The Lycan King Faceless Mate

13

Dorian's POV

A dull headache throbbed at the back of my head, a persistent pressure behind my temples, but I ignored it. I assumed it was from the party the endless toast after toast of heavy liquors. Then the memories came. The room. The girl. Last night. Everything hit me at once, a sudden rush of heat that had me sitting upright so fast my vision blurred into a gray haze.

My pulse roared in my ears.

No. That couldn't be right. I was not a man who lost control. I might not have been celibate, but whenever I shared a bed with someone, it was always my choice. Always. There had never been a time when I couldn't remember how or when it happened, yet now there was a blank space in my memory, an unsettling void that made my skin cold.

I pressed the heel of my hand against my forehead, trying to force the pieces together. Then I remembered my wolf. How restless he had been. How he had refused to listen. How he kept shouting the same thing over and over again, clawing at my mind.

Mate.

I frowned, staring at the empty space ahead. Was I dreaming?

Slowly, I lowered my hand and looked toward the other side of the bed. The sheets were disturbed, twisted in deep, shadowed folds. Someone had definitely slept there. At first, I tried convincing myself that I had simply rolled over during the night, drifting across the mattress in a restless sleep.

Then my eyes landed on the pillow. Traces of flesh-toned makeup marked the linen, and beside it, a faint smear of pinkish lipstick.

My breath caught in my throat. I reached out, my fingers hovering for a fraction of a second before touching the cold pillow. The moment my skin brushed the fabric, my wolf stirred deep down. A painful, low whimper echoed inside my head, heavy with the same grief from last night. It was a suffocating weight, as if he had lost someone irreplaceable.

That was when I finally accepted the truth. It happened. Last night had been real.

I swung my legs out of bed and slipped into my indoor slippers, the cold floor biting through the soles. My mind raced, sorting through fragments of memory as I walked toward the window to check the courtyard below. Down in the gravel driveway, engines idled. Valets were moving, door handles clicking shut as early departures began. Most of the wedding guests should have been leaving by now, heading back to their respective territories from Ashmere.

As I turned from the glass, something brushed against my foot. I stopped.

Looking down, I saw a piece of red fabric lying on the dark wood floor. A pair of panties. I bent down and picked them up, the lace light and delicate in my palm. For a moment, I simply stared, the contrast of the bright red against my skin feeling like an accusation. Then, without thinking, I brought them closer. I hadn't intended to smell them; it just happened, an instinctual reaction I couldn't suppress.

The scent reached me warm, sweet, and laced with something wild.

Immediately, my wolf exploded with excitement, thrashing against his mental cage.

Mate!

Mate!

Mate!

The word echoed repeatedly inside my head, a rhythmic chanting that made my temples throb. I clenched my jaw so hard the muscles in my neck strained. The same nonsense again. After the way he had behaved last night, leaving me with a blank canvas of a memory, I was already irritated with him. Now he was starting all over again, refusing to let me think clearly.

Annoyed, I tossed the panties onto the unmade bed.

As I turned away, my eyes landed on the envelope sitting on the dark wood table. The envelope I had left behind. I picked it up, my thumb catching the seal. The check was still inside. All five million dollars, untouched, the sharp black ink of my signature mocking me.

My brows furrowed. "Why didn't she take it?"

I looked at the untouched check, the paper crisp and undamaged. She had looked like someone who struggled financially. At least, that had been my first impression of her, the wary posture, the cheap fabric of her dress. Most people wouldn't walk away from five million dollars. It was a life-altering sum. Yet she had.

Which meant one of two things. Either she was a fool, or this entire thing had been a setup.

My expression darkened, my gaze shifting toward the corners of the ceiling, searching the crown molding for any unnatural glints. Maybe there were cameras hidden in the light fixtures. Maybe someone wanted leverage against me, a scandal to bring back to the Northern District. Maybe someone had planned this from the beginning, using her as the bait.

As those thoughts crossed my mind, my wolf became furious, his anger rising in a hot wave that choked my throat.

Stop. The command slammed into my head, shaking my focus.

I frowned, speaking aloud to the empty room. "What now?"

She's your mate.

"She's not my mate."

She's your mate.

"She's a stranger."

She's not an enemy.

I ignored him completely, shutting him out behind a wall of mental static.

After taking a long, scalding shower to wash the scent of her from my skin, I dressed for the journey home. Within the next hour, I would be returning to the Northern District. Garret was probably already waiting downstairs with the SUVs, checking his watch. I had just finished buttoning my jacket, adjusting the cuffs, when someone knocked on the door.

