CURSED BLOOD

CHAPTER2

CAMILLA’S POINT OF VIEW

“Don’t try to run.” He growls and sits.

We are on a plane to Atlanta, I’ve never left The Greyhound Pack, yet here I am in a private-owned plane, to a place I don’t know. I stare at the man seated adjacent to me, he’s on a call, muscular, wild, he seems inhibited but has enviable control, unlike me.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have slammed the steel bucket on Victor’s head, but I was just so done and didn’t care about the consequences. If I’d known the Alpha was there, I wouldn’t have done anything, I would have taken it like I always do.

“Hi, I’m Nikolai Crawford.” One of the men with him says to me with a smug smile on his face and his eyes on me, and I just stare. He has brown hair and bright blue eyes with wild tattoos on his arm that contradict his bright eyes, perhaps there’s something broken in all of us.

“That’s Landon Volkov.” He gestures and I look at the third man who seems warmer, warmer than the man I am set to marry.

“I’ll rip out your lungs if you do not stop hovering over my wife.” Alpha says, in a monotone that was devoid of any emotion. He is always in control, always calm and collected and I wonder how that must feel, to hold the world in your palms, to be able to make decisions about yourself.

“My wife. My wife. My wife.” These words keep ringing in my head and I stare out the window trying to process my new reality. Callum Steel’s Wife. I know I am dispensable but this is still a bit shocking. I stay silent throughout the flight, stealing glances at Callum, my soon-to-be husband while I wonder what comes next and how to navigate my new life.

__

My head is hot while my stomach churns. I feel faint and this doesn’t seem real yet. It feels like a dream I’m yet to wake from. I’m standing in front of my future marital home, in the company of the Alpha and his generals.

“I know this might be a bit overwhelming but trust me when I say – you’re in good hands, Callum won’t hurt you, neither will anyone now. You’re protected.” Landon’s words filter into my subconscious like a drizzle as I stare at the mansion, and then at Callum who’s deep in conversation with Nikolai.

“Am I though?” I murmur in complete defeat. “I know about the murders, everyone does. Did I just trade one hell for the other?” I say, looking into his face, feeling empty as I watch his eyes widen.

“So, you speak.” A throat clears, and I look back to see Callum staring at me, cigar in mouth, and I say nothing. I don’t know who he is, what he wants, or why he intends to marry me. He has an endgame, something I don’t know, so until I’m sure what ground we stand, I’ll be careful around him.

“Husband.” I say, then look down, the perfect submission, what all men crave, submission I have come to learn. Or fake.

He looks at me with narrowed eyes as though he is sizing me up then turns back to his friends “Lan, tell Mom and Lilianna that I’m back, expecting them in less than an hour. Niko, get every information you can get your hands on, drain it out of their bloodstreams, and have the scientists dissect the body, figure out the poison, and get on the antidote, or I’ll set them on fire.”

He said those words so casually, and I swallow, I did trade one hell for an even worse one, perhaps the worst. This time the churning in my stomach was worse and I swallowed back the vomit.

“Take care of yourself, Camilla, see you soon.” Landon smiles, Niko nods at me, and they drive off, leaving me with Callum The Alpha – Mafia King. Perhaps this is how I die, I think to myself - in the hands of a cold stranger.

“This way.” He grunts, smoking, and I follow him, hands empty because I have no clothes that are mine, I own nothing.

“Five bedrooms, a gym, a library – for my sister, a garden for my mother, a wide space at the back –for whatever we deem fit. It’s a big house so get familiar, it’s your home now. Guards at the gate, guards everywhere, they’ll keep their distance, but I’ll get you a personal guard. Getting all these down?”

“Yes, Alpha.” I nod, heart pounding, head banging, vomit threatening to burst from my throat.

“Callum, call me Callum. We are married after all.”

“Are we?” I ask with a tilt of my head and widened eyes and his lip twitches, he almost smiles.

“In an hour, rest assured we’ll be truly married. The last bedroom in the hall is yours, all your things are there, freshen up, and come down for the ceremony.”

With that, he walks out, leaving me alone.

__

I’m wearing a blue sundress, it fits me like a glove, and my hair is styled the way I’ve always wanted it to be. I walk downstairs, then head to the back, gasping when I see the crowd, also seeing that I unknowingly walked onto a podium, what’s going on?

I’ve lived within Wolves all my life, but I’ve never felt like one.

“Ladies and Gentlemen – Camilla Eve Grey.” An older woman, who looks like Callum smiles at me, and I feel my head ring, headache bursting in my head, my eyes, words filter through my vision – go, hide. see, again.

I gasp, opening my eyes, seeing everyone staring at me, and feeling Callum before I see him.

“Camilla, we can leave if you want to.” He says softly, and I look at his green eyes, how easy it'll be to get lost in him, how fatal.

“I’m fine, just a headache,” I say, and we stand before his mother who seems to be avoiding my face.

“Before gods and men, we join them in holy matrimony – good tidings, children, riches, and health.” She says and goes on, but all I do is stare at Callum, feel the crowd’s attention on me, a human, getting married to the Werewolf King, an imposter.

“This last step is very important.” She says, and Callum takes my hand, making a shiver run down my body, and I look at him. He’s one of the most attractive men I’ve seen, beauty wrapped in rough hands like diamonds before polish.

She pulls out a knife, and I tense, but Callum holds me steady. She takes my palm and runs a knife through it, she does the same for Callum, takes our bleeding hands and drips our blood into a small bowl, then mixes it. She rubs our palms together and instructs us to hold them together firmly.

Raising the bowl to the moon, she whispers, then adds drops of honey into our blood, mixes and we drink, creating everlasting unity in blood, one! The crowd cheers and I’m left feeling lost.

Callum takes my palm, licks the blood off it, wraps his hand around my waist, and kisses me.