LUXURIA'S POV
The chill wind whipped through the stone archways of the Ash Mountain pack, filtering into the large chamber where I sat.
The chilling wind was nothing compared to the icy dread in my heart.
Outside, in the courtyard, the ceremony was prepared. Not a marriage ceremony, as my lineage demanded, but a mating ceremony, as requested by Alpha Parthe.
I would be the first in my lineage to be mated without a proper marriage ceremony. That is how ashamed my people were of me.
Tonight, I am to be joined, not to a man of my choosing. Not to the man I have always loved. Not even to the man close to my dream man. But to the beast who ruled the neighboring lands with an iron paw.
The Alpha Of The North.
Tonight was the night of the full moon. The day Alpha Parthe had picked.
Didn't they say the full moon was when his demons were unleashed? What is his plan?
Although the full moon isn't until a few more hours, I hope, above everything earthly, that the ceremony will be concluded before then so that Parthe can take his curse out of my father's pack before he unleashes it.
I think he picked today on purpose. He knew I wouldn't dare delay the ceremony for the safety of my pack.
I clutched the silver locket at my throat. A gift that had been given to me by Beta Kahel.
Kahel had vowed to challenge the Alpha of the North, Alpha Parthe, to fight for our love... but what if the darkness of this enemy, Alpha Parthe, had already seeped into my very soul, contaminating my innocence?
The other night, I had to stop him from doing something as stupid as going into the Wilf Wolf pack to 'fight' Parthe.
He was stupid in love. Otherwise, who would dare that?
A knock at the chamber door made my heart jump. It was Rella, the last person I'd rather see on a day like this.
"My lady," she purred, eyes glittering with malice far deeper than mere jealousy, her voice dripping with mockery, "He has arrived. The Cursed Alpha." She giggled, reveling in my plight.
The joy in Rella's voice. The satisfaction on her face. Sending me off to my death. They all couldn't wait to get rid of me. My father, stepmother, siblings, pack members. Everyone.
They all saw me as a curse. Finding out that I was mated to Alpha Parthe, they confirmed that I was truly cursed and deserve to be mated to someone as cursed as I was.
No woman has ever been mated to an Alpha from the lineage of the Wild Wolf pack ever lived more than a year. They all disappear mysteriously. So the rumors carried.
I saw my own reflection in the mirror. My warm blue eyes suddenly gleamed with a dull shade of red, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Quick enough for Rella not to have noticed it.
This was a secret no one knew about. A secret I tried to run away from after the forbidden night with the cursed Alpha. A night I have been living to regret.
I had fled from him as soon as it was dawn, even before he woke up from his slumber, but fate drew the perfect map and led him straight to my father's doorstep, coming to lay claims on his mate.
"I'll be out in a moment," I cleared my throat and finally replied to my beloved stepsister.
"Like you have a choice?" She snickered. "Don't keep your knight in shining armor waiting."
I was silent. I had no words for her.
"Come to think of it," Rella said, inching forward. "He is quite the catch. Really. Let's keep the curse aside. He is dreamy!" She said in a seductive tone, almost as if I were Alpha Parthe and she was shooting her shot at me.
I sat quietly, hoping she would leave soon. The glow in my eyes kept appearing even more frequently than earlier.
I needed to know what was happening to me. I had to do my research. I couldn't bring myself to ask Alpha Parthe.
What would I say? 'Alpha Parthe, are my eyes glowing because we were intimate?'
That's ridiculous. As if glowing eyes are the side effect of a night well spent.
"Rella. Not now," I said, trying to stand up on my feet, but she pushed me back on the chair.
"Sit back here, cursed witch!"
That wasn't new. I was used to it. The cruelty.
"Tell me, Luxuria, how does it feel knowing Kahel will finally be mine? After all the hoops you jumped through to keep him from me..." Rella's words curled around my gut, twisting the knife where she knew it would hurt most.
"If that makes you happy, I'd like to see you try," I say, standing up and brushing past her.
