Betrayed By The Alpha, Desired By The Hybrid

chapter9

Damon's POV

It’s been over a week since that damn Emma slipped through our fingers. I can’t stop thinking about how the hell she managed to get away. I mean, after being tortured for days, loaded up with wolfsbane and silver, she should’ve been dead or barely breathing, not out there running free.

How the hell did she pull it off? How did that little killer manage to escape?

I was pacing in my office, pissed off, when I felt John, my beta, and Alex, my gamma, approaching. As soon as they walked in, heads bowed, I shot them a glare.

“Well? Any news about that runt?” I barked, my voice dripping with anger.

“Nothing yet,” Alex answered, and my blood pressure shot up instantly.

“How hard can it be to track down one damn wolfless Omega?” I roared, my Alpha aura filling the room. Both of them stiffened, chills running down their spines.

Where the hell could she be hiding? It’s like she vanished off the face of the earth. Or... maybe someone’s helping her. If that’s the case, they better pray I never find out who. Because if I do, they’ll wish they’d never crossed my path. No one gets away with helping her—not on my watch.

“She’ll pay for what she did to Camilla,” my wolf, Black, growled with a sadness that matched my own.

“Damn right, she will,” I snarled back. Black has been just as on edge as me these past few days. Losing our mate gutted both of us.

“We’re running out of time. What do we do about the curse?” Black asked, but I didn’t have an answer.

Emma screwed us all when she killed Camilla—my mate, the one who was supposed to break the curse. Camilla was the chosen one, just like the prophecy said. But Emma ripped that chance apart, literally. She tore out Camilla’s heart like some crazed animal.

And why? Because she couldn’t handle the fact that I could never be hers. Not in this life. Not in the next.

“Put out a bounty. A million dollars for anyone who finds that b***h or knows where she’s hiding,” I ordered Alex, my voice like steel. “Spread the word. Now. I want her back, dead or alive.” Alex nodded and stormed out without another word.

This won’t bring Camilla back, but at least I’ll get my revenge. Emma deserves nothing less. The moon goddess better let me be the one to find her first because Emma needs to feel the same pain she put us through.

She needs to die by my hands. Her heart ripped out of her chest while she watches in horror as her life drains away.

That’s the only fate she deserves. She dared to defy me by escaping. If she’s as innocent as she claims, why the hell did she run? And now, because of her, Alpha Lance hates me and cut off our alliance.

We needed that alliance—needed the Red Moon Pack’s help when the curse starts to hit and my pack gets weaker. Our enemies won’t hesitate to attack when they see us vulnerable. We’ve always been at the top, and now everything’s falling apart.

“Alpha…”

“Shut the f**k up!” I snapped at John, his voice yanking me out of my thoughts.

“This is your fault,” I growled, veins bulging in my neck. “You couldn’t even keep one powerless girl locked up.”

John looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. He knows better than to challenge me when I’m like this. Hell, even as my best friend, he wouldn’t dare.

“We’ve got a problem, Alpha,” he said hesitantly, like he wasn’t sure if he should even say it.

I glared at him, furious. “What the hell is it now?”

The last thing I need is more problems piling onto this disaster.

"An entire family was found dead in their house last night," his voice shaky and full of fear.

As Alpha of the Full Moon Pack, it always hits me hard when I hear about pack members dying. Even if my beta or gamma don’t bother to tell me directly, I usually find out anyway. But right now, I couldn’t figure out why he was bringing this to me.

"So, what killed them?" I asked, keeping my tone as steady as I could. I didn’t want to sound heartless, but there’s already too much on my plate. With everything going on—losing my mate and this damn curse hanging over us—we don’t exactly have the luxury to grieve right now.

“It’s the curse,” he said, meeting my eyes, though I could see the fear behind his words.

“What?” I blinked, unsure if I’d heard him right.

“It’s the damn curse,” he repeated, his voice trembling. “It’s started.” My chest tightened, and I felt my heart race.

He continued, “The autopsy came back for all six of them, and the doctor confirmed it wasn’t a natural death.”

“How?” My curiosity was piqued now, though dread was settling in fast.

“They looked fine... healthy, even. But…”

“But what?” I snapped, frustrated at his hesitation.

“Their eyes,” he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“What about their eyes?” I asked, my patience wearing thin.

“They were empty—burnt out. Like someone fried them right out of their sockets,” he said, visibly shaken.

Without another word, I shoved past him and headed straight to the mortuary. The attendant bowed his head as soon as he saw me and opened the door without me needing to say a thing.

“I want to see them,” I ordered, my tone leaving no room for argument. He knew exactly who I meant.

The first body he brought out was a man—I guessed it was the father. The moment I saw his face, my knees nearly gave out.

One by one, the attendant brought out the other five bodies, and every single one of them was the same. Their eye sockets were hollow, burnt out like some kind of cruel joke. It was like something had scorched their souls right out of them.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.

“It’s the curse,” Black growled, his voice trembling with the same fear I felt. “It’s the damn curse.”