Moon bound: the curse of Ashbourne

ld her back. She stood at the edge of the woods, the towering trees of Ashbourne looming around her like ancient sentinels, their twisted branches creaking in the breeze, reaching out in si

ng fireflies just beyond the warded boundary, remembered her mother's laugh echoing through the woods, her younger brother's endless questions, and th

t time, she had never dared look back-not once. But something had shifted. The pull was undeniable now, an invisible tether drawing her across the miles. The curse that had

roke the stilln

beyond the tree line. She hadn't expected anyone to follow her into the woods, especially not this close to pack territory. The werewolves

n Gra

more than a greeting, and it made t

ng onto a pair of piercing blue ones watching her fro

clinging to the angles of his face. He wore a fitted black jacket over a dark shirt, the kind that did little to hide

ld sneak past me?" he asked,

no longer the young heir to the pack she had once sparred with beneath the trees. Now he was every inch the Alpha: tall, confident, and radiating t

her voice steady despite the thunderi

is gaze never wavering. He stopped just a few feet away, c

ow arching. "I thought y

Silas laughing as he dared her to leap across the creek, of whispered promises carved into tree bark. But those

said at last, voice clipped.

ave your hand, and everything will go back to the way it was?" His gaze flicked down to the dagger at her h

y I'm here. Because I know how dangerous it is

ncible? You think your magic can undo generations of pain? This curse-this

t years researching it, tracing its roots, chasing whispers and half-truths across dusty grimoires and lost histories. She had found

ng her chin. "But I won't leave, either. I'm

ng pause, he spoke again-his voice quiet now, lac

e pack remembers what happened. They won't t

her expression neutral. "I'm not asking you t

another word, Silas turned and melted back into the tr

ing. She wasn't sure if it was the threat of the curse-or the man Silas had be

silver light across the underbrush. Whatever lay befor

ak the

or the pack.

t leaving unt