Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King Chapter 126

MAXIMUS'S POV

Chaos erupted around me the moment Lucien spoke the words 'rogues are trying to break through the east border.' My mind went into overdrive—every piece of the puzzle snapping together into something dark, something dangerous, something that tasted like betrayal.

Soraya gone.

Emilia missing.

Rogues attacking.

It wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be.

My pulse thundered so violently I could feel it echoing in my teeth. My chest was so tight it hurt to breathe, and a cold, sharp panic crawled down my spine.

But I didn't let it take over.

Not when I still had a kingdom to protect.

Not when Emilia was out there—alone, scared, taken.

I forced myself to inhale. Once. Twice. Enough to keep from snapping completely.

Then I straightened, turned to Lucien, and said the words that came out of me like a command carved from stone.

"Gather every warrior we have, now." I ordered. "Get them to the east border. I want the women and children protected—no one leaves the palace walls. No one."

Lucien didn't hesitate. He slammed his fist to his chest in a sharp salute. "Yes, My King."

"And Lucien—"

He froze mid-step and turned.

"I'm leaving the palace in your hands."

His eyes widened for a moment—not from doubt, but from the weight of what I'd just handed him. The entire kingdom. Every life inside these walls.

Lucien lowered his head deeply. "I will protect it with my life."

But before he could turn again, another voice cut through the hallway.

"Maximus!"

Damien.

He was striding toward us, breath uneven, expression intense. For the first time tonight, something inside me twisted—something old, something I hadn't felt toward him in years.

Brotherhood.

He didn't wait for permission. Didn't hesitate. He stepped directly into our circle and spoke like he had been standing there the whole time.

"Go," Damien said firmly. "We'll take care of the rogues."

I stared at him.

Really stared.

Damien... the brother I'd once been close to. The one I'd pushed away. The one who, in some twisted corner of my heart, I thought hated me.

But in this moment—he stood in front of me like a shield.

A force.

A brother.

Something heavy passed between us—unspoken, painful, real. It hit me so suddenly my throat tightened before I could stop it.

"Thank you," I said quietly. My voice scraped raw from emotion I couldn't hide. "Thank you, brother."

Damien's jaw tensed, a flicker of something moving in his eyes—guilt, maybe. Or loyalty. Or both.

He nodded once, sharp and fierce. "Now go. Find Emilia."

Lucien and Damien didn't waste another second. They turned and sprinted down the hall, shouting orders, rallying guards, activating defenses. Their voices blended into the storm growing outside.

And I stood there alone.

Breathing hard.

Hands shaking.

Heart pounding so violently it felt like it might burst out of my chest.

Emilia.

Where was she?

I tried to feel the bond—this new, raw thread between us—but all I sensed was her absence. A distant tug. A faint echo. Like she was calling from far, far away.

My chest constricted painfully.

Whoever took her... they didn't want her found.

Which meant they took her somewhere hidden.

Somewhere forbidden. Somewhere no one dared go.

And only one place in our territory fit that description.

The Hollow Mountain.

My entire body went cold.

I had grown up hearing stories—dark tales carved into every pup's memories. Wolves who betrayed the Moon Goddess were buried in that mountain. Their spirits were said to roam the caves, cursed for eternity. No wolf went near it. Not even the bravest warriors.

But Emilia was there.

I didn't need proof. I didn't need logic. I didn't need anything except the certainty that slammed through my bones like lightning.

If anyone wanted to hide something...If anyone wanted to hurt someone without ever being caught...If anyone wanted to disappear completely...They'd go to the Hollow Mountain.

And I—

I was not letting anyone take Emilia from me.

Especially not now.

Especially not after just realizing she is my mate.

A growl rumbled so deep in my chest it vibrated the air around me. The walls. The damn floor.

I took a few steps back from the hallway, my breath shaking—

And then I let go.

My wolf exploded through me in a violent surge of power. Bones cracked, muscles stretched, fur shot across my skin. The shift was brutal and fast because I didn't hold back—I needed speed, strength, rage.

I needed everything.

Darkness wrapped around me as I dropped to four legs, my claws gouging into the stone floor. My black wolf filled the hall, muscles coiled and trembling, eyes glowing bright in the shadows.

I inhaled deeply—

And the world sharpened.

The cold air. The fear lingering in the palace. The scent of rogues at the borders. The fading, almost unreachable hint of Emilia.

My mate.

"Hold on," I growled in my mind, the words echoing through the bond. "I'm coming."

And then I ran.

I bolted through the courtyard, through the gates, into the night like a shadow unleashed. The earth trembled under my paws as I pushed harder, faster, every muscle burning with the need to reach her.

The night air tore through my fur, cold and unforgiving. My lungs screamed, but I didn't slow.

Couldn't slow.

Every second mattered. Every breath mattered. Every heartbeat mattered.

If anything happened to Emilia...If Soraya touched her...If Emilia was hurt—

My vision blurred with rage so sharp it tasted like blood.

The forest blurred past me as I flew between the trees. Branches snapped under my weight, leaves scattering around me like fleeing creatures. The deeper I ran, the thicker the air became—heavy, charged, almost electric.

The Hollow Mountain wasn't close.

But I didn't feel the distance.

All I felt was her absence.

The emptiness where her presence should be.

Something deep inside me—my wolf, my instincts, my soul—was spiraling, fighting, panicking for her.

I couldn't be late.

I couldn't be too slow.

If Soraya was planning something—anything—it wasn't good.

And if Emilia died—

My life would be over.

No kingdom, no throne mattered without her.

Nothing mattered without her.

The trees thickened, the world darkening around me as the mountain's territory approached. Wolves avoided this place. Warriors refused to train near it. The ground itself felt wrong—colder, older, heavier.

I used to think the stories were stupid. Just myths. But tonight...Tonight they felt real.

The air shifted suddenly.

A sharp, strange scent drifted into my nose.

But I didn't slow.

My only focus was Emilia.

I pushed harder, claws digging deeply into the earth, kicking up dirt behind me.

Then—

A sound.

Soft but fast.

Something moving through the trees, jumping from branch to branch. Too quick to be normal. Too deliberate to be an animal.

I snarled, baring my teeth, but I didn't stop running.

I didn't have time for whoever the hell it was.

Then—

A sudden swish.

Before I could dodge—

PAIN.

Sharp, burning pain shot through my hind leg. My wolf let out a guttural snarl as my body jerked mid-stride. Fire tore through my muscles like molten metal. My paws stumbled, claws scraping against rock as I skidded to a halt.

The pain was spreading—fast.

My vision pulsed.

I lowered my body, growling fiercely, teeth bared as I scanned the trees.

I'd been shot.

What the hell did they hit me with? Because whatever it was—it burned like hell.

My ears twitched, every sense on high alert.

I didn't have time for this. I didn't have time for whoever was hunting me.

I growled again, deeper this time, shaking my fur, forcing myself onto steady legs—

A crunch.

A footstep.

Someone stepped out from between the trees.

A gun in their hand.

Slow. Confident. Smirking.

"Hello, Maximus. Surprised to see me?"