Ready

Zelda The word slipped out of my mouth and all three pairs of eyes landed on me. No… this cannot be happening. Not when Raphael is about to ask me out. I gulped and stared at him, conflicted. Raphael was my all time crush when the brooding man standing in front of me was my mate. The one I was destined to be with. I was in love and my mate was the ruthless Dragon King. What a mess! What if fate was wrong for once? What if this bond was a mistake? How could I, the Lycan Princess, be mated to the King of the vicious Dragons? The treacherous creatures who had hurt us more than once? I glanced at my brother, who was apparently shocked to his core. I clearly saw the colour drain from his face. He wasn't anticipating this. Heck, who would? Though I had dreamt of meeting my mate, I never speculated about being mated to a dragon. During the past few years, I was secretly hoping that Raphael and I would be mated together, but no. We weren't. Nonetheless, I wasn't disappointed since we Lycans usually chose the one we desired to spend our lives with. So I asked for help from my friends and it turned out that Raphael was hesitant to ask me out because I was the Princess. They were pushing him to ask me out but I guess this discovery might change everything. That is, if my family doesn't understand my plight. "Mate? He is your mate?" My brother questioned as though he couldn't believe it. I forced a smile. My lycan, Mona confirmed that the Dragon King, Travis, was indeed my mate. His scent was driving her crazy and though I hated to admit it, his scent was alluring enough to pull me into a strange reverie. It wasn't a good thing to be mated to the Dragon King. We were connected to them, but we weren't friends. After he learned that the Kingdom's late King had kidnapped his mate, my brother seemed to hold a vendetta against them. I was aware that he was making an effort to maintain amity with them for the benefit of peace in our domain. Who would want to be at odds with the largest and most formidable beings in the magical realm? My Lycan continued to scream in my head. "Mate! We have a mate!" "Yeah, we do, but I doubt that it was good news," I mumbled back to her. I looked into his eyes. Despite the lack of emotion in them, there was something charming about those hazel orbs. Something enchanting… perhaps it was due to the mate bond. I just couldn't help but get lost in his eyes. He looked frustratingly gorgeous as he sauntered towards me while smirking and gazing deeply into my eyes. I couldn't look away… I just couldn't. "Hello mate. I've been waiting for you for over two years. I am now here to take you where you should be." I shuddered. There was something in his rich, throaty voice that made me force a breath in. Something unique Was it also a result of the mate connection? I remained motionless, staring at him without batting an eye. The fact that we were close didn't help at all. I was only a few inches away from him and his aroma overpowered me, making me forget that we weren't alone. "Mate! Our mate!" Mona rejoiced. "What's happening?" Blinking my eyes I forced myself to come back to reality when I heard my mother's voice. s**t. She was the last person I wanted to inform that my soulmate was the Dragon King. She cherished mates and that was bad news to me. Travis glanced at her. "I want to take my mate home with me." Gawd. Could this get any worse? I was aware that mates could reject each other. Should I reject him? He was the King of the Dragons. Could a rejection hurt much? Will it disrupt the peace in our realm? "Nooo! Don't reject my mate!" Mona started to whine. I saw my brother's horrified gaze. That's what it was, indeed, on his face. Fear. He feared for my safety. "You're mates?" My mom said and I turned around to face her. I didn't look at Travis. I didn't want to. Even though I didn't love him, being in close proximity to him made me want to melt into his arms. "Yes, ma'am." Once more I felt a chill run down my spine and the hair on the back of my neck stood up as soon as I heard his husky voice. My pulse quickened. I started purposefully controlling my breathing as I desperately tried to keep my emotions in check. Inhale… exhale… inhale… exhale… "Honey, are you okay?" My mom stepped forward and touched my arm. "Y… yeah… I… I'm okay…" I was stammering? Great! I never stammer. She offered a little smile and looked at my mate. Shit! I already started to call him mate in my head. I didn't want to call him my mate. I didn't want to have anything to do with him! I wanted out! "King Travis," my mom spoke. "You're my daughter's soulmate," she stated, stealing a glance at me. "Are you planning to take her away now?" Nooo! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him nod his head. His countenance remained cold and emotionless. God, he looked too intimidating. And handsome too. It must be illegal to be scary and good-looking. Would I be able to spend the rest of my life with a guy like Travis? "Will you kindly allow her to attend her graduation? It will be held within two weeks," she suggested and I almost choked on my saliva. Was she going to allow it? She couldn't be serious, could she? Or was I crazy to think about rejecting him? "But mom." My mom cast a glance at my brother when he protested. He seemed to be concerned about what was happening. So I'm not alone. Good. I'm not crazy. "Yes?" "But… is this a good idea? How… how will we know that she is safe?" Oh, I love my brother. He may be annoying but he was doing everything right when I needed him to. "Are you indicating that I will hurt my mate?" My chest trembled. He sounded scarier when he was disgruntled. He wasn't even raising his voice, but still… I didn't know how he did that. My brother sighed. "No. I'm not saying that you will hurt my sister. But I'm deeply concerned about her safety. Especially since the past two Kings of your kingdom have tried to and succeeded in causing us harm more than once. I'm just…" he heaved a deep breath. "I want to protect her." Travis straightened himself up. "I assure you. You won't need