The Alpha's Mark

Chapter 106: The Main Target Is you, Odesse!

The night air in the Moonlight Pack was light and thin, yet inside the palace walls, the atmosphere felt heavier and more suffocating than ever. In the dimly lit royal bedchamber, a cool breeze brushed through the open terrace doors, but rather than bringing relief, the chilling wind only seemed to make the room feel tighter, charged with an invisible tension.

The silence broke with the faint twist of the door handle. The heavy oak door swung open, and Valex stepped inside, closing it gently behind him. A soft, weary smile touched his lips as his eyes immediately drifted toward the grand bed, where Odesse lay fast asleep. His expression softened, and he began to walk toward her, but he stopped dead in his tracks before even reaching the mattress.

His brows furrowed deeply. He stood completely still, breathing in slowly as his nostrils flared. "This scent..." he murmured, his voice a low, gravelly whisper.

Stepping closer to the bed, he leaned over his sleeping wife, sniffing the air around her skin and hair. His jaw clenched. "The High Chief..." He leaned down to inhale one more time, then stood up completely straight, his amber eyes turning stoic and cold. "What other scent is this?" he muttered to the empty room. "Where did you go, my love?"

After a few tense minutes, Odesse stirred beneath the sheets. She shifted slightly, letting out a soft, groaning sigh as she began to stretch. But as she extended her legs, they blocked against a solid form at the edge of the bed. Her eyelashes fluttered open. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked toward the foot of the mattress and found Valex sitting there, staring at her in absolute silence.

She sat upright, her voice raspy and thick with sleep. "My king... when did you return?"

Valex forced a gentle smile, his gaze locked on her face. "Did I wake you, my love?"

Odesse shook her head sideways, lifting her arms to stretch before letting out a soft yawn. "No, of course not, my king."

Valex shifted closer, resting his hand over her blanket-covered legs. "How was your day, my love?"

Odesse smiled softly, keeping her voice light. "It was good. Nothing especially eventful happened."

Valex’s smile tightened, turning forced and rigid. "So, you rested all day, my love?"

Odesse gave a slow nod.

"And how is your body?" he asked.

She sighed quietly, looking down. "It is still a bit sore. And it is going to get worse tonight, even."

A flash of genuine pain crossed Valex’s features. Moving closer, he waited for her to fold her legs comfortably before pulling her flush against his chest, wrapping his powerful arms around her. "My love, I do not want your body to hurt," he whispered into her neck. "It hurts me deeply that it does. But... I am very glad you stayed and rested today."

As he spoke, he buried his face in her hair, sniffing the strands intently. Odesse caught the sudden movement and pulled back slightly, her brows knitting together. "Why did you sniff my hair, my king?"

Valex hesitated, his chest rising and falling heavily. When he looked at her, the warmth in his eyes was replaced by a piercing, wounded look. "Why did you tell me a lie, my love?"

Odesse’s eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat as Valex slowly released his hold and stepped back, breaking their embrace. She looked up at him, her heart hammering. "What do you mean, my king?"

"You say you were in the palace all day," Valex said, his voice tightening with every word. Odesse nodded out of reflex, but Valex shook his head. "My love, you were not in this bedchamber all day. No... you were not even in the palace. Cut the facade entirely—you were not in the pack all day."

Odesse stared at him, a sudden wave of numbness washing over her feet. She looked down, unable to meet his gaze.

Valex pressed his palm against his forehead, a heavy, ragged sigh escaping his lips. "Do you not trust me, my love? Is that why you resort to lying to me?"

"No, that is not it, my king," Odesse said quickly, her voice cracking as she shook her head sideways.

Valex looked back at her, the anger in his eyes instantly melting into a soft, desperate worry. His tone became incredibly gentle. "Did you go visit the High Chief, my love?"

Odesse hesitated, her fingers clenching the silk sheets, before she finally gave a slow, guilty nod. "I did."

"You did?" Valex’s voice fractured with intense worry. "Odesse, that is incredibly dangerous. You promised me you would rest today. What if something had happened to you out there and I wasn’t even aware?"

Odesse looked up at him, her eyes pooling with sincerity. "I am truly sorry, my king. It was incredibly reckless of me, and I deeply apologize."

Valex reached out, his large hand gently cupping her pale cheek. "My love, I know that whatever reason you had to meet the High Chief must have been important and connected to Azure. But please, tell me next time. I will gladly accompany you."

Odesse nodded slowly, leaning into his touch. "Yes, my king. I promise. I apologize."

Relief washed over Valex’s face. He leaned in, pressing a tender, lingering kiss against her forehead, before pulling her back into a safe, protective hug. "It is okay, my love. I am just very happy you are safe."

For a long moment, silence filled the room as Odesse smiled against his shoulder, letting herself melt into his familiar warmth. But the quiet didn’t last. Valex gently pulled back, his brow furrowing again as he studied her face. "Why did you go see the High Chief? And... you also went to an unfamiliar place. I can smell it on you, but I cannot quite sniff out what it is."

