TAKE MY HEART, CURSED ALPHA OF THE NORTH.

“Still alive?” The voice came out deep, calm and unbothered. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. My fingers tightened slightly against the chains, but I kept my head lowered. If I met his eyes, I might break and I refuse to break in front of him. His heavy footsteps echo slowly into the cell like he has all the time in the world or like I am nothing worth rushing for. A hand grips my chin suddenly, forcing my face up. I gasp softly, my eyes betraying me as they meet his. Alpha Bran. Up close, he is worse. Not because he is cruel, no. But because he looks at me like I am nothing. He looks at me as though I wasn't even worth his cruelty. His gaze drags over my face, searching and assessing, and then his lips tilted, just slightly. “Pathetic,” the word landed harder than a slap and my throat tightened, but I forced myself to speak. “I didn’t do anything,” my voice comes out hoarse and weak. I hate it. His grip tightened just enough to make me wince. “Everyone says that.” “I’m not lying.” Annoyance flickered in his eyes then and he released my face abruptly, like touching me has become inconvenient. I stagger slightly but manage to stay upright. “You caused a disturbance,” he said, turning away from me as if I no longer deserve his attention. “At a gathering meant for the pack.” My nails dug into my palms. “I didn’t mean to…” “That is not the point,” his voice sharpened, cutting clean through mine. Silence fell again, heavy and suffocating then he turned back slowly, his gaze colder now. “Do you have any idea what you are?” I swallowed hard, waiting. “An omega.” His expression doesn’t change. “Not just an omega,” he corrected. “A wolfless one.” Each word is precise and intentional. “You exist outside the order of this pack. You have no place, no rank, and no purpose.” Something inside my chest twists painfully. I already know this. I have always known. But hearing it from him feels final. “I didn’t ask to be this way,” I whisper. The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them because his eyes darkened immediately. “No,” he says slowly. “But you chose to forget your place.” “I didn’t…” “You approached me.” My breath caught as the memory flashes sharp and unwanted. I had felt the pull. I swear, I heard the voice. That was the first time I had ever felt it. I was wolfless, but right there and then, I heard the voice the moment my eyes landed on Alpha bran. ‘Mate,’ my wolf had shrieked. “I couldn’t stop…” “Lies,” he cut me off again. “You expect me to believe that a girl like you was drawn to me by something beyond her control?” My lips part, but no words come out because how do I explain something I don’t understand myself? His expression turns colder.“Do you take me for a fool?” “No, Alpha,” the answer comes quickly and desperately. “Then explain it.” I shake my head slightly, panic rising. “I don’t know what happened. I just… I felt something and…” “And you thought it meant something?” he cuts in, a faint, mocking edge to his tone. Heat rushes to my face, shame burning through me. “I didn’t think…” I look away, unable to hold his gaze any longer. For a moment, there is only silence. Then, he continued, “You embarrassed yourself.” My chest tightened. “And worse,” he added, his voice dropping lower, “you embarrassed me.” My heart stutters. I didn’t think that mattered to him. I didn’t think I mattered at all. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. The apology feels small and useless because I know it changes nothing. “Sorry doesn’t erase what happened.” I nod slowly. Of course it doesn’t. “Look at me.” I hesitated. “Look at me.” This time, it was not a request. I force my eyes up. “If there was any confusion in your mind,” he says, each word measured, “let me make this clear.” My pulse pounds in my ears. “There is no bond between us.” The words land like a blade sliding clean through my chest. I feel it. Even if I shouldn’t. Even if it makes no sense. “I felt it,” I whisper before I can stop myself. There was silence for a while and then, a short, humorless laugh left him. “You felt what you wanted to feel.” “No…” “You are nothing to me.” The finality in his voice leaves no room for argument. No room for hope. “Whatever delusion you had,” he continues, stepping closer again, “It has gotten you into trouble and you will face the consequences of your crime.” Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. “Do you understand?” I nodded my head. His gaze lingered on me for a second longer. Then he straightened. “Good.” And just like that, he turned and walked toward the door, his presence leaving the space colder somehow. The door shut behind him with a heavy clang. The air rushed back into my lungs and I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. My knees give out, and I sink back onto the cold floor, my hands trembling slightly. A broken sound escapes my throat before I can stop it. But I clamp my lips shut quickly. No. I should not cry, not for him and certainly not for this. The silence stretches long and heavy until the door creaks open again. I raised my head to look at who it was and I nodded my head. Of course, she’d be here. Seraphine, my stepsister. “Well,” she said lightly. “That was disappointing.” I let out a slow breath, forcing my expression blank before I looked up at her again. She stood just outside the bars, perfectly composed, as always. Beautiful, perfect, and everything I was not. “What do you want?” I asked. She smiled, “I came to see if you’d learned anything.” I don’t respond. “For a moment,” she continues, tilting her head slightly, “I thought you might actually say something interesting.” Her gaze drifts over my face, searching. “But I suppose I expected too much.” “I told the truth.” She laughs softly. “Truth?” she repeats. “You felt something, so it must be real?” My jaw tightens. “You wouldn’t understand.” Her smile sharpens. “No,” she agrees. “I wouldn’t.” She steps closer, her fingers brushing lightly against one of the iron bars. “Because I don’t mistake delusion for destiny.” My chest tightensed again. “Why are you doing this to me?” I asked her. I needed to. Seraphine had yelled back at the event, calling for guards, and just like that, I had been accused of dark magic. A lie so big and yet so easy for them to believe because it is me. Because I am the one they have always looked at with disgust, the one they whisper about, and the one they call useless. “Because you made a mistake,” she replied. simply. “What mistake?” She steps closer, crouching in front of me so we are at eye level. “You thought you could stand next to me,” she said softly. “You thought you could reach for something that was never yours.” “I didn’t…” “He knew.” The words cut through me. I freeze. “W… what?” I whisper. “The bond,” she says, smiling. “We both did.” Everything inside me goes still. “No…” “He was going to reject you quietly,” she continued, her voice almost gentle. “But you just had to embarrass yourself in front of everyone.” Tears blurred my vision. “He felt it too,” I whispered, more to myself than to her. Seraphine’s smile widened. “And he still chose me.” “You should have stayed invisible,” she added, shaking her head. A tear slips free before I can stop it. I wipe it away quickly, my hand shaking slightly. Seraphine watched me for a moment, then she straightened. “I suppose this is where your story ends,” she said, smiling. “Well, it was never much to begin with.” The door opened behind her and this time, the guards entered.. Seraphine steps aside gracefully, giving them space. I didn't fight this time because I knew there was no point. As they grabbed my arms and pulled me up, I let them. My gaze drifts past Seraphine one last time. She looked so satisfied, of course she was. And as they drag me toward the door, one thought settles quietly in my chest. No one is coming for me.