Chapter 4

Esme's POV

The carriage had been riding for only three minutes but it felt like forever. I don't know why but I feel a strange connection to this Pack, I'm not happy about leaving despite everything I've been given.

"Solar, why do I feel this way?" I couldn't help asking.

"It's the bond Esme, we were bound to him the moment he accepted us, a mating ceremony would have made it official but still, we're connected to our mate whether we're with him or not." She explained and I sighed. 

"I don't like this feeling. He should have at least rejected us properly." I intoned angrily.

"The pain of rejection is ten times worse than this." She stated.

"But it's the same, isn't it? He doesn't want us with him, he even gave us permission to have another mate. He rejected us without words." I concluded.

"His wolf wants us, I can feel it but he's resisting. He's suppressing the desire of his wolf for some reason. It'll be difficult for me to mate with someone else as long as our bond with him still exists but it's not impossible. What is important is that we're safe, you've suffered enough." She encouraged me and I managed a small smile.

I really have no reason to be sad. I've been delivered from slavery and now I can live lavishly, it should be a dream come true but still……….

The carriage suddenly stopped abruptly, causing me to nearly fall off the seat.

"Is something wrong?" I asked worried that we might have run into some sort of trouble.

I looked out the window to see the last person I could have expected.

"Ms Rachel? What are you doing here?" I asked, shocked to see her.

"I have to speak with you urgently. You mustn't leave." She spoke breathlessly.

Has the Alpha had a change of heart? Is that why he sent her to stop me?

I couldn't help the huge smile that quickly formed on my lips.

Ms Rachel tried to catch her breath, she must have been running after the carriage. But why though?

The Alpha could have just sent a guard to stop me. The way that man thinks will forever be a mystery to me.

"Has the Alpha changed his mind? Does he want me to stay with him?" I asked her enthusiastically.

"No."

"Then why….."

"I'll explain everything to you soon, just come with me." She assured me and without thinking, I followed her.

*****

"Whatever happens, you can't leave this Pack, dear. You're the only one who can save the Alpha from his curse. Without you, he'll be lost forever." She spoke urgently.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"What do you know about the Alpha?" She questioned.

"I don't know much but what I do know is, he was once a rogue who started an uprising, attacked and defeated the Alpha of the Moon Blood Pack and took over by force. Since then, he's been ruling with an iron fist. Everyone considers him a brute and he is best known as the bloody conqueror." I replied sincerely, not thinking much of it.

Only after I had said the words did I realize what I had said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean……"

"No, you don't have to apologise. You're allowed to have an opinion but it's important that you know the truth and that's exactly why I'm here." She said and took a deep breath before replying.

"Ethan is not the tyrant you think he is. He's been through so much in his life, much of which he never deserved. He wasn't always a rogue. Truth be told, he was never actually a rogue, those were just lies spread to make him seem like the villain.

Ethan was the true prince and future Alpha of the Moon Blood Pack. Eight years ago, the Moon Blood Pack was the most peaceful and progressive Pack in the surrounding regions.

Our pack had always been feared and respected, we were powerful and innovative. The Alpha always found ways to make the Pack better for all its members but managed to keep the peace with other Packs. Our Pack rarely engaged in war with other Packs but we continued to excel and this made us very enviable.

We were said to be highly favored by the moon goddess, possessing both beauty and strength.

Despite the peaceful nature of my pack, we only had one enemy and that was the Night Walker Pack.

It was a small Pack but the Alpha was crazy for power and always sought ways to expand his territory. Both our packs were connected by a boundary and Alpha Waylen, the leader of the Night Walker Pack continuously used this as a means to cause problems but our Alpha was patient and tried to keep the peace.

We eventually had to declare them our enemy. The Alpha drove them out completely from our territory so that the unhealthy rivalry would come to an end.

Everything seemed to be fine until tragedy struck in the form of a femme fatale.

Ethan met and fell in love with the princess of the Night Walker Pack, Tanika.

She was a seductress, she was beautiful and intelligent and managed to work her way into Ethan's heart.

She was able to break through his defenses over time, causing him to let his guard down. 

