The Vampire's werewolf mate

Chapter 2

The Prince She Was Meant to Hate

Lyra POV

I barely remembered how I got back to the castle.

My body ached from the battle, but I hardly noticed.

There was only one thing occupying my mind.

Mate.

That single word echoed over and over inside my head.

It felt like a curse.

As I walked through the castle gates, I noticed injured warriors being carried inside.

"Take the wounded to the infirmary," I ordered the maids.

"Treat the worst injuries first."

"Yes, Princess."

I continued walking without waiting for another response.

Every servant who passed bowed respectfully.

Normally, I'd acknowledge them.

Tonight...

I couldn't.

My mind was somewhere else.

I reached my bedroom and pushed the doors open.

Several maids were already waiting beside a steaming bath.

"Princess, we've prepared—"

"Leave."

The room fell silent.

The maids exchanged confused glances.

"Now."

Without another word, they hurried out, closing the doors behind them.

The moment I was alone...

I couldn't hold it together anymore.

I paced around my room, running both hands through my hair.

"How?"

I stopped walking.

"Why?"

My breathing became uneven.

"A vampire?"

I laughed bitterly.

"No..."

"No, no, no."

"This can't be."

I shook my head repeatedly as if I could erase the memory.

"There has to be some mistake."

"The Moon Goddess wouldn't do this to me."

Would she?

I looked toward the ceiling.

"What did I do wrong?"

"I prayed for a mate..."

"But not this."

"Anyone but a vampire."

The room remained silent.

No answer came.

Slowly...

My knees gave out beneath me.

I collapsed onto the floor.

Tears blurred my vision.

"Oh, Moon Goddess..."

"I know I was desperate for a mate..."

"But this..."

"This is too much."

"Why him?"

"Why a vampire?"

I buried my face in my hands.

No matter how hard I tried...

His face refused to leave my mind.

Tall.

Dark hair.

Crimson eyes.

Those cold eyes...

Why did they feel so familiar?

Then...

That moment replayed again.

Our eyes meeting across the battlefield.

Everything around us disappearing.

The voice.

Mate.

I shivered.

"I can't tell Father."

"No."

"I can't."

"If he finds out..."

I didn't even want to imagine what would happen.

A war would begin before sunrise.

I wiped my tears away.

"This secret dies with me."

---

Later that night, rain battered the castle windows.

Thunder echoed across the kingdom.

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

Sleep refused to come.

Every time I closed my eyes...

I saw him.

That stupid vampire.

Eventually, exhaustion dragged me under.

...

Darkness.

Then—

A familiar voice.

"He is ours."

My eyes snapped open.

"What?"

Silence.

Then the voice returned.

"He is our mate."

I sat upright.

My wolf.

I hadn't heard her voice in years.

"No."

"He is."

"Not."

"Our."

"Mate."

She sounded almost amused.

"You're lying to yourself."

"He's a vampire."

"He's our mate."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes."

"I said NO!"

The voice disappeared.

I threw my blanket off in frustration.

"You always disappear when I'm winning the argument!"

Silence.

I groaned and buried my face in my pillow.

"My life is officially ruined."

---

Lucien POV

By the time I returned to the castle, dawn was still hours away.

Normally, after a successful attack, I would've felt satisfied.

Victorious.

Instead...

I felt unsettled.

Every step I took echoed through the castle halls.

But I barely heard them.

My thoughts kept returning to the same person.

The silver-haired werewolf.

The look on her face.

The horror in her eyes.

Then...

That word.

Mate.

I clenched my fists.

Impossible.

Anyone...

Anyone but a werewolf.

I pushed open the doors to the dining hall.

Father was exactly where I expected him to be.

Eating as though tonight had been no different from any other night.

He looked up.

"Lucien."

"Father."

"Report."

I kept my expression blank.

"The attack was successful."

"We pushed them back from the border."

"Our casualties were minimal."

He nodded once.

"Excellent."

Normally...

That would've been enough.

But instead of dismissing me...

He stared.

Longer than usual.

"What happened at the border?"

My heart skipped.

Does he know?

I forced myself to stay calm.

"Nothing worth reporting."

His crimson eyes searched mine.

For a moment...

I thought he'd see through me.

Finally, he leaned back.

"Very well."

I resisted the urge to sigh.

"The preparations for your coronation begin tomorrow."

I looked up.

"So soon?"

"You're going to be king."

"Our people need to see their future."

He walked toward me.

"You'll carry our legacy."

"You'll become one of the greatest kings our race has ever known."

I forced a small smile.

"If I may, Father..."

"I'd like to retire."

He nodded.

