Shadow Cursed (Shadow Falls Series Book 2)

by Lizzy Prince

  The crowd parts as I stalk down the hill and head toward the center of the crowd. Some wolves clap their fist to their chest in greeting while others call out, “Alpha.” I nod and clasp an occasional arm as I make my way through my wolves. I am a respected and well-liked leader. It’s not ego talking. I’ve made every effort to treat my pack as equals, listening to their troubles and helping them find solutions. Knowing that Vic tried to rip this away from me only pisses me off more. And I’m already really fucking angry.

  I hold up a hand when I reach the center of the circle, and the crowd falls silent.

  “Thank you for coming out on such short notice.” I turn as I speak, taking in everyone as I do. Dylan and Vic are standing next to one another at the front of the crowd. Dylan dips her head, although her eyes stay locked on mine, as if she’s reaffirming her loyalty to me. I nod my head in response. Vic’s stance is rigid, and he shoots an angry look at Dylan. He’s starting to figure out that there’s not really anything wrong with me. He’s standing with his arms crossed, legs splayed as if to take up as much space as possible. I give him my back. The move functions as both an insult and a move to confuse Vic. He’ll assume I couldn’t possibly suspect him of something if I’m so quick to leave my back vulnerable. What he doesn’t realize is that I’m not exposed. Vic isn’t nearly strong enough to take me in a fight, even if he were to attack my back like the coward he is.

  “I’ve asked you here because we have a situation. A witch has put a curse on this pack.” The crowd tenses, and whispers titter around the clearing. My head is angled away from Vic, but I can still see his face. A frown creases his brow, and his jaw is clenched tight. “More specifically, a curse has been placed on me. To keep me from finding my mate.”

  The noise increases as growls and low howls erupt through the group. “Someone in this pack…” The words come out on a harsh growl as my wolf edges to the surface. I breath in deeply to calm the fuck down. “Someone here is responsible.” My head swings around the circle, and the group collectively takes a step back as my rage pulses out in a palpable wave of power. Vic barely moves, as though trying not to telegraph his guilt.

  “There’s good news though. Anyone who’s not guilty can freely step outside of this circle. And I’ll know you had no involvement.”

  Dylan is the first one to move beyond the boundary of the torches, standing just on the other side of the circle. One by one, my wolves follow her, absolving themselves of guilt. At first, Vic looks confused, but then panic begins to creep in his eyes. His eyes are darting around the circle, taking in all of the people escaping the damning conviction of the ring. He turns and begins to walk toward the torches, but an invisible barrier slams into him, and he stumbles back.

  “What the fuck?” he grunts, getting up and trying again. Only to be thrown back once more.

  Our pack stares on, looks of disbelief evident on their faces, whines and growls echoing through the woods. While I knew Vic was the one who cursed me, seeing the proof hurts worse than I would have thought.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Vic hisses, sounding winded and scared, although he’s trying his best to mask the fear. I can smell it in the air though, the sour stink of sweat and tension assaulting my nose.

  “You tell me, Beta? Why did you have a witch curse me?”

  Vic is shaking his head, taking a step back, even though I’m standing perfectly still in the center of the circle.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would you even think that?” He tries to get out of the ring again, foolishly thinking something might have changed in the minute since he last tried to escape.

  “What the fuck is wrong with this circle?” He sounds a bit hysterical as he runs his hands through his hair, gripping at the strands before letting them go.

  Then his eyes widen, and I hear more whispers move through the crowd like a wave. My lips edge up in a smile because I know what everyone is seeing. My mate. My pack goes down to a knee, sensing, knowing, that Bridget is their Alpha’s mate. I peer over my shoulder and find her standing next to Dante, looking like a goddess in the flicker of the firelight. But I don’t take my eyes from Vic for long because I have no idea how fucking insane he is.

  “I know a witch or two as well, Vic. This circle was spelled. Anyone guilty of leveling a curse against me wouldn’t be able to leave the border of the torches.” Vic is the only member of my pack who hasn’t gone down on one knee to greet Bridget, and it pisses me off almost as much as his betrayal.

