THE ALPHA'S UNEXPECTED MATE: The Cursed Bloodline

CLARA'S POV

"Oh no! I'm late." Mr Davidson is going to have my head for this, and I had nobody to blame but myself and my complete lack of self-control.

"If I lose my job, I am so going to drop this obsession". I said inwardly knowing well that isn't going to happen.

By the time I burst through the front doors of the restaurant, Ariella was already looking at me with pure pity. Ari had been my best friend since forever, and I don't know what I'd do without her. Unfortunately, right behind her, was Mr Davidson and he was staring as if he wanted to burrow a hole in my head. If a look could kill I would already be six feet under.

"Miss Smith," Mr Davidson's voice sliced through the dining room. "I clearly warned you not to mess up after the stunt you pulled last week, or you would be fired.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Davidson," I said, trying to hide myself in front of Ari.

"I slept late. I was-" I cut myself off just in time before admitting I had spent the night reading the new novel I got.

"Miss Smith, I have nothing more to say. You're fired."

"Mr Davidson, please, I can't be fired!" Panic surged through me. I knew it could take weeks to find another job that paid well enough to cover my rent and other necessities, so I had to think quickly.

Without another idea, I dropped straight to my knees. Ari immediately dropped down beside me.

"Mr. Davidson, please don't fire Clara. You wouldn't find a replacement quickly, and this place is already swamped. We need every hand we can get." She paused, pitching her voice into her most persuasive tone.

"I know you've warned her many times, but please forgive her one last time. She won't be late again. You have my word, and if she is, you can fire me too." Mr. Davidson pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh.

"Miss Peters, can I really trust you on this? You know your friend, and you know your job and I wouldn't want to lose you."

"You have my word, sir." "Just this once, Miss Peters. Because I trust you." I looked at Ari and mouthed a thank you. "Get back to work, Miss Smith," he grunted.

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir." As we hurried back toward the service station, Ari leaned in, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

"Girl, what have you been doing?" I scratched my head nervously. I might have escaped getting fired, but I knew I wasn't escaping Ari's anger. She was a completely different person when she was mad, and unfortunately, I couldn't lie to her. She always knew.

"Well, I..."

"Don't you dare lie to me, CLARA ELIZABETH THE THIRD SMITH," she hissed under her breath.

"I wasn't going to!" I whispered back.

"Okay, fine, I was reading the new book I got it, it was so hard to put down. I woke up and I had already missed my alarm." Ari gripped my arm, her eyes wide.

"How many times have I warned you not to do that when you have work? I just put my entire job on the line for you!" Before I could apologize, a deep male voice called out from a nearby booth.

"Excuse me, can we get a waiter over here?" "I've got it!" I blurted, grateful for the sudden escape. I hurried toward the table, ignoring the sharp glare Ari shot after me.

The booth was occupied by two men, and the sight of them almost made me trip over my own feet. The man on the left was jaw-droppingly handsome, with dark hair combed neatly to the back without a single strand out of place and striking ocean blue eyes that seemed almost unnaturally intense. Beside him sat a blonde man with his hair tied back into a loose bun, he had a set of vibrant green eyes. I didn't realize I was staring until the blonde man cleared his throat with a light smirk.

"Excuse me, Miss. We'd like to place our order."

My face burned. "Welcome to Your Fill. What can I get started for you?" The blonde glanced at the menu.

"Beefsteak tartare and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon."

"And for you?" I asked, turning to the dark-haired man. He didn't look up. His gaze was fixed firmly on his phone, but his jaw was clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek. I cleared my throat and tried again, a little louder.

"Sir?" Still nothing.

"He'll have the same thing. He isn't usually like this." The handsome blonde man said with a grin. I jotted down the order then headed back to the kitchen.

The cook prepped the tartare while I brought the wine glasses out first. But by the time I returned with the main dishes, the booth was empty. They were gone. They hadn't touched their drink, but a stack of bills for the drinks and meal that hadn't been had sat between the menus, alongside a ridiculously generous tip.

I stared at the empty booth for a moment, an odd sense of restlessness settling in my chest, before clearing the wooden table. By the time my shift finally ended, my feet were aching. After saying goodbye to Ari, I decided to walk home to stretch my legs and let the crisp night air clear my head.

