The Cursed Alpha’s Regret

Chapter 6: The Rival's Shadow

While Ethan stayed at the edge of the valley, a new danger arrived from the dark northern mountains. Alpha Killian Cole, the ruthless leader of the Blackwood Pack, had been tracking Ethan's movements for weeks. Killian wanted to destroy the Blood Moon Pack and take over their wealthy lands.

Killian stood on a high hill overlooking the Silver Mist valley, watching through a pair of binoculars. He saw Ethan kneeling in the dirt outside Aria's cottage, begging for her attention. He also saw the little boy with golden eyes playing in the garden.

A wicked, clever smile spread across Killian's face.

"Well, well, well," Killian muttered to his Beta, who stood beside him. "The great Alpha Ethan Vance has a hidden weakness. A rejected mate who is a powerful healer, and a secret bastard son who carries the true alpha bloodline."

"What should we do, Alpha?" the Beta asked.

"If we capture the woman and the child, we can force Ethan to surrender his entire pack without a fight," Killian explained, his blue eyes gleaming with evil intent. "Furthermore, the rumors say this healer possesses the ancient royal wolf blood. If I force her to marry me instead, her magic will make my pack unstoppable."

Back in the valley, Aria was trying to calm her racing heart. She sat at her kitchen table, watching Leo sleep peacefully in his bed. Her inner wolf, Luna, finally spoke after years of silence.

"He loves us, Aria," Luna whispered softly. "His wolf is screaming for us. The curse made him blind, but his heart is awake now."

"No, Luna," Aria replied in her mind, her jaw tightening. "He hurt us too much. We cannot trust him just because he says sweet words now. He must feel the pain we felt."

Suddenly, the air inside the cottage grew heavy and cold. The cheerful birds outside stopped singing. Aria’s instincts flared with danger. It wasn't Ethan’s scent. It was something foul and toxic.

She rushed to the window and looked out. A group of dark-clothed warriors was creeping through the trees toward her backyard. They were not Blood Moon wolves. They carried silver nets and long, sharp daggers.

"Killian," Aria whispered, recognizing the Blackwood pack mark on their jackets.

She ran to Leo's bed, waking him up gently. "Leo, sweetheart, wake up. We need to go into the secret cellar right now. It's a game of hide and seek, okay? You must be very quiet."

Leo nodded sleepily, rubbing his eyes. Aria quickly opened the hidden trapdoor in the floorboards and helped him climb down. Just as she closed the door and covered it with a heavy rug, the front door of her cottage was violently kicked open, exploding into splinters of wood.