A Cure For The Cursed Alpha

CHAPTER FIVE

ISABEL'S POV.

I sat with my back pressed against the cold wall beside the door, knees pulled to my chest as I listened to the heated voices spilling out from Alpha Leo's office. My pulse quickened and my heartbeat picked up with every sharp word, my heart sinking further in dread. Through the thick wooden door, Alpha Leo's deep, commanding voice clashed with the Elder Lowell's.

They were both arguing untop of their voices and I could just tell this wasn't going to end well.

“It was her, my alpha , you know it was. Why won't you just accept it?" Elder Lowell insisted, his voice firm yet respectful. “Isabel is the one who triggered your humanity. She brought you back from what was mere step away from the dark shift. The entire pack saw. You saw. She practically saved the life of the entire pack, my alpha. The least you could do is to at least acknowledge that fact.”

There was a brief silence, one where I could imagine Alpha Leo’s icy glare boring into elder Lowell. When he spoke again, his voice was filled with disbelief and anger. “ Can you hear yourself? No, can you just hear yourself speak, Elder Lowell?! For goodness sake! Don’t be ridiculous, Lowell. A slave? Really?! You’re saying a mere pack slave has that kind of power over me?” His words echoed with mockery.

"She Isn't just a mere slave, my alpha, you know that as much as I do. Isabel is a Blackblood, the very last of her kind in fact. And that __"

"And so bloody what?!" Alpha Leo barked, causing me to flinch a little where I sat.

“That was a coincidence, Lowell. A mere coincidence. Nothing more.”

I flinched once more at the contempt in his tone.

Elder Lowell didn’t stop talking though. “You know it’s not a coincidence, Alpha. Your beast has been uncontrollable for years, and then, after the incident today, just locking eyes with Isabel even from afar, you shift back to human? There’s a connection here that we can’t ignore. If Isabel can take your beast with just a simple eye contact then imagine what she could do for you, do for this pack when you actually mate her. Imagine the help she could be of to this pack as our Luna. You cannot continue to ignore this my alpha, I beg you in the name of the moon goddess. Do not let this opportunity pass you by."

I hugged myself tighter, willing my body to shrink into the shadows. Each word from elder Lowell sent a tremors of fear through me, a realization of what his argument was pushing toward me—a fate I couldn’t even bear to think about. Why is he doing this to me? Why would he condemn me to a fate worse than death?

“Isabel?” Alpha Leo's voice snapped, harsh and cutting. “The one person in this entire pack who couldn’t be less suitable for me? A woman so weak and pathetic the goddess couldn't even be brothered to give her a wolf? A wolflesss Luna, that's what you want for this pack? Really Lowell? you’re out of your mind. Where's your sense of loyalty for goodness sake?"

The room grew silent for a moment, the kind of pause where decisions are made. I held my breath, praying that Elder Lowell would drop the subject, that he wouldn’t push alpha Leo into something that would make my life even worse than it already was.

But then, alpha Leo’s voice suddenly cut through the stillness, even colder than before. “You know what, fine! Fine, Lowell! ” he spat. “You want me to mate the slave, don't you? You want me to bound myself to a woman with no wolf all in the name of keeping mine stable. Fine then. Absolutely perfect! Go on, Lowell, prepare the ceremony.”

I froze, my blood running cold on the spot. No. No, please. Please tell me I heard wrong.

“You have one hour,” alpha Leo commanded, confirming my worst nightmare.

The shock in Elder Lowell’s voice was floating through the door. “One hour? My Alpha, that’s impossible—”

“Make it possible.” alpha Leo’s voice was as cold as ice as he spoke this time. “It was your idea, wasn’t it? You said she’s the one, didn't you? My miracle, my little savior. So let’s see if you’re right, Lowell. Prepare the mating Ceremony immediately.”

“But a mating ceremony takes weeks to—”

“Not this one,” alpha Leo barked. “This one takes an hour, and you’re going to make it happen, Lowell. Now, get out of my sight and start preparing. I expect everything to be ready within an hour, and you can go ahead and inform your precious little slave that her plans were a success. She finally got what she wanted the whole time, the sneaky little.... Just remember this Lowell, you put her fate in my hands. Whatever happens to her from now on, it's on you.”

The room fell silent again, but this time it was heavier, the weight of what had just been said hanging in the air. I suddenly heard footsteps approaching the door and my breath hitched as I scrambled to my feet, just as the office door flew open.

Alpha Leo stood in the doorway, his broad frame blocking the light that was coming out of the office. His dark eyes zeroed in on me, filled with rage and fury. I shrank back instinctively, pressing myself against the wall as if I could somehow disappear into it. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to. The disdain in his gaze said everything that even words couldn't say. He hates me and he wasn't trying to hide it. He never cared to.

