Chapter 16: The Curse Within (Ariana’s POV)
I still can’t believe I am pregnant. But due to severed bond with Scott, the elder told me to take a rest. I tried but boredom hits me. I started cleaning up the house and saw a diary in the attic.
The diary was old, its leather binding cracked and weathered with age. My fingers brushed over the gold–embossed initials on the cover-*A.S.*–and a chill ran
through me.
Sitting cross–legged on the floor, I opened it with care, the yellowed pages crackling under my touch. The handwriting was elegant yet firm.
“My bloodline is cursed,” read the first
entry. My stomach clenched, my heart pounding as I read further.
The entries painted a tragic story of my great–grandmother, Althea Silverstone, a
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Chapter 16: The Curse Within (Ariana’s POV)
woman of power and resilience. She had once been a respected Luna, loved by her pack and feared by her enemies. But in her pursuit of vengeance against the rival Shadowstone pack–Scott‘ s pack–she unleashed a curse upon them.
A curse that doomed the firstborns of their bloodline to die young in rogue attacks.
My hands trembled as I turned the pages. Althea had written about the price she paid for her anger, the ripple effects of her choices tearing through generations. The curse had not only bound the Shadowstone. pack to a cycle of tragedy but had also fractured our own pack‘ s strength.
Althea‘ s final entry was a warning: “One day, the bloodlines will converge. The curse and the cursor will share one vessel. Only then can the cycle be broken–or strengthened forever.”
I slammed the book shut, my chest heaving. The words felt like a noose tightening around me.
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Chapter 16: The Curse Within (Ariana’s POV)
I found Elder Mariana in her small cottage near the edge of the pack‘ s territory. She was sitting on her porch, weaving herbs into a garland. Her wise eyes lifted as I approached, her expression immediately shifting to concern.
“Ariana, child,” she said, motioning for me to sit. “You look as if the moon herself has whispered something dreadful to
you.
I placed the diary on the table between us, its weight feeling heavier than it should.
“Elder Mariana, do you know about
Althea Silverstone?”
Her fingers froze mid–weave. A shadow crossed her face, and she exhaled deeply.
“So, you’ve found the diary.”
I nodded, my voice trembling. “Is it true? About the curse, the bloodlines, everything?”
Mariana leaned back, her gaze fixed on the horizon. “Althea was a proud woman,
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Chapter 16: The Curse Within (Ariana’s POV)
fierce and unyielding. She loved deeply but was consumed by grief after she was betrayed. I don’t know the full story as
well… only you can determine your fate and that child’s.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of her words sinking in.
Mariana continued, her voice steady. “The child you carry is part of this legacy, Ariana. They are the bridge between the two bloodlines. Protecting them is the first step, but you’ll also need to confront the darkness within you–the anger, the hurt, the doubt. Only by embracing both sides of yourself can you hope to find balance.”
I nodded, though my mind swirled with uncertainty. The idea of facing Scott, of delving into the curse‘ s origins, felt overwhelming.
Still, a flicker of determination sparked within me. I wasn‘ t just fighting for myself anymore.
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Chapter 16: The Curse Within (Ariana’s POV)
The thought of Scott lingered in my mind, his face flashing in my memories–both the man who had betrayed me and the one who had once looked at me with unspoken love.
Did he know about this legacy? Had he ever suspected the truth of our shared
bloodlines?
The questions gnawed at me, but one thing was clear: the bond between us wasn’t
just severed. It was tangled in a web of history and magic far beyond either of us.
And somehow, I would have to untangle it.
