Alpha Ryker: Cursed Collision

Chapter 3

The Cursed

How does it feel to be a failure?

Her whispers are carried by a hush of cold winter air behind me, whipping the nape of my neck and causing nothing but anger and disappointment.

I could hear her evil laugh as she taunted my failure and I would love nothing more than to kill her again, but I could not. Not with her soul or whatever was left of it latching onto me like a parasite, sucking whatever was left of my sanity.

“There’s nothing here” Zavien's voice finds me and I anchor on it, reminding myself where I was and what I was doing. I refuse to be dragged into darkness by the ghost.

“I think they might have left in a hurry” He continues then looks down at the not too impressive fireplace they must have been trying to create.

I bent down and touched the ashes, smearing it between my fingers and feeling a light warmth from it. I noticed that the air still carried the scent of smoke and a smile went up my face.

Zavien stares at me, skeptically. I don’t blame him, I probably wore a crazy look but it was from the hope that I saw. “They couldn’t have gotten far” I announced, feeling my inside that was once filled with power, empathy and my wolf tightens.

This is the first time in years since I’ve ever gotten so close to the Yelena Coven. I have searched for them throughout all the corners of my territory, even extended out to other territories as I tried to hunt them down but it was always like I was chasing my tail. I could never find them and the only evidence that they actually existed was the hole they had dug in my heart.

But today, almost a decade later I am closer than I have ever been. I turned to my men who stood behind me, eyes glowing in the dark, their morale high as they awaited my command. Finally there was hope to return these men back home to their family and loved ones. The search was almost over and I could feel the cure to my curse at my fingertip

“Find them” I commanded, my voice low with a purr “They must not escape”

The men’s response echoed through the forest, making even the birds scatter from their tree and headed to the moonlight.

The men scattered to different directions as they searched for the group that had tortured me for years - The Yelena Coven - as they liked to call themselves. I do not know how many they are or where their location was but I knew one thing, they are desperate to destroy me.

The woman they worshiped - the main reason why they were formed - had placed a curse on me. Separating me from my wolf, making me less of a werewolf and plunging me into a decade of misery and suffering.

I placed a hand on my throbbing chest, where the hole she had carved was. The same hole she had pulled my wolf from my body. I didn’t think it was possible until it happened to me. Separating a wolf from the man had never been done before, it was more than just black magic, it was vile and yet she did it. People always wondered how I could survive such but I don’t think I did.

The Yelena Coven has my wolf, they’ve had him since when he was separated from me. I can still feel him so I know they’ve not killed him, I don’t know if I'd be alive if they had killed him. I need to find him, I need to connect back to him so I can be complete again, so I can be the Alpha my pack needs and to finally get rid of the ghost on my shoulder.

I stop in my tracks when I hear a small sound. Zavien, my right hand man, stops too. “What is it?” He asked

I placed a finger on my lips, shushing him as I listened carefully. Filtering out the noise coming from my screaming men and their footsteps and focusing more on what I just heard.

A heartbeat!

A wicked smile grows on my face as I hear another heartbeat. Today must be my lucky day

I turned to Zavien, using my eyes to inform him on where the heartbeat was coming from. He nods, and moves towards one location while I did as well. Speeding to the location and grabbing what I couldn’t see. Yanking it out of whatever invisibility spell had been on it.

Breaking the invisibility spell, it was revealed to be a woman.

“Got you” I announced

I expect nothing but the worst from everyone. Including myself, and It’s not very often that people surprise me so when the woman I caught slams her head into my face to try to release herself from my grasp, I am startled by her behavior but I don’t let her go.

It’s taken 10 long years to find one of them, there is no way a single head butt from a woman no bigger than 60kg and taller than 5 '1 could do damage to my face.

“Let me go,” She yelled, kicking and screaming as I wrapped her hands around her neck. Not as tight as I wanted to, I need information from her so I cannot kill her but God, I would love nothing more than to squeeze this pretty neck of hers until her face turns blue.

“I have no intention of doing that, so you better calm down before I put you to sleep”

That didn’t help her stop screaming, it was when Zavien appeared with a crying boy, no younger than 15 with a limp that she froze. She finally stopped yelling like a deranged banshee.

“Don’t you dare hurt him, you monster” she cries. Her voice lower than it once was “I would tear you apart if you hurt him” she threatens.

I looked over my shoulder signaling Zavien and he placed his hands over the boy's neck, announcing to the witch that their lives were now in our hands and she cannot escape.

