Nicholas POV
"The curse began with your great-great-grandfather, Aldric Blackwood."
Morgana's voice was steady, but Nicholas could hear the weight behind every word. The kind of weight that came from carrying terrible knowledge for too long.
"He was Alpha of the Blackwood pack at a time when supernatural politics were even more brutal than they are now," Morgana continued. "And he made a decision that doomed every generation that came after him."
"What decision?" Nicholas asked.
"He betrayed the Moon Goddess." Morgana's ancient eyes were sad. "There was a sacred grove in your territory. A place of worship. A place where the veil between the mortal world and the divine was thin. Aldric destroyed it. Tore down the sacred trees. Built a fortress on the ruins. He did it to consolidate his power, to send a message that he answered to no one. not even the gods."
Sebastian's jaw tightened. "And the Moon Goddess cursed him for it."
