Cursed Wolf

Blake trudged through the snow,passing Wyn’s pole barn, and set off around the lake. She’d picked an interesting location for her home site. It had a better view of the mountain than the original homestead.

He turned back to the house when he’d come to the edge of the lake and watched Wyn in the distance. A drone flew up from the ground and passed above him in the air, flying much faster than he could walk.

Wyn was a stunning, powerful woman. He couldn’t believe she was his mate. How had fate put the two of them together?

He sighed. The curse had broken his spirit. The disagreements with his brothers had only added to his lack of self-confidence. He would have to up his game if he wanted to be worthy of the woman fate had brought him.

Together they would defeat the most powerful witch in the world. They had to. If they failed, they would never have their happily ever after.

Since he’d found his mate, his whole world had changed.

He still felt the pain of losing his mother and his family’s land. But finding Wyn had been a balm to his soul.

Blake entered the forest below the mountain and followed the trail up to the cave.

When he’d hiked this path a few days ago, he’d had no idea his mate was less than a quarter mile away.

He wondered what they would do when he returned. He wanted to claim her. Wyn didn’t want to mate yet, and Blake didn’t understand why.

They were both shifters. They knew they were destined for each other. They had the same goal in life. That had to mean something.

Wyn might have been high above him in status and wealth, but they had the same mission. They thought the same way. Justice mattered to both of them.

Blake ducked into the cave. His backpack, his tent, and his supplies were stored neatly by the fire pit.

He looked around, thinking of the many years he and his brothers had lived there. During those dark times, Blake had nursed his anger, and it had grown in his heart.

He would have done anything to destroy the Snow Queen and her power in the world.

Now he wasn’t so sure.

He packed up his supplies, tore down his tent, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

What if he and Wyn left now? They could return to Fate Island together and start a new life.

He had the money from the sale of the land, and she was obviously well off. They could do anything they wanted. They didn’t have to kill the witch. They could leave well enough alone, just like his brothers had told him.

He could admit that he was wrong. Killing the Snow Queen was not as important as the love and happiness of his mate.

He would do anything for her. She was the center of his world now. Blake would do whatever it took to win her love.

He hiked down the mountain, thinking about how he was going to convince her to leave here and let the Snow Queen live.

His mother would have wanted him to go on with his life and be happy. All this time, he’d nurtured his anger, wanted revenge, but he’d never really thought about it from his mother’s side.

He doubted she would have wanted him to seek revenge when his one true love was standing right in front of him.

He watched the house as he rounded the lake. A plume of smoke rose from the chimney into the gray sky above. The air felt like rain. If rain came, it might melt the rest of the snow away.

As he approached the house, he fantasized about her rushing out to him and throwing her arms around his neck. In his mind, they were already the greatest love story of all time.

An eagle flew over the frozen lake, screeching from high above. He wondered what it was like to fly. He’d gotten a taste of what Wyn must feel when she’d grabbed him and carried him down to her house. An experience he wasn’t in a hurry to relive.

Blake climbed the porch steps, and was about to grab the knob, but knocked instead.

Wyn opened it, her cellphone pressed to her ear. Blake entered the house, and Wyn closed the door behind him. The smell of her filled his nose.

“It’s just a maintenance person,” Wyn said into the phone. “He wants to use the bathroom.”

Blake wondered who she was talking to. Was he the maintenance person? Did she not want the person on the phone to know about him? The thought made his heart drop into his stomach.

He’d been imagining them running off together, claiming each other, and living happily ever after. Apparently, Wyn had other ideas.

He dropped his backpack on the floor next to the coffee table and began pulling off his snow boots. He had a pair of tennis shoes in his backpack that would be more comfortable to wear around the house.

Wyn paced the kitchen while Blake changed into more comfortable attire in the bathroom. She was talking animatedly on the phone when he came out, speaking in a language he didn’t understand.

Wyn looked at him over the kitchen island. Blake’s first instinct was to give her a stupid grin. He frowned when Wyn’s expression seemed to suggest she was less than impressed with him.

Blake turned away and scrubbed his face, inspecting the feeds of the Snow Queen’s palace. The snow flower still hadn’t bloomed.

He fisted his h**s and turned back to Wyn. She’d finished her conversation and had placed her phone on the counter.

“What are your plans for today?” he asked.

“Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Good. I’ll cook.”

“You cook? Didn’t you have servants as a princess?”

“I had servants, but I also know how to cook. I was over a hundred years old when I was cursed. I know how to do a great many things.”

Blake felt like an idiot for suggesting she wouldn’t know how to cook. He sat at the kitchen island while she opened the massive double door refrigerator and pulled out a package of meat wrapped in white butcher paper.

“What is it like to live so long?”

“Having a long life is normal for dragons. How do you feel about yak meat?”

“I’ve never had it,” he said, threading his fingers together.

“Hm.” She looked disappointed while she pulled vegetables out of her fridge.

“What’s it taste like?”

“I suppose it tastes like bison, except more delicate. Sweeter.”

“Sounds good.”

His stomach rumbled. He’d been living on protein bars and dehydrated mac and cheese for the last several days. The idea of freshly cooked yak meat sounded a lot better than that.

She went about chopping vegetables and sautéing them in a pan. He felt guilty for just sitting there watching her.

She stirred the vegetables and bit her l!p. “My dragon is out of control right now. I haven’t been myself since I woke up. But since meeting you, the irritability is off the charts.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with the curse?”

She grabbed the package of meat from the island. “I never thought of it. It just felt natural that I should be angry.”

“What do you think now?”

She sighed and began slicing the meat in long thin strips. “It’s possible I’m still cursed.”

“My curse is broken when I claim my mate. Maybe the same thing would happen for you.”

“All the more reason to wait until after the witch is dead. I don’t want to lose my edge.”

Blake was thinking the exact opposite. He wanted to claim her so that they could reassess if revenge even mattered anymore. They’d found each other—what else did they need?

Wyn slid the slices of meat into the sauté pan and added a large dollop of butter. Blake’s mouth watered at the delicious aroma.

“Why don’t you open a bottle of wine?” Wyn said, motioning for the rack built into the kitchen cabinets.

“Sure. Do you have a preference?” he asked, approaching the rack.

“Whatever you’d like. I just purchased a variety of fine wines my nephew Bolin suggested.”

Blake pulled out a hundred-year-old merlot and read the label for her.

“Sounds fine. The corkscrew is in the drawer.”

He found it among other kitchen supplies. Wyn had everything she needed to be holed up here for a long time. Blake doubted he could talk her into leaving now.

Finding Wyn had made him reassess everything. All he wanted now was her.

He opened the bottle and filled two wine glasses while Wyn plated their meal. She carried the plates to the dining room and set them on the table.

Her home was all modern lines and light wood, with a minimalist aesthetic. He’d learned about interior design while he’d been living with Venus and Damian. They’d had all kinds of magazines about fashion, art, and design lying around the house.

Blake sat across from Wyn and dug into his meal.

“How do you like it?” She took a sip of wine.

“So good,” he said, chewing his food.

The vegetables were perfectly cooked, and the meat was flavorful and tender. She’d created an amazing sauce with butter and spices that just added to the succulent flavor of the meal.

“I’m glad you like it,” she said, holding her wine glass.

Not half as much as I like you, Blake thought.