*Selena*
As I headed to Harper’s house, a strange feeling washed over me. Some instinct was holding me back, making each step forward an effort. It was as if someone was calling out to me, needing me urgently. I stopped in my tracks and looked behind me. Everything seemed normal, yet the feeling persisted, an invisible force pulling at me, making it difficult to move ahead.
I turned around again, my gaze drawn to the garden Harper referred to as the cursed land. Something about it seemed to call out to me, a whisper of unease.
Arena, my wolf, was restless. She howled in my mind, “I think we need to investigate that cursed land. It’s strange why everyone is forbidden from going there.”
“You’re right,” I replied through our mindlink. “I feel it too. Why is it cursed? We need to uncover the mystery behind it.”
“What happened? Why aren’t you moving?” Harper asked, confusion evident as she stopped and turned back when she realized I had left behind.
“Harper, I need to go back to the cursed land,” I told her.
“What? No, you can’t go there. It’s very dangerous,” Harper countered, her expression turning panicked.
“Harper, you don’t need to come. I will go and see if the rumors about the curse are true or not,” I assured her.
“Please, my queen, I cannot let you put yourself in danger. It is my duty to keep you safe,” she insisted, her voice laced with desperation.
“Then you are bound to follow my orders as well. As your queen, I order you to stay here and wait for further instructions,” I commanded, using my authoritative voice. Harper froze in her place, bowing her head without argument.
I quickly rushed toward the cursed land, feeling something strange stir inside me as I approached. Then suddenly, I was hit with intense pain as if the mate bond itself was fading.
“No, it’s Zander…” Arena gasped in pain, panic rising within me.
“What happened to him?” I cried out, my voice trembling. “We need to find him. Where is he?” Breathing became difficult, as if my lungs had been punched hard.
“The cursed land,” Arena uttered urgently. We sped toward it with lightning-fast speed. There was a barrier at the entrance, but nothing could stop me from reaching my alpha mate in this desperate moment. I broke through the barrier and entered the land. It appeared to be a normal forest, but the magic in the air was palpable. A mystical breeze blew, carrying whispers that surrounded us, impossible to ignore.
Ignoring the distractions, I focused solely on finding Zander. The night was dark, the only light coming from the stars above us. My frantic eyes scanned the dense forest, searching for him in the darkness, but he was nowhere to be seen. Then my eyes landed on an illuminated altar.
I approached it, my heart pounding. No one was there, but I could feel his presence, so close. Yet, why couldn’t I see him?
“Selena, I have a strong feeling Zander was here. I can still smell his scent,” Arena said, her voice filled with urgency. My eyes halted at the altar.
“And this altar,” Arena paused, her gaze fixed. “It holds some mysterious secret. I hear whispers in my head. I don’t know if they’re real or not, but I feel like there’s an underground ancient temple hidden from modern eyes.”
“An underground temple?” I repeated, furrowing.”What kind of temple could it be?”
I tapped my foot impatiently, testing if the ground beneath us was hollow. Desperation to find Zander consumed me, and the pain intensified suddenly, making me feel as if I were about to collapse.
“Goddess, Arena! We have to find Zander soon. He is in danger,” I shouted, my voice thick with desperation, even though I could have mindlinked her.
“There!” My eyes shot in a direction as if the goddess was showing me a path. My feet started moving on their own, leading me behind some bushes. There, I saw an opening at the earth’s surface, revealing an entrance covered by vines and dirt. We quickly cleared the entrance, uncovering a path that led down into the unknown.
“What the hell is that?!” I gasped as I saw it.
“I told you, it would be the temple,” Arena whispered in my head.
“Is Zander there? But why would he have gone to an underground temple in an unknown territory?” I mused. There was only one way to find all the answers-we needed to go there.
“Let’s go,” I said, raising my hands horizontally. My powers lifted us into the air, descending us into the underground.
When we finally reached the bottom, my eyes widened with shock, and my heart stopped as I witnessed Damon striking Zander with his golden trident.
“No, leave him!” I screamed. My hands lifted on their own, unleashing a powerful magical blast at Damon, pushing him away from Zander.
Damon’s eyes mirrored my shock as he was thrown into the air by my shot, slamming into the wall hard. He groaned in pain, but he was the least of my concerns. I rushed toward Zander, tears streaming from my eyes as I saw the wound on his chest, inflicted by the golden trident, burning red and scorching his soul.
“No, this can’t be happening. You can’t die, Zander,” I cried, taking him in my arms and resting his head on my lap. The walls vibrated, and pillars crumbled from the intensity of my grief.
“It’s time, Selena. The prophecy…” Zander muttered before he closed his eyes and took his last breath in my arms.