FLASH FORWARD
LUXURIA'S POV
The chill wind whipped through the stone archways of the Ash Mountain pack, filtering into the large chamber where I sat.
The chilling wind was nothing compared to the icy dread in my heart.
Outside, in the courtyard, the ceremony was prepared. Not a marriage ceremony, as my lineage demanded, but a mating ceremony.
I would be the first in my lineage to be mated without a proper marriage ceremony.
Tonight was the night of the full moon.
Tonight, I am to be joined, not to a man of my choosing. Not to the man I have always loved. Not even to the man close to my dream man. But to the beast who ruled the neighboring lands with an iron paw. The Alpha Of The North.
I clutched the silver locket at my throat. A gift that had been given to me by the man I would do anything to spend the rest of my life with, the Beta of my father's pack, Beta Kahel. He was my secret lover. But fate was so cruel to have torn us apart.
Kahel had vowed to challenge the Alpha of the North, Alpha Parthe, to fight for our love... but what if the darkness of this enemy, Alpha Parthe, had already seeped into my very soul, contaminating my innocence?
A knock at the chamber door made my heart jump. It was Rella, my step-sister.
"My lady," she purred, eyes glittering with malice far deeper than mere jealousy, her voice dripping with mockery, "He has arrived. The Cursed Alpha."
The joy in Rella's voice. The satisfaction on her face. Sending me off to my death. They all couldn't wait to get rid of me. My father, stepmother, siblings, pack members. Everyone.
They all saw me as a curse. Finding out that I was mated to Alpha Parthe, they confirmed that I was truly cursed and deserved to be mated to someone as cursed as I was.
No woman ever mated to an Alpha from the lineage of the Wild Wolf pack ever lived more than two years. They all disappear mysteriously.
I saw my own reflection in the mirror. My warm blue eyes suddenly gleamed with a dull shade of red, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Quick enough for Rella not to have noticed it.
This was a secret no one knew about. A secret I tried to run away from after the forbidden night with the cursed Alpha.
A night I regret.
I had fled from him as soon as it was dawn, even before he woke up from his slumber, but fate drew the perfect map and led him straight to my father's doorstep two days ago, coming to lay claims on his mate.
HOW IT ALL STARTED.
Chapter 1
LUXURIA'S POV
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me through the woods. It was close to winter; the days were quite cold, and the nights were numbly freezing.
The ground was covered in an ocean of stones, and the thimbleweed concealed the sharp twigs that lay underneath; therefore, I had no idea that the twigs and sharp stones were hoping for an unfortunate guest.
The trees around the forests were stunted and thin; there was no hiding place. The night sky was clear without any tears in it. Clear. Bright.
Tonight was supposed to be different—special even. My 21st birthday. A night where I could have at least hoped for a shred of affection from Alpha Odren, the man who called himself my father. Instead, he had chosen this night to punish me again, to remind me that I was nothing but a stain on his legacy.
The humiliation had been worse than usual. In front of the entire pack, he had accused me of being a curse, a blight on our family's honor. The words still echoed in my mind, tearing at my already fragile heart.
I couldn't stand it any longer—the insults, the cold stares, the constant reminders that I was unwanted. Tonight, something inside me had snapped, and I had run.
My bare feet pounded against the uneven ground, the sharp twigs and stones hidden beneath the thimbleweed slicing into my skin. Pain flared with each step, but I welcomed it, using it to drown out the memories of my father's cruel words and the hateful sneers of my step-siblings and his mistresses.
I immediately shifted into my beautiful white wolf and ran deeper into the thick forest, not scared of the quietness of the night.
I had crossed the line, the stream that separated the South from the feared North.
It had been whispered that a monster from the North had always terrorized the borders of the South, East, and West. But right now, I care less. It is better I am attacked by the monster of the night than endure more cruelty from my father and step-siblings.
I wondered why my father, Alpha Odren, hated me with so much passion. Sometimes, I feel jealous of my siblings. They were loved. Cherished. Treated like queens. But I was treated like an outcast.
I wish every single day that my mother was here with me. They said she left as soon as she had me. Some said it was because she was too scared to raise a cursed child, some said she couldn't stand my father's cruelty, while others said she died after birthing me.
As I sprinted through the North, something in the air changed. A scent, musky and powerful, hit me like a wall. My wolf's instincts flared, a mix of fear and something else—something far more dangerous. I slowed, ears pricked, scanning the darkness for any sign of movement.
