The Pack's Curse

Titan

Sixteen hours earlier.

When I woke up this morning and found Scarlett hurriedly throwing on her clothes, a stupid smile twisted my lips.

For a moment, I just watched her, the memory of last night playing over in my head and making my morning wood twitch.

It wasn’t until she grabbed her purse did I realize she was trying to leave.

No woman had ever slipped out on me.

Sitting up slowly, I asked her where she was going with my voice still rough with sleep.

Scarlett stood ramrod straight at the sound of my voice. And without looking at me, she bolted out of the door.

The sound of her footsteps hurried down the stairs.

“Fuck!” I muttered, throwing the sheets off me.

I was never the clingy type after sex, but something about her made me want to drag her back to this bed and keep her there.

I swung my legs over the side and started pulling on my jeans when my phone vibrated on the nightstand.

There usually wasn’t service out here. So I knew it was my brothers and they probably used the old landline.

Which meant, it had to be important.

“Yeah?” I said once I picked it up.

Maddox’s grim voice came through. “He’s dead.”

What? Fuck!

“How?” I swore out loud, hitching the phone under my neck so I could use my hands.

“He must have killed himself when we left him last night. The guards found his body this morning.”

Frustration surged through me and I nearly threw my phone across the room. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

I'd risked my life capturing him yesterday and now he was just...gone?

That motherfucker was the last person who saw Alpha Reign alive. He might be the only one with the information of the location my stepfather's body was sent.

Ending the call, I tossed the phone onto the bed and ran a hand through my hair.

I needed to let go of my obsession with the girl from last night. No matter how fucking good the sex was, I had bigger problems.

Gritting my teeth, I finished dressing and reached for my boots.

That’s when I saw a small photo lying on the floor near the door.

My brows knitted into a frown and I picked it up, only for my stomach to drop to the ground.

Alpha Reign was in the picture. Well, a younger version of him and he was carrying a little girl on his shoulders.

I knew that picture. The old man used to carry it everywhere with him, even when he died.

How the hell did it end up here?

Heart thumping, I flipped it over and the name "Scarlett♡" was scribbled across the back in his familiar handwriting.

My stomach turned to lead.

“Fuck!”

I ran out of the room with half-laced boots, taking the stairs two at a time.

Cole started to say something, but it was drowned out by me kicking the door open.

But I was too late.

I only caught a glimpse of her speeding away from the mechanic’s garage.

“Shit!”

I stormed over to Old Jay, my heart racing. “Where is she headed?”

"You mean her?" He shrugged at my question, looking away at his grease can. “Can’t say I know, son.”

“Don’t fuck with me, Jay.” I snarled. “Where?”

“Alright fine.” He sighed heavily. “She just went to the beach to scatter the Alphas ashes. You can't fault her for that. He's her father as much as he's yours.”

I ignored the rest of his words as everything slowly clicked into place.

Scarlett was Alpha Reign's daughter and he insisted his body be taken to her whilst hiding her identity from us all.

Without a single doubt, I knew he must have requested for her to scatter his ashes at that beach too.

For the years I'd known Victor Reign, the beach held no sentimental value to him.

There was only one thing he could want from that beach.

The fucking altar.

But why the hell would he lead her to the altar where the pack's thousand year old curse was sealed?

Shaking, I pulled out my phone and called my brothers. “All of you—get to the beach right now. Don’t ask questions.”

I hung up, jumped on my bike and roared out of town.

However, halfway there, my motorcycle suddenly died completely on the side of the deserted road.

“Oh come on!” I kicked the damn thing hard, rage boiling inside me. “Come you piece of shit!”

This bike had never failed me like this before. It felt like some invisible force was trying to stop me from reaching her.

It took me nearly an hour of cursing and tinkering before I got the bike running again.

Hours later, I was finally getting close to the beach when the sky suddenly darkened above me.

A violent earthquake ripped through the ground, nearly throwing me off my bike. FUCK! I was too late.

The moment the quake settled, I twisted the throttle and sped the rest of the way there.

When I finally arrived at the beach, I saw my brothers surrounding a small figure on the sand.

Ranger was saying something about taking her to the council.

I killed the engine and stormed toward them, my wolf pacing wildly under my skin.

“Stop” I commanded.

They all turned to look at me and Maddox raised a brow. “You know her?”

Staring down at Scarlett, fury and disbelief burned through my veins.

“Yes I do,” I said coldly. “She’s Alpha Reign’s long lost daughter.”

“Your stepsister?” Killian muttered and rage just flooded every inch of me.

And I didn't even know who I was really mad at.

Scarlett or her father?

At my confirmation, my brothers began firing questions at me, asking how I knew she was the one.

But I couldn’t tell them how. The words were stuck in my throat.

So I crouched down beside her on the sand, reaching for her bleeding palm to see the wound.

But she kicked at me. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

Clenching my jaw, I pulled my hand back.

“Did you know?” She whispered hardly. “Before last night…did you know we were…related?”

I scowled, whispering right back at her. “I’m not a fucking pyscho. I only found out this morning.”

“How?”

I pulled the worn photo from my pocket and held it out to her. “This.”

Her face flushed deep red and she snatched the picture from my hand, clutching it tightly.

Then after dragging in a deep breath, she muttered. “So I’m done here and I’m leaving. We are going to forget we ever met.”

That said, she tried to stand up, but I shook my head. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“Why not?” She yelled, her legs giving out on her. “I want nothing to do with the guy whose whore of a mother ruined my life!”

My jaw clenched so hard it ached and I could feel rage flaring hot in my chest.

But I fought it down.

This wasn’t the first time someone had thrown my mother’s reputation in my face—calling her the whore who jumped into bed with the Alpha just days after his family died in a fire.

Except now, we all knew the truth. Alpha Reign had kicked out his family and married my mother.

Why?

I needed answers, but until I got them, I couldn’t let her go.

Turning to Maddox, I barked. “Bring her to the Den.”

"Sure." He said curtly.

But as Maddox approached her, Scarlett began shouting, crawling back on the ground.

“Don’t you dare come near me!”

She struggled hard, kicking and twisting, but Maddox was built like a damn tree trunk.

Picking her up, he easily threw her over his shoulder

But the way she was pounding her fists against his back, screaming at him to put her down was such a funny sight, I had to bite back a smirk.

But then, her shirt rode up as she hung upside down, exposing the half-formed claw mark on her lower back.

It was the one she had shown me yesterday.

Except now, it was glowing blue.

I frowned and stepped closer to her, running my hand over it.

But the second my hand touched it, a sharp ache stabbed through my chest and the most unexpected word tore out of me.

“MATE!”

the moment I said it, all three of my brothers doubled over in pain, including Maddox and he almost dropped her.

“MATE!” they all echoed too.

And all I could say was “what the fuck?