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. His silence felt like a command on its own.
After what felt like an eternity, we entered the Wild Wolf territory, and soon enough, we rode into the packhouse.
It was lifeless. No sounds, no movement, no one in sight, as though the entire place had been abandoned by living creatures. I swallowed hard, the stillness gnawing at my nerves. "Where is everyone?" I managed to ask, but I only got silence from them as they dismounted.
Beta Tervan looked as stoic as his Alpha. The Alpha sure rubbed off on all his men. They were all sadists in this pack, I guess.
Finally, some living things approached - a woman, just a little older than me, beautiful to a fault, carrying herself with all the grace in the world, approached us.
Three other women followed behind her. From the way she carried herself, she seemed like an important member of the pack.
Could it be his sister? I pondered, but the question was answered by the woman's gesture, which made my heart skip.
"Alpha Parthe," The woman's silvery voice called out in the most tender tone ever. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him like she was trying to make a statement.
"Who is she?" I asked even before I stopped myself from asking.
I detested the Alpha. Yes. I do. But he was my mate, and it was only normal for me to feel a tiny shred of something when I saw another woman around him.
But it seemed my question didn't sit well with Alpha Parthe.
He turned to face me, glaring dangerously at me.
"First rule of surviving in my pack - stick your nose only where it belongs." He said in a deathly tone, his icy eyes now held disdain for me.
The woman only looked at me over her shoulder and returned to wrapping her arms around him, "I have something special for you. Let's go," she smiled.
Why did her smile strike a nerve in me? Was her smile that beautiful?
Parthe followed her without even looking at me.
"What about me? Am I meant to stand out here and wait while your..." I paused, swallowing the jealous rage threatening to consume me, "While she takes you in?" I sounded like a stupid teenager.
Parthe didn't even stop for a second. He was out of sight.
The three ladies who had come with that woman stayed behind, and I wondered why.
"We'll be attending to you. Follow us." One of them said, and I obeyed instantly. Beta Tervan and the other men made their way into the fortress.
I was led into the far end of the fortress. I didn't know why, but it was fine with me. I didn't want to be anywhere close to Alpha Parthe, after all.
"Thank you," I greeted the girls, who bowed as if it was a pleasure attending to me. "Where is everyone? Why are there no people in the pack houses?" I couldn't stop my inquisitive self from asking.
"You have become a part of the pack. You will know in due time. Meanwhile," The one who seemed like the leader among them began, handing me a vial, "Apply this all over your body and stay indoors. You must not step out of your door all night."
My curiosity piqued. "Why?"
"Follow the instructions. The Alpha said so. And he hates disobedience." She said politely.
I already like her. She seems nice. "What's your name?" I asked, letting my questions die down. I had no plans of stepping out either way.
"Leisha." She replied.
"Leisha," I repeated. "I like you. You have been helpful today," I say to her, and she blushes. Her plump face turned red instantly.
"Thank you," She greeted before signaling for the others to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow. No matter what happens, do not open your door. Do not step out."
She seemed really nice. She did not look like an actual maid. But she didn't seem like one who holds a rank in the pack either. I wonder who she actually was.
***
ALPHA PARTHE.
Her inquisitive eyes haunted me. I suddenly became disinterested in all Shita was saying and doing to me.
She brought me to see her new recipe. She had been working on it for a long time now, and she had been able to make progress.
She says this one is more potent and will suppress the curse's effect than the Negula herbs.
Shita, my pack's head physician and lead witch, is a blessing words can't quite capture. Her talent with herbs is unmatched, but it's her mastery in other... more pleasurable arts that makes her truly invaluable.
I wouldn't trade her for anything.
Of all my mistresses, she has a special place in my heart.
The full moon had already hung fully in the sky, and the curse was already beginning to take effect. I had dealt with this Curse since I was eleven. I am used to it. The pain and torture it brings. Little wonder, pain was nothing to me anymore.
Shita was the only one who could be in close proximity with me in times like this. Her restraining ritual was second to none.
Thanks to her, I do not lose control often. And even when I do, my pack members are always safe. Thanks to the Lin'car ointment that every Wild Wolf pack member uses to mask and shield themselves on every full moon.
The ointment masked their natural scent, making them smell like the earth itself—like damp moss, fresh soil, and crushed pine needles. So far, these are the scents that calm this beast.
Scents that calmed the beast within me. It made them disappear, cloaked in the very essence of the wild, undetectable and untouchable.
Despite it all, Luxuria still found a way to slither into my thoughts, curling around every corner of my mind and poisoning every second.
"Are you listening?" Shita asked, studying me.
"It has begun. It has..." Before I could finish my words, a loud, deafening roar left my throat, shaking the very foundation of the pack.
The curse's full effect had just taken over.
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
LUXURIA.The woods were colder than I ever expected it to be, but that won't deter me from my mission tonight.For a moment, I got scared when Alpha Parthe watched me silently in my chamber. What was running through his mind? Was he planning on killing me?The thought of that man being in close proximity to me scares me to death. I guess I'll have to avoid him throughout my stay in his pack.Thankfully, he has other women who satisfy him. He won't even have the time to want me around him.The thoughts of Kahel plagued me for days. He might think I have forsaken or forgotten him. I had planned on going to see him after I arrived at the Wild Wolf pack before I got into the situation that kept me bedridden for days.I sincerely pray he understands.I navigated through the pack border.The security at the Wild Wolf pack was tight. Little wonder no rogue can sneak past them. But not me. I had my way.Being the Alpha's daughter of the Mountain Ash Pack, I've had the privilege of learning ab
Kahel watched as Luxuria disappeared into the darkness.His chest tightened, panic and regret clawing at his insides, but his legs felt like they were rooted to the ground. He couldn't move.He had destroyed her. And he had lost her."Luxuria!" Kahel called out one last time, his voice desperate and hoarse, but the sound was swallowed by the night, his words lost in the cold wind that whipped through the trees.She didn't stop. Not even a glance at him.Rella appeared at the door, her arms wrapped loosely around her waist, a smirk curling her lips as she watched Luxuria fade into the distance. "Well, that went well," she said, her voice dripping with amusement.Kahel's fists clenched at his sides as he turned to face her, his heart pounding with a mixture of fury and self-loathing. "Shut up, Rella."Her smirk only widened as she stepped closer, her gaze flickering toward the direction Luxuria had run. "I told you this would happen, Kahel. You knew she'd find out eventually. Nothing st