A Cure For The Cursed Alpha

CHAPTER TWO

ISABEL

I thought I was going to wake up from the nightmare, but then, I realized I was never waking up because it was real. Alpha Leo gave Erica the go-ahead to get me ready to be married to Alpha Drew tonight, someone I had never known.

My whole life was falling apart, and no one cared. Not Alpha Leo, not Erica... not anyone.

I had only heard a little about Alpha Drew, and I heard he already had three wives, and he was a womanizer. That was never what I had imagined becoming stuck with while growing up. I wasn’t even allowed to take a bath before my own wedding.

This is a joke. This is a twisted, horrible joke.

“That’s it!” Erica yelled at me and stormed towards me. She felt that I was too slow in putting on the dress. She pulled it over my body quickly, not caring if it fit or not.

I’m not even allowed to dress myself for my own wedding? Couldn’t they at least give me a moment of dignity? Just one moment?

“This is the last day I will be dealing with you around here. I’m so happy that Leo agreed to it,” she said in a low voice, smugly whispering into my ear. She smiled slyly as she pushed me in the direction of the mirror.

Her words hit me harder than the push. She didn’t care what happened to me—none of them did. How had I come to this? Reduced to nothing more than a pawn to be traded away like I was worth nothing.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I felt the urge to cry, but then, for how long would I give Erica that pleasure of crying at the way she treated me? I remained silent. I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw something. But no... I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction. Not today.

Suddenly, the door to my tiny room flung open, and one of the pack guards walked in hurriedly. He bowed at Erica and turned his attention to us both.

“He is here, Alpha Drew. He is downstairs and requests to have his bride now,” the guard said, and at that moment, my heart stopped in fear. It was time, time for me to get married to the unknown Alpha.

I felt like my chest was about to explode. This can’t be happening...

I had little time to process it before Erica grabbed my arm and began pulling me out of my room. Her hand dug into my arm in a way I felt like they would leave a mark. She didn’t loosen her grip until we were at the entrance of the wedding hall.

I could feel her hatred in her touch. I was nothing but a burden she couldn’t wait to get rid of. I should have fought back, but what could I do? My skin burned where she gripped me, but that pain was nothing compared to the fear twisting in my gut.

Erica’s face quickly turned into a smile when we crossed the entrance, and then she drew closer and whispered something into my ear.

“We didn’t tell him that you are a slave here. If he asks about the bruises, tell him it was an accident. Also, he should never find out that you were a servant. We didn’t tell him that,” she said, and I gulped.

A lie. More lies. My life was built on lies, and now, I was about to be trapped in another one.

“If he finds out the truth, he won’t pay the required amount to have you,” she added.

I was just... property. A transaction. The realization hit me harder than anything she’d ever said before. My worth was measured in how much he would pay for me, nothing more.

I felt like my world was crumbling. Even though I didn’t like the suffering I endured in the Blood Moon Pack, it was where I grew up, and leaving it and being sold out into the hands of a stranger crushed my spirit. It was like a death sentence.

My eyes roamed around the hall and then met Alpha Leo, standing, dressed in a tightly fitting suit. He didn’t plan to sell me yet, not because he cared about me, but because he probably wanted to keep hurting me with his words. But then, Erica compelled him to.

Well, overall, his face was expressionless...

No surprise there. I was nothing to him—just a piece of property he could trade off whenever he pleased.

I braced myself as I looked further around with my eyes, trying to see if I could get a glimpse of the man I was going to marry, but then, as if helping me, Alpha Leo smirked at me and pointed to the bald man who looked to be in his fifties.

“Come over, Isabel. This is Alpha Drew, your husband-to-be,” Alpha Leo said calmly, as if trying to make me pretend like I wanted that man. I couldn’t act along; I couldn’t bear the torture anymore.

No... no, please... this can’t be real. That man—he can’t be my future. He can’t be who I’m expected to spend the rest of my life with. I’m not ready. I’ll never be ready for this. He was old enough to be my father.

“I- I can’t.... I can’t marry him!” I said, my voice shaky. My heart pounded in my chest as, for the very first time, I dared to defy Alpha Leo and Erica.

I don’t know where the words came from. Maybe from the last bit of hope that hadn’t died yet. But once they were out, I couldn’t take them back. I was terrified.

Erica’s face twisted in shock, and Alpha Leo only raised a brow, his cold gaze sending a shiver down my spine instantly. My heart kept pumping fast as Alpha Leo slowly walked toward me. His sculpted and muscular body towering over me from a distance.

I could feel his anger from across the room. He didn’t even need to say anything. His eyes said it all. This was it. My rebellion, my refusal—it was going to cost me everything.

“What did you just say, Isabel?” he asked in a low, threatening voice as always. I tried to speak, but the closer he walked toward me, the fainter my voice went.

My throat tightened. I had stood up for myself, but now... I was frozen. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe.

But then, just when he stood in front of me, I raised my head once again, mustering all the courage I had left to defend my choices.

“I won’t... marry him,” I said, and he was shocked at my boldness. He couldn’t hold his anger anymore, and he raised his strong right hand as if to smack my face.

I braced myself for the hit. I knew it was coming.

“How dare you?!” he said, and at that moment, before he could bring his hand down to strike me, his breath hitched, and he slumped instantly, falling forward into my arms.

What? What just happened?

Shocked, everyone rose from their seats, rushing toward us. Alpha Leo had collapsed. I couldn’t bear his weight, and I was pulled down to my knees while holding him, his whole body growing cold instantly.

