"Of course I worry, Liam," she replied gently, placing a warm hand on my shoulder. "Especially when it comes to you."
Her touch sent a pang of guilt through me. It wasn't fair that she blamed herself for the curse that loomed over me like a dark cloud. But no matter how many times we tried to tell her otherwise, she couldn't shake the belief that it was her fault.
"I just..." I trailed off, struggling to put my thoughts into words. "I hate seeing you suffer because of me." my mum smiled sadly, her fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead as she spoke.
"It's not your fault either, Liam. We've been over this before." And we had, countless times.
The curse had been placed upon me while my mother was pregnant with me, by a man named Felix Blackwood, father to Jasper Blackwood and former Alpha of the Shadow Night pack. Felix had harboured feelings for my mother, and when she met my father, her fated mate; he took it hard. The curse was his twisted way of making her suffer for a choice that wasn't even hers to make. My parents told me about the curse when I was nineteen. At first I was confident in Diana the Moon Goddess’s plans and said that my fated mate would appear. But by the time I was twenty-three, and she still hadn’t arrived, I started to worry. I even attempted to take a chosen mate, which ended in the worst possible way. After that, I declared that the Moon Goddess would decide my fate and I would only complete the bond with my fated mate.
I have travelled the world, visiting more packs than I could count. Going to all the mating balls and other events that I could. Officially, I was working on pack business, networking within the werewolf community, but the aim was simple: find my fated mate before my 30th birthday. We were getting close, less than half a year, and I had been searching for some other saving grace, or some way to break the curse. I thought again about how I had so little time left. What would happen if I told Erica about the curse? Would she bolt? Or would she complete the bond to save my pack? For some reason I suspected that she would do the second. But I didn’t want her to be with me through some sort of duty. I wanted her to realise how amazing the bond could be between us. One look at my father and mother was enough to confirm that the mate bond really was something beautiful. I wanted Erica to see that, and I was willing to take the risk and wait to prove it to her. The last thing she needed was to be forced to be used for other people's gain. I suspected that was something she was used to, and I didn’t want to be one of those people.
I glanced up at my father who was whispering something in my mother’s ear.
“Dad,” I said, and they both looked over. “Can we keep the curse quiet from Erica, just for now?”
“Are you sure that is wise?” Gregg asked. I glanced at him and then back at my father.
“I don’t want her to feel like we only want her to save ourselves,” I said “I’m trusting that this is the right way. Please?” My father looked to be thinking about it for a moment, but then nodded.
“Okay son,” he said, “If you are sure.”
“I am.” Now all I needed to do was to convince my fated mate that the bond was worth her trust. That was easy, right?
Chapter 21
Erica
Heatswirledinmychest as the realisation struck me. Alpha Declan had orchestrated everything, from assigning me to work for the pack businesses, to predicting I would agree to his plan. My hands clenched into fists as I felt the bitterness of being manipulated once again by an Alpha.
"Is everything alright, Erica?" Gen asked, her brow furrowed in concern.
"Fine," I gritted out through clenched teeth. "Just peachy." I slammed the door to the office behind me, following Gen out of the pack house and into the grounds.
The sun glinted off the windows of two large buildings that flanked the main pack house, a well-manicured park situated between them. Laughter floated on the breeze as children played tag on the lush grass, their happiness mocking the turmoil simmering inside me. Families lounged on picnic blankets, sharing food and conversation. The scene was like something out of a damn postcard, and it only fuelled my anger.
"Everyone seems so... happy," I muttered with more than a hint of sarcasm.
"Of course they are," Gen replied, oblivious to my inner storm. "Alpha Declan runs a tight ship, but he also knows how important it is for everyone to feel at ease and connected."
"Right," I said, rolling my eyes. "Because being a puppet-master brings everyone closer together."
"Erica, I’m sure you've been through a lot," Gen said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder. I fought the urge to shrug it off. "But give this place a chance. It's not what you think." I wanted to scoff, to tell her I knew better than to trust Alphas and their grand plans. But instead, I swallowed my words and forced a smile.
"Sure thing. Thanks."
As we continued walking through the picturesque scene, my mind raced, analysing every detail and interaction around me. I knew from experience that things weren't always what they seemed, and I wouldn't let myself be played like a pawn in Declan's game. But for now, I'd play nice and see where this path led. And if it turned out to be just another cage, well, I'd find a way to break free. I always did.
Gen guided me toward one of the two large buildings that flanked the park.
"This is one of the unmated accommodations," she explained, gesturing to the modern-looking structure before us. She pointed across the park to the other building.
"That's the other one. Over the bridge, you'll find some of the family residences, along with the hospital and training grounds. Further down in the next valley is another residential area and the commercial district."
"Commercial area?" I raised an eyebrow, my curiosity piqued despite my lingering anger. "Yep!" Gen nodded enthusiastically. "We have a whole shopping centre and even a cinema on pack grounds. Our territory is pretty much like its own small town."
"Great," I muttered under my breath, not quite able to keep the cynicism from my voice. "Just what I've always wanted: to be trapped in a self-contained werewolf paradise."
"Erica, it's not as bad as you're making it out to be," Gen insisted, her tone patient but firm. "There's a real sense of community here. We all work together, support each other, and have some fun while we're at it."
