The Alpha's Cursed Mate

Death is Cold, but Betrayal is Colder The scent of burning wood filled the air, thick with the lingering fresh spices of roasted meat and honeyed wine. The festival fires crackled under the moon lit open sky, their golden glow casting flickering shadows on the gathered pack. Laughter rang out, voices raised in celebration. But for me, the night was anything but joyous. It was a funeral. Funeral of my happiness. It was the night I lost everything. I stood frozen, my fingers curled into trembling fists at my sides as I watched the love of my life—my mate—my man—mark another woman. Kieran. The man the Moon Goddess had chosen for me. The man whose touch had once sent fire through my veins. The man I had worshipped like he was my entire world, my everything. And now, that man had his lips pressed against her white delicate throat. I felt it. The moment his fangs broke her skin, the moment his mark burned itself into her flesh. A pain unlike anything I had ever known tore through me, white-hot and unbearable. It was as if a blade had been driven into my chest, twisting deep, carving out the bond I had cherished since the day I first laid eyes on him. My knees buckled. A strangled gasp left my lips, but no one heard me. The pack was cheering. They were celebrating my downfall. My vision blurred as Kieran pulled back, his lips stained with her blood—the bond sealed. The woman in his arms trembled, her delicate fingers clutching his shoulders as if she had won a prize. And she had. She had won my mate. I took a shaky step forward, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Kieran..." My voice came out as nothing more than a whisper, lost in the crowd. But he heard me. Slowly, his golden eyes turned toward me. Indifference. That was all I saw in his gaze. No regret, no hesitation—just cold, detached cruelty. "You should have known, Elara," he murmured. His deep, commanding voice once had the power to soothe me. Now, it only cut deeper. I swallowed the sob threatening to escape. "Why?" My voice cracked, raw with pain. A smirk curled at the corner of his lips, one that sent a violent shudder through me. "You were never worthy of me." The words slashed through me harder than any blade ever could. “I was never worthy of you?”, I repeated his words with a stutter. A lonely tear full of pain and despair falling from my left eye. A weak Omega. A disgrace to his pack. I had fought for him, bled for him, loved him. And in return, he discarded me like I was nothing. He discarded me as if I was a piece of trash. "You disgust me," Kieran continued, taking slow, deliberate steps toward me. The crowd fell silent, their eyes locked on the unfolding tragedy. "Did you really believe you could stand at my side?" I lifted my gaze to his, searching—begging—for something. Anything. A flicker of doubt. A moment of regret. But there was nothing. Just a monster in the shape of the man I once loved. "Kieran..." I whispered. "I—" Crack. The sharp sting of his hand across my face sent me sprawling onto the dirt. The metallic taste of blood coated my tongue, and the world spun violently around me. Gasps rippled through the crowd, but no one stepped forward to help me. No one ever did. I pressed a hand to my burning cheek, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. My body screamed at me to get up, to fight, to prove to him that I was not weak. But it was too late. I had already lost. A low chuckle sounded above me. "Pathetic," Kieran murmured. The final shred of my dignity shattered. Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of him. Not when he had already taken everything from me. I forced myself to my feet, wobbling slightly, my heart hammering. My wolf howled inside me, screaming, begging for me to run. But where could I go? This was my home. My pack. My mate. And he had destroyed me. Before I could even take another breath, pain exploded through my chest. I gasped, my body jerking forward. A sharp, unforgiving blade was buried deep between my ribs. "You should have accepted your fate, Omega," a voice sneered behind me. The rogue assassin. My eyes darted to Kieran. He didn't move. He didn't stop them. He just watched me die. And as my body crumpled to the ground, the last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was his golden eyes, filled with mocking amusement. He had never loved me. He had always planned to kill me. -- I expected death to be peaceful. Instead, I woke up gasping for air. My body jolted upright, drenched in sweat. My chest heaved, my fingers flying to the spot where the blade had impaled me. But there was nothing. No blood. No wound. No pain. Panic surged through me as my eyes darted around. The scent of wildflowers and old books filled my nose—familiar, comforting. I knew this place. This was my room. But… not the room where I had died. I stumbled out of bed, my breath coming in rapid, shallow gasps. My hands trembled as I touched my face, my arms, my whole, unbroken body. I turned toward the mirror in the corner of my room, and the moment I saw my reflection, I froze. A girl with wide, unscarred skin and deep brown eyes stared back at me. No bruises. No scars. No traces of the hell I had lived through. I was young again. No longer a broken Omega. No longer the girl foolish enough to love a monster. My heart pounded violently against my ribs as a terrifying realization sank in. The Moon Goddess had given me a second chance. But this time… I wouldn’t waste it. I would not be weak. I would not let history repeat itself. This time, I would destroy him. ---