Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King (Emilia) novel Chapter 25

One of them shifted uncomfortably, his gaze darting away like looking too long would get him beheaded. The other just stared a moment longer, lips parting as if he was about to say something-then thought better of it.

Go ahead, tell him, I thought, brushing past them with my chin high. See if I care.

My bare feet made soft slaps as I walked through the hallway, the sound far too loud in the silence. I didn’t rush. Let them see me. Let them wonder.

When I reached the door to the quarters, I pushed it open and stepped inside.

Every head turned.

It was becoming a thing now-me walking in and suddenly having all eyes on me. Half curiosity, half judgment, and maybe, in the case of a few, a flicker of envy. I walked straight to my bunk, not even bothering to hide the fact that I was wearing his robe.The King’s robe,” someone whispered, their voice sharp with disbelief.

“Liana’s dead,” another murmured in response, like it was some kind of code.

I ignored them, sitting on the edge of my bed. The robe pooled around me in a rich red wave. I reached for the simple skirt and top folded at the foot of my bunk and began changing, slipping the robe off only when I had to. The girls kept talking, their voices a buzzing background I had no interest in-until one sentence cut through.

“I heard there’s a summit tomorrow,” one of them said.

That made my head lift, my eyes narrowing.”All the Alphas are coming to the palace for a meeting,” another chimed in, her tone almost dreamy, as though the idea of seeing so many powerful men in one place was the highlight of her miserable little life.

Someone else sighed. “I wish they’d take me back to my own pack…”

But my mind had stopped listening to them. Because the moment I heard ‘summit,’ all I saw in my head was a door swinging wide open.

A gateway.

Tomorrow, the palace would be swarming. Alphas, guards, servants-more movement than usual, more distractions, more noise. And the King? He’d be busy playing politics, keeping up appearances, trying to keep the other Alphas from tearing each other apart.

What better opportunity for me to slip away unnoticed?

My lips curled slowly into a smirk.

The beginning of a plan took root instantly.

But I couldn’t just run. Not without thinking it through. Not when the stakes were this high.

The King wasn’t the kind of man to let something-or someone-he considered his property just vanish. If I wanted a head start, I’d need to make sure his attention was anywhere but on me.

That meant two things: distraction and timing.

I leaned back against the wall, pretending to listen to the girls’ chatter while my mind spun through the possibilities. My heart was beating faster now, not from fear but from excitement. The risk was like a shot of adrenaline, warming my blood and sharpening my focus.

They could whisper all they wanted about the King’s robe. About what I’d been doing in his chambers. About what that meant for my place here. Let them. While they were busy trying to piece together what happened, I’d be busy plotting my escape.

I could feel their eyes on me still, curiosity eating at them like moths to a flame. They didn’t know me. Not really. But tomorrow… they’d never see me again.

And neither would he.

Or so I hoped.

Because the truth was, part of me knew the King wasn’t going to let me go without a fight. And if I was caught…

I shoved that thought away before it could root too deep. Failure wasn’t an option.

Tomorrow, I was getting out.

The chains were biting into my wrists.

Thick iron links dug into skin already raw from the struggle, holding me against the cold stone wall of my black room. My breath came out in ragged bursts, chest heaving, the air tasting of steel, sweat, and the faint copper tang of my own blood where the shackles had already carved lines into me.

And still-it wasn’t enough.

I thought by now the fire would’ve died down. That hours would’ve been enough. But her scent clung to me, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw her on her knees again, head tilted, that dangerous little smirk playing on her lips. My cock still throbbed, hard and aching, even though I’d done everything in my power to cage the beast. Even now, my body shuddered, my claws itching against my palms, begging me to give in.

The beast wanted her.

No. Needed her.

That was why I was here, shackled like an animal, because I knew if I wasn’t, I’d already have gone to her. Torn through every guard, every locked door, every barrier between us until I had her beneath me. And I didn’t trust myself not to break her in the process. 1

The chains rattled when I exhaled, my head snapping back against the cold wall. Sweat slid down my temple, mixing with the thin lines of blood that still dripped from my palms where my claws had cut into skin earlier. The metallic scent of it mingled with hers, phantom and maddening. 1

My beast was clawing at the edges of my sanity, pacing inside me like a caged predator desperate for release. Every second that passed, I felt the scrape of its hunger, the violent insistence to break free, to tear apart anything that stood between me and her.

Her.

Emilia.

The name alone was gasoline poured over open flame.

I jerked against the chains with a snarl, the sound reverberating off the walls. My body strained forward, muscles bulging, veins popping beneath my skin. Every fiber of me wanted to rip those chains apart and hunt her down. My cock was still hard, mocking me with her touch, her smirk, her goddamn innocence that was anything but.

I was seconds away.

Seconds from giving in, from letting my beast claim what it wanted most.

But I couldn’t. I’d rather stay chained in here.

The black room was the only place strong enough to hold me. The only place where I could cage myself when the urges became unbearable. Four walls of stone, reeking of iron and restraint, lined with chains heavy enough to hold even me. I had forged this place for my madness, for the nights when my beast threatened to tear me apart from the inside out.

But never-not once-had I come here because of a woman.

The thought made me snarl, the sound echoing off the stone.

A sound broke through my haze.

Footsteps. Calm, steady.

Lucien.

I didn’t need to see him to know it was my Beta. His scent was a sharp bite in the air, cold pine and steel, always cutting through the chaos.

The door creaked open, heavy bolts sliding back, and then he stepped in.

Lucien folded his arms across his chest, his eyes glinting with something between curiosity and amusement as he leaned his shoulder against the wall.

“Well,” he said slowly, voice calm in contrast to the storm ripping through me. “This is a first.”

I bared my teeth at him, my fangs elongating, the beast within flashing through my skin like lightning.

“Careful, Lucien.” My voice came out low, guttural, thick with the strain of holding back. “I’m not myself.”

He tilted his head slightly, as if studying me like a puzzle he hadn’t yet solved. “That’s obvious.”

The chains rattled as I pulled against them, my breath tearing out of me in harsh bursts. My body was burning, every nerve on fire. I could feel the mark of her touch like a brand, and no amount of time or restraint was dulling it.

Lucien let the silence stretch for a beat too long before finally speaking again.

“Tell me,” he said, his tone deliberate, “why are you resisting?”

I froze.

Of all the things he could have asked-of all the sharp observations that bastard was capable of -he went straight for the vein.

My jaw tightened, but the words still forced themselves past my teeth.

“Because if I don’t…” My voice cracked into a snarl. “If I don’t, she dies.”

The words reverberated through the chamber, heavy and raw, and for a moment, the only sound was my ragged breathing and the clink of the chains as I strained against them again.

Lucien’s eyes sharpened, his arms unfolding as he took one step closer.

“And when,” he asked, his tone quiet but cutting, “did you start caring if the woman dies?”

The question hit me like a blade between the ribs.

I jerked against the chains again, fury and confusion colliding inside me, but no words came. My beast roared within, demanding I answer, demanding I claim, demanding I stop denying what every fiber of me already knew.

But my mouth stayed shut.

Because I didn’t have an answer.

********

I woke up with my pulse hammering like I’d already been running. Not from fear-no, this was something sharper. Anticipation.

Today.

Today I’d find a way out.