The Cursed Alpha's Mate

F L O R E N C E

“Harder. Keep your eyes on the target, and never miss a beat.”

My own words as a trainer echo in my head as I deliver another hard blow to the punching bag in front of me. It’s already pretty late at night, but I want to stay here in the arena and train instead of going home to rest.

I know I have an early class for the young ones tomorrow, but I want to teach myself.

I’m the daughter of Alpha Amos from the Blood Moon Pack, one of the biggest and strongest packs in the state. He’s known as the Enforcer, because he dedicates his life ridding the state of all perils and he keeps everyone in line.

Next week, I will turn eighteen, which means that my father has to crown me as his heir.

Which also means that for the next years, I will be the main center of attention for all the criticism and judgment from my people.

This is why I have to remain to be the strongest warrior in this pack.

With a loud growl, I swing at the punching bag and watch with satisfaction as it falls from its hook. I was about to cheer when suddenly the door of the gym swings open.

I flinch and turn around, which is a cowardly move, only to find my father standing by the doorway. I exhale. “You scared me. I didn’t--”

“There’s no time for that,” he says in his usual strict tone. “Come with me.”

My blood goes cold. “Did I do something wrong?”

I run towards him and peer at his face, trying to see his expression. But his face, which is half hidden in shadow, betrayed no emotion. “Just come with me and ask questions later.”

I nod and follow him as he starts to walk, but my knees are suddenly shaky. Am I in trouble for sneaking around at night to train? Surely he would understand that kind of pressure I’m in, considering that he is possibly the best fighter known in the state, and I’m living under his shadow.

Taking deep breaths to calm myself, I just trail behind him as he leads me to the packhouse, all the way up to the topmost floor where his study is. Although I’m his daughter and we’ve always been pretty close, I have never gone up here.

This is exactly the reason why my nerves start to fray as he opens the door and leads me in.

I brace myself for the worst, praying it won’t get in the way of my future ruling.

But the only thing I find inside the office are two familiar faces.

I immediately sink into a bow. “Alpha Isaac, Luna Vera.”

“Rise, my dear,” Alpha Isaac says, motioning me to get up.

I obey, and I see that his beautiful wife is sobbing on his shoulder, holding a photograph of who I recognize as their young boy James.

They’re from Moonstone Pack, which is our ally from all the way to the opposite side of the state. They’ve always been friendly with us, and they would often visit our pack with their son. Seeing Luna Vera crying and clutching the photo is making my heart compress.

“What happened?” I ask, taking the seat in front of them. “Did something happen to James?”

Since Luna Vera is too upset to speak, Alpha Isaac took her place. But the shakiness and distress in his voice are not hard to miss. “We . . . lost him.”

My stomach drops all the way to my feet. I remember the sweet boy and his curious antics, the way he would try to play with me and ask me about my weapons. “Since when? What happened?”

“He went out to play with some of the little boys in the pack, and we didn’t know he got away so far,” he says, holding his wife closer to him. “The boys returned, but James is no longer with them.” His voice breaks and he pauses, looking at me and my dad. “We need your help. We’ve been looking for him since this morning and my pack has limited people. If you can spare a small force for us, we would appreciate it with all our hearts. . . .”

Alpha Amos paces the floor. “Where was the child last seen?”

He swallows hard and stares at his feet. “The Sacred Grounds.”

The temperature in the room drops considerably. A cloud of silence settles over us. The mere mention of that place alone sends chills down my spine.

The Sacred Grounds is the center of the state, where all the pack borders meet. They say some sort of magic is in there, something more supernatural than Werewolves. Because of its malevolent power, all the Alphas and Lunas have agreed to never go there. There are forces there that have never been discovered, dangerous things that wrote chaos in blood all over our history.

If we volunteer to look for James, we would break the pact.

Not only that. We may also encounter something darker, something that might just bring ruin to us and our pack.

And who knows that kind of trouble that will bring?

I glance at Alpha Amos, who is still pacing the floor. I can almost hear the question in his mind: Is James still even alive?

My pulse is racing for some reason. My mind is conjuring all the stories I heard about the Sacred Grounds, about the people who went in there and never made it out alive.

Every thought seemed more eerie with Luna Vera’s cries.

“We are afraid we cannot offer much help,” Alpha Amos begins to say. “We are all aware of the pact. We don’t wish to bring the wrath of the other packs upon us if we cross the lines--”

“Please,” Alpha Isaac whispers. I look over to him and see that he’s now crying too. “We need our son back. He’s too young. We can’t lose him...”

My throat closes up. I can’t help but think of my mom, Luna Serra, who we lost when I was just eight. All my life we’ve longed for her, especially my dad, who still blames himself up to this day.

I don’t think I can just sit here and watch another family endure the same pain we felt.

“I understand that,” Alpha Amos begins to say. “However, there are circumstances that we have to--”

“No.” I get up from my seat and look at the couple. “I will go, and I will bring back your son.”

