They Called Me the Pack’s Curse Chapter 03

They Called Me the Pack’s Curse Chapter 03

I tried to crawl toward my mother, to take her hand, but something pinned me down. My body refused to move.

In the end, I sank into the darkness, swallowed by regret and a bitterness that had no end.

When I woke, the room was filled with muffled sobs. My father and Pearl. Their voices were hoarse, broken by grief.

I forced my eyes open and turned my head.

The bed beside me was covered with a white sheet.

My mother’s bed.

She was gone.

The realization hit me so hard it felt like my blood froze in my veins, every drop turning to ice.

Was everything the Silver Moon Oracle said… true?

I stared at my father, fear clawing up my throat.

In my last life, he had chosen death.

I had already lost my mother. I couldn’t lose him too.

At that moment, he noticed I was awake.

The warmth and love that used to fill his eyes were gone. In their place was raw, bloodshot rage and hollow despair.

“Why?” His voice was hoarse, splintered. “Why did you kill your mother?”

His words struck like a blade.

“You hate us, don’t you?” he continued, his voice rising. “You hate that we abandoned you. That we let you suffer in the human world. So you came back for revenge. You want to destroy the Silver Moon Pack. You want all of us to suffer. You want us wiped out?”

I broke down, sobbing as I begged for forgiveness, trying to explain about the Silver Moon Oracle. About the voice only I could hear.

But the moment I said the name, he just stared at me in confusion and shook his head.

“Lila… what are you doing?” he said slowly. “You’re moving your lips, but there’s no sound. Stop this. This isn’t funny. Your mother is dead. We can’t… we can’t keep doing this.”

No sound.

My heart shattered.

I turned to Pearl, repeating “the Silver Moon Oracle” over and over, desperate for someone, anyone, to understand.

But she only looked at me, eyes filled with grief and confusion.

“Lila… I’m sorry. I didn’t hear anything. You’re just mouthing words.”

“Enough!”

My father’s roar shook the room.

He lunged at me, eyes blazing red with fury, his hands clamping around my throat.

His fangs began to show. The scent of his rage burned in the air.

“You cursed child!” he snarled. “You’re a plague on this pack. As long as you live, the Silver Moon Pack will never know peace!”

I couldn’t breathe.

Darkness crept into my vision as my chest tightened, my lungs screaming for air.

Just like last time.

I was dying again.

Right as my consciousness began to fade, Pearl threw herself between us, grabbing his arm with all her strength.

“Father, stop! She’s your daughter. Your own flesh and blood!”

Her voice trembled with urgency.

“Lila only took Mom to the healer because she cared about her. The car accident was an accident. No one wanted this!”

His grip loosened.

His eyes went blank.

“An accident…” he muttered, his voice hollow. “Just an accident…”

“The pack is gone. Our territory, our wealth, our people… all gone. If we don’t pay Black Thorn Pack by the end of the month, they’ll come for us. They’ll kill all of us.”

His voice cracked.

“I can’t blame her… so who do I blame? Myself?”

His expression twisted, then broke into a wild, unhinged laugh.

“That’s right. It’s my fault. All of it is my fault!”

A wave of dread crashed over me.

I reached out, trying to grab him, to stop him before he did something irreversible.

But before my fingers could touch him, he let out a sharp, agonized scream, turned, and slammed his head into the stone wall.

Once.

And that was enough.

My father died.

Pearl and I handled the funeral arrangements in a numb haze, our hearts torn apart, our souls shattered.

After the funeral, she pulled me into a tight embrace. Her voice trembled, but there was steel beneath it.

“Lila, I’ll get a job. I’ll do whatever it takes to pay for your training. You have to finish at the Pack Academy. You have to become a strong warrior.”

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face.

“No. This is my fault. I should be the one working. I should be the one making up for everything I’ve done.”

Pearl gently stroked my hair, forcing a small smile.

“Lila, your grades are better than mine. Your wolf is stronger too. And you have Damon.”

Her hands cupped my face, her gaze steady and serious.

“You’re the only one who can step up. You’re the only one who can restore the Silver Moon Pack’s honor.”

“Our parents would want this. They’d want you to be strong.”

I hesitated.

Then, slowly, I nodded.

I had to move forward.

For them. For the pack. For the family I had failed again and again.

But deep in my chest, unease lingered, heavy and suffocating.

I remembered how Pearl died in my last life.

Brutal. Pointless.

Because of me.

Swallowing my pride, I begged Damon to assign one of his best warriors from Black Thorn Pack to secretly protect her.

In my past life, I had been too proud to ask for help. Too aware of the gap between my lowly status and Damon’s position as the Alpha heir.

But this time…

I had no choice.