Before they spoke, I already recognized the scent. Marcus Gray. Beta of the Gray Pack.

"Come in."

The door opened. Marcus entered hurriedly, his shoulders tense and his eyes fixed on the floorboards. The moment he stepped inside, he lowered his head, his hands clasped tightly in front of him. Something was wrong.

I narrowed my eyes, studying his rigid posture. "Why are you here this early?"

Marcus looked visibly nervous, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. "I failed to fulfill your request."

My request?

My jaw nearly dropped. For a split second, genuine surprise crossed my face, shattering my composure. What request? What had I asked him to do?

Then, like a spark catching dry tinder, I remembered. I had called him last night. I had been slurring, my vision swimming just before I passed out. Apparently, I had given him instructions. Instructions I couldn't fully piece together until now.

I forced myself to remain calm, keeping my voice steady and cold. "What request are you referring to?"

Marcus immediately answered, his voice tight. "You asked me to find the girl who left your room last night."

My stomach tightened. So it wasn't a dream. I really had asked him to find her. The desperation of my wolf must have bled into my actions before the darkness took me.

Marcus continued, "I searched everywhere, Alpha. The guest rooms. The lower floors. The gardens. I couldn't find her."

I stared at him, my expression unreadable. The problem was that I barely remembered making the request, but there was no way I could admit that. Not to Marcus. Not to anyone. It would show weakness, a gap in my armor.

So I let a faint, dismissive smile tug at my lips. "It's fine."

Marcus looked up, blinking in surprise.

"You tried your best," I added.

"Alpha"

"I'm not your Alpha," I interrupted, my voice dropping an octave, reminding him of the boundaries between our packs. "And you still did what you could. That's enough."

Instead of relaxing, Marcus looked even guiltier, his fingers twitching against his trousers. "Please don't hold this against my Alpha."

I blinked. "What?"

Marcus lowered his head further, his shoulders sinking. "I'm the Beta of the Gray Pack. I represent my Alpha. You gave me a task, and I failed."

I sighed, turning back to the window. The sheer absurdity of his fear was tiring. "I'm not going to punish your Alpha because you couldn't find one woman in an estate full of guests."

Marcus finally looked relieved, his posture loosening slightly as he took a breath. "Thank you."

I waved him away, not looking back. "You may go."

He bowed deeply, stepping backward toward the door. "I'm sorry I couldn't find her."

A moment later, the door clicked shut, and he left.

The room became silent again, save for the hum of the heating unit. I stood there for several seconds before deciding to leave as well.

Then, without warning, a sharp pain struck my chest. I staggered, my hand flying to my coat, pressing against my heart. The same pain. The same strange, hollow emptiness that made me feel like I was bleeding out from the inside.

Could my wolf actually be serious? Could this ridiculous mate theory be true?

I immediately dismissed the thought, straightening my posture and smoothing down my jacket. Impossible. Fate didn't play jokes this crude.

Then another possibility entered my mind, cold and calculating. What if something happened last night? What if the woman became pregnant?

The thought irritated me enough that I shook it away instantly, my scowl deepening. "It was one night."

One accidental night. Nothing more. She was a stranger. She didn't even know who I really was. And if Elena had planned this, then the woman was probably nothing more than an unfortunate victim who had ended up in the wrong room at the wrong time. That explanation made far more sense. It stripped away the magic, the destiny, and left only human error.

Eventually, I headed downstairs. Servants were already collecting my luggage, moving with quiet efficiency.

Outside the estate entrance, Mrs. Calloway was waiting near the steps. The mother of the bride was dressed in a sharp lavender suit, her hair perfectly coiffed despite the early hour. The moment she saw me, she smiled warmly and extended her hand, her eyes scanning my face for any signs of displeasure.

"I hope you weren't too uncomfortable during the wedding celebrations."

I shook her hand, my grip firm and polite. "Not at all."

A strange, humorless smile tugged at my lips as I looked back at the grand facade of the estate. "I had one of the most memorable nights of my life."

If only she knew.

Mrs. Calloway laughed politely, taking it as a standard compliment. We exchanged a few final pleasantries, the words empty and rehearsed, before the guards opened the heavy car door for me.

I got inside, the leather cold against my legs. The convoy pulled away from the estate, tires crunching over the gravel, and together, we began the long journey back to the Northern District of Ashmere.