to protect her from me." Glancing at our mom, "I will be back once the graduation is over. Two weeks it is," he said and briskly walked towards the exit, his trench coat swaying in the air as he left. The tension in the air seemed to clear away and a deep breath escaped my lips as soon as he left. I wiped my face with my hand and looked around. "Honey…" "Mom, why did you say that? I don't want to go with him," I asked, ignoring the protests of my lycan. Her lips parted. "Isn't he your mate?" My forehead creased. "He is but…" "Why? Don't you want to be with your soulmate?" I went silent. Finding one's soulmate was considered a blessing to us and here I was, feeling conflicted after meeting mine. "I…" Should I tell her about my feelings for Raphael? "No! Our mate is better!" Mona protested. Well, I guess my lycan didn't share my feelings. "Your lycan is agitated," she muttered and I pursed my lips. She was right. Mona was going bonkers in my head. "Come on, tell me honey," she urged. "I… I like someone else…" I lowered my gaze since I didn't know what reaction to expect from mom. She treasured mates and loathed rejections. Grandma had told me that she was once rejected. Perhaps that was the reason she hated it with passion. "Ouch." I heard my brother mutter under his breath. "But Mona doesn't agree with you, does she?" Mom asked. Sighing, I nodded my head. There was no use in lying to them. Heaving a breath, she held my arms and looked right into my eyes. "Look. It's your life. Yours and Mona's. I genuinely think that being with your soulmate is the best thing that could happen to you. I don't know how far you are in this relationship but you have two weeks to choose. Think wisely." She pursed her lips. "If you think that you will be happy with this other guy, reject Travis, but," she heaved a breath, "be careful." Mona's whines got louder. The sound of her howls resounded in my head, making it hard for me to think, so I blocked her. I wanted to hear what my mom was saying. She cupped my face and gazed into my eyes. "No matter what you choose, you are my daughter and I will support you, okay?" My brother stepped closer and patted my shoulder. "We all will." Being able to count on my family was such a relief. My mother made a pledge to be there for me, even if I rejected my mate, despite her dislike of rejections. Mona was determined about being with Travis. I made an effort to persuade her that the bond was the sole thing piquing her interest. That after we had marked each other, she would adore Raphael, but she wouldn't pay attention. I agreed to go on a date with Raphael when he finally asked me out where we made our relationship official. Days seem to fly by after that. I was delighted that I got to date him. He was smart and was one of the most popular studs in the Academy. All our friends were ecstatic when we started to date. I knew that several envious eyes were on us, nonetheless. After all, I, the Princess, was dating Raphael. Yet, no one dared say or do anything. Things were perfect. I only would have to reject Travis when he returned and then, we could be happy. Or so I thought. Days quickly passed by and soon the day of our graduation arrived. I was excited, especially since Raphael had planned a special night just for us after graduation. We were about to enter the hall when I saw Raphael entering an empty classroom. "What is he doing?" I muttered under my breath. I glanced at the already crowded hall and then at the classroom he had entered. "He should be there…" I walked towards the classroom to drag him out, but what I heard made me freeze on the spot before I reached the doorway. "You know that I love you. I'm doing this for money, we can't be happy if we have nothing," Raphael whispered, and my jaw dropped open. "But she is the Princess. The entire Royal family will be after us…" "Shhh," he hushed her. "We will run away once I manage to snatch enough money. I will find a way, I promise." I couldn't believe it. He was abusing me! And for what? Money? I stood stunned on my step as they stepped outside and halted in front of me. "Oh, hi," Raphael grinned, casting an anxious glance at his lover, Hailey: a girl who I wasn't that friendly with in class. I couldn't move a muscle. I was so shocked that I couldn't even cry. "Hey, Zel!" Before anything else happened, I heard my bestie shout out. "What in the world are you doing there? Come inside! The ceremony is about to start! You too, Raphael and Hailey!" I couldn't decide if it was a blessing or not, but she dragged me away from them, yanking me out of my shocked state. Anyway, I avoided Raphael throughout the entire ceremony and returned to the Palace with my parents. I wasn't yet ready to face him. To process what had transpired, I needed some time. My mind was swirling with various thoughts. Mona was right, after all. Raphael was bad news. My phone was bombarded with texts from family members, congratulating me on my graduation. What caught my attention was the text from Raphael. -Looking forward to tonight. It was followed by a heart emoji and a wink. I sneered. Lies. I deleted the message, threw the phone on to the bed and covered my face in my hands. Eventually, tears flowed out of my eyes, as I realised how foolish I was. I was silently lamenting the cessation of the relationship I cherished in solitary when I was notified that I had a visitor. Still feeling melancholic, I dragged myself downstairs, where my brother, his mate, and my parents were waiting for me. A magical aroma invaded my nose, instantly removing the grief in my heart. Even from the scent, I knew who it was: my mate. "He wants to hear an answer from you, Zelda," my brother softly said. My lips parted. Travis' presence was intimidating and at the same time soothing to me. Perhaps I should give it a shot. It would be better than living a lie. Mona cheered for me, supporting my decision. Heaving a deep breath, "I am ready," I whispered, taking everyone except Travis by surprise. I locked my gaze with the King of the Dragons and held my chin high. "I will go with him."