Marked By Alpha's Curse

Chapter Six

Each word landed like a stone in my chest. A curse.

I nodded quickly, eyes on the floor. “Yes, Alpha. I understand.”

But I didn’t. Not really.

He turned away without another word, walking toward the adjoining chamber. A faint sound of running water followed soon after, the bathroom.

I stood there, heart thudding too loud in the silence. My eyes wandered around the room again , black stone walls, silver curtains, a massive bed that looked like it belonged to someone who rarely slept. Everything about it screamed power and danger.

And yet… I was here.

Minutes passed. Maybe ten. Maybe less. Then the water stopped.

The door creaked open.

Kael stepped out.

And I forgot how to breathe.

His hair was wet, dark strands clinging to his forehead and neck. He wore only black pants, nothing else. Droplets of water rolled down his chest, tracing the lines of muscles that looked too real to belong to any man I’d ever seen. Every inch of him looked carved, alive, impossible to ignore.

My mouth went dry. My pulse betrayed me, loud, unsteady. I told myself not to look, but my eyes disobeyed, traveling down his chest, over the faint scar on his ribs, the flex of muscle as he dragged a towel through his hair.

He’s… beautiful.

The thought came uninvited, shameful. I bit my lip and quickly turned around, clutching the fabric of my dress. “I—I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to stare. I swear I wasn’t looking!”

A heartbeat of silence.

Then, soft footsteps.

He was walking toward me.

My breath hitched. Every instinct screamed at me to move, but my body refused. His heat was suddenly there, right behind me — close enough that I could feel the faint rise and fall of his chest against my back.

I shut my eyes tight.

Oh, Moon. What happens to me now? My legs were shaking already. I wasn't sure what was going to happen.

His voice came low, near my ear.

“Why are you trembling?”

“I… I don’t know,” I whispered.

He caught my arm — not roughly, but firmly — and turned me to face him.

My eyes stayed shut. I couldn’t look. If I did, I was sure I’d forget how to stand.

“Open your eyes,” he ordered.

I shook my head. “N-no.”

His tone deepened. “Are you defying me, little human?”

My eyes flew open instantly. “No, Alpha!”

And then — mistake.

We were too close. So close our breaths mingled. The space between us was barely a whisper. His eyes weren’t cold anymore; they burned, unreadable. For a second, the world shrank to just this — the storm in his gaze, the sound of my heartbeat tripping over itself, and the dizzy heat coiling low in my stomach.

He looked at me for what felt like forever.

Then his expression hardened again, retreating behind that wall of control.

> “Someone will bring you new clothes,” he said quietly. “You will not wear those slave rags again. Not as my mate.”

But I wasn’t listening. Not really.

My eyes were still catching on him — the droplets sliding down his collarbone, the faint scar near his shoulder, the way his chest rose and fell like he was barely holding something back.

I didn’t realize how long I’d been staring until he frowned slightly.

“Are you listening to me, Lyra?”

I blinked, cheeks flaming. “Sorry! I— I didn’t hear you.”

His jaw tightened. “I hate repeating myself.”

He said it again, slower this time, his tone a warning:

“You’ll have new clothes. Then you’ll take a shower. Understand?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes, Alpha.”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he turned away, walking to the far side of the room. The moonlight cut across his bare shoulders as he stopped by the tall window, staring out into the forest beyond.

For a long time, neither of us spoke.

I stood where he’d left me, my heart refusing to calm down. My eyes betrayed me again, tracing his outline — the way his muscles shifted as he rested one arm against the frame, the faint light turning his skin to silver.

Why is my chest hurting like this? I wondered.

It wasn’t fear. Not entirely. It was something heavier, stranger.

I didn’t belong here. He’d made that clear.

And yet every part of me felt pulled toward him, as if that invisible bond the Priestess spoke of was tugging at something deep inside me.

Kael didn’t look back.

“Rest,” he said finally, voice distant. “Tomorrow, we face the council.”

“The council?” I echoed softly.

He didn’t answer.

Maybe he didn’t hear me. Or maybe he was choosing not to.

I turned to the bed again, hands trembling as I touched the sheets. The scent of cedar still clung to them. I sat slowly, unsure if I was even allowed.

He didn’t turn around.

But I felt his gaze — not directly, not visibly, but there. Watching. Measuring.

When I finally lay down, my thoughts refused to settle.

He’d said he would protect me. That I was his. But the way he said it made it sound less like a promise and more like a warning.

You don’t belong here. The bond is a curse.

And yet… when he stood close, when his hand gripped mine, when his voice brushed against my ear — it didn’t feel like a curse. It felt like something far more dangerous.

I shut my eyes, clutching the blanket.

Somewhere behind me, I heard the faint sound of him exhaling — a quiet sigh, almost human.

Then silence.

Only the wind outside, the echo of my heartbeat, and the heavy truth that there was no going back.

Because whether he wanted it or not — whether I wanted it or not —

I was bound to the Alpha King.

And maybe… part of me already feared what would happen when I stopped being afraid of him.