The Cursed Alpha's Human Mate

Chapter 4

Allison

My eyes fluttered open, the stark white ceiling above me signaling I was still in the pack house. As I scanned my surroundings, it became clear I was in the pack's hospital. Panic set in as memories of my last visit here flooded back. Without thinking, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, determined to leave before they could demand payment for the bills.

“You’re awake,” came a voice from the corner. I froze, turning to see the pack doctor seated at a desk, flipping through paperwork. His tone was flat, uninterested, but I could feel his disdain without looking too hard.

I stood motionless, waiting for him to stop me, to demand an explanation for my attempt to leave—but nothing came.

“You’ve been out for four days,” he said, glancing up briefly. “Those bruises were severe. It’s unfortunate you survived again.” The venom in his voice wasn’t subtle. Most doctors would care for their patients, wishing them well. But not him. No, his treatment felt obligatory, bound by some moral code rather than compassion. I had no doubt he’d have preferred I never woke up. If he thought he could get away with it, he’d probably use the wrong dosage and be done with me.

“You can go,” he added coldly. “Your bills have already been covered.”

Confusion replaced the dread in my chest. Someone had paid for me? I didn’t ask who, and he didn’t elaborate. Instead, I walked out of the hospital, making my way toward the main house. The hospital building stood separate from it, and the walk felt unusually long, my legs weak beneath me.

“Oh, look who survived,” Karen’s mocking voice rang out the moment I stepped inside. I stiffened, spotting her standing beside Lucas in the hallway. They were likely heading to the dining room, but Karen couldn’t resist taunting me.

Before I could respond, Lucas closed the distance between us, shoving me hard against my room door. His hand gripped my face roughly, and the pressure against my barely healed forehead sent a wave of pain shooting through me.

“What did you tell Alpha Kael to make him defend you?” he hissed, his hot breath fanning my face. My heart raced, confusion swirling in my mind. Alpha Kael? The only thing I could recall was a pair of piercing eyes from the moments before I blacked out. But I didn’t know him, hadn’t spoken to him. Why would Lucas think I had?

“She didn’t say anything,” Karen sneered from behind him. “He probably just took pity on her pathetic excuse for a life.” Her words seemed to placate Lucas. His grip loosened, but not before he slapped me hard across the face, the sharp sting forcing tears to well in my eyes.

“You’re right, honey,” he said with a cruel smirk, stepping back. “What could she possibly say when she has no voice? Someone like him is far beyond her reach.”

Karen laughed, and together they walked away, heading to the dining room. I stood there, my hands trembling as I reached up to touch my forehead. The bandage was still in place, though the pain made me worry the wound had reopened. Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and stepped into my room, shutting the door behind me.

I leaned against the door for a moment, letting the silence wrap around me. Rest. I needed rest before they found another excuse to make me suffer.

I collapsed onto the bed, letting the weight of exhaustion pull me under. But it didn’t last. I stirred awake too soon, my body tense with the familiar fear of someone sneaking into my room to harm me. Sleep had never been a safe refuge for me.

Sitting up, I listened to the eerie quiet of the pack house. It was unusual for it to be so silent—normally, there was always someone yelling orders or finding fault in my chores. The fact that I hadn’t been disturbed during my nap was suspicious enough.

I crept out of my room and down the hallway, the silence amplifying every step I took. My ears caught faint voices coming from the direction of Lucas’s office. They weren’t voices I recognized. Curiosity tugged at me, urging me closer. As I approached, I noticed the door was slightly ajar, just enough for me to peer inside.

I leaned in cautiously, but Lucas spotted me immediately. My stomach dropped. I braced myself for the inevitable punishment, expecting him to lash out for my apparent eavesdropping. Instead, his lips curled into an uncharacteristic smile.

“You can come in. Just in time,” he said, his tone oddly inviting.

My hesitation must have been obvious, but I stepped into the room nervously. My gaze swept over the unfamiliar faces of the two men with him. One sat casually on the desk, the other stood beside him, but neither seemed to acknowledge me. Their lack of reaction to my presence felt unnatural, almost deliberate.

I noticed Karen and my father off to the side, both grinning in a way that made my stomach churn. Mischief danced in their eyes, as if they were savoring some twisted joke at my expense.

“You’re just in time,” my father said, gesturing for me to come closer. His tone was almost cheerful, which only made me more uneasy.

I stepped forward cautiously, my movements stiff. That’s when I saw him—the man from my fragmented memories. My savior. He sat there, his expression completely impassive, a stark contrast to the intensity of his gaze.

“We were just talking about you,” my father continued, his voice deceptively light. The wicked glint in his eyes betrayed his true intentions.

Confusion swirled within me as I glanced between the people in the room, waiting for someone to explain what was going on.

“Alpha Kael here has taken quite a liking to your…skills,” Lucas said, drawing out the word *skills* in a way that made my stomach twist further. What skills could I possibly have that would interest an Alpha?

I turned to look at Alpha Kael, but his piercing gaze was already fixed on me. His expression was unreadable, offering no answers to the questions racing through my mind.

“He wants to buy you off our hands,” Lucas added nonchalantly. “Since you’re so useless to us.”

The words hit me like a blow, leaving me frozen in disbelief. *Buy me?* Was I some kind of livestock, to be bartered and sold without a thought?

I turned back to Alpha Kael, hoping for some sign that this was all a cruel joke. But his cold, detached expression gave nothing away.

Karen’s voice snapped me back to reality. “Get ready. You’re leaving with him tomorrow morning,” she said, her tone laced with cruelty.

The seriousness in their voices left no room for doubt. This wasn’t a joke. It was real. I was being sold like property, and there was nothing I could do about it.