“Alpha!” I screamed in fear of what was happening to him. I didn’t want to help him, I shouldn’t care... but seeing him like that... It was too much. But before I could know it, the elders and Erica rushed forward. Just as fast as I saw them coming, Erica pushed me violently away from Alpha Leo’s body, and I fell on my face while she took my space possessively.

She had always treated me like trash, but this was different. The violence. The hatred. She hated me more than I ever realized. And I still didn’t know why.

Erica's voice quivered with panic as she cradled Alpha Leo's head in her lap. "Leo, Leo, sweetheart, please don’t do this, please..." She was overly frantic, tears streaming down her face. I sat on the floor, still dazed, disoriented not only by Alpha Leo collapsing but also by the way Erica had harshly shoved me aside moments ago.

“Luna, calm down. I think he’s still breathing. What happened? Didn’t you say Isabel gave him the pills?” Elder Lowell asked, concern heavy in his voice as he looked at Erica, who was dramatically sobbing over Alpha Leo. The entire pack had gathered around us, murmuring in confusion as they watched their alpha’s unconscious form.

Erica’s eyes flared with fake anger, immediately pointing fingers. “It’s her fault! I don’t think she gave him the pills—she doesn’t know how to do anything! This is all Isabel’s fault! She’s been nothing but trouble, and now look what’s happening to Leo. We must get her married off and out of this pack! She’s brought nothing but misery to our lives,” she said, her tears falling as if on command, a performance meant to manipulate everyone watching.

“I swear, I gave him the pills,” I whispered through my own tears, my voice trembling.

But Erica’s true intention was clear. She didn’t care about Alpha Leo’s well-being—she just wanted the ceremony to continue so I could be sold off.

“Luna, I’m sorry, but we can’t proceed without the alpha. This wedding needs to be called off,” Elder Lowell said, his tone sounded final. Erica’s face twisted in frustration as she realized there was nothing more she could do. With a huff, she stood, retreating angrily.

“Guards, take the alpha to his chamber!” Elder Lowell ordered. Two guards hurried forward, lifting Alpha Leo’s limp body and carrying him away to his room. I wanted to follow, to see what would happen next, but as I approached the entrance of the room, Erica shot me a venomous glare that stopped me in my tracks. Fear gripped my heart—if anything happened to Alpha Leo, what would become of me?

Despite my fear, I couldn’t shake the guilt that was hitting at me. I stood at the entrance, peeking inside the alpha’s room as the guards laid him gently on his bed. Erica sat beside him, placing his head on her lap, while Elder Lowell stood solemnly nearby.

“Leave us,” Elder Lowell instructed the guards, who immediately obeyed, leaving the room in silence. Just then, Alpha Leo’s eyes fluttered open, his face was pale and his eyes glowing white—a sign of the fever, or perhaps, the curse that had haunted him for years.

“I’m going to turn again... lose control like a beast... kill more of my own pack?” Alpha Leo’s voice was weak, full of dread. “I’m supposed to protect them, not be cursed to destroy them every time I shift.”

My heart clenched at his words. I pitied him, despite the coldness and hatred he’d always shown me. The last time he turned, he had killed five guards and remained trapped in his wolf form for an entire week.

“I’m afraid so, Alpha,” Elder Lowell replied grimly. “And this time... it’s worse. This is a dark shift.”

Alpha Leo’s and Erica’s expressions mirrored the confusion I felt from outside the door. I had never heard of a "dark shift."

Elder Lowell's face darkened with grief. “If the alpha shifts this time, he won’t return to his human form. He’ll be stuck as a beast forever, losing his humanity.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. Not even Erica spoke.

Elder Lowell continued with a tense tone. “Through my research, I’ve discovered something... one thing that could possibly save the alpha. I’ve been meaning to discuss it, but...”

“What is it?!” Erica demanded, her impatience barely contained.

“There’s only one person who can break this curse,” Elder Lowell explained slowly. “Someone with extraordinary hidden powers—someone descended from a particular lineage of wolves, known as black bloods. Only they can cure the alpha.”

I watched Alpha Leo’s face fall in despair.

“But... the black bloods were wiped out years ago. They were all part of the Flaming Moon Pack,” Elder Lowell said.

At that moment, my breath caught in my throat. Flaming Moon Pack? My mind raced. I had black blood. I had been told I was once part of the Flaming Moon Pack...

“The Flaming Moon Pack...” Alpha Leo repeated, his eyes widening as realization struck.

Alpha Leo’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “My father told me... Isabel, he said she was from the Flaming Moon Pack when he brought her to the pack.”

I stood frozen at the entrance, my shock reflected in Elder Lowell’s eyes as the weight of the situation sank in. Erica’s face twisted in anger, knowing what was coming next—that I, Isabel the slave, could be the key to saving Alpha Leo.

“If it’s true that Isabel is from the Flaming Moon Pack, and she’s a black blood, then... she’s the only one who can save you, Alpha,” Elder Lowell declared.

Alpha Leo’s face turned desperate. “But how? How can she save me? Do I need to drink her blood? Make a potion out of it?”

Elder Lowell shook his head. “No, Alpha. It’s more than that.”

“What do you mean?” Alpha Leo pressed, his confusion matching my own.

“You’ll have to take her...” Elder Lowell said cautiously.

“Take her where?” Alpha Leo asked, frustration creeping into his voice.

Elder Lowell's next words hit like a thunderbolt.

“You’ll have to take Isabel as your Luna.”

A loud gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it. All eyes turned toward the doorway, where I stood, frozen in shock.