The Blood Pact

Lorcan’s claws stopped just shy of Bardan’s throat.

Liora’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. “If you kill him, you’ll never understand your own power.”

The Alpha froze. Slowly, he turned his head, his golden eyes narrowing. “Explain.”

She stepped forward, her pulse wild but her voice steady. The lie came to her in a flash of desperation. “The curse is broken, but the magic isn’t gone. It’s in your blood now. And without me, you’ll never control it.”

Bardan’s gaze snapped to her, a silent warning. She ignored it.

Lorcan tilted his head, considering. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he signaled his men to lower their weapons. “Fine. Then here are my terms.” He pointed at Bardan. “He leaves. Tonight. Never returns.” His finger shifted to Liora. “And you stay. As my guest.”

The word guest slithered between them, heavy with unspoken meaning.

Bardan snarled. “No.”

Liora didn’t look at him. “Yes.”

---

They were given until dawn.

Bardan paced the length of the abandoned hunter’s cabin where they’d taken shelter, his body coiled with barely restrained fury. “You can’t do this.”

Liora stuffed supplies into a satchel for him. Her hands trembling, but her resolve is iron. “I already did.”

He grabbed her wrist, spinning her to face him. “Lorcan doesn’t just want your magic. He wants you.” His voice dropped, rough with emotion. “And you’re just going to let him?”

Her breath hitched. “I’m buying you time. Go to the village. Find my grandmother’s journals. There has to be more about the curse. Something we can use against him.”

Bardan’s grip tightened. “And what happens when he realizes you’re stalling?”

A shadow passed over her face. “Then I’ll handle it.”

He exhaled sharply, his forehead pressing against hers. “This is a mistake.”

She closed her eyes. “Then it’s mine to make.”

When the first light of dawn crept through the trees, Bardan was gone.

---

Lorcan waited for her at the edge of the camp, his arms crossed, his gaze predatory. “Ready?”

Liora lifted her chin. “I’m not yours.”

He smirked. “Aren’t you?”

Before she could react, he gripped the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair as he pulled her close. His voice was a whisper against her lips. “You think I don’t know what you’re doing? Playing both sides?”

Her pulse spiked. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Lorcan chuckled darkly. “Liar.” Then his mouth crashed onto hers.

It wasn’t a kiss. It was a claim.

She shoved him back, her lips burning. “Don’t.”

The Alpha’s eyes glowed. “Too late.” He wiped his thumb across his bottom lip, smirking at the faint smear of blood from where he’d bitten her. “Now you’re part of the pack. Whether you like it or not.”

---

That night, Liora dreamed of wolves.

Not the beasts she knew, but something older. Something with too many teeth and eyes like blackened stars. It spoke in a voice that wasn’t a voice.

“You woke us.”

She jolted upright and found Lorcan standing over her bed, his face pale.

“You heard it too,” he breathed.

Outside, the forest had gone silent. No crickets. No wind.

Only the sound of something breathing beneath the earth.

—

The silence in the forest was worse than any snarl.

Liora stood beside Lorcan at the edge of the camp, her skin prickling with unease. The air was thick, heavy like the moment before lightning strikes.

"What was that thing in my dream?" she whispered.

Lorcan’s jaw clenched. "Something that should have stayed buried." His fingers brushed against hers, a fleeting touch that burned. "You’re not safe here."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "Now you care?"

Before he could answer, a howl tore through the night. One she knew instantly.

Bardan.

He emerged from the trees like a shadow given form, his body streaked with blood and dirt, his golden eyes blazing. A silver dagger glinted in his grip, its tip pointed at Lorcan’s heart.

"You lied," Bardan snarled. "The curse wasn’t just about the pack. It was a cage. And she just set whatever was inside free."

---

Lorcan bared his teeth. "And whose fault is that? You brought her here!"

Bardan lunged.

The two men collided like storms, fists and fangs and fury. Liora shouted for them to stop, but neither listened. The pack circled them, snarling, unsure who to attack. Their Alpha or the traitor who’d returned.

A deafening crack split the air.

The earth trembled.

Then… screams.

From the forest, things slithered between the trees. Not wolves. Not men. Shapes of smoke and shadow, with eyes that dripped like tar and mouths too wide for human faces.

The Ancient Ones.

---

Bardan grabbed Liora’s arm, yanking her behind him. "Run. Now."

Lorcan seized her other wrist. "She stays with me!"

Liora wrenched free, her voice raw. "Enough!" She turned toward the approaching horrors, her blood singing with a power she didn’t understand. "You want to fight? Then fight them. Or we all die tonight."

For a heartbeat, no one moved.

Then Lorcan let out a vicious laugh. "Fine. But when this is over, witch." His gaze locked onto hers, hungry. "You’re mine."

Bardan snarled, but there was no time to argue. The shadows were upon them.

---

Silver flashed. Claws tore. Liora fought with dagger and teeth, her body moving on instinct. Bardan fought at her back, Lorcan at her side. Three unlikely allies against an ancient evil.

One of the creatures lunged for her. She dodged, but not fast enough. It's talons grazed her ribs, burning like ice.

Bardan’s roar shook the trees as he ripped the thing apart.

Lorcan dragged her upright, his grip bruising. "Use your magic!"

"I don’t know how!"

"Then learn!" He pressed his forehead to hers, his voice a command. "Or we all die here."

Something inside her clicked.

The world went white.

—

When the light faded, the creatures were gone.

So was half the forest.

Liora collapsed, her vision swimming. Strong arms caught her, Bardan’s. His heartbeat thundered against her ear as he cradled her close.

"What the hell was that?" he rasped.