3

ALARIC

Pain was the first thing I felt.

It crawled through my body slowly, like something alive—digging into my bones, wrapping around my ribs, pressing against my skull. Every breath burned. Every heartbeat felt wrong.

But it was not unbearable. It didn’t feel like I was dying.

Then, I felt the surface beneath me. It was soft—so soft—just like my bed.

My eyes snapped open.

The ceiling above me was familiar. It had the ancient carvings of my Pack symbols.

I was in my room, and I was alive. That realization hit harder than the pain.

My jaw clenched as memories rushed back. Stephanie, that good-for-nothing bitch cheated on me.

I should have known that girls like her can’t keep their legs closed to any man. But to think that she ran straight to that Lucien.

I couldn’t suppress the scoff that left my lips. Of course, she was chasing the cure to the curse and knew she could only break free of it after she became a part of Lucien’s Pack.

Because, for some reason, only Lucien and his Pack members remained untouched by the curse that plagued the whole werewolf society.

I sat up in the bed and ran my fingers through my ruffled hair. The ease of the motion made me pause.

I looked down and stared at my bare body. There were scars littered everywhere, but no signs of any open wounds. Even my head felt perfectly intact.

How was that possible?

Suddenly, the memory of glowing gold eyes flashed through my head. 

Her eyes—that girl’s eyes had met mine for a split second under the lightning. I could still feel it, that strange current that shot through my veins the moment she touched me.

That was not normal.

She had…done something to me.

“ Alpha! ”

The door burst open. Kael, my Beta, rushed in, his expression screaming worry that quickly turned into relief when he saw me awake.

“ You are finally conscious… ” He exhaled a breath. “ You have been out for almost a day, and I almost thought… ”

He didn’t complete what he was going to say, but I couldn’t care less. I was more focused on something else.

He said I was unconscious for a day.

My brows furrowed. This was not possible.

With the curse active, especially under the Blood Moon, I should not have healed at all.

I should have died in that forest.

But even if I survived, it should have taken at least weeks or even a month for those wounds to heal.

But here I was, completely fine as if nothing had happened to me.

“ Who brought me back? ” My voice came out rough, barely more than a growl.

Kael stopped close to the foot of my bed. His hesitation didn’t go unnoticed.

“ Just say it… ” I ordered, my brows furrowing.

“ We found you in the forbidden forest, Alpha. ” He swallowed. “ You were breathing. But…your wounds were already closing. ”

My fingers curled into the sheets. Already closing—Those words were strange to hear.

The werewolf healing no longer worked.

“ What do you mean? Explain! ” I hissed.

Kael shook his head. “ I can’t. We both know healing is not possible. I have looked into anything that could have helped activate your healing powers, but I found nothing out of place. You were healing…naturally. ”

“ Naturally? ” I smirked bitterly. “ Have you gone mad, Kael? You know it’s not possible. ”

“ I know! But…it’s true, Alpha. The curse…it was not affecting you the same way anymore. It was like… ” He trailed off, searching for the right words. “ Like something just…activated your powers? And I don’t know how. I am still trying to figure it out. ”

My chest tightened when my mind drifted to those glowing golden eyes again.

She was the only one there. What did she do to me?

“ Did you find anyone else there? ” I asked, my tone low and controlled.

“ There was…someone. ” He nodded. “ We didn’t see her at first. But the warriors caught a movement deeper in the forest. ”

I swung my legs off the bed, ignoring the dull ache in my ribs. “ a girl? ”

“ Yes, Alpha. ” He nodded. “ did she attack you, too? Was she with Lucien, that— ”

“ What happened to her? ” I straightened up, feeling a strange sense of anticipation deep in my gut.

Kael lifted his brows. “ We pursued her. ”

Everything inside me stilled. “ And? ”

“ I don’t get it. You should be more worried about Stephanie, Alpha. She has been missing since— ”

“ Where is the girl?! ” I growled, anger radiating off me in waves.

Kael paused and shook his head. “ We knocked her out and caught her. ”

“ Yes. Fucking yes! ” I couldn’t help but hiss. “ Where is she right now? ”

“ In the holding quarters… ” Kael revealed, confusion etched into his features.

“ You put that girl in the dungeon? ” My brows lifted.

“ We didn’t know what she was. She has no scent. No markings, Alpha. And she was carrying rare herbs. She was also close to where you lay, completely out of it. What else were we supposed to do if not put her in the dungeon? ” Kael’s nose scrunched as if he couldn’t believe that I was focusing more on a stranger than his cousin, that cheater Stephanie.

I ran a hand down my neck and walked close to the window that overlooked the garden. “ Kael, I know where Stephanie is. You don’t need to worry about her. ”

“ You do? Where— ”

He started but I cut him off. “ I will tell you later. But for now, just bring this girl to me. I need to see her. Now. ”

I could feel him still standing there. Kael had been my shadow since childhood. From little friends to the Alpha and Beta of this Pack, we had worked together all our lives.

He knew me well. Even if he was desperate to inquire about his cousin, he knew this was not the right time.

So, he turned and left without saying a word. But I? I was itching to see this girl.

She was the cure to the curse. She had to be. But what I needed to know was…

How did she do it?