His parents were never in support of his relationship with Tanika but he ignored them and dreamt of a future with her, one where both Packs would be at peace and be united.

She was always hovering around him, wanting to know everything, especially why our Pack was so successful.

He trusted her blindly and out of pure love for her, he revealed the secrets of our pack and Tanika used it against him in the worst ways.

Taking the help of a powerful witch, the Alpha of the Night Walker Pack infiltrated our pack at night and killed everyone in the Alpha's family, except Ethan and his pregnant sister.

Ethan realized there and then that his beloved had betrayed him in the worst of ways, she never actually loved him or sought for peace between their packs as he had first thought, she only wanted power just like her father. 

She possessed great beauty but her heart was as black as night.

After being immobilized by poison, he was forced to helplessly watch as his pregnant little sister was brutally raped by all the warriors of the Night Walker Pack.

She was left a bleeding mess and she begged to be killed, something which Alpha Waylen quickly obliged.

All this happened in front of Tanika and she never tried to stop it, she rather watched with glee.

Ethan was imprisoned, he was tortured and taunted by Alpha Waylen and Tanika for two years until some of his loyal subjects who had managed to escape the pack during the siege returned and broke him out.

I used to work for the Alpha's family, I was the Luna's personal maid and confidant and I also helped raise Ethan.

Though my life was spared because I'm not directly related to Ethan, I was imprisoned because I refused to pledge my loyalty to the usurper.

When Ethan was escaping, he broke me out as well.

We were greatly outnumbered at that time so we were unable to fight Alpha Waylen and were forced to escape instead.

Ethan, completely broken by the betrayal and torture, trained hard for three years. 

When he was fully ready and had killed the fear of death, he attacked Alpha Waylen, and claimed back what rightfully belonged to him.

He killed Alpha Waylen and his evil daughter, Tanika but even after her death, Tanika managed to leave her mark on him because he developed a strong dislike for females, serious trust issues and became utterly ruthless.

As if that was not enough, during his days of torture, Tanika made sure she would be the last person he would ever be with till death because she cursed him with a rare illness.

During his captivity, he was forced to ingest a magic poison which would make a woman's touch lethal to him." Rachel narrated and paused to catch her breath.

"What do you mean by that?" I questioned, confused.

"Basically, if a woman touches his skin, he experiences an unbearable pain akin to being burnt by fire.

This forced him to stay away from women and fostered his hatred for them. Due to his curse, not only would he never be able to feel the warmth of a female's touch, he would never be able to have an heir as well.

Alpha Waylen and Tanika had won despite losing, they had managed to ruin his life.

After reclaiming the pack, setting our people free and killing every single member of the Night Walker Pack, both women and children, he tried to find a cure for his curse but nothing seemed to work.

Each failed attempt killed his hope little by little until there was nothing left but anger and bitterness. He became a ruthless and bloodthirsty predator, channeling his pain through his punishments." Rachel concluded.

I was filled with mixed emotions, many of which I couldn't explain.

I had clearly misjudged him and formed an opinion based on what I had heard.

He was once a slave like me and he was betrayed by the woman he loved most. That must have hurt a great deal. Just the feeling of not being wanted by him had hurt me deeply so I can't possibly imagine how he must have felt.

And worst of all, she cursed him in a brutal way, to never be able to be with another woman ever again.

Just then, I realized something and doubts began to spring up.

"If what you just said is true, why is it that he didn't show any sign of pain when I touched him?" I questioned, feeling a little suspicious.

"Honestly, I don't know. In the past eight years, you're the only woman who has touched him without causing him pain. If you were observant, you would realize that no female serves the Alpha or goes into a room when he's present. I'm the only one allowed near him and I always keep a good distance." She stated and I realized it was true.

I had never seen any female around the throne room or even the Alpha's room, that's probably why they don't speak about him because they don't know anything about him.

"But that still doesn't explain why I'm the only one who can touch him." I insisted.

"Only the goddess knows, but there's one thing I'm sure of and it's that this is no coincidence. The goddess created you specially and made you his mate because you're the only one who can break his curse."