Elina's POV
When I woke, the first thing I noticed wasn't the ache in my neck or the heavy ache in my chest—it was the silence. The kind that doesn't belong in a fortress full of wolves.
No footsteps. No voices. No scrape of armor or rustle of servants. Only the low hum of the wind outside the narrow windows and the faint, uneven flicker of candles that refused to burn steady.
I sat up too fast. The room was large, stone-walled, and bare except for a wooden chair and a massive bed carved with sigils that looked older than the kingdom itself. Chains dangled from the corners—not for use, I hoped, but the message was clear enough. I was trapped.
Locked.
The air itself felt heavier. I tested the door—it didn't move.
And that's when the whispers started.
Low, indistinct murmurs curling around the corners of the room like breath on glass. The candle nearest me sputtered and died. I froze.
"Stop it," I whispered, more to myself than to the air.
Another candle flickered out. Then another.
I backed away until my shoulder hit the cold wall. My heartbeat drummed in my ears. It was as if the fortress itself was alive—listening.
Something inside me pulsed, a deep shiver under my skin. When I pressed my hand to my chest, I felt it there—the echo of him.
The cursed Alpha.
Dolph Hati.
Somewhere in the fortress, he was moving. I could feel it—like the tug of a chain binding us both.
Outside my door, I could hear the low murmurs of passing guards. One of them laughed. "The human mate of the cursed one," he sneered. "Bet she doesn't last a week."
The other answered, quieter. "Or maybe she'll be the one to end the curse."
Their footsteps faded.
I sank onto the edge of the bed, trembling. The curse… it reacted when I was afraid. The whispers, the flickering shadows—they'd grown when my fear did.
I couldn't stay here.
I found the window latch and pried it open. The air outside was sharp with pine and moonlight. The courtyard below was silent.
One fall, maybe two stories—it would hurt, but not kill.
I'd rather take my chances with the night than sit here waiting for the cursed Alpha to decide what to do with me.
I gathered my courage and swung one leg over the sill. That's when the door groaned open behind me.
"Elina."
His voice.
I froze.
I didn't need to turn to know who stood there—the air itself shifted around him, dark and electric.
I heard his boots cross the floor, each step deliberate, unhurried.
"You think I wouldn't feel you trying to run?" he said quietly.
My heart slammed against my ribs. "You can't keep me locked up here like an animal."
He stopped behind me. "You're not an animal," he said. "You're worse."
That made me turn, furious. "Worse than what?"
His eyes caught the candlelight—silver and dangerous. "Worse than temptation."
I tried to move past him, but he caught my wrist, faster than thought. I struggled, but his grip only tightened. "Let me go!"
His voice dropped, rough. "You think I'd let you go?"
He pushed me gently—yet with the strength of a storm—back against the cold stone wall. His hand braced beside my head; his body blocked out the light.
I should have been terrified. I was. But under the fear was something else, something I didn't understand. The bond pulsed between us, hot and heavy, stealing the air from my lungs.
His breath brushed my ear. "The King warned me," he said. "He said you'll bring ruin. That the curse will wake if I keep you near."
"Then why don't you listen?" I whispered.
He hesitated, and I saw it—the flicker of something uncertain in his eyes. "Because I don't want to."
Silence. The kind that vibrated through the air like lightning.
He stepped back suddenly, as if realizing how close we were, how easily control could break.
"Stay inside," he ordered. "Until I say otherwise."
Then he was gone, leaving me breathless and shaking.
Hours later, the door opened again.
He came in quietly this time, without his armor. His shirt was dark with sweat, his hair damp, eyes shadowed like he hadn't slept in days.
I was still sitting by the window, hugging my knees.
He studied me for a moment, then said, "You shouldn't be afraid, little human. The curse doesn't bite… unless I lose control."
I swallowed. "That's supposed to make me feel safe?"
Something close to a smirk ghosted his lips. "No. It's supposed to make you honest."
He moved closer, the firelight tracing the scars on his neck. I wanted to ask about them, but his gaze pinned me before I could speak.
"Why were you in the King's service?" he asked. "What business does a little human have among wolves?"
My throat tightened. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
I hesitated, then told him. "The Queen's army raided my village three years ago. They burned everything. Everyone I knew died that night. But Queen Luna saw me hiding under a cart. She said killing me would be a waste."
He frowned. "So she made you a slave."
"She said I should be grateful." I laughed bitterly. "I cleaned her halls. Polished her armor. Watched her feast while the rest of us starved. Maybe she thought keeping one human alive was mercy."
He didn't speak for a long moment. His expression didn't change, but I saw his jaw tighten, the faint tremor in his hands.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low. "You shouldn't have survived that night."
"I know."
"And yet here you are," he said softly, "breaking every law of our kind."
His hand lifted—slowly, hesitantly. He brushed a strand of hair from my face. The touch was so light I almost thought I imagined it.
"Why do you look at me that way?" I whispered.
He blinked, as if caught off guard. "Because you're not what I expected."
His thumb grazed my cheek. The warmth of his skin sent a strange ache through my chest. He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but instead, he stepped back, turning away.
"Rest," he said roughly. "You'll need your strength."
"For what?"
His gaze flicked toward the window. "The court wants you gone. The King is listening to the Elders now. And the curse…" He trailed off, eyes darkening. "It's starting to stir."
Before I could speak, the candles sputtered again. A gust of cold air swept through the room, carrying a faint, whispering sound—like voices calling from far away.
He turned sharply, scanning the corners. "Do you hear that?"
I nodded, shivering.
He reached for me, then stopped himself, flexing his hands as if fighting some unseen force. The air around him shimmered faintly, silver veins of light crawling up his arms before vanishing.
"That's the curse," he said, voice low. "It responds to my emotions… or yours."
"So we're cursed together," I murmured.
He almost smiled. "Seems so."
Then he left, closing the door behind him.
That night, I couldn't sleep. The room felt alive again, watching me. I saw shadows move where there were none, heard a heartbeat that wasn't mine echoing in the silence.
When I finally drifted off, I dreamed of a forest bathed in silver light. A wolf stood at the edge of it—massive, black as night, with eyes that glowed the same shade of silver as Dolph's.
It didn't move or speak, just watched me.
And when I woke, I could still feel its gaze on me, as if somewhere, the cursed Alpha was awake too—listening to the same heartbeat, feeling the same pull neither of us could escape.
End of Chapter Four.