Chapter 8 MATE

|| TERESA LAWRENCEVILLE's POV ||

" Did you hear that? King Vincenzo is going to take Mistress Lucia as his mate tonight!"

My noisy roommate maid uttered excitedly, eyeing my face closely. I wanted to tell her that I knew all of it as I was there when they were making the decision. But the news didn't settle well inside me. I felt a heartburn, a slow tempting lava which was burning all through my heart.

Why did it bother me too much? King Vincenzo could marry anyone that he wanted!! We had no absolute connection like a couple.

As for Mistress Lucia, she was a great match for him, so beautiful and elegant unlike me who took each steps here for her own benefits. I swallowed the burn in my throat, swiping my head outside to the sky,

" Yes!! He should..I mean, a king is weak without his mate bond. He needs someone to rely on."

The evening time was passing gradually. The castle was on lit as they were excited about this mating ceremony. It wasn't exactly a mating ceremony as Lucia wasn't his fated mate but everyone seemed to forget it. They all gathered around to witness the holy ceremony happily.

I hid inside my own room, pretending to be busy. For some unknown reason, I found it eye-sour to see them mating each others. It was unexplainable for me and so unreasonable. Hence, I buried myself here in cleaning all the dirty shoes.

In my daze, the door flung open with a thud. Big footsteps resonated in my little room as King Vincenzo walked inside. I got up to greet him hurriedly, my heart beating wildly,

" Your Highness..You...You are here?"

He was supposed to be at the ceremony with Mistress Lucia!!

Vincenzo seemed angry today. His eyes glared down at me before coming over to crash me against his chest,

" You don't fucking care right? Whoever I take as my queen, you don't fucking care?"

I pressed my lips together tightly. His words hit me too hard but I couldn't let my guard down. I tried to sound casual, pushing him away,

" It's... your duty...How..can I interfere??"

LIAR!!

My subconscious mind shouted back at me in mockery, my wolf full of displeasure. Vincenzo growled back like an inpatient kid, sounding frustrated and angry over himself,

" I thought, I made it clear for you, Teresa! I thought, if I say yes to this forced ceremony, you will confess your love for me. But it seems like I was wrong.. totally wrong..."

His voice broke at the end, breaking my heart as well. I couldn't seem to utter those words that I didn't love or care for him as well. But a betrayer like me didn't deserve his love. Besides, I had no future as long as I didn't get my revenge on Duncan.

I replied in a cold voice, lowering my head down to hide my emotions,

" I don't dare, Your Highness! I am just a slave! How can I have feelings for you??"

Anger reflected in his murderous eyes. After a while, he let out a bitter laugh, pulling me closer to blurt on my face,

" Since you don't care...you must stay by my side during the whole ceremony, Teresa!!! Come with me!!"

___________

The emotions were turning too much to handle but no one was allowed to refuse the king's order. After his strict order, I dragged my ass to this ceremony. The crowd was shocked to see me here especially Mistress Lucia who had a strong hatred for me.

The full moon wasn't up in the sky yet. They considered it a holy ceremony, waited for a perfect time to mend the bond. Mistress Lucia couldn't stop grinning. Her eyes told the excitement of being the Lycan Queen.

When I proceeded to walk to the stage, I bumped into someone unexpected amidst the crowd. It was Raphael, in the disguise of a guest. He dropped something in my fist, muttered the order before leaving,

" King Nicolas ordered this for you. Tonight, you must finish King Vincenzo with this wolfsbane. We will be waiting for your good news. Also King Nicolas is very pleased with you to see your updates in the castle."

He disappeared within a few moments, not giving others a chance to doubt. I hid the wolfsbane in my waist with an uneasy heart. The thought of killing King Vincenzo squeezed my heart so much that I felt like suffocating for air.

Pulling myself again, I began to walk towards the stage, Vincenzo's eyes watching me closely. He put on a straight face that he always had. One of the oldest werewolf members spoke for the crowd, stealing a look from the sky,

" My dear friends and family, it's our right time to welcome the new queen. Goddess bless her! Today, we will be accepting her as our chosen queen."

Finally, I stopped next to the stage, a few steps away from King Vincenzo. I followed his order to stay by his side. Each time, they took the vow, my wolf was howling in pain. I gritted my teeth harder to stop the pain. Loving him wasn't supposed to happen. Now, controlling that love was seeming more impossible for me.

The ritual began amidst a serious atmosphere. King Vincenzo kept looking at my way, waiting for my reaction which I was fighting to hold back. After the round full moon was up in the sky already, King Vincenzo and Lucia both looked up to take their blessing from the Moon goddess.

But the situation suddenly took a twisted turn when King Vincenzo's Lycan began to appear on the surface. His muscles stretched, his eyes turning more blazing and dangerous than before. Tearing his eyes off from the full moon, his animalistic voice uttered one single word possessively,

" MATE!!"

My heart sank at the spot instantly. Were Lucia and King Vincenzo fated mates?