Rejected by My Alpha, Claimed by the Cursed King

3 The Alpha’s Curse

Amelia’s chest heaved as she pressed herself behind a tree, watching Lucien,now fully transformed into his massive black wolf tear through the rogue pack. His claws slashed, his teeth snapped, and each move seemed effortless, like a predator born to dominate.

Her heart pounded not from fear, though she was terrified but from the rush of being near him. Her wolf screamed in her mind, insistent, desperate.

Mate.

It whispered over and over, and she wanted to run, but she also couldn’t move. Every instinct in her body told her she belonged with him, yet every rational thought screamed danger.

The last rogue fell to the ground, whimpering. Lucien’s amber eyes glowed as he reverted back into human form. Every muscle in his body rippled with barely contained power. He looked at her, and for a moment, she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“You’re alive,” he said softly, his voice low and dangerous. “That’s good. Very good.”

Amelia swallowed hard, trying to regain control. “I—I can take care of myself. I don’t need you to”

Lucien interrupted with a sharp step closer. His gaze pinned her where she stood. “No. You cannot.”

She froze. The honesty in his voice was terrifying. Not the kind of fear that paralyses you—but the kind that makes your heart race and your blood boil at the same time.

“Why?” she whispered, barely audible.

“Because you are my mate,” he said simply. “And the curse… it follows me. Anyone bound to me suffers. Anyone who tries to stay near me dies.”

Amelia’s stomach dropped. “What… what do you mean? I—I’m supposed to die?”

Lucien shook his head slowly, a strange sadness in his eyes. “I don’t want this. I never wanted a mate. But the Moon Goddess made a choice. You are my mate, Amelia. And I… I cannot control the curse. I’ve tried for years.”

Her mind was spinning. Every story she’d ever heard about him the Alpha King, feared by every pack, cursed by the gods was true. She had run into a monster. And yet… every fiber of her being was screaming that she didn’t want to run anymore.

“I… I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“You will,” he said, his voice gentler now, almost tender. “But first… you need to trust me. Trust me that I will protect you, even if the world wants to destroy you for being near me.”

She hesitated. Every logical thought screamed at her to run. But her wolf… her bond… it refused. She wanted him. She needed him. And for reasons she didn’t fully understand, she knew she couldn’t leave him.

“Why me?” she finally asked. Her voice cracked with fear and disbelief.

Lucien’s expression softened, and a single sigh escaped him. “Because you are the only one the Moon Goddess could bind to me. The only one who can survive me… maybe. But survival comes with a price.”

Amelia’s heart ached. “A price? What price?”

He stepped closer, the moonlight highlighting the sharp angles of his face, the dangerous beauty in his features. “To be with me… to be mine… you must accept the curse. You must accept me.”

Her wolf whimpered inside her mind. Mate. Mate. Mate.

Her heart screamed yes, even as every rational thought screamed no.

“Amelia,” Lucien said softly, taking her hand. “I know this is frightening. I know it’s impossible. But you have a choice. Stay with me… or run and live a normal life, far away from me. But if you run, you may never be safe from the world—or from what I am.”

Her chest tightened. To leave meant freedom, but also fear, uncertainty, loneliness. To stay… meant danger, darkness, and an undeniable attraction that could consume her.

Her gaze locked on his, and for the first time since the mating ceremony, she felt a strange certainty.

“I’ll stay,” she whispered.

Lucien’s silver eyes softened, just slightly. “Good. Very good. But understand… staying with me will change everything. The packs… your life… everything you know. There is no going back.”

Amelia nodded, the weight of his words settling on her shoulders. And yet… she felt a thrill of fear and excitement coursing through her veins.

“Then it begins,” Lucien said, his voice barely above a whisper, yet full of power. “You and I… we survive the night. And then… we learn what it truly means to be mates.”

As the wind howled through the forest and the moonlight glinted off Lucien’s dark hair, Amelia realized one terrifying truth.

Being his mate wasn’t just dangerous—it was the only thing she had ever wanted.

And that realization both thrilled and terrified her.