Chapter 3 THE ALPHA'S TEMPLE

THE ALPHA'S TEMPLE

He'd fought wars, crushed rebellions, and stood over a thousand graves without flinching. But nothing-nothing-had ever undone him like the sound of her voice.

Even unconscious, Ava Blackthorn haunted him.

She lay beneath white furs in the healer's room, her skin pale, her lips parted like a prayer. The faint glow from the cursed mark pulsed at her collarbone, steady as a second heartbeat. It should've terrified him. Instead, it made his own pulse quicken. He wanted to touch it, trace it, understand it.

He wanted her.

Kael clenched his fists, forcing himself to step back. The air around her tasted like moonlight and danger. His wolf paced inside him, restless, whispering, Mate. Protect. Claim.

But the man in him knew better. The moment he'd touched her, his veins had burned like fire. His pack healer had warned him - her power was poison. The curse wasn't just legend. It was real.

Still... he couldn't stay away.

He'd ordered the pack to keep their distance, but every night since, he'd come back here, drawn like a sinner to the altar. Watching her chest rise and fall was both torture and relief - proof that she was still alive, and that he hadn't yet lost what fate had finally given him.

A soft sound escaped her lips - a sigh, faint but real. Kael froze. Her lashes fluttered. Silver eyes opened.

She was awake.

For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. Then she sat up too quickly, pain flashing across her face. Kael reached for her without thinking.

"Easy," he said, his voice rough.

Her gaze darted to him - wary, searching, soft and sharp at once. "Why am I still alive?"

"Because I didn't let you die," he said simply.

"You don't understand," she whispered. "If I stay near you, your heart will stop. The curse feeds on love, on connection. You can't protect me from that."

Kael leaned closer, his hand braced beside her head. "Then we'll kill it before it kills us."

"You can't kill a goddess's punishment."

His mouth twitched into something between a smirk and a grimace. "You've clearly never seen me angry."

Ava's breath caught. His nearness was overwhelming - the scent of him, the heat radiating from his skin. Her wolf stirred again, howling inside her. The mark at her collarbone glowed faintly where the bond tied them together.

"Stay away," she murmured. "I mean it."

Kael's gaze lowered to her lips. "You keep saying that," he said quietly, "but your eyes tell a different story."

The tension between them thickened, charged with unspoken want. For one dangerous second, his control slipped. He brushed his thumb along her jaw - feather-light, reverent - and felt the spark of the curse flare through both of them.

She gasped, and he stepped back, cursing under his breath. His heart pounded like a war drum.

"I'll find the source of this," he said, his tone fierce now. "Whoever cursed you, whatever sin my bloodline committed - I'll end it."

Ava stared at him, torn between hope and fear. "And if the only way to end it is to kill me?"

Kael met her gaze without hesitation. "Then I'll find another way. I don't kill what I'm meant to love."

Something inside her broke then - the wall she'd built between her heart and fate. Because no one had ever said those words to her. Not and meant them.

Outside, thunder rolled again. The blood moon was rising.

Ava looked toward the window, eyes distant. "If you really want to break it, Alpha... then you'll have to face what your ancestors did to mine."

Kael's eyes darkened. "Then tell me everything."

She drew a shuddering breath. "It started with a betrayal... and a forbidden love that ended in fire."