Ruthless Alpha, and his Curvy Saint-Chapter 37

Angel’s POV

Morning came too soon.

I woke to gray light filtering through the tent and the dull ache in my leg reminding me that last night hadn’t been a nightmare.

Someone had put a snake in my tent.

Someone had tried to kill me.

The thought sat heavy in my chest as I forced myself to sit up. The bandage around my leg was still secure, the bloodroot paste doing its work. The pain had dulled to a manageable throb, just as the Alpha had promised.

The Alpha.

I pushed the confusing memory of his gentle hands away and reached for Uriel’s coat, still my only real covering.

The moment I unzipped the tent, Lyra appeared.

She looked terrible - her eyes red and swollen from crying, the bruise on her cheek from the Alpha’s slap now a mottled purple and yellow. But she stood at attention like a soldier, her hands clasped in front of her.

"Good morning, Luna," she said quietly. "Do you need anything? Water? Food? Help dressing?"

The title made me uncomfortable. The servitude made me more so.

"No, thank you. I’m fine."

"Are you certain? I could..."

"I’m fine, Lyra."

She nodded, stepping back but staying close. Like a shadow I couldn’t shake.

I was still trying to wrap my mind around having a personal maid. Especially one who looked like Lyra - beautiful, graceful, everything I wasn’t. It felt wrong, like the natural order of things had been inverted.

People like her didn’t serve people like me.

We made our way to where breakfast was being served, and I immediately noticed the change in atmosphere.

The camp was subdued. Quiet.

Warriors sat around the fire eating in silence, their usual morning banter absent. No one laughed. No one joked. They ate quietly, their eyes occasionally darting toward me before quickly looking away.

Like I was something fragile. Something cursed.

I took a seat on one of the logs, accepting bread and dried fruit from one of the cooks. Lyra hovered nearby, ready to jump at my slightest need.

"Sit," I told her. "Eat something."

"I shouldn’t..."

"Sit. Please."

She sat reluctantly, taking food with obvious discomfort.

We ate in silence.

Across the fire, I could see the Alpha with his generals. He was speaking to them in low tones, but every few minutes, his gaze would drift toward me.

"Are you alright?" he’d asked when he’d first seen me emerge from my tent, his scarred face uncharacteristically concerned.

I’d nodded, not trusting my voice.

"The leg?"

"Better."

"Good."

That had been the extent of our conversation, but his eyes kept finding me anyway. Checking. Assessing.

It was unsettling.

And Uriel...

Uriel sat with a group of warriors at the far side of camp, his back to me. He hadn’t looked at me once this morning. Hadn’t approached. Hadn’t even acknowledged my presence.

The distance hurt more than I wanted to admit.

Was he angry about last night? About me lying to save Lyra? Or was this about our argument before the snake - about weight loss and food and all the confused, painful things we’d said to each other?

"Angel?"

I looked up to find Sheena settling beside me.

"How are you feeling?" Her dark eyes studied my face with that unnerving intensity she possessed.

"I’m okay. The leg is better."

"I’m sorry I wasn’t there last night." Genuine regret colored her voice. "I was deep in meditation, communing with the Moon Goddess. I had no idea what was happening until it was over."

"It’s fine. The Alpha... handled it."

Sheena’s expression darkened. "You need to be careful, Angel. Very careful."

"What do you mean?"

"Someone wanted you dead last night. And unless you truly believe that snake crawled into a sealed tent by coincidence..." She let the implication hang.

My stomach twisted. "But why? Who would want to kill me?"

"That’s the question, isn’t it?" Sheena leaned closer, her voice dropping. "The reasons could be many. Perhaps someone who doesn’t want you as Luna. Or..." She paused meaningfully. "Perhaps someone who’s noticed how close you are to Uriel."

I blinked, startled. "What?"

"Come now, Angel. You’re not that naive." Sheena’s lips curved into a small smile. "Uriel is easy on the eyes. Almost every woman’s dream. And he’s been spending considerable time with you, showing you attention, protection. Some might see that as... threatening."

Heat flooded my face. "But we’re not... I mean, he doesn’t..."

"It doesn’t matter what you are or aren’t. What matters is how it looks." Sheena’s expression grew serious again. "Jealousy is a powerful motivator."

"So you think a woman tried to kill me?" The thought made my skin crawl.

"Don’t assume too easily. It’s possible, but a man might have motives too."

