Rejected Luna Of The Cursed Alpha

It was fading

Draven’s POV

I should have left.

The moment I saw the figure inside the cabin, I should have turned back and walked away.

Instead, I stayed.

That irritated me more than anything.

I wasn't the type of man who enjoyed company, especially strangers, especially humans. Yet there I was, staring at some woman, watching her shake the poker in her hands like she expected it to keep me away.

She was frightened; I could smell it on her. Fear had a scent. Most wolves could pick it up. Yet, she didn't run.

Most humans would have screamed, begged, and perhaps even dropped to their knees in submission.

This one didn't.

She just stood there, wide-eyed and scared, but firm in her stance.

Interesting.

Not that it was admirable, far from it. Just unexpected. She couldn't have been much older than twenty-five.

She had wet chestnut hair from the rain, some strays sticking to her cheeks, while her clothes were covered with dirt from the woods, but she still would not bring down her hand holding the iron poker.

Her hands shook, but her eyes did not; they were fixated on mine, analyzing, calculating, anticipating.

It made me think of an animal backed into a corner. Not one that wanted to fight, but one that realized that it would rather die than live in humiliation.

I knew that feeling.

Better than she could ever know. I walked towards the fire. Not because I cared if she trusted me or not. If I stayed out there, the cold would have made the curse worse.

The heat greeted my face, and it should have been pleasant, but it wasn't. The familiar pain flared up in my veins, like metal, burning, crawling through my skin.

I clenched my jaw, fighting it.

Not here.

Not now.

The beast in me growled, fighting the chains, trying to break free. "No."

That word rang in my ears, but no matter how many times he ordered me to give up on it, I wouldn't do it.

The last time I had obeyed him, three men had died, loyal men, soldiers who had fought by my side to claim my throne.

I could see their faces, their families, the little children wondering where their fathers had gone. I could hear their cries, asking questions that I had no answers to.

No, then.

The beast would stay trapped inside, even at the cost of our lives.

The agony ran through me, but I held onto my lip to keep myself from screaming.

My muscles were all tensed.

Every part of my body was tight like a coiled spring.

Just a little longer.

I inhaled, slowly and steadily.

Exhaled.

And again.

And again.

Because I had to have control over it, over him, before it was too late.

The curse always started the same, a dull burning at my veins, but this time it was different.

It wasn't as bad as the other times.

More like... restless.

Unsettled.

I frowned, confused.

It wasn't normal.

The woman was still watching me, her eyes tracking my every move, but I could feel her gaze, could feel her thoughts.

Curiosity.

Concern.

Even some fear, but mingled with something else.

Perhaps doubt.

That was an odd combination.

To everyone else, to all of humanity, in fact, I was simply a monster, but she was trying to discern whether or not I required help.

That was ludicrous.

There was no one who could help me.

No one anymore.

Yet another spasm of pain coursed through me, and I clung desperately to the chair.

No.

Not now.

Not in front of her.

Each breath was shallow, each one a torment, each one an oath.

I rose, the need for space, for air being overwhelming, but when I reached the threshold of the room, everything about me froze.

The pain, the agony, even my very breathing had paused as though the universe itself were taking a moment to laugh at me.

I blinked, my eyes fixed on the woman.

She remained unmoving, unchanged, simply observing me, but for whatever reason, there was something different.

The pain, it was gone.

It was not over, not done; it had merely stopped being painful.

My body was not in constant agony any longer.

I exhaled slowly, my breath misting the air before me, and then glanced back over my shoulder.

She was still there.

Still watching.

I was still standing by the door, but my heart was pounding, hammering in my ears.

That couldn't be right.

I had felt it, the fire, the pressure, but now it was gone.

I turned back to her, my body aching, but not with the curse.

And there was something peculiar about it all, but I was thankful nonetheless.

My hands were shaking as I grabbed onto the doorknob, and as soon as I did, time froze.

The flames, the pain, my very breathing.

Everything around me became quiet, and I blinked, wondering what...

But everything that was hurting me was gone; only it wasn’t.

It was fading.

Slowly, but surely.

I turned my head to the side, looking at the woman.

She hadn't moved, not an inch, but something about her presence was different, like she had been the one holding me down, keeping me in this agony.

It was ridiculous, but I was still there, and she was still breathing, my heart still pounding in my ears.

I frowned, staring at her.

That wasn't possible.

I took a step forward, closer to the fire, closer to her, but the moment I did, it was as if the pain disappeared.

She told me to stop. I did, and the pain surged through me.

Not as bad as before, but it was there.

A dull ache, like a bruise.

My heartbeat was loud in my ears, but I was still standing, still breathing.

Another step, and I winced.

Then another, and another, but nothing, not really.

It wasn't like the other time, like that night in the castle.

It wasn't the worst pain of my life, but it was something.

I gulped, my heart pounding fast but not because I was afraid.

That was strange because I felt... happy.

For so long I had been looking for a way to cure myself, to help myself in any way I could, but nothing had helped.

Witches, healing women, artifacts, dark magic.

Nothing had helped, but now, in this moment, everything was gone.

She saw that I was looking at her, watching her with big confused eyes.

"What?"

I didn't know what to answer.

I didn't know what to say.

Because for the first time in my life, I had no clue what was going on.

I sat back down next to the fire in the chair. This time, I did not look at her. We both were silent.

I glanced at the poker in her hands. "You can put it down."

"No," she replied.

"I won't hurt you," I said, trying to reassure her.

“You don’t expect me to believe that.”

“I don’t really care what you believe.”

I moved to cleaning the wound as she suggested while I accepted the fact that I never got to understand the curse and what was happening here could be a coincidence.

My breathing once more became uneven as I felt the pain again; I tried to hold back my groan by holding onto the edge of the table so hard that the wood cracked under my fingers.

“Are you alright?” She asked.

“I’m fine.” I blurted out.

“You look anything but fine.”

“I said…” I stopped mid-sentence and then widened my eyes very slowly.

She had moved so close to me and I couldn’t feel the pain again

The pain had subsided.

I glanced at her in disbelief. “What…” I asked quietly.

Just then, I heard footsteps just before a familiar face burst into the room; she was right in front of him. Instinctively, I moved in between them.

“My King,” he called.