The Devil Want Me Now

Chapter 4

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If anything, Alpha Rex was known as a brutal man. No, not just brutal, terrifyingly ruthless. He wasn’t just the Alpha of the Black Hood Pack, he was a legend people whispered about with trembling voices. His methods of dealing with enemies, and sometimes even his own people, were nothing short of savage. Even Alpha Kael, as arrogant and dangerous as he was, feared him. That alone spoke volumes.

And yet, here he was now, standing before me, offering his help… coming to save me like I was some helpless princess in distress. The irony of it all made my head spin.

“Do I look so handsome that you can’t stop staring?” he asked, a dangerous smirk plastered across his lips, one that only made him appear more menacing.

It was in that humiliating moment I realized I had been staring at him. Embarrassing myself, once again. But who was I kidding? My whole life was an endless series of embarrassing moments. This was nothing new.

I forced myself to ignore his words, to ignore his offer altogether. Summoning every ounce of pride I had left, I stood up, determined to walk away. But before I could even steady myself, my vision blurred. The ground beneath me tilted, and I staggered clumsily.

Before I could hit the floor, those same strong hands caught me. His hands. The moment they wrapped around me, it felt like the entire world froze in place. Time slowed. My heart pounded against my chest as my eyes locked onto his,  sharp, intense grey eyes that felt like they could burn straight into my soul.

They were beautiful.

Or maybe it was just the way they were looking at me. Like I was more than just a mark on Kael’s possession list. Like I was…something.

“I…I’m sorry,” I muttered quickly, pulling myself away from his arms, this time making sure I stayed upright, no matter how much my body protested.

Lowering my head, I turned, ready to put as much distance between us as possible. But before I could take even a single step, I felt his hand wrap firmly around my arm, his touch, strong yet electrifying. A jolt shot through me, quick and sharp, sending involuntary shivers cascading down my spine.

Alpha Rex — the Alpha of the Black Hood Pack. Everything about him, his presence, his reputation, even his pack, screamed danger. The Black Hood Pack wasn’t just known for its darkness and secrecy, it thrived on it. Their entire existence was cloaked in shadows and silent threats.

But despite their ominous reputation, they were our closest neighboring pack. In some twisted way, the Crescent Moon Pack owed its survival to them. We were allies, whether anyone liked it or not. Our relationship with the Black Hood Pack wasn’t based on trust or loyalty, it was survival. A symbiotic connection where both packs needed each other to exist.

Whenever Alpha Kael was absent, Alpha Rex was the one holding everything together here within the Crescent Moon Pack. He managed affairs alongside Beta Elyra. It was no secret Elyra despised Alpha Rex,  she didn’t even bother to hide it. The feeling, I suspected, was mutual. But for all her pride, Elyra knew her place. She valued her life enough to tread carefully around him.

And yet…here he was.

Before I could fully process what was happening, he had closed the distance between us, standing so close I could feel the heat radiating off him. But his eyes,  those sharp grey eyes,  weren’t on my face anymore.

They were staring directly at my neck. The exact spot where Alpha Kael had marked me.

For a few seconds, his eyes were completely blank, unreadable. Like a wall I couldn’t see past. I couldn’t tell if he was confused, angry, or God forbid amused.

But then his voice cut through the tension like a blade.

“Who did this?” His tone gave him away, low, sharp, laced with fury, as his hand brushed over the mark, harsh and careless, making me flinch back, wincing in pain.

I gazed at him, lips trembling, as the memories from that awful night came flooding back. Tears welled up before I could stop them, burning hot and shameful as they rolled down my cheeks.

“I fucking asked you a question, Alera. Who is that bastard that did this to you?” His voice was lower now, rougher, edged with the kind of anger that made the air between us feel suffocating.

I stood frozen, thrown off by his reaction. I couldn’t understand it. Why was he this angry? It made no sense. None of it did.

Swallowing hard, I wiped my face with trembling hands, quickly brushing away the stubborn tears that kept falling. Then I crossed my arms, forcing my feet to move, walking up to him with every ounce of false confidence I could muster.

“My mate marked me,” I said flatly, the words tasting like poison on my tongue. Bitter and humiliating. But I wasn’t about to let him mess with me, Alpha Rex was dangerous, everyone knew that. A dangerous flirt, a heartless player, and no one forgot what he did to Elyra. No one. It was why she hated him so much to this day.

