The Curse Read online

  “Erec?”

  He looked up to see a young man from Mikel’s pack, named Henrick, step forward.

  “We thought you were dead. I-I saw Claus slam into you, and you go down,” he said.

  Claus must have been the name of the brown wolf who’d hit him hard enough and left him unconscious. Jerrick’s pet. “Well, here I am.”

  “Jerrick’s men make rounds every half hour,” he sputtered. His gaze shifted to Astrid. “You and the girl need to get away from here.”

  Every half hour? Then they had less time than he’d thought.

  “We’re getting you out first,” Astrid whispered and gave him a reassuring smile.

  The baby continued to scream, setting Erec’s nerves even more on edge as he stuck his blade’s tip into the lock and twisted. But it didn’t give. He tried again, wrenching the latch hard as he turned the knife, but nothing. He glanced over his shoulder to see Astrid had walked to one of the wounded wolves lying on its side in the snow. She examined the contraption around its neck and stroked its gray fur. There was no way his small knife was going to cut their chains.

  Then, a snarling voice exploded from across the clearing. “Enough! Shut that thing up, or I’ll come over and do it myself!”

  Erec’s attention snapped up, glancing back and forth between the trunks, but no one emerged past the tree line. The mother shushed and rocked the child, tears streaming down her cheeks, but it couldn’t be consoled. The sound of footsteps crunching their way echoed through the forest, north of where they were.

  “Go!” Henrick barked, his eyes wide with panic. “Now! Go!”

  Astrid was by Erec’s side in the next second. “What do we do? We can’t leave them.”

  He didn’t want to, but it looked like they didn’t have any other choice. If they were caught, there would be no one to warn Boden about Jerrick’s pack closing in. Astrid’s packmates could be thrown in the same cage or chained with those collars around their necks. Or worse—tortured and slaughtered.

  Erec thrust his arm in between the metal bars to pass Henrick his blade. “Protect the others,” he said. “I’ll come back. I’ll get you all out. I promise.” He wouldn’t abandon them. Not again.

  The man gave him a stiff nod, took the knife, and tucked it into the waistband of his trousers to hide it. “I will.”

  Beside him and with glistening eyes, the mother stuck her baby through the metal bars. Its small size hinted that it was only a few months old.

  “Please,” she sobbed, “take him. They’ll kill him if he stays.”

  Astrid took the child and cradled it in her arms. She wrapped her coat around its trembling body, and immediately its shrieks turned into soft whines. As the footfalls grew louder, panic shot through Erec’s limbs. His gaze whipped to Astrid. “We have to go. Now.”

  Not wasting another second, they spun around and sprinted into the woods.

  Chapter Four

  Erec forced himself not to think about all the people he was leaving behind as he and Astrid trudged through the forest, but he couldn’t shake the stones of regret tumbling inside him. He had glanced over his shoulder again, only to find no men or wolves following them, yet the prickling sense of impending danger still clung. They had narrowly escaped coming face to face with Jerrick’s guards. At least for now.

  He peeked over at Astrid. She had managed to keep up with his frantic pace, her legs moving at a blurring speed. Her cheeks were flushed, and small wheezes came with every gulp of frigid air she took, but she showed no signs of slowing. Erec couldn’t see the baby, but he was still tucked under her coat, safe from the nipping winds. Erec admired her determination. He didn’t know of many people who would risk their lives to save strangers, especially ones from other packs.

  What would happen once Jerrick’s men found the baby gone? Would they care enough to come looking for it? Fear started to churn in his head, poisoning his thoughts. His and Astrid’s prints must have covered miles of the forest they’d trekked. He doubted the continuing snowfall was heavy enough to cover all of them and fully mask their scents. They were easily traceable. What if they were leading the enemy right to the west-side pack? It would be another massacre.

  Erec thought about changing direction and leading any followers the wrong way. He couldn’t live with more deaths on his conscience. But right before he was about to swing left, the stripped tent posts and loaded sleds of Boden’s campsite came into view through the trees ahead.

