Fated To The Alpha's Curse

Ariana Bellamy always liked the quiet of night. It was just that type of stillness that set her free from the noise of her life: law books, deadlines, and the eternal circle of routine. But tonight, the stillness felt wrong, unnatural. The air was thick with an energy she couldn't explain, a sense of being watched, which raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

She stopped in the middle of the dark sidewalk, drawing her jacket closer to her as the wind began to whip around her. The quiet streets of Ravenwood-her somnambulant town-had never felt uncomfortable. It wasn't the cold seeping into her bones but something else-something pulling at her instincts.

Ariana turned on the shoulder to look back. Of course, there was nothing but the stretching shadows of a deserted street. A soft hum of a far-off streetlamp danced, casting an eerie glow over the cobblestones. Her house wasn't that far anymore-just a few more blocks ahead. She had been at the small bookstore in town, picking up a few things her grandmother needed.

Her grandmother-the thought of her-might have made Ariana smile despite the creeping unease. The old woman had been all she had left when her parents died when she was young. She had raised Ariana here in this quiet town, far away from the life they once knew, and had always been a firm believer in old legends and folklore. Ariana had never paid much attention to them. Until tonight.

It had started hours ago, right after she had left the bookshop. At that time, though, it had been quite easy to dismiss that feeling-her imagination playing games with her, most probably. But now, as the echo of her footsteps reverberated against the pavement bereft of all life, that prickling sensation was a bit difficult to suppress. Something wasn't quite right.

She quickened her pace, and the only sound that broke the stillness was the distant rustling of the trees. But just as she reached the corner of Cedar Street, there was-the quiet coldly iced-a low growl, barely audible, unmistakably there. Her blood went cold.

Ariana froze in mid-step. Her breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned her head, eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. For one moment, there was nothing; the wind and the distant hum of the streetlamp.

Then, she saw it.

A pair of glowing yellow eyes stared back at her from the darkened alley just ahead.

Her heart slammed against her chest as she tumbled backward, her mind racing down what lay before her: wolves. There shouldn't be wolves in this part of the country, not anywhere near a town like this.

But the eyes in the shadows belonged to no ordinary wolf. It was huge-too large for a normal animal-and in the way that it moved, slow and predatory, sent chills down her spine.

She began to back away, her breath catching in short gasps, her mind screaming at her to run. But her legs would not move, fixed to one spot as the creature stepped into the dull light.

Its fur was deep, silvery gray, almost shimmering in the faint light of the streetlamp. He stalked toward her, eyes only for hers, shining with a strange intelligence, coursing through her veins the icy fingers of fear. It wasn't just an animal. It was something more. Something darker.

He growled again, much louder this time, baring his teeth as if a rumble of thunder emerged from his core to the air. She took a few steps back, her legs finally giving her the strength to do anything, but it was too late. With a great amount of energy, the creature leaped toward her-with incredibly fearsome speed.

Just as she steeled herself for the impact, another growl-louder, more menacing-filled the air. A second wolf, even bigger than the first, slammed into the gray wolf with bone-crushing force, sending it sprawling across the pavement. The two creatures clashed in a frenzy of snarls and snapping jaws, their bodies a blur of fur and fangs.

Ariana jumped up in a whirl of questions that now raced in her mind. What was going on, she didn't know, but one thing she knew: she had to get out of there-now.

She ran-legs carrying her down the street, feet pounding pavement-while muffled sounds of the fight came from behind her. She did not dare look back. All that was on her mind was to reach her house, get inside, and lock the door.

Fear and confusion roiled her mind, but deep underneath, something seethed. Something elemental. Something she couldn't explain. The second wolf, which had saved her, hadn't felt like some random act of violence. There was something almost deliberate about it-as if it had been protecting her. But why?

Ariana didn't have time to register that. She saw her house come into view and practically threw herself up the porch steps as her hands shook, feeling for keys. The howling of the wolves was a distant echo - the fight growing fainter with every passing second - as she jammed the key into the lock and pushed the door open.

She slammed the door shut behind her, leaning against the door, her chest heaving with ragged breaths. The safety of the house enveloped her like a blanket, but her heart refused to stop racing.

What the hell had just happened?

Her grandmother's voice was less than soft when called from the living room, drawing her out of her panicked thoughts. "Ari? Is that you?"

