Swiss Cheese

The Lycan Beast

She was real. The prophecy was true. He was indeed given a mate.

But how could he approach her in this form? The Alphas embracing her in welcome enraged him. Their scent was all over her.

It should have been me. His mate. His scent. His lips twisted bitterly recalling her words to Octavius. She had thought he didn't care. He was not there after all.

Only he did. He cared very much. Watching her. Guarding her against all threats from a distance, following their convoy until they were safely home. He was not taking any chances with the Vampire spies everywhere.

'I should be the only one touching her, Octavius. Damn them for baiting me!'

'I am glad you came, min kung. Is she the one?'

'Yes.'

He hoped she liked the place he built from scratch for his future Queen Luna. Even Selene had a hand with the design.

The wolves from different packs, loyal to him, made sure they cleaned every nook and cranny of the castle in preparation for the arrival of the King's mate.

Lurking at the edge of the forests, because of his abilities, he could hear and see everything clearly. Pleased by her awestruck expression when she entered his home. He had again mind-linked Octavius and instructed him to show his mate the royal wing. Once she was settled there, he would be closer to her and he could guard her properly.

From what he had observed so far, the defiant in her soft brown eyes, the firmness of her chin, spoke volumes. She would be a handful, in more ways than one.

Constantine was on her trial now as she roamed free on his forests. Animals scurried away, panicking, hiding. Not game to be prey for the night.

She stopped at his favorite pond. He took the time to study her thoroughly.

Her wolf was young, delicate, and small compared to his gigantic beasts. Her fur resembled her mother's but it had a shade of russet when hit by the moonlight. Those soft brown eyes of hers, innocent at the same time defiantly fierce proved a challenge for him.

Both the human and wolf form intrigued him. Had him hypnotized.

She was a beauty, unlike anything he had ever seen. Yes. He was there. In the shadows. And he had watched her reunion with the Alphas.

The emotions that had coursed through him were all new. He didn't know jealousy worked that way. Like he wanted to kill the males surrounding her. Even his Royal Beta.

He knew he was being unreasonable but blame his Lycan for his possessive nature. He couldn't help it.

As soon as her scent hit him,  he knew for certain she was the one. Soon, their eyes would meet and they would imprint. Their souls would unite. When their skin touches, the sexual connection to procreate will start.

He has to avoid that. Her body language towards the prospect of meeting him said it all. She was not ready.

So was he. He was not ready for her to set eyes on him.

A twig snapped. Disturbing his musings. Raising his face to the wind, he took a deep whiff.

Elks. Then he heard her stomach rumble. That wouldn't do. His mate needed to eat.

In a blink of an eye, he had the juiciest prey in between his fangs, draining its life. Moving to the clearing, crouched, always on alert, the Lycan listened.

She's on her way. He was gone before she could set her gaze on him. Standing at the edge of the treeline, he watched her.

The fresh scent of blood mingled with her unique mate scent. Freshly brewed coffee and vanilla. His lips lifted in amusement.

It was the beverage he couldn't do without if he was in his human form. Apparently, it was her favorite, too.

He made a mental note to inform their workers about a freshly brewed coffee brought to their chambers for the Queen first thing in the morning. And a huge pot of fresh cream, too.

After slowly devouring her meal, she tried to pull the half-eaten meat with her.

Constantine frowned. She doesn't have that kind of strength. It was three times her size and her bodyweight. It didn't even bulk at an inch from the ground.

She growled in frustration. Slumping her hind legs, she around her. He would have laughed at her foolishness if he could. Damn, tenacious woman.

'Octavius, she's in the clearing near my cabin. Help her with the catch.'

'At once, min kung. I didn't know you would be joining us.'

'Liar.'

He couldn't take his gaze off of her. He still couldn't believe his luck. Every instinct he possessed wanted to approach her. He wanted to be seen and see her reaction if she saw him in this form. 

Would she run? Or scream? He grimaced. One step at a time. Later tonight, he would still continue to watch over her. And every night henceforth. She was his after all.

_______

Mia Jane

"Oh my god! It was so fun, mom. Let's do it again tomorrow night." She was getting for bed with her mother willing to stay by her side just for tonight. Her father was not happy about it but he gave in after they permitted him to sleep outside the door. 

Jen chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm. "You can always run in your wolf form, sweetie. Anytime you want. The castle grounds are the safest place you could ever be. So is this room." She reprimanded gently. 

MJ threw her weight off on the equally humungous bed, jostling her mother. "It's just that, it room felt like it belong to someone else." Not that the suite of rooms she was given was not as glamorously designed as the rest of the place. It just felt like someone was always watching her. And that scent...it was driving her crazy. She had craved coffee so much, she had a servant bring up a fresh batch and drank it all with lots of cream before she got ready for bed.

"What do you mean?" her mother asked softly. Facing each other, she watched her child's troubled expression.

"All of this still felt so unreal. Two weeks ago, I was just an ordinary woman." Gathering her thoughts, MJ stopped for a few seconds. Not wanting to offend her mother, she had to choose her words wisely. "I want to finish college. Travel the world without dad's bodyguards following me around. I want to meet the man of my dreams. Fall in love. Stay in love and have babies. Now, because  of that prophecy, everything seemed predestined for me and I don't get the chance to choose the life that I wanted to live anymore." She felt guilty after saying those words. And ashamed. But it had to be said or her uncertainties would eat her alive. Burying her face on her pillow, she groaned. Her wolf whimpered.

