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EVE

T he morning air around me was alive with the companionship of my wolf. I stood at the edge of the forest, focusing my energy inward. The connection between us was there—I felt her pacing—but the moment I tried to pull her forward, it was like grasping at smoke.

I still couldn’t shift.

My shoulders lifted as I took a slow, controlled breath. The release of a shift didn’t come so I tried again. My wolf responded this time, energy racing through me. And then… nothing. My limbs felt heavy, my muscles trembling with strain as I tried to channel her power.

Come on , I thought desperately, pushing harder. My vision blurred as the connection between us flared, her presence blazing through my mind like a wildfire. For a heartbeat, I thought it might happen—the transformation that had eluded me for so long .

And then—gone. My wolf let out a mournful whimper, retreating into the depths of my mind. My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the ground, my breath escaping in short, shallow gasps.

“Why?” I whispered as I beat the ground. “Why can’t I do this?”

My wolf didn’t answer. It was as if every failed attempt to shift was draining both of us, pulling us deeper into a void neither of us could escape.

I pressed my hands into the damp earth, my thoughts spiraling.

Cursed.

The word echoed in my mind like a cruel taunt. The old woman’s revelations replayed in my head.

You’re not just cursed, Evensong. You are the curse.

Was that why my wolf couldn’t come forward? Was my curse chaining her, holding her back the way it held me for so many years?

The weight of it settled over me like a suffocating shroud. Every vision I’d had, every moment of connection with my wolf since Logan had brought her back—it was all tainted. My curse was her burden too.

“Please,” I murmured, reaching for her again. “I need you.”

Her answer came as a soft growl. The bond between us pulsed weakly—she was still there, still fighting, but I couldn’t hold on to her. The harder I tried, the farther she slipped away.

Tears streaked down my cheeks as I slumped against the nearest tree, my body and soul drained. The truth was undeniable: my wolf was suffering, and so was I. And if I didn’t figure out how to fix this, I was sure we’d both fade away.

The curse was a poison spreading through everything I touched. I thought of Logan, his strength, his fire. How much of it had already been snuffed out by being near me? I saw flashes of him standing tall, commanding his pack, then weakening, darkening, as if his very essence were being drained away. All because of me.

A sharp gust of wind cut through the trees, whipping my hair across my face. I shivered but didn’t move, letting the cold air bite into my skin. The forest seemed alive around me, the faint rustle of leaves and distant howls echoing in my ears. But none of it felt real. The bond between Logan and me—the strange, fractured connection—it wasn’t a thread tying us together. It was a chain, pulling us both down.

And then I felt him.

It was subtle at first, like a ripple of energy. His presence came forward and I turned instinctively, my body responding before my mind could catch up. I scanned the trees, searching for him, even as my heart raced. I didn’t know if I wanted to see him or not.

When he emerged from the trees, it was like the forest itself parted for him. Logan’s posture was rigid. I could see the exhaustion written in the lines of his face. He looked like a man fighting battles on too many fronts, and losing ground on all of them.

“Eve,” he called, and the sweetest of smiles came across his face.

I melted. This man had a hold on me beyond my understanding. Despite everything he knew about me from day one, here he was, with a look in his eyes like there was no one and nothing in the world except me.

I tried to stand, but my legs shook beneath me. Before I could make sense of what was happening, he was there, dropping to his knees. His hands gripped my shoulders as his eyes roamed over my face, searching for answers.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I shook my head, my throat too tight to form words. The bond between us flared again, stronger this time, and I saw the flicker of pain in his face. He felt it too. Whatever was happening to us, it wasn’t just me. It was both of us.

“You’re weak.” I had never seen him like this, pale and confused. “Logan, I can feel how drained you are.”

“I’m fine,” he said, lacking conviction. His hands tightened on my arms, as if grounding himself through me. “Tell me what’s happening in you, Eve. There’s power in the bond between us, but at the same time…”

His voice faltered, and suddenly, his body swayed. I reached for him, my fingers curling around his forearms. The moment our skin touched, the bond flared again, a wave of heat and cold crashing through me with such force I gasped.

Logan’s eyes widened, his breath hitching as his wolf roared to the surface. His wolf was reaching for mine, desperate and wild, clawing at the edges of the bond. My own wolf responded, a faint echo that sent a jolt through both of us.

