His Bride, His Curse

Lyria stood at the edge of the ruined outpost, the cold wind whipping her torn uniform against her bruised skin. The world had not welcomed her back.

Her so-called comrades kept their distance, their hands twitching toward their weapons. Their eyes darted between her and the creature at her side—the monster with darkened flesh, piercing gold eyes, and an unsettling stillness that made every soldier present grip their rifles just a little tighter.

She could hear the whispers.

"She should be dead."How did she survive an S-Class hunt?"And that thing beside her… what the hell is it?"

Lyria said nothing.

She didn't have to. The beast standing beside her did not snarl or bear its fangs, yet the tension in the air was suffocating. His mere presence was enough to instill a silent fear in men who had faced horrors beyond imagination.

She lifted her chin, ignoring the way her superior, Captain Aderin, studied her with barely concealed suspicion. He had been the one to send her to die. Now, faced with her return, he seemed unsure whether to be impressed or horrified.

"State your name and rank," Aderin ordered finally.

Lyria's lips curved, but there was no warmth in the gesture. "You already know both."

Aderin's eyes flickered to the monster at her side. "And it?"

The creature tilted its head, golden eyes flashing with something unreadable. It stepped forward, and the soldiers took a collective step back.

Then, he spoke.

"Lyria." His voice was deep, rich—almost human, but laced with something more, something ancient. He turned to her, ignoring the others entirely. "Why do you let them speak to you this way?"

Aderin stiffened, and so did the rest of the soldiers. Lyria felt the ripple of unease settles into something more dangerous—fear, laced with the sharp edge of hostility. If she did not answer carefully, she knew exactly how this would end.

But Lyria had never been careful.

"Because they are afraid," she said simply. "And fear makes men desperate."

The monster—her monster—let out a low hum, something close to amusement. "Should I kill them?"

A ripple of panic went through the squad. Rifles lifted in unison, aimed at the beast's head, but Lyria raised a single hand, stopping him before blood could be spilled.

"No," she murmured, gaze locked onto Aderin. "Not yet."

The words sent a different kind of shiver down their spines. Not yet.

Aderin inhaled sharply. "You will be detained," he stated. "Both of you. Until we determine what happened on that battlefield and what exactly that thing is."

Lyria tilted her head, mirroring the creature beside her. "You don't have the power to detain him," she said.

Aderin narrowed his eyes. "Then we will detain you."

A low growl rumbled from deep within the monster's chest, the air around them thickening with something unnatural. The dirt at his feet cracked, and shadows twisted unnaturally, dark tendrils licking at the ground like a living entity.

Lyria exhaled, then turned to face him. "No bloodshed. Not here."

He studied her, his golden eyes flickering with something unreadable. For a moment, she thought he might disobey. Then, without another word, the energy around him dissipated.

It was Lyria who took the step forward this time. "Fine. Detain us." She smirked. "Let's see how long that lasts."

The Holding Cells

The cell was cold. It did not bother her.

Lyria sat with her back against the reinforced steel wall, watching the monster—her monster—stand in the center of the room, arms folded as if unimpressed by their so-called prison.

She was amused by how they had separated them—placed her in one holding cell, him in another, divided only by a wall of reinforced glass.

They had no idea what they were dealing with.

"You let them take you so easily," the creature mused. "Do you truly intend to let them decide your fate?"

Lyria chuckled, shifting to stretch out her legs. "Of course not."

He tilted his head, golden eyes watching her intently. "You do not fear me."

It was not a question.

Lyria met his gaze. "Should I?"

A long pause. Then, a slow, knowing smile curled his lips.

"You are mine," he murmured, stepping closer to the glass. "And that… makes you something far worse than me."

Lyria leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees. "Is that so?"

"Yes." He studied her, something unreadable passing through his gaze. "You are the first to survive my presence. The first to… tame me." His lips curved into something almost amused. "Or perhaps you are simply as monstrous as I am."

Lyria did not smile.

She thought of the moment she had first seen him—when she had been seconded from death, her blood mixing with the dirt, her body broken and failing. She thought of the way he had stood over her, not as a killer, but as something else. Something waiting.

"You never intended to kill me, did you?" she murmured.

His golden eyes darkened. "No."

Lyria inhaled slowly, then leaned back against the wall. "Then tell me, monster. What do you intend to do with me?"

A slow, wicked grin spread across his face.

"Make you mine."

The Awakening

They came for her at dawn.

Soldiers filed into the room, weapons raised. Aderin stood at the front, his expression cold.

"You are to be transferred," he said. "High command has decided that you are no longer a soldier. You are a liability."

Lyria stood slowly. She did not fight as they bound her wrists in cold metal. She did not resist as they led her from the cell.

But when the doors behind her closed, sealing her monster away, she finally turned her head.

For the first time, she saw something dangerous flicker in his gaze—something far more violent than before.

The lights in the facility flickered. A pressure built in the air, thick and suffocating.

And then, a voice. Low, dark, and final.

"You will regret this."

The steel doors groaned under an unseen force. The soldiers tensed, stepping back instinctively.

Aderin cursed. "Move!"

But it was already too late.

The walls cracked.

The air turned black.

And a monster's rage shook the earth itself.

To Be Continued...