Chapter 4 The Elder's Warning

Selena stood there as she came from the rain. Silver hair stuck to her face. Long coat dripping water. Her eyes glowed faintly white, like moonlight caught in glass. The full moon was not up yet, but she looked like she carried it.

Kieran tensed next to me. His arm tightened around my shoulders. Not protective anymore. Desperate. Like he held on to stay standing.

“What curse?” I asked. My voice came out small. Shaky. I hated how weak it sounded.

Selena did not answer quickly. She looked at me hard. Like she could see the wolf still quiet under my skin. Like she could see the bond still sparking between Kieran and me.

“The one your bloodline carries,” she said finally. “Hidden mates are not accidents. They are born when the pack needs them most. Or when it is about to fall.”

Ronan stepped forward. “Selena, not here. Not in the open.”

She ignored him. Kept her eyes on me. “Your mother knew. She suppressed your wolf to keep the curse sleeping. But tonight it woke. The bond woke it.”

My stomach dropped. Cold spread through my chest.

Mom knew?

The memory hit hard. Her late-night whispers when Toby was asleep. “Some things are better hidden, baby. Some bonds are too bright. They burn.” I thought she talked about love. About heartbreak. Not this.

I remembered her face. Tired eyes. Small smile. She hugged me tight before she died. “Stay safe, Lila. Stay hidden.” I did not understand then. Now I did. And it hurt.

I remembered Toby. Small boy. Laughing. Holding my hand. “Lila, play with me.” Gone. Mom gone. Now Kieran might go too. Because of me.

Kieran’s breath hitched. “She never told me.”

Selena’s gaze moved to him. “She could not. The curse chooses the hidden one to balance power. If the bond seals without control, without ritual, the curse turns. The alpha weakens. The pack fractures. Rogues win.”

I felt Kieran’s heartbeat stutter against my side. Fast. Irregular. His grip loosened for a second. Then tightened again like he caught himself falling.

Ronan swore under his breath. “How long?”

“Next full moon,” Selena said. “Three days. Seal the bond completely. Mark. Claim. Everything. Or the curse takes them both. And Shadow Moon with them.”

Three days.

I looked up at Kieran. His face was pale under the streetlight. Blood still seeped from his side. But his eyes were not on Selena. They were on me. Raw. Pleading. Scared in a way I never saw an alpha look.

I wanted to shove him away. I wanted to run back to my apartment, lock the door, and pretend none of this had happened. But my feet would not move. My hand stayed pressed to his wound as it belonged there.

The rain picked up again. Cold drops slid down my neck. I shivered. He pulled me closer without thinking.

Elara broke the silence. “We need to get inside the pack lands. Now. Rogues will smell the blood. They will come back.”

Ronan nodded. “Vehicle is two blocks. Can you walk, Alpha?”

Kieran tried to straighten. Winced. “Yeah.”

He could not. Not really. I felt it. The way his leg buckled when he took a step. The way his breath caught.

I slipped under his arm again. “Lean on me.”

He looked down. Surprise flickered across his face. Then something softer. Grateful.

We started moving. Slow. Through the wet streets. Ronan and Elara flanking us, eyes scanning shadows. Selena walked ahead, coat flapping like wings.

Every step hurt him. I felt it echo in my own ribs. The bond did that thing again—sharing pain. Sharing everything.

Halfway to the vehicle, he stumbled. I caught him before he fell. His head dropped to my shoulder for a second. Breathing hard.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “For dragging you into this.”

I swallowed. Throat tight. “You did not drag me. The bond did.”

He pulled back just enough to look at me. Rain dripped from his lashes. “I would have found you anyway. Curse or no curse.”

The words landed softly. Too soft. I did not know what to do with them.

So I kept walking. Kept holding him up.

We reached an old black SUV parked in the shadows. Ronan opened the back door.

Kieran slid in first. I followed. He did not let go of my hand. Fingers laced through mine. Tight. Like letting go would make everything worse.

The engine started. We pulled away from town, toward the dark line of trees that marked pack territory.

Selena turned from the front seat. “The ritual ground is ready. But the choice is yours, hidden one. Force the bond, or let it sleep and risk everything.”

I stared out the window. Trees blurred past. Rain streaked the glass.

Kieran’s thumb brushed my knuckles. Slow. Gentle.

I did not pull away.

But inside, panic clawed up my throat. Three days to decide if I could trust him. If I could let him in. If I could let myself feel something bigger than grief.

As we crossed the border into the parched lands, the trees seemed to lean closer. A low rumble rolled through the ground—not thunder. Something older. The SUV's lights flickered. Kieran’s hand spasmed in mine. His eyes widened. “It’s starting already,” he breathed. “The curse… It’s inside me now too.”

I felt it. Cold. Crawling. Like ice in his veins. And in mine.

The car stopped. Doors opened. Cold air rushed in.

Ronan reached for Kieran. “We have to move him.”

I did not let go. Held tighter.

Kieran lifted his head just enough to look at me. Eyes wet. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered.

I whispered back. “You won’t.”

But the rumble grew. The ground shook harder. Trees rustled like they were afraid.

Selena stepped out. Face pale. “The curse is not waiting for a full moon. It is here. Now.”

A new howl came. Not pack. Not rogue. Something deep. Something wrong. The trees parted. A figure stepped out. Victor. Smiling. Holding a green stone. “The cursed heart is mine. And so is your mate.”

Kieran tried to stand. Fell. I caught him.

Victor laughed. “Choose, hidden one. Come with me… or watch him die.”