The Cursed Mate

MAIA'S POV

They said that finding your mate was the best thing in the world, well at least that was what they said in our world. That day, I was about to know if my boyfriend of three years was my mate or not. Deep inside, I hoped he was my mate.

Ever since my parents died, I have always had trust issues. It scared me because no one was there to protect me anymore. I had been all myself until Uriah came.

On my way to the park, I sent Uriah a text letting him know I had arrived at our meeting place. I sat at our favorite swing as I waited for him. Wearing the best dress I had, I did my best to look as pretty as possible. I wanted to be the most beautiful she-wolf when we found out if we were mates.

I have been waiting for an hour and there were still no signs of Uriah.

"Where could he be?" I asked myself.

I sent him another text asking his whereabouts. Another ten minutes passed and there were still no signs of him. I was getting uneasy in my place. Especially since the skies were turning gray, and it looked like it was about to rain.

"Really? Out of all the dates we have had, he had to keep me waiting on the most special day of all. This birthday is getting worse." I complained to no one in particular.

Instead of sending him another text, I called him. I waited for him to pick up his phone as it rang.

*KRING KRING*

*KRING KRING*

*KRING KRING*

*Hi, it's Uriah. I am busy at the moment. Leave a message, and I will get back to you once I am free. Bye.*

"Damn, that voicemail!" I cursed.

*KRING KRING*

*KRING KRING*

*KRING KRING*

"Come on, Uriah. Pick up the damn call." I muttered to myself.

Another ten minutes had passed, and there were still no signs of Uriah. I felt a raindrop on my arm, so I went straight to his apartment instead of waiting. Luckily, his apartment was not far. I took a cab when the rain poured.

"To the Villas, please," I said to the driver upon entering the cab.

The ride to his apartment only took ten minutes, but that ten minutes cost me my one day salary. What annoyed me was that as soon as we left the park, the rain stopped.

After giving the driver my payment, I went down and smoothed my cramped dress. I looked up and was about to cross the street when I saw Uriah standing outside his apartment gate. Instead of calling his name, I crossed the street to surprise him.

I was going to surprise him. Instead, he surprised me.

He was standing there kissing another woman. It was not a quick peck on the lips or the cheeks. It was a literal French kiss style.

I was fuming with anger. I stormed up to them and pulled Uriah by his shoulder. When he was facing me already, I gave him a good slap on the face.

*SLAP*

"This is for keeping me waiting while you are here mouth fucking another girl." I said.

*SLAP*

"This is for cheating on me."

*SLAP*

"And this is for the end of our relationship. We are over." I spat before leaving.

Thanks to Uriah, I now hated my birthday, but I hated him more. It filled my heart with so much pain and anger as I ran to the only place that was a haven to me - Faro De Leotava.

No one came to this place for several reasons. One, everyone had already abandoned it after the great storm that killed hundreds of werewolves and humans. Two, it was on no-man's-land. No one dared to go in the no-man's-land except those badass rogues or a mighty Alpha. Three, both humans and werewolves, had forsaken this place after the great storm. I don't actually understand why they hated the lighthouse when the place had got nothing to do with what happened.

When I found this lighthouse weeks after the storm, it was a total wreck. I fixed most of the broken parts of the lighthouse, like the doors, windows, and the cupboards. I made a make-shift bed on the top floor of the lighthouse.

After cleaning the whole place, I took some stuff like a pillow, blanket, a couple of pairs of clothes, a towel, toiletries, and a few stashes of soup and noodles. Whenever I came here, I would stay overnight. Sometimes, I stayed for a couple of days.

I threw the first thing my eyes landed on when I opened the door - the chair that I just recently fixed. One by one, all the stuff began flying and hitting the wall. I did not stop until I thrashed the whole place.

'Was I not good enough?'

'What was wrong with me? Was there something missing from me?'

'Am I a disgrace?'

I wanted answers.

It had been a week since I turned 18th and not once did I leave the lighthouse. I had been laying down in the middle of the mess I had made. Crying myself to sleep and waking up only to cry again.

