Rejected By The Pack: Claimed By The Cursed Alpha

Chapter 14

The echo of Lyra’s hurried footsteps had barely faded when the real storm began inside me.

I stood motionless in the center of the cell, heart pounding with a rhythm that no longer belonged only to me.

The golden warmth in my chest flared violently, no longer a gentle ember but a roaring flame. Shadows surged across the walls like living ink, twisting into shapes that almost looked like claws and wings. Frost raced across the floor, crawling up the iron bars until they screamed under the pressure.

Kael’s laughter—deep, ancient, and dripping with dark delight—filled my mind.

Well done, my Queen. She felt me. That pretty little viper finally tasted fear.

I closed my eyes and let the power wash over me. My split lip from the beating had already healed completely. The ache in my ribs was gone. Even the emotional wounds felt… distant. Sharpened into weapons instead of bleeding scars.

“You’re changing me,” I whispered.

No, Kael replied, his voice sliding over my skin like silk and smoke. I am simply waking what was always yours. Your wolf never abandoned you. It was chained to the Abyss. To me.

A flood of images crashed into my mind without warning.

I saw myself as a child, glowing during rituals—not because of the Moon Goddess, but because something beneath the cliff had answered me. I saw Kael’s true form: a towering Alpha King with obsidian-black fur streaked in silver, eyes like molten gold, runes carved into his powerful body. He had ruled before my ancestors betrayed and sealed him.

Then the vision turned intimate.

Strong arms wrapped around me from behind. A broad chest pressed against my back. Warm breath ghosted across my neck as sharp teeth grazed my skin—not breaking it, but promising to. Heat pooled low in my belly.

When you jump from that cliff, Kael growled possessively, I will catch you. Our bond will complete in the depths. You will shift for the first time in my arms… and the world above will burn for what they did to you.

My knees weakened. I grabbed the bars for support, breathing hard. The bond was becoming dangerously addictive. Every time Kael touched my mind, I wanted more. His darkness didn’t scare me anymore. It felt like coming home.

The sound of footsteps pulled me out of the vision.

The Beta descended again, lantern in hand. His face was pale, eyes wide with urgency. He stopped in front of the bars, staring at the frost-covered cell.

“Seraphina… what is happening?” His voice was low but tense. “The cliff is cracking. The elders are panicking. The dark energy is responding to you even from down here. They’ve decided to move the ritual forward.”

I tilted my head. “How forward?”

“Eight days.” He swallowed. “The Blood Moon will rise sooner than expected. The pack is calling it a miracle. But I… I don’t think it’s the Goddess answering.”

He was right to be afraid.

I stepped closer to the bars, letting just a trace of shadow curl around my fingers. The Beta’s eyes followed the movement. He didn’t step back, but his hand tightened on the lantern.

“You’re different,” he said quietly. “Stronger. I can feel it in the air around you. If something is happening to you down here… if you’re in danger—”

“I’m not in danger.” My voice carried an echo that wasn’t entirely mine. “I am becoming what they always feared I would be.”

The Beta searched my face, the same man who had trained me, protected me in small ways, and refused to abandon the broken girl everyone else discarded. For a second, old affection stirred in my chest. But Kael’s growl was immediate and fierce.

He serves them. Do not trust him too much, Little Moon.

I softened my tone. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. But this path is mine alone now.”

He reached through the bars and gently touched my wrist. The contact felt warm. Human. Safe.

But it was nothing compared to the fire Kael ignited in me.

“Seraphina,” the Beta said, voice thick with emotion, “if you have any doubts about the sacrifice, tell me now. I can try to—”

A sudden, violent tremor shook the entire basement. Dust rained from the ceiling. The ground groaned as if the Abyss itself was stretching beneath us.

Kael’s voice roared with triumph. They are coming for you.

The tremor stopped as quickly as it came. The Beta stumbled back, eyes wide with shock.

“It’s you,” he whispered. “The darkness… it’s reacting to you.”

I smiled. A real one this time. Sharp and unafraid.

“Tell my family I am honored to be their savior. Tell Lyra I look forward to seeing her at the procession.

And tell Cassian…” I paused, letting the shadows thicken around me. “Tell him the girl he threw away is finally becoming something he can never touch again.”

The Beta looked at me for a long moment, something like grief and pride mixing in his eyes. He nodded once and turned to leave.

As his footsteps faded, I sank onto the cot, breathing through the rush of power. Kael’s presence wrapped around me like a lover’s embrace.

Eight days, he purred. In eight days you will stand on the Northern Cliff in front of everyone who betrayed you. They will watch you jump.

And when you rise from the Abyss with me by your side, their screams will be the sweetest music.

I lay back, staring at the stone ceiling, but in my mind I saw it clearly: the Blood Moon hanging red and swollen.

Lyra’s shocked face. Cassian’s regret. My father on his knees.

For the first time since I signed that Sacrificial Certificate, I wasn’t at peace because I had accepted death.

I was at peace because I had accepted vengeance.

Sleep came easily that night, wrapped in golden warmth and dark promises. But even in my dreams, I could feel the Abyss calling my name.

Come to me, Seraphina.

Soon… you will be unstoppable.