CHAPTER FIVE

DARIUS’S POV

The hall still buzzed with whispers, even though the doors were closed.

I could feel them. My wolves. My people. Their eyes pressed against the stone walls like ghosts. I didn’t have to hear the words to know what they said.

He’s cursed. He’s weak. He’s lost his mind. And now he drags a rogue into our home?

Every Alpha before me ruled with strength. Fear. Control. I had tried to rule with balance, but balance wasn’t enough. Not anymore.

Not with her standing in chains in the middle of my hall, her chin lifted, her eyes burning holes through me.

My mate.

The one thing I needed. The one thing I couldn’t control.

Rowan stood close, his voice low. “Alpha…you can’t keep her here like this. The pack…”

“The pack will fall if I let her go.”

“She’s a rogue,” Rowan hissed, his eyes sharp. “They’ll never follow you if you crown a rogue as your Luna. They’ll tear her apart before she even breathes.”

“She’s not just a rogue.” My voice cracked before I steadied it. “She’s mine.”

Rowan’s jaw tightened. “You keep saying that, but she doesn’t want you. Can’t you see it?”

I looked at her then. Really looked.

Her chains rattled as she paced, her every step filled with fury. She looked at the walls like they were prison bars, at me like I was the enemy. Her voice was venomous when she finally spoke.

“You keep staring at me like I’m supposed to break. Like if you stare hard enough, I’ll suddenly fall to my knees and thank the Goddess for giving me to you.”

Her eyes burned. “I won’t. I’ll die before I do.”

The words hit me harder than claws.

I took a slow breath, but it shook in my chest. “You think I want you to kneel?”

“That’s all Alphas want,” she spat. “Obedience. Submission. Power over everyone else. You’re no different.”

I stepped closer. She didn’t flinch, though her chains clinked as she straightened her back. “I don’t want your knees, Aria. I want your heart.”

She laughed, sharp, bitter, loud enough to echo across the hall. “Then you’ll die wanting.”

Rowan’s face twisted, his hand brushing his sword hilt. “Alpha, this isn’t working. She’ll never…”

“Enough, Rowan,” I snapped.

But Aria cut in before he could answer. “Listen to your Beta. He’s smarter than you are. At least he knows chains don’t build love.”

Her words cut, and I almost faltered. Almost.

I stepped closer again, so close I could feel her breath. My voice dropped low. “You can fight me all you want.

You can spit your hate at me until my skin burns with it. But don’t pretend you don’t feel it too - The bond.

It’s there, between us, every second. You can’t lie to me about that.”

Her chest rose and fell fast, too fast. Her eyes flickered, just for a heartbeat.

And then she yanked her chains hard, the sound sharp, her voice sharper. “What I feel is disgust.”

The silence after her words was a knife in my ribs.

Rowan shifted uneasily. “Alpha…your men saw what happened out there. They saw her fight you. They heard her mock you.

They know your secret now. If you keep her, if you claim her…they won’t just turn against her. They’ll turn against you.”

I dragged my gaze from her to Rowan, my voice low, dangerous. “And if I let her go, I lose everything.

My wolf. My strength. The curse will finish me, Rowan. And then they’ll lose me anyway.”

Rowan’s jaw clenched, his silence enough to say he understood.

Aria’s laugh broke through it. “So this is it? This is the great Alpha Blackthorn? Dragging around a cursed body, clinging to a bond he doesn’t deserve?”

I turned back to her. Her words burned, but her eyes burned more.

“Do you hate me that much?” I asked, quieter this time.

Her throat bobbed, her jaw tightening. “I don’t hate you. I hate what you are.”

I waited. “An Alpha?”

Her voice broke like glass. “An Alpha slaughtered my family. Right in front of me. I’ll never forget his face. His laugh. His claws. And every time I look at you, every time I hear your voice, I remember.”

My chest tightened until I couldn’t breathe.

So that was it. That was the fire in her. Not just rebellion. Not just pride. Pain.

Deep, festering pain.

I wanted to reach for her. Gods, I wanted to. But I didn’t.

I swallowed hard. “I’m not him.”

Her eyes flickered again, just for a heartbeat, before they hardened. “You’re all the same.”

The words hit harder than claws.

Rowan shifted again. His voice was quiet. “Alpha…what now?”

I dragged my eyes from her, my heart pounding like war drums. “Now, she stays. Until she understands.”

Aria barked out a bitter laugh. “Understand what? That I’m a prisoner in your fortress? That I’m supposed to heal your curse while you chain me to the floor? No, Alpha. I understand plenty already.”

I stepped closer again, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “Then understand this, I’d rather chain myself to hell than let you go again.”

Her eyes widened, just for a second, before she snarled. “Then welcome to hell.”

Rowan muttered a curse under his breath. “The pack is waiting for answers. You can’t ignore them.”

I turned slowly, my grip tightening on Aria’s chains. “Then let them wait. Tonight, she stays here.”

Aria yanked against me, her voice raw. “You can keep me in your fortress, Blackthorn. But you’ll never keep me in your heart. You’ll die cursed, and I’ll laugh when you do.”

The words gutted me. But I didn’t let go.

I pulled her forward, dragging her toward the stairs. Rowan followed, silent now.

Every step echoed like thunder. Every breath was war.

And all I could think was this…

I had claimed her before my people. I had chained her to my hall. I had vowed never to let her go.

But the truth?

I was the one bound.

Bound to a mate who hated me.

Bound to a curse only she could break.

Bound to a fate that felt more like death than salvation.

And no matter how much she fought me…

I couldn’t turn back.

Not now. Not ever....