The Lycan King's Fated Mate

Chapter 2 - Traitor

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Eli

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In our world, the strongest rule, and so the Lycans rule over wolves. That means even though there are ten kingdoms with ten kings, they are all under the rule of the Supreme Lycan king. King Nicholas Drakos.

He is in the process of handing over the reins to his son. Prince Valerio Drakos and then he will be the ruler of all kings. Before Nicholas, his father, Adamos, ruled, and he is the reason I just found out who I am—the one who banished my family name.

Decades ago, long before I was born, there was an uprising where the kings under the rule of the Lycan King revolted, seeking their independence. However, not all the kings agreed with this, and my grandfather was one of the opponents.

But for some unknown reason, despite giving his word to the Lycan king that he stood with him, he didn’t. The moment the Lycan king turned his back, my grandfather attempted to take the king’s life. He never succeeded, and this led to his whole family being put to the sword.

When word was given for my grandfather’s family and soldiers to be slaughtered for his treachery, one of my grandfather’s generals helped my father escape and told him to run to a nearby farm, hide there until morning, and then keep running and never look back or reveal who he was.

My father was only fifteen at the time and he is the only one who survived. With no money or belongings, he boarded a train, not even knowing where he was going. He told me that after days on the train, the train conductor noticed he was alone, and he hadn’t seen him eat or leave the train even when they made stops.

The conductor took pity on him and shared his food with him. By the time the train reached its final destination, my father was working on the train, helping people with their luggage for a little change and helping clean the train.

I was devasted for my father and our family when he told me his life story. He said that when the conductor asked him for his name, he didn’t even know what to say, so he just said he was Alan King, even though his name is Alandra Alaster Calimeris. That’s also how I ended up going by Eli King.

King was the name of the train company. They were called King Trains, but my father’s mind was so blank that he just called out the first thing he saw when asked for his last name.

After he told me his story, He told me that no one should ever know about us. My grandfather was a traitor, so if anyone ever discovered our identity, they would hunt us down. After finding out about our history, I did some careful research and found out that my grandfather’s lands were given to the king who caught his traitorous act, King Adonis Galatas, with all the other rewards he got for saving the Lycan king.

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My father and I arrive at the airport, and he brings the car to a stop. We exit the car and take my bags out of the trunk before sharing a hug.

“I will see you in a bit,” I tell him as he pats my shoulder, adding that he must take care of himself while I’m gone, and he says he will before standing next to the car and watching me as I disappear inside the terminal, my mind now wandering to the event I’m heading to.

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Athena

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Blue. I mutter, grabbing my blue matching diamond earrings to go with my gown. After putting them on, a smile stretches across my face, needing no validation that I’m rocking this outfit, even though I’d look better with Val by my side.

When choosing this outfit, I had Valerio’s suit in mind, and I wanted it to match, but he’s not joining me anymore on this occasion. I’m getting ready to fly across kingdoms to the Kingdoms Alliance function that Valerio, my fiancé, and I were invited to, but because of unforeseen events, Valerio can’t attend.

I’m disappointed he can’t come, but there’s nothing that can be done. In his place, I invited my sister to accompany me. Speaking of which, she barges into the room, beaming with excitement. However, my expression turns from joy to mild horror as I take in her outfit. She’s not wearing the elegant, modest dress we had picked out earlier.

I narrow my eyes at her. “Anastacia, what on earth are you wearing?”

She looks at me with a sheepish grin. “Oh, this? I thought the other dress was too revealing. You know how these events can be, and I didn’t want to steal your thunder,” she says and I roll my eyes, knowing she’s just making excuses.

I don’t know why she insists on her horrible choices. Even my mother, who is decades older, has better taste. “Stacia, you’re not stealing my thunder. You can never do that. Now, go change into the dress we picked out.”

She pouts, crossing her arms. “It was too revealing in the chest area, Athena. The dress leaves little to the imagination and I don’t want people staring.” I sigh, placing a hand on her back and nuzzling her toward the door.

“You’re a modern princess, Stacia, not a nun from the Stone Age. Trust me, the dress is perfect. Plus, you are Anastacia Galatas; people are going to stare no matter what you wear. Now, go change before I start panicking about being late.”

She grumbles under her breath but eventually concedes, heading towards the closet to swap dresses. As she changes, I take one last look in the mirror to make sure I’m perfect, my special perfume coming into mind. I must not forget to put it on.

My assistant informed me that other events are happening at the hotel where we are going. I can’t risk any unwanted encounters, such as one unfortunate mate.

The perfume is a potion that suppresses my scent so that should I encounter my mate, I will catch his scent but he won't catch mine. That will buy me time to decide on what's next without them annoying me and trying to claim me.

In ten months, I’ll be marrying Valerio Drakos, the last Lycan prince of Lycaonia. But he’s not my fated mate, and our marriage is not out of love. Well, at least not on his part.

Our fathers arranged it for different reasons. His father agreed to it to secure alliances between our houses, but mainly as a token of gratitude since his family doesn’t need to ally with anyone, not now. They are too powerful.

On the other hand, my father is an ambitious wolf with his own plans for us—plans that keep my eyes open at night the moment I allow them freedom in my head. I wasn’t supposed to; my heart was supposed to remain a rock, but it couldn’t. So I let Valerio in, and now dread fills my heart as judgment day creeps closer.

My father, Adonis Galatas, is hailed as a hero for standing up for what was right and saving the kingdoms from ruin. But he’s no hero. He’s just a power-hungry wolf who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Decades ago, the Lycan Kingdom was attacked. King Adamos, who had ruled for centuries, had fallen, and the wolf kings saw that as an opportunity to break free from the Lycan’s grip.

