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All Chapters of The Cursed Prince and His Fated Bride: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

Two soldiers shoved me into a carriage and delivered me to Prince Alaric's castle.But there was no wedding waiting for me. No bells. No celebration.Just an old steward who led me into the great hall.The fire crackled in the hearth.In the corner, a high-backed chair held a man whose face was so pale it was almost translucent.That was Alaric.Once upon a time, he'd been the dream of every maiden in the kingdom. But three years ago, a witch had laid the most brutal curse upon him.Every full moon, his wolf would go feral and tear apart whoever he loved most.At first, the noble families refused to believe it. They fought to marry their daughters to him.Until his third wife died. After that, everyone saw him as a monster to be feared.Even the king had banished Alaric from the palace, exiling him to this remote castle in the northern cliffs.He twirled a goblet in his hand, his gaze cutting into me."You're not Seraphina."He said it flatly, then slowly sniffed the air. A cold smile

Chapter 2

Late autumn. I was sweeping fallen leaves in the courtyard.Alaric stood at the far end of the colonnade, a book in his hand. But his eyes weren't on the pages.They were on me.Studying. Probing. Carrying something I couldn't quite read.I lowered my gaze and swept faster."You can take a beating, can't you?" he said suddenly.He paused."Graves tells me you're starving. But you've never asked me for a thing. Are you afraid I'll kill you?"Afraid?The servants avoided him like the plague.But he'd given me food. A roof over my head. That was more than I'd ever had in my life.I shook my head. "I'm not afraid."He went still.He stared at me for a long, long moment. Then he looked away and walked back inside.That night, a small dish of braised venison appeared in my food basket.Days passed quietly enough. Then the full moon drew near.He couldn't sleep through the nights. His temper frayed to nothing. He smashed everything in his chamber.The servants hid in their rooms, terrified of

Chapter 3

I didn't die.I was told later that Alaric had let his wolf fully loose and torn every assassin in the castle to pieces.He brought back an exiled old herbalist—Agnes.Gray hair. Hands rough and calloused.The clan called her a crazy hag.She peeled open my eyelids, examined the poisoned arrow."Wolfsbane on the tip," she muttered. "Enough poison to kill an entire pack of wolves."She studied me for a long time, like I was something that shouldn't exist."A wolf-less waste, and you take this kind of poison—and only burn with fever for three days?"After packing my wound with a thick poultice of antidote herbs, she muttered under her breath:"Either a miracle happened... or your blood is something special."She didn't finish the thought. I didn't ask.I woke in a warm bed. Thick quilts tucked around me. Fire crackling in the hearth.Alaric sat beside me. Watching. Waiting.When my eyes opened, his lips parted—but no words came out.Graves brought a bowl of medicine. Alaric took it from

Chapter 4

I barely had time to process it before hoofbeats thundered from the distance.Alaric arrived with his guards. He saw the wolves kneeling around me—and his face went white.He dismounted in a single motion, grabbed my bleeding wrist."Wren. Who told you that you don't have a wolf?"He bandaged my wound and took me back to the castle.Agnes examined my blood. Her face turned serious."She doesn't lack a wolf. Her wolf-soul has been suppressed. By some kind of potion."I remembered—the potions my family had forced me to drink my whole life.Alaric didn't press further. He just told Agnes to keep the secret.Then he took me to the study, locked the blueprints in a hidden compartment, and finally—he trusted me with the truth."These plans are a matter of life and death," he said."Wren, you deserve to know what I've been plotting all these years."That night, he told me everything.How his mother—the first queen—had been framed for treason by Prince Cassius's family. How her entire Frostfan

Chapter 5

I thought Alaric would choose Seraphina.But he didn't hesitate for a single second. He told Graves to throw them all out."Tell them Wren is the bride I've chosen," he said coldly."No one can replace her."Graves reported back that their faces had been something to see.I knew what they were feeling. Fear.They'd finally realized how badly they'd miscalculated. They'd angered Alaric. And they knew he wouldn't forget.Worse—they feared he might rise to power again and settle accounts with everyone who'd sided with Cassius.But they didn't understand Alaric. He didn't care about them.His enemy was only one.Then a royal messenger arrived: the old king was dying. All princes must return to the capital.Alaric called me to his study. Dismissed everyone.From the hidden compartment in his desk, he pulled out a heavy box. He slid it across to me."Open it."I did.Inside: thick stacks of treasury notes. Deeds to a dozen valley estates. And a token."Your Highness, this is—""Wren." He cut

Chapter 6

In the end, I went.The palace dungeons were deep and cold. Water dripped down the stone walls. The stench of rot clung to the air.My parents and Seraphina huddled in a corner, trembling.When they saw me, they lunged at the bars, shrieking."Wren! Please—save us!""We were wrong! Go to Prince Alaric—no, King Alaric—beg him to spare the Blackwood name!"My father—always so proud—knelt in the filth, tears pouring down his face."Wren, I know I failed you. But you have Blackwood blood. You can't let us die!"I stared at their desperate faces. Felt sick.I opened my mouth—And the words I'd held for eighteen years finally came out on their own.My voice was hoarse. But every word was clear as a nail:"My name is Wren.""The moment you put me on that carriage, I stopped being a Blackwood.""You never cared about me. You made me drink potion after potion, taking Seraphina's pain over and over. And in the end, you threw away my life to buy this family a few more years of comfort.""Now. It'

Chapter 7

Two years passed. I gave him a son and a daughter.Our son was Roland—named for the dwarf smith.Our daughter was Vera—an old word for "wish."May she get everything she wishes for.I became the laziest queen in the kingdom.I slept until noon. He never scolded—just brought breakfast to my bedside and fed me himself.The clan lords went from fierce opposition to resigned acceptance to simple habit.They realized this queen didn't bother with politics—but she ran the household flawlessly. And she was a genius with money.The scents I blended became the rage of noble ladies. My shop, The Wren's Nest, opened in every major city. The treasury grew fatter each year.He liked to joke with his ministers:He hadn't married a queen. He'd married a golden-egg-laying wren.Life was quiet. And happy.I thought it would go on forever.Until I found it.I was tidying his study when my hand brushed against a velvet-wrapped painting in the deepest part of the hidden compartment.I unrolled it. My bloo

Chapter 8

The fire caught the painting. It curled, blackened, and crumbled to ash.He dropped the burning remains into the hearth.He turned and cradled my face in his hands, brushing my tears away with his thumbs.His eyes were the most serious I'd ever seen them."Wren. You are nothing like them.""On the snowiest night when everyone had abandoned me—you brought me fire.""When that arrow was meant to pierce my heart—you took it in your back.""And every full moon after—you stayed up with me in chains, bringing me back from the beast, night after night.""You turned a dead castle into a home.""Seraphina and the rest—they were just candidates for queen.""But you, Wren—you are the one wife I want. The only queen I want to spend my life with.""I love you. Not your face. Not your name. You. Your soul."I saw the truth in his eyes. The pain. The love.I fell into his arms and sobbed—years of buried hurt pouring out at once.He held me tight, whispering against my hair:"I'm sorry, Wren. I'm so s

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