Curse of the Alpha Demon.

Chapter 1

The Man Who Wasn't Human

"He ripped him apart like an animal!"

My voice shook as it echoed through the courtroom, but I didn't care. Let them hear it. Let them all hear the truth.

I gripped the wooden railing in front of me, my nails digging into the polished surface. My chest heaved with every breath, my heart hammering against my ribs. Dozens of eyes were on me, watching, waiting. Some were filled with pity. Others with doubt.

But I knew what I saw.

"My dad..." My throat tightened, but I forced the words out. "He didn't just die. He suffered."

The memories crashed over me, raw and unrelenting.

The sound of flesh tearing.

The way his body convulsed.

His screams turning into weak, gurgling gasps before fading into silence.

I squeezed my eyes shut, shoving the images away. Focus, Serena.

I turned my head slowly, my stomach twisting. The man who had done it sat just a few feet away.

Calm. At ease.

Like this was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

I forced myself to meet his gaze.

He was too perfect. Broad shoulders, dark hair that fell into place without effort, sharp cheekbones that made him look almost elegant. The kind of face people trusted.

But his eyes...

His eyes were wrong.

Even under the bright courtroom lights, they looked unnatural. Too light. Too cold. They held no guilt, no remorse.

And worst of all-he was amused.

A smirk played on his lips as he watched me. Like I was nothing but entertainment.

A fresh wave of anger burned through me.

"I might be fifteen," I said, my voice steadier this time, "but I know what I saw."

The room was silent for a moment. Then someone chuckled near the back.

Heat crawled up my neck.

"They think I'm lying," I muttered under my breath. Then, louder, "I know what I saw.

I pointed at him. "One second, he was across from my dad. The next, he was there. Too fast. Too smooth. No human moves like that."

The defense lawyer sighed dramatically, adjusting his tie. "Your Honor, she's a child. It's not unusual for a teenager to exaggerate after witnessing something traumatic."

My hands clenched into fists. "I am not making this up!" My voice cracked with frustration. "His eyes glowed! His nails, they turned into claws! He wasn't human!"

A few murmurs spread through the room. Someone whispered something about horror movies.

No one believed me.

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat nearly choking me. My hands trembled, but I stood my ground.

The judge sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She glanced at the papers in front of her, then back at him.

And that's when I knew.

I knew exactly what she was about to say.

"Given the lack of evidence and the witness's age, the court finds the defendant," she hesitated, just for a second, "not guilty."

Not guilty.

The words barely settled before I heard it, the slow scrape of a chair against the floor.

My entire body tensed.

He was moving. Toward me.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as his shadow loomed over me.

I forced myself to stay still. To not flinch.

He was taller than I thought. His presence swallowed the space between us, his movements slow and measured. Like everything he did was planned long before he did it.

A predator in the skin of a man.

He leaned in, his breath ghosting over my cheek.

"Run, little girl," he murmured. His voice was quiet. Too quiet. A warning. A promise. "Stay hidden. Because I'm coming for you soon."

I choked on a breath.

He smiled. Not kind. Not gentle. Just cruel.

Then he turned and walked away, as if none of this mattered. As if I didn't matter.

I stood there, frozen. My fingers dug into the railing, my legs refusing to move.

Then I ran.

I didn't remember leaving the courtroom. I didn't remember bursting through the heavy doors or stumbling into the street.

But when I finally stopped, I was home.

My lungs burned. My hands shook so badly I could barely grab the closet handle.

I ripped the door open, shoving things aside until I found it.

A visa.

My dad had given it to me last week. Pressed it into my palm with urgency.

"Serena, if anything ever happens, if I start acting strange... run."

I didn't listen.

I should have.

I grabbed the visa and bolted out the door. No bags. No clothes. Just the desperate, choking panic that told me I had to leave.

I ran down the street and flagged the first taxi I saw. "The airport," I gasped. "Fast."

The driver gave me a strange look but nodded, speeding off.

I barely breathed. My hands still trembled. My mind raced, trying to make sense of everything.

Then I looked into the side mirror, and froze.

A sleek black car followed behind us, keeping a careful distance.

My stomach lurched. My fingers curled into the seat.

I leaned forward, heart pounding, and peered through the window.

I felt sick.

He was in the car, watching me, his lips curved into a smirk.

I turned to the driver, my throat tight. "Go faster."

The car sped up,So did his.

By the time we reached the airport, my legs barely held me up as I stumbled out. My fingers fumbled with my boarding pass. I rushed through security, moving as fast as my body would allow.

