The return

The gates of Varyn Keep groaned under the weight of their iron hinges as the riders approached, the screeching sound echoing across the courtyard. Alaric barely slowed his horse, letting the animal’s hooves pound against the cobblestones. Each step brought him closer to home, yet a strange tension had settled over him during the long ride back from Goldtower. Diplomacy, he reminded himself, was a slow, careful game delicate words, fragile agreements, promises that could shatter in a heartbeat.And yet, even as the treaty had been signed, the ink barely dry on the parchment, he had felt unease curling inside him like smoke. A whispering sense that something had shifted in his absence, though he could not pinpoint what. A shadow that he could not yet name.Corvin rode beside him, stretching his shoulders and shaking his head with exaggerated relief. “Finally,” he groaned. “Back to civilization. I feared Goldtower might suffocate me with all that etiquette and endless bowing.”Edric’s li

The impossible

The doors slammed against the walls with a force that shook the entire chamber. The sound echoed harshly, bouncing off the stone like a warning. Alaric stepped inside, his boots striking the cold floor with the rhythm of his rising fury. The moment he crossed the threshold, the world seemed to stop. Time fractured, every second stretching, and what he saw rooted him to the spot.Elysia hung from a pillar in the center of the room, her slender wrists bound above her head by coarse ropes that dug into her pale skin. Her dress was torn at the back, shredded in jagged lines that exposed bruises beginning to bloom across her shoulders. Her body trembled violently, not from cold, but from exhaustion, pain, and the lingering shock of the punishment she had endured.The guard holding the whip raised it once more, his hand steady, his eyes devoid of mercy. He had been trained for precision, for the exact moment to strike. Alaric’s chest tightened as the man’s arm arced high above his head.CRA

Fragile recovery

Alaric barely noticed the chill of the chamber as he carried Elysia to the bed. Every movement was careful, deliberate, and measured. Even the slightest shift in her position felt like it could undo the fragile thread of stability she clung to. The soft linens beneath her were crisp, white, and neatly folded, but they seemed almost inadequate under the weight of what she had endured. Each frayed bruise and torn strip of her dress spoke of pain, of a suffering that no words could truly capture. He lowered her onto the bed with a gentleness that contrasted sharply with the storm that raged in his chest.The doctor was already there, kneeling beside her, small jars and bundles of herbs spread meticulously across a low wooden table. The man’s hands were steady as he worked, crushing dried leaves with a small mortar and pestle, but his brow was furrowed, etched with concern. He glanced up at Alaric as the Alpha approached, his sharp eyes betraying the gravity of the situation.“She’s lost

The queen and truth

By evening, the chamber was dimly lit by a single flickering lantern, its golden light dancing across the walls and painting soft shadows over the bed where Elysia lay. The pungent herbs at her bedside filled the room with a heavy, earthy aroma, sharp and almost bitter, a scent that was unpleasant to the senses yet undeniably effective. It hung thick in the air, mingling with the faint trace of sweat and the lingering scent of the healing salves the doctor had applied.Alaric did not leave her side. He sat in a low chair, eyes fixed on the faint rise and fall of her chest, on the delicate movement of her fingers as they twitched slightly against the blankets. His storm-grey eyes, sharp and unyielding in most circumstances, now softened with concern, anxiety, and something else a vulnerability he rarely allowed anyone to see.Elysia half-opened her eyes and offered him a faint, fragile smile when he adjusted the blankets around her shoulders. It was a smile so weak, yet so honest, tha

All Chapters of The Cursed Alpha: Chapter 21 - Chapter 24

The return

The impossible

Fragile recovery

The queen and truth