'Maia, please stand up. I can't let you stay like this anymore. You deserve so much more. Don't let a worthless person like him define who you are. You should waste none of your precious tears on him.' Avi, my wolf, said.

'Avi, I don't assume you understand what I'm going through. I literally saw my boyfriend of 3 years kissing another woman on the day of my birthday.' I replied.

'I know it hurts, Maia, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the world.' She snapped.

'I need time to heal, Avi. He just broke my heart. I can't amend it overnight.' I replied.

'Why don't you go out for a run? Release all your anger and frustration in running.' She suggested.

After giving it much thought, I took her advice. I ran through the forest until I grew tired. I stopped by the lake to have a drink when the rain poured again. This time, it poured heavily. It seemed like there was a terrible storm that hit our town.

I shifted back to my human form and had a dip in the lake. The heavy rain and the smell of the muddy forest would cover up my scent and I would be safe from any rogues.

Instead of running back into my wolf form, I took a jog in my human form. Pictures of Uriah and that bitch kissing were still floating in my mind. I wanted to scratch that bitch's face.

My mind was going through many evil plans for both of them when Avi suddenly freaked out.

'Maia! STOP!' Avi yelled in my head.

'What is it, Avice?' I asked, using her full name.

'Can't you smell it? The forest is reeking with blood.' She exclaimed.

Then it hit me, like an ice cold bucket of water - blood. Someone was in the forest with me and that person was close by. Suddenly, my heart started beating fast.

I stood behind a tree as I stared at nothing but the dark forest.

'Shit! I don't know where I am and I can barely see a thing in this storm.' I said.

I froze in my place when I heard a twig snap.

MAIA'S POV

'What should I do? Should I run?' I asked myself.

The smell of blood filling the air made me scrunch my nose.

I peeked behind the tree as I scanned my surroundings. This could be a trap or could hurt someone seriously. I carefully walked behind the trees while trying to locate the blood.

'Turns out you are such a coward.' Avi commented.

I was about to reply to Avi when I heard the snapping of twigs again. I stopped in my tracks and looked around. The sound was getting closer, and I still hadn't located where it was coming from.

'A little help over here, Avi.' I said.

'I'm trying, Maia.' she replied.

I slowly inched backward as I expected for an incoming attack. I let out a scream when a deer ran through the bush, causing me to stumble upon a root.

Wait! The root isn't soft.

Chills crept all over my body as I slowly turned my head to the side.

'Holy Shit! It's a man!' I exclaimed in my head.

'Congratulations, Maia! You have found your death wish.' Avi remarked.

I carefully stood up, not wanting to find out if he was dead or still alive. I turned on my heel and was about to leave when I heard him groan. My heart was beating so fast as I stood there dead in my tracks. When I turned my head to see if he was moving, Avi screamed in my head, causing me to jump.

'It is not funny, Avi!' I said, scolding her.

'Focus, Maia!' She replied.

'I am focusing on trying not to get killed, Avi. You are the one who is not.' I spat.

'You really are stupid.' She insulted me.

I rolled my eyes and ignored her. With my eyes glued to the man and the ground, I carefully stepped away from him.

'Will you stop for a second, Maia, and just focus?' She asked.

'Focus on what, Avi?' I asked, irritated.

'The scent, you genius.' She replied.

I ignored her insult and sniffed the air. That's when the smell of mint hit my nose. Not that strong because of the bloody man hearing me.

The bloody man! Could it be possible that he was my mate? Or what if my mate was the one who did this? What if my mate was evil?

'Or it could be the bloody man beside you.' Avi suggested.

I slowly turned my head and looked at the bloody, unconscious man beside me.

'There's only one way to find out - touch him.' Avi implied.

Avi was right. I needed to touch him to know if he was my mate. Well, it was easier said than done.

'There has to be another way, Avi.' I said, almost begging.

What if this man was just pretending to be dead or unconscious? What if he was really alive and was just waiting for me to come closer so that he would attack me?

'What are you so scared of?' Avi asked.

I fought back the urge to roll my eyes and say something back to her.

