Cursed to Three Alphas

4.

Chapter Four

Aria’s POV

The crowd roared, their cries for my blood echoing through the square. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to find a friendly face, someone who might speak up for me.

“Kill the witch!” someone yelled, and the chant grew louder, the words cutting through me like knives.

I scanned the sea of faces, desperate to find Lizzy. She was my only hope. If anyone could vouch for me, it was her. But no matter how hard I looked, she was nowhere to be seen. My stomach churned. Had she abandoned me, too?

I bowed my head, wishing for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Death would have been kinder than the humiliation I was enduring.

Alpha Darius stood before me, smug and triumphant. His dark eyes glittered with malice as he leaned in close, his voice low so only I could hear.

“Still got to see you naked, didn’t I?” he sneered, his breath hot against my ear.

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “Please,” I begged, my voice trembling. “You know I’m innocent. Don’t do this.”

For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his gaze—hesitation, perhaps—but it was gone as quickly as it came. He chuckled, a sound so cold it made my skin crawl.

“Innocent?” He barked a laugh. “The people want someone to blame for their suffering, and you’ve made yourself an easy target.”

He straightened, looking me up and down with a smirk. “There are women far more beautiful than you. Women with fuller curves, softer lips, and obedient natures. Yet here you are, defiant to the end.”

The venom in his words struck deep, but I refused to let him see how much they hurt.

He turned to the crowd, raising his hands to silence them. “What shall we do with the witch who plagues our pack?”

“Her head!” someone screamed, and the chant began again. “We want her head on a stake!”

Darius turned back to me, his expression twisted with mock sympathy. “You hear that, Aria? It’s the will of the people. My hands are tied.”

Before I could respond, he waved to his guards. “Take her to the dungeons. We’ll deal with her tomorrow.”

The guards grabbed me roughly, dragging me away from the square. I didn’t fight them. What was the point? My fate was sealed.

As they hauled me through the stone corridors of the pack’s dungeon, the air grew colder, the stench of damp and decay overwhelming. My bare feet scraped against the uneven ground, and I stumbled more than once, earning sharp tugs and cruel laughter from the guards.

Finally, we reached a cell at the far end of the dungeon. One guard shoved me forward, and I fell to my knees on the cold stone floor. The other guard tossed a threadbare gown at me.

“You’ll need that,” he said, his voice laced with malice.

They slammed the heavy iron door shut, the sound echoing through the empty hall. Their laughter faded as they walked away, leaving me alone in the dark.

The silence was suffocating. I sat there, trembling, clutching the thin fabric of the gown to my chest. My mind raced with everything that had happened. How had my life unraveled so quickly?

I had always known Darius was dangerous, but I never thought he would stoop so low as to frame me for something as heinous as witchcraft. And the people—the very ones I had grown up with—had turned on me without hesitation.

A shiver ran down my spine as I thought about the guard’s parting words. You’ll need that. What had he meant? The knot in my stomach tightened as my imagination ran wild.

I was still a virgin, and the thought of what they might do to me made my skin crawl.

I couldn’t let it happen.

Pulling the gown over my shoulders, I began to pace the small cell, my bare feet numb against the cold stone. My hands tugged at the ropes that bound them, but they were tied too tightly.

I needed a plan.

The image of the two men I’d seen in the market flashed in my mind—the strangers who had watched from the shadows. Their eyes had been intense, their presence commanding. Who were they?

I had no allies left. No one who would stand up for me. But for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that those men were different. That they had been watching for a reason.

The sound of footsteps broke through my thoughts, heavy and deliberate. My heart leapt into my throat as the door to my cell creaked open.

It was one of the guards, the same one who had thrown the gown at me. His grin was wicked, his intentions clear.

“Well, well,” he drawled, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “Looks like it’s just you and me now.”

I backed away until my shoulders hit the cold stone wall. My pulse raced, and panic clawed at my chest.

“Stay away from me,” I warned, my voice shaking but firm.

He laughed, a low, ugly sound. “Or what? You’re all alone, little witch. No one’s coming to save you.”

But just as he took another step closer, the sound of a door slamming echoed through the dungeon. The guard froze, his grin faltering.

“What the—”

A shadow moved in the hallway, and my breath caught.

The guard spun around, his hand reaching for the dagger at his hip. “Who’s there?”

The shadow stepped into the light, and my heart nearly stopped.

It was him—the tall stranger from the market. His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine for a brief moment before shifting to the guard.

“You really shouldn’t be here,” the stranger said, his voice calm but deadly.

The guard didn’t have time to respond. The stranger moved faster than I thought possible, disarming him with a single motion. The guard crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

I stared in shock as the stranger turned to me, his expression unreadable.

“Who are you?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

He stepped closer, his gaze intense. “Someone who doesn’t believe in killing innocent people.”

Before I could process his words, he knelt down and began working on the ropes around my wrists. His hands were steady, his touch surprisingly gentle.

“We need to move quickly,” he said, his voice low. “They’ll be back soon.”

“Wait,” I said, my mind spinning. “Why are you helping me?”

He glanced at me, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “Let’s just say I have a soft spot for damsels in distress.”

Despite the situation, his words sparked something in me—hope.

As he helped me to my feet, I couldn’t help but wonder: Who was this man? And what did he want with me?

Cliffhanger

Before I could ask more, the sound of approaching footsteps filled the air. The stranger’s expression hardened, and he pulled me behind him.

“Stay close,” he said, his voice a quiet command. “This is going to get messy.”