I needed him like I needed air.

Our bodies crashed together, a tangle of limbs and desperate energy as we clung to each other. It wasn’t a kiss, wasn’t an embrace—it was something deeper, primal, as if our very souls were fighting to stay connected. My head spun, my vision blurring as the bond flared brighter than ever and I felt I would burn up.

“Logan,” I gasped.

His arms tightened around me, his forehead pressing against mine as he whispered my name like a prayer. “Eve,” he breathed, his cheeks taut with discomfort. “What’s happening to us?”

“I don’t know.” I brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “But it’s not right.”

He pulled back slightly. His eyes were dark and the weight of the curse pressed down on me. My wolf stirred weakly, like she was fading again—and so was Logan.

“I’m the reason,” I whispered.

Logan frowned, his grip on me tightening. “What are you talking about?”

“The curse,” I said. “It’s me. It’s always been me.”

His expression hardened, his jaw clenching as he shook his head. “That’s not true and we won’t talk about it again.”

“Logan, it is?—”

“I won’t have you talking about my fated mate like that.” He kissed my forehead. “She is the most magnificent, inspiring, honorable woman in this world, and whatever cloud has settled over her, I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Our fates are entwined, Eve. You see?” He caressed my cheek and it was comforting and stinging at once. “That’s why I have to leave today.”

“What?” The word shot out of me like a bullet. I straightened, pushing slightly against his hands. “Logan, no. You can’t. ”

“I have to.” His tone was calm, but I felt the pressure simmering beneath it. “If we’re going to protect Orion, protect you, and begin to figure out this curse, then I have to go. There are still a lot of preparations to do today before I leave. I won’t do anything rash, but I must do this to avoid putting others in harm’s way.”

“You mean me .”

His expression didn’t change.

“No.” I shook my head, panic rising in my chest. “You can’t just leave. Whatever is happening between us, you’re weaker than before. You need to be in better form to face them.”

He sighed, his thumbs brushing over my arms in a soothing motion. “This isn’t a choice, Eve. If we wait for the official meeting, we’ll lose our chance to shift the narrative. I need to get ahead of it, speak to them directly, make sure they know what’s at stake.”

“Why you ?” I demanded. “Why does it always have to be you?”

“Because it’s my responsibility.” His hand moved from me to his forearm, where his tattoo lay hidden beneath his sleeve. “My brothers… This pack… It’s on me. You know that.”

That silenced my protests, because it was true. He always carried everything on his shoulders. That didn’t mean it was fair.

I nodded reluctantly, my heart pounding as his words sank in. My wolf paced restlessly, her instincts already taking over, seeking a plan I couldn’t fully comprehend yet. She needed to move, needed to run, needed to be in front and not behind whatever was happening to me, to us, to Logan.

And that was what I’d feared. What I’d known, deep down, the moment our bond had flared to life.

Sealing a bond with Logan was always going to be a parting, not a beginning.

The thought was ironclad, unshakable. My wolf growled her agreement, the connection between us humming with renewed strength. Logan might think he had to do this by himself, but he didn’t understand. He couldn’t.

Because I was his fated mate. And that meant I was his partner in all things—even in pain. Even in a curse. Even in this goodbye.

Goodbye.

Logan leaned in, brushing a kiss against my neck, the warmth of his lips sending a shiver through me. “Be safe,” he murmured, his voice soft but commanding.

“I should be saying that to you,” I whispered back, barely holding back the tears threatening to spill out.

His hand grazed my collarbone, then moved down my arm, over the place where that smudge of a Heraclid mark stained me.

He froze, his fingers brushing over ridges that I had never felt before. I looked to the place where he was outlining the pack mark with his fingers, each touch sending a wave of energy through my body.

I couldn’t believe what I saw.

The mark was changed. Or changing. Like a painting in process, it was unfinished.

A faint glow pulsed beneath his touch, and his expression transformed into something almost reverent .

He ran his thumb over the mark one last time and I felt lightheaded at the pulsing sensation.

“When I get back,” he looked at me so intently I was sure he could see my soul, “we’ll finish this. You and me.”

And then he was gone, disappearing into the trees as a single tear rolled down my cheek.

Goodbye.