Marked by the Cursed Alpha

Purification of Body

Rhydian hadn’t come back since the night before.

The air in his chambers was cold, still carrying the faint scent of smoke and blood.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my hands, wondering why they still trembled, not from fear, but from memory.

The memory of him, the way his eyes glowed crimson, the brokenness I saw in his eyes, a man that has carried pain for the most part of his life, the way his voice cracked when he whispered;

“You should fear me.”

And the way I couldn’t fear him, instead I felt a pull towards him, his wounds and scars.

The door opened without warning, and Kael stepped in, his face was unreadable, he was followed by the woman in red cloth from the other night.

Her eyes were pale, too pale, like they had forgotten what color was supposed to be and it scared me, because she looked familiar in an unsettling way.

“This is Elder Mara,” Kael said quietly.

“She was sent by the King. She comes with blessing and caution.”

The woman smiled, soft and cold at the same time.

“You must be Ayla,” she said. Her voice sounded like wind against old stone. “The girl bound by blood not her own.”

I didn’t understand what she meant, but the way she looked at me made me uneasy, like she saw something inside me I hadn’t yet seen myself.

“I am here to cleanse you,” she continued, “to free you from what binds you. It will not hurt. It will only reveal.”

“What do you mean by that? What do you want to reveal?” i said, not letting someone like her touch me without telling me exactly what it was for.

Kael looked at me with surprise, like he hadn't expected me to say anything but be docile and adhere to the woman’s instructions.

“You do no speak that way to an elder, Ayla” Kael said and I almost laughed.

“Rules are made for people who were born to follow them, I am no wolf, so why should I follow your rules? Does Rhydian know about this?” I said looking Kael straight in scared at my own confidence too.

“I am sure you have questions, I am here to answer them. So stop being difficult and sit” the woman said and I could feel the authority in her voice, one that I couldn't argue with.

I took a sit on the bed, unable to say anything else and I saw Kael smirk at me with victory, I know he hated me, I just need to find out how much so that I don’t fall into his trap one day.

Elder Mara began to light candles around the room, one after another.

The scent was thick and sweet, making my head heavy, I sat when she told me to, in the center of the circle drawn on the floor with lines and symbols carved with something silver that shimmered faintly.

“Give me your hand,” she said.

I obeyed. She pressed a small blade across my wrist, gently, almost tender and let my blood fall onto the runes.

The moment the first drop touched the floor, the air shifted.

The room hummed, the light flickered, and the markings beneath me hissed and burned as if alive.

I gasped, not from pain, but from something inside me stirring, something unfamiliar, but just as alive as I was.

Elder Mara’s expression changed, the calm in her face broke into shock.

“Moonlight,” she whispered.

“In mortal blood…”

My heart stuttered. “What does that mean?”

Before she could answer, thunder rolled outside a deep, like the growl of a storm. A mark on my back flared, red and wild and it hurt me badly and I hissed in pain, clawing at my back to see what was burning me. After few moments, it stopped.

And then,the door burst opened,

It was Rhydian.

His eyes glowed withanger, his hands clenched, the curse mark on his arm burning through his sleeve,

“What have you done?” His voice shook the air.

Elder Mara turned, unafraid.

“The bond must be purged, or she will doom us all.”

“She will doom you,” he snarled. His presence made the light in the room twist, the runes changed colours as if terrified of him