ep she took sent some kind of pain through the cursed mark. Her wolf, that was now silent which was not natural cause it has always been a fierce in her mind, weakened by the curse. Her witch magic

with her heartbeat. "That's no ordinary wound. Alpha Kael's work?"Her silence confirmed it. Torren whistled low. "You've got guts, crossing him. Come with me. My camp's no paradise, but it's better than dying alone out here."Lia's instincts screamed caution. Rogues were outcasts-wolves who'd abandoned pack laws, often violent and unpredictable. But she had no allies, no plan. The mark flared, sending a wave of nausea through her-her pregnancy, already complicating her survival. "Why help me?" she asked, eyes narrowing.Torren shrugged, his smirk fading. "We rogues stick together. Besides, anyone who pisses off Kael is worth knowing. You coming or not?"With no better option, Lia nodded. The rogue camp was not too far, hidden in the thickness of the forest where patched up tents and huts were built around a smoldering fire pit. A dozen and half rogues,men, women, and a few wary children all watching her arrival. Their scents were a chaotic mix: wolves, half-breeds, even a faint trace of vampire blood. Outcasts, like her, bound by survival rather than loyalty.Torren led her to Mara, a wiry woman with gray-streaked hair and a healer's satchel slung over her shoulder. "She's got a curse," Torren said, nodding at Lia's mark. "Can you help?"Mara's eyes widened as she peeled back Lia's collar to examine the crescent. "Dark magic," she muttered, her fingers hovering over the mark without touching it. "Not wolf-made. Old, maybe from a blood pact. It's draining her life force." She looked at Lia's pale face, then to the hand resting protectively on her stomach. "You're pregnant. The curse could harm the pup."Lia's heart stuttered, fear spiking. "Will you be able to stop it?" she asked, voice almost inaudible .Mara shook her head, her expression grim. "I can slow it with herbs, maybe a warding spell, but breaking it? That's beyond me. You need a witch stronger than whoever fueled Kael's claws-someone who knows blood magic."Lia's mind reeled. Kael had used forbidden magic to curse her-why? To ensure she'd never challenge his rejection? Or was it personal, a twisted punishment for her hybrid blood? She pushed the questions aside. Survival came first, for her and her child. "Do wh