Cursed and Fated: Offered To The Wicked Alpha Prince
Chapter 9: Drive me to madness

Chapter 9: Drive me to madness

"Ahh!"

Adeline screamed as she spun around and bolted back toward the gates. But the wolf was faster. It struck her from behind with bruising force, the impact launching her into the air.

Adeline squeezed her eyes shut, braced for the collision with the pavement that would surely end her life.

Instead of cold stone, she slammed into a wall of solid, warm muscle. Strong arms coiled around her, anchoring her against a broad chest. She looked up, gasping for air, only to find herself staring into the golden eyes of the man she had been trying to escape.

Gideon.

"The wolf!" Adeline cried out, her voice frantic as she twisted in his grip.

She turned her head, expecting to see bared fangs, but the beast had skidded to a halt, its belly low to the ground in a posture of sudden, shivering submission.

Gideon didn’t say a word.

He lowered her to her feet, his touch lingering for only a fraction of a second before he vanished.

In less than a second, he intercepted the wolf, who had already begun to shift back into human form. Gideon’s hand shot out, catching the man by the throat.

With a flick of his wrist, Gideon hurled the man toward Micah. The Beta caught the man effortlessly and began dragging him back toward the palace gates without a word.

Adeline shivered, her breath hitching as Gideon turned his attention toward her.

She took a staggering step back. She was certain that this was the end, that the "Golden Alpha" would finish what the wolf had started.

He closed the distance in a single stride, his hand moving with lightning speed to catch her chin and tilt her face upward.

"When I said I liked you, Adeline, I meant it. Yet, you dared to betray me before the sun could even set. You truly are something else," Gideon murmured, his face so close that his breath fanned across her lips.

"I—I didn’t betray Your Highness," she managed to whisper, her voice fragile despite the frantic drumming of her heart.

"Weren’t you running from me?" Gideon asked. "I truly thought we would be a perfect match for one another."

Adeline was desperate to explain that the escape was the Luna Queen’s design, but the words withered in her throat. Before she could find her voice, Gideon swept her into his arms, carrying her in a bridal style.

She lowered her gaze as he strode back toward the palace. However, he bypassed the guest wing entirely, taking her instead to his private chambers.

The moment he lowered her onto the plush, oversized mattress, Adeline looked around the big room.

"Who told you about the back exit?" Gideon asked, dropping to one knee before her.

He lifted her bare foot, his thumb brushing away the soil from her skin. As he noticed a slight bruise beginning to fade, a dark frown marred his features.

"Speak!" he snapped, the sudden volume making her jump as his eyes locked onto hers.

"The lady," Adeline stammered. "I don’t know her name. I—I simply followed her."

"Why?"

The question hung in the air, but Adeline felt as though her throat had closed up.

"Do not force me to mark you right here, Adeline. You have no idea the level of patience I am currently exercising. You actually dared to leave me." His voice had returned to a terrifying calm that made her flinch more than his shout had.

A sharp knock at the door interrupted them. It was Micah.

"The man’s name is Jammie," the Beta reported from the threshold. "He claims he was acting on orders from someone within the palace, but he insists he doesn’t know who."

"Summon everyone to the main hall," Gideon ordered, rising to his full, imposing height. "Everyone shall witness what I do when someone dares to touch what is mine."

Adeline clasped her hands together, her knuckles white. She realized that if she named the Luna Queen now, she would ignite a chaotic fire that might burn her down first. What had she gotten herself into?

Micah bowed and retreated, leaving Gideon to look down at Adeline with an unreadable expression.

"If it was my mother," he stated, his voice dropping to a low whisper, "just tell me."

Adeline lifted her gaze. "I... I thought I wasn’t suitable for you," she whispered, clinging to the Luna Queen’s justification.

"That is exactly not what I intend to hear," Gideon stated. "You were brought here on the direct command of the Alpha King. Do you have even the slightest inkling of the gravity of your actions? It is one thing if you do not like me, Adeline. But to betray me while I was showing you mercy... that is enough to drive me to madness."

Adeline’s lips quivered, the weight of the secret pressing against her teeth. Despite the terrifying intensity of his gaze, she remained paralyzed, unable to bring Presley’s name to her tongue and ignite the fuse of a royal war.

"Fine. Remain silent if you wish, for you will surely speak once we reach the hall," Gideon pronounced coldly as he turned his back to her.

"I am a broken Omega, Prince," she blurted out, the words finally rushing over her lips. "And your mother... She cares for you. She only suggested a way to protect you from whatever curse you carry. I simply saw a chance for the freedom I’ve never been allowed to have."

Gideon spun on his heels with predatory speed. His hand moved to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair as he surged forward, drawing her so close that even the air between them vanished.

"No one cares for me," he hissed, his eyes burning with a dark, golden fire.

"You think I am a fool, don’t you? You placed your trust in the Luna Queen after a single meeting, yet you could not bring yourself to trust my words. Freedom? That is a word you will forget. I am going to show you exactly what happens when you listen to others, especially that woman."

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