The Cursed Alpha King's Mate

Chapter 9

Tristan

The shock slammed into me like a freight train as I stared at the girl in front of me, her emerald eyes defiantly locked onto mine. Everything about her called to me, especially from this close up. But now she was telling me something that my senses could believe to be true.

"What did you just say?" I demanded, my voice low and dangerous.

"I said," she repeated, her tone firm, "I'm human."

"Impossible," I snarled, my anger bubbling beneath the surface. How could this beautiful creature be nothing more than a weak, fragile human? The thought was incomprehensible.

"Please," she whispered, stepping closer to me, her scent intoxicating and driving me mad with desire. "I can't be your fated mate because I don't have one. I can’t have one." I saw sadness in her emerald eyes as she spoke. There was more than just fear here. I shook my head, unwilling to accept her words.

"No," I growled, my hand reaching out to grip her arm tightly, feeling her warm skin beneath my fingertips. "You must be lying."

"Let go of me," she hissed, trying to pull away from my grasp. Her strength surprised me, but it only fueled my anger further.

"Tell me the truth," I demanded, my blue eyes boring into hers, searching for any signs of deception. But all I saw was her unwavering resolve.

"Please," she begged, her eyes pleading with me to understand. "I can't be what you want me to be." My nostrils flared as I sought for any scent of deception from her, anything that told me that she was anything other than a weak, pathetic human. But even under the delicious candy apple scent that was clouding my mind, I knew that she was telling the truth. The heat that had been building between us suddenly cooled, replaced by a cold fury. I released her arm, taking a step back before turning away from her. My mind raced, the implications of her words settling in like a lead weight on my chest. I could feel her gaze on me, and it took every ounce of control not to turn and take her then and there, to prove to her, to myself, that she was mine. But the truth was undeniable, she was human, and therefore could not possibly be my fated mate.

Fury coursed through my veins as I turned back to face them and my eyes landed on Alpha Ewan, my voice low and dangerous.

"Is this true? Confirm it," I demanded, unable to take my eyes off the woman’s defiant stare. Ewan stepped forward, placing a protective hand on his daughter's shoulder. He looked into my eyes, a mixture of fear and resignation in his gaze, before nodding.

"It's true... She's human. This was why we hid her from you." He looked at his daughter with pain in his eyes before looking back at me. “There was no way we could ever imagine that this would happen.”

"Explain," I growled, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "How is it possible that a human is the child of two werewolves?" The Luna stepped forward, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I... I am not Isla's birth mother," she confessed, her voice barely audible. Isla? That was her name, a name as beautiful as the woman who owned it. I shook my head trying to pull myself from the inner thoughts of my wolf, who seemed to hold no issues about our predicament.

"Go on," I urged, my impatience, with both myself and the people in front of me, growing.

"Years ago, Ewan had an affair with a human woman. She fell pregnant." Isla's stepmother's voice trembled, but she continued. "Isla was the result of that union." My shock overpowered my rage for a moment. Ewan, a respected Alpha, had succumbed to the temptation of a human? It was inconceivable. And now, this human girl stood before me, claiming to be my fated mate.

"I never knew about the affair until late into the pregnancy," Isla's stepmother whispered, clearly devastated by the memory. "I raised Isla as my own, despite knowing she wasn't mine by blood." I stared at Mara, the disbelief and rage bubbling within me.

"How could you take him back?" I demanded, I tried to hide the shock and disgust in my voice. The fated bond was a sacred bond and not one to be messed with. His infidelity alone must have caused the Luna so much pain. The s****l act alone is enough to trigger immense pain in your fated mate. How could she not know that he had cheated on her? There was clearly something that these people were not telling me. "He violated your fated bond." The Luna’s eyes clouded with sorrow, her face a mixture of guilt and defiance.

"Mistakes were made," she admitted softly, her gaze flicking to Ewan for a brief moment. "But it took a lot to forgive him, Tristan. He is my mate."

