A Cure For The Cursed Alpha

CHAPTER SIX

ISABEL'S POV.

I walked down the hallway, my thoughts jumbled in a mixture of confusion and pain. Hours had passed since the mating ceremony, but I still couldn’t accept the reality that I was now mated to Alpha Leo. My swollen eyes ached from hours of crying, yet the tears wouldn’t stop for more than a few seconds. My heart felt like it was being torn apart with every step I took. For the first time in a very long while, I actually wished I were dead. I wanted to die and join my parents in the afterlife, where there would be no more pain, no more tears, no more sorrow. I wanted it to end so I could finally have some peace, for the first time in forever.

I raised my hand to wipe my face as I felt more tears running down my cheeks.

I saw pack members moving around, each walking past me without a single word. They didn’t need to speak; their eyes did the talking.

No one had spoken to me since the ceremony ended. Not a word. But I could hear them talking about me—whispers behind my back, murmurs carried by the wind into my ears. I had stood in the arena long after the ceremony was over, watching as the pack members left one by one, some eyes avoiding mine while others glared openly at me. Those who glared at me without even bothering to hide their disdain were mostly the pack members who were friends with Erica or her family, the ones loyal and dedicated to the female who was originally supposed to be the Luna of Blood Moon Pack. I had always been the outsider, the odd one in this pack. But now I was more than that. I wasn’t just the odd one anymore; now I was the enemy. The w***e who had broken up the power couple and tricked the alpha into mating her. I could hear all the whispers and murmurs loud and clear. I was practically a homewrecker now.

I had hoped, even for a brief moment, that Alpha Leo might say something—anything—that might offer me a shred of comfort or hope. Maybe he would come to his senses when he had enough time to calm down and think. Maybe he would remember the tiny fact that he seems to have forgotten, the fact that I didn’t even want this in the first place. Maybe he would realize that it was him who had agreed to this, not me. I wasn’t even given a choice in the matter. Maybe he would calm down and actually think.

But he hadn’t. He had barely looked at me, and I had been left to stand there alone while the weight of the world crushed me.

Now, as I made my way back to the pack house, my feet moving on autopilot, my mind was practically non-existent. I wasn’t even sure if I was heading in the right direction; I just kept moving like a robot, wherever my feet took me.

The doors I passed blurred together; my mind was too tired to focus on anything but the sharp ache in my chest. And in my head. When I reached the hallway leading to my room, I finally allowed myself to breathe, hoping for a moment of peace. This was my personal safe space, at least. Sometimes. Maybe I could shut the door and escape the nightmare that had become my life, even if only for a while. Hopefully, no one would bother me anymore now that they’ve gotten what they wanted, and I could just go back to living my life and pretending this night never happened.

But it seemed I’d spoken too soon. Before I could reach my door, a hand shot out of the shadows and grabbed my arm, the grip strong and painful as it tightened around my flesh. A gasp escaped my lips as I was pulled back roughly, the force of it spinning me around. My heart hammered in my chest as I looked up into the furious eyes of Alpha Leo, glaring down at me with a look that made me shrink into myself.

“A-alpha—?” My voice came out in a strangled whisper, but he didn’t give me a chance to speak. His grip tightened, causing me to wince in discomfort, and before I could blink, he was dragging me down the hallway toward my room. I stumbled, trying to keep up with his long strides, but the pain in my chest made it hard to breathe, let alone move.

When we reached my room, he didn’t bother to open the door gently. He flung it wide and shoved me inside, his strength sending me tumbling onto the bed, face first. My breath hitched in my throat as I quickly scrambled to sit up, my heart racing with confusion mixed with fear.

Alpha Leo’s eyes were cold, his expression hard as stone. He stood in front of me, his body radiating more anger than I’d ever seen before. “Are you happy now?” he snarled, his voice cutting through the air like a blade, causing me to shiver slightly. “You should be happy now, Isabel. Your plan worked, didn’t it? You finally got what you wanted—a rank, a high position in this pack. That’s all you’ve always wanted, right? Like how you snuck your way around and got my father to let you in for warrior training. And when that didn’t work out like you’d planned, you resorted to this.”

I blinked, my mind struggling to process his words. “What... what plan? But I... I didn’t...” My voice trailed off when I couldn’t come up with anything to say.

Alpha Leo let out a bitter laugh as he started to pace back and forth, his hands clenched into fists. “Don’t play dumb with me, Isabel. It makes me angry. It makes me want to wrap my fingers around your sneaky little neck and strangle the life out of you! You think I don’t know what you’ve been up to? You’ve wanted this for so long, haven’t you? You wanted me. Isn’t that the reason you came barging in on me, knowing full well that I was naked? You must have been dying to see me naked for so long, just like the weak, pathetic little w***e that you are! Admit it, Isabel. You wanted this—to be mated to the Alpha, to tie yourself to me, to this pack. Well, congratulations. You got what you wanted. All of it!”

