Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King (Emilia) novel Chapter 213

ROSE’S POV

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my arm, breathing hard as the whistle blew. The gym echoed with squeaking sneakers and bouncing balls-my first college PE class, and it was basketbalL

The coach—a tall, no-nonsense woman with a clipboard-divided us into teams. I ended up on the blue side, pulling on a mesh jersey that smelled like old sweat. Most of the girls seemed nice enough, chatting and laughing as we warmed up. But one caught my eye right away.

She was tall, athletic build, with short blonde hair and a glare that could cut glass. Every time our eyes met during stretches, she looked away fast—like she had a problem with me already. I didn’t recognize her from any other classes. What was her deal?

“Alright, ladies! Let’s play!” the coach yelled, tossing the ball up for the tip-off.

The game started fast. I wasn’t the best at basketball-growing up in the kingdom, we played more…primal games-but I was quick. Agile. My wolf gave me an edge I had to be careful not to show too much.

I grabbed a rebound early, dribbling down the court.

Passed to a teammate on my left-a friendly redhead named Mia.That’s when it happened.

The blonde girl-Katie, I think someone called her-barreled into me from the side as I released the ball. Her elbow dug hard inte.my ribs.

I staggered but caught myself, shooting her a look. “Hey-what the hell?”

She just smirked and jogged back on defense like nothing happened.

Accident? Maybe. But the way her eyes flicked to me said otherwise.

I shook it off. Don’t overreact, Rose. You’re here to blend – in. Not start fights.

The game picked up. I scored a layup-nothing flashy, just clean-and my team cheered. But every time the ball came my way after that, Katie was there. Rough.

She “accidentally” stepped on my foot during a screen.

Slammed her shoulder into mine on a rebound. Once, when I passed the ball, her hand “slipped” and smacked my arm hard enough to sting.

By halftime, my side ached, and anger simmered low in my gut. My wolf paced inside me, hackles raised. She wanted out-wanted to show this girl what real strength looked like. But I couldn’t. Not here. Not with humans watching.

The coach blew the whistle for a break. “Five minutes!Hydrate!”

I grabbed my water bottle from the bench, gulping it down. Mia came over, frowning. “You okay? That Katie girl’s playing dirty.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, forcing a smile. “I’m fine. Probably just competitive.”

But as I glanced across the court, Katie was staring right at me. Glaring. Arms crossed, lips curled like I’d stolen something from her.

What did I do? I didn’t even know her. Was it because I was new? Or… something else? The thought made my stomach twist. What if she suspected? No-that was paranoia. Damien’s warnings about humans getting too close were messing with my head.

was tempted to march over there, confront her. Ask what her problem was. My wolf pushed harder, claws itching under my skin. But I stopped myself. No trouble. That’s what Damien said. Be good. Stay safe.

I turned away, focusing on my breathing. In. Out. Control.

The gym went silent. Everyone stopped. Staring.The pain was fire-twisting, breaking. But then… my wolf surged. Healing kicked in fast-too fast. Bones snapped back into place with an audible crack. The twist reversed, mending in seconds.

Right there. In front of everyone.

My eyes widened in horror. I sat up fast, heart pounding.

Did they see? Hear?

Mia rushed over. “Rose! Are you okay? That sounded bad

Katie stood frozen, eyes wide. The brunette too. The whole téam. The coach.

Whispers started. “Did you hear that crack?” “Her ankle-it looked broken—” “But she’s sitting up like nothing happened…”

I forced a laugh-weak, shaky. “I’m fine. Just… twisted it weird. No big deal.”

But inside, panic clawed at me.

They saw.

They all saw.