  “We’ll be safer with the pack,” Astrid said, as if she had somehow read his concern.

  As much as they could be safer with greater numbers, it didn’t grant him any relief.

  “We’ll find my brother,” she said. “He’ll know what to do.”

  Reluctantly, Erec continued straight, running toward the commotion ahead. The once congested clearing was now mostly vacant and bare except for a few remaining house frames, clothing lines, and low-burning fires. Women and children were gathered around their belongings, either chatting to one another or watching their mates pull down the rest of the little town they had built. Erec couldn’t believe they had deconstructed their homes so quickly, but then he remembered Astrid saying that their pack had just settled here. Maybe they were used to uprooting themselves and searching for a place to call home. Like him.

  As they rushed on, Astrid pulled back her fur coat a bit. The infant’s face popped out, now pink with warmth. Blue swirls were tattooed across his forehead, and a heavy sadness crept into Erec’s chest. Like him and every other wolf shifter born, this baby was marked by the curse at birth. He was destined to die if he didn’t find his true mate by his twenty-fifth Blue Moon, and he’d done nothing to deserve it. He didn’t even know about Maurus, the wolf spirit, and how his jealousy led to the death of an innocent woman. Why was he being punished for someone else’s mistake?

  “What are we going to do with the little one?” he asked her.

  “I don’t know…” Astrid covered the baby from view, and when she looked up again, she pointed to a group of men who were loading the back of a sled and tying down the growing pile with rope. “There’s Filip.”

  She rushed toward them. “Filip!” A young man with black hair tossed one more canvas sack on the load before turning around. Erec noticed the similarities to his face instantly. The wide, flat nose and boxy shape of his jaw mimicked Boden’s, but youth clung to his features, like Astrid.

  Filip’s gaze shifted from her to Erec, and his mouth twisted into a grimace. “So that’s where you disappeared to. To bring the rogue back.”

  “He’s going to help us with…” Astrid paused, glancing at the other men still fiddling with the sled and then back at Filip.

  Seeming to sense her hesitance, he called over to the helpers, “Search for anyone else with things still to load and offer a hand. It’s almost dawn. If we can’t carry everything, we’ll just have to leave it.”

  They nodded in unison and walked off.

  When they were alone, Astrid leaned in close to her brother and raised a brow. “Now Filip…keep your voice down. I’m going to show you something.” She pulled back her coat, revealing the baby snuggled close to her breast underneath.

  “That’s a—” His tone spiked.

  She winced. “Shh!”

  “We found a group of survivors. One was a mother. She gave him up to save his life,” Erec interrupted, making sure to keep his voice low. “Jerrick’s closer than I thought. Only a few miles northeast from here.”

  “That monster has them freezing and starving, dying in cages with collars around their necks,” Astrid cut in. “We need to go back and save them.”

  The muscles in Filip’s jaw jumped as he gritted his teeth. “Did anyone follow you back?”

  Astrid shook her head.

  “Not that we saw,” Erec added to make sure the brother knew the danger was still there.

  Filip turned to him. “How many were there?”

  “Maybe a dozen in all,” Erec replied.
/>   “We have to help them, Filip.” Astrid rocked the baby in her arms. “He needs his mother.”

  Filip was quiet for a long moment. With more and more doubt reflecting in his expression, Erec’s irritation grew. Was Astrid the only one in this family who had a heart, who thought about anyone outside their pack?

  Erec clenched his fists at his sides. It didn’t matter. He didn’t need Filip’s help, or Boden’s. He’d already made his decision. He wasn’t going to let Henrick and the others die like worthless animals, with or without Boden’s pack behind him. He’d do it on his own if he had to. As soon as night fell, he’d go back, wait until the guard wolves did their pass, and find a way to break the locks before they made their rounds again. Maybe he’d even “borrow” an axe or a mallet from Boden’s weapon stash to crack them loose.

  Filip let out a long, drawn-out sigh, and rubbed the back of his neck. “We’ll figure out something.”

  It wasn’t exactly the answer he wanted, but it was better than a no. “You’re not worried about what Boden will say?” Erec asked. “He seemed set on his decision before.”

