The Cursed Mate Bond

Elena

Lightning shot through my body the moment our eyes met.

I gasped as silver light erupted between us, connecting us like ropes made of moonlight. The light was so bright I had to squint, but I couldn't look away.

Something inside me that had been sleeping my whole life suddenly woke up. It roared to life with such force that my knees buckled.

My eyes burned. I knew they were glowing because I could see golden light reflecting off the wine puddle on the floor.

Heat flooded my body, but it didn't hurt. It felt like coming home after being lost for nineteen years.

"Mine." The word came from my throat, but the voice wasn't quite mine. It sounded older. Stronger. Like something ancient speaking through me.

The man staggered backward, his hand going to his chest. A sound ripped from him that wasn't human at all.

It was a howl. Deep and powerful and full of recognition.

Every wolf in the hall took a step back. Some looked terrified. Others looked shocked.

I stayed frozen, unable to process what was happening.

"Impossible," someone whispered nearby.

"Humans can't be mated to wolves," another voice said.

"It's dark magic," a female wolf hissed. "She's cursed him."

The words filtered through my confusion, but they didn't make sense. Mated? Magic? What were they talking about?

The silver light connecting us pulsed brighter. I felt things I'd never felt before. Emotions that weren't mine. Shock. Recognition. And underneath everything, bone-deep loneliness that made my chest ache.

"SILENCE!"

The voice boomed through the hall with such force that several wolves whimpered. I flinched, dropping to my knees automatically.

Alpha King Matthias rose from his throne. His amber eyes glowed with fury as he stared at me, then at the man I'd spilled wine on.

The King was everything an Alpha should be. Tall, handsome, powerful. His golden-brown hair caught the candlelight. His presence made everyone want to bow.

But right now, his perfect face was twisted with rage.

"A human slave dares to use dark magic in my hall." His voice dripped with venom. "She has created a false bond with one of my wolves."

"It's not false." The man's voice was deep and rough, carrying a warning that made several wolves step back.

I finally looked at him properly. Really looked.

He stood now, and he was massive. Taller than any wolf I'd ever seen. His body looked built for war, all muscle and scars and raw power.

The scars covering his skin told stories of battles I couldn't imagine. Strange markings on his arms seemed to shift and move in the candlelight.

But his face... despite the harsh angles and cold expression, there was something compelling about it. Something that made it hard to look away.

"It has to be false," King Matthias insisted, walking toward us. "Humans cannot mate with wolves. It's against nature. This slave has made a deal with dark forces."

I wanted to scream that I hadn't done anything. That I didn't know any magic. That I was just as confused as everyone else.

But slaves didn't speak unless spoken to. Especially not to the Alpha King.

"Look at her eyes," the King continued, pointing at me. "They glow gold. No human eyes should glow. She has bewitched Dante Blackwood, the Death Bringer himself."

Dante. So that was his name.

Murmurs spread through the crowd. Gasps of horror mixed with angry growls.

I knew that name. Every servant knew it.

Dante Blackwood was the King's executioner. The cursed Alpha whose mates always died. The monster parents used to scare their children.

But he'd protected me in the hall when he could have let them kill me. And now he stood between me and the guards, his body blocking mine.

"I call for her execution," King Matthias announced. "The slave will die for the crime of using dark magic and forcing a false mate bond."

Terror flooded through me. My whole body shook so hard my teeth chattered.

Guards moved toward me, weapons drawn. Five of them, all larger than any human.

But Dante moved faster.

Suddenly he was between me and them, his presence radiating danger that made the air feel heavy.

"Move aside, Dante," the lead guard ordered, but his voice shook.

"No."

That one word carried more threat than any weapon could.

"The King gave an order," another guard said, taking a step back even as he spoke.

"I heard him." Dante's voice was terrifyingly calm. "But you won't touch her."

The guards looked at each other, then at King Matthias.

The King's face turned red with fury. "You dare defy me? Guards, restrain them both."

This time twenty guards came forward. They surrounded us in a circle, weapons ready and some partially shifted with claws and fangs showing.

"Please," I whispered, my voice too quiet for anyone to hear. "Please don't hurt him because of me."

The first guard lunged at Dante.

What happened next made everyone in the hall step back in shock.

Dante caught the guard by the throat without even moving his feet. He threw him across the room like he weighed nothing.

The guard hit the wall with a sickening crack and slid down unconscious.

Three more guards attacked together. Dante moved like water between them.

One punch sent a guard flying into a table that shattered. An elbow to another's face dropped him instantly. The third got kicked so hard he flew backward into four other guards, knocking them all down.

I watched with wide eyes, unable to process what I was seeing.

Dante fought like something not quite human. His strength was impossible. His speed was terrifying.

More guards attacked and he defeated them all. He grabbed a sword and snapped it in half with his bare hands. When someone tried to wrap silver chains around him, he caught the chains and pulled the guard off his feet.

The chains didn't even burn his skin, which should have been impossible.

The markings on his arms started glowing. The air around him grew so cold that frost formed on the stone floor.

When five guards rushed him at once, shadows rose from the ground and wrapped around their legs. They fell screaming about burning cold.

"Enough." Dante's voice echoed with power that made every wolf in the hall take steps back. "I could kill every guard in this room. Stop sending them to die."

King Matthias raised his hand. The guards backed away quickly, some helping their injured friends.

I counted at least fifteen guards down. Dante hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Fine," the King said, that cruel smile spreading across his face. "Take the little slave if you want her so badly. But we both know how this ends."

Dante went completely still. Through the bond, I felt his anger like ice in my veins.

"She'll die just like the others," King Matthias continued, his voice mocking. "You remember, don't you? Helena lasted three weeks. Miranda made it a whole month. What was the last one's name? Oh yes, Cara. She died screaming after only ten days."

"Stop." Dante's voice was deadly quiet.

"The curse I placed on you ensures that any mate you claim dies slowly and painfully." The King looked at me with fake pity. "This little human won't last a week. She's already weak and fragile. The curse will eat her alive while you watch helplessly."

I didn't understand everything he was saying, but I understood enough. Dante was cursed. His mates died. Now I was going to die too.

Anger flooded through me, hot and unexpected.

"You cursed him." The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

Every wolf turned to stare. I'd spoken without permission. I'd contradicted the Alpha King.

But I didn't care anymore. The King had done this to Dante on purpose. Had forced him to watch mate after mate die in pain.

King Matthias's eyes flashed with fury, but his smile grew wider. "Yes, years ago when he refused to bow to me. I cursed him to watch everyone he could ever love die in agony. And now you get to experience it firsthand, little slave."

The hall erupted in whispers. Some wolves looked at Dante with pity. Others with fear. Many looked at me like I was already dead.

"The curse cannot be broken," the King added, satisfaction dripping from his voice. "I made sure of that when I bound it with blood magic. I couldn't undo it now even if I wanted to, which I definitely don't."

Dante turned to me. His ice blue eyes held so much pain it hurt to look at.

Through the bond, I felt everything. His guilt. His anger. His desperate need to protect me even though we both knew it was hopeless.

"We need to leave," he whispered.

Before I could respond, he grabbed my hand. The lightning feeling shot through me again, stronger this time.

The world blurred as he moved. Everything became streaks of color.

I heard shouts behind us. The King's mocking laughter. The shocked voices of hundreds of wolves.

But it all faded as Dante carried me through the great hall doors and into the night.