nopy above. The trees were ancient, their trunks twisted and gnarled, their branches stretching out like claws, blocking the sky. T

e sensation of being watched. She glanced at Declan, but he seemed unaffected, moving with an ease that shows he had spent h

ve?" Aurora asked, her voice barely a wh

"It is. The forest is part of us-part of the pack. It

g strides. "The curse... What curse? You've mentio

ey walked in silence for a few moments, the only sound the crunch of dead l

s ancient. It was placed on my family long before I was born. It binds the Alpha's mate to death, sealing

beat. She stopped walking

born into it, and with it came the curse. I can't break it, no matter how badly I w

t of the connection she had felt when she first saw him, the strange pull that had drawn her toward him,

, her voice trembling. "Why me? Why a

he faint light from the moon above. "I don't know. I don't have

the whirlwind of emotions she was feeling. Declan's words had struck something deep inside her, but she didn't know what. She co

r seemed to hum with energy. In the center of the clearing was a large stone altar, weathered and w

he could feel the power radiating from the altar, a force

arely above a whisper. "This is where the curse wa

k the questions she needed to ask. What was this place? How cou

"We have to unlock the magic of this place. It's the

mach tighten

one. A low growl rumbled from deep within his chest, and the air around them seemed to shift,

ething inside her urged her forward. The air around her felt alive

ation. "The magic is bound to me," he said, his voi

aught in her thro

the forest it's what can break the curse. But y

n Aurora's spin

ed to face