Marked by the Cursed CEO Alpha-Chapter 38: Possessive
The moment Riven stepped into Kaelen’s office, he felt it.
The air was thick, charged, heavy with barely contained violence. Furniture had been shoved aside, a deep groove carved into the hardwood floor where claws had scraped before being forcibly withdrawn.
Kaelen stood near the center of the room,his shoulders rigid, breath harsh, eyes glowing faintly silver.
"Kaelen," Riven said sharply.
The Alpha didn’t turn.
The curse was awake now fully stirring, rolling beneath his skin like a storm denied release. His wolf paced violently, snarling, furious at the restraint being forced upon it.
’You are rejecting her.’
Kaelen’s hands trembled at his sides. "I am holding it," he said through clenched teeth.
"You are bleeding control," Riven shot back.
The pressure surged again, violent this time. Kaelen staggered one step forward, catching himself against the wall as the growl tore loose from his throat raw and dangerous.
Kaelen felt it slipping not all at once but in fractures but the small breaks in control he could no longer seal fast enough.
His breathing had turned uneven, the room pulsing faintly with the echo of his wolf’s agitation. The curse rolled beneath his skin, no longer contained enough for now but awake and furious at the denial being forced on it.
Riven watched him carefully, tension coiled tight in his posture.
"Kaelen," he said, stepping closer. "This isn’t stabilizing."
Kaelen braced both hands against the edge of the table, knuckles whitening. "Do not bring her here."
Riven froze.
"I am serious," Kaelen said, voice rough, every word dragged out through restraint. "She stays out of this."
Another surge ripped through him—hot, violent, demanding. Kaelen hissed sharply, shoulders locking as his wolf slammed against the cage he’d built.
Riven didn’t argue.
He didn’t raise his voice.
He simply reached for his phone.
Kaelen’s head snapped up. "Riven—don’t."
"She calmed it last time," Riven said quietly. "And you know it."
"She is not a solution," Kaelen growled. "She is not a tool."
"No," Riven agreed. "She is your anchor."
Kaelen staggered forward as another wave hit, stronger than before. His control frayed, silver flashing dangerously bright in his eyes.
Riven didn’t wait for permission.
He turned away and spoke sharply into the phone. "Get Lyra Hale, now. Bring her straight to the executive floor."
Kaelen let out a raw sound, fury and fear colliding. "If anything happens to her—"
"I won’t let it," Riven said firmly. "But I won’t let you tear the city apart either."
The curse surged again, vicious and impatient.
And somewhere across the building, Lyra nearly collapsed.
The pressure inside her chest spiked without warning, sharp enough to make her gasp and grip the edge of her desk. Her vision blurred, pain radiating outward like something was being pulled too tight from the inside.
"Lyra?" Mira’s voice sounded distant. "Hey—are you okay?"
Lyra shook her head weakly, unable to speak.
Then a man was there. His face tense, eyes darting as he took in her condition.
"Miss Hale," he said carefully. "I need you to come with me, now."
"I—can’t—" Lyra whispered, breath shaking.
"Yes, you can," he said, panic slipping through his professionalism as he steadied her when her knees buckled. "I have got you."
He half-lifted her, one arm braced firmly around her shoulders as he guided her toward the elevator.
Every step hurt.
The doors slid shut behind them and the space immediately felt too small.
Lyra doubled slightly, a quiet cry tearing from her throat as the pain intensified, clawing through her chest and down her spine.
"I am sorry," the man muttered, gripping her tighter. "I was told just get you there."
She clutched at his jacket, nails digging in as another wave hit, leaving her trembling.
"I can’t—" she gasped.
"Yes, you can," he repeated, voice shaking now. "Just hold on, please."
The elevator climbed and each floor felt heavier than the last.
Lyra pressed her forehead against his shoulder, fighting to stay conscious as something deep inside her strained toward something she couldn’t see but could feel.
The doors chimed open on the Executive floor.
And somewhere beyond those doors, an Alpha was losing a battle he had sworn never to let her fight.
....
[Inside Kaelen’s office]
The moment Kaelen saw her everything snapped.
Lyra stumbled into the office, barely upright, skin pale, breath uneven, eyes glassy with pain and fear. She looked fragile in a way that tore something loose inside him.
The curse surged violently and Kaelen’s restraint shattered.
A roar tore from his chest, deep and feral, the sound reverberating through the room as power slammed outward.
The air thickened, pressure exploding against the walls, lights flickering violently overhead.
"NO."
He moved before anyone could react.
Riven barely had time to turn.
Kaelen’s hand closed around his collar, lifting him clean off the floor and slamming him into the wall with bone-rattling force.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO BRING HER," Kaelen thundered, his eyes blazing silver, voice layered with something ancient and enraged.
Riven choked, hands gripping Kaelen’s wrist. "Kaelen—listen to me—"
The man who had brought Lyra froze, then released her immediately, stumbling backward as the Alpha’s fury swallowed the room.
Lyra staggered, hitting the wall hard.
Her heart slammed painfully as she stared at Kaelen.
This wasn’t the man she had seen in her apartment, this wasn’t controlled or human.
This was a monster barely leashed.
Riven forced his voice through clenched teeth. "Alpha—don’t—let it win. Don’t let the curse win."
Kaelen’s grip tightened and the floor cracked beneath his feet.
Lyra’s breath came in shallow, panicked gasps as she pressed herself into the corner, terror flooding her veins.
She had never seen power like this, never felt the room itself bow under someone’s rage.
Riven turned his head just enough to look at her. "Lyra," he rasped. "Do something."
Kaelen’s head snapped toward her instantly.
"Do not take her name," he snarled.
The sound was possessive and commanding.
Kaelen hurled Riven across the room like he weighed nothing.
Riven hit the wall hard, a sharp groan tearing from his throat as he slid down, clearly injured.
Lyra screamed.
The man who had escorted her reacted on instinct, rushing forward and grabbing Riven under the arms.
"Sir—" he started, panic thick in his voice.
"Get out," Kaelen growled.
....
