THE ALPHA'S CURSED MATE

Hopeful

SELENE’S POV

I barely slept, how could I after the past couple of days that I had. My life had gone from being completely normal, I mean my life wasn’t pleasant or better before this but now it was considerably worse. And the worst part was that no female wolf would ever expect this from their mate, no female wolf would ever expect think king of life from the wolf that had been chosen for them by the all powerful moon goddess.

My mind kept drifting back and forth between the past and the future, a future that had never been promised to me, never guaranteed. And a past that was filled with nothing but pain and anger. I didn’t even know why I had allowed myself to imagine something better. I don’t know why I even thought that the goddess would finally change things and maybe they would finally work to my advantage. This was the same goddess that had abandoned me from the moment I was born. Now it felt like she only gave me a mate because she didn’t have a choice. Not only did she choose the coldest wolf to be my mate but she packaged it as a blessing. What female wolf didn’t dream of being mated to an alpha? Especially one that had been living the life that I had been living…there was no better life or future than being a Luna and yet my own situation was worse. I would have been better off being mated to a regular wolf or even an omega.

I was in this mansion, locked away like a prisoner. That alone should have told me exactly what my future looked like. And yet my wolf refused to give up on the dream she had built for us. In my opinion, she was only setting us up for heartbreak. By the time footsteps echoed through the dungeon corridor, my body ached from being curled against cold stone all night. My muscles were stiff, my bones sore, but my mind was painfully alert, aware of every sound, every movement, every shift in the air around me.

For a moment, hope sparked in my chest, then it faded just as quickly. Disappointment settled in when I realized that the approaching scent didn’t belong to Dante. The irony of my situation wasn’t lost on me. I felt safer around Dante than I did around his wolves. Two guards stopped outside my cell. I scoffed quietly.

So Dante had decided he didn’t want to face me himself anymore. Was he afraid of being near me because he couldn’t control himself? Or was it because he simply couldn’t stand the sight of me? Lately, I hated the way my thoughts spiraled like this, twisting every possibility into something worse than the last. I was even irritated that he hadn’t sent Rex instead. Rex had at least shown a little humanity the last time we spoke. Instead, Dante had sent two large, high-ranking wolves as if I were some dangerous creature that couldn’t be trusted.

“Stand,” one of them ordered.

The tone of his voice reminded me uncomfortably of Dante. Cold. Commanding. Unquestionable. I should have felt afraid. But strangely… I didn’t. Instead, hope stirred again — foolish, fragile hope in a situation that had given me no reason to feel it.

Maybe Dante had changed his mind. Maybe he had realized that he couldn’t live without me. And maybe I couldn’t live without him either. The thought made my chest tighten. I hated admitting it, even to myself. But the truth was unavoidable, Dante was my mate and a part of me desperately wanted to be with him. Everything inside me, especially my wolf…insisted that we belonged together. That I belonged up there with him. My wolf wanted me to ignore and look past all the humiliation and the rejection that I had faced so far. She wanted me to present as if things were rosy and as if this was the best thing that had ever happened to me but I couldn’t. I wanted it to be like that but I couldn’t lie to myself and act like it was like that.

Maybe he wanted to talk. Maybe we could find a way to make this work. We had to find a way, because I didn’t want to die. Not now. Not right after finding my mate. And certainly not by his hand. I hated myself for clinging to that possibility, and I hated him for awakening a part of me I never even knew existed.

The guard opened the cell door with a loud metallic scrape and stepped back, gesturing for me to walk out. A small voice inside me wanted to protest, to refuse to go anywhere with them. But hope silenced that voice before it could escape. Maybe this was my chance. Maybe this was finally the moment I would be allowed to face my mate again. Neither guard offered any hint about where they were taking me. I stepped out of the cell and waited as they locked the gate behind me. The heavy click echoed through the dungeon like a final warning.

Then they began leading me out. I followed silently. My legs were weak, my body exhausted, but curiosity pushed me forward. Hope whispered that something better might be waiting on the other side. We climbed a winding stone staircase, the air growing warmer with every step. Light slowly replaced the suffocating darkness of the dungeon, and distant voices drifted through the corridors above. And with each step… Dante’s scent grew stronger.

I could almost feel him now. When we finally stepped into the main hall, the sudden openness made me dizzy. The floors were polished black marble, cold and gleaming beneath the light. The ceilings stretched impossibly high above us, carved with ancient symbols that shimmered faintly under the moonlight filtering through tall windows.

I had heard stories about this place before, but none of them had done it justice. This wasn’t just a pack house. It was a kingdom. And unfortunately… I was standing inside it as a prisoner instead of a queen. That was the reality of my situation. But perhaps things could still change now that I had been brought up here.

The guards led me down a long hallway before stopping in front of a heavy wooden door. Without speaking, they opened it and stepped aside. Inside was a room. Not luxurious. Not overly comfortable. But a room nonetheless.

There was a bed — a clear improvement from the hard stone floor I had slept on in the dungeon. Even the thin furs covering it looked softer than anything I had used back home. The space itself was small but warm, with a narrow table pushed into the corner and a single chair beside it. A high window allowed a thin beam of pale light to spill across the floor, though it was placed far too high for me to reach.

Even here… I was still a prisoner. The only difference was that this prison had softer walls. Still, as I looked around the room, noticing the absence of chains or iron restraints, something inside me stirred again.

Hope. Dangerous, foolish hope. Because if Dante had wanted me broken… He wouldn’t have moved me here. And that could only mean one thing. Maybe… Just maybe…

He was beginning to soften toward me.