The Alpha's bloodcurse

CHAPTER 2

The clothes were damp and smelled like wet soil, but at least they were clean. My old clothes were stained with swamp mud and blood from my wounds, which had healed miraculously. I cleaned myself and washed my hair by the makeshift waterfall close to the lady’s hut. I changed into the clothes and went back into the hut, where the lady was waiting for me by the fireside. I still hadn’t figured out the strange structure of the hut. It was built into the rock like a cave but was made up of sticks on the inside. It had no rooms, yet the lady would go in and out of a particular door like it was some secret passage.

I sat by the lady and watched as she poured ash-like powder into the fire. The room was tense. I had to break the silence. “You gave me water, food, and clothed me,” I started in a low tone. “I believe you rescued me from the hunters two nights ago,” I continued, staring at her from across the room. I couldn’t hurt her if I wanted to; there weren’t any weapons in the room. “Who are you, and why are you helping me?” I asked, dropping the big question. She paid little attention to me, continuing to sprinkle the ash powder into the fire.

Out of patience, and with my curiosity kicking in, I snapped and walked up to her, looking her in the eye. “I asked you a question, woman, and by my power as a luna, you will answer me,” I said, trying to compel her with my senses. For a moment, she looked at me, then smiled and stood up, folding her sleeves up to her elbows. Her gown was as pale as her skin. She had a slender figure and completely white hair, even though she looked as young as yesterday. Her face was oval, and she had a pretty yet disturbing way of smirking. I personally have a problem with people who smirk, because the last wolf who smirked at me beheaded my guardian.

“A luna you are not anymore, wolf, and I told you already, I’m a friend,” she said, starting to circle the room, slowly touching the many artifacts. “If I wanted to kill you, I would have done that ages ago, back when you were with the Blood Pack,” she continued.

“Clearly, you need me for something,” I replied, confident in my voice.

“Oh, wolf, you need me, and I need you. It’s that simple.”

“What are you?” I asked impatiently, raising my now-angry voice. “You’re not a wolf because you don’t have a scent, and my compulsion didn’t work on you. You’re not a vampire because you spend hours in the goddamn sun, chanting weird stuff,” I continued, now following in her trail.

“Wrong question, wolf,” she replied, putting her palm on the wall of the hut-cave.

“Why are you helping me?” I asked again, sounding confused.

“Wrong question, wolf,” she replied, her palm still on the wall.

Now, it was getting frustrating. I stood for a second as I watched her chant something with her palm on the wall. “How can you help me, and how can I help you?” I asked yet again, walking closer to her. Suddenly, the wall opened like a door, and a bright light shone at us, illuminating the dim room. She smirked and turned to me.

“Now, you asked the right question, wolf,” she said as she stepped into the bright room. “Come in, wolf, and I will answer your many questions,” she continued, her voice echoing across the room. I looked at her as she entered. “Well, it can’t be worse than being hunted by night hunters,” I said to myself as I stepped into the room.

Unlike the dark hut, the room was beaming with brightness. There was a tree growing in the center of the room and strange symbols carved on its walls.

“What is this place?” I asked, trying to ignore the damp smell of the room.

The lady sat as she lit a candle. The light and smoke were blue. “Sit,” she said, pointing to a stool by the candle.

“You said you were gonna answer my qu—”

“Shhhh,” she interrupted me, pointing to the candlelight. “Listen to the fire, and you will get answers,” she continued.

The blue smoke from the candle began to diffuse across the room and suddenly took a corporeal form.

“The world is split into two,” she started, “the natural and the supernatural,” she continued. “In the supernatural part of the world, a lot of creatures dwell in it. Shifters like wolves and lycans, night-borns like vampires, and magic-born like me,” she paused for a moment and looked at me. The room was tense.

“You’re a shaman?” I asked, breaking the silence. “I thought magic-borns don’t stay in our world,” I continued, coughing a little from the blue smoke filling the room.

“My dear,” she chuckled, “unlike you shifters, magic-borns and creatures of the night can move between worlds whenever we like,” she added. “But you wouldn’t know that, would you? You’ve been preoccupied with much tragedy in your life, more than learning about supernatural creatures. And I bet your alpha didn’t quite give you the orientation needed after you became luna, did he?”

“You know nothing about my alpha,” I said, standing up quickly.

“Oh, I know a great deal about poor Collin. Loved by few, hated by many. Soon to be crowned alpha of the Mountain Pack.”

The blue smoke slowly materialized around us, and the room slowly started to change. The walls were no longer there, and the brightness began to dim. Suddenly, I was back to the night—the night where it all happened.

The nine elders were seated in a circle, and Collin was in the middle, shirtless, with different symbols tattooed on his skin. It was a prerequisite then for the festival. I could see myself standing, smiling at my Collin as he bent down to shift into his wolf form. I was surrounded by my many handmaidens. The moon was bright, and everyone was now quiet. It was happening. I didn’t want to see it.

“Take me out of here!” I screamed, my voice now shaky. The lady was nowhere to be found.

“You need to make peace with your past in order to move forward and help yourself,” she said, still nowhere in sight. The voice echoed as I screamed to be let out of the horrible illusion.

Collin shifted into his wolf form, and the elders stepped forward to bless him. I also moved forward as I proceeded to bless my mate when my head suddenly became heavy. I had a strong migraine, and I bent down in pain as I looked up to see the moon now blood-red. The first elder marked him as my migraine continued. At that moment, I knew something was wrong. The elder faced us as he lifted his hands to announce the new alpha. I sprang up to my feet as I screamed, “Stop!” before my face was splattered with torn flesh.

I was shaking as Collin’s wolf held the disembodied elder in his claws, his dark fur radiating with anger and hate—something I hadn’t seen in him before now. In seconds, everywhere was in turmoil as I knelt down, my blood-stained face confused at the sudden chaos. The night hunters were already gathering around to protect the elders. I struggled, my head still heavy, as I ran toward the savage beast that was once my husband. I was stopped by my beta, who stood in front of me as he dragged me away.

“I can stop him!” I said as he pulled me from the chaos.

“He’ll kill you,” he said, struggling to hold me. He suddenly stopped as I heard a squishing sound. I watched in horror as I saw my disemboweled beta, Collin’s claws digging into his spine from behind.

I reached forward, trying to get into his head. With speed, he slashed my shoulders and flung me at a tree. My head was bleeding. I could barely breathe. I was no match for him. He has alpha blood, and I’m just a wolfless luna. I felt helpless again—just like the time when my guardian was killed right in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything. My eyes slowly closed as I heard the night hunters restraining him with silver chains and buckles. My mate, now a prisoner in his own pack.

“Stop this now!” I screamed as the blue smoke dissolved back into the bright room. I was sweating, and my hands were shaking. The lady was standing in front of me. I stood up at full speed and pinned her to the wall, my strength fueled by my anger.

“The red moon, doesn’t it mean anything to you?” she asked, my elbow still at her throat.

I stepped back as she continued, “It was a blood curse; the henna tattooed on your mate’s skin was poisoned.”

I looked confused. “Seriously, are you that clueless? You think your mate was perfect, with no enemies?” she asked. “By the next crescent festival, your precious Collin is cursed to destroy his pack and eventually commit suicide himself,” she added softly. “The curse is growing, and his wolf is getting stronger. He’ll break free of those silver chains and murder his beloved pack.”