I refused to be humiliated again, especially not after the stunt Kael had pulled in front of the entire pack.

“Your mate?” His brows furrowed sharply, his expression darkening. “This isn’t a fucking mate mark,” he snapped. “This is a curse.”

Before I could react, his hand slammed against the wall beside me, pinning me there. His grey eyes bored into mine, intense, wild, filled with something dangerous I couldn’t quite name.

My mind spun, completely overwhelmed.

A curse?

A cursed mate mark?

What the hell was he talking about?

Kael marked me… cursed me? My thoughts scrambled for answers, but it was too much. Too heavy. I could barely breathe, let alone process the weight of what he was saying.

“Now tell me,” he growled again, voice colder, sharper, deadlier than before. “Who the fuck did this to you?”

“Alpha Kael.” I barely managed the words, my voice barely above a whisper.

The moment his name left my lips, Rex’s entire body tensed. His eyes darkened, jaw clenched.

“Oh, that fucking bastard!” he snarled.

Before I could stop him, he grabbed my wrist, his hold firm, possessive, dragging me along behind him without giving me a chance to argue.

Tears still streamed down my face, but I hardly noticed them anymore. My heart pounded in my chest, and my mind was racing, spinning with confusion, anger, humiliation, and fear.

We didn’t stop until we reached Kael’s office. Rex pushed the doors open with force, barging in like a storm. The sight that greeted us nearly knocked the air from my lungs.

There was Alpha Kael, practically bending Elyra over the only desk in his office, his hands gripping her waist as his lips hovered dangerously close to her neck.

“Are you two this shameless?” Rex’s voice boomed through the room, sharp with disgust and fury.

The moment those words hit them, Kael and Elyra scrambled, quickly pulling themselves together. Luckily for them, they hadn’t gotten far enough to start tearing off clothes, but they were close. Too close.

“Alpha Rex?” I heard Kael’s voice crack slightly, like he wasn’t expecting him here, not now.

Hearing his voice alone broke something inside me, a part I didn’t even know was already cracking. It made sense now. Everything made sense. Why did Alpha Kael mark me in the first place? It wasn’t out of love. It wasn’t destiny.

It was just to place a curse on me. And I… I didn’t even know. I was walking around, wearing his mark like some proud fool, not realizing the weight of it was designed to destroy me.

“What’s the relationship between you and the lady?” Alpha Rex asked, but his eyes never left me. He didn’t care for Kael’s response, at least, not fully. His gaze burned through me, pulling apart the lies I was wrapped in.

Before Kael could even respond, Elyra’s venomous voice cut through the room, dripping with disgust. “What has she done now?” She glared at me like I was filth beneath her shoes. “You can’t go a day without causing trouble, can you? You’ve even managed to piss Alpha Rex off now?”

Her words stung, but I kept my face blank. I’d given her enough satisfaction today. She didn’t need more.

“Shut up, Elyra,” Alpha Rex snapped, his voice like ice, sharp and cold enough to freeze the air. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

Elyra’s mouth clamped shut instantly, her posture stiffening, the embarrassment written all over her face.

Without hesitation, Rex turned his full attention to Kael, stalking toward him with that same terrifying calm. “I asked you a question,” he repeated, his tone deceptively low, but every word simmered with the promise of violence.

Kael straightened, narrowing his eyes. “She’s my mate,” he finally answered, the words falling heavy between them.

Silence gripped the room, stretching like a taut string about to snap. The tension was suffocating, pressing in from every side.

“Good,” Rex said, his lips curling into a dangerous, filthy smirk that made the hairs on my neck rise. “Do you remember the pact we made… a few years back?”

Kael’s eyes flickered with confusion. “What deal?” he asked cautiously, his shoulders tightening.

“Oh, I can’t believe you forget so easily,” Rex taunted, tilting his head slightly as that smirk deepened. “The one where we agreed I would watch over your precious pack, take full responsibility for everything that happened while you were away… and in return” he paused for emphasis, his eyes glinting with wicked satisfaction. “I could request anything I wanted.”

Kael’s jaw twitched. “Yes?”

“Yes.” Rex’s eyes drifted back to me, dark and possessive, his voice low and final. “Now I want her.”