He paused. Ice-blue eyes searched my face. "Our father took what he wanted from the witch's daughter. She died screaming. The mother cursed us so we'd feel it every day. Without a true mate the wolves eat us from the inside. We start with strangers, then pack, then each other. Six months was all we had left when you arrived."
Kane set the basin down. "You changed the count. That kill today bought us more time."
Rylan leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "But the witch isn't done. She'll want payment eventually. Blood for blood."
I nodded slow. The water dripped down my body. I felt raw, alive, dangerous. "Then we make sure the payment isn't mine alone."
Darius pulled me close. His mouth brushed my ear. "You're not alone anymore. But the North doesn't give anything free."
The bond flared hot between us. Hands moved again, need rising fast. I kissed him first this time, biting hard enough to draw blood. Kane stepped in behind me. Rylan watched, eyes bright.
They took me to the bed. Slow and deliberate, every touch a reminder of who I belonged to and who belonged to me now. The knot came later, locking me to Darius while the others marked my skin. I came hard, nails digging into shoulders, the pain and pleasure twisting together until I couldn't tell which was which.
Afterward we lay tangled, breaths slowing. Snow tapped against the windows. I stared at the ceiling beams, shoulder throbbing under the fresh bandage.
Far off, another howl rose. Faint. Not Shadowpine this time. Something older. Something that knew the curse was cracking and didn't like it.
Darius's arm tightened around me. "They're coming."
I closed my eyes, knife still within reach on the bedside table. "Let them." I said.
The distant howl faded, but it left a chill that had nothing to do with the snow outside.
Morning came blue and heavy. I woke to the sound of boots on stone. Kane stood by the window, sharpening a blade with slow, steady strokes. Rylan was already dressed, cloak thrown over one shoulder, grin sharp as ever. Darius sat on the edge of the bed, watching me with those ice-blue eyes that missed nothing.
"You heard it too," I said, sitting up. The furs pooled at my waist. Fresh bite marks throbbed on my shoulders.
Darius nodded once. "Old voice. The witch's line. She felt the curse shift when you killed Marek. She'll want her due soon."
I swung my legs over the side. My shoulder still burned under the bandage, but the pain felt cleaner now. "Then we don't wait for her to knock. We find out what she wants and decide if we pay."
Kane tested the edge of his knife with his thumb. A thin line of blood welled. "She won't make it easy. The last time someone tried bargaining with her, the whole ridge ran red for a month."
Rylan laughed low. "I like our odds better with her on our side." He jerked his chin at me. "She already bites harder than most wolves I know."
We broke our fast in the hall with the pack watching. Whispers followed me as I walked between the brothers. Some eyes had changed overnight: less doubt, more caution. The beta who had questioned me before gave a short nod when I passed. Small, but it landed.
After the meal Darius led us to the war room. Maps spread across the long table, marked with black ink for Shadowpine borders and red for Frostfang claims. I stood beside him, tracing the ravine where I'd killed Marek with one finger. The memory still sat warm and heavy in my chest.
"The witch lives in the dead mountains east of here," Darius said. "Three days' hard ride. We leave at first light tomorrow. You ride with us."
I looked up. "No arguments from me. I want to see the woman who cursed you."
Kane rolled up one map. "She cursed the bloodline. Not just us. If she senses your latent alpha blood, she might try to take it for herself."
Rylan leaned against the table, arms crossed. "Then we make sure she understands what happens if she touches what's ours."
* * * * * * * *
The rest of the day passed in preparations. I trained in the yard with a borrowed sword while the brothers watched. My swings came faster now, the latent blood lending strength I'd never had in Shadowpine. I disarmed one of the younger wolves twice. When I finally lowered the blade, sweat stinging the claw marks on my shoulder, Darius caught me by the waist and kissed me right there in front of everyone. Hard. Possessive. The pack cheered low.
That night, the four of us returned to the chambers earlier than usual. No court. No long talks. Just hands and mouths and the bond pulling tight. Darius took me first against the wall, slow and deep, eyes locked on mine the whole time. Kane joined from behind, teeth on my neck. Rylan watched for a while, then moved in, turning it into all three of us moving together until I couldn't tell whose hands were where. The knot swelled inside me, locking me to Darius while the others marked fresh bruises on my skin. I came with a broken sound, nails digging into shoulders, the pleasure edged with the knowledge that the witch was already watching.
Afterward we lay tangled in the furs. I traced a scar on Kane's chest with my fingertip. "Tell me about her. The witch's daughter. What your father did."
Kane stayed quiet for a long moment. "She was barely more than a girl. He took her during a raid. Used her until she broke. The mother found the body and laid the curse on all three of us before we were even born. Said we'd feel every scream she did, every day, until a mate strong enough to survive us appeared."
Rylan's voice came from the other side of the bed, quieter than usual. "We killed our father when the madness first hit. Thought it would stop it. It didn't. Just slowed the clock."
I swallowed. The bond hummed between us, heavy with shared weight. "Then I guess I'm the one who breaks the curse."
Darius pulled me closer. His hand rested low on my belly. "You already are. But the witch will test that. She'll want blood price for lifting the rest of it."
Sleep came slow. I dreamed of red snow and a woman with eyes like cracked ice laughing while wolves tore each other apart. I woke before dawn with the bond buzzing under my skin like a warning.
We rode out at first light. Four horses, supplies lashed tight, weapons sharp. The pack lined the walls again, silent this time. I felt their eyes on my back as the gates closed behind us. The dead mountains rose in the distance, jagged and black against the gray sky.
The first two days passed in hard riding and short camps. Snow turned to rocky trails. Wind howled through passes that looked like teeth.
On the second night we sheltered in a shallow cave. Firelight danced on the walls. I sat between Kane and Rylan, sharing a skin of watered wine.
Darius spoke into the quiet. "When we reach her, let me talk first. She hates our bloodline. Seeing you might set her off."
I shook my head. "She cursed you because of what your father did to her daughter. I'm the one the bond chose. I speak for myself."
Rylan's hand squeezed my thigh. "There's the bite I like."
Kane only nodded, eyes on the fire. "Just don't let her draw blood. Not yours."
The third morning the trail narrowed to a single path cut into the cliff. Snow had stopped. The air smelled of old stone and something sharper, like burned herbs. At the end of the path stood a low stone hut built into the rock itself. Smoke curled from a chimney made of bone and iron.
The witch waited outside.
She looked older than stone. Gray hair braided with raven feathers, eyes the color of deep frost. A staff of twisted black wood rested in her hand. She watched us approach without smiling.
Darius dismounted first. "We came for answers."
The witch's gaze slid past him and locked on me. Something flickered in those cracked-ice eyes. Recognition. Hunger.
"You carry the blood I thought died with my daughter," she said, voice like dry leaves scraping together. "The alpha line I cursed your father for touching. And now it walks in a human girl bonded to his sons."
I slid off my horse and stepped forward. The bond surged hot in my chest. "Then you know why I'm here. The curse is cracking. Tell us what you want to lift the rest of it."
The witch laughed once, low and sharp. She pointed the staff at my belly.
"Payment is simple, girl. The child you already carry. Give me the firstborn. Or watch your three kings tear each other apart when the moon turns full again."
My hand dropped to my stomach before I could stop it. The bond went dead silent for one heartbeat, then roared back to life.
Darius, Kane, and Rylan stepped up beside me at the same moment, wolves rising close to the surface.
The witch gave an evil smile, teeth yellow and sharp...