Page 46 of Curses and Casualties (Hunters Hollow #3)

Six Months Later

I stand at the edge of the tree line, watching my brother adjust his tie for the tenth time in as many minutes.

The wedding setup is perfect—wooden chairs draped in white fabric, flowers lining an aisle leading to a simple wooden arch adorned with greenery, all set in the clearing between Valentine’s property and Owen’s clinic.

The lake shimmers like glass in the background, reflecting the azure sky. Everything Owen and Honey deserve.

“You know they wouldn’t mind if you were there,” Georgia says softly, appearing at my side with that silent grace she’s mastered since our bonding. “Honey knows about us. And some of those guests helped treat our injured after the supermoon battle.”

“I know. But I can’t.” The words come out rougher than intended. “The other guests?—”

“Would probably have heart attacks,” Georgia finishes with a sigh, understanding the weight of what we carry.

I don’t need to explain further. My scarred face, my imposing size, the predatory stillness that marks me as other—I’m the monster from their childhood nightmares.

The pink claw marks raking down my right cheek would be explained away as a bear attack, but my ice-blue eyes would give away my true nature to anyone who looked close enough.

Better to stay in the shadows, where our kind has survived for generations.

Too dangerous, Kane agrees grimly. Humans fear what they don’t understand. And they destroy what they fear.

The old stories are filled with cautionary tales—soul-bonded pairs discovered by humans, burned as witches or demons.

Even with our power, even with magic flowing freely again, humans still outnumber us a thousand to one.

One panicked phone call, one viral video, and everything we’ve built could crumble.

Georgia slips her hand into mine, and I feel our bond pulse warm between us. “It’s still not fair. He’s your twin.”

“Life rarely is,” I say, but squeeze her hand in thanks. “At least the world is changing, even if slowly.”

She nods, understanding the subtext. Since the supermoon, reports have been filtering in from across the globe.

New Soul Bonds forming. Witches finding their power amplified.

Even some vampire clans reporting increased fertility.

The magic we released is spreading like ripples on water, but change takes time.

“Four new bonded pairs confirmed this week,” I murmur, keeping my voice low. “Including that pack in Montana you mentioned.”

“And three more witch covens reporting power surges,” Georgia adds. “Amara says the old bloodlines are awakening. Magic that’s been dormant for centuries. It’s all coming back tenfold now that the Soulcave released all that power back into the world.”

But with the awakening comes danger. Humans are beginning to notice—strange phenomena they can’t explain, people going missing only to return.

.. different. The Supernatural Council may be fractured, but their warnings about exposure ring truer than ever.

We walk a razor’s edge between freedom and discovery.

“I wish Scarlett was here,” Georgia says, voicing what we’re both thinking. “She’d find some way to make this more fun for you.”

My chest tightens at the mention of our missing pack member. Three months since she left with Fenris—Magnus—whatever fractured combination they are now. Three months of radio silence, just that brief note: Need to figure this out. Don’t wait for me.

“She’ll come back,” I say, though the words feel hollow. “When she’s ready.”

“When they’re ready,” Georgia corrects gently.

“All three of them need to heal. Although, it’s kind of wild that Scarlet’s Soul Bond was a vessel and not a born wolf.

I wonder how that would have worked if Magnus had always remained human—would he still be her soulmate?

And then, what would happen if they bonded somehow and then her wolf’s mate showed up. That could get super complicated.”

“I don’t think there’s a guidebook for any of this,” I say, watching as more guests arrive. “The old ways were lost for so long. We’re figuring this out as we go.”

Georgia leans against me, her warmth steadying.

The music starts. Owen stands tall at the altar, his face a perfect mirror of anxiety and joy.

I feel my throat tighten and watch the small gathering turn in their seats.

I recognize the Soulwink Society members—Jade and Kellen, Clementine and Rafe, Jack and Jolie—along with Georgia’s brother, Jason.

They’re the humans who discovered the magic of the heartstones, the reason Georgia was up in the cave that day looking for answers.

And even though most of them don’t know who or what I am, I owe them a debt of gratitude I can never repay.

Honey appears at the end of the aisle, radiant in flowing white with a floral crown in her hair. She looks like something out of one of those fairy tales she’s always referencing.

“She’s beautiful,” Georgia whispers.

“She’s perfect for him.” I watch my brother’s face transform as he sees his bride.

All the walls he built after my attack, all the guilt and isolation—gone.

He’s just a man in love, waiting for his mate.

And somehow, against all odds, he’s managed to live with a foot in both worlds—the supernatural realm where I dwell and the normal human existence I left behind ten years ago.

The ceremony is intimate, personal. When Owen speaks his vows, his voice carries to where we stand, and I hear the tremor of emotion in it. This is what we fought for. This right to love, to choose, to build lives beyond survival.

