The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate-Chapter 128: A Woman With Blue Hair

Descending the stairs to the main hall where the event was taking place, Esme and the warriors were met with an unsettling sight. Every guest lay sprawled across the room, unconscious, and that included everyone, that is, except the guards they had neutralized earlier.

With a sharp intake of breath, Esme crouched beside one of the slumped figures, pressing two fingers against the guest’s neck. The pulse was steady, and a wave of relief mixed with concern washed over her.

She gently pried an empty glass from the guest’s hand, bringing it to her nose and inhaling deeply. A faint but unmistakable scent lingered, and a subtle frown settled on her face.

"They’re alive," she murmured, rising to her feet. "But I think their drinks were spiked with something that put them into a deep sleep."

She turned to Donovan as she explained, his face betraying no shock or concern at the scene before them. He knew what was going on, but it was as if the lives scattered at their feet were of no consequence to him.

However, his curiosity lingered, though it was clear that whether the guests lived or died hardly mattered to him.

"Is it the same as the ones you made?" He asked, and Esme shook her head.

"No," she replied, lifting the glass to her nose once more. After a moment, she carefully sniffed three more cups, along with the wine jugs from which everyone had been drinking. Maybe it was just her exaggerating, but her sense of smell seemed to have sharpened a bit.

"It’s different," she dropped the jug back on the table, frowning in confusion. "This feels more like they’ve been drugged, but none of it adds up. Think about it – demon wolves are closing in from a distance, and almost half of the region’s key figures are under the influence of something. Even Lennox wasn’t spared. Everyone here is drugged... everyone except the one who drugged them."

"The Alpha... and Jason," Acheron said, kicking aside an unconscious body with his foot. "Those two are nowhere to be found. But why does it matter what happens to these freaks? We’ve got what we came here for. We should gather the others and leave before those wolves arrive."

"You want us to leave?" Esme’s voice wavered, her eyes wide as she could hardly believe what Acheron was suggesting. "Do you really not consider the innocent lives here? The people of the North don’t even realize they’re about to be attacked, and the ones who should be defending them have been drugged."

Acheron scoffed at her remark, and he folded his arms. "And? Do you honestly think if the roles were reversed they’d lift a finger to help us? No. They’d probably join forces with those wolves and celebrate our downfall with a toast. I’m not laying my life on the line for people who wouldn’t think twice about watching us burn."

The warriors in the room shifted uncomfortably but didn’t challenge him. Their silent agreement with Acheron was clear; the centuries-old animosity between their kinds still ran deep. Even Althea, who seemed on the verge of speaking up, held her tongue as she glanced around the room to see that everyone’s mind had been made up.

"It’s quite obvious that the Alpha of the North orchestrated this," Donovan finally spoke, his voice cutting through the tense silence and drawing everyone’s gaze. "Why he would lead a colony of demon wolves to his own fortress remains questionable, but it’s his territory, his people, and the only one with actual rights to question his stupid actions is the king."

The silence that ensued made his voice sound bolder and authoritative as he continued. "Whatever unfolds here is not of our concern, as long as we stay uninvolved. This is their burden to bear, and I won’t risk my warriors for them. With Lothar and Revana guarding the main gate, the rest of us should focus on finding Finnian and Leonardo. We need to leave."

At his command, the warriors dispersed to do exactly as told. Esme immediately turned to Donovan, a plea on her lips, but before she could utter a word, he raised his hand to silence her, already walking away and with no intention of hearing her out.

"He knew if you said something, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from saying no to you," Althea said softly to Esme, resting a hand on her shoulder as they watched his imposing figure vanish around the corner.

"I also don’t want us to leave those innocent lives unprotected in the face of those demonic wolves," Althea sighed quietly, "but if the Alpha has made up his mind, then there’s nothing we can do to stop him." She paused, her voice softening. "I can’t blame him, though. If I were in his position, I’m not sure I’d want to help the same people who cast a spell to keep me imprisoned, the same ones who made him go through hell."