If there's one thing they all hated about me, it was my resilience. I feel the pain, just like anyone else, but I don't let it pin me down. I keep moving, always—because life doesn't stop, and neither do I.
Before I took two more steps away from her, Rella yanked me back by my hair and landed a stinging slap on my face.
"Rella!" I screamed. That wouldn't be the first time she'd slapped me, but I was taken by surprise today. "What was that for?"
"Nothing. Just a parting gift," she said with a chuckle, her thin lips curling upward in that manner that always made her look as ugly as a duckling.
She always held herself in such high regard. If only she could see past that smug grin to see how truly ugly she was, maybe she'd spend more time fixing that frizzy blonde mess and cracked skin than pick on me.
"I believe in a few hours, this thorn in your flesh will be gone for good. I do wonder what other fun things you'll have to do to keep you entertained here in the pack after I am gone." with that, I walked out the door, clenching my fists and preventing the tears from falling.
I couldn't let the tears fall. Not in front of anyone. And definitely not in front of Rella. She didn't deserve to see them.
ALPHA PARTHE'S POVMy gaze remained fixed on the entrance to the large hall where a few people gathered. I'm not offended. I am not one who appreciates crowds.The Ash Mountain pack isn't particularly excited about sending their daughter off with me. I understand that perfectly, also.I didn't care about all that. One can call me selfish.The hall was quiet. Everyone eating and drinking as quietly as possible. Who cares? I'm a sadist, after all.I was losing my patience. What's taking so long? It was almost time for the full moon. I had only come with my Beta, Tarven, and three trained warriors.I didn't need a crowd to escort my new mate to our territory.I had come out with just a few people who could handle whatever came up if the full moon arose before we reached the Wild Wolf pack.To the best of her ability, Shita made sure we had partial control of the situation. I did not like straining my powers for such trivial matters. I reserved them for more pressing issues. So, I let her
LUXURIA'S POV.I never imagined a mating ceremony could be over in the blink of an eye. It ended so fast that I barely had time to catch my breath, let alone my thoughts.We were already halfway across the Ash Mountain borders. Realization slowly crept in. I was leaving everything behind. Including Kahel.A tear trickled down my cheek, but I wiped it off.The ride was quiet. I straddled a beautiful white horse. As if that was meant to make me feel any special.It was so close to the full moon already. Why weren't they in a hurry? Why didn't they straddle faster? Was I the only one worried about it? Or, were the rumors about the Wild Wolf pack lies? Or does his AshBlood powers help keep him in check?This fact is something I also dread. Not only is this man cursed. He is one of the most deadly kinds of dark witch ever to live.What did I ever do to the goddess to deserve such cruelty?Alpha Parthe remained silent, not a word spared for his men, and I knew better than to speak first. Hi
ALPHA PARTHE.The searing pain hit me like a storm, an electric shock that coursed through every muscle, every bone, twisting them, breaking them, reforming them.The moon's silver light felt like daggers on my skin, sharp and unforgiving. I could hear the curse whispering, slithering through my mind like a venomous snake, taking control piece by piece.Shita was beside me, chanting her incantations in a desperate attempt to subdue the beast rising inside me.The herbs she had laid around me, their sharp scent of crushed sage and rosemary, did nothing to quell the fire that roared beneath my skin."It's not working," I growled, my voice distorted, barely recognizable, as though it came from a place deeper than my own chest. The beast was taking over.Shita didn't flinch. She moved quickly, laying her hands on my chest, speaking words I couldn't understand, her magic weaving around us like a shield.Sweat poured down her face, but her brow still furrowed in concentration. She had stopp
