Kamrynn’s POV
The moment Thalia returned with the key to the Ostracylle, hope flickered to life within me. She stepped forward, her hands trembling as she inserted the small key into the lock. With a soft click, the cursed collar unlatched, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I felt its oppressive weight leave my body.
Then it happened.
Power surged through me like a tidal wave, crashing against every nerve ending and filling me with a warmth that was both foreign and familiar. Aryna. My wolf. She was back. The bond we shared roared to life with an intensity that left me breathless.
“Kamrynn!” Aryna’s voice echoed in my mind, full of excitement and relief. “I’m here! Oh, how I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you too,” I whispered aloud, tears streaming down my cheeks.
My senses sharpened instantly. I could hear the faint rustle of fabric as the gathered crowd shifted uneasily, smell the mix of emotions in the room-fear, doubt, disbelief-and see every detail with crystal clarity, down to the beads of sweat on Orion’s brow. The aches in my muscles vanished as though they had never existed. Energy coursed through me, rejuvenating every fiber of my being.
I turned to Thalia, my voice thick with gratitude. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
She nodded, but her face was pale, her lips pressed into a thin line. “I had to. I couldn’t keep living this lie.” She straightened, her voice wavering slightly. “Which is why I’m calling the mating ceremony off,” she announced, her words clear despite the tears streaming down her face. She inhaled shakily before continuing, “And…I’ll be rejecting Kyven.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd, the weight of her words crashing over everyone. Whispers of shock and disbelief spread like wildfire.
But no one was more affected than Kyven.
“What…what did you just say?” Kyven’s voice broke, his expression a mix of confusion and devastation. He pushed through the gathering crowd to stand before her, gripping her hands as though holding onto her would keep her from slipping away. His eyes searched hers, desperate for any sign that she hadn’t meant what she’d just said. “Thalia, what do you mean? You can’t-this doesn’t make sense.”
Her tears fell harder, but she refused to meet his gaze. “I’m so sorry, Kyven. But I have to.”
“No,” he said firmly, shaking his head as though rejecting the very idea. His grip on her hands tightened. “No, you don’t. Thalia, if this is about what your father did, it doesn’t matter to me. None of it matters. I know you. You’re not like him. You would never hurt anyone. You were just…caught in the middle of his schemes.”
“It’s not just about him!” she cried, finally meeting his gaze. Her anguish was written all over her face, and her voice cracked under the weight of her emotions. “Don’t you see, Kyven? My family is cursed. That’s what killed my father in such a gruesome way. That’s what’s going to come for me too. I can’t-” Her voice faltered, and she pressed a hand to her trembling lips. “I can’t drag you into this. I won’t.”
Kyven’s entire body tensed as her words sank in, but he refused to accept them. His tears mirrored hers as he pulled her closer, cupping her face with both hands. “I don’t care about the curse, Thalia! I’ll face it, whatever it takes. I’ll take whatever fate it brings, as long as I’m with you. Do you hear me? You’re my mate. My life means nothing without you in it.”
His voice cracked, raw with emotion, and the room fell silent as the power of his declaration echoed in the air.
“I love you,” he continued, his voice barely above a whisper. “Do you hear me, Thalia? I love you so much it hurts. I can’t imagine a life without you. Don’t do this. Don’t push me away.”
Thalia sobbed harder, shaking her head. “Kyven, I love you too.” Her voice broke entirely as she admitted it, but then she pulled her hands from his, wrapping her arms around herself as though shielding him from her. “But that’s why I have to let you go. Don’t you see? If we stay together, the curse will come for you too. And if we have children, they’ll suffer the same fate. I can’t let that happen. I won’t. I can’t do that to anyone. I won’t let the misery continue. I won’t mate with anyone or have children, I’ll bear it all alone. This curse ends with me!”
Kyven’s shoulders trembled as he took her hands again, refusing to let her retreat. “Do you even know what you’re asking?” He demanded, his voice thick with emotion. “You’re asking me to live without you. To watch you suffer alone. That’s a fate worse than death!”
“Please,” she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. “Please promise me you’ll move on. Find a nice girl. Have a family. Be happy.”
