Curse [noun] - a solemn utterance intended to evoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something.

author's note: apologies for this delayed update! truthfully have finally been getting through a list of books i didn't have time to read while working haha. a new cover and banner like alpha tristan! if this is the last update of the year, i wish you all a happy new year when it comes!

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"Tell me what happened on the night of the full moon. Leave no details out, both of you."

Kane glanced at me and with a warm hand on my back, he led us to the vacant sofa. A knot tied in my stomach at the sight of Santiago's unease, but it loosened slightly as Kane's muscular thighs pressed against mine. It wasn't a small sofa by any means, but he naturally took up a lot of space. I welcomed his proximity as he began.

"I get these headaches on the mornings of a full moon," he sighed. "After my last blackout that wasn't on a full moon, I had a feeling that this full moon was going to be the hardest yet. I normally try to tire myself out before nightfall, runs, training, anything, so I don't have much energy when I black out."

That explained his disappearances.

"We did everything like normal. Finn chained me just as the sun was setting. By this point, the headache worsens and I start getting the sweats. I'm not sure when the blackouts happen."

"As soon as the full moon is at its highest," Finn supplemented from the other sofa. He slid on the sofa to make space for Carmen, who came back downstairs with a pair of socks in her hand. I graciously took it.

"And you don't remember anything?" Santiago questioned.

Kane shook his head and a frown tugged at his lips. "I don't even feel like I'm in my own body. My wolf fights to the surface and there's just darkness. But this time was different. I felt it clearing long enough to see Rina in front of me."

"How did you do it?" Santiago's inquisitive gaze turned to me.

I looked at Kane for a brief second. His hand found mine as if it were second nature. "His name. I just said his name." My thumb gently passed over the brand on my wrist, tracing the four letters that had promised me to him in the first place.

"And this is the first time it's happened?" he followed up.

"I never knew about it before this month," I replied quietly. The main light was brighter now, harsher.

Kane quickly filled the silence. "I thought I could protect her from it, but the way we're drawn to each other, she found me easily." He averted his eyes to our joint hands. "When she said my name, I had to fight to the surface. It feels like I'm clearing the darkness in my mind, focusing on anything to remind me of the ground beneath me. I don't want to shift—I never want to shift, but it's like my body has this urge that can't be ignored. It's maddening."

"You feel overpowered," Santiago stated. It definitely wasn't a question. The cogs were turning in his mind and he was putting things together that I knew we weren't privy to yet. "I'm guessing the urge this time was to mark your mate."

I shuddered unwillingly. I avoided everyone's eyes.

"Not that like that," Kane said, his voice barely above a whisper. He cleared his throat and spoke normally. "I don't remember anything from that point."

"We sedated him after that. He slept until the morning," Finn added.

"And this is the second time you've had to use the sedative?"

Second?

"Yes," Finn responded, solemnly. He spotted the questioning look on my face. "The first time was December's full moon. We never had to do it before then."

The knot in my stomach tightened and one began to form in my throat at the realisation. That was the full moon that had caused Kane to harm his men.

The words were thick and heavy on my tongue. "He looked...wild, as if there was nothing Kane about him. It was clear that he wasn't—isn't—himself when he blacks out."

Kane couldn't look at me.

"I have a suggestion and I urge you to consider it." Santiago reached for his briefcase. He pulled out a small metal box. "We need to replicate the blackout."

The knot in my throat silenced me, but they all protested at the same time.

"Tío." Carmen sat up straighter.

"We can't." Finn adamantly shook his head.

"That's not an option." Kane stiffened beside me.

Santiago held up a hand and winced. "Maybe blackout is the wrong word. I'm not sure I could make anything to replicate that, but what I can make is a serum that will force you to shift. We can recreate the blackout without the blackout."

"Why?" Kane asked as his jaw ticked.

"You need to know what it feels like. Maybe this is the key to fully grounding yourself when the blackout does happen. You need to take back control."

Nothing about Kane's posture changed, but his grip on my hand tightened. He didn't think he could, but he'd be damned before they all saw his disbelief in himself.

"The blackouts are what make it dangerous, not him shifting," I replied, squeezing his hand back.

"If we recreate the sensation, then maybe it triggers something in his mind and he remembers something. At least give it a try, Alpha. Don't you want to take control back?"

Kane set his jaw again and the tension in his body increased. "Yes," he said through gritted teeth."

Santiago nodded and pulled out a syringe and a vial from the cushioned box. "This will trigger the same reaction in the brain as when we shift. It's a strong dose, but you should be able to fight it."

I slid to the edge of the sofa. "Is it safe?"

"Perfectly," he answered.

Kane curled a hand around the back of my head and pressed a kiss on my forehead. "Are you okay to be here?"

