The Lycan's Forbidden Mate

Now that night had arrived, the temperature was bitterly low and there was light snow falling from the dark cloudy sky. Ophelia exited the castle, her gaze fixed on the sky, searching for any sign of the stars but finding none, eliciting an exasperated sigh from her.

She was carrying a cloth bag containing the valuables she wanted to take with her. She didn't have to take much with her because she was going to kill him that night and then return. But was it really going to be as easy as she thought?

She shifted her focus to the fancy royal carriage that was waiting for her directly in front of the castle, but what caught her eye the most was Sheldon, who had a tough expression on his face that was intended to intimidate her but didn't. Since she was a young child, he has made an effort to scare her, especially when her father pressured him to teach her flawless combat techniques.

She forced a smile, hurried down the flight of stairs that seemed to go on forever, and jumped in front of him, her eyes shining. "Admit it, you're softening up on me." She teased him, but all he did was squeeze his aging face and control a pout.

"I can't possibly admit the untruth, can I?" The moment her smile turned mocking, he grumbled and smacked her arm. "Disrespectful!"

As she rubbed her arm, Ophelia yelled. "That hurt! Do you want to kill me before that psychotic heir kills me?" Then she poked him in the forehead and hurriedly backed away to avoid any further attacks he might launch.

Sheldon raised his hand, grinned, shook his head at her endearing mocking expression, and then dropped his arm. He chuckled and shook his head, "Alright, Alright. I'm concerned," He let out a sigh.

"You really shouldn't be. Plus I am expecting River to arrive." Her eyes started to wander as she spoke. River and possibly her other siblings were supposed to be there, but only Lev and River were actually in the castle.

"I'd better get going before my father or my dear uncle arrive." She continued, and upon hearing her words, the coachman arrived on the scene and opened the door. Receiving a farewell visit from her parents—or even her cousins, whose parents were fiercely opposed to their children getting close to her because she was considered the most disrespectful Viadislav—was virtually impossible.

As she was about to enter the carriage, Sheldon's face fell at her words: "Darkness lingers around you; you two must not make physical contact with each other." Following his unexpectedly rigid words, Ophelia froze and stiffly turned to face Sheldon.

"What?" Even though she understood him, her eyebrows shot up in complete shock. Sheldon was undoubtedly aware that Nikolai had been around her lately.

"Ophelia, your fate is cruel," Ophelia laughed as the elderly man began.

"How does the person I want to kill relate to my cruel fate?" She had to inquire. Everyone was overly concerned and worried.

She continued to view Nikolai as a being that she could easily crush despite the fact that he had fired that dagger at her.

Sheldon reluctantly parted his lips, then he walked away. Ophelia was about to pursue him because he was obviously concealing something when her father's eyes caught hers. As soon as she caught her breath, the temperature started to fall.

He had a stern expression as he descended the stairs with Esteban by his side, who stood out like a sore thumb.

Ophelia's pupils flitted. "Uninvited bastards," She swore vehemently, turned away, entered the carriage, and shut the door.

"Go!" In hopes that he would be seated, she yelled at the coachman. Much to her relief, the carriage started to move, and it moved at a pace that she found to be just right.

It was easier to take her carriage because, despite their keen sense of smell, she would be quickly taken out if she tried to fly over to Celestia.

She planned to leave the carriage and the coachman as soon as she entered Celestia's territory because she knew she would not enjoy riding in it for an extended period of time. Additionally, because it was a lengthy trip, she would need to fly to get there faster.

Inhaling deeply, Ophelia laid her back on the chair's plush cushion. Even though she needed to sleep, it was difficult for her to blink. To make plans for the masquerade ball the following night, she could only lose herself in her thoughts.

...

The day began awfully bright for Nikolai at the imperial castle, as every servant was up and about preparing for the masquerade ball that night.

Although he remained in his room, he was acutely aware of every sound, including the clatter of plates, hurried footsteps, screams from the head servants, and the neighing of the horses in the carriages that carried the few people who had arrived earlier than expected. His eyes were fixed on the chandelier that was a little bit above his bed but not directly in front of him, and his lips had curled up into a completely dead smile.

He was dressed in his customary cloak that concealed every area of his skin that intended to be visible except for his face, and when he heard a footstep approaching his room, he gritted his teeth.

The room echoed with the sound of a knock on the door, but instead of tensing up or responding, his thoughts immediately drifted to the forbidden fruit, and a cunning smile crossed his lips.

She was so fascinating and intrigued him so much that she resembled a plaything. He was going to throw the plaything away after he was done upsetting the goddess. Yes, he was only doing it to enrage the moon goddess, whom everyone else saw as their creator and savior but who, to him, was nothing more than a cunning being.

"Nikolai!" Between the knocks, which got louder and harder as they progressed, a deep voice yelled from behind the door.

Nikolai's eyes narrowed as he pushed himself out of bed, materialized in front of the door, and then immediately opened it. Viktor Novikov, Nikolai's charming cousin, laughed apprehensively as he was being glared at by him.

"Three hundred years have passed since we last saw each other, yet here you are looking at me as if you want to kill me." Viktor grinned while shaking his head. "Unbelievable."

"You act as if I won't kill you if I choose to," Nikolai deadpanned and Viktor froze.

He quickly blinked and took a deep breath, feeling extremely threatened by Nikolai's gaze. Nikolai only wanted to see him tremble in fear.

"Why are you here?" He raised a brow.

"I've learned from a secret source that dragons will be at your ball tonight." Viktor reported and Nikolai's face darkened.

"Since I didn't ask for it, it's not my ball. Father simply desires a publicity stunt that will undoubtedly backfire."

Viktor again blinked quickly. Nikolai had always been threatening, but now he was downright terrifying and threatening without even trying.

"You intend to sabotage it, right?" He had to inquire.

"No, no." Nikolai grinned unexpectedly. His lips were stretched out in an outlandishly bright smile.

"Why will it backfire? Did you not hear me say that dragons would be there? It is shocking because they will undoubtedly perish, and perhaps they are preparing an attack." Viktor spoke slowly because Nikolai's intimidatingly eerie presence made him feel threatened. Due to his father's position as the Beta to the Alpha, Nikolai's father, Viktor was well known for his connections to such classified information. He had just arrived at the castle after a brief absence, so he actually had nothing to say to Nikolai. Hearing that Nikolai had returned from Nexus, the portal prison, astounded him.

"How can I possibly plan to ruin the ball when I have a special guest coming?" Viktor was shocked when Nikolai abruptly questioned.

"Who?" His curious eyes slightly widened.

Nikolai cocked his head to to the side and slammed the door close on his face. "Oh, my. Oh, my. No spilling." He spoke softly to the door before returning to the bed and casting a gleaming gaze its direction before slumping heavily onto it. He closed his eyes, and as her face appeared in the shadows of his eyes, his smile grew.

He couldn't wait to see Ophelia in that dress for some reason. In reality, he had brought it straight from Celestia, given it to the royal tailor, and threatened him to give it to her under the guise that it was his creation.