The Cursed Alpha's Fifth Luna

Nina turned at the sound of Charlotte’s voice.

Their eyes met.

The woman stood a few paces away, her lips curling into a slow, sinister smile that sent an icy chill racing down Nina’s spine.

"He is not...’’ Charlotte was still speaking when Nina turned in a flash and ran.

Her feet pounded against the marble corridor as panic swallowed every coherent thought. She shoved past startled attendants, nearly slipping on the polished floor, her chest tightening until every breath burned.

No... No, no, no... Please...

"Rodrigo!" Her voice cracked as she burst into the infirmary. "Rodrigo!"

Faces turned toward her, but none of them belonged to him. The sharp scent of blood and medicine hit her so hard it made her stomach lurch. Two men in black lay in the ward surrounded by healers, bearing varying degrees of injuries, one was bleeding from the stomach and the other on their arm. Her frantic gaze darted from one face to another.

Not him. Not him. Not—

An attendant hurried past carrying a brass bowl. The water inside was no longer clear, turned a deep, horrifying red.

Nina seized the woman’s arm. "Where is the Alpha?"

The bowl trembled violently, blood mixed with water spilling over its rim.

"Tell me!" Her voice broke into a scream.

The attendant stared at her in alarm. "M-my Lady—"

"Where is he?" Nina demanded again, tears blurring her vision. "Where is the Alpha?"

"Nina?"

The familiar voice came from behind her.

Everything inside her froze. Slowly... almost afraid to hope... she turned.

Rodrigo stood at the end of the corridor. His shirt hung open, exposing his bare skin. Dried blood stained his torso, tracing down the hard planes of his abdomen. His hair was clinging to his pale face as his eyes found her.

For a second, Nina stared at him, unable to breathe. Then the air rushed back into her lungs.

"Snow..." Her voice was barely a whisper as a single tear slipped down her cheek.

Her legs moved before her mind could even process the command. She sprinted toward him. The force of her collision made Rodrigo stagger a step backward before his arms instinctively wrapped around her waist.

Nina buried her face against his chest, clutching the back of his shirt with trembling fingers as if letting go would make him disappear.

"Why..." Her words dissolved into sobs. "Why would you scare me like this?" She hit his chest weakly with a clenched fist before gripping him even tighter. "I thought something had happened to you!"

Rodrigo lowered his chin onto her hair, his arms tightening around her. "I’m alright."

Nina pulled back just enough to cup his face with both hands, searching every inch of him as though afraid she would find a wound she had somehow missed. "Seven said that you were shot with an arrow laced with wolfsbane."

Her trembling hands slid from his face down to his chest. Her breath caught. She had expected to see torn flesh, an ugly wound, a horrific burn from the poison—anything. Instead, beneath the streaks of dried blood, his skin was whole.

Not even a scar remained.

Her brows knitted together, confusion instantly replacing the panic on her face. "You look fine. What happened?"

Rodrigo chuckled lightly, though the attempt at humor didn’t reach his eyes. "Did you forget I’m a wolf? The strongest wolf in this pack at that. I can’t be killed that easily, love."

Nina wasn’t smiling. Her gaze drifted back to his chest, her fingertips hovering over the place where the blood was thickest. "I thought wolfsbane injuries don’t heal for at least three days. Wolfsbane makes lycans heal like normal humans. What happened?"

Rodrigo followed her gaze. "That’s true. But strangely, I woke up and I was already healed." He brushed his fingers across the exact spot where the wound should have been.

Nina frowned. That was impossible. "Maybe there wasn’t wolfsbane on the arrow," she suggested.

Rodrigo shook his head, looking down at the dried blood staining his skin. "It was wolfsbane. Which is why this is so strange..." He flexed his shoulder, then his arm, testing his movements. There wasn’t even the dull ache that should have lingered after such an injury.

Nina exhaled a shaky breath, and without another word, she threw her arms around him again.

"It doesn’t matter, thank God you’re okay," she trembled against his chest. "I was so scared. And Lady Charlotte said you weren’t here... I thought she meant you were dead." She held him as though the moment she let go, he would vanish.

