Prologue - My Swoon-worthy Mate

Lyra Andreadis’ POV

“Lyra, let’s go. Don’t pick up a fight here. We’ll be thrown out!” cried my friend Selena, grabbing hold of my arm and pulling me away. I stood my ground, refusing to budge, staring at the unbelievable scene right in front of me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. How could Nick do this to me? 

“No, I’ll teach him a lesson he’ll never forget!” I watched him shamelessly grinding against Sylvie, our batch mate, as they busied themselves eating each other’s faces on the dance floor. Loud music blasted through the speakers and the entire place was filled with inebriated youngsters having the time of their lives! This was Purple Beats, the most happening club in downtown Yellowknife, the capital city of the Northern Territories, Canada.

I should have known Nick’s true nature! How could I have been so blind to his playboy ways? My heart shattered, but I didn’t shed a single tear! I wanted to teach him a lesson. I wanted to show him I didn’t give a damn. He could go f*ck himself for all I cared! 

Ever since my uncle Felixe Andreadis brought me to the sleepy village of Hay River in the Northern Territories of Canada, I had tried to settle down there. With my family no more, my school, Riverview High, and my friends meant more to me than anything else. I tried to forget my family and belong there for the last two years. It was my only way to cope. My uncle was a workaholic and preferred to stay in Yellowknife, his business headquarters. It would have been a lonely life without my friends. I wasn’t used to a rogue’s life having been brought up in a close-knit village farther north at the foothills of the Astral Mountains. 

White Ridge Village had been my only home until a devastating fire struck, killing my family and destroying my home. If Uncle Felixe hadn’t saved me, I would have met with the same fate as them. 

Ever since, I had been trying to find my niche, my home, with people who loved me. It was true, my uncle loved me, but he was a hermit, a nomad, and never stayed at home. It was a lonely life for me, with lots of restrictions. I felt more like a prisoner here.

As such, when Nick Berkeley, the school’s heartthrob, pursued me for two years, I started melting towards him a little. I couldn’t confess how much I liked him for fear of rejection. After all, he was human, while I was a shifter wolf who hadn’t experienced her first shift yet. 

It worried me immensely, since almost all shifters either met their mates or experienced their first shift by eighteen. Here I was, four months short of my eighteenth birthday, yet I had experienced neither. Would I meet my mate on my eighteenth birthday?

I didn’t even know how I would recognize my mate when I saw him. 

Was my mate human? Was Nick my mate? No, he couldn’t be. He was a lowlife! I would rather die than accept him as my mate!

With school over, I wanted to explore my feelings for Nick. So when he invited me to his birthday bash at a club in Yellowknife, I didn’t hesitate at all. With my guardian, my uncle, Felixe Andreadis, busy handling his business empire in Yellowknife, I sneaked out with my gang to the venue. Nick brought us here in his dad’s copter and used his connections to get entry into the club, but now I repented my decision. What would I do if my uncle found out? 

The thought made me shudder. I knew his punishments too well, having faced them for the last two years!

“Hey, baby, having fun?” Nick’s hateful voice echoed in my ear, bringing me back to reality. I focused on the smirking guy leaning over me. My entire body trembled with fury and the urge to slap the daylights out of him was immense. I didn’t want to show him how much his betrayal had affected me. 

“Yes, obviously!” I flashed him a bright smile and walked away, but he followed. 

“Don’t mind my little show with Sylvie. It was just a trailer to show what you’re missing, babe! I’ve booked a room upstairs just for you and me! Let me give you a good time!” Blood boiled in my veins and the urge to punch him in the face was too much to resist. Yet I controlled the urge and flashed a fake grin at him, taking him by surprise. Did he think I would be jealous and jump into bed with him? Well, he thought wrong! Lyra Andreadis wasn’t so weak!

“No, thanks! You can take Sylvie there. I’m not interested!” I tried to walk away, but he was relentless. He grabbed my arm and pulled me flush against his chest. 

“I love your sass. It gets me worked up, babe! C’mon, don’t be shy!” I pushed him away with all my might, but he grabbed me again. 

“Can’t you take no for an answer, Nick? I’m not interested in you.” His hold on my hand tightened while he glared at me in disbelief. 