Each word felt like a slap to the face. I shook my head, my voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t... I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want this.”

Alpha Leo’s eyes darkened, his anger flaring even more. “Don’t think that just because we’re mated now, anything has changed.” His words were venomous, each word dripping with disdain. “I don’t like you, Isabel. I never have, and I never will. My father should have left you to starve to death in that ruin he rescued you from. Or better still, get snacked on by rogues. You irritate me, Isabel. Your very presence makes my skin crawl. The mere sight of you irks me to no end!”

I flinched at his words, the pain in my chest growing even more. “I’m sorry. I never meant to—”

“Shut up!” Alpha Leo shouted, cutting me off and causing me to flinch. He stopped pacing and turned to face me, his gaze as hard as steel as he spoke. “This marriage, this bond, it means nothing, Isabel. You hear me? It’s nothing more than a necessity, a way to protect the pack. To keep me from turning and destroying my own pack with my own hands. That’s it. Nothing more. Erica is the woman I love, and that hasn’t changed. It never will.”

I sat there in silence, unable to find the words to reply to anything he was saying. That’s okay, though. I don’t think he actually meant for me to answer. His anger was so raw, and I didn’t understand why. What had I done to make him hate me so much? It was okay if he didn’t like me—I didn’t like him either. But does he have to keep throwing it in my face? What did I do?

“You will stay out of my way,” Alpha Leo continued, his voice lower now, but just as cold as before. “Stay out of my room, Isabel. Don’t even think about stepping inside, no matter what. Not even if it involves someone dying. As far as I’m concerned, you exist only to appease my beast. That’s it. Nothing more. You were my slave before, but now you’re my property, Isabel. My personal possession. You will not step a single foot outside this building without my permission—not even to think of going outside of pack lands. And I would not even think of flaunting that order if I were you.”

His words were like a death sentence. I could feel my heart breaking as he spoke, the hope I had clung to shattering into a million pieces. I opened my mouth to say something, to plead, but no sound came out. What could I even say? How could I make him see that I wasn’t trying to trap him, that I didn’t want this any more than he did?

Alpha Leo didn’t wait for a response. Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, leaving the door wide open behind him. The silence that followed was cold, the emptiness in the room suffocating.

I buried my face in my hands, my shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Why was this happening? Why was I being punished for something I had no control over? All I had ever wanted was to be accepted, to belong, and now... I was trapped in a life where I was nothing but a burden.

Suddenly, I heard the soft click of heels on the floor, and when I looked up, Erica was standing in the doorway, a satisfied smirk on her face.

“How pitiful, poor little Isabel," she said, her voice dripping with mockery. She took a step into the room, crossing her arms over her chest. “Did you really think this would change anything? Did you think Leo would suddenly want you just because you’re mated now?”

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears, but Erica wasn’t done.

“You’ll always be the same pathetic slave you were in the Blood Moon pack, Isabel," she sneered. “Leo may have been forced to bond with you, but don’t kid yourself. He’ll never love you. You’re nothing to him.”

My fists clenched, nails digging into my palms as her words cut deeper than I could have imagined. But I couldn’t argue with her. She was right, wasn’t she? Alpha Leo had made it painfully clear that I meant nothing to him. But even before he did, I already knew it myself. I meant nothing. Not just to him but to the entire pack. I had nothing. I had no one. And it hurts.

Erica’s smirk widened as she saw the fresh tears that poured out of my eyes. “Oh, and by the way,” she added, her voice laced with cruelty, “he asked me to sleep in his room tonight. This whole mating thing has put him in a terrible mood, and he needs me to... help him feel better. If you know what I mean."

She laughed, the sound echoing in the room, her satisfaction evident. “I better get going. Don’t want to keep him waiting. Enjoy your cold and lonely night."

With one last glance, Erica turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence of my room. Her laughter echoed down the hallway, a reminder of just how doomed I truly was.

As the door clicked shut behind her, the tears I had been holding back finally spilled over. I collapsed onto the bed, sobbing into the pillow, my heart shattering with every breath that I forced myself to take. I cried out to the Moon Goddess, begging for forgiveness, for mercy, for help, for anything that might save me from this misery.

"Please," I whispered through my tears. "Please, Moon Goddess, please, please... grant me my wolf. Save me from this life of pain. Please."