Cruel Beauty

Prologue

The tower, his safe haven, or perhaps a prison. To the outside world, it would look like an ordinary field, but he knew better. How could he not? It was his home. He’d spent his entire life there, hidden from the world.

Some might think that this was cruel. Cruel to lock up a baby in a tower surrounded by an invisible spell. It was cruel, yes; it was cruel indeed. But what was even crueler was the curse the Wicked Witch of the East (yes, there is actually a Wicked Witch of the East, how very Wizard of Oz of me) had cast on him on the day he was born.

She snuck into the palace (what was formerly his home) and somehow slipped past the dozens of guards and got into his room. He was alone in his crib.

His big doe eyes stared into the face of a wrinkly old woman, whose lips had pulled back into an evil smile. He looked at her in wonder, while she looked at him with hate and resentment. He did not know what he had done to be on the receiving end of her wrath. All he knew was that from that day forth, he was never the same again.

She’d cursed him with beauty- a beauty that would make the Greek gods weep. She cursed him to walk this earth forever alone without the possibility of ever finding true love, for every woman or man who laid eyes on him would involuntarily fall in love with him. His beauty would drive them to madness, only for them to kill themselves in the end. 

His parents were the only exception to this curse, for the wicked witch wanted them to watch as their newborn son drove people to suicide from his mere presence. His parents sent him away, not too far, but far enough so that no one could find him.

There was a tower on a hill, miles away from the palace where the baby grew up. His parents went to great lengths to ensure his safety and the safety of others. They sealed the tower off and made it invisible to the naked eye. It was the only safe place to be around the baby. 

A spell, a cure of some sort that allowed him to roam around freely, surrounded the tower. His curse was dormant within those walls. Still, he grew up resenting his parents for not being there. He was always with his nanny. He felt like a prisoner in what he grew to call his ‘home’.

His parents would visit from time to time. First, they’d visit weekly. Then it went from weekly to monthly. After that, their visits became scarce. They were too busy tending to everyone else, whilst neglecting their own son, he’d thought.

Then one day, a boy showed up with a man and a woman he’d never seen before. Although the only people he ever saw were his parents and the nanny.

From the look on their faces, he could tell that something was wrong, but out of all the scenarios that played out in his head, he never in a million years could have imagined what they were about to tell him.

“I am beta Micheal and this is my wife, Michelle, and our son Weston. It is nice to meet you, although I would have preferred we met under different circumstances.” The man and woman bowed their heads in respect. “We regret to inform you of the passing of your parents, Alpha Kian.” They got down on one knee in acknowledgment of his new title.

Time froze as he let their words wash over him. His parents were dead. “How did they die?” The words slipped past his lips, his voice void of emotion.

“They were on one of the regular trips that they’d take at least once every few months in search of a cure for your curse.” The man explained, still kneeling before him.

Realization dawned on him. He’d thought that his parents had abandoned him. When, in reality, they were too busy trying to find a cure for him. While he was busy resenting them for staying away, thinking that he was a burden or that they didn’t love him.

In hindsight, he still thought that he was a burden. Because if it weren’t for his curse, his parents would still be alive. They died because of him. They died trying to save him. He couldn’t help but hate himself—he hated the witch that cursed him—he hated the day they brought him into this world.

He hated everything.

He was a myth to the outside world.

A rumor.

A nightmare.

Only a few people knew of his existence because his parents had declared him dead shortly after they found out about his curse. 

And now, he had no choice but to take on the title of Alpha. He never had a say in his life, which pissed him off. How could he rule over people who feared his existence? How could a dead man rule?

“Was it an accident?” He asked, and Micheal’s brows furrowed in confusion as he looked up at him. “The cause of death. Was it an accident?”

“No, Alpha Kian. It was no accident.” Micheal’s gaze hardened at the ground regretfully.

Kian knew what he had to do. Right there, he made a silent pledge to avenge his parents’ death.