Ariana swallowed hard, the shaking of her voice. "Yeah... I'm... I'm home.

Did you get what I asked for?" Her grandmother was so light, oblivious to the chaos that Ariana had just escaped from.

"Yeah," she said, barely above a whisper, catching her breath. "I got it.

She leaned against the door a moment, the feeling of something shifting refusing to be shaken. The quiet of the night had returned, but the unease which followed her home lay thick and heavy.

Deep inside, Ariana knew that this was only the beginning, that whatever happened tonight, it wasn't the end of it by a long shot.

Those events of the previous night would not leave Ariana's mind. She hadn't slept much, she lay on her bed restlessly, turning and twisting with haunting images of glowing eyes, low growling sounds ringing in her head. Every time she closed her eyes, the memory of that strange, enormous wolf-no, wolves-came right back.

She sat at the kitchen table with her hands cradling a cup of coffee against her chest for warmth, but her mind was racing out of control. Her grandmother hummed to herself some soft tune as she worked her way around the kitchen, preparing breakfast like all was right as rain. But Ariana wasn't dialed into that frequency. She felt she was walking in fog, her body in the present, her thoughts caught in the night before.

It didn't add up. None of it did. Wolves didn't attack humans, least of all in Ravenwood. And what of the second one, the one which had saved her? Why this sense that this was so much more than a wild animal?

"You're quiet this morning, Ari," her grandmother said, peering over the rim of her glasses. "Everything alright?

Ariana's fingers tightened on the mug as she hedged. She wanted to tell her grandmother what'd happened, but the words got caught in her throat. Actually, she wasn't even sure she could explain it.

"I'm fine," she said, softer than normal. "Just. didn't sleep well.".

She knew her grandmother had done nothing more than raise an eyebrow. "Well, it is Saturday. You can rest a little today." She turned back to the stove, as warm and soothing as ever. "Get your strength back.

Ariana nodded vaguely, lost still to some other place. She looked out the window; her gaze drifted over the familiar view of the backyard, half-expecting to catch something-anything-staring back from the trees. But there was, in fact, nothing. Only the silent stillness of morning.

It was one of those feelings that were hard to shake off, maybe because she had felt it last night before the attack; it now lingered in the safety of her own home, clinging to her like a shadow.

She wanted answers, but where could she even begin? Telling anyone that giant wolves had been stalking her at night made her sound crazy, and the local police would not take her seriously.

"Perhaps it was only a dream," she whispered to herself. Yet, deep in her heart, she knew it was not. All had seemed so real, so alive. The mark on her ankle, a slight bruise where she had twisted it in running, was proof enough, if she needed any, that last night was all too real.

The rest of the day seemed to be a blur. Ariana tried to do her chores around the house, cleaning, laundry, catching up on schoolwork, but nothing seemed to dislodge that unsettled feeling that had taken a seat in her chest. To every sound, to every motion outside the window, everything, she jumped. Every minute she waited.

As the sun set, she was a nervous wreck-and her resolution to stay indoors similarly in tatters. She couldn't merely sit and pretend it was all right, and she needed to know what was out there-she had to see it for herself.

She didn't waste another second but grabbed her jacket and was out the front door into the cold of the night. The coolness of the air touched her skin as she made her way up the street, heading in the direction of the attack. Her heart was racing from fear and curiosity that propelled her onward.

It was as quiet on the streets as it had been the night before. Ariana stopped as she came to the place where the wolves had attacked. The pavement was bare, without any trace of the vigorous struggle that had gone on less than 24 hours before. No blood, no fur-no hint of anything out of the ordinary. As if it hadn't happened.

But she knew it had.

A rustling in the trees nearby tore her from the trance, and she froze, her breath catching in her throat. The shadows shifted, and for one tantalizing instant, she could have sworn she saw something-**somebody**-watching her from the edges of the woods.

Her heart racing, she took one step closer, peering into the dark. "Hello?" she called, her voice quivering with sudden fear. "Is anyone there?"

No answer.

She took another step forward. Her heart was racing at this point. This feeling of being watched was far too much to take in now. Whatever-or whomever-out there wasn't any figment of her imagination.