I took a deep breath, instantly regretting it when the blood hit my nose again. With slow and steady hands, I stretched my hand to touch him.

l immediately removed my hand as if he had some kind of plague when I felt the sparks.

'Avi! You are right. He is our mate.' I exclaimed.

As fast as the excitement set in, doubt and fear took over quicker.

What if he rejects me? I won't be able to live with it. My heart has already suffered enough pain. I can't add more.

I closed my eyes as I willed myself to leave.

'You can't leave him here, Maia. What if he bleeds to death? Help him.' Avi objected.

'I can't risk him finding out about me. I need to run as far away as possible from here.' I muttered.

'Get your senses together, Maia! He is our mate. If he dies, WE die!' She pointed out.

My eyes were wide as reality hit. I was drowning with fear and worry. I had to decide fast.

The longer that I stayed in these woods, the higher the risk of getting killed would be. With the possibility of my mate bleeding to death, I took the risk and took him back to the lighthouse.

Getting him back to the lighthouse turned out to be harder than lifting weights. I had to drag him because he was too heavy for me to carry him. After an hour of pulling and navigating through the forest, I had finally found the way back to the lighthouse.

I removed some of the mess from the floor as I made my way up to the room. Once I had successfully brought him to the room, I ran back downstairs to get the first aid kit. Getting the first aid kit took longer than I intended. I still had to find it in the mountain of broken things and a lot of other things on the floor. This was all because of all the thrashing I did a week ago.

After successfully locating the kit, I went back to the room and cleaned his wounds. Cleaning the blood off his body proved to be a lot more difficult. Every time our skins would touch, my hormones would go wild. If only there was a way to turn off the mate bond, I would have done it an hour ago. When I saw the stab wound on his abdomen, my heart clenched.

Once his wound was clean, I bandaged it so that his wounds would heal faster. It didn't matter if we were werewolves. If our wounds got infected, it wouldn't heal properly.

I sat right next to him and stared at his sleeping face.

"I'm sorry. I can't let you see me like this. You deserve someone strong and beautiful. I am nothing but a weak and useless she-wolf." I said out loud.

I got up and went downstairs. I was going to go back to my apartment, but there was heavy rain outside. It would make it harder for me to get out of the no-man's-land safely.

'Is your decision already final?' Avi asked.

'Yes, Avi. I don't want to be around when he wakes up. I can't handle another breakup. Not from my mate. The less he knows, the better.' I replied.

'How are you so sure that he is going to reject us? We haven't even met him properly. What if he is not like Uriah?' She asked.

'I don't want to get my hopes high and then end up getting hurt. Yes, he may not be like Uriah. He can be the worst.' I replied.

I stood by the door and watched as the rain fell and the thunder roared. They were like music to my troubled heart. At least, even for a little while, all the pain would go. If only the rain could wash all my pain away.

Once the rain stopped, I would go back to my apartment and pack my bags. I would go as far away as possible from here. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

For now, I was going to let the rain numb my pain away. That was, until he engulfed me in a hug.

"Mate." he groaned.

MAIA'S POV

"Mate." He groaned.

Sparks erupted all throughout my body. It suddenly clouded my mind with lust.

"What is your name?" He asked.

His voice was raspy, yet it sounded so sexy.

"Maia." I mumbled.

"Maia." He said, testing my name out.

I didn't know why, but the way he said my name sounded sexy as hell. I wanted to ask his name, but I was too scared to even talk.

"My name is Lucius, the King Alpha." He said, as if he had just read my mind.

My eyes widened with shock.

'I told you, Avi! He's going to reject us just like Uriah did.' I spat.

'He just asked your name, Maia! Stop overreacting and stop comparing everyone to that asshole!' Avi spat.

The King Alpha was the most vicious and feared Alpha in the country, not because he was the King, but because of his ruthlessness and brutality.

I was very certain that he heard when my heart rate spiked up. Alphas have very heightened abilities, not to mention the King Alpha.

"Tell me, Maia. How did I end up here?" he asked, burying his face in my neck.

His hot breath brought chills all over my body. Both the chills and the sparks were messing with me.

