Blinded Alpha's Curse

Savage growls mixed with the heavy clash of swords and howls of pain were all that could be heard. Everyone knew the journey would be dangerous, but they hadn't expected it to be this extreme. The carriage had to detour through the forest, venturing into an area controlled by the clan of ghostly warriors, known mortal enemies of the Lycan kingdom. Now it was clear: the landslide blocking the safe route wasn't an accident but a planned ambush.

The men tasked with escorting the Countess alongside the Alpha immediately joined the fight, uniting with the Count's soldiers. Anne Marie, for her safety, remained locked inside the carriage, clutching the dagger she always carried and trying to control her emotions. But the situation outside the carriage didn't seem to be improving.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed. "These wretches hid from me that they also had enemies on the border of our kingdom. In the end, it's my fault for chasing after the man of my dreams. They'll surely kill me or take me prisoner, and the worst part is... I won't even get to confirm how handsome he really is!"

Suddenly, the Countess's lamentations were interrupted by a massive impact that flipped the carriage onto its side. Her body was violently thrown backward, and she hit her head. Anne was knocked unconscious for a few moments, but a sharp, stabbing pain forced her to open her eyes. As she regained consciousness, she heard Luciano's desperate cries:

"Countess! Countess! Get out of there!"

Anne Marie's vision was blurred from the blow; she couldn't focus on what was in front of her, and everything seemed to spin. She tried to move her torso, but her position in the overturned carriage made it impossible to get up. The countess struggled with all her might to sit up and attempt to escape, as Luciano's shouts grew fainter.

She had no idea what was happening outside. The windows and doors were sealed to ensure her safety, and for some reason, the chaos of growls and screams wasn't as loud as before. It felt as if she were inside a bubble, detached from the ferocity of the battle. The heat inside the carriage was suffocating. In her current position, she could only try to kick one of the doors, and she was determined to do so. It was a matter of life and death; her body warned her that she was running out of oxygen.

Drenched in sweat and exhausted, she thought she would never see her beloved father again if she passed out there. To motivate herself, she reminded herself that "Alberth Delacroix, Count of Holst, had not raised a weak woman, and her mother was the bravest and strongest woman she had ever known."

Anne felt so energized by the memory of her mother, who had fought until the end for her life, that she kicked the door with such force that it flew open. At the same time, her shoe went flying.

"Damn it!" she shouted in frustration. "Can't a lady maintain her grace in the midst of chaos, or at least keep a shoe on?!"

She stretched out her arms to grab the seat and pull herself out, but the sudden movement and the force she exerted caused a loud tear in the back of her dress.

"Oh, for goddess' sake!" she exclaimed again.

As she tried to climb out without losing the rest of her dress, she muttered obscenities under her breath. With each attempt, the front of her dress slipped, leaving her chest dangerously exposed.

"My mother always said it!" she cried. "Having a generous bust is both a blessing and a curse! I'm never leaving the house without a corset again!" In her distress, she forgot she was in the middle of an armed conflict. "I can't take it anymore, it's now or never!" With that, she pushed herself up with all her strength, halfway out of the carriage, and what she saw around her left her speechless for a moment.

The carriage had sunk into dark, muddy, and putrid waters. Only a small part of it was still visible. She had almost suffocated inside.

A sudden gust of wind against her chest made her feel cold. She looked down and realized the fabric covering her bust had slipped completely as she climbed out. Fortunately, no one noticed the mishap amid the chaos of the battle. Quickly, she adjusted what remained of her dress and held it tightly against her chest to keep it from moving again.

Anne Marie watched the fight from several meters away. The soldiers escorting the carriage on the Count's orders were badly injured but still fighting. Two enormous wolves were battling dozens of humanoid, ghostly beings. The lethal swipes of their claws had no effect, and their bites were useless against these creatures. After observing closely, she understood why: those warriors could dematerialize their bodies at will and rematerialize just as quickly to avoid being harmed. She was sure that if they materialized, even for a few seconds, Luciano and Marcus could easily defeat them.

She was also in danger and needed to act quickly, as the carriage continued to sink. She thought her best option was to draw everyone's attention to herself. The only thing that might work was emitting a loud, piercing sound to silence the tumult of the battle. But she realized she had nothing within reach to achieve this and, to make matters worse, she didn't know how to whistle. This only added to her frustration, which was already considerable.

Anne Marie was injured and frightened, watching as the carriage sank into a swamp with a nauseating, unbearable stench. She had lost a new shoe, and her most beautiful dress-the one she was going to wear to meet her future husband-was ruined. Her chest kept slipping out, much to her dismay, and all she wanted to do was scream in pure frustration. She stood on top of the carriage, fists clenched, and, possessed by supernatural anger, filled her lungs with air to let out a scream so full of rage that everyone stopped to cover their ears.

When the Countess ran out of breath and her scream ended, she noticed that both enemies and soldiers, as well as the emissaries, were staring at her with great interest: the fabric of her dress had fallen again.

