Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King Chapter 34

Maximus's POV

The balcony stretched wide before me, a black mouth opening to the chaos beyond. The marble beneath my shoes gleamed under the pale wash of moonlight, cool, still, and untouched—so unlike the scene that unfolded below. My Alphas and warriors were pouring into the night like a living tide, snarls splitting the silence, their claws flashing in the dark as they clashed with the rogues who had dared to trespass on my land.

Fools.

I rested my palms lightly on the stone railing, posture relaxed, gaze calm, as if the world below was not a battlefield but a stage for my entertainment. The screams, the growls, the wet rip of teeth sinking into flesh—all of it rose up to me like a song. A song I had heard too many times to be stirred by anymore.

I gave one order, and one order only: bring me the rogues. Dead or alive, it didn't matter. Their fate had been sealed the moment they stepped into my territory.

Pathetic creatures.

It was almost insulting, really. Did they believe me so blind, so naive, that I would not see their attack coming? Did they think that simply because the Alphas were gathered under one roof that it would leave them unguarded, vulnerable? The sheer stupidity of it made me want to laugh.

They never learned. They never remembered.

I am not like the kings who came before me. I am not weak. I am not merciful.

I am the most ruthless Alpha King to ever walk these lands.

And yet, again and again, they test me.

I leaned forward slightly, my eyes narrowing as one of my warriors drove a rogue to the ground, his teeth snapping for the jugular. The rogue thrashed, snarling, his claws raking furrows into the warrior's shoulder, but it was pointless. The fight was already decided. Blood sprayed across the dirt as the warrior's jaws closed, ripping, tearing, silencing.

The beast inside me stirred.

A low growl rose in my chest, though I did not let it slip past my lips. My claws ached beneath my skin, my bones humming with the call to shift, to join them, to tear through flesh and paint the ground with the entrails of my enemies. My wolf prowled within me, restless, violent, slamming against the cage I kept it in. He wanted blood. He wanted to kill.

But I did not move.

Let the Alphas fight. Let them bleed. Let them prove their worth beneath the moon. This was their battle, not mine. My role was to command, to calculate, to ensure that every single enemy who dared to cross me remembered my name with their last breath.

Another body hit the ground below, lifeless. I exhaled slowly, the night air cool against my face, and allowed my mind to settle into its familiar calm. My beast clawed, snarling for release, but I ignored him. There was no need to waste my strength on such insects.

The rogues were already finished. They just didn't know it yet.

The sharp sound of hurried footsteps behind me cut through the night's symphony. I didn't turn. I didn't need to. The scent alone told me who it was.

Lucien.

My Beta stopped a respectful distance behind me. His breathing was controlled, but I could hear the faint strain in it, the heaviness that betrayed what he carried. My jaw twitched. I despised hesitation.

"Speak," I ordered, my voice a low command, cold and final as steel.

"The rogues are being taken care of," Lucien said. His tone was even, though I caught the flicker of unease in his scent. "The Alphas fight well. They rogues don't stand a chance. It will be over soon."

I inclined my head slightly, my eyes never leaving the battlefield. That much I already knew. His hesitation told me this wasn't why he had come.

"But..." he began, and stopped.

My fingers tightened against the stone railing. My beast snarled in my chest, reacting to my irritation. I despise when words are left unfinished, when men falter in front of me as though they fear what they must say. It wastes my time.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice dropping lower, colder, a promise of punishment if he dared hesitate again.

Lucien exhaled, the sound sharp and reluctant. "The girl," he said finally. "I've searched everywhere. I can't find her."

The words slid into me like a blade.

I turned.

Slowly. Deliberately.

Lucien stood rigid, his shoulders squared, but I saw the flicker of unease in his eyes. He knew what it meant to bring me this kind of news. He knew the danger of speaking her name in this context.

Emilia.

The name rippled through my mind, sharp and electric. I let the silence stretch, thick and suffocating, savoring the tension in the air. My beast went still inside me, alert, waiting. Even he knew what those words meant.

My lips twitched in what might have resembled a smirk.

It had been so long since I'd felt anything close to amusement. So long since anyone had dared to spark it in me. But now...Emilia. Do you really think you can get away from me?

A low chuckle rumbled in my throat, dark and humorless. The sound made Lucien's eyes go round in shock, though he wisely said nothing. He knew I did smile or laugh.

The rogues below screamed as another body hit the dirt. The palace behind me buzzed with panic. And I stood there, cold and calm, already knowing how this game would end.

She thought she could get away from me.

But what she didn't know is that if there's anything my beast likes to do; is to hunt.

And right now she has just become his prey.