"I found you unconscious in the forest. You... you were bleeding, so I took you back to the lighthouse and cleaned your wound so that it can heal faster and properly." I stuttered.

He suddenly growled, and I closed my eyes as I prepared for him to either reject me or snap my neck.

"What is someone like you doing in the forest on a stormy night?" He asked.

"I got lost," I whispered, partially lying.

I felt him raise his head from my neck and he turned me around. I stared at the ground as I waited for him to speak.

He cupped my face and lifted my head up so that I was looking at him. I tried my best to divert my eyes from anywhere else but him.

What he did next blew my mind.

His face slowly inched close to my face until I could feel his hot breath on my lips.

Before I knew it, his lips were on mine. I could barely remember what was happening. The sparks and too much pleasure clouded my head. Suddenly, my body was begging for his touch.

The last thing I remembered was we were kissing by the table.

I woke up to the sound of crashing and growling. It still distorted my mind as I adjusted my eye to the brightness seeping through the window. I almost darted out of the bed when I realized Lucius was not beside me.

"Shit!" I cursed out loud, getting out of bed.

I was already by the stairs when I realized I was naked. I grabbed the blanket on the bed and wrapped it around me. When I heard another crashing sound, I immediately ran down the stairs.

I looked around and saw the whole place trashed with Lucius in the middle of it all. He was huffing and growls erupted from his throat.

When he saw me by the stairs, he walked towards me as if he was stalking a prey. I gripped the blanket that was wrapped around my body and looked at the ground.

'This is it. He is going to reject me now. He must have realized how weak I am.' I thought to myself.

"Who are you working for?" he growled.

The hair on my arms stood up as chills crawled up my spine. I kept my eyes on the ground and did not answer.

"Are you not going to answer me?" he yelled.

My heart was beating so fast with fear.

"Do you know how disgusted I am with you? Did you think you would instantly become Queen Luna because I slept with you?" He scoffed.

Hearing him say those words was like a knife stabbed in my heart.

"If you tell me who your accomplices are, I might let you live," he spat, his hands wrapped around my neck.

I didn't fight him when his hold on my neck became tighter. He lifted me up while choking the air out of me. It was only then, when I looked him in the eye with nothing but emptiness in mine. I could feel myself almost passing out when he dropped me on the floor.

I coughed as I massaged my neck that was bruised for sure. Even when he was choking me, I could still feel the mate bond doing its thing, sending out sparks and tingles all over me.

"Get dressed! If you do not tell me the truth willingly, then I will have it out of you," he spat.

I dragged myself up the stairs and wore the same dress I was wearing. I was sulking on the floor when I heard footsteps coming upstairs.

Before I could even react to what happened, he yanked my arms and dragged me down the stairs.

Feeling the sparks and fear at the same time was one hell of a roller coaster emotion. If I was not steady on my feet, I would have tripped down the stairs.

He grabbed both of my hands and tied them with a rope before telling me to go out.

What have I done to deserve this kind of cruelness? First, my asshole boyfriend cheated on me. Next, I found my mate bleeding in the forest. Now, I am tied and being dragged to who knows where.

How did it even happen this fast?

The walk back to his pack was quiet. The only noises that we heard were the breaking of the twigs beneath our feet. I was too scared to even complain. At one point, I didn't care anymore at all. I was hungry, thirsty, and exhausted. I was even sure that I would meet death before we even arrived at his pack.

After two days of walking, we had finally arrived in his pack. He had a big castle in the middle of a very green clearing. We entered through the back door, I assumed, and rode what looked like a service elevator to the top of the castle.

When we reached the top floor, he opened a door at the end of the hallway and pushed me inside. Before I could even do anything, he closed the door, and I heard him lock it.

I sat in the room's corner and stared at my tied hands.

'At least they have a nice cell. I won't die in a dirty cell like we have in our pack,' I told myself.

'This is not a cell. I don't smell any blood.' Avi said.

'Have you lost your senses already, Avi? If we're not in a cell, where would we be then, huh?' I asked.

Before Avi could reply, I heard the door being unlocked.