I just needed to get on that plane.

The waiting area felt suffocating. I clenched my ticket so hard my knuckles turned white.

Then, finally, they called my number. I stepped forward, my chest loosening and then, I saw him.

Standing near the terminal.

Watching me.

I froze. His eyes locked onto mine.

He didn't move. Didn't chase me.

He just smiled.

Then, with terrifying ease, he lifted a hand and made a "see you later" gesture.

A chill spread through my entire bo

Chapter 2

"You're smart enough to know when to walk away."

Nathaniel Parker leaned back in his chair, his eyes cool, amused-like he had already won.

I couldn't move.

My fingers dug into the armrests of the chair in front of his desk, my entire body stiff as his words echoed in my head.

Walk away?

After everything I had done for this firm? After the years I spent proving myself?

I had given this firm everything. Three years of law school, one year as an intern working myself to the bone just to prove I deserved a seat at the table. And when I finally got it, I didn't waste a second.

One year.

One damn year.

That was all it took for me to become one of the best junior defense attorneys in the firm. I had built a reputation for myself, sharp, relentless, undefeated. I had spent nights drowning in case files, mornings in court, afternoons battling men twice my age and winning.

And the man who had guided me through it all? The one I had trusted the most?

And in one day, it was all gone.

He had been lying to me.

All because of him.

Because of what he asked me to do.

I had always known Nathaniel operated in gray areas. That was how he won his cases, pushing boundaries, finding loopholes, twisting the law just enough to get his clients off the hook.

But I never thought he'd expect me to commit a crime for him.

And yet, two days ago, he had slid a folder across his desk and told me to bury the evidence.

Not twist it. Not argue against it.

Destroy it.

I had stared at the files, my stomach turning. A case I had been working on for weeks, a corporate fraud lawsuit against one of our firm's biggest clients. There were documents proving everything. Bank transfers, hidden accounts, internal emails detailing the entire operation.

Evidence that should have sealed the case.

Evidence that Nathaniel wanted gone.

"This is how things work, Serena." His voice had been smooth, patient, like he was teaching me something valuable. "You don't win by being righteous. You win by being smart."

"This isn't smart," I had shot back. "This is illegal."

He had sighed, rubbing his temples, as if I was the one frustrating him.

"You're making this harder than it needs to be."

"You're asking me to commit obstruction of justice."

"I'm asking you to choose a side." His voice had hardened then, the mask slipping just for a second. "You're either with me, or you're against me."

And like the idiot I was, I had still thought I had a choice.

I had walked out of his office that day, my head held high, thinking I could fight him.

By the next morning, my access to the firm's system was revoked. My office was emptied. My colleagues people I had trusted, people I had fought alongside in court were laughing behind my back.

They had all known.

Nathaniel had made his choice. And he had made sure I wouldn't have one.

But the worst part?

The real knife to the gut?

Was Danielle.

I had stormed into Nathaniel's office, ready to fight, only to find her standing beside him.

Arms crossed. Chin high. That smug, victorious smirk on her lips.

She had been my closest friend. The one person I had trusted outside of work.

And she had walked right into my place.

Because she was willing to do what I wouldn't.

Nathaniel had wanted my body. He couldn't have it, so he took the next best thing.

And the way she looked at me, as if she had won it made me want to burn the entire building down.

Nathaniel had only sighed, like he was disappointed in me.

And then, with that same unreadable expression, he had said it.

"You're smart enough to know when to walk away."

And that's when I realized he had planned this.

He had wanted me out.

I had been asking too many questions. Getting too close to things I shouldn't. I was a liability.

So he had cut me loose.

And I had no choice but to walk away.

-

The airport was packed, but I barely noticed.

I moved through security, checked my bags, boarded my flight-on autopilot.

By the time we landed, the sky was dark, the streetlights flickering on as the city came alive.

I stepped out of the airport, inhaling deeply. Home.

I had promised myself I wouldn't return until I was ready, ready to face the man who killed my dad 5 years back.

But now, I had no choice.

A car was supposed to be waiting for me.

My eyes swept over the row of parked vehicles until they landed on a sleek black car.

Expensive. The kind of car I expect the company I ordered the car from to deliver

I sighed, exhausted, and pulled the door open.

Then froze. My blood turned to ice.

He was there. Sitting in the driver's seat.

As if waiting for me.

His posture was relaxed, one arm draped over the seat, his long fingers tapping lazily against the leather.

