Bound By The Alpha’s Curse

After the Beast's demise, there was an oppressive silence. As Lila watched the creature's enormous bulk fall to the ground, she stood motionless, her chest heaving with forced breathing. She had lost all her power in the battle, but her knife was still lodged in its neck. For a long time, the only sounds she could hear were the distant rustle of the wind through the trees and the pounding of her heart.

It was Alexander who moved first. His eyes scanned the fallen Beast anxiously as if he were waiting for it to rise again, and he took a hesitant step closer. He gave a single nod when it didn't, then turned to face Lila. For the briefest instant, she noticed something vulnerable in his eyes as they softened—a glimmer of thankfulness mingled with something sinister.

His voice was tight as if he was still comprehending the fight they had just fought, but he added gently, "You did well."

Lila hardly heard him. Her mind was still spinning, trying to process what had just happened, and she was still too overwhelmed. It was all too much—the Beast, its control over her, the evil it had attempted to infect her with. However, there was another factor. There was something about the Beast's gaze, the way it appeared to recognize her.

Ignoring the concept, Lila shivered. That wasn't anything to think about right now. She needed to maintain her focus and keep going.

"We must depart," she remarked in a raspy voice. "We must leave this place. It's impossible to predict whether the other packs will come seeking for us.

Alexander nodded curtly at her. His face hardened as he surveyed the clearing, and he wiped the blood from his blade. "Agreed. Even though the Beast is no longer alive, I have a feeling that the worst is still to come.

He wasn't asked to explain by Lila. She didn't have to. The sensation in her stomach told her everything she needed to know.

Lila took one final look at the Beast's lifeless body as they started to approach the clearing's edge. The fact that the thing wasn't simply any monster was obvious to her. Something ancient and rooted in the earth had been involved. And whoever had roused it was still waiting, watching, out there.

It seemed like it took longer than necessary to make the journey back to the safety of the mountain pass. The struggle had long since worn off Lila's adrenaline, leaving her bone-deep exhausted. All she wanted was to pass out and forget what had transpired in the clearing. However, the weight of the situation fell on her again as soon as her feet touched firm ground.

Her voice was hardly audible above a whisper as she questioned, "What was that thing?" "I've never seen anything like that beast."

Alexander took a while to respond. He was too busy looking around them, his senses still well aware of any potential threats. His voice was solemn when he spoke.

His voice was low as he replied, "Lila, it wasn't just a creature." That guardian was old. A guardian of something—something concealed far beneath these mountains.

Lila furrowed her brow. Not sure she understood, she repeated, "A guardian?"

Alexander stopped walking and looked at her, something dark in his gaze that she couldn't identify. Lila, the Beast wasn't merely protecting the territory. An artifact was being safeguarded. Something strong enough to attract the interest of all the packs in the area. And now that it is dead, the power it held is unrestrained.

A beat skipped in Lila's heart. "You mean the artifact is authentic?"

Alexander gave a somber nod. It's authentic. And other people are searching for it besides us.

Lila felt a knot in her stomach. They had been looking for the relic in the highlands. She had assumed it was merely a myth, something mentioned in the old tales, but now it appeared that the legends were real. And they were in greater danger than she had ever known if other people were looking for it, eager to battle to the death to get it.

Alexander's voice hardened with resolve as he stated, "We must start by addressing it." "This gets more dangerous the longer we wait. Some will do whatever it takes to obtain it.

Lila nodded a wave of determination washing over her. She couldn't deny that Alexander was telling the truth, even though she wasn't sure what kind of item they were dealing with or why it was so significant. She had gone too far already. Now she was unable to go back.

The weight of their new task filled the silence between them as they pushed forward. However, Lila couldn't get rid of the sensation that something was seeing them as the sunset—something older and more frightening than they could well fathom.

As they made camp in the mountains' shadow later that evening, Lila couldn't help but notice how different everything felt. The environment appeared to be quieter, yet the silence was tense as if everything were about to shatter. "They must move fast, but they must be careful," Alexander had added. They have to maintain their vigilance at all times.

Lila's thoughts kept returning to the Beast as she lay on the ground and gazed up at the sky. to its eyes. It seemed to know her based on the way it had gazed at her. And the odd feeling she'd experienced when it had brushed against her thoughts. It had resembled a brushstroke with something much more sinister than she could comprehend.

She hadn't been scared, though. Not at all. She was not what she had anticipated.

Was this world becoming accustomed to her? To the risk? Was it something else entirely, something that had woken up inside her when the Beast had attempted to take her?

She shivered again at the thought but ignored it. Now she couldn't afford to think about it. Not when the relic was so near discovery. In her bones, however, was a persistent feeling of dread. It was going to be more than a battle for survival, regardless of what power was ahead. Everything they were was about to be put to the test.

Lila wasn't sure if they were prepared. She was aware of one thing, though.

She couldn't leave Alexander to deal with it on his own.