Broken bonds: Loving the Lycan King

The sound of laughter and soft music playing in the background marked the mating ball in our pack. The celebration is held once every year with the aim of giving a chance to all unmated wolves to find their fated or chosen mates. Not everyone gets blessed to find their fated mate so they chose someone to spend the rest of their lives with. The mating ball is not limited to pack members only, unmated wolves from different packs are allowed to attend. Today, I heard that the Lycan king will be making his appearance. For a small pack like ours, I don't know why he would bother coming here. I mean, there's many powerful packs surrounding us. He could find a chosen mate there because rumour has it that he was cursed to never find his mate. I can tell that everyone is excited about tonight but I don't share the same excitement. If anything, I can't wait for the night to end so that I can go back to what I have been doing for the past six months. A knock on the door interrupted my train of thoughts and I wiped the tears that had managed to kiss my cheeks. My father pushed the door open, a smile on his face. I forced a smile in return. “ Are you ready, princess?” He asked and I nodded my head. “ You look beautiful tonight.” He commented and I gave him a weak smile. I know that I am beautiful, my father never stopped telling me that but even with all the beauty, I still didn't manage to keep him. “ You are just a spoiled princess without any brains. The only thing you have is your beauty. You can't offer anything to my pack.” When those words left his mouth, my world came crumbling down. I mean, he was my world. That's just how much I had exalted him in my life. He was the very air I needed to breathe and when those words slapped my face, I momentarily found it hard to breathe. “ You are thinking about him again.” My father asked, more like stated. “ Ophelia, don't you think it's about time you let it go? Why must you keep hurting yourself over a man who gives no s**t about you?” My father asked, his words reminding of the cruel reality that my mate didn't want me. He never did and even when he said those sweet nothings to me, he only wanted to get into my pants. “ You think that just because you are my mate I'll mark you? The only reason I brought you here is to experience how it feels to f**k my fated mate.” He spat before kicking me away from his house and pack like the garbage he saw me. Listening to my father, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at my misfortune. Of course I wanted to kick that asshole off my heart and mind but it wasn't as easy as they made it sound. Everytime I thought about all the fake promises he gave me, all the pitiful stares the pack members gave me made it even harder. “ Don't worry, I'm fine.” I replied, forcing yet another smile. The last thing I wanted was to make my father worry more about me. He had already done that in the last six months. He was there for me in my lowest moments. When everyone looked at me with shame and pity in their eyes , he would remind me how proud he was of me. “ I can't wait to see you smile genuinely at me. I miss my daughter who is cheerful and always puts smiles on other people's faces.” My father said, I could feel the pain in his voice. He always acts strong before me but I know that my situation breaks him inside. “ You won't have to wait for long, dad.” I assured and pulled him for a hug. After pulling away, he took my hand and led me to the ballroom. The chilling night breeze hit my face matching my heart. “You are going to prove to them that you are stronger than they thought. It's okay to break but that should not be the end of you. A Phoenix will always rise from the ashes and shine. You are my Phoenix.” My father's words brought a smile to my lips. Yes, it's okay to break but picking up those broken pieces and putting them together is more important. Stepping on the Red carpet holding my father's hands thrust me back to one year ago during the mating ceremony. He held my hand as we walked down the carpet, smiling affectionately at me. He made me believe I was special only to shatter my heart months later. “Isn't that Alpha Rivera's daughter? Why is she attending the mating ball this year? I thought she found her mate last year.” A curious soul asked in a low voice but the words still managed to reach my ears. “Haven't you heard? Her mate rejected her and kicked her away. She is so beautiful, it's such a pity.” Hearing their words, I contemplated turning around and leaving but my father squeezed my hand, reminding me to just ignore My father led me to the dance floor for the opening dance. Since he was the alpha, he was bound to give the opening dance. Since my mother died years ago and my father refused to take another mate, as his unmated daughter, I definitely filled in for the dancing partner. The music changed and I was surprised when the lyrics started playing. The person who chose that song either hated me or wanted to remind me that it was never enough what I got from him and that all stolen stars from the night sky would never be enough. Looking at my father sceptically, he shrugged his shoulders meaning he had nothing to do with the choice of song. Shoving any unpleasant thoughts, I decided to enjoy the moment as I followed my father's lead. Dancing with my father always felt so refreshing. It was like knowing that I will always have someone by my side even when the whole world turns against me. He will always have my back. When the first song came to an end, the lights were turned on and everyone applauded. After giving the opening speech, my father thanked everyone for coming. Soon enough, the dance floor was filled with couples swaying to the music. “ Can I have a dance with you?”