Odesse took a steadying breath, deciding to lay everything bare. "I went to meet the High Chief because I needed his official permission to get into the Royal Library."

"The Royal Library?" Valex repeated, the puzzle pieces clicking in his mind. "So that was the unfamiliar scent. Why did you need to go in there, my love?"

"Because I needed to find a clue," Odesse said, her eyes turning sharp with determination. "I cannot just sit here and do nothing while she tears us apart."

Valex leaned closer, his interest piqued. "Did you find anything worthy, my love?"

Odesse smiled warmly, a spark of genuine triumph in her eyes. "Yes, I did, my king." She shifted, sitting comfortably on the mattress, and took Valex’s hands in hers. "There was an ancient archive book, my king. And inside, there was a specific text written about the curse."

"What did it say, my love?"

Odesse looked directly into Valex’s amber eyes. "I do not know if I can recall the exact words, my king," she murmured, closing her eyes to concentrate. "But I shall try..."

Deep in thought, she began to recite the text from memory, her voice steady and clear, delivering the ancient words as if the yellowed pages were open right in front of her:

"The link is absolute, drawing life from the targets designated by the caster’s intent. However, the curse possesses no independent eyes; it relies entirely upon the caster’s absolute belief of ownership. Should the target redirect the tether through a higher authority, the curse undergoes a Mirror Shift. The caster remains blind, their senses deceived by their own arrogance, completely unaware that the magic has turned inward to drain the new host. Yet, no mortal frame can generate such systemic malice without a physical vessel. The life force drawn by the Cruor Link must be stored within an earthly anchor—a physical object placed within the vicinity of the targets. If the anchor is intact, the spell endures. But beware: should the caster realize they have been deceived before the anchor is destroyed, the curse will implode, taking both the caster and the host into absolute destruction."

Odesse slowly opened her eyes, her voice dropping into a chilling, quiet whisper. "The text concluded with this: ’The caster is the only one who can lift the spell.’"

Valex stared at her, completely stunned. A proud, amazed smile broke across his face. "How did you manage to remember all of that?"

Odesse smiled softly back at him. "The words were far too important to leave my memory, my king."

Valex reached up, his thumb tenderly tracing her jawline. "My wife is very smart. Truly impressive."

Odesse felt a warm blush creep up her cheeks, her stoic mask completely melting under his praise. Valex slowly lowered his hand, his expression turning deeply analytical as he processed the information. "So, what this means is that the curse itself is entirely blind."

Odesse nodded firmly. "Yes, my king. It doesn’t have eyes or a mind of its own. It only hits the target because the caster—Azure—fully believes she owns them. It runs entirely on the caster’s intent and ego."

"Right," Valex agreed, his eyes narrowing. "It feeds entirely from Azure’s ego and narcissistic energy. But you mentioned a Mirror Shift..."

"Yes," Odesse explained. "That means what I did in the spiritual realm with the Moon Spirit—redirecting the spell to myself—perfectly triggers this rule. Because of Azure’s immense arrogance, she is completely unable to perceive the shift on her own. Meaning... I never actually needed to ask for an illusion. The curse has a built-in illusion fixed into its own mechanics."

"And there is an anchor," Valex continued, his voice dropping into a dangerous register. "A physical anchor."

"Yes," Odesse said, her jaw tightening. "And I firmly believe it is hidden somewhere in the Hispo region, because they were her presumed original targets before she brought the threat to us."

Valex’s face suddenly went completely blank. The warmth vanished from his eyes as a terrifying realization struck him. He locked eyes with Odesse, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "But this last part, my love... if Azure figures out that you have redirected the curse to yourself, the spell will implode. You will both get killed." He moved incredibly close, his grip on her hands tightening to the point of pain. "There is no possible way Azure is not aware of these rules, Odesse. She cast the spell."

The lingering excitement vanished from Odesse’s face, replaced by a heavy, grim shadow of worry. "I know what you are thinking, my king," she whispered softly. "And yes... you are entirely right."

Valex stared at her, the horrifying truth settling deep into his chest. "She did it on purpose... she is completely aware of the suicide clause."

Odesse’s voice cracked, dropping to a low, breathless tone. "The High Chief was right. Azure is the type of woman who will gladly kill herself, if it means destroying her enemy in the process. She knows I will try to redirect the spell to save the pack, but she doesn’t know when I would do it because her senses are blinded by the Mirror Shift. And if she ever finds out that I have..."

Odesse paused, her eyes widening as the final, terrifying piece of the puzzle fell into place. She looked at her husband with absolute dread.

"The Hisponians and you were never her main target, my king," Odesse whispered, the realization shaking her to her core. "I was. She was just looking for the easiest way to get to me."