"What motive could a man possibly have?"

Sheena considered this. "Perhaps a man who hates the Alpha. Who wouldn’t want him to finally have a Luna after waiting so long."

I stared at her. "How long?"

"A thousand years, give or take."

The bread in my hand fell forgotten to my lap. "A thousand years? The Alpha has been without a mate for a thousand years?"

"Yes."

"But... why?"

"The Moon Goddess has her reasons." Sheena’s voice took on that mystical quality she got when speaking of divine matters. "Some wait longer than others. Some never find their mate at all. A thousand years is a long time to be alone, even for an Alpha."

A thousand years.

The number was incomprehensible. A millennium of existing without that bond werewolves supposedly craved above all else.

Did that make him sympathetic? Did suffering for that long excuse the monster he’d become?

I didn’t know.

Didn’t want to think about it.

"Finish eating," Sheena said gently, standing. "We have another long day ahead."

She was right.

The journey that day was nothing like the previous one. No laughter echoed from the back of our group. No playful banter between warriors. Just the steady clip-clop of hooves and the rustle of wind through trees.

Even the travelers - Zach and his daughters - remained quiet, perhaps sensing the camp’s mood.

I rode beside Sheena again, grateful for her calm presence. Lyra had been given her own horse and rode slightly behind us, still playing the dutiful servant.

Throughout the day, I kept expecting Uriel to appear. To ride up beside me with that gentle smile, to ask how I was feeling, to make conversation that would distract from the monotony of travel.

He never did.

He remained at the back of the group, too far away to even catch glimpses of him.

And the Alpha rode at the front with his generals, occasionally glancing back but never approaching.

It felt like the whole camp was holding its breath. Waiting for something.

By the time we made camp that evening, the tension had only increased.

Dinner was quiet. Tense.

I ate quickly and retreated to my tent - after Lyra had thoroughly inspected it for snakes, spiders, scorpions, and any other potentially deadly creatures.

A warrior stood guard outside. Changed every few hours, but always there.

Protection, the Alpha had said.

It felt more like surveillance.

I lay awake for a long time, listening to the sounds of camp settling for the night. Waiting for something to happen.

Nothing did.

Maybe I really was being paranoid. Maybe the snake had been an accident, a coincidence. Maybe...

Morning came again.

The third day of our journey.

I woke feeling... different. Not quite optimistic, but less burdened. The oppressive weight that had pressed down on me yesterday had lifted slightly.

The camp was already stirring when I emerged from my tent. Warriors were packing up, tending horses, preparing for another day of travel.

And in the distance, I could hear water.

A river. Somewhere close by.

The thought of a proper bath - after two nights of not bathing - was suddenly overwhelming in its appeal.

I needed to be clean. Needed to feel normal, even if just for a few minutes.

"Lyra," I said as she appeared at my side. "I’m going to bathe. In the river."

"I’ll come with you, Luna. To help..."

"No." The word came out sharper than intended. "I mean... I’d like some privacy. Please."

She looked uncertain. "But the Alpha said..."

"I’ll be fine. I won’t go far." I was already walking away. "I just need a few minutes alone."

I didn’t wait for her response.

The river wasn’t far - just through a small copse of trees, hidden from camp but close enough that I could still hear distant voices.

The water was clear and cold, rushing over smooth stones. Beautiful in the early morning light.

I glanced back toward camp. No one had followed me.

Good.

I peeled off Uriel’s coat, then the ruined dress underneath, and stepped into the water.

The cold was shocking, stealing my breath, but I welcomed it. Welcomed the clarity it brought, the way it washed away everything except the immediate sensation of now.

I ducked under completely, letting the current pull through my hair, feeling every dirt and fear dissolve into the flow.

When I surfaced, gasping, I felt almost human again.

I started washing properly - scrubbing at my skin, working tangles out of my hair, focusing on the simple task of getting clean.

So focused that I didn’t hear the footsteps behind me.

Didn’t sense the presence until it was too late.

Strong hands grabbed my shoulders and shoved.

Down.

Under the water.

I tried to scream, but water filled my mouth, my nose, choking off the sound.

Tried to fight, but the hands were too strong, pressing me down, holding me under.

My lungs burned. Panic exploded through every nerve.

No, no, no...

I thrashed wildly, my hands clawing at the arms holding me down, my feet kicking uselessly against the current.

But whoever it was had leverage, position, strength.

And I was drowning.