The Alpha King’s Cursed Mate

Chapter 4 The King’s Defiance

"If you came to watch me die, you're early," I said, leaning against the cold stone wall of my dungeon cell.

Cassian stepped out of the shadows, his boots making no sound against the damp floor. He stopped right outside the heavy iron bars, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my pulse race.

"The sun rises in three hours, Seraphine," he said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl. "That is when the High Priest plans to execute you."

I pulled my chains tight, making the iron links rattle loudly between us. "Then why waste your time down here? Is watching a prisoner suffer part of an Alpha King’s duty?"

"I don't waste time on prisoners," Cassian snapped, stepping closer until only the iron grates separated us. "I am here because you opened the Moon Temple. A place sealed by ancient magic three hundred years ago. And because the mark glowing on your shoulder proves you don't belong in a dungeon."

A hot, invisible pressure suddenly bloomed inside my chest, pulling me toward him like a physical rope. The mate bond was growing stronger by the second, spreading a strange, burning heat through my veins. I could see the exact moment it hit him too. Cassian’s hands clamped onto the iron bars, his knuckles turning white as he fought to stay standing.

"I don't know anything about your temple," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the overwhelming heat between us. "I woke up in these chains because your guards dragged me here."

"Liars don't unlock ancient magic with their blood," he said, his eyes dropping to my lips as his chest rose and fell in heavy breaths. "The bond is pulling us together, Seraphine. You feel it just as strongly as I do. You can't hide what you are from me."

"I am a woman waiting for sunrise," I said, taking a step toward the bars and staring right into his eyes. "If you want answers, you'll have to stop the executioner yourself."

Cassian gripped the iron bars so hard the metal groaned. "Do not test me. The High Priest demands your blood to protect the kingdom, and my council agrees with him."

"Then let them kill me," I whispered, leaning close enough to feel the heat radiating off his skin. "Unless you're too afraid to let me go."

Cassian reached through the bars, his fingers brushing my jaw, sending a jolt of fire through my skin. "Tell me the truth, or I will walk away."

I pulled back from his hand, the sparks on my jaw fading into a dull, aching heat. "I don't have a truth to give you, Cassian. I was born in a small village, and my parents were simple farmers who died when I was ten."

Cassian’s eyes narrowed as he watched me. "A simple farmer’s daughter does not carry a silver moon mark on her collarbone, Seraphine. Nor does her blood unlock seals created by the ancient royal bloodline."

"I don't care about your ancient royal bloodlines," I said, my voice sharp as I wrapped my arms around myself to fight the shivering cold. "And I certainly don't trust you. You brought me here in chains. In a few hours, you are going to hand me over to your High Priest so he can end my life."

"I am the Alpha King," Cassian said, his voice dropping into a harsh, controlled register. "My duty is to protect my people from threats I do not understand."

"And I am just a target to you," I spat back. "You don't care about the truth. You just want a reason to feel better about letting them kill me."

Before he could answer, a violent shock wave surged through the mate bond, slamming into my mind with the force of a physical blow. A wave of intense, suffocating panic flooded my chest—not my panic, but his. I gasped, stumbling back a step as I felt the overwhelming weight of his duty, his fear of failing his kingdom, and the raw, desperate need to keep me safe that he was trying so hard to crush.

Across the bars, Cassian gripped his head, a quiet grunt escaping his lips as my own emotions crashed into him, my terror of the executioner's blade, my anger, and the helpless isolation that had been tearing me apart all night.

We stared at each other through the iron bars, both of us breathless and shaken by the sudden emotional collision.

Cassian stared at me, the dark anger in his eyes slowly giving way to absolute shock. He looked at my shaking hands, then down at the faint silver mark glowing softly beneath my collarbone. He took a slow, heavy step back, his jaw tight as the reality dawned on him.

"You really don't know," Cassian whispered, his voice stripped of all harshness. "You have no idea what power is inside you."

Heavy, echoing footsteps shattered the stunned silence between us.

The High Priest strode down the dark stone corridor, flanked by two heavily armed royal guards holding burning torches. His long crimson robes swept across the filthy floor, and his cold, sunken eyes fixed entirely on me behind the iron bars.

"Your Majesty," the High Priest said, bowing his head slightly toward Cassian, though his tone held no real respect. "The sun is rising over the eastern mountains. It is time for the girl's execution. The High Council is already waiting at the altar."

I squeezed my hands into tight fists, the heavy metal chains around my wrists biting into my skin. The cold dread returned with full force, smothering the faint warmth of the mate bond.

Cassian didn't move away from my cell. He turned slowly to face the priest, stepping into his path. "Stand down, Malakor."

The High Priest paused, his thin eyebrows pulling together in immediate suspicion. "The council has already decreed her death, my Lord. She is a dangerous intruder who breached the sacred Moon Temple. The law demands her blood before full daylight."

"The law demands answers," Cassian countered, his voice ringing out like steel striking stone. "She carries the royal mark. Until I personally investigate her connection to the Crown and determine how she survived the temple's magic, no blade touches her neck."

Malakor’s jaw tightened, his sharp eyes darting between Cassian and me. "Delaying this will raise serious questions among the council, Alpha King. Protecting a stranger could be seen as treason against your own blood."

"I am the King," Cassian growled, taking a threatening step toward the priest until Malakor was forced to back away. "I set the timeline. Move her to the high tower cell and double the guard. She stays alive until my investigation is complete."

Malakor sneered, but he signaled the guards. They unlocked my cell with a harsh rattle, grabbing my arms and dragging me out into the corridor.

As they forced me past Cassian, my eyes locked onto his. I expected to see the cold hatred of an enemy king, but I didn't. His dark eyes were filled with a stormy, painful conflict as he watched them drag me away.

Then, the mate bond flared violently in my mind, and his unspoken thought echoed clearly in my head: I can't let them kill her.