Chapter Three

~Mirella~

I groaned as my eyes fluttered open. A throbbing headache rushed in, and I winced, holding my head. After a while, the pain subsided, making it possible for me to check my surroundings and try to find out what had happened to me.

I was in a foreign room and lying on a bed befitting a princess or prince. I knew I was in a male room because of the scent, and I wondered whose person's room I was in. Everything came rushing in, from when I'd been sold by my father to the beast in front of me and the chase and...

"Ahh!" I gasped and touched my neck.

I could trace the mark of his bite on my neck!

Was I alive?

Did I really survive that beast?

What the heck happened?

Whose room am I in? I scrambled off from the bed; my legs were weak, and I held onto the bed for support.

Why do I feel this weak?

Reality dawned on me; that cruel beast had marked me. He'd stake his claim on me, and no one can mate with me apart from him.

"You are awake," an amused voice startled me, and I lost my balance and fell on the ground, my butt hitting the floor.

"Oops, you need to be careful, my queen," the old man with gray hair and eyes said to me as he helped me up. He walked to the table nearby and brought out some herbs and prepared it with his tiny mortar and pestle. "Are you okay? I could-"

"Where am I?" I cut him short immediately.

"Silvermist pack," he replied and continued pounding the herbs. I blinked my eyes a couple of times, my lips parted.

I was still in this pack?

I held my head in my hands, uncertain of what to do.

What of the beast? Where is it?

Is it still alive or perhaps locked in its cage?

"Here, take your medicine before I inform alpha Kaelen about you being awake," he stated, and I became alarmed.

"What? No... no, don't call the beast. I'm still healing from yesterday's chase and bite. I'm still weak. I'm... scared of him," I pleaded, feeling so terrified.

"I need to leave here; please help me. I swear I won't tell anyone about how..." I trailed off unsure of what to say. Everyone knew about how dangerous the beast was, so what was I supposed to say to make him help me?

I'm sure he has a grandchild of my age. From the look of things, he was loyal to his Alpha, but I was desperate.

'Lyra! Lyra!' I tried to call my wolf, but I couldn't.

"You can't connect with your wolf for now, young lady, and you've been asleep for a week, not a day, and that's why you need to take this to gain energy," he explained, and my eyes widened in shock.

"A week!" I repeated, and he nodded his head in affirmation.

I've been asleep for a week, and I can't even connect with my wolf!

I can't run away from the pack even if I wanted to because I was sold to the beast by my father. I had no home to go back to, but staying in a pack with a beast as an alpha?

A beast with no humanity?!

I'd asked the Moon Goddess many times what I had done in my past life to deserve such a life.

Was it not better that he murdered me and drank my blood than forcing me to be stuck with him by marking me?

"If you think about escaping, young lady, that would be a dead end. I suggest you cooperate and drink the herb so you can get your wolf back," he warned.

Having no choice but to drink the herbs, I collected it and drank the bitter substance on the go. I squeezed my face, holding back the urge to throw everything up and brush my teeth and scrub my tongue.

"I'll tell the maids to get you ready to meet the Alpha, and I'm Gaius, by the way, my queen," he introduced and left the room.

Why was he calling me "my queen"?

I found it absurd, especially when he said the maids were going to get me ready.

