Mooncursed : Fated To The Alphas

my ears, louder than the crackle of the campfire, louder than the rattle of my cage. Mate. That was what he'd said. The word still hung in the air like a brand, burning through me. My

knee. "I said," Darius snarled, "she comes with me." The finality in his tone left no room for argument. My stomach dropped. My breath hitched in terror. He didn't even know me, and yet he now owned me just like that. Claimed me in a way Caius never had, not with this kind of unshakable certainty. I curled into myself, pressing back against the cold bars, wishing they could swallow me whole. I'd already been betrayed, humiliated, cast aside. Now I was caged and caught in the grip of another Alpha, a stranger, a danger, a wolf or worse a Lycan Alpha whose very presence rattled the deepest part of me. And he called me mate. He rose to his full height, cloak shifting around him like a shadow come alive. His gaze swept the soldiers before landing back on me. "We leave at dawn for my brothers' territory. The royal summit waits for no one." His tone brooked no hesitation. "Clean her. Dress her. She will be brought to my tent before we ride." Shock rippled through the soldiers. One dared to mutter, "Alpha-" "Do you intend to defy me twice in one night?" Darius's voice cut like a blade, and the man dropped to his knees, throat bared in instant submission. Darius turned away, dismissing them as though they were insects, his focus already moving elsewhere. "See to it now," he ordered. The cage jolted, chains rattling as they dragged me again, this time not deeper into the woods but toward the campfire where crude tents circled like teeth around prey. My heart thudded erratically, every step making my stomach twist tighter. I squeezed my eyes shut, teeth gritted against the wave of helplessness rising inside me. I'd been cast out once already, stripped of my place and dignity. Now, it seemed, I had fallen straight into another snare. But this one... this one was far more dangerous. Because Darius didn't just want me near him. I could instantly feeling him almost rejecting the pull between us. Not that I minded, because I never expected to be mates to anyone let alone an alpha. The tent smelled of fire-roasted meat, leather, and Him. His scent was intoxicating and draining, like being high from wine on a full moon. It was addictive Across from me, he reclined in his chair, broad shoulders stretched beneath the dark leather of his cloak. A small table separated us, set with plates of roasted meat, bread, and fruit. He ate in silence at first, the scrape of his knife and the occasional crackle from th