LUXURIA.I felt as if my body had been drained of every ounce of strength. Even the simple act of fluttering my eyes open felt like a huge task. My joints ached, and my head spun.My joints ached, each movement sending a jolt of pain through my limbs. My head spun, making it difficult to focus. I blinked, trying to make sense of my surroundings.The cold, hard surface beneath me didn't feel right. I sluggishly opened my eyes and saw the familiar walls of my new chamber. But something was horribly wrong.I wasn't in my bed.I was on the floor.Naked.I scrambled to my feet, confusion building a web around me.Panic swelled inside me, my heart racing. I scrambled to my feet, my body trembling, confusion threading through my mind like a thick fog.How had I ended up here? I had fallen asleep on the bed—of that, I was sure. So why was I on the cold stone floor, stripped bare? I wrapped my arms around myself, my heart thundering in my chest.And then, I saw it.My hands.They were covered
ALPHA PARTHE.I couldn't stand the sight of her anymore. Guilt twisted my guts. What if I was the one who hurt her?The Wilf Wolf pack is the most secure pack one can ever think of. No one dared trespass unless they had a death wish.This was from within. And to the best of my knowledge, I have no spies, no traitors, no enemy within... So, what the fuck happened to her?The only plausible explanation is ME. I happened to her.The curse's effect was different yesterday; it was almost as if something triggered a dangerous part of the curse. But I don't know what that is.Nevertheless, no matter what happened, this was the first time I am unknowingly attacking someone from within my pack."Alpha. We could look further into this. The cattle, Luxuria," Beta Tervan spoke, pulling me out of my deep thoughts.I adjusted on my seat, tossing away the scroll I had in hand, "There is no need. I think I did it," I said to him."This would be the first time, Alpha. You've never had any record of su
"Does this imply that I attacked her using a stake?" I asked, leaning back on my chair."That is highly impossible, Alpha. And you know it," Shikta said. She was trying to prove a point, and I could smell it."Tell me what you think," I asked her, studying her expression.I know she doesn't like Luxuria. No woman should like her. Not when she was a threat to them.Luxuria's beauty is the kind that women would kill for, a beauty that runs deeper than skin, etched into her very soul.She carries the same allure that once had me falling heads-over-heels for Rashina. Alpha Modred was lucky to have claimed her in time before she fell into my grasp. Otherwise, there would have been no Luxuria.I know Shikta feels insecure. I have over a hundred women who attend to my sexual needs, and she had never had the need to be jealous of them or to feel insecure. But this was different.Shikta shifted uncomfortably on her seat, leaning forward, "Alpha, Luxuria is bad luck. There is no arguing that. N
ALPHA PARTHE.It had been days, yet Luxuria still lay in a fragile state, her body recovering slowly. I wasn't sure how much longer I could bear it. A part of me—the beast that stirred restlessly beneath the surface—wanted her fully healed, fully alive.She was awakening something inside me that had refused to be tamed, a fire that flickered more dangerously with each passing moment I spent in her presence.I stood at the edge of her chamber, watching her sleep. She was utterly oblivious to the world around her, her breath soft and even, completely unaware that a predator stood silently, watching her like he always stalked his prey before ending them.Her buttery, silken skin glowed faintly in the moonlight that filtered through the narrow window, casting a delicate sheen over her naked shoulders.She was the kind of woman who could make a man beg for redemption, make him want to be better, and repent for every sin just for the chance to touch her again. But I was not that man.No, I
I knew that. She had always been mine.My hands roamed over her body, feeling every curve, every soft plane of her skin, but it was Luxuria I saw in my mind. It was her body I imagined beneath me, her voice I wanted to hear, pleading for more.Her breath quickened, her chest rising and falling in rapid succession as I pressed my body against hers, pinning her to the wall. Her heart raced beneath my palm as I gripped her throat, feeling her pulse quicken under my hand.The beast stirred inside me, hungry, insatiable. My fingers tangled in her long, dark hair, tugging it back roughly, exposing the curve of her neck.Her skin flushed beneath my grip, and I could feel her body trembling, but it wasn't fear. It was anticipation. Shikta lived for this, for the darkness I unleashed on her when the beast inside me couldn't be controlled.I gripped her hips and pulled her roughly against me, my teeth grazing the side of her neck. The scent of her skin—warm, heady—mixed with the hunger that had