Chapter 3 3

Selene turned back to her table, sweeping a cluster of dried herbs aside to make space. She grabbed a black candle from the corner and placed it in the center of the table. The room seemed to grow colder as she began gathering her tools, muttering under her breath as she worked.

"First things first," she said, her voice sharp and focused. "We need to test the boundaries of this curse. If I'm going to break it, I have to understand its full strength."

"How do we do that?" Ciaran asked, watching her nimble fingers as she sorted through her vials of powdered minerals and mysterious liquids.

She didn't look up. "Simple. I'll summon the curse's essence."

His brow furrowed. "Summon it? Won't that make it worse?"

Selene smirked without humor, finally meeting his gaze. "It's already tearing you apart, isn't it? We need to see what we're dealing with. I'll anchor the curse here, in this room, so I can study it. But you'll have to hold it back."

Ciaran's jaw clenched. "Hold it back?"

"You're the cursed one, remember?" Selene replied, lighting the candle with a snap of her fingers. The flame burned blue, casting an eerie glow across her face. "Your connection to the curse is stronger than mine. It will fight to consume you when I call it out. Your job is to resist it."

He stared at her, disbelief flashing in his eyes. "You're asking me to wrestle with the beast inside me while you... what? Take notes?"

"Something like that." Selene's tone was calm, but her eyes glimmered with a sharp intensity. "Unless you'd prefer to leave now and let the curse consume you in a few weeks."

His lips pressed into a thin line. He hated the way she spoke to him, the way she poked at his pride as if it were a game. But she wasn't wrong. He didn't have a choice.

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "Let's get this over with."

Selene's smirk softened into something resembling approval. "Good. Sit there." She gestured to a wooden chair she had dragged into the center of the room.

Ciaran hesitated before lowering himself onto the chair. The wood creaked under his weight, and he sat stiffly, his muscles taut as if bracing for a fight.

Selene began arranging symbols on the floor around him, using chalk and a powdery mix that smelled faintly of sulfur. The air grew heavier with every mark she made, and Ciaran could feel the hum of magic intensifying.

"What are you drawing?" he asked, his voice low.

"A containment circle," she replied without looking up. "It'll keep the curse from spreading if you lose control."

"That's comforting."

Selene chuckled softly, the sound light and fleeting. "You'll be fine. Probably."

"Probably?"

She straightened, wiping her hands on her skirt, and met his eyes with a challenging look. "You're an alpha, aren't you? Act like one."

Ciaran growled under his breath but didn't argue.

Selene stepped back, her expression turning serious. "Ready?"

"No," he said honestly, his voice flat.

"Too bad."

She extended her hands over the circle, her voice dipping into a low chant. The words were ancient, foreign, and charged with power. The blue flame of the candle leapt higher, casting flickering shadows that seemed to move on their own.

Ciaran's chest tightened as a strange force wrapped around him, pulling at the edges of his consciousness. He clenched his fists, his breathing shallow as the beast stirred deep inside him.

"Stay focused," Selene warned, her voice cutting through the haze.

The shadows in the room thickened, pooling around the circle. Ciaran felt them pressing against him, cold and suffocating. A low growl rumbled from his chest as his wolf fought to rise, clawing at the fragile barrier between man and beast.

"Selene," he bit out, his voice strained. "What the hell is happening?"

"I'm pulling the curse forward," she said, her tone steady despite the tension in the air. "Don't fight me. Fight it."

The pressure grew unbearable, and Ciaran's claws extended, digging into the arms of the chair. His body trembled as the beast surged forward, snarling and snapping within the confines of his mind.

"Hold on!" Selene's voice was sharp now, commanding. She raised her hands higher, her chant rising in intensity.

The shadows coalesced into a dark, swirling mass in the center of the circle. It pulsed with a malevolent energy, and Ciaran's eyes widened as he felt it latching onto him, feeding on his anger, his fear, his pain.

"Selene-" His voice broke into a guttural growl, his fangs elongating as the beast fought for control.

"Not yet!" she shouted, stepping closer to the circle. Her hands moved in intricate patterns, weaving the energy around them into something tangible. "You're stronger than this. Prove it!"

Her words pierced through the haze, and Ciaran focused on the sound of her voice, grounding himself. He drew on every ounce of willpower he had, forcing the beast back inch by inch.

The dark mass hissed, writhing against Selene's magic. She gritted her teeth, sweat beading on her forehead as she held it in place. "Almost there..."

With a final, guttural roar, Ciaran slammed the beast back into submission. The shadows exploded outward, then dissipated into nothingness, leaving the room eerily silent.

Ciaran slumped in the chair, his breaths ragged and shallow. His hands were trembling, his claws still partially extended.

Selene knelt beside him, her own breathing unsteady. She studied his face, her expression unreadable.

"Well," she said after a moment, her voice soft but firm. "That was... intense."

He managed a weak glare. "That's one way to put it."

Selene rose to her feet, brushing off her hands. "The good news is, I know what we're dealing with now. The bad news? This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better."

Ciaran closed his eyes, exhaustion pulling at him. "Great. Just what I wanted to hear."

Selene smirked faintly, but there was a hint of worry in her gaze as she looked at him. "Rest for now. You're going to need it."

As she moved to extinguish the candle, Ciaran opened his eyes and watched her. Despite everything, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something. Something that could change everything.