Esme remained silent, the weight of Althea’s words settling heavily on her. She couldn’t deny the truth of it, and that was the fact that Donovan had indeed suffered in the hands of Illyrians – betrayed and broken by the very people she wanted him to protect. If she were in his place, would she be any different? She doubted it.

But then again, this endless cycle of hatred, this is exactly what Donovan and his mother had tried to end when tragedy struck. Surely, a tiny part of his heart must still crave it, because what was the point of breaking the curse if everyone continued to cling to their bitterness?

His decision made sense, but that didn’t mean it was the right one.

"For now.... Just do as the Alpha says," Esme replied quietly. "I don’t know where he’s gone, but I’ll find him."

Althea nodded in understanding, and Esme turned, following the path Donovan had taken.

The hallway was eerie in its own nature, and the flickering candlelight casting unsettling shadows did nothing to ease her racing heart at all.

"Donovan?" Esme called out softly, her voice echoing faintly through the empty corridor. She moved deeper into the labyrinth of halls, her eyes sweeping over the dimly lit passageways as she turned corner after corner, hoping to catch sight of him.

After several twists and turns, she paused by one of the tall glass windows, glancing outside. Snow was falling gently, covering the ground in a soft, white blanket. The moon hung high in the dark sky, its pale light reflecting off the snow, but the scene outside was eerily still, no signs of life, not even footprints to disturb the untouched snow.

’Where could he have gone?’ Esme wondered, but she wouldn’t stop looking for him, not until she found him. He had always comforted her during hard times, and it was only fair for her to go to him if he needed one as well.

As she was about to head to the second staircase, a hand suddenly seized her from behind. Her eyes widened in shock as an arm unexpectedly snaked around her neck, while another hand clamped over her mouth, silencing the scream that threatened to escape.

"Blue hair, he said," Thadius sneered, his fat arm tightening around Esme’s throat as she struggled to break free. "I don’t recall inviting you to my event. Ay, you’re an imposter, aren’t yah?"

Esme wanted to shout for him to release her, but her cries were muffled beneath his hand, which had now clamped over her mouth, cutting off both her voice and her breath.

The pressure on her neck was suffocating, leaving her no time to process his words, and when desperation surged through her, she forced her legs to move. She stumbled backwards, driving Thadius into the wall behind him. The impact wasn’t enough to free her, so she jerked her head back, smashing it into his face.

Her skull collided with his nose, and a sickening crunch followed.

He let out a grunt of pain, his grip loosening just enough as he recoiled, clutching his now-bleeding nose. But Esme wasn’t finished. To ensure he doesn’t come after her, she snatched up a nearby vase from the table and swung it with all her strength at the side of his head. The ceramic shattered on impact, and Thadius crumpled to the floor.

’Way to go Esme, and you made a great speech about not harming others, but look at you. It doesn’t count if he deserved it.’

Justifying her actions, she tossed the broken remnants aside and bolted in a different direction, not sparing him another glance.

Thadius’s blue eyes burned with rage as the cursed marks on his neck began to spread, creeping down his arms and towards his hands. He could feel the curse tightening its grip, the time slipping away. He had to capture her and deliver her to his master before it consumed him completely.

"Get back here!" he bellowed, desperation laced in his voice. "Jason!"

His beta appeared instantly, eyes sharp as Thadius pointed in the direction Esme fled. "Find the woman with blue hair. Bring her to me."

Jason didn’t hesitate. Though he hadn’t seen whom his Alpha was referring to, he knew better than to question orders. He hurried towards the direction Thadius indicated, and he came up on the courtesans quarters.

The courtesans and slaves panicked and screamed when he barged into their rooms, searching for the elusive woman in blue hair. His sharp eyes raked the entire room filled with women, but none of them had blue hair.

"Has any woman with blue hair been seen in these quarters?" He demanded, his voice sharp and unyielding. The women before him exchanged nervous glances, their fear unmistakable as they shook their heads in denial.

Just as he turned to leave, a figure who had a scarf wrapped tightly around her head caught his gaze from the corner where she stood, and his eyes narrowed. "You there!" Without hesitation, he pushed past the women, reaching for the one with a scarf on her head and forcefully yanking it off.