Rejected Luna Of The Cursed Alpha

A Favor

Aria’s POV

I couldn’t move. The words "My King" kept repeating in my head. The man who stood a few paces away from me, the man I had pointed an iron poker at, and the man who made the small cabin feel claustrophobic was the Cursed Alpha King.

Every child had heard the tales about him. Some said he was the strongest Alpha in existence. Others whispered that the Moon Goddess herself cursed him and abandoned him. Some believed he hadn’t changed in decades. While the others insisted that anyone who got too close to him died.

No one knew which stories were true. But everyone feared him. And somehow, I spent the last few minutes arguing with him.

Neither of us spoke.

The only sounds in the cabin were the crackling fire and the patter of the rain on the roof.

“Lady Aria, I…” Beta James halted mid-sentence. His gaze flicked from me to the Alpha King and back. Shock flickered across his face before he schooled his features into the stoic mask I was familiar with.

“My King,” he said instead, inclining his head.

The Alpha King gave a single nod in return.

“James.”

I blinked.

They knew each other.

James stepped inside the cabin, two rabbits in one hand and a small bag in the other. “I wasn’t aware anyone else had taken shelter here.”

“I wasn’t aware either,” the Alpha King replied. His voice was as impassive as ever.

James turned to me. “Are you alright?”

I gave a short, sharp nod. “Yes.”

It wasn’t entirely true. Nothing about today was alright. But I was alive. And for now, that was enough.

James set the rabbits on the table and turned back to the Alpha King. “I hope Lady Aria hasn’t troubled you in any way.”

For the first time since I met him, I saw something akin to amusement in his golden eyes. “No,” he said simply.

It was an answer that made me realize how much I was actually embarrassed about the whole situation.

James let out a quiet breath, as if he were relieved. “I had only come out to look for food.”

“I gathered.”

Another silence stretched between us.

I glanced between the two men, noting that neither of them seemed particularly bothered by it. They were both used to long pauses, it seemed.

It was James who finally cleared his throat. “My King, this is Lady Aria.”

The Alpha King’s gaze swept over me. His expression was inscrutable, as always. Neither pleasant nor unpleasant. Just observing. “I know.”

James gave a surprised look. “You’ve already met.”

“We’ve shared the cabin,” the Alpha King replied.

That was all he said.

Nothing about me threatening him with an iron poker.

Thankfully.

James gave a small smile before he turned back to the Alpha King. “I was actually bringing Lady Aria to your territory.”

I was surprised.

The Alpha King’s brows lifted in mild surprise. “My territory?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t recall inviting guests.”

“I know.”

James clasped his hands at the back of his neck. “But years ago, you told me that if I ever needed a favor, I only had to ask.”

The cabin grew silent. I looked from one man to the other.

Neither of them spoke.

The crackling of the fire was the only sound for a while.

Finally, the Alpha King said, “You remember that.”

“I do.”

“And this is the favor.”

James gave a single nod. “It is.”

I looked down at my hands. It was embarrassing, really. And surprising that James would use his favor to help me. A favor from an alpha king like this could actually be a chance for him to get anything; instead, he used it for me.

I glanced at him while standing in the middle of the cabin while two men talked about me like I wasn’t even here.

James continued. “Lady Aria has nowhere else to go.”

My fingers curled into fists. It was true, dammit.

Nowhere at all.

Not in Valemont.

Not in the mansion.

Not even in my son’s nursery.

Everything had been taken from me.

The Alpha King said nothing. His gaze was fixed on me, studying me. It was unsettling, actually.

James spoke again. “She won’t be a burden.”

“I never said she would.”

“No.” James nodded. “You didn’t.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Outside, the rain had started to ease. Inside, I could hear my own heart beating. For some reason, the Alpha King’s answer mattered.

I know why.

Because I had no other choice and I had lost so much today that I was afraid to hear another door shut in my face.

The Alpha King slowly turned his gaze to the fire before he looked back at James. “You may bring her.”

James’ shoulders seemed to relax. “Thank you, my king."

Once more, the Alpha King’s gaze met mine. “Our pack doesn’t take in strangers lightly.”

“I understand.”

“You’ll follow our rules.”

“I will.”

“If anyone asks, James brought you under my permission.”

I gave a small, grateful nod. “Thank you.” It was all I could say. Because it was all I had to give.

He held my gaze for a moment longer before he turned to the door; it was still raining, but the intensity had reduced a whole lot.

“I’ll have rooms prepared before you arrive.”

Without another word, he stepped outside into the drizzling rain.

The cabin suddenly felt impossibly quiet. I didn’t realize how much his presence affected the room until he left.

James watched the closed door for a moment before he let out a slow breath. “I’ll prepare the meal.”

While he was skinning the rabbits, my thoughts drifted back to today’s events, while just before I went into labor, I was happy.

I did not know what was coming for me.

I thought about Leo and how he was doing at this time; he was probably hungry and missing his mom.

When we started eating, I thought about Leo again. Was the nurse feeding him? Or was I eating while my child was hungry?

A drop of tears ran down my face; James ignored it, which I was grateful for.

“You should rest,” he said after our meal, “we still have a five-hour journey ahead of us.”

I nodded in response.

“You’ve had quite a day.”

I gave a tired smile. “I think that’s an understatement.”

James chuckled.

It was the first real sound of warmth I’d heard since leaving Valemont. For the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, my life wasn’t completely over.