The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate

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Esme splashed her face with water. She repeated the action several times until her skin felt refreshingly cool. The tension in her face was starting to ease, but her mind remained undoubtedly troubled.

Lately, a series of bizarre events had been unfolding around her, and each one left her with a growing sense of unease that made her troubled heart feel weighed. She couldn’t help but wonder if this ’so called’ curse that came with cutting her hair was starting to override her logic. Or maybe she’s just having a bad traveling day after many years of being cooped up in a small room back in the pack house after some certain riffraffs won’t stop trying to get her by the throat or sell her off!

Her shoulders slumped after inwardly venting out her frustration, and she released a deep, shaky breath.

Why was she the only one experiencing these strange occurrences?

She felt like she was trapped in a never-ending cycle of uncertainty, and the moon goddess’s name was on her lips as she questioned the universe’s whims.

"...... Nevermind." Esme gave up on the desire to utter at least one satisfying curse that would help her express how she felt openly.

With a weary sigh, she emerged from the bathing chamber, toweling off her face with her black, comfy towel. They had all come to a stop at a different inn to rest for the night, and she hoped that by tomorrow evening, she would be reunited with Vivienne and Finnian.

The thought of being around them again filled her with a sense of longing, and she hoped tomorrow would arrive soon. She yearned to return to her simple enclosed life of making medicine and poison, while also surrounded by the two loving people she considered her only living family. She hadn’t thought much about it, but despite the turmoil in her complicated life, they always made her feel more of a human with actual feelings, not some disposable tool to be used and discarded at whims.

"Should I write them a letter?" Esme pondered, stretching her tired muscles as she moved to the mirror hanging on a wall. She soon regretted choosing to approach the mirror, because her gaze instinctively fell upon her lips. Her mind transported her back to the unwelcomed memory of the demon’s kiss, and she shivered.

Her heart throbbed, and warmth spread across her cheek, replacing the earlier cool refreshing sensation with her own flustered look. She was daringly reliving the moment that went against everything she deemed proper. She remembered it, like it was a detailed art infringed in her memory.

His breath was refreshingly pure, and he smelled intoxicatingly clean, like a subtle blend of sandalwood and a hint of spice – a combination that suited him. Yet, despite her better judgment, she couldn’t help but wonder...why had he done such a thing?

"I’m losing my senses." Esme blurted out in a whisper. Suddenly, a vague memory flickered in her mind, and she somehow found herself back on the bed in the last inn they visited. It was a hazy sight, as if her recollection was clouded by a thick fog. But, the sounds that accompanied that memory made her towel slip from her grasp.

The noises were indecent, too lewd to even harbor a second doubt, and to her mortification, those sounds seemed to be coming from her own throat. The creaking of the bed was rapid and unmistakable, but the face of the one in her memory was obscured by that fog. All she knew was that someone was on top of her, and she was making far too much noise.

"Saints preserve me!" Esme spun away from the mirror, clutching the sides of her temples with both hands. Her heart was racing like a wild drumbeat, threatening to jump out of her chest at any given second.

As she paced about, she chanted, trying to numb her mind. "Don’t think about it! Stay sane! Stay sane!" But the words lost their power as she sank onto the bed like a puppet with its strings cut, shame and embarrassment washing over her. She wondered if obtaining those blood samples was worth sacrificing her dignity and sanity. How will she explain herself to the king? How will she make him understand that it was all Dahmer’s doing?? If only she had proof, or something to use that would clear her name from the ones tainted.

What’s worse, the vivid sensation lingered, haunting her. It reminded her of what it felt like to be pounded — and she seemed to have enjoyed it — to her own horror.

Her legs instinctively clenched, as if to suppress the throbbing desire that now seemed to pulse through her core. It was incomprehensible, this newfound longing. That night, she had blamed it on Dahmer’s stupid pill, but what about now? Could it be that the pill only takes effect at night, and was she still affected by it?

Damn you, Dahmer!!

How could she explain this sudden, primal attraction to someone she couldn’t even recall? It was insane, that reminiscing his touches alone was able to light a spark of fire within her body. It was absurd to think she’d found her second chance mate — such occurrences were extremely rare and she wasn’t that fortunate. Besides, her lack of wolf wouldn’t give her the opportunity to sense a mate unless her mate finds her first. So how can she feel like this for a total stranger?

Even if she were to find a second chance mate, they would likely reject her due to her lack of a wolf, just as her first had done. She was lucky then to be mated to an Alpha, but her hopes were squashed. The memory of the humiliation still stung, and she wasn’t ready to endure it all again. freeweɓnøvel.com

"It’s no use..." Esme fell back on the bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. What kind of healer was she anyway, if she couldn’t heal her own emotional wounds.

A sudden knock on the door made her jump, and she turned towards the sound.

"Esmeray?" The king’s voice filtered in, and Esme quickly composed herself before opening the doors to let him in.

"Your Majesty?" She greeted him, her tone neutral. She moved aside so he could walk in and later closed the door, but made no attempts to lock it. Turning around to face him, she decided to seize the moment and confess everything that had transpired. It no longer mattered if he would view her with disdain afterwards; she needed to unburden her conscience.

"Your Majesty, I..." Esme began, but the king’s sudden movement interrupted her. He closed the distance between them, his tall frame looming over her, and Esme’s words caught in her throat. She stumbled backwards, her back hitting the door, as his hands slapped against the door on either side of her head. The action was more startling than frightening, and it left her breathless nonetheless.

Esme’s face paled as the king’s piercing golden eyes locked onto hers with an intensity she couldn’t interpret, and her mind raced, wondering if he had somehow discovered her unintended betrayal.

"You..." she stammered.

"Esmeray," his voice dropped to a low timbre. "At the inn, were you with someone when I walked in with Dahmer? I sensed an unfamiliar Alpha scent surrounding your room this morning, but the situation at that time hindered me from bringing it up."

His eyes narrowed, "you wanted to confide in me, didn’t you? What was it you needed to tell me?"

His intense gaze dipped to her rosy lips, and a primal growl emanated from his inner wolf.

"I crave your lips, Esmeray, may I?" He tilted her chin up. "You can tell me what I need to know afterwards."