I was only a few blocks from my apartment when I noticed red and blue police lights flashing ahead, blocking off the main avenue alongside a loud, chaotic commotion. Not wanting to get caught in whatever mess was happening, I detoured toward the side streets.

Unfortunately, the only shortcut back to my building meant cutting through a long, narrow alleyway. I paused at the entrance, pulling out my phone. The battery icon flashed a red 3%, but I managed to click on the flashlight before stepping into the shadow of the brick walls. Halfway through, the temperature seemed to plunge.

A sudden, creeping prickle washed over my skin, raising the fine hairs on the back of my neck. Someone was watching me. I stopped dead in my tracks, sweeping the narrow beam of my phone flashlight across the dumpsters and fire escape.

Nothing but darkness stared back at me. I forced myself to keep moving, but the heavy, suffocating pressure of an invisible gaze only grew stronger.

I forced my feet faster, the cold air burning my throat as my pulse hammered against my ribs. Shortcut my ass.

My phone screen flickered once and died. Before I could even gasp, a shadow detached itself from the gloom and tackled me violently to the pavement.

The impact knocked the wind out of my lungs and the force caused me to hit my head against the concrete floor. Before I knew it I was enveloped in total darkness.

ANGUS'S POV

"You don't do anything other than work, do you, Angus?"

I looked up from my monitor to find Bernard leaning casually against my office doorway with a sharp grin plastered on his face.

"What do you want now, Bernard? And how did you even get in?"

"Hey, come on now. Can't a man come over to hang out with his best friend?"

"Besides, this best friend has a spare key." He said, holding up a silver key and jingling it cheekily. I let out a heavy breath and leaned back in my chair.

"Just tell me what you want, Bernard. Some of us are actually busy."

"Busy with what?" "Have you forgotten what today is?" I asked, gesturing toward the calendar on my desk.

"Today is the lunar eclipse, which means the blood moon rises tonight. You know what happens when the blood moon shows up and the kind of chaos it brings."

"You don't have to be personally involved in every detail," Bernard argued, stepping into the room.

"That is what the higher-ups are for."

"I prefer to handle things before everything turns into a whole mess."

"Okay, okay, you can handle it later," Bernard said, waving his hand dismissively.

"I'm sure you've already done most of the hard work. Now come on, we have somewhere to be."

Before I could object, Bernard grabbed me by the arm and practically dragged me out of my home office and toward the front door.

"Where are we going?" I demanded as he shoved me toward the car.

"Don't you have work to do instead of pestering me?"

"My main and only job is pestering you," he replied with an infuriating smile.

"You don't have to worry about where we are going. Just trust me."

Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up to a cozy, crowded diner on the edge of town.

"What are we doing here, of all places?" I asked.

"Don't ask questions. Just follow me."

We walked inside and took a booth near the middle of the floor. We sat in silence while Bernard flipped through the menu. I was about to demand we leave when the front door swung open.

Instantly, a rich, intoxicating scent washed over my senses a sharp, beautiful aroma like wet earth and rain pulling through a dry forest. It hit me straight in my chest, soothing yet overwhelming.

My head snapped up toward the entrance. A lady burst through the doors, her dark hair was in a ponytail swinging from left to right as if she had been running for her life.

"You still haven't told me why we're-" I started, but Bernard cut me off before I could finish.

"Can we get a waiter over here?" he called out across the dining room.

The girl turned toward our table. As she hurried over, my eyes locked onto her taking in her almond-shaped eyes, her soft features, and the flushed warmth of her skin.

The moment she stepped within a few feet of us, a violent, aching pull tightened in the center of my chest, dragging every instinct I had straight toward her. I froze. My pulse spiked.

Who was she? Why was my body reacting like this? Before I could stop myself, my eyes tracked her every movement, it was as if I was spellbound. Panic flickered beneath my skin. I looked down at my phone screen, staring blankly at the dark display, gripping the metal frame until it almost cracked under my fingers, desperately trying to anchor myself.

Her scent lingered thick in the air around us, screaming at my inner predator to claim her, to protect her. I clenched my jaw so tight my teeth ached.

Whatever this was, I needed it to stop. The sound of glasses clinking on the table jolted me out of my head.

I looked up just in time to see her hurrying away toward the kitchen, her shoulders tense.

