Page 10 of Cursed Love

“I’m Amel,” he murmurs, staring at my palms for a few more seconds before meeting my eyes. A soft smile spreads across his lips, his entire face lighting up as he truly sees me. I feel like I’ve somehow become his entire focus, the acceptance in his gaze making me feel like I’ve done something right.

“Amel,” I repeat, the name perfect on my tongue. I’m sure it’s just the heat fogging my brain, those scents wrapping around me but I feel light-headed, almost drunk. A faint, silly smile tugs at my lips, and he chuckles but the happy sound cuts off abruptly, his nostrils flaring.

“Sweet girl,” he says, his voice dipping into something darker, “tell me why his scent is all over you.”

My body goes rigid, my face scrunching up as I exhale a shaky sigh, my fingers curling into fists in his hands. “Damien will not be happy with me,” I mumble, my voice barely audible. “I’m supposed to choose the Alphas he picked out for me.” There’s no way my brother would have chosen an Alpha like this one, one who would stand up to him.

Amel doesn’t say anything at first, just nods as he holds my hands tighter. There’s no judgment in his gaze, only a calm, steady curiosity that makes my chest ache. I’m trying to stay on guard but being around this man is making me relax, making me want to believe that he could somehow save me from this little hellhole.

“This is dangerous,” I whisper, my voice breaking as I lower my gaze to our hands.

“What is?”

I hesitate, my heart pounding in my chest as the truth spills out before I can stop it. “I like your scent,” I admit, my cheeks burning as I glance up at him through my lashes. “And it scares me.”

His expression doesn’t change, but there’s a flicker of something in his eyes—interest, maybe? Curiosity? I don’t know, but it makes me press forward, the words tumbling out in a rush.

“I can smell the others on you,” I say, my voice trembling. “Two others. Their scents are sharper, stronger. And…” My voice trails off as my eyes widen, the realization hitting me like a punch to the gut. “Are you—are you mated to a Valla?”

“Two,” he says simply as if he didn’t just reveal one of the biggest oddities in the city.

Two Valla. My hands tremble in his grip and I can’t stop the flood of panic and intrigue that surges through me. This is dangerous. This issodangerous. Valla don’t matetogether, notusually. But this man just told me that he comes with two. Two nightmares. Two beasts. Two—unknowns.

Amel

She’s trembling, her fingers barely resting in my hands, and all I want to do is pull her into my arms. The urge to shield her, to protect her from whatever’s got her this shaken, is clawing at my insides. She’s like a skittish animal, one wrong move away from bolting, and I can’t afford to scare her more than she already is.

Her eyes keep darting across the room, locking onto an Alpha I’ve already decided I hate with every fiber of my being. Damien, she called him. He stands there like a king surveying his domain, his gaze heavy on her even from this distance. He’s watching her, waiting, like he owns her. It makes my blood boil. If I had myway, I’d march across the dance floor and rip him apart, limb by limb, until there was nothing left for her to fear. Or maybe I’d sic Hunter and Moses on him while we watch, this beautiful Omega curled up in my arms.

Her gaze flickers back to me, her beautiful brown eyes swimming with unshed tears, my chest aching for a woman I’ve just met. Her terror is evident in the way her hands tremble, in the way she’s trying so hard to hold herself together, even though she’s clearly on the verge of falling apart. I fucking hate it. I hate that she’s been reduced to this. I hate that she’s used to being afraid. But what I hate the most is that she’s looking at me like I’m going to hurt her too.

I soften my voice, my grip on her hands light but steady. “Hey,” I say gently. “I need you to listen to me for a moment, okay? What’s your name?”

“Koa,” she whispers and I run her name a few times over my tongue, loving how soft it feels in my mouth.

“Koa, sweet girl, I am mated. To two brothers, both Valla.” I know how rare that is. It’s even rarer that they both mated the same Alpha. Her scent spikes, fear racing through her eyes but she doesn’t pull away. It doesn’t mean she isn’t seconds away from bolting, though. “The three of us,” I continue, “we’ve been searching for an Omega. Not just anyone, but someone who fits us. Someone we can build a life with. And, Koa...” I trail off, my chest tightening as I look at her, really look at her. “I’ve never smelled anything like you before. Never felt this way about anyone before. I want to give you my rose.”

She blinks at me, her expression unreadable for a long moment. Then, her brow furrows, and she pulls back slightly, her hands slipping from mine. “So that’s it?” she frowns, a little growl at the edge of her words. “You want me because I smell good? Because I’ll fit into your little pack?”

I hold back my immediate response—laughter—because I didn’t expect that out of Koa. She seems so mild-mannered but I see it now, the defiance in her expression. Beneath the fear and bits of submission, she hates this night probably even more than I do. My nonreaction fuels her as she folds her arms across her chest, her nose scrunching up in the most adorable way. “For your information,” she says, her voice breaking, “I can’t have kids. So there. Still want me?”

Those big doe eyes glare back at me, unshed tears covering them like glass as the rest of the gala falls away. Someone had to make her believe that and whoever it is, I’m going to kill them. It’s when I realize that she’s not truly angry at me. Her words are laced with pain. She’s been hurt, ridiculed, cast aside so many times that she expects it now. It’s her default. The fact that she believes her worth is tied to being able to have kids kills me because that’s a notion that’s been taught, been stuffed down her throat.

“Oh, sweet girl,” I murmur, letting the words roll off my tongue as I reach up, my fingers brushing the side of her face. Her skin is warm beneath my touch, soft and delicate, and I let my hand settle there, cupping her cheek gently.

Her reaction is instant. She leans into my palm without hesitation, rubbing her face against it like she can’t help herself, her entire body shuddering with what looks like pure, unfiltered relief. It’s the kind of response that hits me deep, stirring something primal in my chest, and my purr rumbles through me, needing to calm her.

But then she realizes what she’s doing. Her eyes snap open, her lips parting in surprise as she jerks back, breaking the contact. She’s retreating again, those invisible walls slamming back into place, but this time, there’s no anger or sharp words. Just hesitation. Fear. She’s scared of how much she wants this, scared of how easily she let herself sink into me.

I sigh, letting my hand fall back to the table as I meet her gaze. “Koa, I don’t want you because of your scent. I don’t want you because of your body. I want you because every part of me is screaming to protect you, to cherish you, to make sure you never feel like this again.”

She blinks at me, her wide, teary eyes searching my face like she’s trying to find the catch, the hidden motive that doesn’t exist. I lean forward slightly, keeping my voice low enough so that it’s just for the two of us.

“All I want to do right now is wrap you up and take you home,” I continue. “I want to make sure you have everything you need, that you never have to feel scared or small or less than you are ever again. You’re not worthless because you can’t have children. It’s not about babies, Koa. It’s aboutyou.You’re enough, just as you are. More than enough.”

That seems to break something in her. Her lips curve into the faintest smile, shaky and uncertain but real, and the sight of it nearly undoes me. Those glassy, teary eyes are looking at me with something that almost feels like hope and I’d give anything to see more of it.

Which is why I lean forward, my hand brushing her cheek again as I press the gentlest kiss to the corner of her lips. It’s light, barely there, but enough to leave my scent behind, a claim that’s subtle but impossible to ignore.

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