The Cursed Alpha’s Mate

Chapter3

Chapter 3

For hours, she was left alone in that room, most of the time she was unconscious, still healing and gaining strength. By the next day, Selene swung her legs over the edge of the bed, ignoring the way her limbs protested. She was dressed in a simple black tunic, a clear sign someone had changed her out of her tattered clothes. The thought made her stomach coil with unease.

Her eyes darted to the door—thick wood, reinforced with iron. Locked, she guessed. The windows? High and narrow, not impossible but damn near close.

The heavy door creaked open.

Selene didn't move. She kept her posture relaxed, her face unreadable, but her wolf—Nyx—was already stirring, restless beneath her skin.

The man who entered carried the scent of dominance, raw power pressing against the air like a storm waiting to break. Killian.

He was exactly as she remembered—dark-haired, tall, exuding an aura that demanded submission. His eyes, an unnatural silver, locked onto hers with a cold intensity.

Selene forced herself to hold his gaze. She wouldn't bow. Not to him. Not to anyone.

He took a slow step inside, the door clicking shut behind him. "You're awake."

No s**t.

She didn't respond.

He held a tray in one hand—food. The scent of roasted meat and warm bread drifted through the air, making her stomach tighten painfully.

He set the tray on a small table near the bed. "Eat."

She scoffed. "I'd rather starve."

He didn't react, simply watching her with that infuriatingly unreadable expression. "Suit yourself."

He turned to leave.

Selene's fingers twitched. She hated that he had the power to walk away like this, that he controlled whether she lived or died.

So she pushed. "What's the matter, Alpha? Afraid I might bite?"

He stilled. Just for a second.

Then he glanced back at her, something dark flickering behind his eyes. "You already have. You just don't know it yet."

And with that, he was gone, leaving her with nothing but the weight of his words and the gnawing pull of a bond she wished didn't exist.

Selene glared at the closed door, her pulse hammering against her ribs.

You already have. You just don't know it yet.

His words lingered like an echo in her bones, stirring something deep within her—a pull she refused to acknowledge.

She pushed herself off the bed, biting back a wince as her bruised muscles protested. She couldn't afford to be weak. Not here. Not now.

The room was luxurious, but it was still a cage nonetheless.

She moved to the windows first. Too high to reach without shifting, and even then, the bars outside told her escape wasn't an option that way.

The door was heavy, reinforced, and locked from the outside. No doubt guarded.

Her fingers clenched into fists.

She was trapped.

She turned back to the tray of food Killian had left. The scent alone made her stomach twist in agony, but she resisted. She didn't trust anything given to her by an enemy.

Instead, she focused on the more pressing issue—why was she here?

Killian had every reason to kill her. Rogues were rarely spared, especially not ones who had fought against a pack like his.

And yet... he had brought her here, healed her, given her a bed instead of a prison cell.

None of it made sense.

She exhaled slowly, forcing her mind to settle.

No matter what game Killian was playing, she wouldn't fall for it.

Her body might be trapped here, but her mind was still her own.

For now.

Time passed in excruciating silence.

Selene didn't know how long she waited—hours, maybe longer. The hunger gnawed at her, her wolf restless beneath her skin, but she refused to touch the food.

Then, finally, the door opened again.

This time, Killian wasn't alone.

A woman stepped in beside him—tall, striking, with piercing blue eyes and an air of authority. She was dressed in a fitted black tunic, her posture rigid with discipline.

Selene's instincts sharpened. She instantly knew this was someone important.

Killian leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Selene, meet Commander Rayna. She's in charge of the Silvercrest warriors."

Rayna studied her like she was a puzzle missing a crucial piece. "She's the rogue from the border?"

Killian nodded.

Rayna's gaze flicked to Selene's untouched meal. "She hasn't eaten."

Killian's lips twitched in something that might have been amusement. "She's stubborn."

Selene stiffened. "I don't eat food given to me by enemies."

Rayna let out a sharp laugh. "Enemies? You'd be dead if we were your enemies."

Selene bared her teeth in a cold smile. "Give it time."

Rayna's amusement faded. "You're in no position to make threats."

Killian pushed off the doorframe and stepped closer. "No, but she is in a position to make choices."

Selene narrowed her eyes. "Choices?"

Killian tilted his head, silver eyes unreadable. "You fought well against my warriors. You have skill. Strength." His voice dropped slightly. "I don't waste useful things."

Selene stilled.

Rayna crossed her arms. "The Alpha is offering you a way out of your cell."

Killian's gaze didn't waver. "Join my pack. Pledge loyalty to me, and you live."

Selene let out a short, humorless laugh. "And if I refuse?"

Killian's expression remained calm, but there was an unmistakable edge to his voice. "Then you'll remain here until I decide what to do with you."

The unspoken words hung between them.

Or until you break.

Selene's mind whirled. A part of her wanted to spit in his face, to reject him outright. She was no one's pet, no one's soldier.

But another part of her knew the truth.

She had no allies. No pack. No way out.

Selene held Killian's gaze, her body coiled with defiance.

"You think I'd betray who I am just to survive?" Her voice was low and steady, but a storm brewed beneath it. "That I'd kneel to the same kind of Alpha who hunts my kind down like animals?"

Killian didn't flinch. If anything, he looked intrigued. "I think you're smart enough to know when you have no other choice."

Selene stepped closer, the weight of his presence suffocating yet thrilling in a way that made her wolf stir uneasily. "You must be desperate," she said, tilting her head, "to offer a rogue a place in your pack."

Killian's lips curved, slow, and deliberate. "Desperate? No." His voice dropped just above a whisper, smooth as silk but laced with steel. "Curious? Yes."

Selene hated the way her pulse jumped at that.

She scoffed, folding her arms. "I should be flattered?"

Killian studied her like she was a puzzle only he could solve. "You should be careful."

Selene smirked. "Of you?"

His silver eyes gleamed. "Of what you're starting to feel."

Her breath caught for half a second, but she covered it with a scoff. "You're delusional."

Killian stepped closer, closing the space between them. Too close. The scent of him—dark pine, something rich and untamed—wrapped around her senses like a snare.

"You can lie to yourself, Selene," he murmured, his voice a quiet challenge. "But your wolf knows the truth."

A shiver ran through her, but she masked it with a sharp glare. "The truth?"

Killian's fingers brushed her jaw—just a whisper of contact, a test. "That I already own a piece of you."

Selene slapped his hand away, her wolf snapping inside her mind. "Touch me again, and I'll rip your throat out."

Rayna tensed at the threat, but Killian... he only chuckled. Low and amused.

Selene hated how it sent heat curling through her.

"You've got fire," he said, stepping back, but the weight of his presence remained. "I like that."

Selene gritted her teeth. "I don't care what you like."

Killian tilted his head, eyes glinting. "We'll see."

With that, he turned, striding toward the door. Rayna gave Selene one last look—half amusement, half warning—before following him.

The door shut behind them, the lock clicking into place.

Selene let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, her heart still hammering against her ribs.

Damn him.

She wouldn't play his game.

Wouldn't fall into whatever twisted amusement he found in testing her.

But even as she told herself that, her wolf remained restless.

And she hated that even more.

Selene paced the length of the dimly lit room, her mind racing.

Killian was toying with her, testing her limits, and she hated that it was working. He thought she was a caged rogue, trapped with no options.

But he was wrong.