Chapter 2 The curse

ARES' POV

The battlefield was quiet now, but the silence didn't bring peace, it never did. The only sounds were the crackling flames from torched bodies and the occasional groan of a dying rogue.

Blood soaked my hands, my claws, the ground beneath me. My warriors stood victorious, but there was no triumph in their eyes. This wasn't a battle won.

It was another warning.

Another message from the bastards who wanted to take everything from me.

The sharp metallic scent of blood filled my nostrils. My claws itched to tear into something–anything, but the fight was already over. They ran again.

Cowards.

They never stayed long enough to finish what they started. Just long enough to keep us on edge. To make sure I was too busy to search for her.

My mate.

The thought of her was the only thing keeping me from completely losing myself to the rage. I exhaled sharply, trying to steady my breathing.

She was out there. Somewhere. Unprotected

And every second I wasted in these meaningless battles was another second she remained unprotected.

My breath came in sharp, ragged exhales as I forced my wolf, Rex, to calm. But the rage was always there, simmering beneath my skin, waiting for an excuse to be unleashed

"Alpha."

Jaxon's voice pulled me back. I turned to face him, my Beta and closest friend. His usual cocky smirk was missing, replaced with exhaustion. His shirt was torn, soaked in blood, some his, most not.

"They retreated south," he reported. "Again."

Of course, they did.

I clenched my jaw, flexing my fingers to fight the frustration crawling under my skin. My wolf was restless, and so was I.

"This is the fourth attack this month," Jaxon continued. "They aren't trying to take territory. They're trying to slow you down."

I didn't need him to tell me that. I already knew.

They knew about her.

They knew that the moment I found my mate, the curse would be broken, and I would become more powerful than ever before.

So they wanted to find her first, before I even get to know her.

I turned to Jaxon, my Beta, who had just finished wiping the blood off his hands. His dark gray eyes flickered with concern as he stepped closer. "Alpha, you need to rest. This war is meaningless if you collapse before you even find her."

"I'm fine," I said, voice hollow.

Jaxon sighed, crossing his arms. "Fine? You don't sleep. You barely eat. And this," he gestured to the battlefield, "this isn't going to fill the emptiness inside you."

I clenched my jaw. He wasn't wrong, but I refused to acknowledge it.

The bond was already pulling at me, a maddening, unbearable ache. My Luna was out there, and my wolf, Rex, howled for her.

It was time.

I turned away from the battlefield and strode toward my tent. "Get everything ready," I ordered.

Jaxon frowned. "For what?"

"I'm leaving." I replied walking off

His eyes widened. "Ares..."

Jaxon followed, his footsteps quickening. "You're really going through with this?"

I didn't stop walking. "I have no choice."

His hesitation was clear. "You're going alone?"

"Yes."

Jaxon exhaled sharply. "At least take me with you. You don't have to..."

I spun around so fast he almost bumped into me. "I do have to." My voice was low, controlled, but filled with barely restrained frustration. "I can't go out there as an Alpha. I need to blend in. This isn't just about finding a mate, Jaxon. It's about protecting her. If anyone suspects who I am, she becomes a target."

Jaxon held my gaze, then sighed, reluctantly nodding. "Understood, Alpha."

~~~

The weight of my father's sins had been chained to me since the day I was born.

His betrayal was the reason for my suffering.

He had been given a fated mate-a gift from the Moon Goddess herself. A bond that was supposed to be sacred, unbreakable. But he had turned his back on her. Rejected and cheated on her

And the Goddess had punished him.

Not just him. His entire bloodline.

No Alpha born from his seed would ever find their mate. They would rule alone. Die alone.

And I had felt that emptiness my entire life.

I had spent my life watching others find their mates, feeling the bond snap into place like a lock turning for the first time. I had waited. Searched. Endured the emptiness. And now, the Goddess had finally relented. She had chosen to forgive. Chosen to give me a mate. One she specifically picked herself.

A Moon Guardian.

A divine being so rare, so powerful, that even the most ruthless beings in existence sought her out. The moment the messenger delivered the prophecy, I knew. My Luna was in danger, hunted not just because she was mine, but because she was the key to something greater.

But nothing came without consequences.

The moment I learned of her, my enemies learned too.

If I didn't find her first, I would lose her to them

I wouldn't allow it.

No matter the cost.

~~~

SIEGE UNIVERSITY

The human world was unbearable.

I had only been here for two days, but it already felt like a lifetime. The scents were overwhelming:

gasoline, sweat, artificial perfumes. The noise was constant, the air suffocating.

But beneath all of it, I could feel her.

She was here.

Close.

I stood at the front of the lecture hall, the weight of a hundred human eyes on me. But amongst these humans, I could smell wolves. As a powerful alpha, my sense of smell is ten times sharper than that of normal wolves and alpha. They whispered among themselves, curious, excited. Some of them were even attracted to me.

Pathetic humans. So easy to impress

I barely glanced at them as I adjusted my sleeves, rolling them up to my forearms. The role of a lecturer was beneath me, but it was necessary. If my mate was among these students, I needed a way to observe her. I look down at my fake name on the document in my hand; Rex Lutz. That's the name I will be using in the human world, to avoid any suspicion.

I inhaled deeply, searching for her scent.

Nothing.

A flicker of frustration burned in my chest, but I forced myself to remain calm.

She was here.

I just had to be patient.

Then the door swung open. And my world stopped.

The bond didn't just pull, it slammed into me, raw and unrelenting. My lungs seized. My vision tunneled. My wolf, who had been restless for years, suddenly stilled.

This was it.

This was her.

I turned sharply, breath catching,

But..,

No. No, no, no

A boy?"

He stood in the doorway.

Jet-black hair hair, a cocky smirk, eyes filled with mischief. He walked in with the kind of confidence, like he wasn't scared of anyone

My mate.

No.

No, that wasn't possible.

I had waited my entire life for this bond. I had dreamed of it. Begged for it.

And this was what the Moon Goddess had given me?

A boy?

I stood frozen, watching as the boy strolled into the room. His eyes met mine, unreadable, unaffected. No flicker of recognition. No jolt of awareness. Nothing.

My mate wasn't reacting.

Because my mate wasn't a boy."

There's no way my mate could be a boy.

I had never felt something like this before. A pull so strong it threatened to consume me.

But it had to be a mistake.

Because my mate wasn't a boy.

Which meant only one thing.

My mate wasn't him.