Freda Pov
"You're being paranoid."
Those were the first words Urdon said to me this morning when I tried to talk to him again about the curse. He didn't even look up from the pack reports he was reading. Just kept his eyes on the papers like I wasn't even there.
I stood in the doorway of his office and wrapped my arms around myself. The mate bond felt weird between us now, like something was pulling it tight and making it hurt.
"I'm not paranoid," I said quietly. "I'm trying to protect you."
He looked up then. His eyes were hard and cold in a way I'd never seen before.
"Protect me?" He laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "Freda, you're my Luna, not my mother. I don't need protection from fairy tales."
That stung more than I wanted to admit. I walked closer to his desk and placed my hands on the wood.
"It's not a fairy tale. The curse is real, and it's affecting you whether you believe it or not."
Urdon slammed his hand down on the desk. The sound made me jump back.
"Enough." His voice was low and dangerous. "I said no more talk about curses. Do you understand me?"
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died in my throat. The Alpha command in his voice made my wolf want to submit. I hated that feeling.
"Yes, Alpha," I whispered.
He nodded once and went back to his papers like the conversation never happened.
I left his office with tears burning in my eyes.
The next few days were worse. The pack was preparing for the official mating season rites, and everyone seemed excited except me. I tried to smile and act happy, but inside I felt like something terrible was coming.
I noticed Beta Rex watching me during pack meetings. His eyes would follow me across the room, and it made my skin crawl. There was something wrong with the way he looked at me. Something that didn't feel like Rex at all.
One afternoon, I was walking past the training grounds when I heard voices. I stopped behind a tree and listened.
"The bloodlines must be protected." That was Rex's voice, but it sounded strange.
"What do you mean?" That was Delta Kyran.
"The inheritance cannot pass to weak wolves. The Alpha's line is tainted."
I pressed my hand over my mouth to keep from gasping. What was Rex talking about? Urdon's line wasn't tainted. Was this about the curse?
"Rex, you're not making sense," Kyran said slowly.
"You'll understand soon enough. The moon has plans for all of us."
I heard footsteps and quickly moved away from the tree before they could catch me. My heart was racing so fast I thought it might burst out of my chest.
That night I tried to tell Urdon what I'd heard.
"The Beta said something strange today," I began carefully.
We were in our room getting ready for bed. Urdon was taking off his shirt, and I could see the tattoo on his chest. It looked darker than usual, almost like it was moving.
"Rex says a lot of things," Urdon said without interest.
"He said your bloodline is tainted. He mentioned inheritance and weak wolves."
Urdon froze. Then he turned to look at me with an expression I couldn't read.
"You were spying on my Beta?"
"No, I just overheard them talking and…."
"Freda." He walked toward me, and I instinctively took a step back. "Are you questioning my Beta's loyalty to me?"
"I'm not questioning anything, I'm just telling you what I heard."
"Or maybe," he said slowly, "you're spending too much time thinking about other wolves in my pack."
My stomach dropped. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you seem very interested in what Rex and Kyran are doing. Especially Kyran."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "You talk about them constantly, you watch them. You listen to their private conversations."
"I was trying to protect you."
"No." His voice got louder. "You're being paranoid and obsessive. I'm starting to wonder why you care so much about my Delta."
The accusation hit me like a physical blow. My Alpha thought I had feelings for Kyran, my own mate was accusing me of betrayal when all I was trying to do was help him.
"I don't have feelings for anyone but you," I said, and my voice cracked.
"Then stop acting like you do." He turned away from me. "And stop filling your head with nonsense about curses. You're my Luna, act like it."
I stood there in silence while he got into bed. He didn't say goodnight, he didn't kiss me. Just turned his back on me like I was nothing.
I changed into my nightgown and slipped under the covers, but I couldn't sleep. The mate bond felt like it was choking me; every breath hurt.
Was I imagining everything? Was I really just being paranoid?
No. I knew what I heard. I knew what I felt; something was wrong with this pack, and Urdon refused to see it.
The next morning, I woke up alone. Urdon was already gone; there was no note or explanation.
I got dressed and went downstairs to find the pack house buzzing with activity. The omegas were preparing for the mating season rites, and everyone seemed happy except me.
I saw Beta Rex standing near the main hall talking to some younger wolves. When he saw me he smiled. It was a cold smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Good morning Luna," he said smoothly.
"Good morning Beta," I replied.
He walked over to me and the other wolves scattered. We were alone in the hallway now.
"The Alpha seems stressed lately," Rex said casually.
"He has a lot on his mind."
"Does he?" Rex tilted his head. "Or does he have too many voices in his ear telling him things that aren't true?"
I stiffened. "I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you?" He leaned closer, and I caught a strange scent on him. Something old and bitter. "Be careful, Luna. Sometimes curiosity is dangerous."
He walked away before I could respond.
My hands were shaking. That wasn't Rex, that was someone else wearing his face.
I needed to find Delta Kyran. If anyone could help me understand what was happening, it was him. He had access to the spiritual realm. He would know if something supernatural was going on.
But when I went looking for him, I found him standing with Rex near the edge of the forest. They were talking in low voices, too quiet for me to hear.
I watched them from a distance and felt my heart sink.
The Beta was getting closer to the Delta. Just like I feared.
And there was nothing I could do about it because my own mate thought I was crazy.
That night, Urdon came to bed late. I pretended to be asleep, but I felt him get under the covers. He didn't touch me. Didn't pull me close like he used to.
The mate bond felt weaker than ever.
I lay there in the darkness and wondered how everything had gone so wrong so fast.
Then I felt it again. That same chill from before, like something ancient was watching me through the window.
I turned my head and looked at the full moon hanging in the sky, and for just a second, I swear I saw a face in it.
A woman's face.
Screaming.
"If you keep questioning my authority," Urdon had said earlier that day when I pushed one more time, "you will weaken this pack."
I wanted to scream back at him. I wanted to make him understand.
But I didn't.
Because that night, when I closed my eyes, I felt the curse pulse through the mate bond like a heartbeat.
And I knew the moon was coming for all of us.