The Cursed Alpha's Queen

{100 Years Ago}

Kaleb slung his brown leather bag over his shoulder, packed with the few supplies he needed for the hunt.

After countless failed attempts, today would be different. He had decided he would not return home empty-handed. If he failed again, he wouldn’t return at all.

They set off into the woods as humans—no shifting allowed. That was the deal.

Kaleb had never been good with traps or arrows. Hunting this way felt as impossible as counting every grain of sand on the shore.

His younger brother, Raymond, on the other hand, was a natural. He moved with quiet confidence and had already brought down two rabbits within the first five minutes.

Jealousy burned in Kaleb’s chest. Abandoning their agreement, he let his claws extend and hunted like the wolf he was. In less than a minute, he had four kills of his own.

As they made their way back, Kaleb spotted a small, weathered hut nestled among the trees a short distance away.

“Come on,” he said, veering toward it. “Let’s check this out.”

Raymond hesitated. “Do you think sneaking into someone’s house in the middle of nowhere is a good idea?”

“We’ll only stay an hour or two. I need to roast one of these rabbits before we head home.” Kaleb struck a match and kindled a small fire with the dry sticks he gathered.

While Raymond waited, Kaleb roasted his meat in silence. Suddenly, a strange scent drifted through the air.

Kaleb lifted his head and sniffed. “Do you smell that?”

“Smell what?” Raymond asked.

“Burning incense.”

Raymond sniffed the air. “Yeah… where’s it coming from?”

“You stay here. I’ll go check it out.”

Raymond stood quickly. “No. We don’t know who lives here. Snooping around is a bad idea. We should leave.”

“Come on, don’t be such a coward,” Kaleb scoffed. “The owner clearly isn’t home. We can do whatever we want.”

Before Raymond could argue further, Kaleb slipped inside, following the scent.

The trail led him to a dark chamber filled with altars at each corner and red cloths draped across the walls.

The air felt thick, almost sacred. Warning labels reading “DON’T TOUCH” were placed on several items, but curiosity won.

Kaleb picked up an ornate incense cup. The moment it slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor, the smoke vanished and the room plunged into deeper darkness.

He cursed under his breath, quietly slipped out through the back door, and fled.

Raymond waited several long minutes. When his brother didn’t return, he left his own meat roasting and went looking for him.

Inside the chamber, the room was pitch black. He let his wolf eyes take over, allowing him to see clearly.

His foot crunched down on something brittle. A broken incense cup.

Before he could process what had happened, the door swung open. Light flooded the room.

An old woman in a long black cloak stepped inside. Her face was deeply wrinkled, and a pencil-thin scar ran from her left eye to her ear like a cruel smile.

She looked ancient—and terrifying.

“What are you doing here?” she snarled.

“N-nothing,” Raymond stammered. “I was looking for my brother. He was here just minutes ago. I swear I didn’t touch anything!”

Her gaze dropped to the broken cup on the floor. Her expression twisted with fury. “Do you know what you’ve done? You have committed the worst mistake of your life.”

“I didn’t do it!” Raymond cried. “I only just walked in!”

“You will regret this day.” Her voice dropped to a chilling whisper. “For your brother’s crime and your own rudeness, I lay this curse upon you.

Beneath the great mountain of Everest you shall dwell. Neither sunlight nor moonlight shall ever touch your eyes again. Darkness shall be your only companion.

Anger shall be your heartbeat. Vengeance shall be your eternal song. Until the last leaf of this sacred flower falls, you shall remain locked away.”

Raymond screamed as unbearable pain ripped through his body.

His bones cracked and shifted, transforming him into something far more monstrous than a wolf—a nightmarish beast. “No! No!! I swear I didn’t—Arghhh!”

In the next heartbeat, heavy chains bound his wrists and ankles to the cold stone wall of a cave deep beneath Mount Everest.

At the center of the cavern, a single enchanted flower stood, its petals glowing faintly.

The old witch’s final words echoed in the darkness:

“Only when the last leaf falls shall you be free.”

Present Day

“So that is the end of my story,” Theodora said, smiling at the circle of wide-eyed children gathered before her.

“He should be released by now,” one boy piped up. “How big is the leaf that it hasn’t fallen yet?”

Theodora chuckled softly. “That is a question no one can answer.”

“Are you going to tell us another story tomorrow?” another child asked excitedly.

“Of course. And it will be even better,” she promised with a warm smile.

“Theodora!” her mother called from inside the house.

“Gotta go, guys. See you tomorrow.” She waved and headed inside.

“Still telling them that old tale about the cursed beast?” her mother asked as Theodora entered the kitchen.

“It’s been my favorite since history class.” Theodora picked up a knife and began chopping vegetables. “Do you think those stories are real?”

Her mother sighed. “I don’t know anymore. But if the beast really exists… I pity anyone who stands in his way when he breaks free.”

Theodora’s knife paused mid-chop. “Do you think Raymond deserved the curse?”

“He was only defending himself. If the witch had listened, none of this would have happened.” Her mother lowered her voice. “If that beast ever rises, I hope his first kill is Alpha Kaleb.”

That night, after dinner and her father’s gloomy warnings about Kaleb’s upcoming coronation, Theodora retreated to her small room.

She sat on her bed beside the window, staring at the moon.

Alpha Kaleb… king?

The thought made her stomach turn.

She reached for the old book containing the legend of the cursed beast and read it again, lingering on the final illustration of the chained creature.

“I wish you could hear me,” she whispered. “You have to save us. I believe you didn’t break that cup. You don’t deserve this curse.”

She clutched the book to her chest. “Please… save us all.”

Eventually, she lay down, pressing the book tightly against her heart as if it could protect her from the cold and the world outside.

12 Midnight

“Theodora…”

A faint whisper brushed against her ear.

“Theodora…”

She stirred, thinking it was only a dream.

Then the voice came again—deeper, darker, impossible to ignore.

“THEODORA!!”

Her eyes flew open with a gasp.

“Theodora…”

The faint whisper brushed against her ear like a breath in the dark.

“Theodora…”

She had thought it was only a dream—until the voice deepened and thundered through her mind.

“THEODORA!!”

She jerked awake with a sharp gasp, heart hammering against her ribs.

Theodora slipped out of bed and hurried into the living room. Her parents were still awake, talking in low voices by the dim lantern light. They looked up in surprise.

“Is something wrong?” her mother asked.

“I thought I heard someone calling my name,” she said, rubbing her arms. “Did either of you call me?”

Her father shook his head. “No one called you, sweetheart.”

“I heard it three times,” she insisted.

Her mother offered a gentle smile. “It was probably just a dream. Go back to bed.”

Theodora sighed and returned to her room. She picked up the old book, clutched it for a moment, then lay down. Exhaustion pulled her under almost instantly.