The Alpha Cursed To Love Her

Chapter 1 Nova “Nova… run. Take Asher with you.” I could still hear my mom’s broken voice telling me to escape. Then I blinked and remembered where I really was. I didn’t know how we ended up here. All I knew was that I was locked in a prison cell. They had dragged Asher away the second they threw me inside. I was terrified something bad would happen to him. I crawled into the corner, pulled my knees up, and pressed my face against them. Tears kept falling as I thought about everything that had happened to our family. They attacked us, killed my parents right in front of me, and tried to kill Asher too. It all happened while Weston was gone. And it was because of me. Because of what I am. My wolf is the rarest kind—a golden wolf. There’s only one of us. Ever since I shifted for the first time, my family treated me like the most precious thing in the world. My parents gave their lives so Asher and I could run. People used to say it was a gift from the moon goddess. After everything that happened, I didn’t feel like it was a gift at all. My heart ached when I thought about Weston. He was four years older than me. After our father died, he became the ruler of the North. Everyone called him heartless, but he never was with us. Asher and I were his whole world. He did everything to keep us happy. I was scared of what he would do when he found out. He would paint the whole North red with blood, and I didn’t want that for him. He’s my brother. I cried harder imagining his gentle face turning into something dark and angry. Voices outside the cell pulled me back. “She’s beautiful. I want to f**k her. Look at that body.” My whole body started shaking. “Wait until the general gets here and finishes with her. He always shares after he’s done.” Are they seriously talking about r****g me? No. I haven’t even met my mate yet. No one is touching me except him. “Yeah, we’ll wait. I bet she’ll taste good.” What kind of men were these? I wanted to cry. If anyone tried, I would kill them. I had no idea how long I’d been here or where Asher was. It was already getting dark. I needed to find him. I couldn’t stand the thought of them hurting him. If anything happened to Asher, I didn’t want to keep living. A guard walked up and stopped between my cell and the next one. I stood up fast and went to the bars. “Hey… the boy they took with me. Do you know where he is?” His eyes dragged over my body in a way that made my skin crawl. “I don’t know. Wait for the general.” Fear hit me hard. Had they already done something to Asher? My heart was racing. I just nodded and went back to the corner, burying my face in my hands again. I was hungry, and I knew Asher must be too. I could go without food, but I didn’t want him to. Why did our lives turn into this? All because of me. Tears kept falling as I thought about our family. I had to protect Asher no matter what. Then a scent hit me. I didn’t recognize it, but my heart started pounding like crazy. My wolf woke up instantly and focused on it. She didn’t speak, but I could feel how nervous she was. The scent got stronger. My wolf grew restless. My own heartbeat was so loud in my ears. I was too scared to lift my head. I had never felt anything like this before. Footsteps came closer. ‘Mate is here. I can feel him. He’ll protect us.’ My wolf hadn’t spoken to me since we left the North. Back then she wanted to fight and tear their throats out, but I ran instead. Wait… my mate is here? Really? I was finally going to meet him. I wanted to see what he looked like. I raised my head and met a pair of sparkling green eyes. They were beautiful. The man standing in front of my cell had wet black hair falling over his forehead, a sharp jaw, and thin, sexy lips. He was ridiculously handsome—in a dark, almost devilish way. It looked like he’d just showered. He wore black pants and a black shirt with the top three buttons open, showing a strong chest. I wanted to touch him so badly. He was tall, at least six-foot-three, with a body that looked powerful and solid. My wolf was practically crying with happiness. ‘Our mate is so handsome. He’s powerful. He’s an alpha. We’ll be his Luna.’ He had a strong aura around him—dark and warning people to stay away. Besides my brothers, he was the most handsome man I’d ever seen. I’d spent most of my life inside the palace, but I was sure of it. He had to be a strong alpha. I stood up and smiled at him. He stared at me like he was shocked. Then I remembered what I must look like right now—dirty, nothing like the princess I used to be. Fear crept in. What if he didn’t want me? What if he rejected us? My heart hurt just thinking about it. ‘He loves us. He’s just shocked by how beautiful we are. Everyone always is,’ my wolf said proudly. She knew how beautiful she was. I walked closer. He growled low, like he was holding his wolf back. His eyes moved over my body, then locked on mine again. I felt nervous and bit my bottom lip, looking away. He growled a second time. I knew it was because I looked away. ‘Mate is possessive. He only wants us. Don’t look away, Nova. It’ll make him sad.’ What was wrong with her? She used to only care about our family and ignore everyone else. Now she was completely different. ‘Look at him. He wants our attention.’ I looked up. He was already watching me with something soft in his eyes. Happiness filled me. Then his hand touched my face. Goosebumps ran over my skin. He stroked my cheek with a small smile. I wanted to kiss him so badly. ‘Touch his hand. Feel him,’ my wolf urged. I lifted my hand and placed it over his. He stopped for a second, then laced our fingers together with a charming smile. I looked down, blushing hard. He chuckled at that. God, I was so shy. “How old are you, little mate?” His voice was deep and rough. It made my stomach flip. I looked up and smiled shyly. “Twenty-one.” I bit my lip again. His eyes dropped to my mouth and he smirked. He was so sexy it was unfair. He just stared at me for a few moments. Then, suddenly, he pulled his hand away. The soft look on his face disappeared and something cold and dangerous took its place. He looked at me like I didn’t matter at all. My heart cracked. My wolf let out a small, pained sound. “Stay away from me. And don’t let anyone know you’re my useless mate.” Useless? Why? Tears spilled down my cheeks. “Why? You don’t want me?” My voice came out broken. Why did it hurt this much? ‘Mate… why?’ my wolf howled in pain. I searched his eyes. They looked empty, but I could see fear in them. My wolf was special—I could usually read people from their eyes—but not him. I could only see pain and fear in those green eyes. “You’re scared… why?” I asked softly. He froze. Then he turned and walked away without looking back. I sank down to the floor and cried as his scent slowly faded. My wolf was shattered. I clutched my dress because my chest hurt so much. Did that mean he was going to reject us? I asked my wolf, but she was too hurt to answer. All of a sudden something strange stirred inside me. It felt like something else was waking up after a long sleep—something that wasn’t my wolf. Fear rushed through me as the feeling grew stronger… then it faded just as fast. I let out a shaky breath. What was that? I’d never felt it before. I pushed the thoug ht away and went back to thinking about my mate. My heart started aching all over again.