In an instant, from amongst the shadows, a figure emerged into the dim circle of light stemming from the streetlamp. Ariana's breath caught as she took a step back, eyes wide.

It was him.

Standing before her was a tall, broad-shouldered man who exuded confidence-a confidence not to be ignored. His dark hair was tousled slightly, his eyes two gleaming points of brightness in the low light fixed on hers. There was something about him-something almost animalistic, dangerous, and strange.

Neither of them uttered a word for a while. Ariana's heart was performing riots in her chest as she peered to make out what was right in front of her. He did not look like a stranger; apt to the shadows, he was more like one with the night itself.

"What are you doing out here?" The deep, smooth voice sent shivers running down her spine.

Ariana blinked, forcing her racing thoughts to still. "I-I could ask you the same thing," she replied, trying to set her voice just a little firmer than she felt.

The man's eyes gleamed with something-maybe humour-as he said, "It's dangerous out here. You shouldn't be walking around alone.

Ariana swallowed as her feet automatically took a backward step. "I'll be fine," she lied-the shake in her voice, of course, serving as a dead give away about how nervous she actually was. "I'm not afraid of the dark."

The man's lips quirked in a faint smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You should be.

As he said it, her breath hitched in her throat, and by the inflection in his voice, a run of shivers came down her back-he knew more about that night than she would ever have. In a voice barely louder than a whisper she asked, "Who are you?".

There was a moment where he didn't say another word, his eyes never leaving hers. The silence between them spoke volumes in itself, suggesting that he was balancing on the cusp of a decision regarding how much he should reveal.

"My name is Liam," he finally said in a very low voice. "And you need to go home, now."

Ariana furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?

"Because," he said low, but his voice held a note of finality, "there're things in this town you don't understand. And unless you're real careful, you'll get caught in the middle of something you can't handle."

Her pulse quickened at his words, but she was not about to let him scare her off. "What things?" she pressed, her curiosity outweighing her fear. "What's out there?"

Liam's eyes darkened, and for a second, something flickered behind them-something dangerous. "Go home, Ariana," he growled. "And stay out of the woods.

But even before a word could leave her lips, Liam wheeled round and disappeared into the night with that suddenness that came with his materialization, leaving Ariana standing where she was, her head reeling with questions.

Who was he? How did he know her name? Most of all, what was he saving her from?

She stood there a minute longer, whirling thoughts, before turning and starting to make her way home. But even now, as she walked away, a suspicion she couldn't shake was that it all was bigger than what it seemed-something that would change everything.

Ariana walked home with a bunch of thoughts still running in her head, replaying the encounter she'd had with Liam. His warning seemed to ring in her head loud and clear, sending chills down her spine.

_ "There are things in this town you don't understand... Stay out of the woods.

What was that supposed to mean? And how did he know her name? Those were the questions tumbling in her head, but one thing was palpable: Liam was not any kind of stranger. There was something about him that had her insides twisted with curiosity and fear. The way he moved, the way he'd emerge from shadows, the way he'd looked at her-he was part of the dark.

Ariana reached her front door, pausing with the doorknob in her hand at the threshold. It was dark inside the house; her grandmother was more than likely asleep by now. Yet Ariana's nerves still hummed, and she wasn't so sure she could sleep when so many questions swirled inside her mind.

She stepped inside and silently shut the door behind her, leaning against it for a second. The only sound in the house was the soft ticking of the old grandfather clock in the hall. She always loved that sound growing up; comforting, a reminder of the stability and safety of her childhood home.

Not any of that, which usually felt so stable tonight did. All this on the edge of something... unknown it felt.

Ariana crept upstairs, quietly, her feet hushed against the dark silence of the house. She came in, shut the door behind her, and leaned on it, breathing. She did not know what she was expecting-wolves to break down her door? Liam materializing again out of nowhere? Nothing of this felt right, but the urge to find some answers overwhelmed her.

She crossed the room and plopped herself onto the edge of her bed, digging out her phone. Her fingers hovered over the screen as her mind moved over the people she had to choose from. But who would she ask about giant wolves and weird men warning her off the woods? It all sounded ridiculous.

She shook her head and laid the phone down on her nightstand, her gaze drifting to the old attic door across the room. That attic had been closed off for as long as she could remember. Her grandmother had told her that it was full of old things from their past-a past Ariana had never really asked about.

