Chapter 2

Damon's POV.

Growing up, my father always taught that with great power comes a greater sacrifice and one must not hold back to attain such greatness. The Red Moon pack has always been known for its power and greatness, all the battles fought by the pack have led to victory. The victory that was always theirs to claim and I am the Alpha King of the Red Moon pack.

The pack has been led by my ancestors for centuries, and no one has been able to defeat them. But only a few know about the curse bestowed upon the Kings of the Red Moon pack.

Long ago, our ancestors received a divine blessing of might and power given to them by the Moon Goddess herself. Yet, what began as a gift soon turned into a curse when greed corrupted their hearts.

In order to rule over other packs, one of the kings of our bloodline initiated brutal attacks and in this insatiable power-hungry war, beloved mates, bound by a sacred red string, were tragically killed, drawing the wrath of the Moon Goddess.

In response to this tragedy, the Moon Goddess decreed a curse upon our bloodline—a curse designed to ensure that none among us would ever know the feeling of completeness and the warmth of true love and so like all other Kings before me, I was born without a mate. People of our pack were unaware of this curse, so a fake Luna was presented to them time and time again.

As for me, I wasn't aware of my strength when I was young, but the people around me knew what I was capable of and they feared me even when I was just a teenager. They looked forward to having me as their King, and when the day came, it wasn't what any of us had ever expected.

Fast forward to today, the day I'm going to meet my fake mate. All my thoughts got interrupted as soon as Travis entered my room.

"Damon, the ride's waiting for you outside. We're ready to leave," Travis informs me in his usual tone and I give him a slight nod.

Tomorrow, I am getting married to a girl I've never seen or met before and today I am on my way to see her for the very first time. Normally I wouldn't have bothered to see her at all but Travis insisted that I should at least meet her once before our wedding. After all, she's going to be known as my mate and wife of the great Alpha King. But Travis and I both know that this wedding is nothing but a ruse.

The girl I am going to marry is not my mate. I am the cursed Alpha King, I can't HAVE a mate. But the people of my pack need their Luna, and so this is all where it starts. A fake marriage, a fake Luna, and a fake mate.

"What's her name again?" I ask wearily.

"Her name's Emelia. And Damon, can you at least pretend like you care?" Travis raised his eyebrow and I instantly regretted asking the question.

Travis Kenneth has known me for years, he's not only been my right arm but he's also my best friend and I trust him with my life. And he's the only one in the pack who knows about the curse.

"Don't look at me like that, I do care. It's just that I don't see this wedding as anything but a business deal. Besides, she's not even my mate and you among all people are well aware of the fact," I glance in his direction just to see him let out a deep sigh.

"Yes, I'm aware but this wedding should seem believable to the people of our pack. We can't let anyone doubt you or this wedding."

"Okay, if you say so. I'll try my best to act like a happy groom," I grin, knowing very well that Travis saw it and was not pleased by my answer.

"Let's not make Mr. and Mrs.Deandre worry too much and assure them that we'll take care of their daughter."

It took a few hours before we arrived at Mr.Deandre's mansion. It was definitely smaller than I had imagined but I reminded myself that it wasn't what I was here for.

"Welcome," Mr.Deandre said enthusiastically while Mrs.Deandre stood beside him and bowed her head to greet me, "It's an honor to have you here."

Travis stood behind me, constantly observing my actions and once I shook Mr.Deandre's hand, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

I returned the smile, "The pleasure's all mine." The encounter was so fake that anyone from a mile away could sense it.

"As you know the wedding's tomorrow and we don't have much time, Damon would like to meet Emelia as soon as possible," Travis spoke from behind me and the reactions were not at all what we had expected. Mr.Deandre looked mortified as he glanced at her wife standing beside him.

Mrs.Deandre spoke for the very first time, "Sure! Why don't we let ourselves settle first". Something wasn't right and I could sense it in the air, the tension between the husband and wife spoke volumes but I couldn't just quite understand the reason.

Three hours had passed and there was still no sign of Emelia. She was nowhere to be seen and with each passing minute, I could see their faces turning pale.

"I would like to see Emelia right now," I demanded, not wanting to hear any excuse from that moment on.

"About Emelia...she's not...," Mr.Deandre stuttered, trying to find the right words as so not to make me any angrier.

"She's not here," Mrs.Deandre completed the sentence. My eyes widened in shock and anger. I could feel the blood boil in my veins, it took all my power not to let my wolf take control and tear them apart.

"You promised us your daughter in return for the safety of your pack and now you're telling us that she's not here," Travis intervened, and if he hadn't the situation could have been a lot worse. Now everything was crystal clear, their worried faces, the dreadful tension when I asked about Emelia, all of it made sense now.

"I'm sorry for all the inconvenience but she'll be found in no time. We're hunting her down, and we'll keep our promise," Mr.Deandre replied and bowed his head in guilt and shame but I had enough of their bullshit.

In a blink, I grabbed him by the throat and he was gasping for air. His wife sobbed while begging me to spare his life.

"I have been very polite till now Mr.Deandre. You know what I am capable of, and if you don't hand me the daughter you promised, I'm going to find her first and tear her apart piece by piece. Then I'll come for you and your pack," I threatened, and my wolf howled inside with satisfaction. My wolf fed on violence, the fear in the eyes of people nourished him.

I wasn't going to leave until my bride was found, so we decided to stay the night at their mansion. My people needed their Luna and I'll be fulfilling their wish tomorrow.

I couldn't sleep though, my wolf seemed to be in distress with everything that had been happening. I needed to let my wolf take charge of the peace of us both. The mansion was surrounded by woods so it wasn't going to be a difficult run. My mind was heavy with all the thoughts of Emelia, and the fact that she dared to reject me and the wedding by fleeing.

My breathing got heavier as my wolf took charge of my body and ran deep into the woods and then there was a sudden halt. It confused me at first and then I could smell the maddening scent coming from a specific direction in the woods and I instantly knew my wolf had felt it too. And so with a sudden jerk, my wolf started running towards it, and when the scent got too close, its steps got slower. I couldn't comprehend what my wolf wanted, the only thing I knew was that the scent had sparked something inside us.

And there under the moonlight, I saw a girl lying unconscious on the ground in the middle of the woods. I could feel my heart pounding inside my body and it was ready to explode. My chest kept heaving up and down as I approached her. She lay motionless, her hair covering her face. My eyes fell upon her knee which had been bleeding heavily. At this sight, my wolf shrieked in pain as if it had been the injured one.

I closed the gap between us as I reached to cast aside the hair covering her face. My fingers gently brushed against the strands of her hair in attempting to do so. As soon as I saw her face, I held my breath and my wolf cried, "Mate".

I recognized her from the pictures hung on the walls of Mr.Deandre's mansion. Emelia, lay still before me as I gazed upon her beautiful face. My heart ached, and I didn't realize that my vision had blurred due to the tears in my eyes. I didn't know what was happening to me, or why was I reacting this way.

All my life, I had been aimlessly walking into the abyss, alone with my wolf, mateless. The curse had left me hopeless, but seeing this girl in front of my eyes, I knew she was my true mate. Obsession seeped through my veins and took root in my body. I knew I was going to make her mine, and never let her out of my sight from this moment on, I was going to cage her even if I had to. I'd kill for her and I'd die for her.

"Emelia Deandre, my mate".