“I know you are. You can’t resist me! Isn’t that the reason you agreed to come here?” I wrenched my hands away from his hold, staggering backwards. 

“You’re wrong, Nick Berkeley. I came here to meet my boyfriend. He’ll be here in a matter of minutes!” I cried desperately, trying to look as convincing as possible. 

He laughed, not accepting my claims. “Aw! Do you want me to believe in that shit? I know you like me!” He took a step towards me, the lust clearly reflected on his features. I panicked, looking around for help. There was no one. Everyone was busy gyrating to the loud music, lost in the electrifying ambiance. 

I closed my eyes for a split second. I could do this. He was just a mere human! 

“Stay away from me, Nick! I hate the likes of you.”

I took a menacing step towards him instead of cowering and surrendering to his desires. I could see how shocked he was at my fighting stance. Before I could comprehend his next move, he grabbed the back of my head and pulled me towards him. At that moment, I panicked, knowing his intentions. 

He leaned towards me, his eyes glittering with lust. “The more you fight me, the more I want to have you, Lyra! Now it has become my obsession. I’ll do what I like with you. Wanna try me, babe?”  

“You can try me instead, lover boy!” A deep male voice reverberated around from behind me. Despite the chaos all around, it seeped into my system, causing goosebumps to erupt on my skin! 

In the blink of an eye, the stranger appeared before us and yanked Nick away from me by the collars. Nick struggled against his brute force while I gaped at my savior. He was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen, his massive, broad-shouldered form towering above the rest of them. His arctic-blue eyes, as true as the brightest sky, burning through the darkness, had a hypnotic spell on me. 

He held a flabbergasted Nick in the air, his feet dangling an inch above the ground while he took me in. It was an intense gaze that pierced my soul as if to learn all the secrets hidden there. 

“Who the f*ck are you? Let me go or my dad will destroy you!” yelled Nick. His shirt tore, and he fell to the ground while the stranger still watched me. My eyes widened with shock as I noted the torn shreds of Nick’s collars in his fist. 

“You asshole! You tore my designer shirt! Do you know how much it costs?” The man glanced at him, least bothered by his threats. His aloofness angered Nick more, and he regained his balance and gripped my hand. 

“Let’s go, Lyra.” The stranger watched the way he gripped me while I stared at him in return. I just couldn’t take my eyes off the guy. Although he was quite older than me, I couldn’t deny a strange, magnetic pull I felt towards him. 

“Leave her. She isn’t going anywhere with you.” His voice was a low, vibrating growl, powerful and menacing. It broke right through my senses and the goosebumps were back! 

Nick left my hand instantly, and I moved instinctively towards the stranger. I had no wish to be Nick’s one-night stand tonight. I had realized my mistake and would want to go back home before my uncle discovered my absence. 

“Who the hell are you? Oh, I get it. You’re the f*cking boyfriend, right?” My eyes widened, and I opened and closed my mouth like a fish out of water! I was left dumbfounded. What could I say? 

“Sort of.” Nick grinned and took a step backwards, not to anger the powerful devil. 

“I can share, dude. My eyes are on you. Once you dump her, she’s mine.” I wanted to punch the guy, but one look at the bouncers made me stay away. The stranger too left him, steering me away from him.

“I can drop you home,” he said once we were on the dance floor. My favorite number started, and I forgot about my predicament. I couldn’t stop myself from gyrating to the music while he watched me with a brooding look on his face. 

“Thanks for saving me from Nick! I’m fine now. I’ll go home after one shot!” I tried to dismiss him, yet he stood there watching me. It made me acutely aware of myself. Someone offered a drink, and I accepted and gulped it down while he watched me, his face dark and ominous. Heck! He was worse than my guardian! 

“Can’t you dance?” I asked him, moving away while he followed me. It got to my nerves, and I grabbed his leather jacket and pulled him closer for a dance. I wanted to live recklessly for just one night. 

He didn’t protest, giving in and dancing with me. Every time our bodies brushed, a jolt of electric current shot up my body. It confused me and I gave him a discreet look. Did he feel it too?

“Mate!” he whispered in my ear, his lips grazing my skin.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of my imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. 

Copyright © Rituparna Darolia. 

All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author. 

This is the third book of the Overpowered Series that can also be read as a standalone!