Yet now she wondered if there were answers up there. Something about Liam, something about the wolves, seemed to have flicked a switch somewhere in her mind and triggered a fragmentary sense of familiarity that she couldn't quite place. Maybe her family had been connected with this strange world in ways that up until now she could just never have imagined.

It was a consideration that made her heart run, but before she could take back the thought, she had grabbed her flashlight from off the nightstand and began towards the attic door. It was an old wooden door that creaked slowly to show a thin stairway upwards into darkness, and the first wave of dust carried with it the smell of old wood as she climbed up the steps, the flashlight in her hand sending long shadows dancing across the walls.

Upstairs, the attic opened into a wide, low-ceilinged space full of boxes and old furniture in white sheets. It had not been touched in years, maybe decades. Ariana took one cautious step forward, the flashlight beam splashing across the mess. She did not know what she was looking for, but something in the bottom of her gut knew that answers hid up here.

Slowly, she made her way around the attic, her eyes scanning over boxes and trunks, pieces of furniture-dust-covered and broken. Most of it seemed unremarkable, but as she reached the far corner of the room, something caught her eye: a small leatherbound journal, tucked inside an old chest.

Ariana's heart had leapt with surprise when she pulled the journal out of the chest and brushed off the layer of dust covering it. The cover was cracked and well-worn with age, the edges frayed. She opened it with care; the pages were brittle beneath her fingertips.

The handwriting inside was neat and delicate, yet what had jumped out at her the most was the name inside the cover: **Eleanor Bellamy.**

"Her mother's name."

Ariana's breath was caught as her shaking hands flitted through the pages. She had lost her mother when she was a child and her grandmother never said much about her. This was the very first real connection to her mom Ariana had ever found.

As she flipped through the pages, it became clear this was no ordinary journal. Strange symbols filled its pages, jotted notes about herbal remedies, and mentioned something called **Moonstone**. There were wolves and moons sketched in, and... strange markings that made Ariana's skin crawl.

"What was this?"

Her mother's words were vague, but a sense of warning ran throughout the entries, as if she had prepared for something-or someone. Ariana's heart pounded as she found what seemed like a particularly key passage near the end of the journal:

* "The Moonstone has been hidden, but I fear it won't stay that way for long. I must protect her-she is the last hope. The bloodline is powerful, but it will also be their downfall if they find her. The curse... it all begins and ends with her."

*

Ariana's hands shook as she read and reread. _The Moonstone. The curse. Bloodlines._

Her mind was racing, thinking this had to be what Liam was talking about, what her mother had been afraid of. Cryptic words, but little question her mother had been involved in something way over Ariana's head. And it was connected, somehow, with her-she was the last hope.

Then, behind her, the floor creaked.

Ariana went rigid, her breath lodging in her throat as she whirled and flicked the light up the stairs. A figure was standing at the top of the stairs, back in the dark shadows, watching her.

It was Liam.

Ariana's heart stuttered into high gear, and her instincts pushed her a step backward. "How did you-?"

"Doesn't matter," Liam said, his voice low even while firm. "I told you to stay out of this, Ariana."

She clutched the journal to her chest, running a mile a minute with a thousand questions. "What is this?" she demanded, her voice shaking. "What does this have to do with me?"

Liam's gaze flickered to the journal clutched in her hands and his expression hardened. "That's not for you to know.

Ariana's grip on the journal turned tight, a boil of anger rising in her chest. Too long she had been kept in the dark. "It's my family's," she snarled. "I have a right to know."

Liam stepped closer to her, his expression unreadable, yet there was something almost.protective in the way he regarded her. "This world, this curse, will destroy you if you're not careful.

Ariana swallowed hard, her head spinning from all she'd picked up. "Then help me understand," she whispered with desperation laced in her voice. "Help me find out what this is."

Liam hesitated. His eyes locked onto hers for a long moment. There was a battle raging behind those eyes, something dark and conflicted. But finally, he nodded, his voice barely more than a whisper.

There are things you don't know about your family, about the wolves. Things that have been kept from you all your life."

Ariana's heart was racing as Liam made another step closer, the confined space of the attic feeling completely overwhelmed by his presence.

"And whether you like it or not, Ariana," he continued with low, taut tones, "you are a part of this now.