The Hated Mate (Lycan and his Lover Book 2)

The night is filled with a deafening silence which surrounds the sleeping city of Pir. Unlike the hot daytime, the city of deserts is bone chillingly cold and quiet. The stone houses are also quiet as the residents sleep inside it. Except for the occasional cries of an insect, nothing else can be heard.

CREAK!

A caravan strolls through the town, breaking the silence of the night. The caravan is a lavish one made of fine wood and silk cloth. It is being driven by a few horses which have an emblem on their reins: twin wolves with crimson eyes and a quarter moon above them. 

Inside the caravan is a young man in his late twenties. He is lazily flipping through a book, looking very bored. The small candle lit inside the caravan highlights his unearthly features which is enough to even bring the gods to shame.

His perfectly shaped brows are a little crinkled together as if he is in deep thought. He runs his fingers through his reddish wine hair and closes the book. Under the dim light, his handsome face starts to darken as he thinks of the upcoming ceremony at the royal palace. 

“How do I stop it?” He mutters. 

The caravan comes to a stop and within seconds, the coachman opens the door.

“Welcome home, Your Highness Prince Lavi,” the coachman announces. The man named Lavi does not acknowledge him and storms out of the caravan. Several omegas spot him, marching through the grand halls of the Faikan Palace. They jump in fright and step aside, bowing to the heir presumptive to the throne of Faika. 

Lavi’s dangerous aura scares them. Even though he is the heir to the throne of Faika and a Lycan royalty, Lavi is still wolfless. He is twenty nine years old and yet, his wolf did not emerge.

But that does not make him any less dangerous. Even without a wolf, Prince Lavi is ruthless and strong. With his cunning mind and great ambitions, he has taken down many strong Lycans and even killed them in battles. He is the greatest warrior in the land, his abilities far superior to any Lycan.

Lavi pauses in front of an omega and turns to him. The poor omega squirms under the gaze of the Prince. People are scared of Lavi but his appearance is even scarier up close. He is the handsome man in the country but there is an oddity in him which makes him look deadly.

He has different colored eyes.

The omega does not dare to look at them but steals a peek. Lavi’s one eye is a deep blue color while the other one is a bright red shade. It is a strange combination because no one in the royal family of Costa has this odd feature.

“Did we acquire more slaves from our recent war?” He asks in a steely tone.

“Y-Yes, Your Highness!” The omega replies.

“Send the most beautiful one to my chamber tonight,” Lavi says in an indifferent tone. 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Lavi walks away, not bothering about anything else. The omega turns to his fellow servants and nods at them to carry out the orders. It is well known that Prince Lavi is a womanizer who beds a different woman every night. He does not have a mate but it seems that he is not interested in having one. Several princesses from other kingdoms offered themselves as his chosen mate but he refused all of them.

His eyes are only fixated on the Faikan throne.

Lavi enters his chamber and strips off the coat and shirt he is wearing. The chamber is well lit with several candles lined along the counters. His expression is stoic as he lights them up, brightening the place. The scarlet painted walls add a sensuous look to the Prince’s chamber while the candles shed light on his taut body. 

His muscles are bulging, making him larger than he looks. He ruffles his hair and puts his hands on a counter, thinking hard.

Recently, his brother, the Emperor, has won a war which only made him more popular. Worst is, that the war was against Ezealyra, one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world. With Emperor Phillippe’s popularity rising, Lavi can only see the throne slip away from him.

“I must find a way to dethrone him,” he grits. 

Tap! Tap!

His ears perk up as he hears the sounds of footsteps approaching his chamber. He may be wolfless but he still has advanced hearing and sight, enabling him to hear sounds from a long distance. No doubt it is a girl, probably the slave he asked for.

He is still in deep thought when the door slowly slides open.

A sudden gush of sweet cocoa scent hits his nostrils and he goes still. He does not turn around but he can feel the girl coming closer, meek and timid in her steps. Her scent is intoxicating, filling his insides with a fiery desire which he never felt before. The whole room starts to reek of her, trapping him in an inferno of passion which is alien to him. 

He does not know her name nor face. Yet, he is aching to pin her to the bed and mark her.

“You called for me, Your Highness.”

Her voice is silky and soft. She speaks in an eloquent manner unlike the other slaves. He hears her sniff a little and her heartbeat speeds up. She must have sniffed his scent as well.

“Mate, huh?” He scoffs out loud. “You are probably hoping that I will accept you as my mate. But I will do no such thing.”

He turns around to face her. She is wearing a long robe and her face is hidden beneath a long veil. He is no longer interested in bedding her even though his body is craving her touch. He will bed every woman on earth but not her.

“I, Prince Lavi Costa,” he begins. “Reject you as my mate-”

His words are cut off by the swoosh of a silver blade which misses him by inches. Before Lavi can retaliate, the girl swings her knife towards him. Lavi grabs her wrist and twists it hard which would have caused any strong man to scream out loud but the girl is fast. 

She twirls around and lifts him over before throwing him on the ground. Lavi lands on his back and the girl jumps on him, holding a knife to his throat.

“Prepare to die!” She says in a low voice. She is about to slash his throat but Lavi only grins.

“Enough of the foreplay,” he grins and grabs the blade. The girl momentarily pauses, surprised that the silver blade has no effect on him. Before she can recover, Lavi pulls off her veil and in a swift move, kisses her.