Lycan King's Jaded Mate

3.

CHASE.

You know what they say about chaos knocking on your door and you falling for it?

That was exactly what I did. Falling into the arms of a lycan I had never seen before until yesterday. And now, she has vanished!

I’d nearly forgotten that Asher, my nephew’s wedding was today. All because my brain had been messed with by the woman from last night. Just what was I thinking?

I hissed as I hurriedly got dressed so I could rush to the venue.

‘So, Whose fault was it?’ I broke the silence between Drew and I. ‘I mean, you kind of went berserk the moment we saw her, and I think you pushed me into taking her. And now she’s gone.’

‘We will find her,’ came Drew’s short reply. ‘Nothing to worry about. We need to find her. I need her again.’

‘Well, too bad she left no contact details. Or did she leave one with you?’ I snickered, as I buttoned up my crisp white shirt.

‘We will find her,’ he said again, sounding more determined. ‘I will find her.’

I said nothing to that as I finished dressing up, then typed a quick message to Shane. Being away from my kingdom means I can't mindlink, just like everyone else, so I resorted to text messages.

‘Set up a meeting with the consulate. I will be back in five hours.’

His reply was quick. Short. And direct to the point. He was still angry that I chose to travel alone without security or him. But I needed him to stay back at the kingdom, because I trusted no one but him.

S- ‘Yes, Your Majesty. Is there anything else?’

C- ‘No, see you soon.’

I tucked my phone into the pocket of my suit, and finally stepped out to go to my nephew’s wedding.

But what I saw as soon as I got there was not what I was expecting one bit. As I entered the venue, I scanned the crowd, searching for familiar faces in the sea of guests. But when they landed on the bride and groom, my heart skipped a beat, and my breath caught in my throat.

Damn me!

The woman I’d had the passionate night with. The woman who vanished on me. The woman both Drew and I were hung on to, turned out to be my nephew's mate and wife-to-be. I slept with his mate. Her touch had ignited a fire within me that I’d only felt with my ex mate, and it completely caught me off guard.

Now, she watched me walk in, and I don’t know what to say. Had no idea how to react. What to do.

‘Her. That’s her!’ Drew said, sounding a bit dazed. ‘We found her.’

We did. But in the most damning situation.

And then I watched it unfold, realizing that she was in the middle of being questioned. For betraying the bond. She stood with her head held high, back straight, and her eyes emotionless as she spoke.

“I, Zara Emmett Dawson, accept your rejection. May the bond between us be severed for eternity.”

Asher had rejected her. And she had just accepted. What have I done? Yet, I couldn't deny the thrill that had shot through me at the mention of her name. Zara. What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.

The wedding that was supposed to be going on was suddenly called off, and I watched on, as my elder brother, the king of Zakori, pronounced Zara as a w***e. And as whispers of scandal and betrayal swept through the room, I knew that the repercussions of our one-night stand would be felt for years to come.

Suddenly, the brand appeared on her wrist, the brand which told the world that she’d slept with someone beside her mate and was a bond betrayer.

I watched as her face fell and yet she looked absolutely gorgeous with her twist packed up.

Her rich, cocoa-colored skin was glowing underneath the roof’s mirrors. While her almond-shaped eyes, framed by long, delicate lashes, held a silent challenge to those who dared to judge her.

In the world of werewolves and Lycans alike, where fidelity and loyalty were held in the highest regard, such a betrayal was considered unforgivable. Wolves and lycans were inherently possessive creatures, bound to their mates by a bond that transcended time and space. To betray that bond was the worst betrayal ever.

Our wild night had tarnished Zara’s image before my very eyes, while I stood unmoving, unable to fathom the fact that I had slept with a mated woman. A woman mated to my nephew.

Damn!

Finally deciding that I had had enough, I took slow strides towards where Zara stood. I needed to take her away. My heart hurt seeing the anguished look on her face. The empty look in her eyes. She had been shattered. Broken. But again, she did come at me strongly, as though she was possessed.

Was she in heat last night? Could that be the reason why? But as a mated lycan, she wasn't supposed to be in heat until it was close to her cycle. Or was it?

Damn! Something was going on.

I closed the distance between us and reached out to touch her, my fingers brushing against her arm. A jolt of electricity shot through me, engulfing me tightly as something akin to a ‘zing’ zapped through my whole body, setting it on a raging inferno that could not be quenched. It was as though a floodgate had been opened, unleashing a torrent of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me.

And then, as if on cue, Drew stirred within me, his presence filling my mind once again, so powerful that it felt as though he was struggling to take over. ‘Mate, mate, mate!’ He chanted, his voice echoing in my head.

Zara was our mate? How? I mean…

“Uncle Chase!” Asher’s voice cut through my thoughts. “You made it!” He added, bowing before me.

“Hello, Asher,” I nodded at him as I pushed my glasses to the bridge of my nose, my eyes still pinned on Zara, who had her head ducked down now, her shoulders slumped in a defeated way.

“Sorry. You got here at the wrong time. What a s**t show,” he hissed, rubbing his forehead.

I ignored him and said nothing as my brother walked up to us, and I bowed in respect. He waved his hand at me, dismissing me like he always did, and stood before Zara.

“You are no longer a member of this pack and kingdom. Woe shall be unto you, your family, and your generation. I pray you never find peace for cheating on your mate!” he finished.

“It wasn't like I ever wanted her,” Asher grumbled, as he pulled a woman, who had been standing close to him since I arrived, to his chest. “I’ve always wanted Lina, not her.” He added. “The damn mate bond was the only reason I endured being around her. She and I were never a match.”

The scumbag!

And then he leaned closer to her, bringing his mouth to her ears and whispered.

“Your sister's moans and screams were better than yours. She let me have her whichever way I wanted and was more beautiful than you were. I have always been looking for a way to get rid of you, and you handed me just the right card for that.”

I had no idea how I was able to hear all of that. Lycans and werewolves have heightened senses of hearing, but I was certain Asher used the blockage to stop anyone from hearing what he was saying to Zara, yet, somehow, I did.

“Now stand there and watch as I marry your sister and make her my mate,” he snickered, moved back and smiled at her before he turned to me, schooling his features to show the face of a man who had been cheated on.

I could feel a slice of pain pass through me as tears spilled from Zara’s eyes. She looked... emotionless. Betrayed by both her mate and sister. She had been branded a bond betrayer for doing the exact same thing Asher and her sister had been doing for no one knew how long.

Whatever happened last night between Zara and I was a set up. Someone did something to her. But I will be damned if I stay and watch them tear my mate apart. It doesn't look like she knows I was now her mate, which is understandable. The law guiding the mate bond reserves three months for a rejected mate to recover from the pain before the mate bond connects to another. While I do know we are mates now, Zara wouldn't know for another three months. Which is fine by me.

“Father, I want to marry Lina,” Asher said, squeezing the woman’s shoulders. That was Lina. Zara’s sister.

“Why don't we make this more interesting?” I cut through, finally making a decision.

“What do you want, Chase?” My brother, Clinton Zapata, Asher’s father and the king of Zakori asked me.

I smiled, then shifted my attention to Zara.

“Zara,” I started as the entire hall went quiet. I reached out to take her hand in mine and she placed hers ever so gently as I sank onto one knee. “Will you marry me?”

The words hung in the air, and I had no idea what her response would be, but I knew if she were a smart woman, she’d grab this opportunity by its horns.

And so I waited in anticipation, contemplating what she would say to me.