Breaking the Alpha's Curse

Liam's POV

The last place I wanted to be was the Blood Moon Pack's masquerade of a party, but duty always outweighs desire. As Alpha of the Rickshaw Pack and the leading candidate for Werewolf Confederation President, I had no choice but to show up. Appearances matter, especially when half the packs in the North are watching to see whether I stumble or rise.

"Alpha Liam," people greeted with fake smiles.

I sat in the farthest corner just to remain unseen but the sun can't be hidden. I hated the laughter and music. I hated crowds. I hated the masks people wore both figuratively and literally.

And I hated the Blood Moon Pack. I've heard a lot about their Alpha but I haven't experienced bullshit from him. He knew not to cross me.

Suddenly, it came again. The pain I've been carrying for eighteen years. This time, it came like a dagger piercing through the heart. As I grew older, the pain became unbearable for me.

I clenched my fists, my vision started to blur as the fire tore through my chest. I had to leave the crowd now. No one has the right to see me in pain. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me fall, not here in the presence of the Blood Moon Pack.

I stood up slowly, ignoring the curious glances from a few pack members. I moved through the crowd with what little dignity I could muster, my jaw clenched tightly as every heartbeat felt like it would be my last.

I needed somewhere private but each door along the corridor refused me. They were locked. Each door I turned to was locked, one after another.

"What the fuck? Who locks guest rooms during an official gathering?"

My knees buckled slightly, and I gritted my teeth, forcing myself toward the staircase. My vision darkened and I knew I wouldn't make it to the top.

And just when the darkness at the edge of my mind threatened to consume me, a hand touched mine.

The contact was warm and cool at the same time and the effect of the contact came instantly.

The pain in my chest dulled as if someone had poured cool water on a raging fire. I could breathe again. Not fully, but just enough to gain control.

I looked up to see who the pain relief was. And there she was in front of me, dressed in a neat black-and-white maid uniform, her black hair slicked back, not a strand out of place. And her eyes were the color of the ocean during a full moon. Deep, mysterious, and endless.

"You're not well," she said softly, her hand still in mine.

"I know, bunny," I breathed, calling her that without thinking. The word slipped from my lips with such an ease that surprised me.

"You have to get some rest. I can help you to your room."

I stared at her for a moment. Was she real? Or a hallucination?

"Fine," I rasped. "Help me."

I handed her the key card from my pocket with trembling fingers. She took it without question, looping her arm around mine like it was something she'd done a thousand times.

The hallway blurred as she led me forward. Every step away from the crowd and toward the room lessened the weight on my chest. When we finally reached the door, she opened it and helped me inside with a surprising strength for someone so petite.

She eased me onto the bed like I was fragile glass.

"I'll get going then," she said, her voice tentative. She turned, but before she could take a step forward I reached out and grabbed her wrist.

She looked back, confused. "Do you need anything else?"

God, even her voice soothed the storm raging in my bones.

"I need you to stay," I said.

Her brows furrowed. "What?"

"Stay," I repeated.

"I can't. I'm… I have other guests to attend to."

"I'm a guest too," I said, pulling her slightly toward me. "A special one."

"I know, but…"

I narrowed my eyes. "Are you disobeying me?"

Her lips parted, and I could hear the slight tremble in her breath. "No, I won't dare to disobey you, Alpha Liam."

"Then shut your mouth," I said, not unkindly, but with the force of command I was born with, "and stay."

Her eyes widened, but she didn't protest further. I pulled her closer until she was beside me on the bed. Her scent hit me. It was lavender and something wild beneath it. Something that tugged at my wolf.

She lay still, rigid at first but I pulled I closer to me. And the moment her body touched mine, it was like someone had ripped the curse out of me.

I exhaled deeply for the first time in what felt like decades. The pain in my chest didn't just dull. It vanished. My heart still beat and my lungs still expanded. And it was because of her.

Who was she? And what powers does she have to take my pains away?

I glanced at her, her white and black uniform reminded me that she was only a maid. A nobody, by pack standards. But to me, she was peace incarnate.

I turned slightly, wanting to see her better. She was staring at the ceiling, trying hard to pretend none of this was happening.

"What's your name?" I asked.

She hesitated. "Jane. My name is Jane."

Jane? Even her name was common.

"Who are you, Jane? I asked.

Her head turned toward me. "I'm a maid," she said.

"Obviously," I retorted. "Who owns you?" I asked.

"I'm a person of my own. Although I work for Alpha Theo, the Alpha of the Blood Moon."

Something stir within me as she mentioned the blood moon. How did a wonderful treasure like her end up in the blood moon?

"I want to buy you from your Alpha. I want you to be mine," I said.

"You're crazy," she said too quickly.

"Excuse me!" I spat, narrowing my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Alpha, I shouldn't have said that but…" she paused, swallowing hard. "You don't even know me and I don't know you either."

"I don't have to know you before I decide what to do with you. I like something, I get the thing."

"I'm not a thing. I'm a being who has a mind of her own," she said.

"Maybe. But you know our world doesn't work like that. You are a nobody and I can buy you if your owner is willing to sell you."

She was silent, but I could feel the war inside her. I brushed her cheek with my thumb.

"Don't over think it. I just have a job offer for you."

"I have a job already," she said, her innocent voice added to my urge to want to keep her.

"And I want to give you another one. A better one."

"But for now, you have to stay with me until I fall asleep."