Chapter 5 His Vow

Cassius POV

“I recognize only one Luna,” I declared firmly. “Roxanna is my bond. She is the one I will only claim, the one I swore to find.” I met their gazes head-on, letting them see the truth they already knew but refused to acknowledge.

“But you also know the curse is spreading.” I added, making them shut.

Sebastian clenched his jaw and Kalix clutched his fist tightly. A heavy silence settled between us.

Everyone was aware of the madness that I carried, a curse where I went berserk and lost control. The thirst for blood is unstoppable. Once I lose my sanity, I become a monster they could never dream of.  

And the relentless searching for Luna isn’t bound by love and longing, it is related to my curse. She’s the only one who can stop the curse eating through the Raventhorn bloodline. 

I don’t chase her because I want her, I chase her because I have to. The curse won’t wait, every time I suppress the madness and thirst for killing, it’s slowly killing me.

Three years ago, the temple sealed my fate with a prophecy I couldn’t outrun. One true Luna, a woman who is capable of breaking the curse. 

They said she’s a mysterious woman who’s never known or seen by the world. Her existence was hidden, sealed, as if it was protected by unknown fate. They said she possesses the heart of a warrior and the wisdom of a ruler born to command.

When the search for that Luna began, another prophecy followed. It revealed that she was a daughter of a king and queen. A child that came from a powerful family clan. 

Her father holds a military power and her mother has a powerful figure. A woman with an iron will that could even start a war. 

And there’s only one family that fits that description. The Vermillion family has four children, and the youngest is Roxanna. 

There's a rumor that she was hidden from the world from the moment she was born. Because she is weak, sick, and vulnerable. Only her family had ever seen her face, even the allied packs had never laid eyes on her.

It was strictly forbidden to look upon her, let alone glimpse her face. Yet a select few were tasked with serving the young lady and even they spoke in hushed awe. They said she possessed a beauty like a goddess, the kind that ensnares hearts the moment eyes fall upon her.

However, the moment we were bound in marriage, she disappeared. Gone without a trace, and because of that, I suffered every day, a wound that never healed.

Each passing month my curses become worse. Sebastian and Kalix begin to see the signs. On how my body burns hotter each passing night, and the way my temper snapped faster than it used to. 

The curse of an unmated Alpha. A bond left broken for too long could destroy a wolf.

I had been fighting it for two years, and it was slowly taking my body.

My fingers tightened around Astoria’ frail body. She barely twitched, her breathing shallow but steady.

I looked down at her, her pale face was barely visible by the moonlight, her hair was messy and a few strands masking her face.

My wolf rustled again, it was restless, drawn to her in a way I couldn’t fully comprehend.

I had never felt anything like this before, not even with Roxanna whom I married. It only tells one thing, the connection between us was there and the bond was real.

And it shouldn’t be because I only vowed to love Roxanna, yet this woman appeared before me.

I exhaled sharply, my decision settling deep in my bones. “If I still can’t find Roxanna,” I murmured. “Then only my mate can help me survive.”

Neither of them responded right away.

Sebastian looked ready to explode and Kalix’s face remained unreadable, but the tension in his jaw spoke for itself.

I turned on my heel, tightening my hold to Astoria’s body as I started walking.

“We will leave,” I ordered. “Now.”

Sebastian growled reluctantly under his breath but followed.

Kalix hesitated only a second longer before trailing after us.

The southern winds howled through the trees as we disappeared into the night.

And in my arms, the woman who shouldn’t be part of my life, becomes my mate.

I didn’t know who she was.

And I don’t understand why the moon Goddess had given me a mate. But I would find it out. Especially to this mere human who manages to become my mate.

I adjusted my grip slightly, careful not to crush her fragile frame, yet firm enough that she wouldn’t slip from my hold. 

My instinct screamed at me that she wasn’t supposed to exist in my world. And yet, here she was. Sleeping in my embrace, unconscious. 

My boots crunched over dry leaves as I led the way through the narrow path, the darkness pressing against us. As if the forest itself were hunting us for daring to take this woman from its grasp.

Sebastian walked just behind me, his jaw clenched and his shoulders tense, the way he always was when I did something reckless but this time, I didn’t care about his disapproval. 

Kalix followed quietly, his eyes sharp in the dark, measuring the trees, the ground, and me, though I couldn’t tell what he thought.

The air shifted suddenly. A small, uneven breath escaped from Astoria. I froze mid-step. 

A faint groan escaped from her lips, like a wounded animal. And her eyelids fluttered, barely lifting. 

I crouched slightly, lowering her closer to my chest, feeling her shiver. 

“You must live.” I whispered, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. 

Her lips moved, whispering something incomprehensible, and then just like that her body sagged again. 

And once again, she went unconscious, sleeping like a dead animal.  

I straightened, scanning the shadows around us, my wolf roaring low in my chest. 

Every hair on my arms bristled. 

Sebastian exhaled through his nose, muttering under his breath. “Alpha… this isn’t safe. She’s weak. You can’t—”

“I can,” I interrupted. “She’s my mate, and right now, she’s the only thing keeping me from tearing myself apart.” My gaze dropped to her again. 

Her chest rose and fell in a shallow rhythm. 

Kalix made a low hum of approval, or maybe disapproval, I couldn’t tell. He said nothing, he just simply matched my pace, quiet and heeded. 

The path opened into a small clearing, the moon spilling silver across the ground. 

I adjusted her so her head rested lightly against my shoulder. 

“We keep moving,” I commanded. “No stopping until we’re far enough from the southern forest.”

She stirred again, just a twitch at her hand, before her body melted back into unconsciousness. 

I growled low. “Damn it,” I muttered, my fingers tightening around her arm. 

“Stay with me, Astoria. I don’t care if you’re scared, or weak… I will carry you through this.”

You must live, so that I can understand why you became my mate when I already have a luna destined to break my curse.