  “Why?” The word roars out of me. My wolf might have gained a bit more control than I realized.

  Vic snarls at me and then in Bridget’s direction, and I almost strike out to break his neck right then. Only the need for answers keeps me from snapping him in pieces.

  “It was my fucking turn!” Vic bellows, his face red, veins popping on his neck and arms. “I served at your father’s side for centuries, and then I was just expected to do the same for his son? For some pup that didn’t know how to rule a fucking pack? For some weakling who rolled over and let those beneath him call him by his name, look him in the eye without getting their throats ripped out? You served them, doing their dirty work, digging trenches and farming their land like some kind of peasant. You don’t know what it means to be Alpha. I deserved this pack! They should have been mine!” Spittle flies from his mouth as he shouts out his diatribe.

  I begin walking slowly toward him, my wolf growling deep in my chest. “And that is why you never deserved to be Alpha. The pack is not there to serve you. You are there to lead and guide them. To protect and give them aid when needed. And to keep me from my fated mate...” I have to stop because I’m so furious that I’m seconds away from shifting.

  Vic’s breathing is erratic, his chest rising and falling in violent heaves. His skin has gone from flushed to ashen, and his eyes look wild. “She’s human. She’s even weaker than you. I knew that if I had any chance of becoming Alpha, you couldn’t bond with her. Even a weak human like her would have made you exponentially stronger than you already were.” Vic pauses, wiping a hand across his upper lip where sweat is beading despite the freezing temperatures outside.

  “Yes, it did. And she’s not human any longer. She’s my bonded mate.”

  Vic sneers. When his hand moves behind his back, I’m still too far away to do anything as he pulls out a pistol and levels it at Bridget. He pulls the trigger just as I start to move, and a thousand thoughts ram through my brain. Fear of losing Bridget, the fact that we’ve only just started our lives together, all the wasted time at the hands of Vic’s selfishness. There’s no sense in trying to reach Vic in time so I throw my body in the path of the bullet, grunting as it connects with my shoulder, tearing through the flesh and embedding deep in the bone there.

  Mother fuck that hurts. Fire licks down my arm as I fall to the ground, landing on the same God damned shoulder.

  “Silas!” Bridget cries out, and I scramble up off the ground.

  “Don’t come in here, Bridget. Stay back.” If she comes in this circle, Vic will go straight for her.

  “You piece of shit!” Bridget screams at Vic as I shift to my wolf, launching myself at him.

  Pain screams down my arm, but I grit my teeth and ignore it. The bullet is still buried deep inside the muscle and bone even as my body heals around it. It hurts like a son of a bitch, but I’m mated, and Vic is not. He’s never been as fast or as strong as me, but now, he’s not even in the same category. He pops off another two shots, but I’m on him, knocking the gun out of his hand so quickly I doubt he even realizes what just happened. Still, he recovers faster than I would have thought possible and shifts as well, the change throwing me off him enough for him to get back on his feet.

  Neither one of us holds back. Vic lunges for my throat, his jaws snapping, but I lash out with my claws, connecting and leaving deep gouges in his jaw and shoulder. Saliva drips from his fangs as he snarls at me, his eyes glowing red in an unnatural way. For one seco
nd, fear tastes bitter in my mouth. This is not just Vic’s wolf. There’s something else at play within him. Vic tips his head back and howls, the sound echoing eerily through the woods. The tone is layered as though there is more than one beast residing inside him. Dread slithers down my spine, because I’m not just fighting Vic. I’m fighting a monster.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Bridget

  Dante’s hand is at my elbow, locking me in place when all I want to do is run into the circle and protect Silas. There’s no rational thought to the impulse, only a need to shield him from harm. The sane part of me is blanching, because hello, how in the hell will I be able to guard Silas from a massive wolf with glowing red eyes? But there are other parts that have more sway. At my core, I’ve always been loyal and protective of those I love, and the newly awakened parts that lit up with Silas’s bond have only amped up those feelings. They’re urging me to get a leg in the fight.

  Luckily, I’m not actually as strong as my psyche, and Dante’s firm but solid grip won’t allow me to move more than a few feet from him.