My father was one of those kings. But while the other kings saw an opportunity for freedom, he saw an opportunity for power. However, he was at the bottom of the food chain and stood no chance against the ones on top, so he devised a plan.

The king leading the rebellion had a reputation for being the most feared and stubborn king. No one could persuade him once he set his mind to something, and he didn’t get along with my father because my father couldn’t manipulate him.

His second-in-command in the rebellion was King Helios Calimeris. He was the second-most-feared king, and he and my father were allies. My father went to him and convinced him that ending the Lycan bloodline was a terrible move.

He said all the right words and King Helios agreed to join my father and turn against the other kings. My father was aware of King Helios's jealousy of the rebellion's leader and used it to his advantage. My father and King Helios betrayed the other kings and saved the Lycan family.

Unfortunately, King Helios changed his mind in the middle of the night. No one knows why, but my father discovered him making an attempt on the Lycan king’s life and he was killed. As a thank you to my father for saving his life, Nicholas, who was now king in his father’s place, asked my father to name anything as a thank you for his sacrifice.

My father asked for the king’s first son’s hand for his daughter—me. I wasn’t born yet. But it seems my father knew I would be. Valerio wasn’t born either. The Lycan King agreed, and that’s how my union with Valerio came to be.

Our fathers, together with the council that gave the blessing, decided that if we were to meet our mates, which was inevitable, we would reject them and honor their treaty.

Now my father’s plan is finally coming full circle after all these years. In ten months, he will be one step closer to realizing his dream, and if the gods are kind, a year from now, he will get his throne.

When I marry Valerio, I will be blessed with a male heir on our mating night. I will die and resurrect as a Lycan after giving birth to him. Lycan Queens are the only ones with the power to turn ordinary wolves into Lycans, and that’s what my father is after. He never asked for the prince’s hand so he could be friends and allies with the Lycan king. He did so because he wanted the Lycan king's throne.

After I get my Lycan powers, I will turn my father and brothers into Lycans, and they will, in turn, turn my father’s army, which is the second biggest to the Lycan king’s army.

I was all for it in the beginning, but everything changed as I came to know Valerio. I fell in love with him and now my blood gets cold whenever I think about my father’s plan. After turning my family, I’m supposed to kill Valerio, but I can’t do it. I can’t kill him.

So, two years ago, I confessed to my father that I can no longer go through with the plan. I begged him to come up with another plan to spare his life, but he didn’t even want to listen. It came as no surprise to him that I had fallen for Valerio. He knew it would happen, but it wouldn’t matter. He knew he would still force me to carve out my own heart, which is what killing Valerio would feel like.

I begged my mother to help me and to talk to him, but she couldn’t do anything. However, I wasn't surprised. She’s never had any power over my father or been able to stand up to him. So, after many sleepless nights of deliberation, I have come to the blood-curdling conclusion of killing my father. He and my brothers will be asleep for three days before they wake up as Lycans, and I’m going to make sure my father doesn’t wake up.

I will sabotage the procedure, and my brothers will wake up as themselves, not Lycans. But I can’t do the same for my father. He’ll see through me, and he’ll never stop. Unlike my father, my brothers won’t go after the throne if he’s dead. They are happy just as they are. He’s the greedy one who’s filling their heads with poison.

My mother will be a widow, but I have no choice. I love my father, and I die inside every time I think about what I’m going to do to him, but I was a child when I agreed to this. I didn’t know what I was doing or that I would fall for Valerio. All I could think about was making my family proud. It was the only thing I understood—love for my family. But now I know so much more, and I’ll never be able to live with myself if I kill Valerio—nothing will be worth anything without him.

Now I just wish I could identify this mate already, reject him, and be done with it, so I can move on with my life in peace and marry my prince.

I’m snapped out of my thoughts by Anastacia and I smile, satisfied. “See? That’s much better. You look stunning, Stacia.” She twirls, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Alright, alright. You win. But you know, sometimes I think you forget that I’m an old soul.” I laugh, linking arms with her. “Old and hideous are too different things. Now let’s show those slimy princesses that the Galatas sisters are a force to be reckoned with.”

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Lio

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I step out of the cab in front of the grand hotel, the chill in the air signaling that winter has firmly set in. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I answer, knowing it’s Clio. Her voice comes through, filled with excitement, as she tells me about the beautiful resort she’s just arrived at and a smile creases my face as I listen to her, hoping that the change of scenery helps her work things out with Dame. He’s a good guy, and I don’t want my sister to end up alone.

"Yeah, I just got here too,” I reply, glancing around at the luxurious surroundings of the hotel as I tell her to make the most of the place. “You deserve a break,” I add, and she chuckles.

“You too, brother. Enjoy the function,” she says, and we end the call. Just then, a string of texts on the group chat with my colleagues follow as I stroll towards the entrance, taking in the breathtaking view of the snow-covered mountains.

The towering hotel structure is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, and anticipation bubbles within me as I navigate through the lobby toward the check-in desk.

The hotel, in addition to hosting the function, boasts a ski resort, and my mind races with the prospect of hitting the slopes after the event.

However, my thoughts are abruptly interrupted by a voice calling out behind me, “Hey, Eli! Eli, wait up!”

I turn around to see a guy about my age running towards me, a puzzled expression on his face and my brows furrow in confusion as I glance around, thinking he must be talking to someone else but realizing there’s no one else nearby.

“I’ve been calling you for the last few minutes; what’s wrong with you?” he says, still trying to catch his breath and his words finally register. I open my mouth to correct him and tell him I’m not Eli. But before I can utter the words, he interrupts.

“When did you dye your hair?”