F L O R E N C E

“This is suicide, Florence,” Dad insists, trailing after me as I head to the weapons room to get all the things I need for the mission. “We don’t know what’s waiting out there and it’s not right for you to do this!”

I’m no longer listening to him. I’m tuning him out. My decision is set and I refuse to back out on Alpha Isaac and Luna Vera, who are still back in his office waiting for their son to be brought back.

And this is not just me trying to prove my strength.

This is me wanting desperately to bring back a son to his parents.

I load up a backpack with some knives and guns, knowing that my skill alone would not be enough for whatever is waiting for me out there. I’m about to sling the bag over my back when suddenly Dad grabs my arm and turns me around.

“Dad, please,” I start to say, but he shakes his head.

“This is not a good idea and you know it,” he hisses. “I would tell them now that we can’t help them. I can go to them right now--”

“Don’t do that,” I interject. Then I shake his hand off my arm. “I’m doing this, Dad. You don’t have to take part in it.”

I try to brush past him but he blocks my way. “You can’t go alone. I’ll come with you.”

I shake my head. “We can’t have too many people there. Just one person will suffice and it would not raise any kind of suspicion. I have a walkie in here, Dad. Just keep in contact with me and we’ll be good.”

With that, I head to the door to start my mission. But then, just as I grab the handle, I hear my dad speaking again.

“You’re all I have,” he whispers. When I turn to him, he shakes his head. “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t. I’ll come back, and I will make everything right.”

* * *

The journey to the Sacred Grounds is silent and tense. There’s no light from the stars or the moon. There’s no wind.

It’s almost like the entire place is holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

And in turn, that makes me nervous.

That’s why I jump a mile when Dad’s voice comes through my earpiece. “Are you there?”

“Yes,” I whisper. “So far no sign of the boy.”

“We’ll be on the lookout.”

With that, I examine the thick forest with my small flashlight in hand, wondering how the hell those kids ended up here. I don’t know what about this place signals that it’s for playtime, but I guess it’s time to fence the place and secure it for good.

The only sounds I can hear all around are the soft rustling of leaves and my boots squelching in the mud. I’m trying to be as silent as I can but the soles of my shoes are sticking on the ground, making it hard to take a step forward.

However, this is not the hardest part of being here.

The hardest part is feeling like being watched, like things are lurking behind the trees, witnessing my every move.

I’m actually half expecting to be faced with a billion entities as soon as I turn off the flashlight.

Trying not to be spooked, I focus on straining my ears for any sound, my eyes peeled for anything unusual.

And that’s when I spot the small footprints on the mud.

James.

My heart begins to race. The footprints are going forward, towards the thicker line of trees. I keep my gaze glued on it as I walk faster, waiting for the moment when I see the boy--

A shadow crosses in front of me.

Coldness spreads through my body. My flashlight sputters out in a shower of sparks, making me drop it. A strangled scream escapes my mouth, echoing all over the woods. I blink rapidly and turn my flashlight around, looking for the thing that just walked right in front of me.

My pulse is racing and fear is coursing through my veins. I can hear my heart pumping, the darkness closing over me like a fist.

Tension is crackling in the air. I slowly back away from the path, my instincts telling me to leave. . . .

Then the whole forest comes alive.

The wind begins to howl from all directions. Leaves and small branches swirl in the air. There’s a strange hum on the ground that I can sense on my feet, and it’s all rising to a terrifying crescendo.

“Florence?” Dad’s voice is booming from the earpiece. “What’s happening? Why did you scream? Why did--”

“HELP ME!”

The horrified voice of a little boy pierces the night like a gunshot. All my senses leave me and I find myself running towards the sound of the voice, my boots making loud spattering noises on the ground.

Something here might hear me. Something here might get me. But I don’t care anymore.

I already made my presence known, and now all I have to do is save James before something gets me.

“JUST STAY PUT!” I yell as I run faster. “I’M COMING FOR YOU!”

“HERE!” the boy yells back, and the desperation in his voice breaks my heart. I have no idea where I am going and the darkness is so thick that I have a sinking feeling that I’m going nowhere, that I’m never finding the boy...

But then, as my eyes adjust to the darkness, I see a familiar pale white face peeking through from behind a tree.

“Here!” he yells, and I almost sag in relief. “Please save me!”

I leap through a bush and land in front of the tree, holding out my hand. Little James runs straight in my arms, sobbing, and I hold him for a couple of seconds before securing my own jacket around his shaking body.

“You’re safe,” I tell him soothingly, even with a shaky voice. “I’m going to get you home.”

James nods and pulls away from me, his shoulders shaking as he wipes his tears. I open my mouth to assure him, but then the expression on his face changes from sad to scared.

And he’s looking at something behind me.

I watch as a looming figure covers his face in shadow, and I only get the time to yell, “RUN!” before a pair of big hands closes around my neck.