Bride of the Cursed Alpha (Auren and Lucien)

Auren POV

Being an orphan had always been hard for me. According to our previous Alpha, who was Alpha Bram's father, my parents died in a pack war. He was kind enough to give me shelter in his packhouse and even allowed education in a school for omegas. However, a few years later when he died and Bram became the Alpha, he pulled me out of the school, made me pack's servant and gave me lowly jobs, clearing stating that if I had to stay in the pack, I had to earn my living. His lusty gaze would often linger on me, and I would shy away, afraid of his intentions. But then he would snap his gaze away from me as if he saw vermin.

I was born with a tattoo the size of a squash ball on my back. A golden moon shackled by dark thorn vines curving around it. The Shaman had kindly warned me that it was a mark of a curse and so I had to keep it hidden at all times, afraid that if anyone saw it, they would kill me.

Suddenly, the door opened, snapping me from my thoughts. I hurriedly wiped my tears, but it was too late. Maris stood in the doorway, her arms crossed and a smug smile playing on her lips and her face donned with a wicked expression.

"Well, well," she said, stepping closer. "If it isn't our little orphan, sniveling like a child."

I didn't respond, keeping my head down. My whole body trembled in fear even though Siena wanted to come out and attack Maris.

"I know what happened," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "You think you're special because Bram is your mate? Let me tell you something, Auren." She crouched down, her face close to mine. "We knew it long back. But you're nothing. You'll always be nothing. Bram doesn't want you. He'll reject you soon enough, and when he does, you'll wish you'd never set foot in this pack."

I swallowed hard, trying to fight back the fresh wave of tears.

"If you tell anyone-anyone-about this," she continued, her voice low andnoveldrama

dangerous, “I'll make sure you regret it. Do you understand?"

I nodded weakly, too scared to speak. Maris straightened, brushing invisible dust off her skirt.

"Good. Now clean yourself up. You're pathetic. I don't want anyone to see you crying because if they do, they will ask you the reason. I swear you'll regret it if they come to know the reason." Saying that, she turned sharply, flicking her hair and marched out.

The weight of her words crushed me further. I brought my knees against my chest and hugged them tightly. Mates were supposed to take care of each other. His betrayal was worse than all my years of enduring servitude. And they knew that I was his mate? The revelation shocked me.

When I finally stepped out of the laundry room, the humiliation didn't end. Reya was waiting for me in the kitchen. "You are reassigned to work in the toilets!" she barked at me. "Stay there until you get a new duty. Don't you come out of that place!"

I balked as I stared at her. "What?" Toilets were the worst place to work.

She slapped me hard across my cheek. I screamed in pain as I fell down. Her lips curled into a sneer. "Did you not listen to what I said? Clean all the toilets. Now!"

Scared, I made my way to the toilets, sure that this was Maris's order.

Over the next few days, Maris, always clever with her schemes, pointed fingers at me for things I hadn't done. A broken vase, a spilled drink, and suddenly, I was everyone's scapegoat. The other pack members whispered and sneered, their remarks cutting me like knives. They would accuse me of everything and anything. And Alpha Bram just turned a blind eye to all the bullying.

Things settled a bit, but one morning when I woke up and hurried to the kitchen, I heard Reya shouting at others. When I entered, Reya threw very expensive cutlery directly on the floor near me.

Maris walked in just at that time like she was waiting for this moment, as if on cue. "Reya, don't let her get away with that," she said, her tone filled with anger. "She's nothing but trouble."

It didn't take much for Reya to agree. She and Maris cornered me by the pantry, their faces contorted in anger. I sensed something was wrong, but I had no time to react.

"You've caused enough problems," Reya sneered immediately. "It's time you learn a lesson." And then came the blows. "No," I cried and screamed and begged them to leave me, but no one came to rescue me.

"What's going on?" A loud growl came. It was Alpha Bram, my mate. Was he coming to save me?

"Alpha Bram," Maris immediately changed her facial expression and said in a honeyed voice. "Auren threw broken glass at me. See, I am bleeding." She showed him a little cut on her finger that she got while beating me.

"No, it's not-"

"How dare you?" Alpha Bram cut me off and roared in anger. "Throw her in the dungeons!" he ordered.

I was stunned. It was me, his mate, who was bleeding, and he didn't even have a heart to respond to that. How naive of me to think of his coming to save me. This was just a perfect plan for them to get rid of me. And just like that, Maris and Reya dragged me to the dungeons-a dark, damp hole beneath the pack house where air was thick and musty, and the only light was coming from a single flickering torch.

"You'll stay here until we decide you've learned your place," Maris said, her voice laced with poison. She gave me one last triumphant smile before slamming the door shut. "Fucking bitch."

Seven days passed in darkness. My body ached from the cold stone floor, and hunger clawed at my stomach. The only company I had was my wolf, Siena, who tried to comfort me, though her own pain mirrored mine.

But on the seventh day, the door opened. Reya stood there with her usual scorn. "Get up,” she said sharply. "Alpha Bram has called for you."

I staggered to my feet, weak and disoriented. Surprise flickered through me. Did he finally want me? But her next words were like some had splashed icy cold water on me.

"He's going to offer you to Alpha Lucien. You know what that means, don't you? His bride will never last. You'll be dead within a year." She gave me a sly smile.

My heart dropped to my stomach. "What?" I said in a weak voice. "He can't do that. I—I—" It was worse than being in the dungeons. Everyone knew about Alpha Lucien. He was cursed, just like every Alpha in his family, and so ruthless that he killed first and talked later.

"Shut up!" Reya shouted. When I scrambled back, she came over, pulled me roughly and dragged me out of the dungeon. "You dimwit," she retorted. "Did you really think you could ever compete with Lady Maris? Now look how nicely she has got rid of you by convincing Alpha Bram. No one wants to marry Alpha Lucien. By offering you to him, she will win his alliance for Alpha Bram. And you? You'll be nothing more than a breeder for the cursed Alpha. So it's a neat little arrangement that benefits both packs beautifully."