We remain hidden as they dance under the stars, the celebration moving to the open area near the lake. I should leave now. It’s not safe for me to linger where the other humans might catch a glimpse of me. But I can’t tear myself away, not yet.

“She sees you,” Georgia murmurs.

I follow her gaze to find Honey looking directly at me, her eyes finding mine despite the distance and shadows.

She mouths “thank you” with a smile that holds genuine warmth.

I give her a solemn nod, acknowledging the bond between us—not a pack bond, but something equally important. Family by choice.

Owen follows her gaze, spots me, and his expression softens with a mixture of gratitude and regret. I know he wishes I could stand beside him as his best man, just as I wish I could have been there. But we both understand the necessity of the shadows.

“Dance with me,” Georgia says suddenly.

“Georgia—”

“No.” Her eyes flash with silver fire—Luna’s influence. “We deserve this too. Dance with your mate, Ryan Blackwell.”

So I do. I pull her deeper into the forest, where the music still reaches us, but we’re safely hidden from human eyes. I hold her close, swaying to the distant melody while the humans celebrate love without fear, unaware that just beyond their sight, supernatural creatures dance to the same song.

Georgia fits perfectly against me, her head on my shoulder, our bond humming contentedly between us. The soft silver glow of Luna shimmers beneath her skin, visible only in the darkness.

“I love you,” she murmurs. “Completely. Eternally. Wolves, pack drama, forest dances and all.”

“I love you too.” I press a kiss to her hair, breathing in her scent of vanilla and storms. “And when we do get married, it’ll be worth the wait.”

“With Scarlett as maid of honor?”

“If she’ll have the job.”

“And Fenris as ring bearer?” She’s teasing now, and I love her for it.

“I think Magnus might object to that particular indignity.”

We laugh, spinning under the stars, and for a moment I let myself imagine it, our wedding, our pack complete, our future spreading out before us like an open road.

But for now, this is enough. Dancing with my mate at the edge of my brother’s wedding, knowing that somewhere out there, Scarlett is finding her way back to us.

She’ll come home. They always do.

And when she does, we’ll finally have our own happily ever after.

“Hey,” Georgia says, pulling back to look at me, her green eyes flecked with rainbow colors that mark our completed Soul Bond. “I was thinking about our wedding.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Were you now?”

“Mmm.” She rests her head against my chest. “I want my parents there. And our brothers. A real ceremony, not just hidden away in the shadows.”

I tense slightly. “Georgia?—”

“I know,” she cuts me off gently. “But we’ll figure it out. My parents already think I’m dating a reclusive mountain man with scars from a bear attack.” She traces the marks on my face with gentle fingers. “They don’t need to know everything to be part of our lives.”

I consider this. The careful balance we’ve maintained. The secrets we keep, even from those we love.

“You really think they’d accept me?” I ask, tracing my thumb along the curve of her jaw. “Scars and all?”

“They’ll see what I see,” Georgia says with that fierce certainty I’ve come to rely on. “A good man who loves their daughter. The rest is just... details.”

I want to believe her. After a decade of hiding, of being the monster in the shadows, the idea of standing in the sunlight terrifies and tempts me in equal measure.

“Besides,” she adds with a mischievous smile, “my mom’s been hounding Jason for details about you since his visit. According to her last email, she’s convinced you’re either a secret billionaire or in witness protection.”

“Your family has quite the imagination.”

“Wonder where I get it from.” She rises on tiptoes to kiss me, soft and sweet. “Think about it, OK? We don’t have to decide tonight.”

Over her shoulder, I catch a glimpse of Owen and Honey dancing beneath the fairy lights, foreheads pressed together, lost in their own world. My brother found his way to happiness despite everything. Maybe I can too.

“I’ll think about it,” I promise, hooking a finger under her chin and lowering my mouth to hers and kissing her softly. “For now, let’s just enjoy the night.”

Georgia melts into me as we dance, and I’m struck by how far we’ve come.

From that first desperate encounter in the Soulcave to this moment of quiet joy, we’ve survived curses and battles and the very reshaping of our world.

And through it all, this fierce, brilliant woman has stood beside me, unafraid of the monster or the man.

The music shifts to something slower, more intimate, and Georgia sighs contentedly against my chest. “This is nice,” she murmurs. “Just us and the stars.”

“And half a wedding party just beyond the trees,” I remind her, though I’m smiling.

“Minor details.” Her fingers trace idle patterns on my back. “I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”

“Me either, love. Me either.”

As the moon rises bright above us, I pull her even tighter in my arms, and I swear I can feel the moon’s blessing. On Owen and Honey, on Georgia and me, and yes, even on Scarlett and her complicated mate, wherever they are.

This is what victory looks like. Not a battle won or an enemy defeated, but a promise of hope amid shadows.

It’s more than enough.

It’s everything.