Bound To The Cursed Alpha And My Fiancé

05

Derek’s POV

The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting an eerie glow over my pack land. The night air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, a constant reminder of the wildness we lived in.

I stood at the window of my quarters, watching the shadows shift across the courtyard below. My thoughts were far from the night’s usual patrols and pack business.

Selene.

From the moment I saw her—bloodied, trembling, and barely alive after the rogue attack—I knew. She was mine. My mate. The bond had hit me like a punch to the gut, raw and undeniable. But she didn’t know and it was a good thing.

A part of me wanted to claim her right there, wrap her in my arms and mark her as mine. The pull of the bond, the animal need, clawed at my insides, demanding I take what was destined to be mine. But I couldn’t afford to give in. Not this time. Not ever.

I clenched my fists, the cool night air from the open window doing little to ease the fire raging inside me. I was the Alpha. I was supposed to be strong, disciplined, in control. And yet, the sight of her—so fragile, so broken—made me feel anything but.

She was an Alpha female, but she had no wolf. I could sense from the moment I saw her. The kind of mate that couldn’t survive in my world. And if I marked her, if I claimed her... I would be signing her death warrant.

That curse. It had taken every woman I had ever tried to claim. They never survived. My mark was poison, a curse that would kill any bride who bore it.

The thought of Selene, my real mate, who didn’t even have a wolf suffering the fate made my blood boil. I just couldn’t let it happen. —my Selene—suffering the same fate... no. I couldn’t allow it.

It’s for the best that I send her away.

I couldn’t risk her dying just because my instincts craved her, but instincts were hard to ignore. I groaned as I felt it now, deep in my chest, an ache that I couldn’t shake. The bond. It was pulling me toward her, gnawing at my resolve, begging me to be near her, to touch her, to comfort her.

Damn it.

I ran a hand through my hair, pacing the length of my room. I was supposed to be stronger than this. I had trained my entire life to be an Alpha, to lead without being ruled by emotions or desires. And yet, Selene—this broken girl with no wolf—was making me lose that control.

I found myself outside her room before I even realized I had left mine. The door was slightly ajar, and the soft glow of candlelight flickered through the c***k.

My heart hammered in my chest as I stood there, hesitating. I could hear her breathing, steady but uneven, like she was struggling even in her sleep.

I shouldn’t be here… but I was already here.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside, careful to keep my movements quiet. Selene lay on the bed, curled up on her side, her face pale and damp with sweat.

She was trembling, even in her sleep. Whatever haunted her dreams was tearing her apart, and it took everything in me not to reach out and pull her into my arms.

I moved closer, my gaze never leaving her face. She looked so small, so fragile. My chest tightened with a pain I didn’t understand.

How could someone so weak have such a hold on me? How could I want something so desperately, knowing that I could never have it?

I clenched my fists at my sides, resisting the urge to touch her. I was supposed to be strong, damn it. I was supposed to protect her by staying away, but every instinct screamed at me to comfort her, to make the pain go away.

“Selene...” I whispered, my voice barely audible in the stillness of the room.

She stirred, her brow furrowing as she whimpered in her sleep. I took a step closer, my hand hovering over her shoulder. The bond pulsed between us, making it impossible to resist the urge to touch her.

My fingers brushed against her skin, and I felt it—the connection, the spark. My wolf surged forward, desperate to claim her, but I forced it back, gritting my teeth against the overwhelming need.

I couldn’t lose control.

“Kieran...”

Jealousy and anger flared within me. The name Kieran, spoken in her sleep, ignited a bitter ache in my chest. My wolf growled inside me, furious at the thought of another male occupying her dreams.

The intense emotions were unfamiliar and overwhelming. I stepped back, my hand dropping to my side as I stared down at her. For the first time in years, I felt something I had long thought was dead inside me. Anger. Jealousy. And something else... something I couldn’t quite name.