Fate's Curse

Fate's Curse Sixth Sense Series Book 3 Whitney Morsillo If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed,” and the author has not received any payment for this “stripped book.” This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. ASIN B0BLP6N9PG Copyright © 2023 by Whitney Morsillo. All rights reserved. Published independently by Whitney Morsillo, and any associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Whitney Morsillo. Editing by Sara Coombes. Cover design by Covers of Darkness Design. For my own Endymion. May I always be your moon—the gentle light in the dark, the beacon that calls your soul home for eternity. “It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.” Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Epilogue Names: Pronunciations and What They Mean Series Playlist Author Note About the Author Chapter 1 Sasha I run through the kitchen, reaching for the door, when a paw strikes across my back. My mom screams behind me as my head bounces off the tile floor. Blinking slowly, I watch two huge paws step in front of my face, then a black wolf crouches down and snarls at me, his spit dripping onto my cheek while my other presses into the cold tile. I want to cry, to scream, to run, to do anything in that moment besides lie there, but my body won’t move. Sucking in a shaky breath, I try to be still. If I’m still, Daddy won’t hurt me as badly as if I were moving. When I move, he thinks I’m running away, but I know I won’t reach the back door now. He’s too strong and too fast, and I’m… nothing. “Don’t touch her!” Mama yells, stumbling in from the living room. The wolf snaps his head around to glare at her. Blood trickles from her hairline down into her eye, but she doesn’t seem to notice, her glare fixed firmly on the monster standing between us. “If you touch her again, I’ll kill you, Warren.” A sickening grin splits the wolf’s face, and tears prick at my eyes. My heart races as I try to hold them back. Daddy hates it when I cry. I want to tell Mama I’m fine, that if she leaves us alone, it’ll only last a minute. She’s already been through so much— Mama screams as the wolf lunges at her, and my breath catches in my throat. I bolt upright, flinging myself at the door. The man next door will help us, I know he will. Mr. Weylyn is always checking on Mama and me and making sure we’re okay. I know he’ll help us if I can just— My head cracks against the wood door, my temple hitting the brass knob and smearing bright red blood on the metal. Gasping, I bolt upright in bed. My hand shoots up and touches my temple, but there’s nothing there now—nothing but a scar. My shirt sticks to my back, soaked with sweat, and I peel off the blankets tangled around my legs. Leaning over my knees as I sit on the side of my bed, I take multiple deep breaths and try to keep the nausea at bay. Inhale through my nose—my dad is dead. Exhale through my mouth—and he can’t hurt us anymore. Inhale—it was just a dream. Exhale—well, a nightmare, but nothing I haven’t dreamed before. Nothing I haven’t survived. After a few minutes, my heart slows down to its normal rhythm, and I shakily stand from the bed. Grabbing the vial of milky liquid, I head to the bathroom and turn the shower as hot as it’ll go. I’m almost out of Rudina’s hair oil, and though my nightmares of Caleb have stopped, Warren still haunts me like a chronic disease. Stripping, I step into the steam filled shower and suck in a breath as the hot water beats against my back. I pour the rest of the vial on my hair and massage it carefully into my scalp, letting the tears flow freely down my face. The bald spot from when Caleb ripped a handful of my hair out is finally coming back, covered by the short fuzz of new growth. I will the oil to work, pushing all my hopes of living a good life instead of this cursed existence into it. I never thought anything that man said would be true, but his last words will haunt me forever. “You think getting rid of me will solve everything, woman, but you’re wrong.” His raspy voice struggled to sound as formidable as he used to be—before the poison that weakened his heart. His cold eyes stared at my mom from his hospital bed, like black holes, void of all emotion yet full of challenge. “That girl has my blood in her veins. The curse will live on, and you’ll regret everything.” A horrible cough tore through him, blood splattering the white hospital blanket that was spread over his lap. It dripped down his chin, and he looked at me then. A shiver runs through me at the memory despite the heat of the shower. My mom never spoke about the curse, refusing to even acknowledge its existence. She said it was something he made up to scare me, but… as much as I know that’s something he would do, I believe