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1611 Words
Hailey’s POV
My heart pounded violently as my gaze locked onto him, the man who exuded an aura so lethal that the very room seemed to shrink under his presence. His golden eyes gleamed with a dangerous intensity, watching me with unreadable curiosity and recognition slammed my mind.
The Lycan King. I had seen him before, when Austin's father died, he came.
The realization sent a shiver down my spine.
I took a step forward, drawn to him by something beyond logic, beyond reason. My entire body screamed for me to move closer, to touch him, to claim what was mine.
I never believed in fate. Not after what had happened to me. Not after the betrayal, the pain, the agony of my past life. But this—this undeniable pull between us was something I couldn’t ignore.
He was my mate. My second chance.
And yet, before I could take another step, a hand gripped my wrist, stopping me.
“Hailey, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”
Austin’s voice cut through the haze in my mind.
His touch burned me in the worst way, a disgusting contrast to the warmth I felt radiating from the Lycan King. I turned sharply, my stomach twisting in repulsion as I yanked my wrist free.
“Don’t touch me.” My voice was ice, my glare sharp enough to cut through steel.
Austin blinked, clearly taken aback. “What’s gotten into you?” He followed my gaze and tensed when he saw the man I had been walking toward. “Hailey,” his voice dropped, his grip on my arm tightening slightly, “you shouldn’t anger him.”
I scowled and slapped his hand away. “And why the hell do you care?”
Austin exhaled sharply, his expression conflicted. “That man—he’s the Lycan King.”
I already knew that, but hearing Austin say it only confirmed how much danger I was truly in. The Lycan King wasn’t just any ruler, he was the most powerful being in the kingdom. A ruthless, merciless leader feared by all.
But I wasn’t afraid.
I had already died once.
This was my second chance, surely, the Moon Goddess would have a reason for pairing me again.
Without another word, I ignored Austin and strode toward him.
The crowd around him parted instinctively, sensing the deadly energy that radiated from him. He didn’t move, didn’t shift an inch as I approached. His eyes remained fixed on me, their depths swirling with something I couldn’t quite decipher.
I stopped a few feet away, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs. The scent of him was exquisite, filling my lungs and making my body hum with unspoken desire.
He didn’t speak. He only watched.
I straightened my shoulders, refusing to be intimidated.
“May I sit?” I asked, my voice steady despite the chaos in my mind.
His gaze shifted briefly to the chair beside him before returning to me. After a long pause, he gave a slow, deliberate nod.
I lowered myself into the chair, my movements careful. He continued to watch me, his expression blank.
Silence stretched between us for a while until then, I cleared my throat. “You can feel it, right?”
A glint crossed his eyes slightly, but before I could continue, his lips parted, and he spoke for the first time.
“I don’t want a mate.”
His voice was deep, smooth, yet laced with an unyielding finality.
His words slammed into me like a physical blow.
I blinked, momentarily stunned. He… didn’t want a mate?
Anger flared in my chest. I had been discarded, humiliated, and betrayed in my past life. And now, my second chance, my fated mate was rejecting me before I even had the chance to process it?
Rage simmered beneath my skin.
I clenched my jaw and inhaled sharply, forcing my emotions into submission. If he didn’t want me, then fine. I would cut this bond before it could even begin.
I opened my mouth, ready to utter the words that would sever our connection forever.
“I, Hailey Grayson, reject—”
“Don’t.” The single word was laced with power, a command that rumbled through the very air between us.
I froze, my breath catching in my throat.
The atmosphere in the room shifted dangerously, a wave of raw dominance crashing over me. His golden eyes bore into mine, a silent warning hidden beneath their depths.
“Dare to spill those words,” he murmured, his voice low and deadly, “and I will make you regret it.”
A shiver ran through me. Not out of fear—but out of something far more dangerous.
Challenge.
I tilted my chin, meeting his gaze without flinching. “So you don’t want a mate, but you won’t let me reject you?”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “Correct.”
I scoffed. “That’s not how this works, Your Majesty.”
He leaned forward slightly, his scent washing over me in a suffocating wave. “It is when I am the Lycan King.”
Arrogant bastard!
My fingers curled into fists beneath the table. He was playing a dangerous game. Did he think I was just another weak-willed girl who would sit quietly and accept whatever fate he dictated?
Not a damn chance.
I exhaled sharply, forcing a smirk onto my lips. “You can’t control fate.”
His gaze burned into me, something dangerous glinting behind his golden eyes. “Fate is a bastard”
For a moment, it seemed like I felt the weight of his words. It wasn’t just anger. It wasn’t just defiance. It was something more.
The bond pulling us right now pulsed like a living thing, stretching taut, begging to be acknowledged.
And yet, he refused.
And now, I refused to let him have the upper hand.
I leaned forward, mirroring his movement, my lips curling into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “You might be the King, Almighty and powerful,” I said softly, “but that doesn’t mean you can dictate how this ends.”
A ghost of a smirk played at the corner of his lips. “You think you have a choice?”
I arched a brow. “I know I do.”
His eyes gleamed “We’ll see about that.” His gaze burned into mine, his words still echoing in my mind.
I don’t want a mate. The arrogance. The audacity.
I clenched my fists beneath the table, my nails digging into my palms.
He didn’t want a mate, but he wouldn’t let me reject him either. He thought he could dictate how this played out.
His confidence sent a surge of defiance through me. I refused to be toyed with. Not by Austin. And definitely not by him.
Before I could bite back with another retort, a hand grabbed my wrist roughly, yanking me backward.
I stiffened.
Austin.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Hailey?” he hissed in my ear, his fingers digging into my skin. “Are you insane? This is the King. Do you have a death wish?”
My stomach churned at his touch, the same touch that had once brought me comfort. Now, it only repulsed me.
I wrenched my arm free and turned to glare at him. “Let go of me.”
His jaw clenched. “We need to talk Hailey.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I snapped, but Austin wasn’t listening.
He reached for me again, his grip harsher this time. “Enough. You’re coming with me.”
A low growl rumbled through the air, sending chills coursing through me, Austin wasn't left out. No one was.
The sound wasn’t human.
It was deep, primal, and filled with an promise of death.
I turned my head just in time to see the Lycan King, Zero—slowly rising from his seat.
The entire hall went still.
His gaze locked onto Austin, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
The weight of his power crashed over everyone, maddeningly terrifying.
“Touch her again…” Zero’s voice was calm, almost lazy. But the threat in his tone was unmistakable.
Austin hesitated, his grip loosening slightly.
“…and I will personally rip your head off your shoulders.”
The words weren’t shouted. They weren’t loud. But they were deadly.
Austin swallowed, his face paling.
Zero didn’t blink. Didn’t move.
He didn’t need to. His presence alone was enough to make the entire room tremble.
Austin’s jaw tightened, his pride warring with his survival instincts.
But he knew. We all knew.
One wrong move, and he’d be dead before he could take his next breath.
I held my breath, waiting.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, Austin slowly, reluctantly dropped his hand off me.
I released a long breath, but my body remained tense.
Zero’s gaze darted towards me once again, dangerously sharp “Sit,” he ordered.
And …I obeyed.
Austin stormed out, his expression thunderous, but I barely spared him a glance. My focus remained on the man before me—the Lycan King Zero.
His presence alone was deadly, a force of nature that demanded attention. Everything about him screamed power, from the deadly aura that clung to him like a second skin to the golden eyes that never wavered.
I was still reeling from the realization that this man, this dangerous, enigmatic man—was my mate.
But before I could process the gravity of it, his next words shattered my thoughts.
“I already have a wife.”
- Writer
