The Cursed Alpha's Fifth Luna

Ethan stood near the edge of the room, his hands curled tightly into fists, his knuckles turning stark white under the pressure.

The torment of standing by, unable to reach out to her, was nearly unbearable. He couldn’t touch her. He couldn’t even step forward to ask if she was alright. To everyone present, he was nothing more than an ordinary guard.

Even when the opportunity to save her had presented itself, he’d hesitated—and Seven had been a step ahead of him.

Ethan’s gaze flicked to the man standing near the railing. His jaw clenched hard as he caught the expression in Seven’s eyes while he looked down at Ruri.

He knew that look. Without a single iota of doubt, he knew, Seven liked her.

The noise in the room dissolved into a sharp, high-pitched ringing as Ethan’s eyes shifted back to Ruri. His throat tightened. She was staring up at Seven. Her gaze softened in a way that made him uncomfortable.

Ethan swallowed. His eyes hurt as he watched them.

Was it because he saved her? Was she just grateful?

He clenched his teeth.

It should have been him. He should not have hesitated and given Seven a chance. There was a dangerously thin line between gratitude and affection.

No… He could not let that happen.

Before logic could stop him, Ethan took a step forward.

“I’ll carry the lady to the bed,” he blurted out before he could catch himself.

The tension in the room snapped as every head turned toward him. Ruri looked away from Seven, her eyes widening in realization as she noticed Ethan standing there. Her lips parted in shock.

Lord Vance’s brows pulled down into a dark scowl. “And who are you supposed to be?”

“I can walk!” Ruri interrupted quickly, pushing herself to her feet. She stepped slightly in front of Ethan, her voice forced into a casual tone. “Thank you, Ethan. Father, he’s my bodyguard.”

Seven’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as he watched the exchange.

Ethan lowered his gaze, swallowing past the lump in his throat. “Ethan, Your Lordship,” he murmured with a respectful bow.

Lord Vance straightened, his anger flaring. “You are her guard? And where were you while my daughter was trying to end her life?” Vance spat the words, his voice thick with rage. “You have failed in your duties completely. For this, you will be punished.”

“No, Father!” Ruri stepped fully between them, shielding Ethan from her father’s wrath. “He wasn’t with me—this was all my fault.”

Vance’s shoulders trembled with restrained fury, but before he could speak, the heavy wooden door creaked open.

Rodrigo walked in, his hands folded behind his back. His expression was completely unreadable as his gaze swept slowly across the room. The suffocating air that had settled after Ruri’s rescue thickened instantly; even Lord Vance instinctively dropped his shoulders, lowering his eyes in deference.

For a moment, Rodrigo said nothing. Then, his cold voice cut through the silence.

“Leave us,” Rodrigo commanded, his eyes fixing sharply on the guards.

Ethan’s fists tightened further. He lifted his head just enough to meet Ruri’s gaze. She was watching him, her eyes wide with worry, but she offered him a small, reassuring smile.

If I want to stay by her side, I need real power, Ethan thought bitterly. The wedding is off. There’s no reason to keep pretending to be a servant.

Yet, the agonizing reality pressed heavily against his chest. He was the enemy’s own brother. He was here in disguise, playing a guard, and the secret he carried could destroy everything. If he told her who he truly was, would she still look at him with that gentle warmth? Or would she despise him forever?

Lowering his head in silent obedience, Ethan turned toward the door. As he pulled the heavy wood shut, the pieces of conversation from inside the room began to click together in his mind. He had just received crucial, first-hand intelligence. His eyes darkened with cold resolve. Without another glance backward, he turned and walked down the corridor, leaving the room behind.

Inside, a heavy silence fell over the chamber. Ruri dragged her feet to the bed and sat down, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Her face was still flushed from crying, and she repeatedly wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand.

A long minute passed while Rodrigo remained standing in silence.

“Alpha…” Lord Vance finally spoke, the word sounding like a painful force dragged from his lungs. He kept his eyes fixed to the floor. “Please… cancel the wedding.”

Rodrigo looked down at him, his voice dangerously quiet. “Did it take watching your daughter attempt to take her own life for you to realize that sacrificing human lives for immortality is an abomination?”

Ruri’s eyes went wide. She whipped her head toward Rodrigo. “What?”

Vance’s gaze shot up in shock. “Sacrificing humans? I… I did not know that.”

“How could you meddle in black forbidden magic and assume it came without a cost?” Rodrigo asked, his tone stern and unyielding. “Knowing fully what was at stake, you still chose to align with the enemy?”

Panic surged through Ruri as her gaze darted frantically between the two men. “What is going on? Becoming immortal? Father, what is he talking about?!”

Rodrigo’s expression darkened further. “Do you realize that what you have done is treason?”

Lord Vance dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead toward the floor. “I apologize, Alpha! I had no choice… It was the only way to save my wife.”

Ruri froze. A sharp knot formed in her throat as she stepped down from the bed, her brows knotting in confusion. “Father… what do you mean? What happened to Mother?”

Even Rodrigo seemed momentarily caught off guard by the revelation.

“It is too late now,” Vance whispered, his voice cracking with desperation. “Hades needed a reason to remain inside the pack house long enough to lay hands on the Vothraki. Marrying Ruri provided that cover.” Vance raised his tear-streaked face slightly. “In exchange, he promised to grant your mother eternal life. He promised he would save her!”

Ruri stopped breathing.

The air vanished from her lungs, and the room spun around her. Her knees gave out, sending her crashing to the floor before her father.

“Father, tell me you are lying,” she choked out. “Mother isn’t dying! You told me she was getting better!”

Vance buried his face in his hands. “She was never getting better. She simply didn’t want you to worry.” He let out a broken sigh. “Your mother is going to die because we could not save her.”

Ruri stared at him in utter disbelief as a hot tear spilled down her cheek. “No… No, this is a joke.”

“Rurina,” Vance called gently, his voice breaking completely. “Your mother is gravely ill. That is why she couldn’t make the trip here. Your brother is with her.”

Ruri pressed a trembling hand over her mouth, trying in vain to smother the ragged sobs tearing through her chest.

“When I sought a cure, I went to the Hades Pack and met with Hades,” Vance confessed, his tone hollow. “He offered a solution—a marriage between him and you. I thought the only sacrifice was the match itself. I did not know it required human blood. For that, I am truly sorry.”

Ruri collapsed onto the floor, weeping uncontrollably. “Why didn’t you tell me?!” she sobbed, her voice echoing off the walls. “Mother is dying… Please, no…”

Rodrigo looked down at the weeping girl, then shifted his gaze to the tall young man who had grown up alongside her.

“Seven,” Rodrigo commanded softly. “Take her to her quarters.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Seven replied without hesitation.

He crossed the room in one fluid motion and knelt beside Ruri, taking her hand securely in his.

“Let’s go, Ruri,” Seven said gently, though his grip remained firm as he helped her to her feet.

Ruri tried to pull her hand away in her state of shock, ”Let me go now,”

She cried, dragging her hand out of his grip but Seven kept a solid hold on her, pulling her weeping form out of the room and closing the door behind them.

Once again, silence reclaimed the chamber. Lord Vance remained trembling on his knees before the Alpha.

“I apologize for my foolishness, Alpha,” Vance said, looking up with hollow eyes. “But tell me… would you not have done everything in your power to save the woman you loved?”

At his words, the harsh line of Rodrigo’s frown softened ever so slightly as she appeared at the back of his mind.

He knew without a single doubt what the answer to the question was.

If it were Nina… he would not hesitate. He would have burnt the world to the ground, and upturned the entire earth to save her.

Even if it cost him his own life.