“No!” Kyven shouted, his voice reverberating through the hall. Tears streamed down his face, and his anguish was palpable. “I won’t promise that, Thalia. I can’t. Because I don’t want anyone else or anything else. I don’t want happiness if it doesn’t include you.”
Their sobs filled the silence, and I felt my heart shatter for them both. Their love was so deep, so fierce, and yet the curse loomed over them like an insurmountable shadow.
The room was suffused with an unbearable sadness. I glanced around, seeing the pain etched into the faces of everyone present. Rmonica clung to Orion’s arm, her expression torn between sympathy and heartbreak.
Thalia’s voice shook as she began to speak again. “I, Thalia Amethyst, princess of the Amethyst Pack, reject-”
“No!” Kyven’s voice cracked as he stumbled toward Marwynn. “You can do something, right?” he begged, his voice raw with desperation. “You’re a witch! You can break the curse!”
Marwynn’s expression softened with sorrow, and she shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, child. I can’t. A curse can only be lifted by the one who cast it. Dark magic has unbreakable rules. If I attempt to interfere, it could bring devastating consequences far worse than death.”
Kyven staggered back as if she’d struck him, his tears falling freely now. “There has to be something,” he whispered. “Anything. Please.”
But Marwynn’s silence said it all.
Kyven turned back to Thalia, his face crumpling as he fell to his knees before her. Tears poured down his face as he whispered, “Don’t do this, Thalia. Don’t say the words.”
Thalia dropped to her knees in front of him, her tears mingling with his as they stared at each other, their love and pain radiating through the room.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
I felt my own tears falling as I watched them, my heart breaking for them both. They loved each other so deeply, so fiercely, but the curse had torn them apart.
I clenched my fists, feeling the sting of my nails digging into my palms. There had to be something I could do. There had to be a way.
“There is a way,” Aryna’s voice echoed in my mind, calm and steady.
“What do you mean?” I asked silently, hope flaring to life within me.
“You’re the daughter of the moon goddess, Kamrynn. Your abilities are limitless. You have the power to commune with the dead.”
I froze, my heart pounding. “The dead? You mean I could…talk to the sorceress who cursed Thalia’s family?”
“Yes,” Aryna confirmed, her voice quieter now, almost hesitant. “But it is not without cost. To commune with the dead, your soul must leave your body. In essence, you must die. And the longer your soul remains outside your body, the greater the chance it will never return.”
A cold chill ran down my spine. “You’re saying…I could actually die?”
“Yes,” Aryna admitted. “This ability is perilous, Kamrynn, and must only be used in the direst of circumstances. The underworld is a treacherous place, filled with deceitful and wicked souls who will try to trap you. If you are distracted or stray too far, you may never find your way back.”
Her words hit me like a blow. The enormity of the risk was almost too much to bear. My hands instinctively went to my belly, cradling the life growing inside me. “If I don’t come back,” I whispered aloud, my voice trembling, “my babies will die too.”
“That is the reality,” Aryna said softly. “You must weigh this choice carefully, Kamrynn. Your life, your children’s lives, and your soul are all at stake. But…you also have the power to save Thalia and Kyven from a lifetime of suffering.”
I glanced at Kyven and Thalia, their sobs filling the silence of the room. Thalia’s trembling lips began forming the rejection statement once more, and I felt something inside me snap. I couldn’t let this happen.
“If I don’t try, I’ll regret it forever,” I murmured to Aryna. “They don’t deserve this. I can’t let their story end like this.”
“Are you certain?” Aryna asked, her voice solemn. “If you go, Kamrynn, you will be entirely on your own. I cannot accompany you into the underworld. You will have no guidance, no protection. It will be you against an entire realm of treachery.”
“I’m certain,” I said, my resolve hardening.
Aryna’s presence in my mind grew quieter, almost reverent. “Then I will prepare you. But Kamrynn, remember: time will be your greatest enemy. Do not linger. If you cannot convince the sorceress, then return swiftly, or you risk losing everything.”
As Thalia began to speak again, my voice tore through the air, trembling but fierce.
“Stop!” I shouted, silencing the hall. My breath came fast, and my heart thundered in my chest, but I forced myself to hold my ground. “You don’t have to do this, Thalia. I have a way to break the curse!”