The Stone-Hearted Alpha

Since learning about the existence of a powerful witch, I've been searching for her in the hopes that she could prevent me from finding my mate. However, every endeavor has ended in failure.

Still, I was not going to give up; this witch might be the only one who could protect my mate from me, for I am a curse, and everyone in my life always dies.

I cannot bear to go through another grief, and I haven't yet recovered from those I've lost; I doubt I ever will, knowing I'm the cause: the curse that has taken their lives.

Blinking away my tears, I hurried through the Reek-Ground Forest. I learned from a beggar that the witch had last seen there. After two years of ceaseless search, this was the most helpful information I'd received about her. The beggar claimed to have seen her: a 30-year-old woman with hair as eerily red as gore, sprinkling blood from a decapitated pigeon under a cotton tree and speaking in a strange language that sounded like an incantation. He later chickened out and ran off.

Upon hearing the news, I ran to the forest immediately.

Today was my last chance to seek the witch, and if I don't, I will find my mate tonight. Turning 21 two weeks ago, I was now eligible to find my mate this full moon.

Running for a long time without rest, my four feet grew tired, and I lost balance, plunging heavily face down into the ground. The dry brown soil covered my face, and its earthy scent hit my nose.

Determined not to be the cause of another innocent werewolf's death, I struggle to rise to my feet. My feet shook from exhaustion, and again I lost balance, this time crashing onto my side. Soon the place began to spin, and I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness.

"No......" I cried out just before everything faded to black.

_________________________________

"Wake up, wake up, sleepy werewolf," My eyes slowly open to hear a female voice.

I widened my gaze when I realized it was the red-headed witch peering down at me. Immediately I leaped to my feet and hit my head, only to discover I was in a cage.

I could tell by the scent of her blood she was only human. She wouldn't be able to understand me in beast form. I shifted and sat up, now fully exposed in the cage.

My long dark hair fell over my chest, covering me partially.

I was about to plead with her to prevent me from finding my mate when she interjected, "How many werewolves were out there with you?"

I noticed she was clutching a sharp, silver knife tightly in her right hand, clearly prepared to strike. Silver metal was dangerous to werewolves; it could kill us.

"It's just me. I was searching for your help," I replied quickly.

Her emerald green eyes carefully read mine, and soon the threatening look in her eyes softened, knowing I meant her no harm.

She freed me from the cage, stepping backward as she did, still cautious around me.

I crawled out on all fours and then rose to my feet.

"What can I help you with, she-wolf?" Her face was grim.

"I want you to stop me from finding my mate."

She laughed, somehow amused by the request, then spun around and walked over to a table engulfed in candles and glass bottles containing body parts such as tongues, eyes, coloured powders, and many more. Among them was a huge black book, adorned with a bloody drawn skeleton head at its center.

"Can't you help me?" I asked, my voice filled with concern, fearing she might not be able to help.

"Of course, I can," she replied and tossed a live spider into a black cauldron over a wooden fire. She then placed the lid back on before turning her attention to me.

I felt a wave of relief wash over me, grateful that she could help and that my efforts to find her weren't in vain.

"It's unusual for a wolf not to want to find their mate," she strides over to stand in front of me.

Once again, she looked deeply into my eyes, trying to read me.

Unable to do so this time, she asked with intense curiosity, "Why not reject your mate like any other wolf who doesn't want theirs?"

I've been alone since the age of 17. It gets tiring pushing away everyone who wants to get close to you because you're afraid once you let them in, they'll end up like everyone you'd love, dead. I worry that I won't be able to do the same with my mate. The bond between us will be too strong, making it difficult to push him away.

I lowered my eyes to the dark grey floor.

"I'm not strong enough," I responded.

She laughed and returned to her table, removing an object from a small chest box. Then she came back to me, slowly revealing a necklace with a small, round, light gray stone pendant, resembling the moon, in the palm of her hand.

"I'm not powerful enough to stop the moon spirit or moon goddess, as you werewolves refer to her, from pairing you with any werewolf. However, this moon-repellant necklace can interfere with the full moon during the mating season by blocking the bond between you and your mate, making your mate think he's mateless."

Feeling hopeful, I reached for the moon-repellent necklace; she immediately closed her hand around it.

"Everything comes with a price," she said with an evil grin.

"How much?" I asked as if I had any money; I was just as penniless as the homeless wolf.

"I don't need money; I only require a pint of your blood," her eyes scanned my nakedness.

"I could do a lot with virgin blood," her eyes paused at mine.

How do you know that I am, by simply looking? I was going to ask for only a werewolf could smell whenever a wolf was a virgin. Sniffing of the urine was one; instead, I agreed, desperately.

She instructed me to sit, and I turned my head away, closing my eyes, while she drained a bag of blood from my hand.

I wanted to hurl at the rawness of my blood.

"Are you almost done?" I asked impatiently, shutting my eyes tighter.

"Afraid of blood?" she asked, and I fell into silence.

I was indeed afraid of blood. It was silly for a beast to be scared of the sight of blood, but when you see your parents lying on the floor in the pool of their own blood and everyone else you've loved, knowing you're the cause of it, my fear doesn't seem silly anymore, does it?

I felt giddy after she finished taking my blood. I looked back at my hand where she had taken my blood; the tiny hole slowly closed up.

"What are you going to do with it?" I asked, feeling light-headed.

Without any response, she gave me the necklace, and I placed it around my neck.

"If you're ever curious to know who your mate is, just remove the necklace for only 5 seconds. It will instantly reveal within your heart the wolf you're mated to, but only if he's within your sight. However, if you remove the necklace for more than 7 seconds, your mate will also know that you're his."

I nodded, running my fingers against the smooth surface of the moon-repellent stone, and I doubt I'll ever be curious about who my mate is. It was better this way, for he was safer away from me than knowing we were mates.

"Also, the necklace will no longer work once your mate finds a second-chance mate," she added.

I never once thought I'd be bothered by my mate moving on to someone else, but it was better to have him alive with someone else than dead with me, no matter how much it hurts that I'll never be with him.

"Will the necklace show a sign when he does move one?" My voice tightened with pain.

"It will turn black."

I slowly moved my head up and down.

"I'm sorry, but I must do this. It's better for me," strangely the witch said.

Immediately I looked away from the necklace to see both of her hands glowing with a dark light; my blood ran cold.

"No," I gasped, my eyes widening as she aimed the dark energy at me.

Suddenly, I found myself standing back in the forest. Just a moment ago, I believed the witch was about to kill me, but she had simply used her powers to transport me back.

Relieved, I smiled, holding the necklace pendant. I then attempted to shift into my wolf, but I was unable to. I still felt a bit weak from the blood withdrawal.

I decided to sit for a while until my strength returned to normal. I swiftly rose to my feet as the sound of my footsteps rushed toward me. I was ready to flee, believing it was Oliver, who always seemed to find me no matter where I ran.

I was wrong; it wasn't him this time.

Four male wolves emerged from behind the trees, approaching me. Given their size, I was certain they were males. She-wolves were typically smaller than the males.

They surrounded me before I could escape, capturing me. I growled as one of them shifted, kicking me in the gut. I fell face down on the ground.

"Shut up, Rogue!" he yelled as he tied me down while I whimpered.

I was struck in the head, and before I lost consciousness, I was thrown in the back of a van.