MARKED BY THE CURSED ALPHA

CHAPTER 4

Ethan's POV

For the past three weeks, I had barely slept. Every year, Alpha Damon gave the same order, and every year it became harder to fulfill. Finding fifty eligible women was no easy task. Since rumors about the Survival Game had spread across the country, families began hiding their daughters whenever the selection season approached. Some disappeared into remote villages while others sought protection from powerful packs. I spent weeks traveling from one territory to another, meeting Alphas, questioning elders, and searching through countless records. The hidden packs refused to surrender their unmated females, claiming they had no suitable candidates. By the end of my search, I had gathered only twenty-eight women. We were still twenty-two short. Remembering the Alpha's final instruction, I had no choice but to widen the search. Orphanages became my next destination. Most of the girls there had no families to protect them, and after careful screening, another eight names were added to the list. Even then, we still hadn't reached fifty.

There was only one place left. Prisons. As my convoy stopped outside the state's largest women's correctional facility, the prison warden hurried out with a nervous smile. He had been working with Blackwood Palace for years and knew better than to ask unnecessary questions. After exchanging a few formal greetings, I handed him a sealed envelope containing the authorization papers. Without saying a word, he led me into his office and pulled out the inmate records. Together, we searched through hundreds of files, checking ages, backgrounds, and physical conditions. Some inmates had committed serious crimes, while others had simply been victims of unfortunate circumstances. Their pasts didn't concern me. I was only interested in whether they met the Alpha's requirements. By the time we finished, twelve more women had been selected.

The final list now contained exactly fifty names. I sat quietly, flipping through each file one last time before they were sent to Blackwood Palace. One particular file caught my attention for a brief moment. Kayda Hart. Twenty years old. Convicted of embezzling fifty million dollars. No living parents. No lawyer. No visitors. I studied her picture for a few seconds. There was something unusually calm about her eyes despite everything written in the report. Still, I closed the file and placed it with the others. To me, she was simply another participant. Another woman who would either survive... or disappear like all the rest.

Picking up my phone, I dialed Alpha Damon's private number. He answered almost immediately. "Alpha, the preparations are complete. We now have all fifty candidates." Silence lingered for a moment before his deep voice finally spoke. "Good. Begin transporting them to Blackwood Palace." The call ended. I stared at the stack of files resting on my desk. In two days, fifty women would step into the deadliest Survival Game in the country. Most of them would never leave. Only three would survive long enough to receive the Alpha King's Mark. And perhaps... after ten years of failure... fate had finally placed the right woman among them.