Marked By Alpha's Curse

Chapter Seven

The sound of distant voices woke me before the light did.

For a moment, I didn’t remember where I was. The sheets beneath me were soft, too soft. The faint scent of pine and smoke clung to them. Then it hit me: Kael’s chamber.

I sat up slowly. My body ached from the stiffness of sleeping in the same position all night. The events of yesterday rushed back like a flood, the hall, the King’s fury, the Priestess’s words… and Kael standing between me and death.

I pressed a hand to my chest, right where her palm had glowed. The skin there still felt strange, warm, like the bond hadn’t faded even after sleep.

Was this what being cursed felt like?

A quiet knock pulled me from my thoughts. I froze, half expecting Kael’s voice, but it was a woman who entered, a maid, her head bowed low. She carried folded clothes in her arms.

“Alpha Kael said you are to wear these,” she said, not meeting my eyes.

I hesitated before taking them. A simple gray tunic and soft trousers — clean, but plain. Still, compared to the rags I’d worn before, they felt… new. “Thank you,” I whispered, but she was already gone.

I changed quickly, washing my face with the cool water left by the door. My reflection on the basin’s surface startled me, eyes still shadowed, cheeks pale. I didn’t look like anyone’s “mate.” I looked like someone who didn’t belong.

The door opened again. Kael stepped inside.

He was dressed in black this time, his usual armor replaced by a dark shirt and fitted trousers. His hair was still damp from a wash, drops of water sliding down the side of his neck. His presence filled the room instantly — steady, quiet, dangerous.

His eyes swept over me once, unreadable. “You’re ready,” he said flatly. “The council awaits.”

My throat went dry. “The council?”

“I told you about it last night. They want to discuss the bond,” he replied, turning slightly toward the door. “And your… place here. ”

The way he said it made my stomach twist.

My place.

I followed him down the long corridor in silence. The castle seemed to hold its breath — guards stiffened when he passed, servants vanished into corners. I kept a few steps behind, clutching my hands together to stop their shaking.

By the time we reached the council hall, my pulse was racing. The massive doors opened, and a dozen heads turned toward us.

Every council member was there, Alphas from other packs, elders, advisors. Their eyes landed on me like knives. A few whispered under their breath, and I knew they were talking about me. The human. The mistake.

Kael walked forward with the kind of calm that could silence a storm. He took his seat beside the King without glancing my way. I stayed standing near the edge of the chamber, out of place, as always.

The King’s voice filled the hall. “We will begin.”

No one dared speak until he finished. “You all witnessed what occurred yesterday,” he said slowly. “The Moon has bound my general, my strongest warrior, to a human.”

A murmur of disbelief rippled through the room.

One of the Alphas, a tall man with graying hair, leaned forward. “With all respect, my King, such a union cannot be allowed. It undermines the sacred laws.”

Another joined in. “The packs will question your leadership if this stands. The Cursed Alpha with a human mate? It’s a mockery.”

The words hit like stones. I wanted to shrink smaller, to disappear. My hands trembled at my sides, but I forced them still. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to speak, probably not.

Kael remained silent, but his jaw was tight. Every insult was like a spark against flint. I could feel the anger rolling off him, controlled but lethal.

The King’s gaze slid toward him. “Kael. You hear their concerns. What do you say?”

He finally spoke, his voice quiet but sharp enough to cut the air. “I didn’t choose this bond, my King. But I won’t deny it either.”

“ Would you accept her?” one of the elders spat. “A human? A servant?”

Kael’s eyes flicked up, and the elder flinched back as though struck. “Watch your words.”

For a second, the hall went deathly silent. The power in his voice wasn’t loud, but it carried — deep, dangerous. Even the King’s expression faltered.

But then another Alpha cleared his throat. “If the bond cannot be broken, then she must at least be hidden. We cannot have her standing beside you at gatherings. The packs will think we’ve grown weak.”

Hidden. Like something shameful.

The King nodded slowly. “Perhaps that would be best. Until we decide what to do with her.”

I felt the words pierce straight through me. What to do with her, as though I weren’t even human anymore. Just a problem to be solved.

Kael said nothing.

The silence stretched too long. My heart pounded painfully in my chest, waiting for him to speak — to say something, anything.

He didn’t.

When the King finally turned to me, his gaze was cold. “You will remain under Kael’s protection. But you are not to leave his quarters or speak unless commanded. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my King,” I managed, my voice barely a whisper.

“Good,” he said. “You may leave.”

For a moment, I couldn’t move. I looked at Kael, desperate, hoping for something in his expression. Maybe a look, a word, a sign that he didn’t agree.

But he didn’t even glance at me.

He just sat there, arms crossed, face unreadable. The coldness in his eyes was worse than any insult I’d heard.

My chest tightened painfully. I bowed my head, turned, and began to walk toward the door. My steps echoed too loudly in the silence.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry here.

The moment I stepped outside, the air hit me — cool and sharp. I pressed my back against the stone wall, swallowing the lump in my throat. My hands trembled uncontrollably.

He hadn’t said a word. Not one word to defend me.

I shouldn’t have expected him to. He’d already told me — this bond didn’t mean anything to him. I was just something fate had forced on him. A burden.

Still, it hurt.

I stayed there for a long time, trying to breathe through it, to remind myself I’d survived worse. But somehow, this felt different. Like I’d been marked and erased all at once.

Through the door, I could still hear the muffled sounds of their voices, discussing me, deciding what I was worth.

And for the first time since I’d met him, I realized something cold and terrifying.

Kael had saved my life.

But he might also be the one to destroy it.