And then, I heard it—a low, guttural growl, the sound vibrating through the ground beneath my paws.
Being the daring young girl I am, I find my legs taking me towards the sound instead of away from the sound.
I shifted back to my human form as I approached a clearing, my breath catching in my throat. My naked body was bathed in moonlight, but I barely noticed the cold now; all my senses focused on the source of that growl. I moved forward, tiptoeing through the underbrush, until I saw it—him.
The beast that had been whispered amongst wolves and other supernatural beings. Until this moment, I had thought they were just bedtime stories told to scare disobedient children.
And today, I feel like the most disobedient child to ever live because I wasn't only hearing about the story but witnessing it firsthand.
I froze on the spot. A massive brown wolf, twice the size of any I had ever seen, crouched beside a lifeless body. His eyes glowed a blinding red, the color of blood and fire, as he surveyed his kill with grim satisfaction.
My heart slammed against my ribs as I realized this was no ordinary wolf. This was the monster from the North—the creature that had haunted the nightmares of so many.
I covered my mouth, holding back the whimper that threatened to escape my lips as I stood frozen behind it.
Just before I could tiptoe backward, the monster turned its head, its gaze locking onto me, causing a wave of terror to wash over me.
I wanted to scream, to run, but my limbs refused to obey. My heart pounded erratically, not just from fear but something far more dangerous—an inexplicable pull towards the very creature I should have been fleeing from.
With a bone-chilling crack, the monstrous wolf transformed into its human form. The night was so dark that I couldn't see his features properly, but his sheer size and presence made my breath hitch. The power radiating from him was suffocating, a dark force that seemed to wrap around my soul, drawing me closer even as my mind screamed to escape.
"Well, well," his voice rumbled, low and dangerous, "What have we here?" he faced me, taking slow, predatory steps towards me, not minding his naked form.
Was this how it would end? Torn apart by the beast of the North, just like the countless others who had wandered too close to his territory?
Tears blurred my vision as he approached, but beneath my terror, something else stirred—an unsettling warmth, a traitorous heat that spread through my veins, rooting me to the spot.
Is he going to kill me? I felt utterly vulnerable and helpless.
"Going somewhere, little mate?" The voice was deep and gravelly, sending a chill all over my bare skin.
What did he just call me?
Mate?
Did I hear him correctly?
I had been too frightened to even notice my wolf leaping with joy in the recesses of my mind. I was too scared to have noticed the strange pull I had felt as soon as I saw him.
Is the universe playing a bad trick on me? How can I be mated to the monster from the North?
I willed myself to flee from him, but a strange force rooted me to the spot. I watched, wide-eyed, as this monster slowly closed the gap between us.
His unclothed form surprisingly tempted me to have a better look, but I was too frightened to even blink an eye.
"Please... Please don't kill me. I am sorry. I..." I choked, still unable to take a step. I felt hot tears tracing paths down my cheeks.
"Hurt? Why should I hurt my own mate?" He asked with a devilish smirk. His words sounded a bit assuring, but the look in his eyes said otherwise.
His pitch-black eyes raked over my small frame, making me realize I was equally naked. I had been running around in my wolf form.
Now I am double scared.
The monster's wolf seemed to enjoy what he saw with the dull glint in his eyes.
"Please, I'll just... Go and... And never..." I stuttered, gulping in his strong scent. It was almost as if he had intentionally released more of his scent into the atmosphere.
He was an Alpha. His aura was so potent that it made one lose their entire will to him. His eyes were like death itself.
His hand traced slow paths along my cheek, down to my neck, finally resting on my belly button. "I never knew I'd be blessed with such a beauty for a mate." His rich, masculine voice said, holding a possessive edge to it.
He closed the small gap between us so that we could both feel the heat radiating off our bodies, his warm breath caressing the skin of my forehead.
He stood at six-foot-one while I was just barely five-foot-four.
Perfect for him. He liked it. His eyes said it all.
His finger tilted my chin to meet his burning gaze. "I guess the Moon Goddess has so much planned out for us for the night. Don't you think?" His voice grew thick and heavy as I felt his bulge poking at my stomach.
Shouldn't I put a distance between us? I should, but it was impossible.
I shivered, not just from the cold but from the strange, intoxicating power he exuded. I should run, I should fight, but instead, I found myself swaying closer, drawn to the darkness I knew would consume me.