The Cursed Alpha King's Mate

Chapter 11

Isla

I stumbled into my father's office, pushed roughly by the Alpha King's warrior. His name was unknown to me, but his presence and authority were unmistakable. I tried to steady myself, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Stay here," he commanded, his voice cold and stern, before locking the door behind me.

"Wait!" I called out, but it was too late. The metallic click of the lock echoed through the room. I felt a surge of panic as I realised my family had been separated and put in different rooms. I knew I had to be strong for them, but the weight of worry pressed down on me like a heavy fog.

A faint whimper reached my ears, pulling me from my panicked thoughts. I blinked in the dim light, finally noticing Cassie huddled on the floor in the corner of the room, her pixie cut blonde hair dishevelled and tear-streaked cheeks glistening.

"Is... Isla?" she whispered, blue eyes widening as they met mine. A fresh wave of tears spilled down her face, her petite frame trembling. "I-I'm so sorry... it's all my fault." My heart ached at the sight of my best friend so distraught. I crossed the room in an instant, dropping to my knees beside her and pulling her into my arms, feeling her body shudder with sobs against my chest.

"Shh, Cassie," I murmured softly, stroking her hair. "How could this possibly be your fault?" Between hiccuping breaths, she choked out an explanation:

"The Alpha King... he caught your scent on me. That's how he knew you were here." Her voice broke on the last word, and she buried her face in my shoulder, her guilt overwhelming her.

"Hey," I said firmly, gripping her shoulders and forcing her to meet my gaze. "This isn't your fault. None of us could've predicted this." Her eyes searched mine desperately, but I held her gaze, willing her to believe me. I pulled her into a hug, it was the only thing I could do to reassure my best friend. She clung to me as if I were her lifeline, whispering apologies between gasps.

"It's all my fault...I'm so sorry, Isla," she choked out, tears streaming down her face.

"Stop it," I told her firmly, pulling her closer and running my fingers through her short, pixie-cut hair. "You couldn't have known this would happen."

"But he found you because of me," Cassie insisted, her blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "If only I had been more careful..."

"Hey," I demanded, grasping her chin gently and forcing her to look at me. "You can't blame yourself for this. There was no way that any of us could have seen this coming. I mean come on, me? The Alpha King’s mate." Cassie's eyes widened.

"His fated mate..." Cassie whispered eventually, her voice barely audible. "You're human, Isla. How can that be possible? I thought I heard him say it, but I was super scared so assumed that I misheard.” I shook my head with an almost hysteric chuckle slipping from my lips. I had thought the same thing in the woods. There was no way I actually thought he meant this.

“Do you think it’s true?” Cassie asked in a whisper after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't know," I admitted, my brows furrowing in confusion and apprehension. The question had been haunting me ever since I discovered the truth about my connection to the enigmatic Alpha King. I couldn’t deny that the man was attractive, or that I felt something in the woods. But he was also a werewolf, and I was not.

"Maybe..." Cassie hesitated, her gaze flicking to the locked door before returning to me. "Maybe you have werewolf DNA. I mean your father is a werewolf, maybe it’s dormant or something. The moon goddess works in mysterious ways."

“This is more than mysterious,” I scoffed. “This is downright crazy.”

“But…” Cassie trailed off, and I glanced at her.

“But what?” I asked, “There is no scenario where this is even going to end well. Either he kills me because I’m human, or rejects me because I am human. The one thing I can’t see happening is that he wants a weak human as his mate.” I knew the bitterness was clear in my voice. I loved my family, and my life was quiet, or at least up until this point, but the fact that I was a human was always something that made me feel lesser than with them. I knew the Alpha King was pretty vocal about his dislike for humans. He certainly wouldn’t want to be tied to one for the rest of his life. Cassie looked down at the floor and tears slipped from her eyes again. She bit her lip, her blue eyes clouded with worry.

"Maybe he won't reject you," she suggested, her voice barely a whisper.

"Are you kidding?" I scoffed, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. "He hates the idea of me being human. Why would he want me as his mate?"

"Because..." Cassie started, but trailed off, her eyes darting around the room, as if searching for an answer. "I don't know, Isla. But there must be a reason."

"Or maybe it's just a cruel joke," I muttered, my nails digging into my arm. "Maybe this is all just some twisted game to him. Let’s taunt the weak human before putting her out of her misery."

"Stop it, Isla," Cassie chastised, her eyes narrowing. "You're stronger than you think."

"Easy for you to say," I snapped, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "You’re a werewolf. You don’t have the weaknesses that I do. You don’t feel like an outsider."

“Isla.” Cassie looked shocked at my words. “You are not now nor have you ever been an outsider in this pack. You are loved by all of us and are one of us, regardless of what you are. And like I said, maybe there is more to it.” My immediate reaction was scepticism. I had always been raised as a human, never showing any signs of being anything else. But then again, my life had been turned upside down since meeting the Alpha King. Was it really so far-fetched?

"Even if it was true that there was more to me," I countered, trying to make sense of Cassie's theory. "Why would the moon goddess pair me with him? Surely she would want him to have a strong mate." Cassie shrugged, her voice tinged with frustration.

"I don't claim to understand her ways. But there must be a reason why she chose you as his mate." As much as I wanted to dismiss her words, I couldn't deny that they held a certain truth. There had to be something more to this situation, some underlying purpose that connected me to Tristan.

"Maybe..." I began hesitantly, my thoughts racing a mile a minute. "Maybe there's something inside me, some hidden power or ability, that he needs."

"Or maybe," Cassie added with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "He just needs someone to tame the beast within him."

"Hilarious," I replied dryly, rolling my eyes at her attempt at humour. Still, I couldn't help but admit that her words resonated with me on some level and something stirred inside me at the thought of his beast.

"Whatever the reason," Cassie continued, her tone serious once more. "You need to trust in her wisdom. I would be honoured to have you as my Alpha Queen."

"Thank you," I whispered, feeling a pang of gratitude that brought tears to my eyes. It was unlikely in my mind, but knowing my best friend had my back, certainly helped.

My heart raced with a mixture of fear and uncertainty, but before I could speak any further, the office door creaked open, shattering the fragile silence.

"Alpha King demands your presence," the warrior who had brought me here barked, his tone cold and unyielding. His dark eyes bore into mine like daggers, and I couldn't help but feel the tension radiating off him. There was no mistaking it: he didn't like me.

"Right now?" Cassie asked hesitantly, her voice trembling slightly as she locked eyes with the intimidating warrior. She had always been braver than me, and I admired her for that.

"Immediately," he growled, his impatience evident. "Move." Cassie and I exchanged a glance, our hearts pounding in unison as we prepared ourselves for the inevitable confrontation with the Alpha King. As I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves, I noticed how the dim light from the hallway cast eerie shadows on the walls. The atmosphere felt heavy, suffocating, a fitting prelude to our impending meeting with the Alpha King.