"What was that, Angus?" Bernard muttered, leaning across the table with a puzzled look.

"You completely zoned out. The waitress asked for your order, but you didn't say a word."

"I don't know," I muttered, my voice tight as I stared at the spot where she had been standing.

"Why are we even here, Bernard?"

"See? I think you made her mad," Bernard said, glancing toward the kitchen. I couldn't take it anymore.

The air in the restaurant felt thin, the magnetic pull in my chest threatening to tear me apart if I stayed seated. I stood up abruptly and walked straight toward the exit.

"Angus!, Wait!" Bernard called after me.

As I pushed through the front doors into the cool air, I saw Bernard hastily slap a stack of bills down onto the table before rushing out behind me.

"Angus, what on earth just happened in there?" Bernard caught up to me at the car.

You just stood up and walked out!"

"I don't know, Bernard. I don't know," I ground out, raking a hand through my hair.

"There's this terrifying pressure in my chest. It tightened the second she walked near us. And didn't you smell that? She smelled like fresh rain on dry earth."

Bernard stopped dead in his tracks. A strange, knowing grin slowly spread across his face.

"I didn't smell anything out of the ordinary." I narrowed my eyes.

"What?"

"Wait, don't tell me," Bernard whispered, his eyes widening.

"Don't tell you what?" I said visibly annoyed

"You found your mate." The word hit me like an electric shock.

"Mate? You know that's impossible."

"The chest tightness? A scent profile tailored specifically to your senses that nobody else can smell?"

Bernard gestured wildly between us.

"Angus, those are obviously the textbook signs!"

"You know the Moore line doesn't have mates!" I snapped, my voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

"The Moore bloodline is cursed. It's been that way for a very very long time!"

"Well, cursed or not, your body clearly disagrees."

"A mate" The thought sent a surge of panic through me.

"If she really is my mate, she probably hates me now. I completely ignored her."

"I don't think she hates you," Bernard offered, trying to calm me down.

"You two just got off to a rough start."

"I need to go home," I said, opening the door of my car. "Wait, you're leaving me here? We aren't done talking about this!"

"See you later, Bernard," I said, shutting the door and pulling out into the street before he could argue further. My mind raced with every turn of the steering wheel.

A mate?

It couldn't be true. The legends were clear. The Moore line is destined not to have mates, cursed.

With what is going on currently, either the ancient stories were a lie, or something is happening.

By the time I arrived back at my estate, the sky was already darkening into deep purple hues. The blood moon was rising.

"Albert," I called out, walking into the main hall where my head overseer was waiting. "Have all the security preparations been made for tonight?"

"Yes, Master Angus," Albert replied with a respectful nod. "The perimeter is locked down, and the guard rotation is set."

"Good," I said, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window as the moon began to glow a deep, ominous crimson.

"You can go home now." I stared into the dark woods outside, but my mind was miles away still haunted by the scent of fresh rain and almond-shaped eyes.

ANGUS'S POV

The last thing I remembered was the desperate urge to find her.

My blood had been burning with the rising of the eclipse, driving me out into the streets like a rabid animal. And now, she was lying unconscious beneath me on the cold concrete of the alleyway.

How had this even happened? The cursed blood moon was completely unraveling my control. Her scent surrounded me, it was intoxicating.

I needed to get away from her, I needed to put miles between us before my beast took over but my body refused. Against my will, my fangs extended with a sharp, aching pressure.

My head lowered toward the curve of her throat. The moment my fangs grazed her bare skin, the last thread of my sanity snapped. I pressed my teeth into the skin of her neck, desperate to mark her as mine, but the horror of what I was about to do forced me away from her.

Snap out of it! I roared at myself, fighting against my own dark nature. Using every ounce of strength I had, I forced my jaws to unclench and dragged myself back.

I panted heavily, horror rushing through my veins as a thin crimson trail trickled down her pale skin. Leaning back in, I gently licked where I had broken the skin to heal the wound.

"What have I done?" I whispered into the dark alley. She lay still, her breathing steady, her brow tightly furrowed as though trapped in a terrifying nightmare.

She was my mate, the one woman I was cursed never to have and I had just attacked her. I had to get her somewhere safe. I had no idea where her apartment was. I had only one option.