"Forgive him? You forgave him for betraying you with a human?" I spat, my contempt barely contained. My muscles tensed, my fingers itching to wrap around someone's throat.

"I know it is hard to understand, but…" Isla interjected, her voice firm yet gentle as she placed a hand on Mara's arm. "My mother–" she hesitated, then corrected herself. "My stepmother has accepted me as her own, even though I am not hers by blood."

"Accepted you?" I sneered, unable to comprehend how a werewolf could truly love and accept a human as their child, let alone a mate. The very idea was repulsive, an affront to our kind.

"Alpha Norththorn, please," the Luna pleaded, her hazel eyes filled with desperation. "Isla may not be mine by blood, but she is still my daughter. I was the one who delivered her before her birth mother died in childbirth."

My mind raced with the implications of her words. A human woman had borne a child for Alpha Ewan, a child who was now standing before me as my supposed fated mate. The thought made me sick to my stomach, bile rising in my throat. How could I ever hold rule with a human by my side? I would be laughed out of court.

"Enough," I growled, my patience wearing dangerously thin.

A heavy silence hung in the air as I studied the faces of those who had deceived me. There was a nagging feeling that they were still hiding something, but I couldn't afford to dwell on it any longer. My priority was to address the situation at hand.

"Alpha Ewan," I said, my voice cold and sharp as ice. "Is there any possibility your daughter might be a dormant werewolf?" Ewan looked at Isla, his eyes filled with sorrow. He shook his head slowly.

"No, Alpha Norththorn. She has never exhibited any signs, no enhanced abilities such as healing or speed, nor the strength typical of our kind." Gabe snorted from beside me, unable to resist the urge to tease.

"If you ask me, she seemed pretty strong when she left that imprint on your cheek," he said with a grin. He then winked at Isla, who I could tell was shocked at his humour. I shot him a glare, the heat of embarrassment and anger rising in my face. This wasn't the time for his jokes. But even as I scowled at my beta, I couldn't deny that Isla's slap had been far more powerful than I would have expected from a human. I shook my head, turning back to Ewan. "So, she is completely human then? No trace of our blood in her veins?" He nodded solemnly.

"That's correct, Alpha. She's as human as they come." My heart ached at the thought, a mixture of longing and bitterness consuming me.

"Very well," I spat, clenching my fists to keep my fury in check. "Anything to add, Isla?" I asked, my voice cold as ice. Although, as I spoke her name, it felt so right on my tongue like it was the most natural thing in the world. Isla seemed to shrink back at my tone, causing me to immediately regret it, but her emerald eyes still held a defiant spark that both infuriated and intrigued me. As we locked eyes, I couldn't help but feel a pull toward her, a dangerous, alluring temptation that I knew I had to resist. She was forbidden, a human who could never truly be my equal. And yet, the desire to possess her, to dominate and claim her as mine, surged within me like a raging storm.

"Only that I've never heard an internal wolf," she replied, bitterness lacing her words. "I am very much human." I could see the pain of the revelation in her eyes. The idea of living in a community such as ours, but never really being a part of it must have been a lonely life indeed. But the implications that her existence had for me was far greater than the misery of her life. I was struggling to think straight while the woman was still around and needed to think straight.

"Lucas, put Isla with the other girl in the office. The rest of her family can be locked in the dining hall until I decide what to do with them."

"Wait," Isla protested, her emerald eyes flashing with defiance. "You can't just-"

"Silence!" I snapped, cutting her off. "I am well within my right to order your death right now, and the death of your family for hiding you." My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled against the urge to claim her, even as I threatened her life. The duality of my desires tore at me, a tempestuous storm raging within. Her eyes widened, fear shimmering alongside the anger and determination that still burned within her. But she said nothing more, swallowing hard as Lucas grabbed her arm and led her away. As I watched her go, my body ached with the primal need to dominate her, to make her submit to my will. And yet, beneath that fierce desire, something else stirred, a deep, painful longing for connection, for the true mate I had been denied.