The Cursed Mate

The Hunt Begins

Arlene’s POV

The night air was sharp with frost, but it was nothing compared to the icy rage curling inside me. If I could do something destructive right away, I would. But I couldn’t,

There’s nothing the weak and powerless Arlene can do.

The moment the guards shoved me past the boundary of the Vegas Pack lands, I turned around so fast and faced Carl. The mastermind of my downfall,

The mate that doesn’t give a damn about our bond.

“You played me,” I spat, my voice trembling with fury. “From the very beginning. How could you do such a thing when I’m your fated mate? Weren’t we supposed to rule together, side by side? You were the one who took me to the demon and made me sign a f*****g contract. So how dare you turn on me?!” I bellowed.

Carl smirked, golden eyes gleaming with satisfaction. He didn’t bother denying it. He just gave me that smile that I once considered sweet. No, it wasn’t a sweet smile, it was a sick one.

“Of course I did, dear darling Arlene. And you believed everything like the absolute fool that you are.” His tone was light, almost amused. “Did you think I loved you?” He asked, still sickly smiling. Because he knows he’s already won.

My hands clenched into fists, nails biting into my palms. I had. I had believed that my mate, plotting and planning to take what was rightfully mine, loved me.

“Poor, naive Arlene,” he mused, stepping closer. “Did you ever stop to wonder why your uncle was so stubborn about giving up the throne? Why did he fight so hard to keep what was rightfully yours?” He asked the amusement growing on his face.

My breath caught.

Carl chuckled. “He wasn’t acting on his own. I made sure of that.” He said with a vibrant pride in his tone,

The ground beneath me might as well have split open and just swallowed me because how could I have been so blatantly blind to see all of this?

“You—” My voice faltered. “You manipulated him?”

Carl spread his arms as if it were the simplest truth in the world. “Phineas was easy to control. All it took was a few whispers in his ear. A little doubt. A little greed. He was so desperate to keep his position that he never stopped to question why he was acting the way he was.” He answered, letting me understand he was controlling two Vegas effortlessly. My greedy uncle and my stupid self,

I staggered back, the weight of his words crashing down on me.

Carl had orchestrated everything. With no mercy, no sympathy that I’m even his mate,

The years of conflict, the civil war in my pack, the struggle for the throne—all of it had been his doing.

I had spent my entire life fighting for a birthright that was already mine. Fighting battles that he had engineered.

My blood turned to fire.

“You bastard,” I hissed.

Carl’s smile widened. “Oh, don’t look so betrayed, darling. You were just another pawn in the game. And now…” He tilted his head. “You’re no one.”

The words were like a dagger to my gut.

He had taken everything.

My throne. My pack. My power.

I would have killed him. Right then and there.

But Carl moved first.

A silver blade gleamed in the moonlight.

I barely had time to react before he lunged.

Instinct took over. I twisted, the knife slicing just past my ribs, the pain sharp but not fatal. I can’t die. Not yet. Not until I see the end of Carl.

With a growl, I slammed my knee into his gut. Carl staggered back, cursing as he didn’t expect me to try and defend myself, even if it was just a little,

I didn’t wait.

I ran.

The wind howled through the trees, whipping my hair against my face. My breath came in ragged gasps, my body aching from the wounds of the duel. My blood marked the snow, a crimson trail guiding my pursuers straight to me.

Carl’s men were on my heels.

“Find her!” someone shouted. “Alpha wants her dead!”

I forced myself to move faster, pushing through the burning pain in my side.

I had no pack. No power. No allies.

But I was angry.

And rage would keep me alive.

The forest stretched endlessly ahead, shadows curling between the trees. I ran until my legs threatened to give out and my lungs felt like they were shredding apart.

Suddenly, two of his men blocked my path; their daggers were already pointing at me. The expression on their face was just as sinister as their master, they were ready to kill without questioning. They found joy in chasing after a wounded woman who had just lost everything she owned and knew.

“Running away from us makes this more exciting. But here’s where your story ends, Arlene.” One of them said and slowly trudged towards me. My heartbeat picked up its pace. I looked left and right and saw that I was already surrounded and outnumbered.

I’m too tired to even fight. But I don’t want to die.

“Let’s finish her off and head back.” Another said.

“A slow death will be interesting to watch, don’t you think?” Another one said again and they all nodded their head as if I was a rat cornered by cats,

Then, all of a sudden, as the men moved — a bone-chilling silence took over the air.

I stopped, heart hammering.

The night had gone too quiet.

The warriors who were trying to turn me into a killing game —four of them, their weapons drawn—stood rigid, their bodies frozen in unnatural stillness.

The air crackled with something dark.

Then, without warning, their bodies vanished.

No screams. No struggle.

Just gone.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my skin crawling.

And then… I felt him.

The darkness pulsed before I saw him. A force more than a presence. A shadow given form.

And then, from the abyss, he stepped forward.

The Demon of the Black Triangle.

His form was draped in shifting shadows, his face obscured by the shifting black mist that surrounded him. But his voice—his voice was unmistakable.

A deadly whisper, curling around me like a noose.

“You belong to me now, Arlene Vegas.” He declared.

I clenched my fists. “I belong to no one.”

The demon chuckled, low and amused. “You made a pact. You signed a contract. And now, you will serve my purpose.”

The wind howled again, carrying his words into the night.

And I knew—my fight was only beginning.