The Silent Curse

Valerie POV

The sting in my palm was a living thing, a sharp, pulsing heat that mirrored the fire in my chest. I stared at Declan, whose head was still snapped to the side from the force of my slap. The silence in the cathedral was absolute, a heavy, suffocating weight that seemed to press the very air out of my lungs. Every member of the Pyreclaw Pack stood frozen, their eyes wide, their breath