Chapter 3
The black wolf let out a deep growl that echoed through the cave.
It stared me down, its giant nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air around me, trying to pick up my scent.
Crushed by terror and the agonizing pain of the backlash, I spat out another mouthful of blood.
The blood splattered across the cold stone floor, filling the cave with a subtle fragrance of white camellias.
In that instant, the frenzied black wolf fell eerily silent.
Its crimson eyes were glued to the pool of my blood on the ground, letting out a rapid, guttural growl from deep in its throat.
Then, while I stared in confusion, the black wolf, the tyrant who made the whole Siastonland tremble, slowly lowered its regal head.
It extended its rough, spiked tongue and started licking the blood from the stone.
As the blood went down, the wild, destructive rage coming off the black wolf started calming down faster than I could follow.
Its eyes, which had been as red as blood, slowly lost their craziness and turned into a clear, dark gold.
"You..." I whispered, completely stunned.
Was my blood really breaking his curse?
Before I could wrap my head around it, the black wolf swung its head toward me and fixed those dark gold eyes right on me.
It strode toward me, and with every step, the rune-carved wooden stake lodged in its heart began to crumble into ash.
The ancient dark-iron chains binding it shattered inch by inch under its strength.
The seal was undone.
I tried to back away in terror, but its massive wolf paw clamped down on the back of my neck, holding me in place.
The next moment, a blinding light flashed.
The huge black wolf vanished, and in its place stood Alexander, a towering, naked man whose sheer presence was intimidating.
His body was insane, like something out of a dream. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and those muscles that looked like they were carved from stone.
It was the kind of body that made me forget how to breathe.
His short hair was tousled, falling carelessly across his forehead.
Those dark gold eyes bore down on me, predatory and intense.
He clamped his hand around my chin, tilting my head up to meet his gaze.
His polar pine scent flooded my senses, seeping into my skin and making me shiver uncontrollably.
His voice was low and rough, thick from not being used for so long. "My little mate, why do you reek of some other weakling?"
It hit my brain like a crack of thunder.
"M-Mate?" I stammered, my eyes wide in shock.
I stared at the stunning, cold-faced man in front of me, like he was some kind of god I couldn't believe was real.
"What mate? You've got the wrong person." I tried to pull away from his iron grip, but his presence was so heavy that I couldn't move a single finger.
"Wrong person?" Alexander let out a low, resonant chuckle, the sound vibrating deep in his chest.
He suddenly leaned down, his sharp nose brushing against my neck as he took a deep breath.
"The scent of white camellias mixed with the cold bite of snow. The Moon Goddess finally decided to send me my salvation," he murmured.
His rough thumb brushed over the ugly black scar on my neck, the mark left behind when the mate bond was severed.
As his fingertip touched the scar, the once lifeless mark suddenly throbbed with a burning heat.
"So, your mate ditched you and broke the bond on his own, huh?" Alexander's voice dropped.
His gaze instantly turned cold and dangerous, the air itself seeming to crack with the chill of his rage.
"He had some nerve to refuse the Alpha King's mate," he snarled.
"How... how do you know that?" I stammered, my eyes flying wide open as shock washed over my face.
"A werewolf only gets one true mate in a lifetime. But for someone with true royal blood, if the souls are a perfect match, the Moon Goddess can grant a rare second chance mate."
Undisguised possessiveness swirled in his dark gold eyes, leaving no doubt that he intended to claim me.
"Selene, your blood snapped me out of my madness, and your scent calmed the wolf raging inside me. From now on, you're mine. Only mine," he declared.
The moment he finished speaking, he bared his sharp fangs and bit down hard on my neck, right over my artery.
I yelped, pain shooting through me.
But then something unbelievable happened.
Instead of blood gushing out as I expected, a rush of pure life force poured into me through his fangs.
It was the royal essence of Alexander himself.
That force swept through me like a storm, instantly healing the damage the backlash had done to my heart. And then, like a spark, it set off something deep inside me that had been dormant for eighteen years.
"I'm burning up." I curled up in pain, feeling my bones crack and shift, every muscle being torn apart and rebuilt.
"Don't be afraid. Relax and let it in," Alexander murmured, pulling me tight against him.
His warmth flooded into me as his broad hand gently stroked my back. "The wolf inside you is too strong. That weakling's pack was never good enough to support your awakening. Now let me help you."
With Alexander's blood flooding my veins, a fierce howl suddenly rose from the very core of my soul.
A blinding silver light exploded from deep inside the cave.
When I opened my eyes again, everything looked lower. My whole world had shrunk. But my senses, sight, hearing, smell, were a hundred times sharper than before.
I looked down and saw my front paws, covered in pure silver fur that glowed faintly, like I was bathed in moonlight.
I had shifted.
And I was not just any wolf. In werewolf history, only the legendary healers kissed by the Moon Goddess ever got a flawless, pure silver form like mine.
"So beautiful," Alexander whispered.
Somehow, he had thrown on a black leather coat. He crouched down, his dark gold eyes shining with amazement and affection.
He reached out and gently rubbed my furry silver head. "You awakened. And on top of that, you have the rarest Luna bloodline. That idiot who dumped you must be blind."
I moved my powerful new limbs, completely blown away by how strong I felt.