Was he so sophisticated, and I so wretched that I needed to be prepared to be in the same room as him?

~~~

I stared at the mirror, looking at the wonders they'd done on my face. I was amused and happy that I got to be treated this way; it made me feel wanted. The door flung open, and a man, tall, with dark brown, shoulder-length hair and light blue eyes, wearing a regal cloth, walked in. The aura oozing from him screamed deadly and powerful.

The thing that surprised me was his scent that wafted into my nose; he smells somewhat familiar, like we've met before, but I could tell that I hadn't met this drop-dead gorgeous man that made me squirm in excitement and fear at the time.

My experience in this pack would've been a lot smoother if he was the first person I met and not that horrible monster.

The way his bare aura sucked air out of me scared me.

He was an epitome of beauty; he had a Zeus-like physique that could easily make any man drool, and each step he takes toward me makes me wary of him. He makes me annoyingly comfortable, which scares me.

My defenses come up, guarding me from this man. He noticed my discomfort and didn't take a step closer.

He clears his throat. "W-who a...are you?" I stuttered, trying to look anywhere but his eyes.

"I am Alpha Kaelan" He responded calmly, and I felt my heart stop beating for a while. My eyes snapped to his direction, shocked at his answer.

One thing that got me utterly confused was - why would a perfect, down-to-earth, handsome guy claim he's the beast?

Chapter Four

~Kaelen~

"She's ready", Gaius announced and began walking down the hallway to my room.

What was I going to say to her?

I could feel anxiety in my system, and I was quite surprised.

I shouldn't be worrying this much about talking to an Omega...

There she stood, looking at herself in the mirror. Her delicate frame was dressed in a flowing, silken dress that hugged her figure, showcasing her ethereal beauty. Her brown hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, the sunlight catching hints of the honey strands. She turned to face me when she noticed my presence; her eyes scanned me from head to toe and back to my face, where she stared longer than she'd expected to.

Her eyes were captivated-hazel eyes shimmering with an intensity to pull me in. She was beautiful in a way that was haunting, her presence both fragile and fierce.

I took a step closer, my body betraying me as I took her in. I could feel Thane, my wolf, stir within me. I felt that strange, unexplainable bond pulling at me, binding me to her as if we were the only two souls in the world.

I stopped in my tracks when I noticed a sign of discomfort flash across her face. I cleared my throat, ready to tell her to be at ease, at least to reassure her I was no threat in my human form.

"W-who... are you?" She stuttered, trying to look anywhere but my eyes.

"I am Alpha Kaelan" I responded in a calm and steady tone. The expression on her face was something I expected; of course, who would be crazy enough to claim he was the dreaded beast?

"You... Why are you lying? I've seen the beast, and you are not him," she snapped at me, going into her defensive mode. My eyes now on her lips, watching her biting them hard.

"This is what I look like in my human form. What you saw was me in my beast form," I responded, but she wasn't taking in any of my words.

She didn't believe me.

Mirella took an instinctive step back; the fear in her eyes made me hesitate. I needed to make her believe that I was the cursed Alpha.

"He doesn't have a human form, liar. Everybody knows that he is only a beast with no humanity; why are you lying to me? What do you want from me?" She accused me, and I caressed my brows.

A sigh escaped from my lips; this was going to be a long night. What the heck were all these rumors about?

Probably because I let my Beta represent me during any pack matters and that was because I was too ashamed to come out myself. I let myself be anonymous, who would have thought not caring about shutting some rumours down would cause this mess.

"I do not change to a beast except on a full moon, which lasts for a week. After the week, I turn to my human self. Why do you still think I have people in my pack? It's because they know their Alpha becomes insane during the full moon, and they already know what safety measures to do when that happens," I explained, trying not to sound sarcastic.

I closed my eyes in defeat. She still didn't believe me.

"Too bad; I can't change to my beast willingly, or I would have shown you," I stated.

She looks at me for a while, still terrified. I know it's hard for her to trust me, a stranger who claims to be a beast, but she needs to.

"You do not need to be afraid of me; I'll just stand where I am. I'm just here to understand what happened before you blacked out."

