The Lycan's Forbidden Mate

Upon opening her eyes, she was met by Nikolai standing in front of her, holding the dagger by its blade. She trembled and whimpered. His palm was dripping with blood.

His lips shook, his face was exceedingly pale, and his eyes were wide open in total astonishment. It is obvious that the blade he was holding did not cause his reaction.

Ophelia almost smiled. She had an arrow embedded in her flesh, therefore His present reaction was intended to be her reaction. Nikolai blinked as she eventually cracked a smile.

He yanked the dagger from her grasp and pulled her into his hug. She felt his hold on the arrow that was protruding from her back loosen. Although it hurt a lot, not even a single tear or pain was visible in her eyes. She could feel intense pain coursing through her body like a strong wind, but one could say that she was immune to pain.

Like a parent soothing a child, Nikolai started giving her a calm pat on the back. His comforting touch on her exposed skin caused her breath to hitch in agony, and her body began to heat up. It was completely impossible for her.

The way he was treating her...

"It will be painful." He didn't want to sugarcoat it, so he immediately drew out the arrow and held her closer to him while she whimpered loudly and burrowed her face into his chest.

"Shhh." This time, he soothed her by caressing her back.

"You really should have lied." She spoke while gasping and holding onto his coat.

Nikolai couldn't believe what she was saying. "And what good would that have done?"

He had only turned away for a second to stare at the clouds when he felt two impending strikes. He could only stop the one that was coming at him, not the one coming at her.

When he saw her standing there with an arrow at her back, he felt his pulse skip a beat and a strange, overwhelming feeling fill his entire soul. He anticipated seeing dread, tears, and pain in those eyes, but none of those things happened. He felt an overwhelming desire to protect her and set off right away to track down the perpetrator who had done this to her, but he didn't want to leave her.

"I.." He sighed as he felt her flutter slightly in his arms. "I haven't had any food in a while." She concluded with a laugh.

When he said, "Come with me then," he meant it.

"I was just shot in the same castle you're inviting me to."

"No one will ever be able to hurt you after this."

"You have no idea how worn out I am at the moment, so please be quiet." Ophelia's voice was beginning to weaken and sound sleepy.

"I'm not shocked. It requires a lot of mental effort to kill me." Nikolai teased. She truly wanted to kill him, and he couldn't believe it.

That was why she accepted his invitation. She had come to kill him.

"You're a complete bastard..." Ophelia grumbled before yawning loudly

"Such a cuss-worder." Nikolai tsked and carried her into his arms, only to notice that her eyes were already closed and her breathing was calm. Her wounds was most likely beginning to heal.

"How is your fate connected to my cruel fate? I'll make your life as miserable as mine." Half drowsy, she uttered.

Nikolai's eyes hardened at her words. She thought her fate was cruel? She thought her life was miserable? He clicked his tongue, shaking his head, wondering if the moon goddess was seeing him defy her by holding the one he was forbidden to touch in his arms.

Except for her steady breathing and heart's quick beat, she was silent. In his arms, she had a deathly angelic appearance. Her creamy skin had a few trace amounts of blood on it.

The forbidden fruit had truly attempted to murder him. It was a wonderfully idiotic action, and he was going to make her regret ever thinking about killing him.

"What an idiot."

...

"Nightmare?"

Ophelia was back in Fireria, in the ruinous, pitch-black hallway of the castle. Like the ground after a battle.

She was clad in a blood-stained, tattered white dress. She had numerous cuts and scratches on her flesh, especially her face, giving the impression that she had fought a rabid animal. Her hair appeared to have been neglected for a long time because it was unkempt and ruined.

Even though she knew it was simply a nightmare, she calmed down as she looked around because it was the first time in a very long time that she had experienced one. When she was younger, she was rumored to experience nightmares, but they eventually stopped. She couldn't forget the intense dread even if she had no recollection of her nightmares.

She walked slowly, barefoot, gathering the sides of the long garment.

She studied the scene around her. Blood was splashed over the floorboards, which had cracks in them as well.

"Bloodbath?" She whispered a perplexed question, cocking her head to the side. "What happened over here?"

"Anybody here?" She roared, tightening her hold on the dress.

"There is still time for you to leave Celestia." She swiftly turned to look behind her when a loud murmur suddenly reverberated, but all she saw was a wall of fire slowly approaching her.

What kind of nightmare was she having, she wondered as she raised an eyebrow. Time to leave Celestia?

"What?"

"You have a promising future ahead of you, staying with Nikolai Novikov, who belongs to you, will only make things worse for you." She narrowed her eyes at the wall of fire due to the voice's deep, foreboding tone and each severe, sacred word that it spoke.

"He belongs to me?" Incredulous, she scoffed aloud.

"You are Nikolai Novikov's mate, but your union will only cause havoc. Although you two are meant to be together, it is not your destiny. Being together will destabilize the natural order."

Ophelia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Nikolai and She Were Meant To Be Together? Then this... Was this what Sheldon meant when he said "cruel fate"?

"Who are you to dictate the course of my destiny?" Ophelia asked firmly as she clenched her fist and fixed her gaze on the fire wall. "Since it's my fate, I am in charge. You, whomever you are, have no power over my destiny."

She meant what she said, and her comments seemed to enrage the fire, as it got dark and swirled constantly.

"You dare to oppose the will of fate?" With utter wrath, the voice yelled.

Ophelia snorted. "I can choose whether to challenge you or not; that is my fate."

The fire wall immediately slammed down on her. She could feel the intense heat of the fire. She closed her eyes and attempted to move her legs, but they were firmly planted on the ground. She was about to be burned to death!

"...Ophelia!"

Her eyes snapped open, encountering a crimson storm filled with... fear?