Alpha Knight’s Cursed Mate

NIRVANA

I didn’t know why I felt emotional these days. I quickly got upset over something.

I shouldn’t have eavesdropped their conversation. Boys were boys, and they had the right to their own privacy.

Yet, here I was- upset. I just had this feeling that they were talking about me or this black plague pandemic, and being the sacrificial lamb did a number on my head. I became paranoid.

I walked out of the party that Knight threw for me. I was having fun earlier, and now I had ruined one thing I should value the most-his trust.

I drew a deep breath as I sat on the ground. The night was supposed to be perfect- beautiful moonlight, nice weather, fresh air, and I had the people I cared about.

I sent a text to my grandfather.

VANA: I missed you, Grandpa. I wish you were here with me. Call me soon. I love you.

I was so caught up with my moping that I didn’t notice I wasn’t alone anymore. The first person I saw was Phin.

“Hey. I’m sorry I didn’t even come to check up on you guys. How have you been? Are the guys treating you well?”

“Yeah. We’re good. Thanks.” Something was off about his reply, and his heartbeat suddenly went haywire.

“Are you okay? You look-” I looked at my necklace when it suddenly lit crimson.

“I’m so sorry, Vana.”

“For what?” It happened so fast.

I didn’t realize he didn’t come alone. Someone just held me tight, arms wrapped around me, and put a damp cloth on my nose. The smell was horrible, and it stung my nostrils. My senses quickly weakened, my body sagged, and the last thing I saw was Phin putting a sack over my head.

Panicking, I jolted awake with a hammering headache and a constant bumping of my body against something hard. And I felt dizzy, pressure rising in my head.

I felt like I was tied upside down and hung up in a tree, ready for them to be hit by a bat and turned into a pinata.

Then I realized I was being carried upside down, something in my mouth, and tied my hand behind my back.

“He-!” They gagged me. These sons of bitches gagged me.

Horrified, I started to hyperventilate.

My chest heaved. My heartbeat raced. Tears formed at the corner of my eyes as my greatest fear came to life, shaking me to the core.

Some lunatics were kidnapping me, and I had a fair of ideas about where I was heading.

I tried to scream and curse the hell out of Dylan’s friend, but no voice came out of my mouth, so I struggled to breathe. I opened my eyes, but I saw nothing but darkness.

How long had I been carried this way? My head hurt so bad. I felt like I wanted to throw up.

“You carry her.” I thought it was Phin.

I groaned in pain as I found myself on the ground. He just dropped me. I shook to cry, not from pain but from how I trusted these assholes.

Was Dylan part of this? If he was, I swore to God, I would be the one to kill him.

“She’s awake,” another guy said.

“I don’t care, Kol. She needs her alive, but she didn’t say unscathed,” Phin replied irritably.

Who’s she?

“I suggest we move, or her mate will come and find us.” That was probably Niko.

I still waited for Dylan to talk but didn’t hear his voice. Somehow, I felt relieved.

“That alpha moron thinks he was helping us. He’s pathetic and has no clue what we want from him. And you should have taken care of Dylan. He could be a liability.”

“He’s our friend, Phin,” said Kol. “He helped us get a room at the vineyards.”

“Wake up, Kol. Our world is changing. The faster it gets to your thick skull, the better. At this time, business and connections are the only way for us to survive.”

“He’s right, Kol,” Phin agreed with Niko. “Alpha Knight is rich, but he doesn’t think like us. He doesn’t see the bigger picture.”

I wiggled to catch their attention, hoping we could talk this out and make a deal. Instead, someone just whipped me. I felt the boot on my side, arching me in pain.

“Stop it, or you will have the heel of my boots on your face next time.” It was Phin.

I whined in anger and pain. I may heal fast, but it hurts like hell. I sobbed and steeled, not wanting to get more of their beating.

Niko chided Phin, “Hey. We won’t be getting paid if she’s dead. And the alpha can’t find us if we start moving.”

“Dylan could be dead by now. I’m sure the alpha killed him already, thinking he let us escape and kidnap his mate.” So Phin was the mastermind of all of this.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“We should have talked to him. Maybe we could persuade him to join us.” Kol seemed not entirely on board, but he could have just informed Dylan about their plan.

“You’re insane if you think Dylan will betray his cousin. And this bitch will make us rich, so just shut up. We already agreed on this. There’s no backing out, Kol, or you won’t get your share.”

Someone picked me up again and threw me over his shoulder. My tummy was crushed, and I thought the alcohol I drank would spew out of my mouth.

“Just a few more miles out of his property. We can camp at the valley and call the woman.” They all planned this out before Dylan came to the vineyards.

And who was the woman?

“What does she want from Vana anyway?” Kol asked.

“I told you already. I didn’t ask. She wanted her, we’re getting paid. Now stop asking questions, Kol,” Phin grunted.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, no matter how hard it was to focus. One thing I was grateful for was leaving the dagger behind.

When Knight told me not to carry it around with me, I refused first with the idea that it might come in handy when Cyrius started attacking us. On the other thoughts, he was right- not until everything was ready since no one else could wield it.

Minutes or hours, I lost track of time. My body hurt, my head hammered, and the tie around my wrists was too tight, wringing and flaying around my bones.

I breathed deeply, focusing on something that mattered to me, and channeled Asina. She was here, her presence lingering inside me, but she couldn’t come out.

My fear was getting worse and worse. If I needed her the most, she was dormant and useless. Maybe this was one of her limits. She could have protected me, but she didn’t. Something was blocking her path, trapping her from coming out.

The drink.

Shit.

Phin made that drink. He must have put something in it.

I thought of another option. I pictured the testing room. My skill should work now because I successfully did it during a crisis. I instantly felt the energy surging, waving around me, my skin vibrating, and the power pulsing through me, but I was still here.

Something was wrong with me, or I hadn’t mastered my gift to its total capacity.

“We can camp here for a while,” Phin suggested.

“Are you sure we’re far enough?”

“Yes. We’re between mountains. There’s no way he can find us, even with his best scout.”

My hope surged when I felt my necklace was still around my neck.