She studied me, her gaze flickering over my face as if searching for hints of the beast she'd encounter. Finally, her shoulders relaxed slightly. "Why are you asking me that when you claim to be the beast? You can't remember the hell you put me through?", her tone was laced with sarcasm.

I lowered my gaze. "When I become that form, my mind goes blank, and I remember nothing of what I'd done until I wake up again as... this" I replied, gesturing to my human form, almost in frustration.

"All I know is during the full moon, I shift to beast mode, and then after a week of satiating my bloodlust, I find myself on my bed in my human form with no idea what happens, but," I paused and raised my head. "Somehow you've made me shift before the week is completed, and I need to know how you did it."

"Made you... shift?" She stuttered, her breathing unsteady and her lashes flickering.

"I have no idea what you mean. I don't know. You chased me, and then..." she hesitated, searching for the right words to say.

"And then you called to me, not with words, but... in my mind. It felt like you reached into my thoughts, and then I heard you say something. You-you called me yours." Her cheeks flushed as she spoke, and her hand drifted to the side of her neck where the mark still lay.

Gaius did say I marked her, and I hate that I can't remember when I did it or how I did it. The beast did connect with her, but why?

"Are you sure that's all you could remember? Listen, I think you could help me lift this curse; nobody has ever done this. No female has ever survived me in my beast form, but you and the fact that I didn't feed from your blood but marked you must mean something." I growled, my wolf already becoming impatient.

I was being desperate at this point, but it was for a reason.

She needs to fall for this act! I need to find a way to make her believe I truly care about her. She needs to trust me fully and I need to find a way to bind her to this pack till I've found a solution.

This... This might be my only chance to get myself detangled from that curse that wild witch had placed on me.

Chapter Five

~Mirella~

"Are you sure that's all you could remember? Listen, I think you could help me lift this curse; nobody has ever done this. No female has ever survived me in my beast form, but you and the fact that I didn't feed from your blood but marked you must mean something," Alpha Kaelan growled, and I blinked a couple of times.

He thought I could help him?

He thought a lowly omega he bought could help him; why?

"But... I really did nothing." You just marked me, and then I became unconscious." I asked, unable to breathe as I awaited his answer.

What was he going to do now that he knew I couldn't be of help to him?

Was he going to kill me?

Send me away?

"I know deep down that you are connected to this. I just have this gnawing feeling inside of me, and I trust my gut. But if I'm wrong, I won't do anything to you; you are free to walk around the pack as you like, even go back to your parents pack if need be", he simply said and got up to leave.

I was surprised that he didn't call his soldiers to offer me to the Moon Goddess, but hearing him talk about sending me back to my former pack ignited an anger within me. I balled my hands into a tight fist; I do not wish to go back to that place.

"What did you do to my wolf?", I suddenly blurted, making him stop in his tracks.

"I've been trying to communicate with her, but I can't. Gaius gave me some herbs to awaken her, but I still haven't felt my wolf. Wh... what if you've killed my wolf?" I raised my concern.

The thought of losing Lyra was scary!

My heart began racing as trepidation washed through me. I know I shouldn't be feeling this hopeless, but what if the price to make him normal when it wasn't the right time was my wolf?

He furrowed his brows, his gaze softening, "Your wolf..." he murmured thoughtfully, his eyes filled with genuine concern.

Tears strolled down my face as I moved closer to the bed and slumped on it. I am so scared, so scared I would lose my only friend in this world.

I felt him sit beside me; he pulled me closer, but he didn't say anything, but I knew he felt guilty. I do not want to add to his guilt, but I just can't help it.

"I'm not sure why that's happened, but I promise you, we'll find answers. Whatever is blocking you, whatever has affected you-if it's a consequence of this curse or something else-we'll face it together. And if it means going back into that darkness to find out, then I'll go with you. You won't have to face this alone."

His words settled over me like a balm, soothing some of the raw, jagged edges of my fears.

"Be my Luna, Mirella."

I shot a blank stare to be sure that it came from him.

I saw the seriousness in his face and I stared at him for a full minute, wondering where that was coming from.

"Wh... what?" I exclaimed. My eyes widened in shock, a flicker of disbelief crossing my face as I stared at him. "Your... Luna?"

