BOUND BY THE ALPHA'S CURSE

CHAPTER FOUR

Aria woke to an empty bed and the lingering scent of pine and male. For a disorienting moment, she didn’t remember where she was. Then the memories crashed down the attack, the forest, Kael.

I always collect my debts.

She sat up, her heart pounding. Sunlight streamed into the room, revealing the stark, powerful beauty of the Alpha’s chambers. It was then she noticed a dress laid out at the foot of the bed. It was a deep emerald green, simple but made of a rich, soft material. A silent command. Wear this.

Resentment flared, but the practicality of her borrowed tunic won out. She changed, the fabric feeling alien against her skin. As she did, she caught her reflection in a polished metal shield on the wall. She looked pale, her eyes too large in her face, but the dress… it fit her perfectly. The color made her hair seem richer, her eyes brighter. It was a deliberate choice. He was dressing his possession.

The door opened without a knock. Kael entered, followed by Adrian. He had cleaned up, the blood and dirt gone, but the intensity in his eyes was undimmed. His gaze swept over her in the dress, and a possessive, satisfied gleam lit the gold in his eyes.

“It suits you,” he said, his voice a low rumble.

“I didn’t choose it,” she replied coldly.

“I did.” He said it as if that were the end of the discussion. He gestured to the small table where a breakfast tray had appeared. “Eat. You will join me in the great hall today.”

Panic seized her. “Why?”

“The pack needs to see you. They need to understand you are here to stay. That you are under my protection.”

“I don’t want to be seen. I’m not yours”

His expression darkened. “You are what I say you are.” He walked towards her, stopping so close she had to tilt her head back to look at him. “This is not a debate, Aria. You will sit beside me. You will not speak unless spoken to. You will not look at any other male for more than a second. Do you understand the rules?”

“Your rules are a prison.”

“They are for your safety,” he countered, his hand coming up to trace the line of her jaw. She flinched, and his eyes flashed with annoyance. “And mine. My wolf is… territorial. I would hate for him to misinterpret a friendly glance.”

The threat was clear. She was a spark next to his powder keg.

The walk to the great hall was a nightmare. Every eye was on her. Whispers followed them like a trail of snakes. She felt the weight of their curiosity, their fear, their resentment. Kael’s hand was on the small of her back, a burning brand of ownership, guiding her to the high table at the front of the hall.

He sat in the large obsidian chair, pulling her down into a smaller, but equally ornate, chair beside him. It was lower than his, a deliberate power play.

The meal was a tense, silent affair. Aria picked at her food, her appetite gone. She could feel Kael’s attention on her like a physical touch, even when he was speaking quietly with Adrian about patrols and rogue movements.

Then, a young warrior, bold with youth, approached the table to give a report. His eyes, a warm brown, flickered to Aria with open curiosity, and he offered a small, sympathetic smile.

It lasted for two seconds.

Kael was out of his chair so fast it toppled backwards with a crash. The entire hall fell silent. He didn’t roar. He didn’t shout. He simply backhanded the young warrior, the blow so powerful it sent the man flying across the room to slam into a stone pillar.

“You look at what is MINE?” Kael’s voice was a distorted snarl, half-man, half-beast. Albert was right there, rippling under his skin.

The young warrior groaned, clutching his shattered jaw, terror in his eyes.

Aria shot to her feet. “Kael, stop! He didn’t do anything!”

Kael’s head snapped towards her. The gold in his eyes was bleeding into red. “You defend him?” The question was lethally quiet.

“I’m telling you the truth! He just looked at me!”

“He has no right to look at you! No one does!” He took a step toward her, his claws unsheathing. “Do you want his attention, Is that it? Do you crave the gaze of another male?”

He was losing control, right here in front of everyone. The pack watched, frozen, their fear a palpable force.

“No! I just don’t want you to hurt innocent people because of me!”

“Innocent?” He laughed, a cold, broken sound. “No one is innocent, Aria. They all want what is mine. They all want to take you from me.” He grabbed her arm, his grip bruising. “Perhaps I need to make it clearer. Perhaps I need to mark you so deeply that no one will ever dare to even think your name.”

He was pulling her towards him, his head dipping, his canines elongated. He was going to bite her. He was going to force the mating mark.

“Kael, don’t!” Adrian was there, his hand on Kael’s shoulder. “Not like this. Not in anger. You’ll kill her.”

Kael shook him off, his eyes wild, fixed only on the pale skin of Aria’s neck. She was sobbing, struggling against his impossible strength.

“Please,” she begged, true terror consuming her. “Please, don’t.”

Something in her voice, the raw, shattered plea, cut through the red haze of his rage. He froze, his breath heaving, his face a mask of torment. The beast and the man were tearing each other apart.

He released her so abruptly she stumbled.

“Get out,” he rasped, not looking at her, his whole body trembling with the effort of restraint. “All of you. GET OUT!”

The pack fled. Adrian gave Aria a desperate look before ushering the last of them out and shutting the great hall doors, leaving her alone with the volatile Alpha.

Kael stood with his back to her, his shoulders heaving. The silence was thick and dangerous.

“You see what you do to me?” he said, his voice ragged. “You see the monster I become for you?”

Aria, trembling, wiped the tears from her face. A new, cold resolve was forming in her heart. She couldn’t reason with the beast. She couldn’t fight the Alpha. But the man… the man who had spared Roric for her, the man who had just stopped himself from marking her… maybe he was still in there.

She took a hesitant step forward.

“Kael?” she said softly.

He didn’t turn.

She took another step, her heart hammering against her ribs. This was a gamble with her life. She reached out a trembling hand and placed it on the tense, scarred skin of his back.

He flinched as if burned, a sharp, startled intake of breath hissing through his teeth.

But he didn’t pull away.

She felt the rigid muscles under her palm begin to loosen, just a fraction. The terrifying energy radiating from him lessened.

He slowly turned to face her. The red was gone from his eyes, leaving only the burning, haunted gold. He looked down at her, his expression one of utter bewilderment.

“Your touch,” he whispered, his voice raw with awe and confusion. “It doesn’t burn.”