Bound to the Cursed Alpha

Chapter 3

Aria’s POV

The forest was quiet again, except for the sound of my heartbeat. It thudded so loud I could hear it in my ears, hammering as though it might burst from my chest. The fire from the Moon Rite was long gone, leaving only curling smoke and the faint scent of blood and burned wood. My white ceremonial gown was torn, streaked with mud and ash, and my bare feet were bleeding from the roots and stones beneath them. I didn’t even know if the blood was mine.

The Rite. The sacred night of the wolves. I had been nothing more than a human servant among monsters, and now I was something more. Something no one could explain.

I stumbled over a root and grabbed the trunk of a tree to steady myself. My fingers shook, my knees weak. Every shadow seemed alive, every rustle of leaves felt like claws ready to tear me apart. The moon hung low, casting silver light through the thick branches, and with it came memories of the hall, the firelight, and the storm that had been his presence.

Lucien.

Even thinking the name sent heat racing across my skin. He was terrifying and magnetic all at once. His eyes, storm clouds reflected in silver, had burned into me in the Rite. The moment he had claimed me with his words, “She is mine,” I had felt something stir in me. Something wild. Something undeniable.

I had no idea what was happening to me.

I forced myself to keep moving, ignoring the ache in my bare feet, ignoring the tremor in my hands. I just needed to reach the river. Maybe if I reached the boundary, the patrols would find me. Maybe they’d take me back to the village. Maybe this nightmare would end.

But before I could even make it halfway, a low growl rolled from the shadows behind me. I froze, every muscle tightening. The forest seemed to hold its breath. The smell of pine and damp earth mixed with another scent. Smoke, iron, and something sharp. Something familiar. My pulse raced.

Then he stepped into the moonlight. Lucien.

His black cloak was torn, his broad shoulders streaked with blood and dirt. His chest heaved as though he had run half the night. Even like this, I felt drawn to him, as if some invisible cord tied us together. I tried to step back, but my legs refused to obey.

“Stay away,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

He didn’t move closer, but he didn’t retreat either. He tilted his head, studying me with those intense silver eyes, and I felt the pulse between us thrum again, stronger, hotter, binding.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his voice rough, controlled, like gravel over steel. “The Rite wasn’t meant for you.”

“I didn’t choose it,” I said, forcing my voice into something steady. “They did. The Elders…”

“They had no right,” he interrupted sharply, stepping closer. I tried to shrink back, but I couldn’t escape the weight of his presence. It pressed on me like a storm about to break. “You’re not one of them, are you?”

“I…” My throat closed. I shook my head, afraid to answer, afraid to admit the truth I barely understood.

He took another step. The moonlight struck his face, and I noticed a mark on his neck. Faint, black, pulsing with silver light. My breath caught. That mark was sacred, a sign of a true-born Alpha. A wolf of legend.

“I don’t even know who you are,” I said, voice trembling.

“Lucien,” he said quietly. The name wrapped around me like a cloak I had been waiting for.

It felt familiar, as if I had always known it. My lips parted, almost speaking it aloud before I stopped myself. “Lucien.”

His gaze softened, fleetingly, just enough that my heart ached. “You shouldn’t have seen what you saw tonight. They’ll come for you.”

“I don’t care,” I said, though my voice shook. “I just want to go home.”

“You can’t,” he said, calm but sharp, the edge of danger in his tone making my stomach twist.

Something snapped inside me. “You don’t get to decide that!” I backed away, trying to put space between us. He caught my wrist, firm and unyielding, and the shock of contact sent heat racing through my veins.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The air thickened with something that was neither fear nor desire, but both at once.

“You feel it too,” he said, his voice low.

I shook my head, even though I knew he was right. My pulse, my every nerve, sang in tandem with his. My body knew him before my mind could accept it.

He leaned in slightly, his breath brushing my cheek. “Lying to yourself won’t make it go away.”

I swallowed hard. “What are you?”

His gaze darkened, pulling me in. “The one the moon cursed. The Alpha they call a monster.”

The name hit me with a weight I could barely bear. I had heard whispers in the village, tales told in hushed tones. The Cursed Alpha. The one who had defied the Moon Goddess and survived. My mouth went dry.

“I don’t believe you,” I said, stepping back, though I could feel the bond pulling me closer with every movement.

He gave a small, sad smile. “I wish I were lying.”

The wind shifted, carrying the sound of distant howls. He stiffened, turning his head. “They’ve found us.”

“Who?” I asked, my voice catching.

“The Elders’ guards,” he said grimly. “You are their sacrifice. They will not let you go.”

My chest went cold. “What do we do?”

He looked at me for a long moment, and for the first time, I saw vulnerability there. “You run when I tell you to. Do not look back.”

“But...”

“Aria.” He said my name like it was a command and a promise all at once. My legs froze. “You don’t belong in their hands. You never did.”

Before I could speak, he shifted. The transformation was instant and terrifying. Bone and muscle reshaped, fur sprouted across his skin, and his eyes glowed silver in the moonlight. The wolf before me was massive, larger than any I had ever imagined, and yet the human behind the beast — Lucien — was still there in his gaze.

And I was not afraid.

I realized then that the bond between us was real, alive, and it did not care that I was human. It called to me, claiming me before I even understood.

Then the first arrows flew. I screamed as they cut through the branches, singing past us. Lucien lunged toward the sound, a blur of silver and shadow. I stumbled, but instinctively, I ran after him.

He stopped, turning to look at me. His chest rose and fell, eyes scanning the forest. “Stay close. Do not falter.”

“I can’t keep up,” I panted, my legs burning, heart racing.

“You will,” he growled. “Or you die.”

I swallowed my fear. I ran harder, pushing past the pain, past the terror. Each step drew me closer to him, closer to the bond that pulsed between us. Something inside me had awakened tonight, something powerful, something dangerous.

The arrows grew more frequent. Lucien’s growl echoed through the forest, terrifying and protective all at once. The beast inside him flared, muscles rippling beneath fur, silver light dancing along his claws.

And then, amidst the chaos, he looked at me again. His gaze softened for a heartbeat. “You’re stronger than you know,” he said, his voice carrying through the din.

I didn’t understand yet. But the moment I caught the determination in his eyes, I believed him.

We ran together, the bond blazing, the forest alive around us. The Rite was behind us, the King’s wrath chasing us, but for the first time, I felt something I had never known. Not fear. Not helplessness. But power. Connection. Destiny.

And I realized that nothing would ever be the same again.

As we reached a clearing, the moonlight illuminated another figure — silent, watching, and moving closer. My stomach dropped. The Elders’ most feared Alpha had tracked us. Lucien’s growl rumbled through me as he stepped in front of me, ready to fight. And I knew, without a doubt, that the real danger was only beginning.