified, halfway through the academy.”

I close my eyes and slip into his memory through our bond.

Suddenly I’m there—him at twenty-three, cocky, running toward danger.

In turnouts reeking of smoke, gear grinding his spine, hauling a kid from a window as flames lick behind.

My heart pounds with his adrenaline. He’s alive, feeding off chaos because saving people is the best drug.

“God, you loved it. Adrenaline junkie.”

He laughs, embarrassed but pleased. “Yeah. You’ve seen the highlight reel?”

I nod. “Why didn’t you go back after being turned?”

His eyes meet mine. “You know why.”

“Luna.”

“When I turned. I was compelled to return to Whisper Valley. To find my pack, to find Luna. I wasn’t a firefighter anymore. I was a wolf without his mate. At least until I found you in the cave. After that, I was just yours. The bond makes everything else... less.”

The truth hits hard. There’s mourning in Ryan beyond scars. I hear Kane’s echo: We live in the now, so the past won’t kill us .

“I can’t imagine how hard it was. Bonded with Kane but not whole. They told you Luna was gone, but you waited.” My voice shakes. “I was lucky—you were there the moment I entered this world. But you lost everything becoming Kane’s vessel. Then spent ten years without your mate.”

He covers my hand with both of his. “It wasn’t just loneliness.

For a wolf, losing your mate is starvation.

Something gnawing from inside. Even when I tried filling life with other things, nothing worked.

But now—” he leans in, forehead touching mine, “I can’t remember being empty.

You’re so deep in me it’s like you’ve always been there. ”

I kiss him, pouring everything unsaid into it. He responds immediately, pulling me close until I’m practically in his lap. The bond flares golden-silver.