Chapter 21 A Love to Break the Curse

Chapter 21 A Love to Break the Curse
Rafael’s POV
I walked away from Zara and those foolish maids without looking back.
They had no idea what it felt like—what it cost—every time someone laid a hand on her.
I lifted my hand and rubbed my cheek. The sting was still there, sharp and annoying.
“Tch.”
What kind of twisted life was this?
My body wasn’t even mine anymore. It had become some kind of shield, forced to protect a lowly omega the Moon Goddess had cursed me with. And for what reason? I still didn’t know.
I hated it.
I hated that I felt her pain.
I hated that I couldn’t escape it.
I hated her for being tied to me.
The plan had been simple.
Make her fall for me.
Let her hope.
Let her dream.
Then reject her.
Break her heart, break the bond, and finally—finally—the curse would be lifted.
I had broken women before with nothing but a smile and a few well-chosen words. I knew how to charm. I knew how to make them crave me.
But Zara…
She was different.
Stubborn. Closed off. Unimpressed.
My charm didn’t work on her.
Yet.
I smirked as I headed toward the training grounds.
After today—after rushing in to save her, after showing everyone I was her “protector”—she would start to feel something. Gratitude. Confusion. Maybe even admiration.
That was always how it started.
“Rafael,” I muttered to myself, amused. “You still got it.”
When I arrived at the training grounds, Gabriel was already there, working through drills. Alpha Alessandro stood nearby, freshly returned.
When he spotted me, his face lit up.
I smiled back.
“Oh,” Gabriel said with a grin, “the lover boy is back. How was married life?”
Before I could respond, Alessandro pulled me into a hug.
“It was amazing,” he said proudly.
“Oh, yay,” Gabriel laughed.
I forced a smile.
I should have been happy for him. Truly.
But all I could see was a cage.
One woman. One bed. One life. No freedom. No variety.
Love did that to people.
Not me.
I would never allow myself to be trapped like that—certainly not by some omega I never wanted in the first place.
I would make Zara fall for me.
But I would never fall for her.
Once the curse was gone, I would go back to enjoying my life—free to explore, free to take whoever I wanted, and free from pain.
“So,” I asked casually, “what did I miss while I was away?”
“Nothing serious,” Gabriel replied, grabbing his training gear. “Father handled things. Now that you’re back, he can finally take that vacation he’s been talking about.”
I nodded.
Gabriel looked at Alessandro. “So… training together? It’s been a while.”
Alessandro shook his head. “I’d love to, but I need to see Father first. Catch up on pack matters.”
Gabriel’s smile faded slightly. “Yeah. Pack duties.”
“But we’ll catch up later,” Alessandro added. “Aurora’s preparing dinner for the family tonight. A welcome-back celebration.”
Then he turned and headed back toward the mansion.
Gabriel resumed training.
After a moment, he spoke again.
“So… I heard you saved her. After one of the maids tried to beat her.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Felt the pain hit my cheek out of nowhere. I knew it wasn’t mine—it had to be Zara.”
“Was she okay?” he asked.
I shrugged. “No idea. I didn’t stick around.”
Gabriel stopped moving and stared at me.
Then he scoffed.
“What?”
“You want to win a woman’s heart,” he said, frustrated, “and you save her—then walk away without saying a word?”
I shrugged again. “I don’t see the problem.”
Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t understand you sometimes, Rafael.”
I smiled at him, slow and confident.
“And you never will, brother.”
I leaned closer, lowering my voice.
“What I did was play a mind game. I came in at the right moment. Saved her. Made myself unforgettable.”
I straightened, satisfied.
“Sooner or later, she’ll start thinking about it. Her ‘knight in shining armor.’ And that’s where feelings begin.”
I snapped my fingers.
“Bang. Heart’s mine. Curse broken.”
And Zara?
She wouldn’t even see it coming.
Gabriel stared at me like he wanted to argue. Like he wanted to tell me I was wrong.
But he didn’t.
He just shook his head and went back to training, his movements harder than before.
I smirked and picked up my own weapon.
The moment I started moving, my body reacted the way it always did—sharp, precise, and controlled. Fighting was the one place I still felt like myself. No bond. No curse. Just strength.
Or so I thought.
Pain stabbed through my chest without warning.
Not physical this time.
Heavy. Tight. Like someone had wrapped a fist around my heart and squeezed.
I froze mid-swing, breath hitching.
“Shit,” I muttered.
Gabriel looked over. “You alright?”
I straightened quickly, masking it. “Fine.”
But I wasn’t.
I knew that feeling too well now.
Zara.
She was hurting.
Again.
I gritted my teeth and forced myself to continue training, each strike sharper than the last, like I could beat the pain out of my system. Sweat rolled down my back. My muscles burned.
Still, the ache wouldn’t go away.
Why now?
I hadn’t even touched her. I had walked away. I had done exactly what I wanted—saved her, made my point, and kept my distance.
So why did it feel like something was slipping?
The pain shifted suddenly, lighter but messier. Confusion. Fear. Something close to grief.
I cursed under my breath.
What is she doing?
For a split second, an image flashed through my mind.
Dark woods.  Running feet.

A woman crying.
I staggered.
“What the hell—” I whispered.
That wasn’t mine.
I pressed a hand to my chest, breathing hard, pushing the feeling down the way I always did. I had learned long ago how to shut emotions off. How to bury them deep.
Zara’s emotions were not my problem.
She was just a means to an end.
That night, the pack mansion buzzed with quiet excitement. Alessandro and Aurora’s return had lifted the mood, and the servants moved faster, smiling more than usual.
I watched from a distance.
Zara wasn’t at dinner.
Good.
I didn’t need her presence clouding my thoughts.
Aurora caught my gaze across the table and smiled at me.
Too warm. Too knowing.
“Are you alright?” she asked gently. “You look like you have a lot on your mind.”
Aurora always had that gift. She could tell when something was wrong even when no one else noticed.
“I’m fine,” I said automatically.
A lie.
And a bad one.
I wasn’t fine. Not even close.
I was trapped—bound by a stupid curse from the Moon Goddess, tied to an omega who barely mattered in this pack. A bond I never asked for. A punishment I never understood.
The worst part?
The only way to end it was for her to accept my love.
The thought alone made my jaw tighten.
I couldn’t say any of that to Aurora. She had just returned from her honeymoon, glowing and content. She had already survived enough pain inside this pack.
When Aurora first came here, the pack politics nearly destroyed her. Leonardo loved her first—chased her, fought for her—yet chose the pack over her again and again. Then my other brother, the serious one, the dutiful one, made her life miserable, claiming he hated her and wanted her gone.
And yet…
Look at them now.
Married.
In love.
Ruling the pack together like some perfect love story carved by fate.
Disgusting.
Do I want that kind of story?
Nope.
I hate love stories.
They make me sick.
Life is meant to be enjoyed. Women are meant to be desired. Nights are meant to be wild. Party after party. No chains. No limits.
Not trapped with one woman until death.
I am Rafael Prickette.
I do not belong to anyone.
And if the Moon Goddess thinks she can mate me to a lowly omega and curse me into falling in love just to teach me a lesson…
Then she clearly doesn’t know me.
Because I don’t bend easily.
Not for fate.
Not for love.
And definitely not for her.