I gathered her delicate frame into my chest and surged through the dark towards my estate. I placed her gently in the center of my bed.

After ensuring she was comfortable, I retrieved a warm washcloth and carefully wiped the cold sweat from her face and neck.

My hand trembled as my thumb traced the faint, reddish mark left behind on her throat. But as soon as my skin touched hers, a jolt of searing heat shot through my palm. She let out a low, pained groan, twisting weakly against the sheets.

I pressed my hand flat against her forehead. She was burning up. She has a fever. After the horror she had experienced tonight, her human body was breaking down under the shock. She looked miserable, her face contorted in agony. The dark chill carried by my bloodline was the only thing that could pull that heat out of her, I climbed onto the mattress and pulled her warm body against mine, wrapping my arms around her until her breathing finally settled into a peaceful rhythm.

CLARA'S POV

"Humph... what is going on? Why can't I move?" I woke up feeling completely stiff, my mind fogged with sleep.

But as I shifted, a heavy, solid weight pressed against my waist.

I froze.

They were arms, strong muscular arms. Panic instantly flooded through my mind. I am in the arms of a man.

A MAN.

Holding my breath, I carefully lifted his heavy arm, wriggled out of his hold without waking him, and slipped off the edge of the high mattress.

My shoes were sitting by the nightstand. I grabbed them, tiptoed to the bedroom door, and pulled it open.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, my breath caught in my throat. The house was beautiful.

A massive double staircase curved down into a grand foyer beneath a towering crystal chandelier. Detailed oil paintings lined the high walls, and glossed marble stretched out beneath my feet.

Everything looked impossibly expensive and antique giving the vast space an eerie, majestic atmosphere.

"Seriously, Clara?" I scolded myself, forcing my legs to move. This was not the time to admire someone's house.

A sudden, sharp floorboard creak echoed from a corridor behind me. I didn't wait around to see who or what made the sound I bolted down the marble stairs and out the front doors. I glanced at my alarm clock and nearly fainted.

"Thirty minutes." That was all I had before my shift started. I scrambled around my bedroom, grabbed the first clean outfit I could find, and sprinted into the bathroom.

As the water hit my skin, a sharp sting shot through the left side of my neck. I wiped a circle into the fogged mirror and inspected it but there was nothing.

All I could see were two faint, pinkish specks that looked almost like mosquito bites.⁠

"No time," I muttered to myself, shutting off the faucet and drying off. There was no time to think about a luxurious house, a mysterious handsome man, or random neck aches. I was already walking on thin ice with my job.

I sprinted the five blocks to the restaurant, arriving breathless right outside the front glass doors.

"Not today, Mr Davidson," I whispered under my breath, smoothing down my shirt.

Mr Davidson was standing near the hostess stand, holding a clipboard and wearing the exact stern expression he used right before firing someone. He checked his watch, then looked up at me.

"Looks like luck is on your side today, Miss Smith," he said dryly.

"You have two minutes." "You can say that again, sir!" I breathed out, darting past him toward the break room.

By the time my shift finally ended, I felt utterly exhausted. On the walk out, I pulled Ari to the side and whispered about waking up in what looked like a literal palace.

She stopped in her tracks and stared at me as if I had suddenly grown two heads.

"Clara, did you drink before coming to work? You were sleeping in your own bed this morning, right?. I laughed it off quickly.

"I sound insane right? ". I hailed a cab to take me home.

As the taxi drove down the street, passing the mouth of the dark alleyway, a series of violent, jagged flashes suddenly struck me. Me stepping into the shadowy alley. I gasped, sitting up straight in the back seat. But as quickly as the images came, they vanished into thin air, leaving my head throbbing with a dull ache.

"Hmm... peace," I sighed half a minute later, collapsing onto my bed the second I unlocked my front door. I stared up at my ceiling, but an uneasy feeling kept picking at the back of my brain.

How did I end up in that mansion? More importantly, how had I ended up wrapped up in that man's arms? I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to retrace every second of last night, but everything after stepping near that alley was completely blank.

Then, his face flashed in my mind. The sharp jawline, the dark hair, the impossibly intense eyes. My eyes snapped wide open, and I sat up. I knew him.

He was the rude, jaw-droppingly handsome man from the restaurant table.

How on earth had I ended up in his bed?