The Alpha's Cursed Mate novel Prologue

She sat down on the deck of her wooden cottage, folding the heap of clean laundry, a contented smile on her face. Her little daughter played before her, a game of hopscotch. Even if she was alone, even if they were far away from their fellow members, they didn't need anyone else. At six, her daughter was smarter than most kids her age, one of the reasons she played by herself as the other kids didn't like the little smart one. It didn't matter, her daughter paid no mind to it. They had each other, that's what matters.

Shoving the last folded sheet into the yellow basket, she stood on her feet and stretched to her full length. Now all she had to do was deliver the clean laundry, get paid and dinner is served. Climbing onto the deck, she snapped her fingers at her daughter.

"Darling, I'm going to deliver the laundry, don't stay out too long. If I take too long—"

"Go ahead to pick the tomatoes and mushrooms, I know, Mother. You just go, it'll be done before you return." The woman smiled and nodded, that is precisely why her life was easy. They cared for each other not just as a mother to a daughter, but also as siblings. She went inside, grabbed her coat, and returned. She picked up the basket and gave her daughter a kiss before running off. She still had to get to the market to purchase the fish her daughter likes, that'll definitely please the young girl who works so hard to give her a reason to remain alive.

In less than two hours, she was done with her delivery and purchasing some groceries from the market. Rushing back home with her basket filled and a sack flung over her shoulder, she returned to her comfortable home. Her daughter was no longer outside. She smiled. She carried the sack and basket inside, heading straight to the kitchen. However, just three steps into the kitchen, her enhanced hearing picked up on the pain-filled whimper of her daughter.

Without hesitation, she flung the sack on the wooden floor, but gently dropped the basket. Whirling around, she sped over to the bedroom they both share. Knocking the door out of her way, she was greeted with a confusing sight. Her baby girl lay on the floor, twisting herself as she cried and jerked. The hair growing on her skin, the half-shifted face, the extended claws. Her daughter was shifting.