The Alpha's Cursed Heir

The moon was a silver blade cutting through the night sky, casting an ethereal glow over the Grey Hollow pack lands. Deep in the forest, Lena stood on the sacred ground, her heart pounding as the pack surrounded her in a tight circle. Every wolf’s eyes were on her, expectant, eager. This was her moment, her first shift.

It was meant to be the most proudest night of her life. She was meant to become the Luna of the Grey Hollow pack because she was the heir to a very powerful bloodline, fated to become the Luna of the Grey Hollow pack. Her parents, Alphas of great strength and repute, had groomed her for this moment. Their legacy ran in her veins, and tonight, it would show itself.

Lena could feel the weight of her bloodline in her bones, the pull of the wolf that was supposed to be waiting just beneath her skin. Yet, as the minutes stretched and the tension in the air thickened, nothing came.

Her breath hitched, fear creeping into her chest. She concentrated harder, willing the shift to take over. But the more she pushed, the more her wolf remained silent, locked away behind an invisible barrier she couldn't reach.

"Focus, Lena," her mother’s voice came softly from the edge of the circle. “Trust the bond with your wolf. Let it flow.” Her father's eyes, usually full of pride, now held a flicker of doubt.

Lena swallowed, the taste of shame sour on her tongue. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. She could do this. She had to. The moon was right above her, its power surging in her veins, but still, the transformation refused to come.

The air around her shifted, subtle at first, then a ripple of unease moved through the gathered wolves. A whisper passed from one to another, growing louder. The curse. The words cut through her mind like a cold blade.

“I—I don’t know why…” Lena whispered, more to herself than to anyone else.

Damon stepped forward from the crowd, his towering presence looming over her. His eyes, once warm and filled with the promise of a shared future, were now hard as flint. "Lena," he said, his voice a low growl, "What’s happening?"

“I don’t know," she stammered. The weight of the pack’s gaze pressed down on her shoulders, turning her legs weak. "It’s not working. My wolf"

His face twisted with something dark, something ugly. "You're failing." The words were simple, but they cut deep, bleeding her pride and hope.

"No," Lena breathed, shaking her head, her voice breaking with desperation. "Just give me more time."

But Damon’s jaw clenched as if she were nothing more than a bad dream he wanted to forget. "You’re cursed, Lena," he said flatly, and the crowd murmured in agreement, fear rippling through them. “A wolf that can’t shift is no wolf at all.”

---

The silence that followed Damon’s words was suffocating. Lena’s heart shattered, the cracks spreading like ice across her chest. She had always been strong, or at least she thought she was. But here, in front of everyone she had grown up with, she stood exposed and broken.

Lena glanced toward her parents, silently begging them to defend her, to speak against the growing tide of whispers. But their faces were clouded with uncertainty, their eyes downcast. They couldn’t even ignore the truth, the failure of her shift was undeniable. It was as if a shadow had fallen over their lineage, a stain that couldn’t be washed away.

Her stomach churned as Damon’s presence loomed closer. The connection between them had always been strong, their bond destined by the fates themselves. Or so she had believed. But now, his golden eyes no longer held any warmth. They were cold, hard, calculating.

“You’re a disgrace,” Damon said, his voice rising, filled with the venom that twisted his features. “I can’t have a mate who’s cursed. I won’t tie myself to someone who can’t even shift.” He stepped closer, towering over her. “I, Damon of the Grey Hollow Pack, reject you, Lena, as my mate and my Luna.”

Lena couldn't breathe properly. She felt as though someone tore her soul from her body within. The rejection sliced through what they shared, hitting her body like a heavy blow. The pack gasped in unison, Lena staggered as the weight of Damon's words crashed over her like a wave.

"You can't." Her eyes were burning with tears as she glanced up at him, but Damon's expression was emotionless. There was nothing she could do to change his decision.

The rejection was final.

The pack shifted uncomfortably, their judgment heavy in the air. To be rejected by one’s mate was a fate worse than death in their world. And now, without her wolf and without her mate, Lena was nothing.

“Leave.” Damon’s voice was cold, final. “You have no place here.”

---

The hours passed in a blur after that moment. Lena had fled into the night, her chest aching with each breath as she ran through the familiar woods that had once been her sanctuary. The trees whispered as if mocking her, the wind cutting against her skin. The scent of pine and earth usually soothed her, but now it only felt like the final tether to a life that no longer belonged to her.

How could it all fall apart so quickly? Her wolf was supposed to emerge, she was supposed to be the heir, the Luna of Grey Hollow. Instead, she was cursed, rejected, and now… alone.

Lena collapsed by the river’s edge, her knees sinking into the mud. Her tears mingled with the water, slipping quietly into the stream. She tried to summon the memory of her parents’ voices, their strength. But all she could feel was the emptiness they had left behind when they died. A strange death, right after she couldn't shift into her wolf.

Their deaths had been swift and strange, the pack whispering of dark forces at play. Some had even hinted at the curse back then, but no one dared speak it aloud. Now, it all made sense. She was the curse.

Lena shivered against the cold and embraced herself firmly. Her parents would know what to do if they were still living. They would have helped her escape this nightmare, protected her, and helped her discover her wolf. But they were gone. And she was alone.

Or so she thought.

Suddenly She heard a rustle in the bushes and that made the hairs on the back of her neck sprang on edge. She froze and Her senses were sharpened, despite the sharp numbness in her chest. She wasn’t alone.

A figure stepped from the shadows, tall and imposing. His presence sent a chill down her spine. She couldn’t see his face, but his aura was unmistakably powerful, dangerous.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” the voice rumbled, deep and laced with authority.

Lena’s heart raced. "Who are you?" Her voice was barely audible over the river's sound as she whispered.

The man stepped closer, his features coming into view. Dark hair, sharp jaw, and eyes like the storm, piercing and cold. He didn’t answer her question, but the way he looked at her made something stir deep within her chest, something raw and primal. Something she thought was long gone.

“I’ve been watching you, Lena,” he said, his voice soft but filled with warning. “You’re not safe here.”

---

The figure stepped into the moonlight, his presence commanding, like a force of nature. His eyes locked with hers, and Lena’s breath caught. There was something unsettling about him, something both terrifying and magnetic.

“You’re Kaden,” she whispered, the name coming to her lips like a forbidden prayer. She had heard tales about him, the Alpha of a rival pack, a man many dreaded for his ruthlessness and slyness. Although he was well-known, nobody really understood his desires.

Kaden gave a small, humorless smile. “And you, Lena, are far more important than you know.”

The weight of his words sank into her, but before she could ask what he meant, the ground trembled beneath them, the wind shifting violently. Something was coming, something dark.

Kaden’s eyes narrowed. “We need to leave. Now.”

Lena’s pulse quickened, her instincts screaming danger. But there was no time for questions, no time to process the strange pull between them. She had no choice but to trust him.

“What makes you think you're worthy of my trust?” Lena demanded, forcing steel into her voice even as her body trembled.

Kaden’s gaze softened slightly, just for a moment. “Because if you don’t… you’ll never find the truth about your curse.”

He turned and began to walk, leaving her with no option but to follow. After a moment of hesitation, Lena got up, unable to resist the tug of fate. Her pulse racing with a mix of curiosity and anxiety, she followed him into the heart of the woodland.

Just behind them in the 

shadows of the woodland, unseen eyes watched. Damon lingered in the distance, his face twisted with rage and obsession. He wasn’t finished with her yet.

---

The darkness appeared to enclose them as they made their way more into the forest, where danger was always there. She followed Kaden quickly through the forest, but as they got to the edge of the woods, a loud howl ripped through the atmosphere.

Something was just not right.