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61
Thalia’s POV

The first thing I noticed when I woke wasn’t the pain. It was the silence. A thick, humming quiet that pressed in on me from all sides, heavy and unnatural, as though the air itself held its breath. My eyes fluttered open, and the dim glow of dawn crept weakly through the cracks of the shutters.
For one blissful second, I thought it had all been a dream—the shadows, the bite, Jaden’s burning eyes pinning me in the dark. But then the ache pulsed in my wrist, sharp and hot, and reality returned like a blade.
I sat up slowly. My head throbbed, my mouth dry as though I hadn’t spoken in days. When I looked down, I almost wished I hadn’t.
The bite mark was still there. Jagged, angry, rimmed with veins that traced up my arm like black ink spilled beneath my skin. It hadn’t faded overnight like I hoped. It had spread.
I swallowed hard, pressing my fingers to it. Heat pulsed beneath my touch, but it wasn’t my heartbeat. It was something else—something alive, feeding, whispering. My stomach churned.
“You’re awake.”
The voice startled me so badly I nearly fell from the bed. Nyra—or was it Nancy now?—leaned against the wall, arms folded, her eyes sharp and unreadable. She looked perfectly at ease in my room, as if she had been waiting all night for me to stir.
I glared at her. “Were you watching me sleep?”
She smirked, unbothered by my hostility. “Someone had to. After last night, no one knew if you’d make it till morning.”
Her words sank in slowly. My pulse stumbled. “What do you mean, make it?”
She pushed away from the wall, stepping closer, her gaze dropping to my arm. “That mark isn’t just a wound, Thalia. It’s a tether. A bond forged in shadow and blood. You’re linked now. To him.”
Her voice hardened when she said the last word, as if the mere thought of Jaden was poison on her tongue.
I shook my head, clutching my wrist. “No. I didn’t agree to this. I didn’t choose—”
“Neither did he.” Nyra’s tone cut like ice. “The curse chose for you both.”
Her words left me reeling. I wanted to deny it, to scream that she was wrong. But deep down, in the marrow of my bones, I knew she wasn’t. Even now, I could feel him—Jaden—like a presence just at the edge of my mind. Not fully inside me, but hovering close enough that I couldn’t ignore him. A thread tying us together, pulling tighter with every breath.
I pressed my palms to my face. “What happens now?”
For a long moment, Nyra didn’t answer. Then she crouched beside the bed, her voice dropping low, conspiratorial. “Now? You survive. But surviving him is never easy. He’s not the only one who will feel the curse tearing at his soul. You’ll feel it too. It will claw at you, demand things from you. And the more you resist, the more it will hurt.”
Her eyes glinted, cruel satisfaction hidden in her words. “So, my advice? Don’t resist. Submit to it. Submit to him.”
The way she said it made bile rise in my throat. I shoved her back, my anger sparking hotter than my fear. “I’ll never submit to him. Or this curse.”
Nyra only laughed, standing gracefully as though my defiance amused her. “We’ll see.” She drifted to the door, her cloak swishing across the floorboards. Just before slipping out, she glanced back, her smile sharp. “Careful, Thalia. The bond doesn’t forgive stubborn hearts.”
And then she was gone.
I sat frozen, my chest heaving. My thoughts spun wildly, too many truths crashing into me at once. The curse. The bond. Him.
The room felt too small, the air too thin. I needed space.
I stumbled to my feet and pushed out onto the balcony. The chill of dawn bit into my skin, but I welcomed it. Below, the village stirred. Children chased each other between huts, mothers drew water, warriors sharpened blades for patrol. Everything seemed so normal. Yet above it all, I stood marked, cursed, tethered to the Alpha they all whispered about in fear.
I gripped the railing hard, forcing myself to breathe. But every inhale only pulled him closer. I could feel his presence brushing against my mind, faint but undeniable.
I hated it. I hated him.
And yet—when my knees buckled beneath the weight of the bond, when the burn of the mark seared through me again—I also felt the echo of his strength, surging into me like a lifeline. As though the curse itself didn’t just tether us, it balanced us. His fury fed my fire. My fear steadied his.
It was unbearable.
“Thalia.”
I spun, heart leaping into my throat. He was there. Jaden.
Leaning against the doorway, his eyes locked on me. Not the cold, cruel glare he usually wore. Something softer, shadowed by guilt, by exhaustion. His hair was tousled, his jaw tight, but there was no mistaking the way his gaze dropped to my wrist.
Our bond pulsed, alive and electric, the air between us taut as a drawn bowstring.
I wanted to scream at him, to demand why he’d let this happen. But when I opened my mouth, the words stuck. My body betrayed me. Instead of rage, all that spilled out was a whisper, cracked and trembling.
“What have you done to me?”
He didn’t answer right away. The silence stretched, filled only by the pounding of my heart. Then he stepped closer, every movement slow, deliberate, as if afraid I might shatter.
“I didn’t want this,” he said finally, his voice raw. “But the curse… it chose you.” His hand twitched at his side, as if he wanted to reach for me but thought better of it. “Now, I can’t undo it. Not without killing you.”
The words sliced through me. My chest tightened, the bond pulling, pulling until I thought it would rip me in half.
Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I straightened my shoulders, lifting my chin even though my body trembled. “Then we’re both trapped.”
His jaw clenched. He looked like he wanted to argue, but the truth hung heavy between us. He knew it as well as I did.
Trapped.
And neither of us had a way out.