Tabitha's POV

The full moon will rise tonight and I'm running out of time finding ways to break his curse. I made the promise to the king that the second attempt would be successful, but I was too busy digging into his past. I need to know where he came from and his curse, but I have limited information to get.

The night arrived faster and everyone in the palace went to their beds early. Only a few guards roam the Palace, making sure no outsiders come. Some minimal reports are coming from the borders that rogues are attacking the other packs, and leaving no one alive.

The hallway fell silent. I can hear my voice as I go through the walls, and my heartbeat races anxiously. I was sitting on my bed, wearing a green dress and 4-inch heels. My hair was tied up, and I was waiting nervously. Tonight is the night. I work everything I can to find a cure for the king's curse because I don't know where to start.

I'm starting on the floor, playing with my hands as I get even more nervous. My heart beat faster. I heard those footsteps in the hallway, and after that, they stopped in front of my door. I lifted my head as the door unlocked, revealing his trusted right-hand man. I rose from sitting on the bed, he offered me his hand and I looked at it with hesitation. I look at him, having second thoughts about his hand.

“The king is waiting for you,” he mumbled.

“Of course, he's waiting for me. Can you give me five more minutes? I don't think I'm ready,” I replied.

“He doesn't want the wait, Tabitha. If you keep the king waiting, he might change his mind and lock you up in the dungeon for being distributed and lying. We both know you don't want that to happen, right?”

I nodded, “Right.”

I started thinking deeply, I accepted his hand and we walked outside the bedroom. We march on the hallway followed by the guards holding a lamp, making me even more nervous every time we step. We went downstairs and headed to the basement, where a hidden room was. He pulled the latch, and the metal door opened before us. The creaking sound reached my ears, and what made me more anxious was the event in front of me.

The team was wearing normal clothes. He was wearing a t-shirt and pants that he could afford to rip once he turned into a monster, he was facing the small window. Meanwhile, his right-hand man motioned me to get inside, and I did. After that, they closed the door behind me, leaving me in silence and fear.

“Your highness, I want to give you a heads up. I might not be able to break your curse tonight, but I will do my best to find its origin. Please, don't lock me up. I spent my whole life being locked up in my father's basement, and I thought my marriage with the alpha would be my key out of that hell. But my main becomes also my other key to another hell…” I begged.

He doesn't say anything. Silence covered the whole room, and based on his aura. I can feel the dominance and power he was wielding ever since he became the king. He moved to this location, causing me to twitch and lower my head to avoid making eye contact with him. And then, he moved closer to me. Donovan leaves an inch space between us before touching my chin and lifts my head to make our eyes meet.

“You told me that we should start working on our relationship to make this work. Tonight is the night, Tabitha.”

I swallowed, “What?”

“The moon goddess gave me a prophecy that the woman will break the curse I've been suffering ever since I turned 18. I've been carrying this monster inside me for years, and I've been eager to remove it. However, you came from a rival pack and I don't know how this will work if we both have a grudge against each other.”

I furrowed, “But I haven't carried any grudge against you, my king. You take me out of the hell I was trapped in for years and even though you're going to use me to break your cars, I never feel that way.”

“I do.”

“My enemies' blood rushes in their veins,” he whispered.

“I am not them, your highness. I never shared blood with them because they never treated me like I belonged to the pack. I will prove to you that I am no enemy, that I am on your side…”

“Then let's see if this strategy will stop the monster inside me from coming out tonight,” he murmured.

My attention landed on the window where the full moon started to emerge. I can feel the tension between us as he holds my chin, preventing me from looking away. I stare at his eyes intently the way he did to me. I can feel the heat between us, the uncanny pull coming from him.

As I thought this was working, he started to lose his balance.

“My King!” I snapped.

“Ahhhhhh!” He cries in agony.

I approached him but he pushed me away, “Leave!”

“No! I'm not leaving you alone! Can you fight it! I know you can! You are the king!” I persuaded him.

“I can't control it…” he whispered.

His bones start cracking, fur starts growing and claws start emerging. “Ahhhhhh!” He screamed.

His eyes met mine and it turned black, making me freeze in my position. In a flash, he transformed into a werewolf. A creature that can only be heard in tales and mythologies. A werewolf that can stand like a human.

I couldn't move as I watched him completely turn into a monster. His sharp teeth gritted, and his saliva was dripping. Donovan approached me, exposing his long sharp claws that could cut me in half. As he was about to attack, the metal door burst open and his right-hand man pulled me away with full strength.

The creature glanced at us and before he could attack again, he closed the door and locked it. Donovan banged the door while groaning as if he wanted to kill us all and covered his claws with our blood. I didn't say anything, feeling the hair in my arms standing as if cold water had been poured on me.

“Lock the door and ensure the king won't escape. We both know what happened last time he escaped, and you.” He faced me, “Go back to your room. The king will speak to you when he recovers.”