Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King (Emilia) novel Chapter 147

I took a threatening step toward him, closing the gap until our faces were inches apart. My breath came out in hot bursts, my chest heaving like I’d just run a marathon.” Adele is my mate, you understand?” I snarled, my voice low and dangerous, laced with every ounce of fury boiling inside me. “So stay the fuck away from her.”

Derek didn’t back down. Hell, he didn’t even blink: Instead, he shifted forward, mirroring my aggression, his broad shoulders squaring up like he was ready to throw down right there on the balcony. The air between us crackled, thick with the scent of challenge-two powerful males, locked in a standoff that could explode any second. His dark eyes bored into mine, unflinching, and I could see the fire in them, the same possessive spark that was tearing me apart.

“If she’s your mate,” he shot back, his tone steady but edged with steel, “then treat her as such. Or I swear, I won’t hold back.”

The words hit me like a gut punch. Treat her as such. As if I didn’t know that already. As if every night I hadn’t lain awake, tormenting myself over how l’d failed her. My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms until l felt the sting of blood. The urge to swing, to smash my knuckles into his smug face, surged through me like wildfire. My wolf howled inside, demanding I put this bastard in his place, remind him who the hell he was talking to. But I held back-barely. Punching an alpha from another pack would raise questions, and as much asl hated it, I was the beta. I had responsibilities. Still, my muscles trembled with the effort, every fiber screaming to let loose

“Stay out of me and my mate’s business,” I growled, my voice dropping even lower, vibrating with raw menace. It wasn’t a request; it was a warning, the kind that came with teeth and claws if ignored.

Derek’s lips curled into a slight, infuriating smirk, like he knew he’d gotten under my skin. He leaned in just a fraction more, invading my space, testing me. “I will,” he said, his words deliberate, each one dripping with challenge. “But if I don’t see a mark on her neck soon, I won’t care that you’re the beta. I’ll pursue her.”

Time froze. The world around us—the sparring warriors below, the distant calls of birds, the rustle of wind through the trees-faded into nothing. All I could hear was the thunder of my pulse in my ears, the savage roar of my wolf clawing to break free. I’ll pursue her.

Then he turned and walked away, his steps measured, unhurried. He didn’t look back, didn’t need to. He’d saidhis piece, planted the seed of doubt, and left me to stew to it. I watched him go, my body rigid, every muscle locked in place. The railing creaked under my grip as I squeezed it harder, the metal biting into my skin. How the hell could someone threaten me about my own mate?

The audacity burned through me, fueling the seething rage that churned in my gut. Adele was mine. Nobody-nobody-would take her from me.

Not Derek, not anyone.