BOUND BY THE ALPHA'S CURSE

“Run, Aria!” Her mother’s voice split the night, hoarse and frantic. Blood stained the kitchen floor. The smell of iron mixed with smoke as the front door shuddered from another blow. Her brother’s hand clamped on her wrist, strong and trembling. “Go!” he snarled, shoving her toward the back door. “No! I can’t leave you” “You have to.” His voice cracked, just once. “Don’t make me watch you die too.” Another crash rattled the walls. The front door gave way, and shadowed figures poured into the house. And Aria ran. The night swallowed her whole. Her bare feet pounded the dirt path, lungs burning with every ragged gasp. The smoke from her burning home stung her eyes, but she didn’t look back she couldn’t. She could still hear them. Her brother’s roar, the clash of steel, the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. Then silence. Her chest clenched so hard it hurt, tears filled her eyes and she wanted to scream. “Keep going,” she whispered to herself, her voice breaking. “Don’t stop. Don’t stop.” The forest loomed ahead, its trees dark and monstrous against the moonlight. Every story she had ever been told about this place screamed at her to stay away. Wolves lived here. Beasts. Things that did not fear man. No one who entered the forest after dark came back out. But there was nowhere else to run. Aria plunged past the tree line. The air shifted instantly colder, thicker, full of shadows. The forest floor was damp beneath her feet, the smell of moss and earth filling her nose. The further she went, the quieter it became, until all she could hear was the frantic pounding of her own heart. Then a low growl. Aria froze. It rumbled through the trees, deep and guttural, making the hair on her arms stand on end. Her blood turned to ice. The stories weren’t just stories. "Don’t go into the mountains. Don’t cross the old border stones. Don’t enter the Alpha’s forest" it kept ringing in her head. Her breath hitched as glowing eyes appeared in the dark. One pair, then two, then more surrounding her. No. Not now. Not like this. The first rogue lunged. Aria bolted. Branches whipped across her arms and legs as she ran, heart hammering in her ears. The snarls grew closer, snapping at her heels. She didn’t dare look back she could feel them closing in, their hot breath on her skin. Her foot caught on a root. She hit the ground hard, pain jolting through her palms. A shadow loomed over her. Aria scrambled back just as the rogue leapt And then it was gone. The air split with a snarl so deep it shook the ground. The rogue yelped, its body dragged aside by something faster, stronger. The clearing erupted into chaos growls, screams, the sickening sound of bones breaking. Aria pressed a hand to her mouth, frozen as the sounds of s*******r filled the night. When silence fell, she dared to look up. He was standing there. A man if he could even be called that tall, broad, his chest heaving. Blood gleamed on his skin, dripping from his claws. His golden eyes glowed in the moonlight, locking on her. Aria’s heart stopped. He wasn’t human. And the way he looked at her like she was his made her blood run cold. He took a step forward with his fixed only her like she was the next to be torn alive. She scrambled back, shaking her head, but before she could scream, the world tilted and went black. Kael felt his mate the moment she entered the forest, he didn’t want a mate, he was fine without a mate. He didn't want to put anyone in danger so he just wanted to ignore her. "Let's head back, I am tired" he said to his crew "Kael, we know the rogues are here, we can't let anyone else die again, we should capture them today and make them talk" Adrian his Beta and best friend said to him. Kael knew he was right but he was scared his wolf would go crazy at the seight of her. "Fine, let's get ride of them, I can't..." He couldn’t complete his statement cause he smelt it, his mate and the rouges. He's head went blank as his wolf took over and ran towards her direction. From the shadows, Kael stood over her, his body thrumming with violence. The rogues lay scattered around them, broken and bleeding. His warriors lingered at the edge of the clearing, tense and watchful, but no one spoke. The scent of her filled his lungs, driving his wolf mad. He was right, his wolf wants to keep her and worst of all, she's human. Even if there's a possibility that his mate was going to survive, this human can't. She looked so fragile that he feared touching her would break her but looking at her he loved her delicate figure. His mate. Kael’s control frayed with every breath. The urge to claim her clawed at his insides until his bones ached. He should leave her. He should turn around, vanish into the night, let fate take her. But he didn’t. Albert his wolf kept screaming restlessly in his head Mate! Mate!!" Wolves tend to go crazy after a long time without their mates but Albert wasn't ordinary and he would gladly destroy this word in order to have her. "You killed them! That wasn’t the plan" Adrain shouted The moment Kael turned to look at Adrain, Adrain understood, that wasn't his best friend but his Alpha and he looked conflicted. That got Adrain scared, he's an Alpha, he just makes decisions and has never let his emotions shown on his face . Adrain followed his gaze and saw the human girl on the floor. "MINE!" Albert growled when he saw his Beta looking at what's his. Adrain wanted to argue, but he knew there was no talking sense into him right now, he just had to wait till he calmed down. Snarling low in his throat, Kael bent and lifted her into his arms. “She’s coming back with us,” he growled, his voice rough and dangerous. No one argued. Kael carried her through the trees without a word. His warriors followed at a distance, silent, as if afraid to come too close. The fortress loomed ahead black stone, sharp towers, glowing with the faint light of torches. When they entered, the great doors shut behind them with a deep, echoing thud. Kael laid her on a bed in the healer’s chambers, his expression unreadable. His claws were still wet with blood. “Watch her,” he ordered, his voice low and edged with something dangerous. “Yes, Alpha,” the healer whispered. Kael turned to leave but froze. Aria stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, wide and terrified, locking on his. For one long moment, neither of them moved. Then her lips parted, her voice hoarse and trembling. “You’re the beast,” she whispered. The words were soft, but they hit him like a blade. The beast. Kael’s jaw clenched, his wolf snapping inside him. Before he could stop himself, he crossed the room, caging her against the bed. His golden eyes burned, his voice a low growl. “I don’t know if I’ll kill you or keep you but you’re mine now, So Stay close, The only thing more dangerous than me… is losing me.” The words slammed into her chest like a blade. Aria’s pulse thundered in her ears. She wanted to scream, to claw at him, to escape this fortress of monsters. But her body betrayed her trembling, frozen, burning with the heat of his nearness. Fear writhed inside her, sharp and choking. Yet beneath it, something darker stirred. A pull. A spark that made her chest ache, made her breath falter, made her hate herself for feeling it. No. No, she couldn’t want this. She couldn’t want him. Her heart screamed to run, but her soul whispered to stay. And as Kael’s gaze held her captive, Aria realized with a terror greater than death itself She wasn’t just afraid of this man She was afraid of belonging to him.