Shadow wolf curse
*Celeste’s POV*
Kaelen’s distance was suffocating. He just changed overnight, just as if his aim was to get me to be his Luna only.
I sat at the long dining table in Shadow Keep’s great hall, the clink of silverware against plates the only sound in the cavernous space. Across from me, Kaelen cut into his meal with mechanical precision, his gray eyes focused anywhere but on me. “How long are we going to do this?” I asked, breaking the silence. My voice echoed, and I hated how small it sounded in this castle of stone and secrets.
Kaelen didn’t look up. “Do what?”
“This,” I said, gesturing between us. “Act like strangers. Avoid eye contact. Pretend we‘ re not supposed to be mates.”
His knife paused mid–slice, but he didn’t meet my gaze. “It’s not pretending, Celeste. It‘ s reality.”
My wolf, Usla, growled softly in the back of my mind, her frustration mirroring mine. He‘ s a coward, she snarled. Hiding behind walls he built himself.
Aclenched my fists, determined to push past his cold demeanor. “Reality? Reality is
that we’re bonded now. Whether you like it or not, I’m your Luna.”
Kaelen’s eyes flicked to mine, sharp and unyielding. “You’re Luna in title, not in trust.”
The words stung more than I wanted to admit, but I refused to let him see it. “Then let me prove myself,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm brewing inside me.
His lips pressed into a thin line, and he stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the stone floor. “You don’t need to prove anything, Celeste, Just stay out of my way.”
I watched him leave, his broad shoulders disappearing into the shadows. Anger bubbled beneath my skin, but so did resolve.
If he wants distance, fine, I thought. But I won’t be ignored.
Days turned into weeks, and Kaelen’s behavior remained the same, aloof, guarded, and frustratingly distant. But I didn’t let it stop me.
I threw myself into learning/everything I could about Shadow Keep and its politics. I attended council meetings, spoke with pack members, and even sparred with the warriors in the training grounds. I refused to be seen as just the Alpha King’s bride. I would earn my place, whether Kaelen wanted me to or not.
One afternoon, as I returned from the library with an armful of ancient texts, I found myself face–to–face with Kaelen’s sister, Irina.
“You’re relentless,” she said with a smile, her blue eyes sparkling with admiration.
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Shadow wolf curse
“Is that a compliment or a warning?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Both,” Irina replied, falling into step beside me. “Kaelen’s not used to anyone challenging him. He respects strength, even if he won’t admit it.”
I sighed, shifting the weight of the books in my arms. “Respect is one thing. Trust is another.”
Irina’s expression softened. “Trust takes time. And Kaelen… he carries more burdens than you realize.”
Her words lingered with me as I continued my path to my quarters. What burdens? What secrets?
That night, I found myself in the library again, poring over texts about Eldrun’s history. The flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows on the walls, and the silence was heavy, almost oppressive.
Unbeknownst to me, Kaelen stood in the doorway, his gray eyes fixed on me from the shadows. His chest rose and fell unevenly as he fought for control. His heat had crept up on him throughout the day, and now, it burned like fire in his veins.
Vedmus growled within him, a deep, guttural sound of frustration and hunger. Two weeks later, his wolf snarled.
‘Two weeks since we vowed to her. She’s ours. Mark her. Claim her. The heat is
unbearable.‘
Kaelen’s jaw tightened as his gaze lingered on Celeste, unaware of the storm she’d unleashed in him. The curve of her back as she leaned over the table, her slender fingers brushing across the pages of an old tome–everything about her drove Vedmus wild.
‘She’s perfect, Vedmus rumbled, his voice thick with need. ‘Look at her. That waist, those hips… her scent alone is enough to undo us. Why are you holding back?‘
Kaelen dragged a hand through his hair, his fingers trembling with restraint. ‘Because marking her now would only push her away. What if I mark her and the curse consumes me?‘ he growled back silently. ‘She doesn’t trust us yet. And you know why.
Vedmus was relentless, his hunger clawing at Kaelen’s control. ‘You’re being a fool. She’s our mate. Her body calls to us, and you’re denying us both.‘
Kaelen’s fists clenched at his sides, his nails biting into his palms as he stepped into the room. The soft rustle of his boots against the stone floor made Celeste look up, her blue eyes catching the light of the flickering flames.
The flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows on the walls, and the silence was heavy,, almost oppressive.
“Do you ever sleep?” Kaelen’s voice broke the stillness, and I looked up to see him leaning against the doorway.
Shadow wolf curse
My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, his black hair slightly disheveled, his gray eyes glinting in the low light. But I forced myself to focus.
“Do you?” I countered, gesturing to the late hour.
He stepped inside, his presence filling the room. “What are you reading?”
I hesitated before replying. “Histories of Eldrun. Of cursed bloodlines.”
Kaelen stilled, his expression darkening. “Why are you reading that? And what have you learned?”
I met his gaze, refusing to back down. “My late mother always tells us, me and my brother stories about the curses of Eldrun and That the Shadow Wolves are more than just a legend.”
For a moment, the silence stretched between us, taut and unyielding. Then Kaelen sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly. “You had a brother? Was he among the-”
“No, his body was not found, so probably he’s alive, somewhere far or maybe he was taken, and I hope so that someday he finds me,” I say in a whisper, looking deep into Kaelen’s gray eye just to see his emotion ramplying in his eyes but immediately it vanished and was replaced with his normal cold stare..
“You’ve been busy.”
“I’m trying to understand,” I said softly. “But you won’t let me in.”
He hesitated, as if weighing his words. Finally, he sat across from me, his gaze steady.” The Shadow Wolves were my ancestors. A cursed bloodline, born from desperation and dark magic. They fused themselves with the shadows to protect their land, but the cost was… eternal.”
My breath hitched, the weight of his confession sinking in. “And you? Are you…”
“Cursed?” Kaelen finished, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. “Yes. The darkness runs in my veins. If I lose control, it consumes me. Turns me into something feral. Something
monstrous.”
My heart ached at the pain in his voice, but I couldn’t ignore the fear clawing at the edges of
my mind. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it doesn’t matter,” he said, his tone firm. “I’ve spent my life controlling it. And I will continue to do so.”
“But the prophecy,” I pressed. “The one about your fated mate-”
“Enough,” Kaelen snapped, standing abruptly. His gaze was cold, but there was a flicker of vulnerability beneath it. “You wanted the truth. Now you have it. Leave it alone, Celeste.”
And with that, he left me alone in the darkness, my mind swirling with questions and
doubts.
For two days, I couldn’t shake the weight of Kaelen’s revelation. His coldness made
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Shadow wolf curse
sense now, but it didn’t make it any easier to bear.
I threw myself into my duties, determined to prove that I could thrive in his world despite the distance between us. At pack meetings, I spoke up, offering insights and solutions. Some council members scoffed at my input, but others, like Irina and Beta Dorian, began to take notice.
“She’s not just here for show,” I overheard Dorian tell one of the warriors after a meeting. “She’s got a spine of steel.”
But Kaelen remained an enigma, watching from the shadows, his expression unreadable.
That evening, as I stood on the balcony overlooking the training grounds, Irina joined
- me.
“You’re making progress,” she said, leaning on the railing beside me.
“Doesn’t feel like it,” I admitted, my gaze fixed on the warriors sparring below.
“Kaelen sees it,” Irina said. “He won’t say it, but he does.”
I turned to her, searching her face for answers. “Why is.he so afraid of letting me in?”
Irina hesitated, then placed a hand on my arm. “Because he’s lost everyone he’s ever let close. Our parents, our pack… He’s built walls to protect himself. And to protect you.”
Her words struck a chord, and for the first time, I saw Kaelen not as the cold, ruthless
Alpha King, but as a man haunted by his past.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said softly.
Irina smiled faintly. “I think he knows that. He just needs time to believe it.”
That night, as I lay in bed, Usla stirred restlessly in my mind. “You can’t give up,” she said firmly. “Kaelen needs you, even if he doesn’t realize it yet.”
“I won’t,” I whispered back. “But he’s not the only one hiding something.”
Usla growled in agreement, the bond between us strengthening. “The time will come, Celeste. And when it does, you’ll show them all who you truly are.”
I closed my eyes, clutching onto that promise. The shadows might be Kaelen’s curse, but they wouldn’t define me and I might be the one to uplift that curse.
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