7. His Curse

Max's POV

It wasn't dawn yet when my fists slammed into the training dummy for the sixth time. My knuckles ached beneath the wraps, I was sweaty all over, and I honestly felt exhausted, but I kept going. Over and over because I needed a way to vent. To feel something other than the girl living in my house.

Lana....

Just the thought of her made my chest burn with something inextinguishable. Anger and confusion. Something worse?

I hated being disobeyed. She just had one thing to do. Abide by my rules.

And what was worse? She went out dancing with some man I planned on paying a visit to later.

Ethan had forwarded some photos alongside a note that said: "You seeing this?"

Oh, I had. And I haven't stopped playing the images in my head since.

She'd been laughing even when the ridiculous human held her waist in the name of dancing. Like she was some food on parade.

And that was where the problem lay. Because she wasn't someone random to have a dance with. She belonged to someone.

And that someone was me.

I gritted my teeth, in an attempt to stay focused as I steadied my feet on the ground before pivoting into another cruel hit. The dummy whined under the force, wood near its base splintering.

"You're going to hurt yourself again. Your shoulder hasn't exactly healed yet," someone called from behind.

I didn't have to look before knowing it was Ethan. Only the twat could interrupt me mid-session like this without me having his head for it.

He walked into view, his eyes scanning over the ruins my small combat had caused with his arms over his chest. "Who knew your little bride could have you spiraling like this?"

Taking off my wraps, I tossed them aside. "Don't even start."

"C'mon, Max. She's an ordinary omega. You brought her here because her signature was what you needed. Nothing else. How's she getting in your head?"

Good question. How was the naive little lamp getting in my head?

"She's not....."I was saying when he cast me a knowing look. "It's messy, okay?"

"Uh-huh...." he cocked a brow. "Messy because you actually care about her safety....or messy because you seem to be losing control?"

It didn't happen much, but this was one of the very few days when I had nothing to say in response to a question.

I thought hard, and in truth? I had no idea which it was.

My wolf stirred beneath the surface, acting all restless. A mirror of how I felt actually. The beast of mine never handled emotions too well. And honestly, neither did I.

"The episodes," he spoke and I stared, wanting him to clarify. "Have you had another one since you married her?"

Oh.

That.

Right.

His eyes sharpened. "I'll take that as a yes."

It was. I didn't even have to confirm it because he knew me as well as I did him.

The last episode occurred about three nights ago. In my room. And it hadn't been a funny scene. It was just as bad as the others.

She still haunted me. The curse still lingered. And it gets exhausting to keep running away from one thing over and over for years.

"You know it's not her fault, right?"I mumbled. "I just think she's triggering something."

"Or rather, unearthing it," he helped rephrase. "You remember that thing your mother used to say? That the curse gets to choose when the heart softens. Maybe it's....."

"I'm still the same," I snapped, sounding a bit louder than I intended to.

He didn't say anything after that.

It was dawn now. The sunrise cast long shadows across the vast compound. I could hear wolves coming in for morning drills. The ones who walked past me bowed as a sign of respect.

You see, alpha instincts demanded that I stand tall but realistically all I wanted to do was just vanish. Escape my own self. To quit feeling even if it's for a limited amount of time.

"You know you could just talk to her, right?"Ethan spoke behind me.

I laughed bitterly. "Oh, yeah? And tell her what? That I'm an alpha who'd been cursed? That I married her not for love or lust or even the tiniest bit of companionship but rather for the sake of bloodlines and some crappy prophecy?"

"I know it sounds stupid, but she just might surprise you."

The same girl who wouldn't listen to a simple "stay back"?

Of course.

"Surprise me...."I muttered. "She already has."

I stormed out without saying anything else.

★

It was so quiet by the time I returned home. I returned late actually. It'd been such a busy day after all.

I noticed even the staff had turned in already.

I climbed the stairs slowly, wondering if I should just listen to Ethan and speak with her.

But then it was a lot harder than it sounded.

I exhaled deeply, her scent hitting my nose halfway through the stairs. She smelled like clean linen and warm honey. A soft combination that seemed to make my wolf go still.

I halted in front of her bedroom door.

It's been a few days since our little..... exchange and I'd pretty much been ignoring her since then.

Checking to see if she was okay wouldn't hurt anybody, right?

I reached up to knock....but then I froze midway.

What was the use? She'd ask me to come in, what was I to say?

Give her detailed explanations on why I asked her to listen to me. Tell her the whole truth and earn me pity?

Tell her that I could feel myself drifting..... changing....and I had zero idea if it was because of her or because of the curse.

My hand fell back to my side and I took a step back.

Giving the door one final glance, I turned my back and walked off.

It was better for both of us if she just thought that I didn't care.

Making her think I did and going close was only going to end up with the both of us being ruined.