“Please” she finally breaks down, tears falling from her eyes in defeat. “Don’t hurt him”

“That depends on the answer you give me” I grabbed the collar of her tattered shirt, letting go of her neck. I pulled her closer, forcing her eyes to look up to mine as I hovered over her “Where is it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” she lies

“Think twice before you open your mouth” my voice is low, sending more chills down her spine as tears fill her eyes.

Pathetic.

I was expecting members of the Yelena Coven to be more strong- more of a challenge. They’ve been hiding for so long like cockroaches, I might have overestimated them and it makes me angry to think that I haven’t been able to catch them sooner.

“The life of that boy depends on what you say, little witch so think”

She looked away from me to the boy and I could tell they were not just members of the same coven that had made it their life mission to throw me into misery but they were much more than that. Siblings? Maybe even a mother - son relationship? Whatever it was, I was going to use it to my advantage.

“Don’t hurt him” she said again, not giving me the answers I needed.

I threw her to the ground, knowing that she would not escape as long as I had the boy in my hands. I walked up to the boy, my patience slipping by the second, grabbing the sword I have been forced to use because I could no longer shift like the others and lost every feature that made me a werewolf. I placed the cold sword on his neck and she screamed curse words, threatened to kill me and scattered my corpse around the kingdom.

How cute

“Where is my wolf?” I yelled, bringing the sword even closer to his skin causing her to shriek. The boy closes his eyes as blood slowly drips from his neck

“BRISK” she yells, “Lord Brisk” she repeated “Lower members of the Coven are n-not allowed to see your Wolf. We’ve o-only heard that our leader, Lord Brisk has your wolf in a secret place”

“And where is this secret place”

“I don’t know” She cries

“Think Witch”

“I don’t know I swear it”

“Then you have no use for me” I place the sword even closer to the throat of the boy causing her to yell

“WAIT! There’s a secret meeting all the members of the Coven will be attending at Sacred Crow, first light four days from now. Lord Brisk will be there but you cannot win over him. He is stronger than what you can imagine, there’s a reason why he has always been ten steps ahead of you”

Her answer was not what I expected to get, but it did make me less angry. With this information, not only would I get to find the person who has the location of my wolf but I will get to capture the members of the coven.

Killing two birds with one stone

“When I have your dear Lord Brisk head on a tray, then I’ll dare you to repeat your words”

I turned to Zavien who has been standing by my side, my right hand man seems happier than me about the information. We now have a name to the shadow that has chased me for years. This so-called Lord Brisk would not know what hit him when I attacked him.

“Tie the boy and the girl, we are taking them with us” I said to Zaven, and he nods

“I have betrayed my Coven” I hear her whisper from behind me. Her guilt lingers in the air so thick, it almost chokes me.

I turned around to tell her that she saved the boy’s life at the expense of the Yelena Coven and that was a price she didn't need to feel guilty over but I never got to speak before she lunged a knife into my neck.

“Die” She yells in my face, tightening her hands around the handle of the bone knife. Her eyes locked on mine, burning with anger, hatred and fury. “You monster”

Zavien tried to come to my aid but I stopped him.

If there wasn’t a knife stuck in my neck, I could laugh at her choice of words - Monster. It was her kind who made me a monster. It was her kind who cursed me, took out my wolf and whatever humanity that was left in me. If anyone should be called a monster it should be the witches.

It should be the Yelena Coven

I grabbed her hands and pulled out the knife with it, my blood splattering on her face, making beautiful art on her pale skin, almost covering the engraving on her forehead and under her eyes. She closed her eyes as she tried to avoid the blood from entering her eyes and that was when I struck.

Lunging her own weapon into her body.

Her eyes widened in shock, when the weapon connected to her chest. “Ayala'' the boy yells from behind me trying to run toward me but Zavien stops him. “Don’t kill my sister. Please. Alpha”

Aayla opened her mouth to speak but I grabbed her face into my hands. Enjoying the horror in her eyes as she watches my skin heal in a matter of seconds.

“Tsk tsk tsk.” I pat her long black hair. Her legs give out, unable to hold from the pain so I crouch as she falls. Maintaining eye contact “You really thought a bone knife would kill me. I don’t know whether to think you stupid or an optimist”

It seems she wanted to reply but couldn’t. I wouldn’t let her respond as I instead squeezed her jaws watching tears rolled down her cheeks. She knew how this would end the moment she attacked me, she knew I would not spare her.

“Just. Kill. Me” she struggles to say

“Oh I plan to, little witch” I growl, releasing her face from my grasp “But first, I need you to take me to Sacred Crow. I want you to see me kill your friends, your family and your precious Lord Brisk.” Her eye widens as horror flashes through her eyes “And then when hope dies inside of you and you are utterly and truly in despair, I will do you a favor and end your life”