"Oh, Mia Jane. I am sorry. It wasn't supposed to be this way.  And it's our fault. We should have told you once you turned sixteen. We should have introduced you slowly to our world. But we had to keep you safe. They are hunting us, MJ. Female wolves especially. And no matter how strong the Alphas and our warriors are, our enemies outnumbered us. Fear overrode commonsense."

"Where was the king then? Why did he leave his kingdom?" The question was uppermost in her mind. Why did he go into hiding? "Make me understand so I could stay."

"He had to leave. He had no choice. I was a pup when it happened however, your grandparents always reminded us of the reason. Our world was the most powerful when he left. The safest. The riches. For two centuries we rule the earth. Leaders of nations bowed before Constantine Demonicus. Vampires hid beneath the ground. Their terror ended once and for all." Jen stared at the ornate ceiling. Smiling at the memories of the past. "There was one flaw. Just one. The Moon Goddess didn't bless Min Kung with a mate. A soul mate fit for a faithful son was the one gift he was waiting for. The most sacred of all. He didn't show his disappointment.  He kept his duty to all of us. We all knew he was lonely. We can see it in his eyes."

"What happened?" Intrigued, MJ propped her chin on her palm. Listening intently.

"Our king has two beasts. His wolf and his Lycan. Not all of us had seen the latter for he was only let out only when necessary. Like in countless battles. They say his Lycan was the scariest to set your eyes upon on. His eyes always flaring in rage. Like the devil's. His fangs were as sharp and as deadly as the Excaliber. Towering over everyone including his biggest warriors, the royal beta, and his Alphas. The Lycan King was merciless. Ruthless, killing anyone in his path." She glanced at MJ. "Because he has no mate, he was becoming that, MJ. His human was losing control. He had to go away to protect us."

"And now he is back to claim me?" Fuck! She could not be married to that.

Her mother shook her head fondly. "No. He was forced to go back, even without a mate, in his Lycan form for a century, because we are at the edge of extinction. We needed him again to protect us. He is the most unselfish man I have ever known. Despite you being fated to him, if you so choose not to accept him, he will respect that. That much I know about him, my child."

"I..don't know what to say." She whispered. Her beautiful soft brown orbs filled with tears.

"It's okay. I understand. And he will understand." She cupped her daughter's cheek. "One of his sacred rules is to always protect one's mate, no matter the consequences."

"I will think about it, mom. I promise." She was strong as any warrior. Her word was the law unto itself, too. She would give this a chance.

"Thank you, sweetie. Now, go to sleep. There is a lot to explore in the morning. And tomorrow your father and I will visit our old village." Smiling, she pecked her mom on the cheek and settled back on her many pillows. 

God! Tomorrow is another day. Will he finally appear so she would know what this mate-bond is all about?

***

The fields, valleys, and hills were endless. This tasted like freedom. To explore unhindered. Cold clean winds blowing on her face while she ran made her wolf howl in glee. From a distance, other wolves howled joyfully in response. She sprinted faster.

Not too far, kiddo.

Yes, dad.

She had been circling the territory for hours since breakfast. One thing she loved about being a wolf was her stamina. She could also eat anything she wants without worries about growing body fats on her body. 

MJ also needed the time for herself to think about what her mother told her last night. He is the most unselfish man I have ever known. Despite you being fated to him, if you so choose not to accept him, he will respect that. Her mother's words were a game-changer. 

Stopping on picturesque foliage, she shifted back to her human form behind a tree. Thankfully there were new shirts scattered everywhere available for her when she change. Prancing naked in the forest for anyone to stumble upon was not her idea of fun. Now, back to business.

Give our mate a chance, human.

Ah, the prodigal daughter returned. Her wolf had refused to talk to her since MJ's outburst on the plane.

You are so stubborn.

She snorted. And you are not, wolfie?

I am. But not to the extent of rejecting our mate. He is a good provider and I like his scent.

What are you saying? Do you mean he is around us all the time? My god! Is she stalking us?

Chill, human. He is protecting us.

Protecting us...

"Hello there, little she-wolf." She gasped, facing the person behind the menacing voice. The small hairs at her nape stood in fear. A man stood before her, his skin was as pale as milk, his eyes bloodshot. He smiled. All teeth and two pointy fangs. She was not aware a vampire could walk under the glare of the sunlight. "You are no longer on the Lycan land. It is useless to scream. No none will hear you." His words made her realize she stopped in an area where it was naturally filled with shades and shadows.

Careful to keep her expression blank, she slowly got up on her feet and shifted to a fighting stance. "Who says I need help." She smiled mockingly.

Two more joined Mr. Pointy-Fangs. Equally pale and salivating. "You found a snack." A woman jested. "I thought all she-wolves are gone."

MJ knew better than to correct that assumption. What she did was never take her eyes away from the trio. Logan told her during one of her training before coming here their enemies never played fair. "So, who wants to die first?"