I peered up at him, holding his gaze. What he was really asking was did I want to stay with him through it? "Yes."

We all stood up and Finn lifted the glass table out of the way. Santiago stabbed the vial with the needle and I watched as the syringe filled with the clear liquid.

Kane squared his shoulders and I placed my hand on his back. I leaned up and kissed the curve of his shoulder. He twisted his arm to link our fingers together behind his back. He straightened his other arm out towards Santiago.

"Slight pinch." He smiled slightly as he injected Kane with the serum.

A minute passed. Then another. Nothing.

"Are you sure—" my question was cut off Kane let out a strangled gasp. He almost pulled me with him to the ground when he fell to his knees.

My heart sank in dread with him. I quickly gave him space and went to stand beside Santiago. His hand slammed onto the hardwood floor and I could see his bones beginning to shift.

"Fight it, Kane!" Santiago exclaimed.

He tilted his head away from us and growled out, "I am." He made fists against the floor and his back rose and fell with his harsh breaths. I couldn't see his eyes, but I could tell they were flashing from amber to a blazing gold.

"How does this end?" I quickly asked. My hands were starting to feel clammy.

"He has to let himself remember something, then I'll give him the antidote."

"Antidote?" I echoed. "You mean he can't stop it himself?"

"Tío, what did you give him?" Carmen stepped forward with a frown.

"Exactly what I told you it is," he replied. He sighed apologetically. "He never would have agreed otherwise."

"I'm going to kill you," Kane growled, lifting his head. His eyes looked exactly like I had predicted.

Santiago gulped, but he swallowed his fear to speak. "Focus, Alpha. You will remember."

Kane screwed his eyes shut and pushed out a groan. His body was uncomfortably rigid, like he thought one wrong move and he would lose the grip of control he had. "What do I ne—" he could barely speak as he groaned in pain again.

"This is pointless!" I cried out, frantically looking between him and the three of them. "He's in pain, Santiago!"

Santiago's apprehensive expression morphed into one of determination. "Think back to the first ever time you blacked out, Alpha. Keep your eyes closed and open your mind."

Kane huffed out quick breaths through gritted teeth and his hands flew to his head. His fingers dug into his hair. Mine itched to comfort him, but something kept me rooted in my place.

"What do you see, Alpha? What do you hear? What do you feel?" Santiago crouched and spoke louder. "Where are you?"

Kane curled into himself and he gripped his hair tighter. "I'm here." His words came out in pants. "I'm by the woods."

"Yes!" Santiago clapped his hands. "You're remembering. Look around. What can you see?"

"A woman. I can't see her face. The full moon's light isn't helping."

I looked over at Finn and Carmen who looked equally as confused.

Kane's growl died in the middle of his throat and he shook his head. "Give me the antidote. I can't hold it back for much longer." His voice was deepening, taking a rough quality that we knew all too well. He was close to shifting.

Santiago threw me a desperate glance. It was like a zap of electricity that coursed through me as I jumped into action. "Kane. You can do it. You're the strongest man I've ever known." My legs were planks, stiff and unmoving, but my firm tone helped him.

His heaving breaths were all that could be heard for a long moment until he spoke again. "Ravens. Three of them. They're pecking something into the snow."

"What, Kane? What is it?" I implored, wrapping my arms around myself. I wanted it to end.

"The numbers, Rina—on your wrist."

Santiago grabbed my hands and turned them over. My gaze shot up to his. There weren't any numbers on either wrist.

"What numbers, Kane?"

"The numbers!" he grunted and steadied himself on all fours. His canines began to descend. "Seven—" his shirt was tightening against his skin.

"Santiago, give him the antidote! Now!" Finn demanded, tugging Carmen behind him.

Santiago sprang into action and with steady hands, he pulled out the remaining needle and syringe. With one hand, he grabbed Kane's arm in an iron-clad grip, and just before I thought Kane was going to slam him into the far wall, he administered the antidote.

He slowly slumped onto the ground and went limp.

"Kane!" I screamed in shock.

He was unmoving and his breaths slowed down. I dropped to the floor and turned him around. His bones were moving back.

"He'll come around in a few minutes," Santiago assured, sitting back with a relieved sigh.

I threw him an annoyed glance and lifted Kane's head onto my lap. "Don't ever do anything like that again." I looked down at Kane and pushed back the rebellious strands of hair that brushed the top of his forehead.

He had broken a sweat and I wiped it with my sleeve, not caring if it was disgusting or not. My heart constricted at the sight of his pain, and all I wanted to do was make it all go away. I caressed his cheek until he slowly stirred. His calm eyes fluttered open and he blew out an exhausted breath. He lightly gripped my hand and kissed my palm softly.