Rodrigo let out a soft, dry laugh. "Well, she didn’t find me lying in bed like she expected."

"Can you bring yourselves inside..." a dry voice interrupted from the doorway, "...if you’re finished clinging to one another?"

Nina’s body jerked at the sound. Her eyes widened, and she immediately stepped away from Rodrigo, heat rushing to her cheeks.

The Matriarch.

She turned and found Eloise standing in the doorway of an adjoining room, one brow raised as she regarded them with poorly concealed amusement.

Nina lowered her head in embarrassment. "Good evening, your grace."

Eloise merely cleared her throat before turning and walking back inside. Rodrigo reached for Nina’s hand, leading her into the room behind his grandmother.

The infirmary’s private sitting room was quiet compared to the bustling hallway outside. A small fire crackled softly in the hearth, pushing back the chill that clung to the stone walls. Shelves lined with herbs and glass bottles filled one corner, while a worn wooden table and a handful of cushioned chairs occupied the center of the space.

Rodrigo lowered himself into one of the seats, and Nina settled right beside him, refusing to release his hand. Not even for a second.

Eloise noticed. Her eyes dropped to their intertwined fingers before lifting slowly to her grandson. "You had everyone worried for nothing."

Rodrigo gave a tired laugh, leaning back against the chair. "I really was shot, Grandmother. There was nothing fake about that. I am just as surprised that I am completely healed. I lost consciousness just after being hit. When I woke up here... the wound was gone."

Eloise folded her arms, her expression darkening. "Are you certain the arrow was laced with wolfsbane? A recovery like this is unheard of."

"It was."

Silence settled over the room, filled only by the quiet crackling of the fire. Rodrigo’s eyes remained fixed on the opposite wall, his mind clearly working through the pieces.

"Charlotte has a hand in this," Eloise said, her voice carrying open disdain. "This is all another one of her schemes to force her son into the Alpha position."

"No..." Rodrigo’s voice was quiet, his eyes sharpening as he turned to his grandmother. "This is more than that."

Eloise frowned. "What do you mean?"

Rodrigo didn’t answer immediately. He glanced at Nina, his expression shifting ever so slightly, as though weighing whether he should speak freely in front of her. After a tense beat of hesitation, he turned his full attention back to Eloise.

"Grandmother," he said, his voice dropping to a calm, lethal register. "I’ll ask you one last time.’’ He paused, letting his words sink, ’’Do you know where the Vothraki is?"

The color instantly drained from Eloise’s face. Her hands, which had rested loosely in her lap, slowly clasped tightly together.

She stared at him, her voice wavering. "You’ve... regained your memories?"

Rodrigo watched her in absolute silence, tracking every flicker of emotion crossing her face, every micro-hesitation. She was hiding something. He was certain of it now. If he wanted the truth, he would have to let her believe he had regained all of his memories.

"I have," he lied smoothly.

Beside him, Nina went completely still. Her free hand tightened on her thigh until her knuckles turned white.

He regained his memories. Which meant he knew where the Vothraki was.

Her heartbeat quickened to a frantic pace, but she forced her body to remain perfectly rigid. She kept her expression unchanged, as she watched the scene unfold.

Across from them, Eloise lowered her eyes, her posture fracturing. "Rio..." Her voice cracked, her breathing turning uneven. "You should know... it was never my intention to hurt you. I didn’t... I didn’t know they had taken you. They kept it from me."

Rodrigo’s brows knitted together, his voice hardening into steel. "What are you talking about? Who... are they?"

There was a moment of silence in the room as all the emotions crossed Eloise’s face immediately. Her lips moved but no words could leave.

’’What are you talking about grandmother?’’ Rodrigo asked again.

Nina stared at the old woman in shock, her brows creasing with worry.

’’I thought you said...’’ She stopped, then drew a slow breath, her eyes lowered to her hands which were folded into fists on her thighs.

The room was eerily quiet, only the sound of the flames loud in the silence.

Eloise was quiet for a moment, and then she looked at him.

’’I think it is time you know the truth, Rodrigo.’’