His eyes was so angry that it actually started to scare me. I couldn’t hold it any longer—I turned my face away, squeezing my eyes shut, willing myself not to break down in front of him. After a moment that almost felt like eternity, Alpha Leo finally turned around and stormed off, his footsteps pounding down the hall. I couldn't even feel the relief even long after he was done. My mind was too focused on the discussion I'd just overheard between him and elder Lowell.

A mating ceremony. In an hour.

The words echoed in my mind as dread filled me. This isn't happening, I couldn't have heard that right. Alpha Leo, the man who loathed my very existence, the man who took pleasure in my suffering, was going to take me as his mate.

I felt my heart almost beating out of my ribcage as I sank back to the floor, my legs too weak to hold me up any longer. What have I done to deserve this? Why me?

********

I stood beside Alpha Leo, my heart hammering so loudly I thought I might pass out. It was so loud it almost drowned out Elder Lowell’s voice. The hastily gathered pack members whispered behind me, their eyes filled with disgust, scorn, or worse—pity. The weight of their stares pressed down on me as I walked and I almost tripped over my own two feet. But even with all this, nothing felt heavier than the presence of Alpha Leo at my side. I couldn't look at him. I dared not, not with the amount of rage I could already feel coming off of him in waves. If glares could melt people I would already be a puddle on the ground.

I dared to glance around the crowd, and my gaze locked with Erica’s. She stood at the back, her face twisted in pure hatred. She had always looked down on me, but now, with the prospect of me mating her man in her place—even against my will—her anger burned hotter than ever. If looks could kill I would already be burried a thousand fit in the dirt. I quickly looked away, focusing on Elder Lowell as he conducted the ceremony.

"Alpha, your right palm, please" Elder Lowell instructed, his voice steady but his eyes flicking nervously toward alpha Leo.

I watched as Alpha Leo extended his hand. He didn't flinch when Elder Lowell sliced a dagger across his palm, almost like he didn't even feel a thing. His blood pooled in his palm, and I knew what was coming next.

I swallowed heavily as I suddenly felt like I was being strangled by invisible grip around my throat.

"Isabel, your right hand, dear child," Elder Lowell said gently, as he turned toward me.

My body went rigid, my hand frozen by fear. The sight of the blood made my stomach churn, but it was the finality of the act—the binding—that paralyzed me. I don't want this. I don't want to marry him. I don't want to be bound to this monster for the rest of my life.

“Are you deaf?” Alpha Leo suddenly snapped beside me. “Give him your hand, Isabel. Now!”

I jumped at his harsh tone, my hand trembling as I extended it toward elder Lowell. I felt a single tear slid down my cheek as the dagger bit into my skin, the pain sharp and cold, but nothing compared to the dread that filled me. It wasn't the cut that made me to cry, it was the reality of what was happening. I didn't want it and yet it was out of my control. This was just so wrong.

Elder Lowell took both of our hands, pressing our bloodied palms together as he recited the mating vows.

“Do you, Alpha Leo of Blood Moon Pack, take Isabel as your mate, to love and to hold, to protect and provide for—”

“That’s enough,” alpha Leo interrupted sharply, his voice cutting through the vows like a knife. “I do,” he growled through gritted teeth.

Elder Lowell hesitated for a moment after the interruption, but quickly moved on. “Isabel, do you take Alpha Leo as your mate, to honor and—”

Alpha Leo’s grip on my hand tightened painfully, his fingers digging into my skin. I could feel the pressure, the silent command in his hold. My breath came in shallow gasps as I stammered, “I... I do.”

“With the power vested in me as Elder of Blood Moon Pack, I now pronounce you Alpha and Luna. Blood Moon Pack, behold your new Luna, Isabel,” Elder Lowell announced, his voice trembling slightly.

The crowd clapped, though the applause felt hollow, an act of duty rather than celebration.

Alpha Leo dropped my hand harshly the moment the ceremony ended, his lips curling in disgust. He leaned in close, his voice barely a whisper but sharp enough to slice through me as he spoke. “You have no idea what you’ve just gotten yourself into. You think you had it hard before, you just watch. I’m going to make your life a living hell, Isabel. You’re going to wish you died from that stab wound.”

Before I could respond, before I could even process his words, he turned around and stormed away, leaving me standing alone in front of the pack. The sting of his promise echoed in my mind, more painful than the cut on my palm.

The tears fell freely now as I stood with my head hung.

I had been bound to Alpha Leo, the man who hated me more than anything in this world. And now, there was no escape from the nightmare that had become my life.