2.Mated to a Vampire

Myra

He approached me as I stood motionless. His eyes looked predatory and gait confident. I couldn’t even twitch a finger as he ducked his head and inhaled my scent. “Sweet,” he murmured in a lilting tone, making me shudder. Akira whimpered in my head as he chuckled. I clenched my fists. “Had you been another wolf, you would have been dead by now. Since you, unfortunately, happen to be my mat-”

“I, Myra Winters of Blackwood Pack, reject you as my mate.” Silence, oppressing and heavy, followed after I finished saying the one sentence that I had vowed to not utter in my life. Each word felt like a knife dipped in wolfsbane, slicing a piece of my heart slowly. My fingernails dug into my palm as I tried to endure my wolf’s heart-wrenching howls. 

His gaze remained on me with a look of surprise on his pale visage. I averted my gaze. “Now you and I have both been spared of misfortune,” I bit out. My voice remained steady, concealing the turmoil that I was going through. I heard him huff out a chuckle. “Brave little one, aren’t you? Good thing that it wasn’t I who broke the bond.” I glared at him. This is the reason I hated these lifeless creatures. They were devoid of compassion or remorse. 

“Yeah, for once I agree with someone like you,” I spat out. The taunting curve of his lips flattened. I could see the embers of anger in his eyes. I felt a sickening satisfaction coil around my battered heart. But that feeling was short-lived. His fingers wrapped around my throat, tilting my head up and forcing me to look into his eyes. 

“You filthy creature. You're not entitled to look at me or speak to me in this manner,” he gritted out, his face impossibly closer to mine. My heart twisted painfully, and I forced myself to hold back tears. “Why? Are you a Royal?” I managed to ask. His grip tightened. He cocked his head. His gaze blazing. “Yes. I am a Royal and you will address me as Prince Damian Emilio.” 

The hatred I had felt towards this...this creature turned vicious, turning uglier. “A...Royal?” I muttered. His lips quirked. “Regret rejecting me now?” he countered. His mockery made my skin crawl. I chuckled darkly. “Regret? More like relieved.” The words felt hollow. The amusement in his eyes dimmed. For a few moments, neither of us spoke, regarding the other grimly before he pushed me back. I stumbled, but I held my ground. 

“I hope we never meet again.” And then he was gone. His touch still lingered on my skin. No matter how repulsive it felt, I raised my hand and touched the tingling skin. My finger stained red and I belatedly remembered that he had been hunting. A few wet drops touched my skin and only after it started drizzling did I realise that I was standing in the rain. I felt numb. 

How cruel can fate be? What crime did I commit for which the Moon Goddess was punishing me? My legs gave out. I collapsed on the ground, uncaring of the carcass lying a few feet away from mine. Its rotting sight made me retch and throw up. 

~~~~

I did not register the shouting that my coach showered on me as soon as I navigated my way back, my clothes caked with twigs and mud. I hardly felt the lashes of the razor-sharp whip. I hardly heard the taunts and vicious words that were thrown at me in abundance. My mind was blank, and Akira was quiet. No pain or cruelty could win over the one that I felt this afternoon. 

I vaguely remember someone, maybe an omega, helping me climb the stairs. I stare at the dark bruise on my calf. I press on it and hiss in pain. The pain momentarily keeps those intrusive thoughts at bay. I had heard that rejected wolves never find another. There’s no second chance or another mate for us. The thought itself is daunting. I curl up on the mattress, wincing as I bend my knees. A muffled sob escaped my lips, a result of a broken heart and a bruised body. 

I had so many dreams about my life with my mate. I longed to leave this pack and join his, if he had been a werewolf. I swallow the painful lump in my throat, my chest tightening. I couldn’t help but think that maybe our pack Alpha was correct. I brought bad luck to myself and the people around me. 

~~~~~~

Damian

“Thought you went on another impromptu vacation,” Joanne said as soon as I entered my room. Had she not been my girlfriend, I would have snapped her neck for her audacity. She was lounging on the plush white sofa that I had purchased last week, checking her nails. I grunted noncommittally and walked to the ensuite washroom.

“Hey! Stop ignoring me,” she complained. I clenched my jaw. I kept her around because she was good in bed and I had no intention of taking a mate. Well, not that I had any choice now. I stared at my fingers that had wrapped around that slender neck. I closed my eyes and remembered that heavenly and delectable scent, and then I was reminded of the pure hatred in her eyes. I heard a crack and look down to find the crack on the sink. 

“Babe, what’s wrong?” Instead of replying, I whirled around and shouted, “Get out!” I did not regret the fear that clouded her eyes immediately. She scurried out of the room. I walked back into the room. In our world, I was always respected and feared and yet that...that omega managed to talk back to me. Reject me and defy me. But still...I couldn’t kill her. 

I remember the moment when she tried to defy me and how familiar that felt. Why did it feel familiar?