  “Trust in him, Bridget. He’s a badass.” Dante leans down to speak the hushed words so only I can hear.

  “I do,” I murmur, and it’s the truth. I know Silas is tough as nails and obviously stronger than Vic. But there’s something about the energy humming around Vic that isn’t right. I have no idea why or how I know this, but I sense it. “But, something’s not right.”

  Vic surges forward, his claws swiping at Silas, who almost effortlessly dances away. He’s graceful and light on his feet, something I always notice when he’s a man as well. Someone so large shouldn’t be able to move with such speed and delicacy. Silas blasts into Vic’s side with his shoulder, launching the other wolf in the air. Vic lands with a yelp but quickly regains his footing.

  Instead of attacking Silas, he runs toward me. Even though I know he’s not supposed to be able to get out of the circle, I gasp in surprise and take a step back. That small sound has Silas’s wolf’s attention jerking to me, and I realize the ploy. Vic immediately changes course and snaps his jaws around Silas’s neck. But Silas is too quick and manages to rear up. Vic’s fangs scour a path down Silas’s shoulder, but he doesn’t get a hold of his neck like he intended. My relief is short-lived as Silas takes a step back, stumbling, and I swear Vic cackles, if that’s even possible in wolf-form. It’s like a hyena’s laugh, and it chills my skin and makes my teeth ache.

  “Fuck,” Dante hisses out as my heart rate thunders uncomfortably in my chest.

  “What? What’s happening?” I ask, even though I’m not really sure Dante knows any more than I do. Silas’s blood drips from Vic’s fangs as he takes a slow step toward Silas. Silas is wavering, his legs struggling to keep him upright. I cry out when he stumbles, his legs almost giving out on him. Then, Silas is turning back into the man I love. The man I’m meant to spend the rest of eternity with.

  “Poison?” He spits out the word, blood bubbling over his lips and staining his chin with the effort. The wolves around us snarl and howl, making yipping and whining noises.

  “Stay.” Silas halts any movement among them, and they quiet, although there’s a restless undulation that ripples through the crowd.

  My knees give out, and if Dante wasn’t still holding onto me, I’d be on the ground. My breaths are coming in fast pants, and my face and hands tingle from too much oxygen.

  Vic shifts, a triumphant sneer on his face. Silas stands his ground, not moving an inch, but I can see the effort it’s taking him to continue standing. The wolves around us are anxious, and if I wasn’t already panicking, their anxiety would seep into me, overwhelming me with fear.

  “You’re not the only one who has witches in his pocket.” Vic’s face is so smug and superior that I want to claw his eyes out. An enraged shriek shrills from my throat, and I try to launch myself forward, but Dante’s still there, keeping me out of the circle, probably saving me from myself.

  Vic takes a step toward Silas, but Silas stays still. Standing tall, even though I can tell it’s costing him everything, he’s got not to crumble to the ground.

  “Cursing your Alpha and getting witches to enhance your power and fill your bite with poison? That’s how you intend to beat me? Like a cheating coward who siphons power from others because he’s too weak to stand on his own two feet?” Silas laughs, the sound deep but humorless. Still, it holds a strength that astounds me, because he appeared to be flagging only moments before. That laugh is full of menace, and it makes my hair stand straight up on my arms. Holy shit. He’s going to kick Vic’s ass.

  Vic’s smile waivers for a brief moment before he scowls. A growl breaks loose from his throat as he throws himself at Silas, shifting in mid-air, but Silas is faster. His wolf emerges, and he catches Vic in the air, teeth grabbing around Vic’s neck. Silas flings him across the circle like he’s a pesky gnat, making my breath catch in my throat. Vic rolls as he lands, springing to his feet, but not quite as quickly as before. Silas stalks toward him, snarling, all the fur standing up on the back of his neck. This is clearly the wolf version of pissed the fuck off.

  Silas is on Vic before he gets a chance to move, repeating the move and tossing him around the circle like a sack of potatoes. I can’t help but cringe every time Vic’s body smashes into the ground, even though I know that piece of shit deserves it. This last time, Vic doesn’t get back up. His wolf remains on his side, chest heaving with the effort to breathe.

