Lucian's POV
*****
As he stood in Elian's room in silence, his hands slowly clenched into fists as he thought about everything that had happened within the past few minutes or so.
Elian Ashford, a lowly Omega orphan who his father had brought into the palace as a servant when he was a child... Was his mate.
He, Lucian Stormborne, heir to the throne of Lunaria, was mated to a mere Omega! Was the moon goddess trying to play some divine prank with him?
And worst of all was that the Omega in question was stubborn.
Lucian has only ever seen him from a distance all this while, barely noticing his pitiful existence... But the attitude Elian gave him was astonishing.
"He knows I could simply kill him to get rid of the mate bond, right?" Lucian asked himself with a cold growl as Elian's final words to him before leaving the room flashed in his mind:
"It's ironic how the Omega who was 'made to serve' now has so much attention from the entire empire and you. Don't you think, mate?"
Lucian clenched his jaw as he remembered that, shaking his head. "He could've ignored me. Bowed. Crawled like the rest. Instead, he spat venom and walked away... like he mattered. Why the hell did that feel worse than a blade to the chest?"
That smirk. That defiance in his eyes.
It was annoying yet Lucian also found himself oddly drawn to it.
"It has to be this stupid mate bond," Lucian concluded, shaking his head as he turned on his heels, heading to the door. "I wouldn't let myself get controlled by it. Not now and not ever."
Just when he stepped out of the bedroom, however, trying to shake off Elian's scent which clung to his body like some curse, he bumped into someone who was standing just outside the room.
"Oh, my goodness..." It was a maid who exclaimed with a gasp, stumbling back and staring at Lucian with immediate fear flashing through her eyes.
She lowered her head, her body shaking as she rubbed her hands. "Forgive me, Alpha Prince. But your father, the Alpha King, said I should call Elian to have dinner with the rest of the royal family."
Lucian was already agitated by the maid bumping into him but his eyes widened when he heard her reason for coming here.
"What did you say?" Lucian tilted his head, taking a step forward despite the shivering of the maid.
But his anger wasn't directed at her.
It was all directed at his meddling father.
"Leave. He's not in his room." Lucian mumbled, turning away from her and walking down the large hallway to his right.
His footsteps echoed on the marble floor, his eyes twitching. But merely thinking of Elian made his wolf stir inside him with a beastly desire that was getting harder for Lucian to tame.
His wolf howled in his soul, urging him to find Elian but he resisted firmly.
"If you want to find him, come out and find him yourself," Lucian said with a low tone, ignoring the stares and glances of a few maids who walked past him after greeting with bows.
His gaze trailed the walls of the hallways where murals of past Alpha Kings and royals throughout the centuries were hung, lit by warm yellow lights from magic stones.
"If I claim him, I'd be the joke of the High Court. The wolves in the East would use it to challenge my legitimacy. My own warriors might lose respect." Lucian muttered to himself, squinting his eyes.
Eventually, after walking for what felt like an eternity, he finally got downstairs and navigated his way to the grand dining room, which was illuminated by a chandelier that shone brightly with rainbow colored lights.
The dining table itself was large and rectangular, made of polished obsidian that reflected the light from the chandelier.
On the table, Lucian spotted Aurora, his sister already taking a seat as a maid placed the finishing touches on the decorations and utensils.
"Out," Lucian said simply to the maid who quickly scurried away as he walked to his sister.
Aurora raised her head, the smile on her face slowly disappearing before she rolled her eyes and sighed.
"I know that look from anywhere..." She blurted, drumming the fingers of her right hand on the table as she parted aside strands of her unique silver hair.
"Come on, big bro. What's wrong?"
Lucian drew in a breath before he spoke up. "I heard Father plans to invite the Omega to dinner tonight."
Aurora blinked, her eyes scanning around the dining room briefly as if she were searching for an invisible audience.
Eventually, she brought her gaze back to Lucian and leaned in, lowering her voice. "You mean your mate, right?"
Lucian snapped instantly when he heard that, slamming his right fist on the dining table and causing the plates and utensils to shake with a clang.
"He will never and I mean NEVER be my mate. So don't call him that." He growled dangerously but Aurora barely flinched before she rubbed her forehead with her fingers.
"Oh, goddess, help me..." She muttered, shaking her head tiredly before she raised it again and placed both her hands in front of her face. "Why are you even telling me? Go confront father or better still, wait for him. He should be here with Mom any—"
"What's all the noise for?" A domineering voice boomed through the room, forcing Lucian and Aurora to swerve their heads in its direction.
Stepping into the dining room was their father, Alpha King Arian Stormborne, who wore a kingly silver robe complete with a silver suit underneath.
His silver white eyes shone with wisdom and held back ferocity as he locked his gaze on Lucian.
Lucian glanced briefly at Aurora who had turned her gaze back to her food, clearing her throat.
"I expect an answer from you, Lucian," Arian said coldly, causing Lucian to clench his jaw.
He wouldn't let the man intimidate him.
"Father, me being the laughing stock of the entire empire and possibly beyond if this spreads out wasn't enough. Now you want him to sit here with us?"
Aurora suddenly scoffed, grabbing a glass of wine and taking a sip before sighing with satisfaction, causing Lucian to glance at her with spite.
"Oh, pardon." She waved dismissively, grinning knowingly. "I'm just wondering how you can say that when you're already frolicking with the so-called Omega."
Lucian's eyes widened and his face heated up with embarrassment. "W–What are you talking about—"
"The bite mark is still on your lips and I'm guessing you didn't get that from kissing a snake." Aurora interrupted with a snigger. "And I can also pick up his scent from you. That lowly Omega scent you seem to look down on so much."
The air instantly became thicker with tension at that moment as Lucian and Aurora stared at each other.
Just when Lucian was about to say something in return, the Alpha King yelled out:
"Children!"
Lucian clenched his jaw, bringing his gaze back to his father whose eyes were now brimming with a distinct light as he stepped closer.
"Like I told you at the ball, we can't fight the moon goddess' will. We simply can't. So you have to accept your destiny and deal with having that Omega as your mate." The Alpha King said bluntly, his tone leaving no room for debate.
The latter didn't say anything as his father brushed past him, sitting at the head of the table.
However, just when Lucian was about to search for a seat, probably far away from Aurora who had a mocking look on her face, his eyes caught someone walking toward the dining table.
Lucian's eyes dimmed for only a moment before they widened, his hands balling into fists.
It was Beta Axel.
The Beta had a stoic expression at first until his gaze also fell on Lucian.
What happened next was both men freezing before glaring at each other, their respective auras clashing discreetly.