The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate

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"Master, when will you finally reveal yourself to her?" Kangee squawked, "At this rate, she’ll think you’re a ghost! Next thing you know, she’ll be scattering salt on her windowsill to ward you off!"

Donovan sat in his private chamber, back in the shadowspire, his raven’s blunt words echoing in the silence. His loose hair cascaded to his shoulders, and he wore a flowing white outfit, complete with a translucent robe that billowed behind him like mist.

The sun streaming through the opened window casted a warm, golden light on his profile, illuminating the chiseled line of his face and highlighting the mysterious allure that surrounded him.

"I suppose she’d prefer a ghost to a demon," Donovan murmured, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. Kangee perched on the table beside him, and it observed its master’s feature, noticing it had never seen its master so visibly disturbed, or even annoyed.

"I disagree, Master," Kangee said, spreading its wings in defense. "You’re nothing like those savages, and I trust she will accept you regardless of what you are."

"Perhaps... if you tone down your aura a little when you’re around her, and... well, master, you should know how handsome you are too. I’m always happy to remind you, even if you can’t see it for yourself." Kangee vowed, with one wing pressed to its chest, and the other folded behind its back.

Donovan stood up, his expression somber as he exhaled. "Handsome or not, physical appearance is nothing short of a bonus, and it doesn’t guarantee anything, Kangee." He strolled to the window, stepping out onto the balcony and basking himself in the warm sunlight.

Kangee placed a feathered wing to its head and exasperated, "I doubt it. If you saw the hundreds of pests that gathered at the gate to see you after the introduction you made, you won’t be saying that with so much confidence." It alighted from the table to join Donovan in the balcony.

Donovan stretched out an arm, and he could feel his insides recoil as the warmth seeped through him, but it was tolerable. He then uttered, "Demons like myself tend to feel weakened by the sun. It drains our energy, which makes our powers pretty useless in the day. But at night, the reverse is the case."

He leaned against the balustrade, crossing his arms. "After what happened to her pack, her hate will only grow stronger. She’ll never accept the bond, and I can’t blame her for that. I don’t see my wish on the matter having the desired effect unless I resort to malice, and I’m not willing to take that step with her."

"But if you do nothing, she’ll end up married to that king you said you hate so much!" Kangee countered, its voice stern.

Donovan tsked. "Good thing I won’t be able to see that happening."

"This is not the time for self-mockery!" Kangee scolded, its feathers ruffled as it squawked in Donovan’s ear.

With a quiet grace, Donovan let himself drop from the balustrade, landing silently in the front yard below.

"Lothar," he called gently, his voice carrying in the air. Lothar, who was in the middle of grasping the door knob so he could go in, halted at the sound of his name. He turned to face the man who looked like an angel that fell from the sky, or so it seemed, because how did he get here? Lothar was sure he didn’t sense him within this vicinity when he walked in here.

"How did you suddenly appear, and how did you know it was me?" Lothar asked, his curiosity piqued. For someone who had always been blind, he certainly doesn’t act like one.

"I sensed you."

"But I was about to come to you, you didn’t have to—" Lothar was about to explain his own intention, but Donovan cut him off.

"Walk with me," he said, his hands slipping into his pocket as he began to stroll away. Lothar watched him for a moment, then fell into step beside him, following him in silence.

"I see you’ve accomplished your dream," Lothar started, "I can hardly tell you’re a blind man. You were so intent back in the days to overcome your weakness. I truly am happy to know it paid off. Did you hone your senses when you were asleep?" His eyes narrowed into an inquiring gaze, "It’s sharper than I remember."

They took a turn in the corner of the building, and Kangee perched itself on Donovan’s shoulder.

"I guess in my sleep," Donovan’s response was skeptical. "I don’t recall. There’s another matter I’d like to discuss with you, and that is the situation of the damned. I want to understand why a group of demon shifters I encountered last night seemed... different. Their aura and intentions were unlike anything I’ve sensed. These shifters aren’t residents of the damned either, which means they have their personal hiding place. Are they what I think they are?"

Lothar nodded solemnly, "They’re shifters who’ve succumbed to the curse, Alpha. It consumed them to the point they lost faith in humanity. About forty percent of our kind gave in during your absence, but fortunately the curse marks on the rest of us is relatively mild."

Lothar’s gaze fell on the single dark rune circling his upper left arm, a reminder of the curse’s presence. "The marks have shrunk, so their influence on our mind is minimal. I used to have more, but they mysteriously vanished one morning, just like everyone else’s. We thought we were free, but that wasn’t the case entirely. Still, it’s an advantage — we can’t be controlled against our will."

His eyes shifted to Donovan, whose wrist was etched with cursed marks, and Lothar knew they were more hiding in the depths of his outfit. Even a part of his face was imprinted with curse marks, and Lothar expressed his worry, "Do you perhaps feel influenced?" He asked, trying to gauge the extent of the curse’s hold on his friend. "I can’t tell if its because you’re a grown man now but... your marks seem to have increased—"

"If I were being manipulated, I wouldn’t be here," Donovan’s neutral response was reassuring, and Lothar wanted to believe him. He wanted to believe that Donovan was capable of resisting the curse’s strong influence. After all, they’d been taught that the more marks one had, the stronger the manipulation. But Lothar hoped that wasn’t the case, that his friend was stronger than the curse.

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In The Golden Palace

Esme sat vigilantly beside Finnian, her hand clutching his as she willed him to wake up from his sleep. The depth of his unconsciousness was alarming, especially since he hadn’t even flinched when his throat was slashed, yet survived it. She could only imagine the horror he must have endured, and she just stood there, watching.

Esme’s eyes were red and puffy from all the crying, her heart still throbbing from the loss of Vivienne. But she pushed aside her grief, knowing she had to be strong for her little brother.

A gentle knock on the door broke the silence, and Esme turned to see Leonardo standing in the entrance, with her bag in his hand. Her thoughts immediately shifted to the blood samples she had collected, and her face paled. She had left her bag with her horse, so there was a chance it could have been stepped on during the chaos, and the samples she got were gone!

"Don’t worry, everything is still intact." Leonardo assured her when he took in the alarm in her eyes, and he walked in. Esme wondered how he knew what she was thinking about, and then it dawned on her that he must have checked her bag and seen what was stored inside.

Leonardo came to stand beside Esme. His gaze fell on Finnian’s unconscious form, and he spoke softly to reassure her. "He’ll be fine, as a recipient of his father’s power, he has no choice but to recover. And I recall that he’s more fond of you than his own family. The brat even approached me before our trip to ensure your safety, so I’m sure he won’t let his older sister cry for long."

Leonardo carefully placed Esme’s bag on the nightstand, and her eyes widened at the revelation about Finnian’s concern for her.

"You fulfilled his wishes, is that why you’ve been sticking by my side all this time?" She asked, and Leonardo replied, "He didn’t leave me with a choice. He said you’ve never left the pack house before, and that you don’t do well in crowds. It was a harmless offer. I thought I’d fulfill his simple wish."

As they stood there, Leonardo’s curiosity got the better of him, and he finally found the courage to ask, "By the way, what do you need those blood samples for?"

Esme hesitated, weighing her option, and she finally chose one. She gently laid her brother’s hand aside and rose from her chair. fгeewebnovёl.com

"Come with me, and I’ll explain. But first, is there a physic’s chamber in the palace?"

Leonardo nodded, still looking confused, "Yes, there’s one."

"Take me there."Esme said, and the two of them left the room. The door gently closed behind them, and silence ensued. In their absence, a dark rune materialized at the curve of Finnian’s neck.