After buying clothes_ where Kyle only chooses oversized dresses and skirts, and Alpha Lucan doesn't seem to mind, they head to the pack house.
Alpha Lucan doesn't pressure Kyle into anything, not even into speaking or reacting if he doesn't want to.
When the car finally pulls to a stop, Kyle's heart pounds harder in his chest.
Alpha Lucan steps out first, then reaches for Kyle's hand, gently pulling him along.
Kyle lowers his gaze, unable to withstand the weight of all the curious stares pinned on him.
Lucan calls a guard over.
"Alpha..." He bows.
"Spread the word," he commands, voice steady and firm, yet amusement bleeding in it. "Alpha Lucan has found his mate. There will be a welcoming ceremony tomorrow, from morning. Everyone is invited to celebrate."
Kyle's heart misses a beat.
Is he serious?!
Maybe Kyle is making a terrible mistake by staying silent about who he really is.
But he knows he can't reveal the truth, because doing so would mean confessing that he's not a girl at all. He's a boy.
And worse than that, he is the cursed creature. That's what every wolf believes.
The cursed child, born under a bloodstained moon, with a dark, monstrous mark sprawling across his chest, a tattoo-like beast with jagged jaws and glowing red eyes.
The mark had pulsed faintly with a life of its own, writhing just beneath his skin, something no wolf had ever seen before.
Combined with his unnatural crimson eyes, it had sealed his fate. Marked him as a creature to be feared. An omen of disaster.
The moment he entered the world, the winds howled through the lands, snapping tree limbs and shaking entire dens.
Nearby wolves whimpered and collapsed, overwhelmed by a fear they couldn't explain where it was coming from.
Above them, the full moon had dulled, veiled by a sickly red mist that turned the night into a living nightmare.
By dawn, crops withered in the fields. Rivers ran thick and foul. A heavy dread clung to the packs, sinking its claws into every heart, as if something ancient and terrible had awoken.
Even his parents admitted they had felt it too.
So maybe, just maybe, the others had every reason to believe he was cursed. That he was the herald of misfortune to their world.
But if he truly is cursed... why would the Moon Goddess mate him to an Alpha?
He can't stay here regardless.
It's dangerous.
He has too much to uncover about himself, and staying among these wolves is reckless, especially when they still believe Kyle, the cursed boy, is roaming free, spreading calamity in his wake.
Right now, wolves are vanishing without a trace.
~Kyle hardens his resolve: the moment he finds the slightest opportunity, he will run.
•For now, Alpha Lucan holds his hand tightly, leading him through grand hallways toward what Kyle assumes must be a room.
Every wolf they pass bows low, and Kyle feels their gazes stick to him like thorns, prickling his skin.
At last, they stop before a door. Lucan opens it without a word.
The room is magnificent.
Every inch of the mansion is luxurious, but this room feels almost holy.
Kyle has never seen anything so breathtaking.
His whole life has been forests, rough cabins, and temporary shelters, always running from one hiding place to another before being hunted down again.
No stability.
No beauty like this.
This place feels like paradise.
He wishes he were a normal wolf, a real girl, mated to this Alpha.
But if he were a regular wolf girl, he thinks bitterly, maybe fate would have found some excuse to make Alpha Lucan reject her.
Maybe he would have said she wasn't of his rank. Or didn't just want her.
But now that he has a very dangerous secret, the acceptance is smooth.
Why does it always happen like this?!
The thought frustrates Kyle to the core.
"You can take a shower if you want," Lucan says softly, gesturing toward the adjoining bathroom. "Or you can rest first and shower later. Whatever makes you comfortable."
Kyle doesn't answer.
He simply moves toward the bathroom, eager for a moment alone. But just as he steps forward, a knock sounds at the door.
He feels Lucan stiffen.
"Come in," he says curtly.
The door swings open. A tall man about Lucan's age strolls inside, eyes flicking briefly to Kyle before settling on Lucan with a smirk.
"So it's true," the man drawls. "You really found her. She's pretty."
Pretty?! Kyle repeats the word numbly in his head. He's a man, how can he be pretty?! And It's not like he has any make up on his face.
"What do you want?" Lucan asks, his voice clipped, though the familiarity between them is obvious.
"Relax. I'm not here to ruin any of your moment," the man laughs. "Just came to deliver some news. Well, we've buried the late Alpha and Luna_ Charlotte and Hillary with the respect they deserve, as you instructed, as they were Alpha and Luna once."
Kyle's heart lurches painfully.
He clenches his fists, forcing himself to stay still.
His parents were alpha and Luna?! So this means, this is his pack!
The man continues, "And about the cursed creature... we've made sure to set tight traps this time, I can't believe he slipped right through our fingers, we were so close to end all the chaos he's brought us. But he won't be able to roam freely anymore."
Kyle feels his knees weaken.
They're talking about him.
Lucan merely nods. "Good. Keep it that way. Wether it likes it or not, I'll capture it before the end of this month! Enough is enough!" He roars.
Kyle struggles to breathe, feeling the walls of the room close in around him.
He turns his back with a violent motion and storms into the bathroom, unable to stand there, looking at the men who are desperate to hunt him down.
He feels his knees tremble beneath him.
This is bad. This is really, really bad.
Why?! Why did the moon goddess do this to him?! Why did he mate him to the Alpha?! Was it for alpha to hunt him easily?!
To make the alpha's work easier?!