Chosen By The Cursed Alpha King Chapter 75

MAXIMUS' POV

Soraya knelt before me, her frail body trembling, her forehead pressed against the floor.

"Your Majesty," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I know I should have spoken sooner, but my life depended on my silence. I had no choice. But now—now that you won't listen to me about Emilia being dangerous... I have no choice but to tell you the truth."

I stared at her, my jaw tight. I hated when people wasted my time. "Get straight to the point, Soraya. Don't test my patience."

Her head lifted slightly, but her eyes never met mine. They stayed lowered, as if afraid the truth itself would strike her dead.

She drew in a ragged breath. "Long ago, when the Moon Goddess still walked among us, she had a circle of chosen servants called the Guardians. They were each gifted powers—beauty, healing, strength, eternal youth. Gifts meant to serve her and maintain balance between wolves and humans. But one of them... one named Milandra... grew jealous."

The name slid into me like a cold blade. I said nothing, only gestured for her to continue.

"Milandra was granted eternal youth. But her heart grew black with envy. She began poisoning the minds of wolves, filling them with rage, convincing them that humans were weak and unworthy. Under her influence, wolves began slaughtering humans to take control of the earth. Blood ran through the villages, staining the soil. The Moon Goddess—furious at the betrayal—ordered Milandra's execution, along with those who followed her."

Soraya's hands shook as she clasped them tightly. "But before her death, Milandra swore that one day she would return and destroy the royal bloodline born from the Goddess lineage. She promised to finish what she started."

A low growl rolled through my chest. My beast stirred restlessly, clawing at my insides. "You're telling me a bedtime story," I snarled.

She shook her head fiercely. "No, Your Majesty. Milandra was killed, yes, but her curse... her gift of eternal youth meant that though her body died, her spirit could never be destroyed. It finds vessels. Hosts. Women of power. And now—"

Her eyes lifted for the first time, meeting mine. Terror lived in her gaze. "Milandra's spirit lives inside Emilia."

Silence.

The words echoed through the chamber like thunder, but I couldn't accept them. Wouldn't.

Emilia?

No.

Not her.

The thought was poison in my mind.

I rose slowly from the couch, my chest tight, my jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth would shatter. "You dare speak this filth in my presence? You dare accuse her?"

Soraya flinched but pressed on. "The prophecy says if Milandra regains her full potential through her vessel, she will bring destruction. The kingdom will fall. The Goddess' bloodline will end."

I stared at her, my hands curling into fists. My beast snarled, furious, torn between rage at her words and dread at the thought they might hold truth.

I remembered the forest. Emilia standing in front of me, her body trembling but unyielding. The raw power that had erupted from her—the barrier that had saved me.

It hadn't been an attack. She hadn't tried to kill me. She had saved me.

My chest ached. Confusion warred with fury until all I could do was rake my hands over my face.

I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't.

And yet...Her sudden distance. Her silence. The shadow in her laughter. The way she pulled from my touch this morning...Was it her?

Or was it something inside her?

I didn't know. And the not knowing was tearing me apart.

My head bowed, my thoughts crashing into one another like a storm.

"Your Majesty."

Lucien's voice cut through my chaos. I looked up sharply. He had been standing by the door, silent, tense. But now... there was urgency in his tone that froze the blood in my veins.

"What is it?" I demanded.

His expression was grim. "A guard just reported something."

My beast bristled. "Speak."

Lucien hesitated, and for a moment I wanted to rip the words out of his throat. But then he swallowed hard.

"They saw Damien... taking Emilia with him."

The words slammed into me like an iron fist. My body went rigid. "What?"

Lucien's voice dropped lower, almost as if saying it too loudly would make it worse. "The guard swears he heard Damien call her..."

He paused, his jaw tightening.

My heart hammered against my ribs, violent and wild. "Say it," I growled.

Lucien met my eyes, steady but grim. "He called her mate."

The world went red.

For a moment, I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. The walls of the room felt too small to contain the rage roaring inside me.

Mate.

He dared.

He dared take her.

My beast surged, claws tearing at the inside of my chest, begging to be let free. The sound that ripped from my throat wasn't human—it was the guttural roar of a king pushed to the edge.

The furniture around me shook, Soraya shrieked, Lucien stiffened, but I didn't care.

I stood so fast in anger, my claws had already begun to sprout, my vision tinged with crimson.

"Damien," I snarled, my voice shaking the walls. "He's dead."

The prophecy, the curse, the questions—they would all wait. Because right now, there was only one truth that mattered.

Emilia is mine.

And I would burn the world to ashes before I let anyone else claim her.