The first to look away in embarrassment was Counselor Luciano.

Then General Marcus did the same, but, taking advantage of the two distractions caused by the countess, they began to tear through the enemies in their human form at breakneck speed. Anne Marie Delacroix, Countess of Holst, had managed to create the perfect distraction, though she wasn't proud of the methods she had used.

Just as she began to panic again, observing her precarious situation, a thunderous howl startled her. It was a sound filled with energy and power, capable of shaking the leaves of every tree in the forest. For a moment, it seemed as if everything vibrated, and in a way, it did. Even her body reacted, her hair standing on end from head to toe; she had never felt anything like it.

The wolf forms of the emissaries grew larger and more ferocious, both recharged with energy and regenerated by the presence of another werewolf, one who might be stronger than all of them... the Alpha.

"Oh my God!" Anne Marie gasped. "It can't be. No, no, it can't be him. I'm a mess, half-naked and without shoes!" She searched for any sign of the man she longed to meet, but there was only chaos and a frenzy in Luciano and Marcus's wolves.

Seeing themselves cornered and with many losses on their side, the ghostly warriors decided it was time to retreat. They fled into the forest, trying to escape death at the hands of the wolves, but the wolves, driven by their bloodlust, chased after them, leaving Anne Marie alone with the Count's soldiers, who were barely alive.

"Help! Please! I don't think this will hold much longer!" she shouted desperately, trying to call the soldiers to rescue her.

Those who heard her crawled, doing their best to help despite the severity of their wounds. Though they tried, they were certain they couldn't reach her without drowning in those deadly waters. Anne cried as she watched them and thought she would die alongside those loyal and brave men.

Just when she thought there was no hope left, she heard something enormous approaching at full speed through the forest. It was tearing down everything in its path, like an avalanche.

When it stopped right at the scene of the battle, its form became clear: It was a white wolf, its fur covered in blood. Its eyes were closed, and it had stopped to sniff the air.

"Help!" Anne Marie shouted, feeling dizzy again and with a terrible headache. "I'm Anne Marie Delacroix, Countess of Holst! Two emissaries from your kingdom were escorting me; they were taking me to Alpha Gael!"

The great bloodstained wolf had listened carefully to every word she said, but he didn't seem in a hurry to rescue her. He was distracted, looking elsewhere.

"I'm on top of a carriage that's completely sunk in this swamp! Bring someone! Do something, please!"

All she got from the werewolf was an angry growl, baring a long row of sharp teeth. The gesture seemed like an order for her to be quiet. His ears twitched slightly, as if he were listening to something in the distance.

Anne began to feel her ankles slowly being swallowed by the swamp, and the white wolf's figure grew even more distant, so blurry that she could only make out a smudge.

"It seems I won't get to meet my future husband," she whispered, letting out a sigh filled with sadness. She fell to her knees, exhausted. "It would have been wonderful to see him before I died."

The smell of rot made her gag; she was closer than ever to losing consciousness. Before she fainted, she heard the wolf's howl again, but it was very different from the first. This howl was a soft melody that resonated deep in her bones, as if it were healing her. She felt comforted for a few brief moments and, with her vision less impaired, she could see the enormous white wolf approaching her, carefully stepping around the wounded soldiers.

When he was a few meters from the swamp, his head shook violently, and he began to sneeze. The putrid fumes emanating from the swamp assaulted his keen sense of smell. Despite this, he tried to resist to get closer to where the countess was.

The wolf circled the swamp a couple of times and then began signaling to Anne Marie. He pointed his head toward her and then mimed jumping. Despite never opening his eyes, he knew exactly where the countess was.

"Are you crazy?" Anne Marie shouted. "How are you going to jump all the way here? We'll both sink. Look, half my legs are already under this disgusting mud. Besides, you're too far away; you won't reach..." A loud growl silenced her again. "You're so rude! Do whatever you want; I don't care anymore. At this rate, I'll die here anyway," she said resignedly.

She was tired of holding her chest with one hand and supporting herself with the other on what little remained of the carriage under the muddy waters, so she decided to muster her last bit of strength and try to stand. If the wolf jumped to where she was, she might have a better chance of holding on and trying to escape with him. That is, assuming he could even make the enormous leap.

The werewolf began to take steps back, concentrating intensely. The soldiers moved out of his way, secretly praying to the gods that he could save her. When he stopped, he didn't make the slightest attempt to run; instead, he lowered his body to prepare for the leap. What everyone saw next was a massive canine with its large paws extended, soaring through the air.

He landed precisely beside the countess, giving her just enough time to dig her nails into his thick fur. Without wasting a second, he leaped again with the same force, causing Anne Marie to scream as they soared over the swamp.

The landing for the white wolf wouldn't be perfect this time. He had to perform a risky maneuver mid-air to protect Anne Marie's body from the impact: transform into a human and wrap her in his arms. Only then would he absorb most of the damage.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. By the time the countess realized she was trapped in the arms of a naked, sweaty man, the impact of their fall knocked her unconscious.