Chapter 2 THE ALPHA'S CLAIM

THE ALPHA'S CLAIM

The rain hadn't stopped by the time they reached Dark ridge territory.

Ava sat bound on the back of a black stallion, her wrists tied in front of her, soaked through to the skin. Every gallop of the horse made her pulse throb with the burn of Kael's touch - a phantom heat that wouldn't fade. The curse stirred in her veins like an angry spirit, whispering hunger and danger.

She kept her gaze low. The last time she'd looked into the eyes of a man who called her mate, he hadn't lived to see the sunrise.

Kael rode ahead, silent and unreadable. But she could feel his presence like gravity itself, pulling at her even when she wanted to hate him. His scent - cedar, storm, and smoke - lingered in the air, threading through her lungs until she couldn't tell whether she wanted to escape it or drown in it.

When they crossed the gate into the Alpha's courtyard, warriors bowed as Kael dismounted. He turned to her, eyes glinting gold in the firelight. "Untie her," he ordered.

One of the guards hesitated. "Alpha, she's dangerous. We felt-"

"Did I stutter?" Kael's tone could cut through steel.

The ropes fell away. Ava's skin stung where they'd been. She stepped down, her bare feet sinking into the wet earth. The moonlight made her hair shimmer silver, and for a heartbeat, every wolf in the yard stared.

Kael dismissed them with a look. "All of you - out."

When the last door shut, silence filled the air. Only the sound of rain hitting stone.

Ava straightened, meeting his gaze. "You should've left me there."

Kael's lips curved - not in amusement, but in something darker. "I don't leave what's mine."

"I'm not yours," she said sharply. "The bond doesn't mean love, Alpha. It means death."

He stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the heat from his chest. "Then let it kill me," he murmured. "I've lived long enough without something worth dying for."

Her heart stumbled. He was too close - too much. She tried to step back, but he caught her chin gently, forcing her to look at him. There was no cruelty in his touch, only command - and a strange tenderness that terrified her more than any threat could.

"You think I don't feel it?" he said quietly. "This fire - it's burning me alive. Whatever curse you carry, it's already in me."

"You don't know what you're saying," she whispered.

"Then show me," he said. "Show me what I'm supposed to fear."

His thumb brushed her lower lip. She trembled - not from fear this time, but from the weight of everything she'd denied herself. His gaze dropped to her mouth, then to the pulse in her throat.

"Stop," she breathed. "You'll regret it."

Kael's eyes softened, gold flickering into storm-gray. "I don't regret what's meant to be mine."

For a moment, the world narrowed to the space between them - the heat, the scent, the curse humming like lightning in her blood. Ava wanted to pull away, but her wolf was awake now, pressing against her skin, whispering mate.

Then, pain.

It was sharp, electric - tearing through her chest like a claw. Ava gasped, clutching her heart as the cursed mark flared to life, glowing faintly through her wet dress. Kael grabbed her shoulders, alarm slicing through his control.

"What's happening?" he demanded.

"I told you," she choked out, falling to her knees. "This is what happens when you touch me."

The air darkened. The moon above flickered crimson. Kael's pack howled in the distance as if the world itself sensed the curse waking fully.

Kael dropped to his knees beside her, ignoring the pain clawing through his own chest - the bond burning, twisting, binding them together. He gathered her against him despite the danger, his voice rough with defiance.

"Then we'll break it," he swore against her hair. "Even if I have to rip fate apart."

Ava's tears mixed with rain. Her body trembled, her heart hammering violently against his.

"You can't fight the Moon Goddess," she whispered.

Kael's hand closed around hers, his eyes fierce. "Watch me."

And for the first time in her cursed life, Ava wanted to believe him.