Cursed Alpha's Accidental Mate

Chapter 4

___ Nathaniel's POV ___

With my arm still resting on her shoulder, she began to unbutton my jacket but abruptly stopped.

"Sir..." She raised her head from where she was unbuttoning, then rebuttoning my jacket. Her dainty fingers gripped my arm as tears glistened in her eyes. She began to speak, "My life is miserable. My mother died when I was a child. My father is abusive and indifferent towards me, and my stepmother has been bullying me. I have to take care of my younger brother, but my half-sister continuously creates obstacles for me..."

"Shh!" I gently pressed my finger against her tender, rosy lips, momentarily causing her mind to go blank at my unexpected action.

"Repeating your own words to play the victim won't help you. It only makes you seem weak," I said. The light in her eyes dimmed, and she responded defeatingly, "But if I can't catch up with him now and explain, our engagement will be canceled, and my life will be ruined. Can you sell me this coat? I will pay you."

"It's just a piece of clothing. You can keep it if you want. But for now, I need you to come with me. Let's go."

I needed her to meet my beta; he has been conducting all the research on how to break my curse. I wanted him to see if it was her that momentarily broke my curse, as my sense of smell had returned to its usual limitations. He was also at the hotel.

Leading the way, I walked distractedly, my mind not focused on my surroundings. Sensing an opportunity, she immediately ran in the opposite direction like a gust of wind. Soon enough, she disappeared from my sight. I was surprised by her speed.

Turning my gaze toward my manager, who also happened to be a member of my pack, Ethan, I noticed his serious expression as he addressed me, "Mr. Stone...."

Interrupting him, I asked accusingly, "What on earth happened here?"

Ethan's face turned pale, and he quickly bowed. He looked around to ensure we were alone before apologizing, "I'm sorry, Alpha. Here's what happened: You see, the hotel receptionist, who happened to be new, made a little mistake. Instead of giving her Room 556, he accidentally assigned her to Room 566, which was allocated to you. It's a slight administrative slip-up, but interestingly enough, it led to both of you being in the same room with different understandings. Can you believe it? Quite an exciting mix-up, don't you think?"

Did he just say exciting? I raised an eyebrow at him, and he continued.

Ethan cleared his throat nervously and explained further, glancing at the guests on the floor with us. He said, "Well, Mr. Stone, it seems that her male companion wasn't aware of the mix-up when he initially tried to enter the room number she had sent him. He must have assumed it was the correct room. It was only later, when his key didn't work, that he realized the mistake and tried to rectify the situation by phoning me through the front desk. Well, you already know the rest."

He paused, awaiting my response.

With a sullen face, I responded, "Do you know what happened to me today because of this mistake?"

Ethan couldn't fathom what had happened to me before he arrived because he believed no one dared to offend me. I could see his face light up as a very passionate scene suddenly popped into Ethan's mind...

"Stop fantasizing. I need you to investigate someone. I want to know everything about her."

Ethan immediately nodded his head, noticing no one else near us. He obediently replied, "Yes, Alpha. Who do you want me to investigate?"

A mixture of emotions flashed in my mind as I spoke her name, word by word, "Emily Collins."

Ethan smiled mischievously as he walked away.

___ Emily's POV ___

I sneezed violently, tears welling up in my eyes. When I had finally managed to run out of the hotel, Lucas and Olivia were already gone. Grateful that I had grabbed my phone before leaving the room, I tried to reach them, but the calls went unanswered. Now, I was walking alone on the dark street. The cold wind caressed my exposed legs, and my nose kept running. My feet ached from being barefoot. I felt thoroughly miserable.

As I looked up at the moon in the sky, my mind was in chaos. I desperately needed to find a place to sleep.

Going home was out of the question as it was too far to walk, and I didn't have money for a taxi. Returning to the Collins residence was not an option either. Even if I could call for a driver, Olivia would likely be there, and I didn't have the physical or emotional strength to deal with her or Daniel, my biological father. With a sigh of defeat, I realized that for now, I had to find another place to stay to avoid trouble.

I had no money with me, and the outfit inside the coat was extremely revealing and torn. I felt embarrassed and bitter at the same time. I had thought it would be a sweet Valentine's Day night, but it turned out to be a disaster.

I had wanted to please Lucas and had prepared for this night for a long time. I had encouraged myself many times before finally mustering the courage to do it. But unexpectedly...

Thinking of this, a roller coaster of emotions swept over me. I decided to call my best friend, Rachel Thompson, with a heavy heart.

Rachel quickly answered the call and immediately drove over to pick me up without hesitation. Seeing my disheveled appearance, Rachel couldn't help but laugh. "Your dress style is quite... sexy."

I rolled my eyes at her and said, "Stop making fun of me. Just drive. I'm exhausted and desperately need to sleep so this day can finally end."

Rachel silently drove the car back to her small apartment. After entering the door, I immediately took off the jacket, threw it on the ground, and quickly changed into some clean clothes I had left at her place for emergencies. I felt more comfortable.

Rachel complained, "I helped you plan such a foolproof plan, and you've blown it. What a waste of my time. So, tell me, what exactly happened?"

Helplessly, I soothed her, "Rachel, I tried my best, but what happened today was unexpected and out of my control. I don't want to talk about it now. I just want to sleep and forget it all happened. Can we discuss it in the morning?"

Rachel remained silent, walked over, and picked up the jacket from the ground. Her eyes lit up as she noticed it was a tailored suit, extremely expensive and not something an ordinary person would buy, even if they could afford it.

Knowing enough about Lucas's financial situation, I know she didn't think the jacket belonged to him. Looking at me with questions dancing in her eyes, I replied, "Not now. I'll tell you tomorrow."

The next morning, I was rudely awakened by the annoying ringing of my mobile phone. With a terrible headache, I glanced around and realized that Rachel was not there, most likely having gone to work.

Grumpily, I picked up the phone, and a rush of irritation swept over me as I heard my stepmother Margaret's shrill voice. "Where are you now? Come home immediately. Your father and I have something to discuss with you."

I snorted, "Why should I come over whenever you ask? I have other things to do and don't want to waste my time listening to your nonsense. Bye!"

"If you dare to hang up, I will punish Maverick. You don't want him to pay the price for your disrespect, right?"

Damn it! Margaret always uses Maverick to threaten me, but he is her biological son. How can she be so cruel?

I snapped back, "Margaret, you're his mother! How can you be so cruel and shameless?"

Margaret sneered and abruptly replied, "Since he has such a good sister, he doesn't need a loving mother anymore. Come here quickly. Otherwise, you can't blame me for being brutal!" She then suddenly hung up the phone.

Gritting my teeth, I got up and got dressed. As I was about to leave, I noticed that the jacket Rachel had picked up the previous night was not where she had placed it. However, I didn't have time to look for it now.

Thankfully, I had also had some money in a hidden pocket of my emergency bag I had left at Rachel's place. I decided to take a taxi back to the Collins residence, even though deep down, I knew this place would never truly feel like home. As I stepped through the door, an unsettling scene unfolded before me - almost everyone was present. There sat Daniel Collins, old daddy dearest, alongside Margaret and Olivia. Daniel and Margaret occupied the chairs, while Olivia stood closely by their side. However, one person was noticeably absent - my younger brother, Maverick. He is my stepbrother, but he is the only family I have, and I am the only family he has.

A surge of nerves washed over me, causing me to speak in a cold, almost harsh manner. My voice echoed through the room as I demanded, "Where is Maverick? What have you done to him?"