Fated To The Cursed Alpha

Chapter 5

~LEILANI RAVENWOOD~

I had lost track of time.

The days bled into one another until they became undistinguishable. All I could feel was constant pain. A constant state of ache as my arms had been stretched too long, pulled above my head to the ceiling with thick chains.

Hunger gnawed at me in slow, dull waves while exhaustion sat heavy in my bones. My fear was constant.

I was captured and I knew who my captor was.

Sebastian Kol.

The ancient being who had risen and caused dread in the hearts of many. He had kept his word. He came for me like he promised and when his hand made contact with my skin at the end of the chase, the force it unleashed had slammed into me like divine punishment.

Darkness had swallowed me whole and I passed out.

The memories returned to me in fragments when I opened my eyes.

A priest. His chants. His dagger.

The old man with eyes too knowing and silver etched into his skin had circled me, muttering words that made my wolf thrash in panic. Then he drove his dagger mercilessly into my back where my birth mark was located and he drew blood from me. Pain had exploded through me, sharp and burning and it knocked me out once more.

Now I hung awake.

The chains stretched my arms high above my head, forcing my body into a position that sent constant tremors through my shoulders. The cold steel bit into my wrists, etched faintly with runes that shimmered when I strained against them. I tried again to reach for my wolf, desperation clawing through me, but there came no response.

A sob tore free before I could stop it.

The chains were enchanted. I knew it then with sick certainty. That was the only explanation as to why I couldn't reach out to my wolf.

The sound of a metal lock rattling snapped my head up. Footsteps followed. Two sets. My vision was still blurred, but their shapes came into focus as they drew closer. One male. One female.

The moment the male’s scent reached me, my stomach twisted violently.

Something was wrong with him.

I could usually tell a wolf’s rank by scent alone. Alpha, beta, omega... it came as naturally as breathing. But his… his was altered. Twisted. Like power warped by something unnatural. Like rot layered beneath strength.

He must have been one of Sebastian’s executives. My father’s council had spoken of them in horror. Wolves who drank Sebastian’s blood and survived. And who carried fragments of his curse in exchange for power.

“It’s been days,” the woman said sharply, her voice devoid of sympathy. “And you reek like a corpse. Time for your wash.”

Cold dread settled into my gut.

Before I could protest, her hand fisted in the shoulder of my dress and tore it downward without hesitation. The fabric ripped away from my body in one brutal motion, exposing my skin to the chilled air. Pain screamed louder than embarrassment as I stood naked before them, shaking and weak.

The woman didn’t pause.

Cold, soapy water slammed into me, stealing the breath from my lungs as it drenched my body. I cried out, muscles spasming as the shock cut through me. The woman scrubbed roughly, indifferent to my cries, while the chains rattled uselessly as I struggled. She finished and I stood there. Naked, chained and shaking.

That was when I felt it.

The male executive’s gaze burned into me. I lifted my head slowly and met his eyes, and my breath caught. His pupils dilated, red bleeding into the black, and his veins darkened beneath his skin, spreading like cracks in stone.

His lips parted.

“Your scent,” he murmured hoarsely, taking a step closer. “It’s intoxicating. Different.” His gaze dragged over my body with open hunger. “Your body… appealing.”

He reached for me, his hand headed straight to my chest. His fingers barely grazed my breast before my instinct took over.

I kicked him.

My knee connected with his abdomen hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. He staggered back with a snarl. The woman cursed and lunged at me, striking with the iron bowl still in her hand.

I twisted as much as the chains allowed and dodged it, then I kicked again.

The sound of her bone cracking was audible and she fell to the ground.

Silence ensued for some seconds before a slow applause echoed from the doorway.

I looked up.

Sebastian Kol stood there.

He looked... different.

Gone was the ancient, old-world presence I remembered. This version of him was dressed in a black suit tailored to his measurements, modern and elegant in a way that felt obscene on someone like him. Power clung to him like a second skin, thick and suffocating, and bending the air around him. He was beautiful in the way disasters are beautiful.

His cold eyes locked onto mine, sharp and assessing, like I was already dissected and found lacking.

I was still naked.

The memory struck me without warning. The erotic dream I had about him the night before he captured me. My body bare beneath his gaze, his voice curling around me like smoke and pulling reactions out of me. He had got me aroused underneath the Fevered moon. Something that no male had managed to do prior.

And now... gods help me... my body reacted again.

Not with desire. With betrayal.

Heat coiled low in my belly, unwanted and humiliating. Pain dulled my shame, but not enough to erase it. I stood exposed, shaking and furious with myself as much as him.

As though aware of what it was I was thinking, his eyes trailed down my body. It was slow and intentional, but his expression remained void.

No flicker of hunger crossed his face. No lust. No interest. His gaze skimmed over me like I was nothing more than a broken thing hanging in chains.

“Impressive,” he said mildly. “Very few manage to knock down my executives.” He brought his eyes back to my face now.

The two wolves scrambled to their feet at once, bowing their heads, and retreating behind him.

I snarled. “You!”

He stepped closer.

I lunged.

The chains snapped tight, yanking me back with brutal force. Pain exploded through my shoulders as I cried out, breath shuddering.

“Enchanted steel,” he said smoothly, as though explaining something trivial. “Forged by the finest daughters of Ashira.”

My blood went cold.

The daughters of Ashira were legend. A sacred tribe of female wolves blessed by the moon goddess Ashira, with powerful magic.

“Designed to suppress shifting,” he continued, circling me slowly. “Even for alphas.”

His gaze lingered on me with something sharp and unreadable.

“I acquired them to restrain myself at the midnight hour.” He went on. “But my wolf, Shael, always broke free.” His lips curved faintly. "Now they wrap beautifully around your wrists and they shall stay that way.”

“I’ll kill you!” I spat through clenched teeth.

He smiled.

“Your life hangs by a thread, little wolf.” He said. “One which I hold.” His eyes darkened. “As does the fate of your pack.”

My heart dropped.

“What have you done to them?” I whispered. “Where is my father?”

“Someone had to mourn the losses and ruins.” He replied with indifference. “You may find comfort in knowing others share your fate. Your friends.” A pause. “And your betrothed.”

Rowan? How did he even find out that I had a bethrothed?

Tears spilled down my face as I shook my head violently. “Please,” I begged. “Leave them out of this. I’m the one you want.”

His gaze sharpened.

“The sound of your desperation,” he murmured, stepping closer, “is exquisite.”

He stopped directly in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat of him. My body betrayed me then. My n*****s hardened and a chill ran through me. I hated that I was bare before him. That he could see it all.

“You are a cruel joke crafted by the goddess." He said quietly. “One meant to taunt me.”

His hand lifted, hovering at my throat but his fingers never made contact.

"Touching you instills so much pain within me because of the twisted bond she placed between us. One that tempts me to desire you. But again, I say, it's a cruel joke, because the contempt I already feel for you burns far higher." His eyes hardened.

"Be it far from me to mate with a weakling such as you."

His finger hovered closer, they grazed my skin slightly before he pulled away.

"I should rip out your throat." He paused. "But your blood," he continued, moving behind me, his presence overwhelming. "offers me freedom."

His breath brushed my ear, sending unwanted shivers down my spine.

“So you will remain.” He finished. “Until my priest unlocks everything buried inside you.”

His voice dropped into a vow.

“You are mine now, Leilani Ravenwood. And by my hands, you will either save me… or meet death and return to the goddess who bound us.”

His footsteps grew distant and the two from earlier followed behind him.

I was left trembling. The hard truth gnawed at me. My reality that I couldn't escape. I was tied to a monster who desired my blood and loathed the pull he felt toward me.