The Alpha's Cursed mate

YEARS AGO. “No, Mama,” the little girl wails, clinging to her mother. Her tiny fists knot into the folds of her mother's cloak, her voice trembling with terror. “I don't want to stay here.” The woman's heart shatters, but she swallows the sob clawing its way up her throat. She crouches low, pressing her forehead to Freya’s. “You must, my love,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “They’ll find you if you stay with me.” The girl wonders if the “they” has to do with the strange man that got hurt in the fire she accidentally caused when she scrambled from under the bed and knocked over a candle. She shakes her head violently, tears streaking down her chubby cheeks. “I’ll be quiet, Mama! I’ll hide!” Her mother stiffens, her heart squeezing painfully. Then with trembling hands, she pries Freya's hands from her cloak. “Listen to me, Freya,” She tries to keep her voice steady. “You were never meant to be born. You will be safe here.” She was never meant to be born. The words soun

*LEONIDAS* Drogo, my wolf growls relentlessly in my head as my fists slam into the punching bag. He wants nothing more but to be with his mate. The thought alone sends me into another fit of rage. A human mate? The moon goddess got to be kidding me. My knuckles throb as the bag jerks violently with each strike. But I don't stop. I hiss when the bag burst , swallowing my fist. My chest heaves, sweat dripping down my temples as I draw my hand out , glaring at the ruined bag. ‘Let’s go to mate.’ Drogo’s voice echoes in my mind, eager, impatient. I curse under my breath. The damn wolf seems to have forgotten— she’s human. That alone should be enough to reject her and end her like the others. But I can't seem to do that. It's the mate bond, I tell myself. But that human smells different. I grab a towel and wipe the sweat from my face, but it does nothing to cool the heat burning beneath my skin. Drogo paces restlessly inside me, claws scraping against the walls of

*FREYA*The warning hangs in the air like smoke and a chill runs down my spine. “Whatever you want is here, the bathroom is that way,” she says pointing to a door at the far end. Then her lips tilt into a small smile. “Your omega friend will bring you some food.”“She is not my friend,” I murmur. “Well,I don't care. Just don't leave this room.” She turns to leave then stop. “And for your sake, don't think of running. We are surrounded by forest and you wouldn't make it within a kilometer radius before he finds you.”Her tone is calm but something in her eyes unsettles me than her words.Without any other word, she walks away. The lock on the door snaps in place after her and I collapse on the mattress, pulling my knees to my chest. My throat burns as I fight the scream clawing its way up. I've long accepted my fate will never change. I'll always be in bondage—with no way of escape no matter how hard I try to fight it. Just when I wanted to make a change— carve out

*FREYA* I jolt awake, my breath hitching into my throat. My heart pounding so hard like I just run a marathon. A sharp sting radiates from my neck and I wince, jerking upright as memories flash in my head. The guard torn to half. The dark veins crawling over that man's face and his arms. I shiver, my eyes darting around the room and I am embraced with eerie silence. The spot where the guard's body was is now clean. No, that's impossible. I throw my legs down from the mattress, my weak body protesting and move closer. Nothing is there. Not even the faintest stench of rotting flesh. Can it be possible that it was just a nightmare ? I reach for my neck, the very place I had felt the sting and I can feel a mark, confirming my suspicion. My fingers trace it and it isn't a bite mark, instead, it's something more like a... tattoo. Oh, heavens. Have I been initiated into a cult? The memory of his dark gaze returns to my mind. His razor sharp fangs and

*FREYA*I run without looking back, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.I only stop when I’m far away enough to breathe.What happened in there?My fingers brush the mark tingling on my neck. I don’t understand what’s happening, and the fear crawls under my skin. If I stay here any longer, I might actually lose my mind. I need a plan—fast—before things get worse.Before I can make sense of what to do, a dirty rag strikes my cheek. My gaze snaps up and lock with angry ones. That girl from earlier. The one that worked around the Alpha's length. She's standing in front of me with the red hair, the one with the flawless face.“You sure have all the free time in the world to spy on me and the Alpha,” She sneers.I am suddenly grateful for the high neckline of my dress, it covers the mark on my neck.If the girls have noticed it—like Alera claims—I 'd be in a hotter soup than this.The red hair sniffs.“Why does she smell different? Like the Alpha,” She mutters the last part and my st