The Alpha's Cursed Heir 4

Lena's mind was racing as they rushed through the woodland. She was aware that Damon was after her and would not give up until he got her. In addition to being a slight to his feelings, his rejection had been a power move. By casting her aside, he had positioned himself to take control of the pack without her.

But there was something more to it. The hatred in Damon’s eyes when he had rejected her… it had been personal. He didn’t just want to rule, he wanted to see her broken, destroyed. And now, as the wolves continued to pursue them, Lena knew that Damon’s obsession had grown into something darker.

“Why would Damon do this?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “He rejected me and now, he wants me dead.”

Kaden glanced at her, his expression grim. “Damon’s not acting alone. He’s working with Zara.”

The name sent a chill down Lena’s spine. Zara, the sorceress responsible for her family’s curse. The one who had manipulated their bloodline for centuries. If Damon had allied himself with her, then his ambition went far beyond leading the Grey Hollow pack. He wanted power.

Lena’s pulse quickened at Kaden’s words. “Zara?” The very name felt like venom on her tongue. Damon had always craved power, but aligning himself with someone as dangerous as Zara? That was beyond ambition. It was madness.

“She must’ve promised him something he couldn’t resist,” Kaden said, his tone sharp. “Zara thrives on the greed and desperation of others. And Damon… he’s desperate for control. He sees you as the last obstacle.”

Lena’s mind spun. Damon had been willing to tear her apart emotionally, but this alliance showed a depth of betrayal she couldn’t fathom. He wasn’t just rejecting her to secure his status; he was ensuring her destruction to solidify his pact with Zara. The thought made her sick.

“Do you think Damon knows the truth about my wolf?” she asked, dread curling in her chest. “Does he know what I am?”

Kaden’s silence was answer enough.

“He doesn’t care,” Kaden finally said. “He’s blinded by power. Whatever deal he’s made with Zara, it doesn’t end well for anyone. Least of all you.”

Lena clenched her fists, fury and fear warring within her. She had been running, hiding, consumed by the loss of her family and the rejection from Damon. But now, she realized, she couldn’t afford to hide anymore. Not when Damon was working with the very person who had cursed her bloodline. This wasn’t just about her survival. This was about her taking control of her fate before Damon and Zara destroyed everything.

"We can't let him get to the temple." Lena said with a determined tone. "Whatever he's searching for, I will make sure he doesn't get it."

Kaden gave her a long, considering look. “Then we’ll need to be faster than him. The temple’s protections won’t hold forever. And if Zara is involved, there’s no telling what kind of dark magic she’s already put into motion.”

Lena nodded, though her mind was racing. She would have to confront Damon, there was no avoiding it. But now that she was aware of his true motives, it felt like a battle she had to fight for, not for herself alone but for her family and the legacy Zara had perverted for so long.

She squared her shoulders as her heart thumped with the weight of what was to unfold. But before she could think about the gravity of what lay ahead, the ground shook and a deep, rumbling growl came from the forest's shadows.

Kaden stiffened just by her side, his body coiled like a spring, prepared for what was to come.

---

The growl became louder and more sinister, causing Lena to catch her breath in her throat. Suddenly out of the shadows, a towering, broad figure, shrouded in the aura of a predator, stepped out. Damon.

His eyes shone like molten gold in the dim light and a ruthless sneer twisted his mouth. “Did you really think you could run, Lena?”

Kaden stepped in front of her, his body shielding hers as Damon approached. The prospect of violence permeated the oppressive tension in the air.

“I didn’t want it to come to this,” Damon said, his voice cold. “But you left me no choice. You’ve always been a liability, Lena. Weak. Broken. And now you’re meddling in things you don’t understand.”

Lena felt her heart pounding inside her chest, yet she steeled herself against allowing fear to dominate her. She stepped out from behind Kaden, her chin lifted defiantly. “I understand more than you think, Damon. You’re the one who’s been manipulated. Zara will destroy you the moment she gets what she wants.”

Damon's angry, resentful laughter reverberated across the trees. "You think I don't know that? The promises made by Zara are really a means to an end. But once I have what I need, I’ll control everything. You. The pack. The curse. It’s all going to bend to me.”

Lena’s stomach churned at the madness in his voice, but she held her ground. She had faced enough loss and betrayal, she wouldn’t let Damon break her again. “You must be delusional to think you can control the curse, Damon. You don’t know what you’re up against.”

His smile vanished and his eyes grew gloomy, giving way to a calculating, cold look. “Maybe not. But I know one thing, you won’t live long enough to stop me.”

Before Lena could react, Damon lunged, faster than she could have imagined. But Kaden was quicker. He met Damon head-on, their bodies colliding in a flurry of snarls and fury. The two Alphas clashed like titans, teeth bared, claws slicing through the air, each movement lethal and precise.

Lena's starred in terror, her heart was in her throat. Even though Kaden was keeping up, Damon was unrelenting, driven by violent desperation that made him more dangerous than ever

Just as Kaden managed to throw Damon off balance, a sinister voice echoed through the clearing, cold and sharp as ice.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

Lena’s blood ran cold as Zara materialized from the shadows. Her presence sent a wave of dark energy rippling through the air, and Lena felt it in her bones. This sorceress wasn't just any. This was the woman who had cursed her lineage and turned her family's legacy into something hideous.

Zara came forward, her power sizzling in the air around her, her eyes gleaming with wicked glee. "Child, you've run far enough. It’s time to face the truth.”

Before Lena could speak, Zara raised her hand, and a wave of dark magic surged toward her, enveloping her in a suffocating grip. The world tilted, and Lena felt herself falling into a void of cold and darkness, her consciousness slipping away as Zara’s voice echoed in her ears.

“Sleep, little wolf. You’ll awaken soon enough… to your true destiny.”

---

Lena struggled to stay conscious but her eyesight betrayed her, it became blurry and her thoughts began to descend into unconsciousness. She could hear Kaden's voice calling her name from afar but it was too late. With unrelenting intensity, the darkness seized her and pulled her under.

But just before the world went black, Lena felt something stir deep inside her, something ancient, something powerful. Her wolf.

It came alive with a roar, wild and ferocious, a power so great that it threatened to consume her completely. And as her awareness dwindled in that last instant, Lena was horribly confident of one thing.

The curse was about to break.

But when she awoke, she might not be the same Lena anymore.