Bride of the Cursed Alpha - Chapter 90: Chapter 90

Lucien POV
Like a wild beast, I paced outside the barrier created by the High Council witches with my hands clenched into fists. I wanted to kill those witches like yesterday. They have no right to be in the werewolves’ territories. Yet here they were. Binding us, controlling us. They had sealed the prison with dark magic, making sure that no one, including me, could reach her.
Frustration burned in my chest. Remus was growling restlessly inside me. ‘Let’s tear through the council walls and get back our mate,’ he snarled.
‘And then what?’ I argued, my nails digging into my palms. ‘Fight every damn witch and warrior here? They're expecting that, Remus. They want me to lose control.’
‘I don’t care!’ Remus snapped. ‘She is alone in there, suffering! We should be by her side, not pacing like caged animals!’
His raw rage mirrored mine. The bond that I felt between us throbbed painfully. It was a constant reminder that Auren was there, but just beyond our reach.
‘You think I don’t want to burn this place to the ground?’ I growled. ‘But if we go in blind, we lose. And if we lose, she loses.’
Remus went silent for a moment, his anger pulsing through me. Then he said, ‘Then do something. Because I can't take this waiting.’
I exhaled sharply as I ran a hand through my hair. He was right. I just couldn’t stand here while she suffered alone in that prison where I knew they had dark magic.
I turned to Tarian who was watching me with tension in his eyes. “What do you want me to do, Alpha?” he asked. “Should I call all our pack members to attack these bastards?”
“I want you to find out everything about Elder Peter. This can't be his work alone. If he sent his dogs after Auren, who he doesn’t know at all, then he must be in cahoots with someone. I’m sure it is Rizv, but that dimwit is in our dungeons, and wouldn’t dare to approach Peter. Then who is it that has helped Peter into framing Auren? If Sable and those wolves are dead, then where are their bodies?”
“I’ll put our trackers on task, Alpha,” Tarian said. “But I think we should also talk to Rizv about it. Maybe he had planned it all along?”
I let out a rough breath. “Maybe!” I felt Auren through the bond, a faint tugging sensation. Like she was calling out to me. I gritted my teeth when I sensed the pain she was in. It was so deep that it chilled my bones. I couldn’t stand it. “Tarian,” I said in a rough voice. “Take charge. Handle everything. Auren needs me.”
His eyebrows shot to the hairline. “What do you mean?” he asked. “How do you know? Can you go inside and see her? Or you are thinking she needs you?”
“You won't understand,” I replied. “It’s—” I shook my head. How could I say that Auren was my mate? There were too many wolves around me.
Tarian’s eyes widened in complete shock. “She’s your— She is— Auren— Oh, my goddess!”
Damn it. It seemed like he heard what I was thinking. I should be more careful with my thoughts. Thankfully, my mental shields were so good that unless I wanted no other pack member could listen to me. Other than Tarian of course.
I closed my eyes and tipped my head up. “Yes,” I replied. “But don’t you fucking utter a word to anyone!”
Shocked, bamboozled, totally out of his space, Tarian continued to stare at me. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” he hissed, his protective instincts surging for his Luna.
“Well, now you know,” I grunted.
“You, arrogant prick!” he cursed me.
“Look, she needs me. So handle everything, okay?”
He nodded, clenching his teeth. “Do you know how serious this has suddenly become? Do you understand the gravity of the situation?”
“I do!” I snapped. “I am going. She is in trouble. So keep a watch on every activity and disturb me only when needed!” Saying that, I turned and walked toward the forest to find a solitary place. I could feel his eyes boring into my back. Though I knew that he would never reveal it to anyone, he was going to give me a good one when we returned. Maybe he would challenge me just to release his pent-up frustration. Maybe I’ll lose to him.
I stalked through the trees until I found a small cave hidden beneath a rocky overhang. “Perfect!” I entered the cave and went to sit in a corner. I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to drift. It pushed past the physical world and slipped into the bond. I searched for her through all the whiteness that surrounded me. And there she was. Waiting for me in the temple where we married. “Come here,” I said, feeling relieved and opening my arms. She ran into my arms. “Auren…” I murmured as I wrapped my arms tightly around her. Fuck. This was all I ever wanted in my life. My happily ever after.
We spent time together inside the temple, exploring it as we talked to each other. We reached the statue of the Moon Goddess and offered our prayers. Why was it that I found her smiling and looking at Auren? My mind really played a lot of tricks. She giggled and laughed. I just… cherished her, her laughter sounding like bells in the temple.
“Don’t leave me,” she said.
“I won't.”
I don’t know how many hours passed, but a voice pulled me back. “Alpha, wake up!”
I growled, hating the darkness that bubbled inside my beautiful dream in the form of Tarian’s voice. “Go away!”
“Don’t go, Lucien,” Auren begged. “It is cold out here.”
“Alpha Lucien, please wake up,” he breathed. “The trial will begin in an hour.”
Surprised, I snapped open my eyes. “What?”
“The trial is about to start,” he said.
“How long was I sleeping?”
“Two days!”
Whoa!
Tarian added, “You need to hurry up because Alpha Bram is also here.”
Fury like a thousand volcanoes have erupted, returned. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
“He has laid claim to Auren, declaring her as his mate.”