Curse

“Shield us from what?”

“Her.”

Denise’s blood ran cold. This couldn’t mean what she thought it did.

But unfortunately, that was exactly what Alpha Denver and Wyatt had in mind. They wanted her to shift…right before them and eradicate those four wolves, the more brutality the better. Whether she wanted to fight or not, was something they couldn’t care less about. She’d do it and that was final. After all, the buyer should first get a sample of the product before handing over the dollars.

Tonight…was the night of their most valuable deal, a deal he had planned with Wyatt. At first, Denver wanted Denise for his pack, but then it struck him…’If he had paid so much for her, how much would an Alpha like Kain pay him in exchange for an undefeated she-wolf like her?’ He’d strike it rich in an instant! A she-wolf who fought like raging bulls was the perfect fit for a pack of savages like his. They were tyrants, wicked wolves who only cared about themselves and the royal family. Everyone else were their preys and that was why even a pack as powerful as Denver’s feared Alpha Kain.

“Shift!” Denver commanded, but Denise stood stiff in place with her now glossy eyes glued to the floor and her arms caked around her body. Gritting his teeth, he marched up to her, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her over to the training ring. His grip on her was tight, tight enough for a groan to slip pass her lips and despite trying to tug her hand away, he refused to release her, “And fight! If you fail to win, my pack will have no need for you. You know what that means, don’t you? You’d better fight if you wish to see the light of day.”

“F-Fight?” She whispered with a shaky breath.

He tossed her inside and she tumbled to the floor at the feet of the male warriors who had been locked in before her, one of them she recognized as Aiden’s cousin; Luke. They looked down at her in confusion, yet despite being confused, their hateful gazes were still digging into her skin like sharp knives. “I’m not sure why we have to fight…” Luke started to say, a grin on his lips as they began to circle her figure. “But I’ve been wanting to snap your pretty little neck for ages and now I’m finally getting permission. Shift now!”

Denise curled herself into a ball, clutching her bleeding elbow which had scraped against the ground during her fall earlier.

These warrior wolves trained every single day since she’d been here, but…they were no match for her feral wolf either way. Instead of underestimating her power, they should get as far away from her as possible…!

“Y-You don’t u-understand!” She screamed, “You will all DIE! My wolf…I can’t control her! Father, please tell them!” Denise’s eyes glanced back at her father desperately, spotting him standing the farthest away from the training ground.

He clicked his tongue when she looked at him, “Are you deaf?! Shift dammit!” Alpha Wyatt roared, his heavy glare burning her skin even from afar. Him of all people knew exactly what she was capable of which was why he always kept her as a prisoner ever since she was a child, yet she was baffled as to why he was onboard with it.

‘Is this the very reason he came here?’

That thought scared her.

“I’m assuming you have something grand planned, father?” Aiden spoke up, leaning back on the bench with his arms folded over his chest and his legs crossed at the ankle as he looked at her. At the sound of his voice, Denise quickly shifted her gaze to him.

When his pack had starved her multiple times or refused to let her enter their packhouse, she had never once thought of reporting to him or asking him for help…because she knew very well that she deserved what she was getting. However, as the moon shined brightly in the sky and a sudden wave of dizziness passed over her, she felt like begging him…to plead for him to help her this once!

But…

“As long as you’re not selling her off to another Alpha, I guess it’s alright. But don’t touch her face…AT ALL.” Aiden sighed, lazily waving his hand. “Shift, Denise.”

Denise felt her stomach drop in an instant.

Why…were they all telling her to shift?

It was said that shifting from man to wolf was a gift blessed upon their ancestors long ago, but to Denise it was a like a curse. Every time another person died under her claws, they would invade her dreams, crawling their bloody fingers over her body as they begged for mercy. It had been years since she had last slept soundly.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

Not again.

“I don’t have time to spare.” The sudden words of her mate came crashing onto her shoulders. She gasped, tilting her head so her eyes could lock on Kain who stood at the other end of the ring. His arms were folded over his chest and a bored expression adorned his face. She could tell what he was going to say before he said it. Her eyes drooped.

He…was not her savior, was he?

“Shift, woman.”

Alpha commands had never worked on her before but for some reason, those words made her body palpitate and she could feel her wolf yip around in her mind, vigorously fighting for control. Usually, at a time like this, she’d immediately feel bloodthirst, anguish, and anger that knew no bounds. But…today…all she could sense from her wolf was pure excitement.

As another wave of dizziness passed over her, Denise’s hand slipped down, nails sinking into her thigh and drawing blood as she desperately tried to hold her shift back. But to her dismay, she could only hold onto her restrains for a moment longer before they snapped completely.

“R-Run…” That last warning left from between her parted lips just as her consciousness was forcefully pushed back and darkness took over her vision. With streams of tears slipping down her cheek, her eyes quickly shifted to a bright golden and the sound of bones cracking filled the air.

Tonight…would be another night of bloodshed, the same as the day her mother died… Tonight, she’d slaughter every person within range…and tonight, this pack would despise her even more than they already did.

Then by the time her control returns, blood would already be on her hands and the limbs of these men in the ring would be scattered…

*

*

*

But…

Contrary to what she thought, when Denise’s eyes reopened, she was not welcomed by the stench of blood nor was she laying in a pool of bodies. This time, she found herself waking up to the feel of sweet tingles running over her skin as a familiar pair of emerald orbs stared down at her.

‘M-Mate…?’