The Alpha's Curse

Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

It has been a total of six years since wolves have been in New Orleans. The last time they were here wasn't exactly pleasant. It ended with me being cursed and most of them dead. Witches didn't take too kindly to wolves in their territory.

“Get inside.” I ordered the couple.

They looked at me. “There is no way in hell that I'm going to leave you here to defend yourself.” Lila snaps at me.

“I can handle this.” I assured them.

“Honey, you can't shift. How can you handle this?” Louie reminds me.

“I'm one of them, in case you have forgotten. Not your lap dog. They won't damage their own kind.” I lied. For most of my life I had been exposed to the brutal side of pack life. From what I had experienced it wasn't the most beautiful form of living. “Go.”

They made their way inside the house, glancing back to make sure I was all right. I could hear the door lock behind them. Lila made her way to the window so that she could watch the event that was about to unfold.

Not long after they were inside, the wolves appeared. There was about fifteen of them, running full speed towards me. They could tell what I was, just as I could tell what they were. The wolves stopped in front of me. Two of them shifted, telling me which was the Alpha and Beta.

“Name and pack.” the Beta says, he was smaller than his alpha. Not nearly as tall.

I didn't look at the Alpha, knowing not to show any disrespect. “Cassie Bane. Pack wiped out.”

“Explain.” Beta demands.

“Witches have claim over New Orleans. My pack had a treaty with the witches, something happened and we were wiped out.”

“Yet you survived.” said a deep alluring voice. The Alpha. Oh, how I wanted to look at him, I couldn't though. No matter how much I wanted to.

“With a price.” I said. “I'm cursed. I'm allowed twenty-four hours once a month to be in my human state. The rest of the time I spend as a wolf.”

“Look at me.” the Alpha demands.

I turned to him. He was gorgeous. His high cheekbones led down to a strong jawline. His dark brown hair was cut show, but not too short. He stared at me with deep hazel eyes. I felt as if he was looking straight through me, down to the depths of my soul. His muscled body was well defined. I made sure not to let my eyes stray any further.

“I answered your questions. Now may you tell me who you are?” I ask.

“Alpha Luke Grayson. This is my Beta, Will.” he says, nodding to the man standing next to him. He releases a deep growl that sends shiver throughout my entire body. “Now my advice is that you go warn the little witches in this neighborhood that I will claim this land as mine.”

With that said, he and his beta shifts back into their wolf form. The pack retreats into the safety of the forest.

My legs shaking, I make my way into the house. Lila and Louie are there waiting for every dirty little detail. We sit down on the couch. I'm a bit too shaken to even speak. Lila pours me a glass of Jack Daniels, forcing me to drink some.

After I drain the glass I repeat to them what Luke told me.

“The other witches won't stand for this.” Louie says, shaking his head. “Has this Alpha not heard what happened to the last pack that tried to live here?”

“I told him, and that still didn't scare him away.” I sighed. “He's a dumb ass if he thinks the witches will just sit back and let him take over.”

“But what if he does manage to take over?” Louie ponders. “What does that mean for us?” He looks at Lila, taking her hands in his. “What does that mean for you, Cassie?”

I sighed, leaning back. “It means that either way we are both screwed.”

After an hour of sitting in the living room, Louie and Lila went up to bed. I didn't, I refilled my glass of Jack several more times. I couldn't sleep. I never could when I was in human form. I only had twenty-four hours like this. Sitting around moping wasn't how I planned on spending it.

I made my way outside, leaving a note on the fridge for the other two in case I wasn't back before they were up. It was around six and for the most part everything was still closed. I didn't head into town though, I made my way into the woods, following a path I hadn't been down in forever.

The remains of a large house were at the very end of the trail. Vines had grown up the walls. It was hard to believe that at one point, this place had been livable. The front door had been covered in so much kudzu that you couldn't even open it. The only way inside was through the broken glass in one of the windows. I climbed through, not caring if I got cut on my way in.

Inside hadn't changed much since I was last in here. A few family photos were scattered about. Small pieces of jewelry littered a part of one of the bedrooms. I made my way to the bedroom at the end of the hall. A music box lay on the floor. The tiny ballerina inside had one of her legs broken. I picked it up, setting on the dresser. Much to my surprise, it began to play the sweet tune that had once lulled me to sleep as a child.

I looked at the remains of my childhood bedroom. The light pink and purple walls had become darkened with age. Leaves were scattered about the wooden floors. My poster of some teen pop sensation had been torn off the walls, shriveled from the exposure to weather. I picked up a dirty locket that laid on the floor. Inside the picture had been kept safe from harm. I smiled down at the couple staring back at me.

Alphas Carver and Annette Bane. This had once been their house. This had once been my house. It's been a long time since then. The last time I had lived here, I had been sixteen. At that age I knew nothing about the darkness in the world. The only thing that mattered at that time was whether or not the boy I liked would take me to Homecoming or not. It's been a long time since then.