Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King (Emilia) novel Chapter 96

The world stood still.

Every rogue froze where they stood, their snarls dying in their throats.

One by one, their eyes turned toward her-the white wolf.

Emilia.

She stood at the edge of the courtyard. The wind brushed past her, carrying the faint scent of pine and blood. Her golden eyes burned through the dark-wild, untamed, powerful.

And’then it happened.

The rogues… trembled.

One whimpered. Another took a shaky step back. And then-like something had lit them on fire-they turned and ran.

All of them.

Howls of fear ripped through the night as the creatures who had torn through my warriors moments ago now fled like frightened pups, their shadows vanishing into the forest beyond the castle walls.

Silence followed.

My warriors stood frozen, their faces pale with disbelief. The only sound left was the low growl rumbling from her throat.

Her eyes were on me.

Only me.

My heart pounded hard enough to shake my chest. The world around me faded until there was nothing but her-her white fur glinting under the moon, the rise and fall of her chest, the faint sound of her breathing.

“Emilia…”I said her name softly, afraid that if I spoke too loud, she’d vanish.

Her golden eyes narrowed.

The sound she made-it was low and deep, filled with warning. My claws slowly retracted as I lifted one hand, palm open, showing her I meant no harm. My heart twisted inside me.

She was growling at me.

At me.

Every part of me screamed to move closer, to reach for her, to hold her

-to make sure she was real, alive, breathing-but the way she looked at me stopped me cold.

She looked at me like I was the enemy.

Easy…” I whispered, my voice rough. “It’s me, Emilia. It’s Maximus.”

She stepped forward once, her muscles tensing. Her fur bristled, white and bright against the night. The sound coming from her chest grew sharper, Louder, echoing through the courtyard.

My chest squeezed painfully. I felt it-the ache of seeing her like this, so close and yet so far gone.

Her golden eyes locked on me again, and for a split second, I saw something flicker behind them. Something familiar.

Recognition.

And pain.

“Emilia,” I said again, firmer this time. “You’re safe. You’re with me.”

Her ears twitched. For a heartbeat, I thought she’d come closer.

But then-she turned her head away.

The sound that left her throat wasn’t a growl anymore. It was something else. A broken sound, halfway between a whimper and a snarl.

Before I could move, before I could even breathe-she spun.

In one swift motion, the white wolf turned and bolted into the night.

“Emilia!”

Al ran after her.

The cold wind tore through my hair, the moonlight flashing on her white fur as she moved like a ghost. She was fast-too fast. Her paws barely touched the ground, her body nothing but a streak of white light against the darkness.

“Emilia, stop!” I shouted again, my voice breaking through the quiet night.

She didn’t.

She didn’t even look back.

I pushed harder, my boots pounding against the ground, but she was already gone. Her scent faded, swallowed by the night and the trees beyond the castle.

I stopped there, chest heaving, the world spinning around me.

Gone.

She was gone.

The cold air stung my face, the silence pressing against my ears.

Behind me, Lucien and the others caught up.

“My King,” Lucien said quietly, “what was that?”

I didn’t answer. That was her. Emilia.

And she had just looked at me like she wanted to tear me apart.

I stared into the forest, where her scent had vanished, where the moonlight broke through the trees.

That power. That light. The way even the fiercest rogues ran from her like they’d seen death itself. I’d seen a lot in my life, but never that.

And the King… the look on his face when she appeared-it wasn’t the face of a ruler, It was the face of a man who’d just lost something he couldn’t live without.

I shook my head and kept walking, forcing my thoughts back to the task. I needed to stay sharp.

Then I heard it.

A scream.

High. Sharp. Female.

It cut through the silence like a blade.

My entire body went still for a heartbeat-then I was moving. Instinct took over before thought could. My boots slammed against the ground as 1 ran toward the sound, my heart pounding harder with every step.

The corridors were dim. The echo of the scream still rang in my ears. I didn’t know why my pulse was racing like this. I’d heard screams before. Too many. But this one-this one did something to me.

I rounded the corner and froze.

There, in the open space beyond the corridor, stood a woman.

She was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling fast. Her hand still clutched a bloodied dagger, its blade dripping red. The body of a dead rogue lay at her feet, its throat slit clean through.

The wind blew, carrying the smell of rain and blood. It lifted her hair-long, blonde, streaked with crimson.

She turned slowly.

And when her eyes met mine… everything inside me stopped.

Silver.

Pure, sharp silver-bright even in the darkness.

My breath caught in my throat. My wolf stirred violently inside me. My pulse roared in my ears as his voice whispered one word.

Mate.

The world tilted. My heart slammed against my ribs.

She was staring at me, just as frozen as I was, her lips parted slightly, the dagger still trembling in her hand. The moonlight fell across her face, pale and fierce and beautiful in a way that made my chest ache.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.

All I could do was stare back, my wolf’s voice echoing in my mind again

-Low, raw, certain.

Mate.