Marked By Alpha's Curse

Chapter Eleven

Then he opened the door.

The corridor outside was quiet, lined with torches that flickered against the stone walls. The faint echo of distant music drifted through the air, laughter, voices, the hum of celebration from somewhere below.

Kael stepped forward, and I moved with him, matching his pace. Every step felt heavier, like walking toward a fate I hadn’t chosen.

I tried not to think about what awaited us, the stares, the whispers, the wolves who would look at me and see nothing but an unworthy human.

Beside me, Kael walked like a storm contained, calm on the surface, but one wrong word could tear the air apart.

I wanted to ask him something, anything, to break the silence. But the words died before I could form them. What would I even say?

Instead, I focused on the sound of our footsteps, the steady rhythm of his breathing.

Somehow, despite everything, it made me feel… safe.

And that terrified me most of all.

When we reached the stairway leading down to the Great Hall, Kael stopped. His head tilted slightly, as if listening to something far away. Then he turned to me.

“One last thing,” he said quietly.

I looked up at him. “Yes?”

His gaze held mine, sharp, commanding, but not unkind. “No matter what happens tonight, you’ll keep your head high. Do not let them see fear.”

I blinked, unsure if I’d heard him right. “But you said......”

“I know what I said,” he cut in. “Obey their rules when you must. But never forget......” He paused, his jaw flexing. “You’re mine. Not theirs.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. His tone wasn’t harsh or cruel. It was something else — something that made my chest ache in a way I couldn’t explain.

I nodded. “I understand.”

He didn’t move for a while, just looked at me, as if searching for something in my face. Then, wordlessly, he began to descend the steps, his cloak brushing against the marble.

I followed close behind, trying to calm the storm inside me.

The music grew louder with each step. The scent of food, wine, and wolves filled the air. My heart pounded faster, knowing what awaited at the end of the staircase, a hall full of enemies, a throne, a King who hated me, and a night that could decide my fate.

But Kael’s arm stayed firm beneath my hand, and for that moment, I clung to the one truth that made the fear bearable:

I wasn’t walking in alone.

When Kael and Lyra stepped in, the murmur of conversation faded into silence. Heads turned. Eyes followed.

They were a striking pair.....he, tall and commanding in a dark ceremonial coat lined with silver threads; she, delicate beside him, her dress simple but elegant. Yet it wasn’t admiration in those stares. It was disbelief. Contempt. Curiosity sharpened like blades.

A human walking beside an alpha.

Kael didn’t flinch. His expression was carved from stone, his every step purposeful. He guided Lyra to their seats among the dignitaries without a word, his hand hovering near her back but never touching. Even that near-contact carried power.

Lyra’s throat was dry. Her pulse beat too fast, but she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, remembering his words before they entered.

“Don’t show fear. Not here. Not before them.”

So she didn’t. Even when she could feel whispers rising behind her, she sat still, spine rigid, eyes ahead.

Kael settled beside her, folding his hands on the table. His gaze never left the front of the hall where the Alpha King stood. The air shifted when the King’s deep voice rang out.

“Alphas and nobles,” the King began, his tone calm but heavy with authority. “Tonight, we recognize the union of Alpha Kael of the Northern Territory and his chosen mate, Lyra.”

The room buzzed instantly, gasps, murmurs, faint laughter.

A human?

Impossible.

He’s lost his mind......

Kael didn’t move, but his aura rippled through the room like a warning growl. The noise quieted just as quickly.

The Alpha King raised one hand, silencing the rest. “The matter is not open for debate tonight. We are here to celebrate and that's all."

With that, he struck his goblet against the table. Music flared—harps, flutes, drums. Servants began to pour wine, trays of roasted meat and fruit filling the tables. The mood shifted. Wolves started talking again, laughing, pretending calm, though their eyes still darted toward Lyra from time to time.

Lyra forced herself to breathe. She wasn’t sure what hurt more, the glares or the whispers she caught when people thought she couldn’t hear.

“He could have any Luna, and he picked her?”

“She looks fragile. She won’t last.”

Her hand gripped her goblet, though she didn’t drink.

Kael rose not long after, joining a group of warriors at the far end of the hall. They greeted him with claps on the back, pouring him wine, their voices deep with laughter. For the first time since she’d known him, Lyra saw him almost… relaxed.

She watched as one of the older warriors said something that made Kael’s lips twitch. A faint smirk.

Her breath caught.

That tiny smile—it was strange to see. Kael rarely smiled. His face was usually unreadable, controlled, cold. She had spent days with him, sharing silence and tension, and not once had he looked like that.

And it wasn’t her who drew that smile.

Lyra turned her gaze away, ashamed of the sting in her chest. She didn’t even know why it hurt. Kael wasn’t hers, not in the way she wanted him to be. They were bound by something neither of them had chosen.

Still, seeing him look so at ease with others… and not with her…

It made her feel small again. Human. Out of place.

The music changed, softer now, as more guests arrived. The heavy doors of the hall opened again, and the laughter dimmed.

A woman entered, and the air seemed to shift around her.

She was beautiful. Not just in the way people are born with beauty, but in the way she carried it—graceful, poised, deliberate. Her gown shimmered silver, hugging her frame perfectly. Her long dark hair fell down her back like a river of ink, and her eyes, piercing and bright, swept the hall until they found Kael.

And then, she smiled.

Kael turned at the same moment.

Lyra froze as she watched him. The shift was subtle, but she saw it—the flicker of recognition in his eyes, the way his jaw loosened, his shoulders relaxing just slightly.

Then came the thing that pierced through Lyra completely.....

He smiled.

Not a smirk, not a brief twitch. A real smile. Warm, faint, but real.

Her heart sank.

Kael never smiled like that. Not at her. Not even when she tried to make him talk or when she stumbled on her words nervously. He’d always been the same, distant, composed. But now, because of that woman, he wasn’t.

Lyra didn’t know who she was, but something deep in her chest told her she mattered.

The woman, Selene, though Lyra didn’t know her name yet, walked straight toward Kael, her every step confident, elegant. The crowd parted for her without question.

When she reached him, she said something low, and Kael’s lips moved again, another small smile breaking through.

Lyra’s fingers tightened around the edge of her chair. She didn’t want to stare, but she couldn’t look away either. Watching them felt like watching a secret being shared, something that wasn’t meant for her to see.

Her chest burned. The surrounding noise blurred. The laughter, the music, everything became distant.

Finally, she stood. She didn’t even know where she meant to go, outside, anywhere away from that sight.

She turned, ready to leave the table quietly, when a smooth voice stopped her.

“Hi, human.”

Lyra froze.

When she looked up, the woman was standing right before her. Selene. Up close, she was even more stunning, sharp cheekbones, flawless skin, eyes that held a dangerous amusement.

Lyra blinked, caught off guard. “My name is Lyra,” she said softly.

Selene tilted her head, pretending to think. “Right. Lyra. The human.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “You don’t mind if I call you that, do you? It’s just so… fitting.”

Lyra’s stomach twisted. “It’s rude,” she said before she could stop herself.

Selene’s smile widened slightly. “You’ve got some spirit. Interesting.”

She extended her hand, perfectly manicured fingers gleaming under the light. Lyra hesitated, but instinct made her take it. Selene’s grip was firm, too firm, her nails pressing lightly into Lyra’s skin as if marking a point.

“Selene,” she said finally, her voice almost a whisper but clear enough to cut through the music.

Then, leaning forward just slightly, her lips curved. “The other woman in your life.”