Chapter 14
“She’s getting worse,” Arla whispered, her voice shaking.
I barely heard her. My eyes were locked on my mother’s frail form, lying in the bed that once seemed too big for her. Now, she looked small, fragile—like a flower wilting before my eyes.
Her skin was paler than before, her once-bright eyes dimmed with exhaustion. Dark veins ran up her arms, a sickly sign of whatever was eating away at her from the inside.
I clenched my fists, anger and helplessness warring inside me. “We need to do something.”
Arla nodded, swallowing hard. “I sent word to the best healer in town. He should be here any minute.”
A knock at the door made us both turn.
The healer stood in the doorway, a man dressed in long robes, his eyes filled with quiet wisdom. He moved slowly toward my mother, pressing a hand against her forehead, then her wrist.
Minutes passed in silence.
Then, the healer pulled away, his expression unreadable.
“Tell us,” I demanded. “What’s wrong with her?”
He hesitated.
“There is… something unnatural at play.” He met my eyes carefully. “This is not an ordinary illness. It is a curse.”
A chill ran down my spine. “A curse?”
The healer nodded. “A blood curse, bound to the power of the pack.” He looked between me and Arla, his face grave. “Your mother cannot be healed unless one of her daughters claims the Luna title.”
My breath hitched.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Arla said, shaking her head. “Why would her health be tied to the Luna position?”
The healer sighed. “It is an ancient magic—one deeply rooted in your family’s lineage. The bloodline of the Luna is sacred, and without one in place, the balance is broken. Your mother is suffering the consequences.”
My mind raced. A curse? Tied to the Luna title? It sounded like some cruel joke.
“What if I don’t accept to be a Luna?” I asked.
The healer’s expression darkened. “Then she will not survive the next full moon.”
The weight of his words crushed me like a boulder.
“But why?” I pressed. “Why is it connected? Who placed this curse?”
The healer shook his head. “That is something I cannot answer. Only your mother knows the truth.”
I turned sharply toward her.
“Mom,” I said, my voice firm. “What is he talking about?”
She didn’t meet my eyes.
“It doesn’t matter,” she murmured, her voice weak but steady.
“It matters to me!” I snapped, my frustration boiling over. “Why didn’t you tell us? Why would you keep something like this a secret?”
She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. “Because it’s not your burden to carry.”
“Not my burden?” My voice rose. “You’re dying, and you’re telling me it’s not my burden?”
Her eyes opened, and for the first time in days, I saw a flash of the woman she used to be. “You are my child, Aurora. My only concern is your happiness. I will not let this curse chain you to a life you don’t want.”
Silence hung between us.
Arla sat on the edge of the bed, gripping our mother’s hand tightly. “But if one of us becomes Luna, you’ll get better?” she asked, her voice trembling.
The healer nodded. “Yes.”
I inhaled sharply, turning away. My chest felt tight, like a rope was wrapping around my ribs, suffocating me.
Becoming Luna? After everything? After what Tyler did to me? No. Never. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.
“There has to be another way,” I said, shaking my head. “We can find another healer—someone else who can break this curse without—”
“There is no other way.” My mother’s voice was soft but final.
I clenched my jaw, forcing back the scream rising in my throat.
“Then Arla can do it.”
My sister stiffened beside me. I knew it was selfish of me to say, but I couldn’t take it back. I wasn’t Luna material. I wasn’t meant to rule beside Tyler.
I wasn’t meant to be anything to him.
“I can’t,” Arla admitted, her voice small. “I’m not strong enough, Aurora. We both know that.”
The air felt heavy.
I turned back to my mother, only to find her staring at me, her gaze piercing straight through my soul.
“Aurora,” she said, “you need to forgive Tyler.”
The words felt like a slap to my face.
I recoiled. “What?”
She sighed, her fingers curling weakly against the blanket. “Your hatred is eating you alive, my love. You will never truly be free until you let go.”
I laughed, the sound sharp and humorless. “Let go? He rejected me. He humiliated me. And now you want me to just… forgive him?”
“Yes.”
I shook my head, stepping back. “I can’t.”
She sighed, closing her eyes again. “Then this curse will consume us both.”
A cold dread settled in my stomach. This wasn’t fair. How could the universe do this to me? I had spent years trying to erase Tyler from my life, to convince myself I didn’t need him.
And now, my mother’s life depended on me standing beside him again?
No. I refused. I turned on my heel, storming toward the door. Arla called after me, but I ignored her. I needed air. I needed space. I needed this to not be real. But as I reached for the door handle, another voice stopped me.
“Running away won’t change the truth, Aurora.”
I froze. My blood turned to ice.
Slowly, I turned to see Tyler leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, golden eyes unreadable.
“You heard everything,” I said.
His lips curled slightly, but there was no amusement in his gaze. “I did.” A muscle in my jaw twitched.
“Then you already know my answer.”
