Bound to the Alpha King

Chapter 3

Aurora's POV

"Hello?" My voice echoed weakly through the empty hall. I crept forward, eyes straining for any sign of life. "Is anyone here? Alpha Ambrose?"

Only silence answered me. A shiver crawled down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold. Where was everyone? The alpha's beta and servants should have been here to receive me.

A prickle on the back of my neck made me whirl around, but only empty space met my gaze. This place felt wrong. Every instinct screamed at me to run even as my feet carried me deeper into its dark corridors.

The further I went, the colder the air became. It pressed down on me, heavy with despair and bitterness that seeped into my very bones. How long had it been since warmth or kindness graced these halls?

At the end of a long passage, I came to an expensive carved ebony door. This must be the alpha's chamber. Swallowing hard, I pushed it open. My breath escaped in a horrified gasp.

The room was utterly destroyed. Slashes marred the paneled walls, the curtains and bedding lay in tattered shreds. Dark stains that looked disturbingly like old blood splattered the floor. Claw marks gouged the stone hearth of a cold fireplace. In the center of the ruin, a silver mirror stood strangely untouched, its surface clouded and blackened.

Just what had happened here?

A cold whisper brushed my ear, so close it could have been someone standing right behind me. "Welcome, Aurora."

I spun, heart leaping into my throat. But there was no one there. Only the shadows were creeping closer, reaching with smoky tendrils to enfold me in their icy grasp.

This was no longer just about being sacrificed to a bloodthirsty alpha. Something evil haunted this place.

I backed away only to hit a solid resistance. Strong arms wrapped around me like a vice as hot breath stirred my hair. "You'll do nicely."

But all that was lost the moment his hands made contact with my skin. Sparks erupted all over my body, sending sweet tingles down my spine. Only one word registered in my brain.

"Mate." I gasped as white-hot surge of the mating bond jarred me to my core. In an instant, all thoughts of escape evaporated - how could I dream of leaving now that I had found my fated mate?

The Alpha King - Jason, my mind supplied - had vanished as quickly as he appeared. But I had felt his powerful arms around me, inhaled his heady scent. He was real, not a figment of my imagination.

Overjoyed, without thinking, I rushed from the ruined chamber calling his name. "Jason! It's me, Aurora, your mate!"

My voice echoed unanswered down the dilapidated halls. I searched room after room to no avail, unwilling to let him disappear so easily. The rumors about his past meant nothing now. He was my mate and I had to make him see we belonged together.

Rounding a corner, the tantalizing scent of woodsmoke and pine led me to an open door. I hurried forward but was intercepted by a tall woman with stern features. Her strong grip closed around my arm like a vise.

"Unhand me!" I cried, struggling to break free. But her hold was unyielding as she dragged me away. "I must find the Alpha, he needs me!"

She scoffed. "The only thing you need, girl, is a hard dose of reality. Now come along."

Kicking and screaming protests, I was powerless to resist as she brought me to a washroom and scrubbed me raw until my skin was pink and tingling.

"Honestly, charging straight for the beast like a lamb to slaughter," she clucked disapprovingly. "You'd best learn quickly to obey Alpha Ambrose in all things. No backtalk or disobedience - your life depends on it."

I barely listened, too focused on getting back to Jason. As soon as she finished her lecture, I tried to dart from the room but found the door blocked by her formidable frame.

With a resigned sigh, she drew me over to a vanity and arranged my brown hair into an elegant updo, securing it with jeweled pins that glittered like stars. My face was painted with dark kohl and my lips stained red. Finally, she held up a sheer silken robe embroidered with wolves chasing the moon.

"Arms up."

Too impatient to argue further, I complied and stood bare as she kept a transparent fabric around me. I felt powerful - not exposed, but a worthy mate to the powerful Alpha King.

She gave a terse nod of approval before pressing a cup into my hand. "Drink this. It will take the edge off."

I didn't hesitate, downing the distilled herbs. A heady warmth spread through my limbs, heightening my senses. Everything seemed hyper-focused - the brush of air on my skin, the thrum of my racing heart. I was ready for my mate.

The woman led me to a dark themed room lit by flickering candles and left me with instructions to wait. My nerves sang with anticipation. Our passion would break his curse, I was sure of it.

At the stroke of midnight on the antique grandfather clock, a whisper of movement drew my gaze. Jason stood at the opened doors, prowling toward me with lethal grace.

My breath caught at the sight of him - chiseled features, flowing ink-black hair, robes that hugged his muscular form. Strange, beautiful markings decorated his skin. But it was his eyes that gave me pause - blood-red irises surrounded by darkness, burning with raw intensity.

Those piercing eyes scanned my scantily clad form, but I didn't feel shy or afraid. I closed the distance between us and guided his hands to my hips.

"I've been waiting for you," I purred. I didn't know where the courage was coming from.

His expression remained carefully neutral, but he allowed my boldness, letting his palms glide up my sides. My skin tingled pleasantly at the contact.

Growing bolder, I trailed my fingers down his chest, tracing the dark markings. "We're fated mates, Alpha Jason. I promise to do anything to break your curse."

For an instant, his stoic facade cracked. Something vulnerable and haunted flashed across his face. But then it was gone. Without a word, he lifted me effortlessly and laid me across the bed.

Any reservations faded beneath the drug's influence and my own desire. We moved together seamlessly, every brush of his fingers igniting sparks across my skin. I let instinct take over, losing myself in his embrace.

"Ja..son!" I gasped, his throaty groans reverberating throughout the room along lewd sounds of skin against skin.

In the heat of passion, I thought I glimpsed the hard edges around his heart softening. I poured everything I had into our mating, willing him to recognize me as his true mate.

As we lay entwined afterwards, panting, I cupped his face tenderly. "You don't have to go through this any longer. I'm here now."

His expression remained unreadable, but he drew me closer, tucking my head beneath his chin. I smiled softly, certain I was cracking through his stoic facade. We would break the curse, together.

I intended to stay awake, to keep watch over him as he rested. But my eyelids grew heavy, the herbal tonic ushering me into slumber. I slept peacefully curled against Jason's chest, blissfully unaware of the shadows lurking at the corners of the room.

I would need all my courage and wits about me if I hoped to survive long enough to truly win Jason's heart. My trials here were far from over.