Mated to the Devil Alpha

CHAPTER 5

DORIAN POV

The night sky hung heavy with mist, cloaking the cliffs of Black Moon territory in an eerie shroud. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and pine, the storm from earlier leaving the ground slick and treacherous. As the carriage rolled toward the fortress gates, the landscape grew more barren, the cliffs rising sharply on either side like the jagged teeth of a beast ready to devour anyone who dared approach.

I could feel Kaia beside me, her presence in the carriage a strange contrast to the darkness of the night. Her scent, sharp and wild, filled the air between us, a reminder that she was here now—my mate. It had been a long journey, and the weight of the blood pact still lingered in the air, but now, with her by my side, the tension in the carriage felt alive. Every breath she took, every movement, drew me in further.

I hadn’t expected to feel so much for her. I didn’t think I’d care about what she wanted, but the truth was undeniable: she was mine.

The gates of Black Moon loomed ahead, their dark metal glinting in the dim light, and as we approached, I could hear the murmurs of the pack already reaching us. Kaia, I knew, would be met with suspicion, resentment, and perhaps even outright hostility. After all, the curse I bore had made me an outcast in my pack. Now, I was bringing in a stranger—someone who had been claimed against her will.

The carriage halted with a soft creak, and the doors were pulled open before I could even step out. I could hear the whispers, the low, venomous tones of pack members as they saw her for the first time.

“The cursed Alpha has taken a mate?” one voice hissed, too loud to ignore.

Another murmured, “She’s the one? The one who’s supposed to fix him?”

I didn’t care what they said. It didn’t matter.

I stepped out of the carriage first, feeling the ground solid beneath my feet. I didn’t look back to see how Kaia was handling the attention. I was sure it didn’t feel any better than it had when I first arrived here after the curse had taken everything from me. The whispers, the doubts, the resentment—they were part of the game now.

Kaia stepped out behind me, her feet unsteady on the slick ground. I reached out to steady her, my fingers brushing her arm. She looked up at me, but there was no warmth in her gaze, only a sharp edge of defiance, a wall between us that I knew she wasn’t ready to let down.

“You’ll have to get used to them,” I said, my voice low, but not unkind. “They’ll never accept you right away. Not while I’m the cursed Alpha.”

She didn’t respond, but I could feel her tension, the way she pulled back just a little. It was in her eyes, in the way she held herself so tightly. She was trying to keep her distance, even though I knew the bond between us would force her to come closer eventually.

As we made our way through the fortress gates, the murmurs only grew louder. I could hear the faint rustling of bodies, and the shuffling of feet, but no one dared speak too openly now that I was here. The Beta would be the first to approach, and I knew exactly what he’d say before he even stepped into view.

Lucien Drayke—tall, lithe, with eyes cold as stone, his jaw sharp, his expression always a little too tight. He had been my right hand for years, but there was something sharply untrusting in him since the curse had taken hold. He watched everything with a careful gaze, as though waiting for the moment I would fall apart completely.

And there, beside him, stood Elara Nightwind. Her beauty was undeniable, but her venomous gaze was even more striking. She had always been wary of me, of everything I represented—the broken, the cursed. Her eyes flicked over Kaia, and I could see the disdain already settling into her expression.

But I couldn’t care less. Not now. Not when it came to her. Kaia was mine, and nothing—nothing—could change that.

Lucien’s eyes flicked to me, then to Kaia, and his lips curled into a half-smile, half-grimace. “So, this is the one who has finally claimed your attention?” His voice was a low drawl, mocking but laced with something else. He was testing her, seeing if she’d flinch, if she’d show weakness.

Kaia stood tall beside me, her eyes steady, but I could feel the tension rolling off her. She didn’t say anything, but I could see her gaze shift, assessing Lucien with equal suspicion.

Elara, standing just a step behind him, gave a soft, almost insincere laugh. “She’s brave, I’ll give her that.” Her words cut through the air like daggers, her gaze never leaving Kaia’s face. She was sizing her up, trying to read her, trying to find some flaw in her that she could latch onto. Elara always needed something to undermine.

“Enough,” I growled, stepping forward, my voice carrying over their murmurs. They had tested me long enough. “The Moon has chosen. She is mine.”

The words rang out, loud and final, like a decree. Every eye turned to me, the weight of my command settling over them like a thick fog. The air was so still I could almost hear the wind holding its breath.

Kaia flinched at the words, her gaze snapping to mine, but I held her steady. She might not understand it, might not agree with it, but it didn’t change the truth. We were bound together now—by fate, by blood.

“She belongs here with me,” I continued, my voice low but unmistakably powerful. “And you will show her the respect she deserves, or face the consequences.”

There was silence, thick and unyielding. Lucien’s jaw tightened, but his posture didn’t change. Elara’s lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes flashing with something dangerous.

I didn’t care. The pack could say what they wanted. But Kaia was mine now, and no one would take her from me.

I turned to her, my gaze softening for a moment before I let it go. “Come,” I said, guiding her forward, ignoring the silent judgment of those who watched. “There’s a lot more to this place than you realize.”

As we moved deeper into the fortress, I felt something strange pulse through me—a familiar tug of warning—as if the entire world were holding its breath, waiting for something. I turned back to see the pack watching us, waiting for the fallout to begin.

But Kaia... she was silent, her eyes still haunted by the weight of what had just happened. I didn’t know what her answer would be. But I knew, deep down, that there was no going back now.