He was calm until his gaze flitted to Santiago. "You have three seconds to explain yourself."

Santiago rose to his feet and laughed nervously. "Desperate times, Alpha...you weren't remembering because a part of you doesn't want to remember. Your mind is protecting you from knowing the truth."

I helped Kane when he made a move to stand. His arm hooked around my shoulder and pulled me into my side. "Next time, just tell me the truth."

Santiago bowed his head graciously. "I will. Now, what were the numbers you saw?"

Kane's eyes met mine. "My painting of you, Rina. I saw the numbers that were on your wrist. 77996."

Santiago looked between the two of us. "Do those numbers have any significance to either of you?"

We shook our heads and Kane answered. "I used to have dreams about Rina. In one of them, she'd say my name and on her wrist was that number."

"You dreamt of each other before meeting?" he inquired, his shoulders sinking. "What else haven't you told me?"

I gulped and looked towards Finn and Carmen. I never wanted to reveal what had happened the first time Kane and I met. He squeezed my shoulder and I nodded at him.

"Rina also had nightmares for three years. She dreamt of me chasing and killing her. It came true the day we met. I had a blackout and almost killed her. She got away."

Carmen's gasp pierced through the air and her hands covered her mouth. A deep crease formed between Finn's eyebrows and he closed his eyes. "I should've gone with you. I'm so sorry."

"I survived," I breathed out anxiously. The smile was purely for their benefit.

The cogs were turning faster in Santiago's head. He quietly watched us, and the seconds stretched uncomfortably into a minute. He slowly turned to Carmen. "Cariño, do you have a pen and paper?"

She nodded, still caught off guard. "Y-yes. The kitchen."

Finn squeezed her hand and turned towards the kitchen instead. "I'll get it, Carm."

Santiago pivoted on his heel and placed the glass table back in the middle of the sitting room. He sat down on the sofa and took the pen and paper from Finn. We all took our seats again, leaning in to see what he was writing.

'THINGS WE KNOW' was written at the top of the paper and he jotted a few things down. First, both our names, the words nightmares, full moon, blackouts and ravens. He wrote the number 3 by itself with a question mark.

"I'm missing something," he murmured before he drew a line from 'ravens'. "Ravens symbolise prophecies and bad omens." He etched the number 77996 next to it. "There's a link between everything that is happening."

I stared at the words on the page, dumbfounded. Three. "Maybe the dreams were the prophecies? We had them for three years."

Kane pressed a finger to the number. "This all began just over three years ago with the war."

"So the number 3 is important here too. Three years since the war, three years of nightmares..."

"This could be silly, but 77996," Carmen narrowed her eyes, questioningly. "Seven, nine and 6 are multiples of three—seven comes to three and a half though." She shook her head. "Forget I said anything."

"No," Santiago responded, pointing the pen at her. "I think you have a point here. It is linked to the number 3, but we're not seeing a key part of information."

"What could it mean though?" I spoke up, holding my hands up. "What if we're grasping at straws?"

Kane pulled my hand into his lap and caressed my palm. "It's okay, baby."

Santiago's gaze dropped to our hands and he straightened his back. "That's it. Your wrist. In the painting, the number was on your wrist but in real life, you both have each other's names."

He wrote our names out next to each other and beside them, the number.

"What if we turn their names into numbers?" Finn sat up straight.

Santiago nodded. "Each letter in the alphabet corresponds to a number." He slowly jotted a six-digit number below my name. 189141. Carmen was counting on her fingers to help him. Another six-digit number under Kane's name. 111145.

I looked at Kane. "Surely, this is madness..."

He had been silent for a few minutes.

"Why would the ravens use this number. What are they prophesying?" Santiago murmured to himself. The pen fell from his hand onto the table and he gasped lightly.

"What?" I questioned frantically. My chest felt tight at the shadow that crossed his face.

"Good God," he shakily exhaled. "Ravens symbolise death." He lifted the pen again and drew a minus sign between the two numbers. He underlined 77996 again and circled full moon and blackouts.

"Santiago." Kane's voice was strained. "We need you to explain. Please."

His hazel eyes, identical to Carmen's, dimmed with realisation. "This is graver than I thought."

I could barely breathe.

"Everything has been happening in threes, and has been progressing ever since you met. You almost killed Rina the day you met her, which is when your blackouts started to worsen. Especially on the nights of a full moon. This month was your second full moon and you could've easily killed her instead of marking her."

"But I didn't," Kane rasped, shaking his head. "It's the spell that's causing all of this."

Santiago's shoulders sank with the weight of his news. "Three represents completion. I know now that it isn't just a spell—it's a death curse, and by the next full moon, it demands a life. Yours, Kane." His heavy gaze turned to me. "Or your mate's."