  Filip glanced away, his eyes landing on something in the distance. “I’ll speak with him,” he said. “If Jerrick’s that close, then we really are in great danger.”

  Erec followed his gaze and noticed a woman striding toward them. She was wrapped in a brightly colored shawl, her hair chopped to her ears. The closer she came, the more Erec realized just how short she was. She reached Filip’s side, and the top of her head only came to his elbow, but the smile across her lips was full and warm.

  “You must be Erec, the one they found in the snow.” Her voice was high and crisp, reminding him of a lumibird’s winter song. “I’m glad to see you found your way back to us. Welcome.”

  It was the first real welcome he had received since he’d arrived here, and still, it surprised him. “Th-thank you.”

  “This is my mate, Mila,” Filip said, tucking her under his arm and tugging her close. Something sparked in his eyes when he stared down at her, and his stern facade lifted.

  Erec’s chest pinched. The love they shared seemed to radiate like an invisible current. It was a bond strong enough to lift the curse, the one their kind longed for. The one he needed to save his life.

  He’d met many women during his travels, but he’d never experienced the zing, the feeling of wholeness couples say happens when true mates meet. He’d given up on finding that a long time ago. It just wasn’t in the stars for him.

  His gaze drifted over to Astrid. He remembered the way his breath seized in his lungs when he first saw her face, how the mischievousness in her brilliant green eyes both captivated and intrigued him. She was beautiful—there was no doubt of it—but she couldn’t be the one meant to save him.

  “Sweet Moons! What an adorable child!” Mila’s squeal jarred Erec out of his thoughts.

  “They found him with some of Jerrick’s prisoners not far from here,” Filip replied.

  Astrid turned to give Mila a better view of the child. “His mother gave him up to protect him.”

  “Oh, poor thing… He’s not much older than our Finn. And bare bottomed!” She reached out, gesturing for Astrid to pass him over, and she laid him in her waiting arms. She drew him in close and stared down at him with affection. “What’s his name?”

  “We have no idea,” she said. “He was given to us in a hurry.”

  Mila tilted her head to the side as she studied the little boy’s face. “Not a peep from him,” she murmured. “He should have a proper name. At least for now.” She paused, thinking. “How about Stefan? I think it fits.”

  Filip shook his head and chuckled. “It fits.”

  “Where is Father, anyway?” Astrid asked, wrapping her coat tightly around her body. “We should tell him what we found.”

  Filip and Mila exchanged anxious looks. Neither of them said a word.

  Something was wrong.

  “Where’s Father?” Astrid pressed. Her gaze flicked from Mila to her brother. “Filip?

  “I-I think it’s best if you leave him alone,” Filip said. “Why don’t you get some food? Something to warm you both up. We should be leaving soon.”

  “But he’s all right?” Her voice trembled as her panic rose.

  “He’s—” He stopped himself. “You know how he is. He won’t be happy to find out you left again.”

  He was changing the subject. Erec knew a deflection when he heard one. Filip was keeping a secret.

  “He needs to know what we found,” she replied. “You said it yourself that you’ll talk to him. He needs to know.”

  Mila touched Filip’s shoulder, a frown capturing her mouth. “You can’t protect her from it forever,” she whispered. “You need to tell her.”

  Astrid’s brows knitted together. “Protect me?”

  Erec growled. “What’s going on?” At some point, he had moved without realizing it and was now standing in front of Astrid, creating a wall between her and her brother. “Protect her from what?”

  Filip squeezed his eyes shut, saying nothing, as if the question was causing him great pain.

  “It’s time,” Mila murmured gently and rubbed his arm. “She should know.”

  “I know… I know…” When he opened his eyes again, uncertainty hung in his stare. His shoulders fell in defeat. “Come with me. I’ll show you.” He turned around, and with his mate at his side, he walked away.

  Astrid looked to Erec before moving. Her apprehension was clear on her face. He wanted to tell her something reassuring, but his tongue couldn’t create the words.

