Explaining The Curse
Sebastian POV
I find myself at a loss for words. The gift Celine possesses is extraordinary, but calling it a gift feels dishonest. To me, it’s a double–edged sword, as much a curse as it is a blessing. Imagine having the ability to glimpse the future, only to see something horrific and know you shouldn’t interfere–perhaps that you can’t interfere.
How would she reconcile that? How would it feel to carry the burden of foreknowledge, knowing that ignoring it was the only way to maintain balance? To see tragedy unfold and do nothing–it’s a heavy weight for anyone, especially someone as unprepared as Celine.
Her voice pulls me from my thoughts, soft but filled with concern. “Nischola… what is wrong with her?” Her wide, questioning eyes meet mine, and I know I owe her the truth.
“We don’t know,” I reply with a sigh, running a hand through my hair. “We’ve tried everything. Doctors couldn’t find a cause, let alone a cure. We turned to a witch–nothing. Finally, a warlock told us she was cursed.”
Celine’s face freezes in shock. Her reaction is what I expected, but it doesn’t make explaining this any easier. We’ve exhausted every avenue, and all we have to show for it is a vague lead: the werewolves.
“The warlock said the answer lies with the werewolves,” I continue, my voice heavier now. “He told us to search further, to look wider.”
The irony isn’t lost on me that Celine might hold the key. But how could she possibly help when she’s only just beginning to discover herself? She has no memory of who she is, no knowledge of her power, no connection to her past. How can we pin hope on someone so unprepared?
“Who would curse her?” Celine asks, her voice trembling. Why would anyone do that? She’s pregnant.” Her face is a mixture of disbelief and anger, and I feel the same, though my rage has long since dulled into resigned frustration.
I take a steadying breath before answering. “We were told the curse was placed on her when she was young, but it remained dormant until she became pregnant. That’s when it activated.”
The words hang in the air like a stone dropped in water, rippling outward with implications. Had we known. If we’d had any inkling, we could have searched for answers earlier. Protected her.
“Who cursed her?” Celine’s voice is soft but sharp, cutting through my thoughts.
“Her own mother,” I whisper, my tone bitter. Her eyes widen in disbelief, her shock mirroring my own when I first learned the truth. Parents are meant to protect their children, to sacrifice everything for them. But Nischola’s mother? She condemned her.
“Her mother cursed her?” Celine repeats, the horror evident in her voice.
I nod solemnly. “From what we’ve learned, her mother believed their family was cursed. She wanted their bloodline to end. In her mind, it was better to die out than to let the curse continue.”
It doesn’t matter how justified her mother thought she was cursing her own daughter, dooming her to suffer and die if she brought life into the world, is cruelty of the highest order.
“What’s the curse?” Celine presses, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“It’s tied to their wolves,” I
shadows across the room, Plain, leaning back against the chair. The faint light from the windows casts long
shadows across the room, giving it a somber, almost oppressive atmosphere. “When they reach thirty, their
wolves begin to lose control. Slowly, they descend into madness. Eventually, the wolf takes over entirely, and the person is lost. By then, their wolf is… unstable. Dangerous. It kills indiscriminately.”