  When Silas transforms this time, he stands tall, with no hint of the poison that weakened him just a short time ago. “I am Alpha!”

  All of the wolves gathered around the circle go down to one knee as they cry out, “Alpha!” in response. I briefly wonder if I’m supposed to go to my knee too but quickly come to the conclusion that I don’t want to kneel. I doubt Silas would ever ask me to. I chance a quick look at Dante, who’s also still standing, and he jerks his chin up in a nod of approval. With a roll of my eyes, I turn back to Silas and Vic.

  “Your challenge for Alpha of this pack has been rebuffed. Because of your actions against me and my mate, you will be punished.” Silas’s voice is strong and laced with his Alpha power as he speaks, and it leaves no question about his authority to anyone.

  Vic shifts back into his human form on the ground, but Silas doesn’t give him his attention. A very deliberate statement, if I’m reading it correctly.

  “Bridget.” Silas’s tone softens as he addresses me, holding out a hand in invitation into the circle. Dante releases my elbow, giving me a subtle shove in Silas’s direction in the process. Part of me wants to stay on the outside where it’s relatively safe, but Silas prepared me for this earlier. After he’d called Killian to see if Hollis could connect us with a witch to spell the circle, he sat me down and told me what would happen. That there would be a fight. That Silas would win—said so matter of fact that I had no reason to question the outcome—and that I would be responsible for Vic’s punishment.

  “You mean, if I say—” I made an off with his head motion with my finger, and Silas nodded. “What if I let him go?” I said softly, looking down at the huge, tanned hand holding mine. Silas’s palms were calloused and rough, but he was so gentle with me. There was so much strength contained in the lethal coil of his muscles, but I could never be afraid of him.

  “Then we will let him go.”

  Walking into the circle now, my mind flipped through all of the options, examining them and second guessing what was best. Not just for me but for Silas and his pack. I guess they’re my pack now, too.

  I lace my fingers through Silas’s and look up at him, his eyes practically glowing in the flicker of the torch light. His skin burns too hot, and I know as soon as our skin touches that he’s not doing as well as his calm outer appearance portrays. He’s sick. The poison from Vic’s bite is coursing through his body in a toxic rush.

  “Banishment,” I state, with what I hope is a calm and definitive tone. Although I know there’s a sma
ll tremor in my voice. “You are to leave Shadow Falls and this pack. You aren’t welcome on these lands any longer.” I exhale heavily as Silas squeezes my fingers in a reassuring gesture.

  “My mate’s word is as good as an Alpha’s declaration.”

  A chorus of, “Yes, Alpha,” and “hell yeah’s,” call out of the shadows around us, and a warmth suffuses my face and quickly makes its way over my entire body.

  I almost sigh in relief to think that maybe all of this is finally over. Now I’ll get to start living a life with Silas, the man I’ve been in love with since long before I should have. But Vic moves again, darting to the edge of the circle where the gun has been laying abandoned and forgotten. He swings it up and points it at my face, but before he can get off a shot, there’s a swarm of wolves, including Silas, launching themselves on him.

  The sounds of rending and shredding are something I hope to never hear again, but I stay frozen in place. My legs lock in shock, and I’m not sure if it’s from the fight, or the gun aimed at my face, or all the wolves that have just jumped in to protect me. But I’m done for. There is no more space in my head for me to absorb anything else that might happen tonight.

  It’s over within moments, and Silas is back at my side. I think he’s trying to hold me up, but he’s not faring much better.

  “We should get inside,” I murmur quietly, unsure how well a pack of wolves can hear.

  Silas brushes off the wolves who want to meet his mate, using my stunned face and overwhelmed brain as an excuse to delay them. In all honesty, he’s the one who needs to get inside. Dante and Dylan are at our sides, pretending to walk us back up to the house, but I can see how much Silas is leaning on his friends. By the time we get to the house, Silas is barely standing, and he all but collapses on the couch once we’re through the door.