Page 53 of Cursed Alien

“This is Bella.” He placed a protective hand on her lower back. “My mate.”

“Indeed. We all believed you lost to the beast,” Seren said thoughtfully.

“I was. For many years.”

“And yet here you stand.”

“Bella helped free me from my beast. To an extent,” he added truthfully.

“I don’t know that I freed him,” she said quickly. “He did that himself. I just helped him see that his beast didn’t have to rule him.”

Seren nodded. “Interesting. And unexpected. No one has ever bonded with a cursed Vultor.”

His jaw tightened. “Bella is exceptional. And the bond between us is real.”

“I believe you,” the alpha said calmly. “Although others may not.” He turned to Bella. “What are your intentions toward Malrik?”

“I love him,” she stated without hesitation and his beast purred with satisfaction. “And I’m going to help him break this curse, once and for all.”

The other Vultor’s eyebrows rose, but a small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Do you mean you wish to rid him of his beast?”

“Of course not,” she said immediately, even as his beast growled. “It is a part of him and I love all of him.”

“In that case I would argue that the curse has already been lifted.”

He stiffened, and Bella gave him a shocked look before turning back to Seren.

“What do you mean?”

“All Vultor must balance both sides of their nature,” Seren explained. “The curse affects those who cannot control that balance—and once they are lost to their beast they do not return. At least they never have before. But the bond you share has broken the curse’s hold on him. That does not, however, mean that the beast will disappear.” He turned to Malrik. “You will always struggle to control both sides of your nature. It is the way of our people.”

“But if I can control my beast, then I’m no longer a danger. And I will not be an outcast.”

“That is correct.” Seren’s gaze sharpened. “But can you control it, Malrik? It will always be harder for you because your beast ruled for so long. There are those who will need to be convinced that your Vultor side is in control.”

Seren raised his hand and the three Vultor who had accompanied him stepped out of the woods. Malrik recognized one of them immediately—Korrin, the male whose female had been threatened by a human male. He didn’t know the other two—an elderly female who regarded him skeptically and a stern-faced warrior who matched him in size. His beast growled, already anticipating a threat. Bella must have sensed his reaction because she put a soothing hand on his arm.

“I believe you know Korrin,” Seren said calmly. “He wishes to speak on your behalf. Lena and Varro are council members. What do you seek from this Council?”

“I seek understanding,” he said simply. “A chance to reclaim my place among our people, not as a noble, but as a Vultor who has learned humility through suffering.”

The Council members exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable.

Seren’s voice was carefully neutral. “We have questions about your condition and your intentions.”

His beast bristled, but he had anticipated such questions.

“Go ahead.”

Lena, the old female, spoke first, looking skeptically at Bella’s hand on his arm.

“You think to control him, child?”

“Never,” his mate said immediately. “But if my touch provides comfort, I would not deny him that.”

“Humph.” Lena still looked skeptical, but she turned to him next. “How is it possible that you maintain your Vultor form? The curse of the unmated?—”

“Should have consumed me entirely,” he finished for her. “I know. For many years, it did.”

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