Chapter 14 Chapter 14
Anya’s POV
"Alpha Zakarius of the Moon Hunters," Alpha Kai drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "To what do I owe the pleasure? I don't recall sending an invitation for you to visit."
I flinched, tightening my grip on the oversized coat, bracing myself for a fight. The air between them crackled with testosterone and dominance.
But to my complete surprise, the tension snapped in an instant. They didn't collide in battle; they stormed toward each other and clasped arms in a rough, brotherly embrace, laughing loudly.
Kai pulled back, clapping the other Alpha on the shoulder. He glanced at me briefly, then looked back at his friend. "Miguel will escort you to the tavern. The ale is tapped and the spit is roasting. Go, I'll join you shortly."
"No problem, brother," Alpha Zakarius agreed.
But before he turned to leave, his gaze lingered on me one last time. His eyes raked over my body, sliding over the heavy coat as if trying to visualize what lay beneath.
A shiver of disgust crawled down my spine. He flashed a grin, then finally walked away with Beta Miguel.
Silence descended on the courtyard. Alpha Kai ran a hand down his face and let out a long, heavy sigh. He turned back to me, his expression exhausted and complicated.
"Now," he murmured, looking down at me. "What am I going to do with you?"
The fight drained out of me. I slumped, my shoulders shaking.
"I don't know," I whispered, the tears finally spilling over. "It doesn't matter, does it? You can kill me right now, or you can throw me to the wolves. It's all the same."
I looked up at him, my vision blurred. "I don't know what to do with my life anymore, A-Alpha. It's always been hell. Hell at the orphanage, hell with Alpha Borin, and now hell here." My voice cracked into a sob. "No matter how hard I try to be good... no matter how hard I try to just survive... trouble always finds me."
He then bent to level my face and asked, “You’re lucky you’re useful… if not, I have already thrown you away…”
I frowned at him as I leaned back so I gave us a little distance because he’s too close, “How am I being useful to you?”
He didn't offer empty words of comfort. Instead, he reached down and firmly enclosed my hand in his. He led me forward, his stride long and purposeful. We walked past the bustling courtyards and deep into the quieter, more ancient part of the fortress grounds.
Finally, we arrived at the Sanctuary—a stone circular structure where the air smelled of sage, damp earth, and old magic. Inside, the Pack Elders sat in a circle alongside the Coven of Witches.
The moment we stepped across the threshold, the hush was instant. Every figure in the room rose in unison, sensing the power radiating from their leader. They bowed their heads in deep reverence.
One of them, a woman with hair like spun silver and eyes that seemed to see everything, stepped forward.
"Alpha Kai," she greeted, her voice rasping like dry leaves. "We did not expect you. Do you require our counsel?"
Kai stood tall, pulling me slightly forward so everyone could see me.
"Yes," he stated, his voice ringing with a solemn, terrifying gravity. "I believe I have finally found it, Elder Agatha. I have found the cure to my curse."
I froze.
Panic, cold and sharp, pierced my chest. I tried to yank my hand away, desperate to bolt, but his grip instantly tightened, turning into a steel manacle.
The... cure?
My mind spun violently. Me? I'm the cure? How is that even possible? I'm nothing but a human!
And then, a darker, more horrific realization slammed into me. In every story I’d ever heard, a "cure" for a monster usually required a sacrifice. Is that why the other women died? My breath hitched in a silent scream. Do I have to die to save him? Is he going to drain me dry? Is that my purpose?
One of the younger witches glided forward, her movements silent and unnerving. Without asking, she snatched my wrist, her fingers cold and dry as parchment.
She turned my hand over, tracing the lines of my palm with a sharp, blackened fingernail.
She frowned, dropping my hand as if it were something unclean. "She is not a wolf," the witch hissed, looking back at the circle. "She is purely human, Alpha. Frail. Mortal. How could a simple human girl be your cure?"
Alpha Kai didn't flinch. He looked around the room, his voice steady and commanding.
"Because she survived," he declared, the words echoing off the stone walls. "Last night, the moon was full. The beast took over. But when I tasted her blood... everything stopped."
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
"The rage," Kai continued, his eyes briefly darting to me, "it vanished. Her blood didn't just feed the wolf; it soothed him. For the first time in years, I controlled the shift myself. I reverted to my human form without pain, without the bloodlust, and without..." He paused, his jaw tightening. "Without leaving a corpse behind."
The silence that followed was heavy. Everyone knew the history—that the Alpha was always left alone, or that those sent to 'calm' him never saw the sunrise.
Elder Agatha stepped closer, her clouded eyes locking onto mine. She didn't look confused; she looked calculating. She stared at me as if I were a riddle she was on the verge of solving.
"Interesting..." she murmured, the word stretching out like a spell. "Very interesting."