Chapter Four: Before the curse.

Cane

The flames from the ceremonial torches flickered in the night breeze, casting dancing shadows across the platform. I stood still, eyes forward, every muscle in my body clenched tight, but inside me, a war raged.

It had been hours since the rejection. Hours since I looked Thalia in the eye and told her I’d rather die than be tied to her.

My fated mate.

The words still echoed like a ghost I couldn’t shake.

She had dropped to her knees. The pain had been written all over her face. She didn't cry but i knew she wanted to. She had looked right at me, broken and trembling. My chest had twisted, my wolf had howled in agony.

But I did nothing.

I kissed Seraphina.

I stood there like the perfect prince, the obedient heir, and sealed the betrayal with my lips while the one the Moon Goddess had chosen for me crumbled at my feet.

I swallowed hard, trying to push away the bitterness rising in my throat. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. None of it.

Four years ago, when Thalia still smiled. Before the whispers. Before the curse. Before death stained her name. She used to dance barefoot in the training fields after hours, sunlight in her auburn hair, mischief in her faded green eyes. I used to pretend to train longer just to watch her from afar.

Thalia. The Alpha’s first daughter. Royalty. Fierce. Brave. Wild. She wasn't born an Omega. She was made one after the death of her mother. Thalia was everything I wasn’t allowed to want, but I did anyway. I loved her.

And she knew it. I caught her watching me once, hidden behind a tree. She laughed when I found her and tackled me in the grass like we were just two wolves, not heirs with responsibilities and arranged futures. I fell in love with her in those moments.

But then…Then came the raid.

Her mother, Luna Evelyn was loved by everyone. She carried out her Luna responsibilities with grace. She cared for every member of the park. Despite having a whole kingdom that most parks couldn't boast of she was always wise and down to earth. That faithful day she had announced that she'll be going to visit the elderly. Thalia always followed her mother everywhere, so she went with her mother. They went alone, through the woods.

I sometimes blame myself for the Luna's death. She said she was just taking a walk through the woods when I offered to go with her. The woods in the park were usually safe due to the frequent patrol that takes place and no rouge was reported in the area. But then, we heard the news. Slain in an ambush. And Thalia? She survived.

Only her.

And immediately after she returned… everyone started whispering.

“She ran.” “She left her mother behind.” “She’s the reason the Luna died.”

At first, I refused to believe it. I defended her. I argued with my father. I screamed at the council. I blamed myself. But she never answered. She never denied it. She shut down and disappeared into shadows.

I started to believe the whispers. Because nothing else explained how someone so strong, so full of life, could let her mother die like that. Without doing nothing. Yes she was only sixteen and I was eighteen then but she had already graduated her basic training.

The reason why our park could grow into a kingdom was our structure. We had strong warriors and every child of the park must begin training at the age of twelve. The exceptionally strong ones would go ahead and join the warriors while the rest would leave but at least they had to complete basic training at the age of sixteen

The day I began to believe the rumors, I let seraphina into my life.

She was kind. Present. She listened. She filled the gap Thalia had left behind. And she believed in me, worshipped me even. When I blamed myself for what happened, She comforted me and reminded me that it was all Thalia's fault. Since then we began training everyday. So she wouldn't end up like Thalia.

Then, two years ago, I smelled it. I followed the earthy scent i smelled till I saw her. Thalia. The bond hit like a freight train.

I was walking near the eastern border when it struck me. The scent of rain and sand, wild lavender and something deeper. My wolf leapt in my chest, howling, clawing, thrilled.

“Mate!” he had cried, circling in my mind, ecstatic.

She was cleaning blood from a wounded warrior’s tunic. A servant now. Her hair was tangled. Her clothes torn. But the bond was undeniable.

I remember freezing there, staring at her, breathless.

She looked up and met my gaze.

And for a second, just a second I felt Hope.

Maybe the Moon Goddess wasn’t cruel. That maybe She was giving me a second chance. A path back to the girl I once loved.

But then Seraphina’s voice filled my head.

And the whispers came back.

She betrayed her mother. She let her die. She’s cursed. Unworthy. Damaged.

I forced the bond down. Buried it. I told my wolf to stay quiet. I told him we were loyal to Seraphina. Seraphina saved us.

Seraphina was very beautiful. She looked as delicate as a flower, she carried herself with elegance and pride. She was something to be desired. So I told her. I told her that Thalia is my fated mate. I wanted to let her down easily so she wouldn't think we're in love. She said nothing. She just smiled. But that day's training was very intense. She fought with anger or desire. She fought with something that told me she wanted me for herself.

A few days after that intense training with seraphina, the king called me to his chambers to tell me that I've been trained from birth to be the next Alpha of Greenwood Park, I felt honored. But what he said next struck me like lightning.

"I have chosen the Luna too" he said with a very serious expression.

"You need to be with her if you must be the alpha of this park"

"Thalia?" I asked hopeful.

"No."

"Thalia is not fitting enough for this role. it's Seraphina. I know that Thalia is your mate, but this is a sacrifice you must make. Seraphina is the next luna of Greenwood Park."

I nodded as I left his presence. I wanted to be the next Alpha. It was my right. I thought… I could live without a fated mate. But nothing prepared me for the Mating Ceremony.

She stepped out that night barefoot, dressed in rags, and yet… I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The bond was suffocating. Every breath I took tasted like her. My wolf screamed in my head. “She’s here!”

I clenched my fists, locked my jaw. I reminded myself of the plan. The future. The Luna Greenwood Park needed.

But when her eyes met mine it nearly broke me. She looked so hopeful. So vulnerable. I knew what she was feeling. The pull. The wonder. The possibility.

She stepped forward and whispered, “You feel it."

I almost nodded. Almost.

Instead, I crushed it.

“I reject you, Thalia, Omega of Greenwood Park, as my mate.”

The words cut my throat as I said them. My heart cracked open. My wolf screamed in pain, retreating into silence.

But I had to do it. For Seraphina. For the pack. For the legacy I was supposed to carry. I could see the king nodding proudly. Approving what I had just done.

But it was different with Thalia. She looked at me like I had killed something sacred. And maybe I had. I watched her fall, trembling, as laughter surrounded her. I hated them for laughing. Hated myself for causing it.

And yet, I stood still. I knew that something needed to be done. I couldn't just leave her rejected, I won't make her suffer for it.

Just as she was about to be judged I cleared my throat and spoke up.

I didn't do it for seraphina. I did it for Thalia. I was going to be with another woman but my mate must not suffer for it. I knew she was going to be burnt alive very soon but there was nothing I could do about it. I could only wish for her freedom as she moved on from this world.

When the High Priestess performed the severing ritual, I couldn’t even look at her. But I heard her. Her screams. The pain. My wolf whimpered, pacing like a caged animal inside me. He wanted to rush to her, to stop it, to hold her. But I stood next to Seraphina, smiling like it was exactly what I wanted. I stood next to her even when I didn't want to.

I kissed her to prove it.

Not out of love but out of duty. Out of desperation to convince myself this was right. That I wasn’t a monster.

Within, the weight of what I’d done clung to me like chains. She was gone. The bond is severed. And I have chosen Seraphina. I should be happy. But instead, there was only silence inside me.

I stood by and watch the king pronounce death on his daughter. I felt stiff. Like I should do something but I didn't. I kept quiet. I didn't think she should die for hitting my Luna. Maybe beg for forgiveness or beaten but seraphina wanted her dead and dead she'll be in a couple of hours.