Kissed By The Curse

I couldn't breathe. The pain was everywhere. In my chest, my bones, my blood. Like something inside me was being ripped apart piece by piece, and I was still conscious enough to feel every second of it. I heard voices around me. Whispers. Gasps. Someone laughed. But I couldn't see anything except the floor in front of me and the hands I had pressed against my chest, trying to hold myself together. It didn't work. The bond was supposed to break. That was how rejection worked. You said the words, the bond severed, and both wolves moved on. Clean. Final. But this wasn't clean. This was agony. "Get her out of here," someone said. Hands grabbed my arms, hauling me upright. My legs wouldn't hold me. I sagged between two wolves I didn't recognize, their grips bruising as they dragged me toward the door. I tried to look back. Tried to find him in the crowd. But Jasper wasn't looking at me anymore. He had already turned away. They threw me outside like I was trash. I hit the ground hard, gravel cutting into my palms. The impact jarred something loose in my chest, and I gasped, curling in on myself as another wave of pain tore through me. My wolf was howling. Screaming. Clawing at the inside of my skull like she was trying to break free and go back to him. But there was no going back. He had rejected us. In front of everyone. "Pathetic." I looked up. Vanessa stood over me, arms crossed, her face twisted in disgust. "Did you really think he would choose you?" she asked, her voice dripping with venom. "You? A cursed omega with nothing to offer?" I didn't answer. Couldn't. She crouched down, her eyes cold and sharp. "He spent one night with you because the bond made him weak. But he is stronger than that. Stronger than you." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And now everyone knows exactly what you are. A mistake." She stood and walked away, her laughter echoing behind her. I stayed on the ground, shaking, unable to move. Hours passed. Or maybe minutes. I didn't know. The pain didn't stop. It just kept burning, twisting, digging deeper. My wolf had gone silent now, retreating so far inside me I wasn't sure she would ever come back. Maybe that was better. "Quinn." I flinched at the sound of my name. Elder Rowan stood a few feet away, his face pale and drawn. He looked older than I had ever seen him, like the weight of the world had settled on his shoulders overnight. "You need to leave," he said quietly. I stared at him. "What?" "The council has made their decision." His voice was hollow. "You are to be banished from pack lands. Effective immediately." The words didn't register at first. Banished. "You cannot stay here," he continued, and there was something like regret in his eyes. "The bond... it has not broken. And as long as it remains, you are a threat to the Alpha King's authority." A threat. I almost laughed. Almost. "Where am I supposed to go?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. He didn't answer. "Elder Rowan." I forced myself to stand, even though my legs shook. "Where am I supposed to go?" "I do not know," he admitted, and he wouldn't meet my eyes. "But you cannot stay here." "This is my home." "Not anymore." The finality in his voice cut deeper than the rejection had. I looked at him, this man who had known me since I was a child. Who had watched me grow up. Who had seen everything I had endured and said nothing. "You knew," I said suddenly. "You knew this would happen." His jaw tightened. "You knew he was my mate. You felt it. And you said nothing." "I could not interfere," he said quietly. "The council-" "The council." I laughed bitterly. "Of course. The council decides everything, doesn't it? Even who gets to suffer." "Quinn-" "No." I stepped back, away from him. "You do not get to feel guilty now. You had a chance to help me, and you chose them. Just like everyone else." He opened his mouth, then closed it. There was nothing left to say. I turned and walked away. I did not have much to pack. A spare shirt, a blanket, and a small pouch of dried food I had been saving. Everything I owned fit into a single bag. I slung it over my shoulder and stepped outside. The estate was quiet. No one came to say goodbye. No one even looked at me as I made my way toward the gates. Except one. Jasper stood near the entrance to the main house, half hidden in the shadows. His eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, I saw something flicker across his face. Regret. Pain. Guilt. I didn't care. I turned away and kept walking. The gates closed behind me with a heavy clang, and just like that, I was alone. The world beyond the pack lands was bigger than I remembered. Colder. The trees pressed in on all sides, thick and dark, and the path ahead was barely visible in the fading light. I walked until my legs gave out. Then I collapsed beneath a tree, pulled my knees to my chest, and finally let myself break. The sobs came hard and fast, tearing out of me like something feral. My chest heaved, my throat burned, and I couldn't stop. He had looked at me like I mattered. He had touched me like I was something precious. And then he had thrown me away like I was nothing. My wolf stirred weakly, a soft whimper echoing in the back of my mind. "I know," I whispered. "I know." But knowing didn't make it hurt less. I don't know how long I sat there. Hours, maybe. The sun set, and the forest grew darker, but I didn't move. I couldn't. The bond was still there. Still burning. A constant reminder that he had rejected me, but the connection refused to die. It twisted inside me, sharp and vicious, like a wound that wouldn't heal. And I realized something. This was not just rejection. This was a curse. I pressed a hand to my chest, gasping as another wave of pain rolled through me. A curse. The word echoed in my mind, over and over, until it was the only thing I could hear. I had been born cursed. Everyone said so. Born under a blood moon, marked from the start. But this was different. This was worse. Because now I was tied to him. Bound to the man who had destroyed me. And no matter how far I ran, no matter how much I wanted to forget, the bond would always pull me back. I would never be free. A howl echoed in the distance, long and low. I looked up, heart pounding. Another howl answered. Closer this time. Rogues. I scrambled to my feet, grabbing my bag, and started running. The pain slowed me down. My legs were weak, my body still reeling from the rejection, but I pushed through it. I had to. Because out here, I was prey. And if the rogues found me, I was dead. I ran until I couldn't anymore. Until my lungs burned and my vision blurred and I collapsed against a tree, gasping for air. The howls had stopped. But I knew they were still out there. Watching. Waiting. I closed my eyes and prayed to a moon goddess who had never listened to me before. Please. Just let me survive the night. But deep down, I wasn't sure I wanted to.