Chapter One: The Curse of a Prince
Lior Solavar
"How can he be king when he hasn't even found his mate?" Father's voice thundered through the study. His anger was sharp, his disappointment heavier than the throne he guarded. "He is not worthy to sit where I sit!"
Every word pierced deeper than steel. I stood in silence beside my sister, Perl, while Father's eyes burned holes through me.
He wasn't wrong. I was cursed. One reckless night had changed everything.
Mirella. Beautiful. Seductive. A witch.
I never thought she would trap me with magic.
I didn't want her promises. Didn't want the future she whispered about while lying against my chest. I wanted nothing to do with her dreams.
When she asked for her virginity back which was absurd and impossible...I refused. That's when her tears turned to venom, and she cursed me.
"Only when you find the one whose soul threads intertwine with yours will your curse break. Until then, every pleasure will taste like ash, and every kiss will burn with emptiness."
At first, I thought it was a joke. But as the weeks passed, every kiss soured on my lips. Every woman's touch left me hollow. Mirella's words were no spell of smoke they were the truth.
"Dad, calm down," Perl's voice broke through my thoughts. "Lior will find his mate. The curse will be broken."
Father didn't look convinced. His glare cut deeper.
"One month. That's all I give you. If you don't find your mate by then… forget about the throne."
"Yes, Father," I forced out, though my chest felt like stone.
"Leave me," he ordered.
Perl slipped out first. I turned to follow, but Father's voice stopped me cold.
"Lior… don't disappoint me."
I nodded silently and shut the door.
***
Perl was waiting for me in the passage, arms crossed.
"You need to find your mate, Lior. Otherwise, you're finished. And this time, I won't be here to calm Father down."
"How am I supposed to?" I muttered. "I can't just shout her name and expect her to appear. I have been searching..."
"No." Perl cut me off sharply. "You weren't searching. You were fooling around. Be serious for once. You don't have much time, and Father is already furious. I can't keep defending your foolishness. I'm married now. You need to stop being an arrogant brat and start acting like the leader this kingdom needs. Do you promise me?"
Her words pressed me into a corner I couldn't escape. I hated it. But she was right.
"I promise. I'll do better," I said, forcing a smile.
She smiled too, though her worry lingered. "You always worry me, Lior."
As we walked the palace corridors, her guards and maids trailed behind like shadows. I gestured at the crowd.
"So much security? Isn't this a bit much?"
"My husband wants me safe," she replied with pride. "He lent me his best men."
I leaned close. "Is he bullying you, Perl?"
She pinched my cheek hard.
"Ouch!" I hissed.
"Cry baby," she said, laughing. "He worships me. He treats me like I'm made of glass."
"Sies." I grimaced. "Now you're making me like your husband."
She laughed harder. "Stop it. Ray is mine. Don't look at me like that."
"What look?" I smirked.
"That one." She pulled a disgusted face, and we both chuckled.
" I didn't make that face. "
"Yes you did."
"I'm sorry okay. " I say smilling
"You are forgiven."
"You're short, sis. You need more vitamins," I teased.
"Oh, I get all my vitamins," she winked. "Especially the vitamin D."
"Fuck!" I groaned, pulling away. "You didn't need to say that."
"Well, you asked. I answered." She laughed even louder while I stormed off, frowning.
"Lior!" she called after me, still laughing. I didn't turn back.
***
Later that night, I wandered into Kigali Forest. Ray White might be a Werewolf Alpha, but that didn't mean I had to like him just because he married my sister.
The forest was alive with sound...waterfalls rumbling in the distance, owls calling in the branches. I breathed in the night, calm for the first time in days. Until…
Footsteps.
I froze. Sniffed the air.
Two trails...one rogue vampire… and four Bloodbound hunters.
Damn.
I followed silently, fast and unseen. Soon I spotted them: the rogue trapped in a circle of glowing red ash, four hunters surrounding him.
Another one of them stepped forward...different from the rest. His hair was black, not red like the other four, and a spear gleamed in his left hand.
Before I could blink, he drove it through the vampire's heart. The scream tore through the forest. Ash scattered into the night.
"So cruel," I muttered.
"We're done here," the black-haired hunter said, his voice sharp and final.
I didn't stay to watch. I ran. Not out of fear but survival. I wasn't about to die tonight.
Cursed or not I refuse.
Branches lashed at me as I sprinted through the dark, but their footsteps thundered behind me.
I darted left, vaulted over roots, dodged low branches ...until my foot slipped.
"Shit!"
The ground vanished beneath me. I grabbed a branch just before tumbling into the rocky abyss below. My heart pounded as the hunters' voices grew closer.
"He came this way!" one shouted.
"Then where is he?" another demanded.
I bit down on my breath, clinging to the branch with everything I had. As their footsteps faded into the distance.
For now… I was safe.
But something told me my curse had just led me straight into fate's hands.