That same perfect face. That same haunting, effortless smile.

The man that ends my father's life. 5 years ago and nothing change about him.

Chapter 3

Ryker's POV

The voices around me blurred into a dull hum.

My beta, Jaxon, stood in front of me, his expression tight with frustration. "Alpha, did you hear what I said? The western border was attacked again. We lost-"

I tuned him out.

Not because the attack wasn't important. Not because the pack wasn't my responsibility.

But because something far worse loomed over me.

My time was running out.

They had told me yesterday.

"Two weeks. That's all you have left."

Two weeks to find the mate I had spent centuries searching for.

If I failed, I would lose my strength. My immortality. My life.

I clenched my jaw, staring at the fire crackling in the hearth.

I had lost count of my years long ago, long after I crossed the 1,000-year mark. But ever since the elders warned me of my impending death, I had started counting again.

And now, the number was getting dangerously low.

The weight of it pressed against my chest, suffocating.

I needed air.

"Handle it," I muttered to Jaxon, already standing.

His eyes flashed with frustration, but he said nothing. He knew better.

I left the room, stepping out into the night.

The only place that had ever brought me any solace was the human world.

They were simple creatures, ignorant of the monsters that walked among them. Their problems were nothing compared to the wars and betrayals I had witnessed.

And yet, their world fascinated me.

It was the only place I could exist without the weight of my title.

Without the burden of who I was supposed to be.

I decided to take a drive. To clear my head.

But just as I was about to leave, my phone buzzed.

I glanced at the screen.

Alec.

My younger brother.

"Ryker," his voice came through the speaker, slightly muffled. "I'm landing soon."

"I'm already on my way," I said, changing directions toward the airport.

Alec had been away for a few months, dealing with pack affairs in another region. His presence had been missed though I would never admit it.

I arrived at the airport within minutes, parking outside the arrivals section.

And then my phone rang again.

"Don't bother waiting," Alec said. "A friend picked me up. I'll be home soon."

I exhaled sharply, irritated. A wasted trip.

I was about to pull away when the passenger door flew open.

I turned sharply, muscles tensing.

A woman stood there, she didn't say a word.

She simply stared at me.

I narrowed my eyes. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I knew her from.

Her wide, startled eyes flickered with recognition as if she knew exactly who I was.

Then, before I could say a word, she slammed the door shut and ran.

I watched her retreating form disappear into the crowd.

That was... unexpected.

But I didn't dwell on it.

Instead, I pulled away from the curb, shaking my head.

I needed a drink.

-

The bar was loud, dimly lit, filled with the scent of sweat and liquor.

I took a seat in the farthest booth, away from the noise.

A waitress approached, all sultry smiles and lingering glances. I ignored her and ordered my usual something strong.

Tonight, I wanted to drink until the world blurred.

Until I forgot the ticking clock over my head.

Until I forgot that no matter how much I fought, fate was winning.

I was halfway through my second glass when the noise behind me became too much.

Raised voices. Shouts. Laughter that wasn't right.

I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't.

I turned to the back. A group of men surrounded someone near the bar.

A woman.

Her movements were unsteady, her arms limp as one of the men grabbed her by the waist, pulling her closer.

Something about her was familiar.

I stiffened. The girl from the airport.

I sighed, rubbing my temples.

Not my problem

But then one of the men grabbed her wrist, twisting it hard enough to make her stumble.

Something in me snapped and I stood up.

The next moment, I was in front of them.

The men turned, sneering, eyes filled with arrogance.

"Walk away," one of them said, smirking. "This isn't your concern."

I smiled. And then, I broke his nose.

The fight was over in seconds. The men lay groaning on the floor, and I turned to the woman. She was swaying, barely conscious. I sighed, reaching out to steady her, and everything stopped.

The moment my skin touched hers, a sharp, electric jolt shot through me, setting my blood on fire. My wolf roared

"Mate!"

I froze. My entire body locked up as shock coursed through me. This girl, this human couldn't be my mate. It wasn't possible. I had searched for centuries, traveled across continents, and yet... she was right here.

Weak. Drunk. Vulnerable.

This was the woman fate had chosen for me?

She stumbled, and I caught her. She was warm. Soft. And the moment she looked up at me, something clicked.

I tried to step back, to pull away, but she didn't let me. Instead, her arms looped around my neck, and before I could react, she pulled me down and kissed me.

Fiercely. Desperately.

Like she had been waiting for this moment her whole life.

And as much as I hated to admit it. so had I.