The Curse Of The Blood Moon

4: I Will Stay

~Evelyn~

I opened my eyes, and immediately I noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. The soft linens beneath me, the scent of herbs in the air, the flickering candlelight…it all felt wrong. I could feel my heart race as panic surged through me. Where was I? I tried to sit up, but as soon as I did, a sharp, searing pain throbbed in my head, making me wince.

I tried to steady myself, but dizziness overtook me, and I reached out instinctively, my hand brushing against the soft fabric of the bed. The last thing I remembered was collapsing in the arms of a strange man… I suddenly gasped.

“You’re finally awake.”

I heard a voice, deep and commanding, but oddly calm.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked toward the source of the voice. A man stood by the side of the room, his presence dominating the space. His eyes, dark and intense, were fixed on me. My stomach twisted with a mixture of fear and confusion. He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in dark leather, and exuded an aura of power that made the room feel smaller.

I instinctively shrank back, my pulse quickening. Who is he?

“Where am I?” My voice trembled, betraying my anxiety as I looked around the room, trying to make sense of it all.

“You’re in my palace,” the man answered, his tone smooth, but with an edge that made my skin prickle. “I’m Asher, the Alpha King.” His gaze softened just slightly, though it didn’t do much to alleviate the terror creeping up my spine. “I rescued you from the wilderness.”

I remembered the last thing…no, the last moments I could grasp before I collapsed. The poison coursing through me, the agony, the overwhelming helplessness as I fell into unconsciousness in his arms.

I couldn’t breathe. I forced myself to focus. This wasn’t just any man. This was the Alpha King. Asher. The one whose stories were told in whispers, the one whose cruelty had been feared by so many.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my racing heartbeat. “How long… how long was I asleep?”

“Two weeks,” Asher said simply. “The healer’s been working to cure the poison in your body. It was about time you woke up.”

Two weeks! I clenched my fists, my mind whirling with questions, but I couldn’t trust him. I couldn’t stay here, not in the lair of the man who ruled over the kingdom with such ruthless control.

“What’s your name?” He asked and I looked away, he should have known that by now. “I hate being ignored when I ask questions…” I felt the underlying threat to his word.

“My name is Evelyn,” I finally whispered, but my eyes never left him. “But I don’t want to stay here. I need to leave.”

He watched me, his dark eyes never leaving mine, studying me with an unsettling calmness. “You want to leave?” His voice was steady, but the muscles in his jaw twitched. “Where do you think you can go to, half alive?”

I stared at him in disbelief… I hated his tone. “You rescued me, yes, but that doesn’t mean I owe you anything and you need to watch your tone. I was better off on my own.”

Asher’s gaze darkened, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop, though I wasn’t sure if it was his presence or the tension in the air. “You could’ve died, Evelyn,” he said, his voice lowering. “The poison could have killed you. I’m the reason you’re even breathing right now.”

I tried to stand, ignoring the weakness in my limbs, determined to get away from him, to escape this nightmare of a place. But as soon as I tried to push myself upright, my legs betrayed me, and I stumbled. My head spun, and before I could even react, I felt a strong arm catch me, lifting me back into place.

“No,” he said softly but firmly. “You’re not strong enough yet. You’re still recovering. The poison’s not fully out of your system.”

I felt a sharp surge of frustration and humiliation rise within me, but I swatted his hand away, not caring about the weakness in my body. “Don’t touch me,” I hissed. “I don’t want anything from you.”

Asher’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he studied me. “I don’t think you understand,” he said, stepping closer, his gaze locking onto mine. “You’re mine. You’re my mate. You can’t leave.”

“Mate?” I scoffed, trying to ignore the flicker of something deep inside me that responded to his words. “I don’t care what you think. I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want to be anywhere near you.”

Asher stepped closer, his presence was overwhelming, his face just inches from mine. His hand rose, gently lifting my chin with a single finger. I couldn’t look away. It felt like my whole body was reacting to him, against my will.

“You’ve been through so much,” he murmured, his voice softer now, though no less intense. “Betrayed. Abandoned. Hurt.” He paused, his dark eyes scanning my face, as though seeing into me, into everything I had suffered. “But I’m not going to let you go. You belong to me now. And with that bond comes power. Power to avenge whatever has been taken from you. Power to heal, to rise above it all. I will help you recover. I will help you get your revenge. And together, we will make you the woman you are meant to be.”

“And what gave you that impression?” I scoffed even though everything he had said was true I have been betrayed even by the people I love most… the people who I thought would never hurt me. Tears gathered at the corner of my eyes, threatening to fall, he noticed how hard I was trying not to come off as weak so he dropped his hand from my chin, his gaze softening just a fraction, and looked away.

“You have a choice, Evelyn. Stay with me, and I will help you reclaim everything. Your strength. Your power. Everything you’ve lost. Or you can run from it all. But I won’t let you go easily. So tell me… you will stay with me, Evelyn.”

I gaze at him knowing fully well there’s no way I will be escaping this man soon, as much I am scared, I can’t help but feel the comfort that comes with him, the safety…

I had no other choice… I might die before I know it, I wiped out the tear that had escaped with the back of my hand and turned my gaze on him, my face hardened. “I will stay with you.”