bChapter /bb48 /b

Darius bpov /b

b“/bbI /bapologize, but it’s ba /bbdead /bbend /bagain, my king. bThere /bbis /bbno /bsign bof /banyone able to shift into a white wolf in this bpack/b,” Drake bsaid /bsolemnly, his head bowed in respect as bhe /bspoke.

“Drake’s right. We searched everyone with a white wolf form, but there’s no sign of the one we’re looking forb,/b” bCassian /badded from where he sat not far from me, chewing on a snack with a sigh. “King, you’ve been searching for a white wolf for centuries and haven’t found one. That’s because they’ve gone extinct. So why should we still trust the bshaman/b? I mean, don’t get me wrong, she’s good at what she doesb, /bbut I don’t think we’ll find a white wolf in this bpack/b.”

I raised a brow at his words, flipping the coin in my hand absentmindedly as my thoughts drifted to the message my kingdom’s shaman sent me yesterday:

My king, I received a visionst night, and I’m pleased to inform you that the white wolf you’ve been searching for has finally reappeared after years of extinction. The one who bears it is closer than you think.

A white wolf. The one I’d searched for–goddess knows how long–had finally returned.

It sounded unbelievable, like a false prophecy, but I wouldn’t take the risk of ignoring it. What if it was true? If I found the one who bore the white wolf, everything would finally fall into ce.

“And I really don’t understand why the king wants to find a white wolf,” Cassian said again, tilting his head slightly in confusion. “Even grandfather and father never knew why you were so determined. Is it really that important to you, my king?b” /b

My gaze turned cold at his words, flicking back down to the coin in my hand. Without answering Cassian, I turned to Drake and ordered,

“Search again. Even if you have to turn this entire pack upside down, I need that white wolf.”

With that, I turned and walked out of the room, noting how smart Cassian was not to follow me.

I needed a run.

I made my way out of the packhouse and headed into the woods, my mind crowded with thoughts–mostly centered on the white wolf as I shifted into my form and took off, running through the trees.

Had a white wolf really reappeared after all these years? If it had, then I had to find them. No matter what.

It bwas /bthe only way to end the curse. The only way to finally die.

“You have crossed the line this time, Darius. There is too much blood on your hands. You’ve taken too many lives, and now you must be punished. You will live forever, watching those around you die one by one. You shall know the pain of loss, bcrave /bthe salvation of death, but never receive it. The only thing that can break this curse is a purebred white wolf but then again, that’s only if you can find one.”

I could still remember the slight smirk on her face as she said those words.

b“/bbIf /bbI /bfound oneb,/bb” /bI echoed to myself.

For centuries, I hadn’t. I had given up, knowing the goddess wouldn’t make this beasy/b. But now…

bI /bsprinted bfaster/bb, /bcutting through the air.

bmaybe/b, everything would bfinally /bbbe /bbover/bb. /b

*Darius…b” /bbSs /bsaid through the mindlink, finally speaking to me bafter /bignoring me since bwe /breturned from the mall.

bI /bdidn’t respond, balready /bhaving a good bidea /bwhere bthis /bconversation was bheaded /band I bwasn’t /bwrong.

“So bI /bbwas /bthinkingb… /byou don’t really have to reject our mate. What bif /byou just bleave /bbher/b? We can go bback /bto our pack and pretend she bdoesn’t /bexistb. /bI mean, we don’t have to bept /bher as our mateb, /bbut we don’t bhave /bbto reject /bher either, right?” bhe /bbasked/b.

bI /bbstill /bsaid nothing.

The only sound I bfocused /bon was the steady crunch of my paws crushing broken twigs beneath me.

“Why are you not responding, Darius? Don’t tell me you want to be bso /bcruel as to reject her when you don’t have to. I already said you don’t need to ept her as your mate, just don’t reject her. You know what your rejection would do to her, right? So bplease/bb… /bjust let her go.”

I couldn’t help but want tough at his words. Ss, the fearsome wolf who never blinked when it came to killing bwas /bpleading for a girl.

It was almost amusing to realize that his weakness would turn out to be an ordinary, wolfless girl.

“That’s not possible, and you know that,” I said, my voice cold.

Not rejecting her didn’t mean I could simply ignore her.

No–I couldn’t.

The moment we met, there had been some kind of connection between us, even if I didn’t want to admit it. And if I didn’t sever the bond now, it would only be harder to stay away.

Ss went quiet for a while before he growled through the link.

“You really are cruel and heartless. You don’t even care that she might die from your rejection. In factb, /bsomething tells me you’re rejecting her because you want her to die.”

I neither denied nor confirmed his words as I came to a halt, my gaze narrowing and ears twitching at the faint sound of something snapping in the distance.

Someone was here and judging by the scent, it was her.

I frowned.

Without thinking, I sprinted in the direction of the scent.

What bwas /bshe doing out here in the woods again?

The memory of her undressing shed through my mind, deepening the frown etched on my face.

“She bis /bbhere/b!” Ss echoed out excitedly and the killing intent from earlier seemed to have vanished as I raced to the direction her scent wasing from and soon enough, I stopped sprinting, stopping at a stream, my eyes narrowing through the space to look for the sight of that girl but instead of a naked girl I had thought I would see in front of me, there was a wolf staring at her reflection in the stream but that wasn’t what made my heart beat faster against my chest.

The reason for that was bbecause /bthat wolf bwas /ba purebred.