"You've earned your rest."

I bowed before leaving.

The moment I stepped into the hallway...

I let out the breath I'd been holding.

For the first time in years...

I had lied to my father.

And somehow...

That bothered me almost as much as the mate bond.

---

Lucien POV

Rain pounded against my bedroom windows.

Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up my room for only a second before everything became dark again.

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

Sleep refused to come.

Every time I closed my eyes...

I saw her.

Silver hair.

Amber eyes.

The fierce look on her face when she fought.

Then...

The look of pure horror after the bond formed.

I rubbed my face with both hands.

"A werewolf..."

I laughed bitterly.

"This has to be some cruel joke."

Eventually...

The exhaustion caught up with me.

My eyes slowly closed.

...

Suddenly—

My eyes flew open.

I shot upright.

Something wasn't right.

I wasn't in my bedroom anymore.

I slowly stood up.

Darkness surrounded me.

I looked around.

"This isn't my room..."

The castle hallway stretched endlessly before me.

No guards.

No servants.

Nothing.

Only silence.

A strange silence.

"Hello?"

My voice echoed through the hallway.

No answer.

I began walking.

Each step echoed louder than the last.

"Is anyone here?"

Still nothing.

Then—

I saw someone standing at the end of the hallway.

A girl.

Silver hair.

Even surrounded by darkness...

She somehow made the entire place feel brighter.

"Her..."

I froze.

"Why is she here?"

---

Lyra POV

I looked around in confusion.

"This isn't my room."

Everything had disappeared.

My bed.

My bedroom.

Even my wolf had gone quiet.

Only darkness remained.

"Hello?"

My voice echoed through the endless hallway.

No answer.

"HELLO?!"

Still...

Nothing.

My heart began beating faster.

"Where am I?"

I slowly turned around.

Then I saw him.

The vampire prince.

Great.

Just what I needed.

I crossed my arms.

"Oh."

"It's you."

He didn't answer.

He simply stared at me.

His expression was impossible to read.

"What?"

"Never seen a werewolf before?"

Nothing.

Still staring.

"You're the Vampire Prince, aren't you?"

He finally blinked.

I pretended to think.

"Hmmm..."

"What was your name again?"

"Oh!"

"I remember now."

"Lucien."

"Lucien Draven."

One of his eyebrows rose.

"Oh?"

"So I'm known among werewolves."

I rolled my eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself."

A tiny smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I wasn't planning to."

I almost laughed.

Almost.

Instead, I folded my arms tighter.

"And you're Princess Lyra Nightfang."

I sighed dramatically.

"Guilty as charged."

Silence.

An awkward silence.

Neither of us seemed to know what to say next.

Finally...

He broke it.

"How are we even talking?"

I shrugged.

"I've heard stories."

"When two people become mates..."

"They sometimes share dreams."

His jaw tightened.

"Mate."

The word sounded like poison coming from his mouth.

"You're not my mate."

I pointed a finger straight at him.

"Trust me."

"You're not mine either."

"I don't care what the Moon Goddess wants."

To my surprise...

He actually looked relieved.

"So..."

"You heard it too?"

I sighed.

"Unfortunately."

"I did."

Silence returned.

Then he spoke again.

"This changes nothing."

I nodded immediately.

"Exactly."

"We're still enemies."

"We always will be."

"You stay on your side of the border."

"And you stay on yours."

He nodded once.

"Deal."

"Deal."

Neither of us moved.

Neither of us looked away.

For some strange reason...

I couldn't stop looking into those crimson eyes.

They weren't as cold as I remembered.

Or maybe...

I was imagining things.

Suddenly—

Everything around us began disappearing.

The hallway faded.

The darkness dissolved.

Lucien's figure slowly vanished.

Before he disappeared completely...

Our eyes met one last time.

Then...

Everything went black.

---

I shot upright in bed.

My heart pounded wildly.

"No..."

"No, no, no..."

"This cannot be happening."

I grabbed my pillow and buried my face in it.

"ARGHHHHHHHH!"

"I HATE THIS!"

"WHY?!"

"WHYYYYYYYY?!"

Outside my bedroom door...

Two royal guards looked at one another.

"...Should we check on her?" one whispered.

The other listened as another muffled scream came from inside.

"...Give it another minute."

Another scream followed.

The first guard sighed.

"I think the princess has finally gone insane."

The second guard nodded seriously.

"I think so too."

A moment later...

Both of them burst into quiet laughter.

Inside my room...

I screamed into my pillow one last time before collapsing onto my bed.

I had a terrible feeling.

Tomorrow...

Was only going to make my life worse.