The Alpha’s Cursed Mate

Chapter7

TIARA’S POV

“This is definitely happening, Luna Victoria,” Alpha Nicholas said. His voice was low, almost like a growl. I stood with my head bowed, not sure about what to do. My wolf pranced about inside me. Ever since my wolf awakened in me, she had been my constant partner.

“Alpha Nicholas, she doesn't belong here. She's a curse… she can't live within the walls of the pack house with nobles,” my step mother insisted, looking at me with disgust.

Alpha Nicholas looked at my father then.

“That's the last time I'll say it. Treat the girl the way she deserves to be.”

My father nodded and then turned to one of the guards.

“Show Tiara to a room.”

My step mother and step sister looked alarmed. But of course, Alpha Nicholas was powerful and they couldn't argue further. The guard gestured for me to follow him and I did.

The room I was shown to was larger than anything I had ever called my own. The walls were smooth and clean, the air smelled fresh, and the furniture looked expensive. Even the blankets looked soft and fresh.

“This wouldn't happen if he hadn't concerned himself with our affairs here,” I murmured. Tears of gratitude springing to my eyes.

This was where I belonged, yet it was the same place I was not very familiar with. Aside from cleaning these rooms and chambers, I didn't come close to these parts.

“But you're here now. Enjoy it,” my wolf, Lucy, growled inside me.

It was nothing like the servant’s quarters, where the walls were cracked, the beds were stiff, and the air always smelled of damp wood. This room was perfect, but I couldn’t bring myself to relax.

This wasn’t mine.

At any moment, Luna Victoria, my stepmother or my father could decide I didn’t deserve to be here. And once Alpha Nicholas left, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be thrown back into the place where I had spent most of my life.

A knock at the door startled me. I tensed, expecting to see Luna Victoria standing there with her usual glare. But instead, Nina peeked inside before stepping in, her dark eyes filled with excitement.

"I still can’t believe this," she said, closing the door behind her. She looked around as if making sure this was real. Then she rushed to the bed and bounced on it slightly. "You actually have a proper place to sleep! I mean, this is nothing compared to anything we've always known!”

I sighed. "Don’t get too excited, Nina."

She gave me a confused look. "Why not?"

I glanced at the door, lowering my voice. "Because this won’t last. Alpha Nicholas won’t stay forever. Once he’s gone, things will go back to how they were."

Nina crossed her arms. "I don’t think so. Alpha Darius and Luna Victoria are terrified of him. I’ve never seen them look so careful around anyone before. They wouldn’t dare disobey him."

Her words made me pause. It was true. My father, a man who barely acknowledged me, had immediately followed Nicholas’s orders when the Alpha demanded that I be moved into the pack house. Luna Victoria, who always made sure I was kept far away, had not protested. It had all happened so fast and it only needed someone more powerful to defend me, for me to get back into the pack house.

But I wasn’t foolish. "That may be true now," I admitted. "But what happens when he leaves? Do you really think my father will let me stay in this room after that?"

Nina hesitated, then sighed. "I don’t know. But you deserve to be here, Tiara. You should have been here from the start. You’re the Alpha’s daughter, not some slave."

I gave her a weak smile. "That doesn’t mean anything. You know how they see me."

Her expression darkened. "Well, maybe it’s time for them to start seeing you differently."

I didn’t respond. We both knew that wasn’t going to happen. No matter where I slept, no matter how much Alpha Nicholas interfered, my father and stepmother would never change the way they felt about me, and as long as they treated me the way they did, everyone else in the pack would always treat me the same way. Everyone except for Nina.

Nina glanced at the door before turning back to me. "At least you’ll be comfortable here. You deserve that much."

I bit my lip. "I’ll miss the others in the servant’s quarters."

Nina scoffed. "Miss them? Even the slaves don’t treat you well. Why would you miss them?"

I pressed my lips together. She wasn’t wrong. Most of them had been just as cruel as the rest of the pack. They whispered behind my back, sneered at me, and never missed a chance to remind me that I was beneath them. Still, I had spent years among them. The thought of being in the pack house, surrounded by those who hated me even more, made my stomach twist.

"Maybe," I admitted. "But it still feels strange being here."

Nina gave me a pointed look. "That’s because you’re not used to being treated right. But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it."

I sighed. I wanted to believe her. But I had learned long ago that hope was dangerous.

For a few moments, we sat in silence. Then Nina suddenly smirked.

"You know," she said, tilting her head, "I think you haven’t noticed just how good-looking Alpha Nicholas is."

Mia instantly stirred at the mention of alpha Nicholas. I felt her energy rise, her excitement spilling into my thoughts. She pranced around in my mind, eager and restless.

I frowned. "That’s not important."

Nina gasped. "Not important?"

I crossed my arms. "I was just rejected, Nina. By my own mate. I’m still trying to recover from that."

Nina sighed. "I know, Tiara. But don’t let Luke’s rejection stop you from seeing what’s right in front of you."

I shook my head. "Nicholas isn’t my mate."

Nina shrugged. "So? That doesn’t mean you can’t see that he’s—well, you know—"

"I don’t care," I interrupted.

Mia whined in protest. I ignored her.

Nina studied me for a moment. "You keep trying to push away anything good, Tiara."

I looked away. Maybe she was right. But how could I not? Every time I had reached for something good in my life, it had been ripped away.

Alpha Nicholas was powerful. He had forced my father to bring me back into the pack house. But that didn’t mean I could trust him or that he felt anything for me. I was clearly below him and whatever he did, he did it out of sympathy for me and nothing else.

And it certainly didn’t mean I should allow myself to feel anything for him, even if my wolf clearly had other ideas.

I shook my head as if doing so was going to make me feel different. It didn't.