He nodded his head in sincerity, filled with an intensity that made my heart race, "You heard me right, Mirella."

"I did something wrong to you, Mirella. I don't know if you would be able to get your wolf back, but we can wait for as long as you want to see if your thoughts are right or maybe your wolf is just resting like Gaius had said. I just want to tell you that I would do anything in my power to get your wolf back," he said.

I shook my head, "Why then do you ask me to be your Luna?"

Alpha Kaelan's gaze softened, and I'm sure he could feel the way I trembled. "That because my beast did a stupid thing, he marked you, and that's awful because no wolf can claim you as his mate, and I am unable to have a mate because of the curse; it affected the mate bond, making it impossible for me to know who is my mate, and so if you do not consider being a beast mate, then I do not mind," he proposed, but I was not having it.

What if this is one of his plans to keep me in the pack forever?

I closed my eyes; I was already a slave in his pack, and I can't even leave the pack like I wished.

He reached out, hesitant but determined, his fingers brushing my cheeks gently. "Listen to me. I know this can feel a little overwhelming, and it may seem like I'm insane. I just want to let you know that if you do not want to be my Luna, it's fine," he said and paused.

"However, I can assure you, Mirella, that you are safe here. As long as you are with me, nobody will touch you," he reassured me, his thumb tracing the faint mark on my neck that unlocked something within me. His words and his voice made me dizzy, giving me a sense of protection that I'd never felt in my life.

What I was feeling right now isn't something I should feel right now.

The mark felt warm and tingling, and my heart fluttered wildly, both in awe and fear. He wanted me to stand beside him, to be his Luna. To be bound to him not only by the mark on my neck but by something deeper, something that went beyond the simple magic of a mate bond.

"But I'm still a sacrifice; I was sold to you by my father," I reminded him, feeling so uncertain.

"You aren't a sacrifice any longer. I've told Gaius and everyone in my pack to treat you as my guest. As my woman. I would have prepared your room, but I did not know when you would be awake."

I could see how hard he was trying to make me feel at ease and reassure me. I wanted to believe him, to lean into the safety he was offering. The idea of being his Luna was something a lowly omega like me should grab without wasting any time. He was not only offering me a place but also a title, a role of purpose and respect.

"I'll give you time to think about it, but I meant every word that I just said, Mirella. I promise to keep you safe with me as long as you accept my proposal...", he gently tucked the frays of my hair behind my ear, and I saw his eyes admire me. "I promise you, Mirella."

He got up and walked out of the room without looking back, leaving me to wallow in my own thoughts.

Never in my life did I think that an Alpha would even consider me to be his Luna. I was expecting him to reject me after marking me by mistake, but this was just a shock.

The thought of being bonded to a beast made me shiver, but either this or I'd go back to my family and continue to face misery.

Plus, his human self seemed... awkwardly sweet.

"I don't have anything to lose...", I said to myself after hours of thinking. I got up from the bed and walked out of the room.

"Where's your... Alpha?", I asked a maid and she directed me to a closed door.

I walked to the door and was about to knock when I heard voices speak.

"Do you think she fell for it?"

"I'm very sure she did." I heard that familiar voice that melted my heart minutes ago. "No woman has resisted my charm before, and she won't be the first. It's only a matter of time before she accepts."

"So what's your plan?"

"The plan is to use her to get this darn curse off me. The fact that she made me shift means there's something in her that can give me back full control over myself. But for us to find that out, she has to be here first. Once we're done with her, we'll dispose of her."

"By dispose you mean... kill her?"

I heard a chilling silence for a moment. "If we have to, we will. But for now, let's worry about getting what we want out of her."

I felt my fragile heart beating too fast against my chest.

I... I couldn't believe this.

So he wanted me to be his Luna... just so he could use me?

Was I going to let myself be used as a lab rat by Kaelen until I was useless to him, only for him to kill me after I'd become useless to him?

A flood of emotions overwhelmed me, and I had a lot of questions that needed to be asked, but there was one thing that was sure.

I needed to run.

Before this evil beast of an Alpha would ruin my life, I needed to escape, and I needed to escape tonight...