*Julian*

The village streets are filled with merchants and pack members. As we walk back to the courtyard in the center of Moonfang Pack territory, I hold Xamara’s hand, trying to keep my composure.

“I still can’t believe it,” I mutter. “All this time, we didn’t know what illness overtook my mother. She died because of a curse. A dark and evil curse.”

My mate looks up at me, her eyes shadowed with grief. “I’m sorry, Julian,” she whispers. “It’s terrible.”

The memory of my mother’s death is still razor sharp. When I was younger, I always imagined her living to an old age, surrounded by family, but then she...