Chapter Four
859 Words
Hidden Intentions
The Silver Crest Pack had never felt so alive.
Music echoed through the pack house.
Laughter filled the halls.
Tables overflowed with food and wine.
Anyone passing by would think the pack was celebrating a great victory.
In a way, they were.
Aurora was gone.
The burden that had stained the pack's reputation for twenty years had finally been removed.
No one spoke openly about sacrificing her to the cursed Alpha King.
Instead, they called it a noble duty.
A necessary decision.
A gift to the pack.
But deep down, everyone knew the truth.
Aurora had been discarded.
And nobody cared.
"To the future Alpha and Luna!"
Cheers erupted throughout the hall.
Kai raised his goblet with a satisfied smile.
Beside him, Iris blushed prettily as she accepted everyone's congratulations.
"You two look perfect together."
"The Moon Goddess clearly intended this."
"Far better than that wolfless girl."
More laughter followed.
Kai wrapped an arm around Iris's waist possessively.
For the first time in months, he felt free.
No prophecy.
No expectations.
No embarrassment.
Aurora was gone.
The reminder of his broken engagement had vanished from the pack forever.
"Are you happy?" Iris asked softly while leaning against his chest.
Kai smirked.
"Of course."
A shadow crossed his face briefly.
"If anything, this should have happened years ago."
Iris smiled.
"She always held you back."
Kai nodded.
"An Alpha deserves a worthy Luna."
Neither of them noticed the strange ache that briefly pulsed through Kai's chest.
It disappeared almost immediately.
"Do you think she's dead already?" Iris asked casually.
Kai didn't even hesitate.
"The monster probably killed her the moment she entered the cave."
His voice held no remorse.
None at all.
Iris sighed dramatically.
"Poor Aurora."
The fake sympathy made Kai laugh.
"You aren't fooling anyone."
A mischievous smile spread across Iris's face.
"I know."
They both laughed.
Far away in the northern mountains, a lonely girl sat beside a cursed king.
Meanwhile, the people she once loved celebrated her death.
—
Later that night...
The pack slowly fell silent.
Torches dimmed.
Warriors retired to their homes.
The moon climbed high into the sky.
Deep beneath the Alpha's mansion, hidden behind layers of stone and silver barriers, a secret chamber existed.
Few people knew of its existence.
Even fewer were allowed inside.
A cloaked figure stood alone within the darkness.
His face remained hidden beneath shadows.
Only his cold eyes were visible.
A messenger knelt before him.
"T-The report arrived from the northern border."
The man's fingers tightened around the armrest of his chair.
"Speak."
The messenger swallowed nervously.
"The sacrifice survived."
Silence.
Then—
CRACK!
The wooden armrest shattered beneath the man's grip.
The messenger flinched.
A terrifying aura filled the room.
"Explain."
His voice was deadly calm.
"The cursed Alpha did not attack her."
The messenger's forehead became drenched with sweat.
"Witnesses reported something unusual."
The room grew colder.
"What unusual thing?"
"The beast calmed down."
The messenger's voice shook.
"The moment she entered the cave... his madness subsided."
For several seconds, absolute silence filled the chamber.
Then the man rose slowly to his feet.
His jaw clenched.
Veins bulged beneath his skin.
"Impossible."
Years.
Years of preparation.
Years of careful planning.
Years spent ensuring the cursed Alpha remained trapped inside his endless suffering.
All of it threatened by a single girl.
Aurora.
The man's eyes darkened.
"No one was supposed to survive."
The messenger lowered his head.
"W-We also received another report."
The man's gaze sharpened.
"What now?"
"The beast has not attacked anyone since she arrived."
A dangerous expression twisted the man's face.
Then suddenly—
He smiled.
But there was nothing pleasant about it.
Only malice.
Only hatred.
"So."
His teeth ground together audibly.
"It seems our little sacrifice has become a problem."
The messenger trembled.
The man slowly walked toward a shelf lined with dozens of dark glass bottles.
Each contained strange silver liquid.
Calming pills.
Special medicine.
The only thing capable of temporarily suppressing the cursed Alpha's violent episodes.
At least that was what everyone believed.
The man's smile widened.
"Interesting."
His fingers brushed one of the bottles.
"After all these years, the beast suddenly becomes calm."
The glass cracked slightly beneath his grip.
"And it happens after she arrives."
His eyes gleamed dangerously.
For years he had maintained control.
For years he had ensured the cursed Alpha remained isolated.
Broken.
Feared.
A monster.
But Aurora's appearance threatened everything.
She was changing things.
Ruining things.
Destroying plans she didn't even know existed.
The man's expression became murderous.
"It seems I'll have to take care of this myself."
The messenger dared not speak.
The atmosphere in the room had become suffocating.
The man turned toward the northern mountains visible through the chamber window.
His eyes narrowed.
Somewhere out there...
The cursed Alpha rested peacefully for the first time in years.
And beside him sat a wolfless girl everyone thought worthless.
The man clenched his fists.
Neither of them understood the danger they were in.
But they would soon.
Very soon.
Because some curses were never meant to be broken.
And some monsters were never meant to remember who they truly were.
- Writer
