Bride of the Cursed Alpha (Auren and Lucien) novel Chapter 48

Chapter 48

I didn’t know how far I had run. The trees blurred past me, as my feet sting in pain from sipping over rocks and twisted roots on the forest floor. My breath came in ragged gasps, but 1 didn’t stop. All I wanted was to be alone, to be away from everyone who caused me heartache. I wanted to be away from him. Away from everything. Without Sienna, I was so alone. Like a husk without a soul.

The trees opened into a clearing which was covered with wildflowers. It was such a beautiful display of vibrant colors. They swayed gently in the moming breeze. The wind carried whisper–like sounds. The air smelled sweet and fresh. It was so different from the toxic air that I was feeling suffocated in only a few moments ago. Sunlight dappled through the leaves, casting golden patches over the flowers and grass

I felt like all the heaviness in my heart was slowly weighing upon me. As a choked sob escaped my lips, I dropped to my knees. Tears streamed down my face continuously as 1 clutched my chen where my heart ached with a deep pain. Why was it that all my life I remained unwanted. unloved! And now even after I was going to be his bride, I still wasn’t enough. Lucien didn’t want me.

1 pressed my hands into the dirt, in order to ground myself, but the pain remained. Flowers crushed under my palms, After what felt like forever. my tears waned, and my breath steadied. And that’s when I saİYİL

Not far from where I knelt, hidden beyond the thick grass, I saw a ruined structure. It looked ancient. I blinked wondering if this was a trick of my mind, but then I wiped my eyes, and I saw it more clearly. It looked like an old temple.

And something about it called to me.

Slowly. I stood up, wiping my hands on my dress intrigued, I stared at it for a few minutes, studying the stone walls that were cracked and covered in ivy and moss. Every logic in my mind screamed not to go there. Before I knew it, my feet carried me toward it. My legs felt weak, but I forced myself toward it. Step by step, I made my way toward the ruins. As I walked closer, I noticed that half of the roof had caved in. There were broken pillars lying scattered around the entrance. The stairs that led inside were broken.

As I entered the ruins, the silence felt heavy on my shoulders. The air smelled of damp stone, moss and earth. Dust particles floated in the dim sunlight that was trying to penetrate through the dense trees overhead. I looked around and found carvings on the walls–like ancient symbols which I didn’t recognize. The temple looked both eerie and beautiful

Something squeaked and I stifled a scream, my heart racing as fear gripped it tightly, I shouldn’t have, but I walked further inside. I came to what would have been the grand chamber. It had a call celling with giant crumbling pillars and cracked marble door where small plants sprouted from the gaps.

It was then that my eyes landed on something in the center of the chamber,

A moonstone altar.

It stood beneath a broken done and was surrounded by thorny vines that curled around its base. Some rose up, wrapping the thin pillars around it. The sunlight fell upon it dimly. I imagined how the moon looked through this dome. Shackled in the thorny vines.

My breath hitched when I came close to it. The stone surface was cracked straight down the middle, as if a violent force had shattered it long ago The sight sent a chill down my spine.

Why did this place feel so important!

A cold breeze drifted through the temple, and for a moment, I thought I heard whispers. They were so ist, barely more than a breath against my

I took a step closer, closer. And then, slowly, I reached out to touch the altar. The moment my fingers brushed the moonstone of the altar, a strange sensation crawled up my arm. It was like a breath of icy air had curled around my skin. A shiver ran down my spine. I reached the fracture in the middle and traced the stone there. But in doing so, it looked like the altar pulsed. It was as though something deep within it awakened. My heart thrummed and my breath lodged in my throat. I took a deep breath in, “What are you?” I marmured.

The place was sacred, it was forgotten but it wasn’t lifeless. It was as if there was an entity. As if the temple had a soul,

The air thickened. Something moved in the periphery of my vision. Was that a flicker of shadows? I whipped my head to see it more clearly, but there was nothing. My instincts screamed at me to run, but my body wouldn’t move. There was something–someone–out here.

Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind burst dirough the altar. Dust and dried leaves swirled around me. My hair whipped across my face and with a hiss shadows burst from the altar. They hovered over the altar. I screamed, seeing the figures made of darkness, shifting and swaying like smoke caught in the crack of the altar. I heard whispers, frightened voices,

“Guardians, they hissed. ‘Bride Bane’s curse Shackled moon!

I stumbled back, falling on the ground. Nono. This couldn’t be. I was surely dreaming

The shadowcame nearer and then one extended a tendril of darkness toward me. I tensed as it touched the tip of my finger and curled around my wrist is touch was cold and slithery. Shock pulsed through me and a wave of images flooded my mind.

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12:23 PM ·

Chapter 45

Of a woman in white robes kneeling before the altar, her voice filled with anguish as she cried after being rejected from her mate

Of a wolf, who was an Alpha, standing in the distance, watching her helplessly with grief in his eyes.

Of priests, who are asking for help and mercy