  Not knowing what to say, he gave her a firm nod instead. He hoped it would be enough to tell her he’d stay by her side the entire way. She lifted her chin and set her jaw before marching after her brother and his mate.

  They walked together and passed men, women, and families of all sizes standing by their packed sleds or by dwindling fires, waiting to start the trek farther west. The sky lightened as dawn pushed away the night. According to Boden’s word, they should have left by now.

  Pink clouds smeared across the treetops, and as the sun rose higher behind them, Erec’s inner wolf began pulling away. The energetic pulse of the earth beneath his feet became a distant hum, eventually fading out completely to an eerie stillness. The raw power of that part of him and all it offered was gone, leaving just a gaping feeling of emptiness. Even though the loss of his animal side would only be temporary, until the moon reigned again, he hated the weakness that came with it.

  At the far end of the clearing, away from the rest of the pack and any curious ears, the largest fire pit in the campsite was still ablaze, its flames stretching taller than Erec in height. A tent bigger than most of the ones Erec had seen stood still erect. Above the entrance, a set of massive moose antlers hung.

  Why hadn’t this tent been packed up? Even the wagon beside it remained empty, except for the inch of snow it had collected.

  “My dear Anya, it’s almost time for us to move on from here. Are you ready to go?” Erec recognized Boden’s voice, but when he scanned the area, he didn’t see him or the woman he was talking to.

  Filip pressed a finger to his lips and gestured to the wagon. Astrid pushed Erec aside and rushed around it. Then she stopped short.

  Erec stepped closer and saw why she’d halted. Boden was on his knees, his back to them, unaware of their approach, with his head tilted up to the sky. Even with the morning upon them, the bright star, Vallor, still shined.

  No blood stained the snow; he didn’t appear hurt. And he saw no woman—this Anya he seemed to be speaking to. Besides them, Boden was alone.

  Erec glanced back at Filip, confused, but he and Mila were both focused on Astrid, who stood frozen behind her father.

  Still unaware of their approach, Boden continued to speak with his eyes fixed on something above his head. “I need to protect the pack. I know we’ve just settled here, but Jerrick is getting closer—” He paused, as if listening to someo
ne’s response, but no voice could be heard. “Please, my love, don’t cry…”

  “Father?” Astrid choked, but he didn’t move.

  “I’ll figure it out. I promise.” His words hitched, still not hearing Astrid’s call. “Don’t cry, Anya…”

  But there was no Anya. No one else was there with him. Nothing, not even a bird, passed over him in the sky. Erec only saw the northen most star twinkling through the streaky clouds.

  “Astrid? She’ll be all right,” Boden went on. “I won’t let anything happen to her. She’ll find her mate in time. The curse will be broken.”

  At the mention of her name, Astrid hurried to her father’s side and fell in front of him. She clutched his broad shoulders and shook him twice. “Father! Father! Who are you talking to?”

  His chin dropped, but he stared at her with a blank expression.

  “Father?”

  “Astrid? There you are.” A smile crawled across his lips. “It’s your mother. Look.”

  Astrid’s gaze flicked upward. “That’s Vallor, Father. Just a star.”

  He shook his head. “No, no. It’s her. Look.”

  Unable to believe what he was witnessing, Erec remained quiet, a sinking feeling in his gut. He’d spoken with Boden not too long ago. He’d seen power and authority in the alpha’s stare then, not dreamlike vacancy. If he’d met this Boden when he’d first come here, he would have thought him an entirely different person.

  “Father…” Astrid placed her palms against his cheeks. Her tear-filled eyes glistened against the morning light. “Mother’s gone. She’s dead. Don’t you remember?”

  Erec’s heart ached. He couldn’t stand seeing what this was doing to her. He understood why Filip had avoided the truth, why he’d tried to protect her. He didn’t want her to experience the pain.

  “Now you see what I’ve been struggling with for years.” Filip’s words were hushed, full of conflict. “I’ve been protecting her and hurting her at the same time by keeping the truth from her.” He inhaled deeply through his nose. “I never wanted her to worry.”