Do you reject me?

Under the silvery glow of the moon, a young woman named Auriana, with hair as white as freshly fallen snow and eyes that burned like embers, seethed with anger and frustration. Her gaze was fixed on the vampires who stood in her way, their very presence an affront to her determination. "Return her to me," she growled, her voice low and menacing, as she confronted the creatures who had dared to take her dear friend, Princess Astrid

"Give her back to me," Auriana nearly growled as she stared at the vampires who stood in her way. These vampires had the guts to take her best friend away just because she was a human.

In the realm of Yinia, where three races coexisted in an uneasy harmony, the vampires had once ruled supreme, their power and dominance unchallenged. But the werewolves, with their fierce loyalty and strength, had rebelled against their oppressors, allying themselves with the humans to gain freedom and protection. And so, the realm was divided into three kingdoms, each with its own distinct culture and traditions.

The humans were the weakest among the three races so they were easily killed or taken as slaves and oftentimes, they still became food for the vampires. Their only salvation was that sometime later, after the division, werewolves found their mates among the humans and because of that, the humans went under the protection of the werewolves which made it difficult for the vampires to take them at will.

"Do not bridge the treaty between our races, pup, now return," one of the vampire guards uttered with irritation in his tone.

"I am not leaving without her, so hand her over this instant," she commanded using the Alpha's command that came with her position as a princess.

Feeling the aura change and the power in her stance, the vampires readied themselves for an attack.

Auriana was determined to rescue her friend from the clutches of the vampires. Her defiance was met with irritation and condescension, but she refused to back down, her eyes blazing with a fierce inner light. As she confronted the vampires, her body began to shift, her senses heightened, and her claws extended, ready to strike.

The vampires, taken aback by her ferocity, readied themselves for battle, but Auriana was a force to be reckoned with. She fought with precision and skill, her movements swift and deadly, as she took down the vampires one by one. Her goal was clear: to rescue her friend and bring her back to the safety of their kingdom.

Auriana clicked her tongue when she saw a vampire running away. "They are weaker than I thought," she commented, she looked at her fists and shrugged, then stepped over one of the unconscious bodies. She sniffed the air, she caught the scent of the person she was looking for and followed its trail which led her to the Palace. This brought a frown to her face as it would pose a new problem later on.

Meanwhile, inside the castle, the guards that ran away knelt before their king, his crimson eyes stared at them with a murderous intent that could be felt even without him moving an inch.

"Repeat yourself?" he said, his voice cold, yet distant at the same time. "Have my soldiers become so weak that a little lone pup can defeat them?"

"Forgive our weakness, Your Majesty, she appears to be an Alpha and she is heading for the castle," one of them said and the other gave him a side look, inwardly calling him a fool for not reading the room.

"A pup with the blood of an alpha shouldn't be able to break her way through our defence," he yelled at them as they quickly crawled back, still on their knees.

"We will make sure she does not come any further, Your Majesty," The other one said but got rejected outrightly.

"Let her come, I want to see the child you all failed to keep at bay," the king said dismissively.

"Yes, Your Majesty," they uttered in unison.

But as she finally reached the palace, she was met with an unexpected surprise. The king of the vampires, a towering figure with piercing grey eyes and ink-black hair, stood before her, his gaze fixed on hers with an unnerving intensity. And in that moment, Auriana felt a jolt of recognition, a spark of connection that she couldn't ignore.

Her eyes locked with the man who was twice her size. His eyes squinted at her and disbelief flashed across his eyes. He stood up and walked in her direction but the two servants got in the way.

"Please allow us to get rid of her, Your Majesty," they said, seeing this as an opportunity to redeem themselves. Killing the little shifter now wouldn't pose any trouble, after all she was the one to barge into their kingdom and now, looking to harm the king.

"Step aside," the king ordered but they insisted which provoked him. "LEAVE," he stressed.

They raised their heads, taken aback by the sudden command. Without uttering a word in protest, they bowed one last time before walking away. They bared their fangs when they walked past Auriana who paid no heed to them.

All of her attention was on the man standing in the middle of the large room.

"This can not be," she uttered under her breath and took a step back. She shook her head as if my doing so, what was before her would be proven false.

"So it is true then," He said but she shook her head.

Auriana turned around ready to run but before she could do that, she was pinned against the wall beside her. She growled and struggled in anger at herself. He was faster than her, had she been faster he wouldn't have had the chance.

The king's words were gentle, his tone soothing, but his hold on her wrists was firm, unyielding. "You feel it too, don't you?" he asked, his eyes searching hers for a glimmer of acceptance. And Auriana, despite her doubts and fears, couldn't deny the truth. She was his mate, bound to him by a ancient and unbreakable bond.

"Let go of me, this can not be true," she said, still in disbelief. There was no way it could ever be real. But even with the doubts she forced upon herself, she couldn't look away nor could she stop herself from taking note of every detail about his features.

Ink-black hair as long as her own if not more, falling over his shoulders to his lower back, at least from the angle that she could see. His eyes were silvery grey, a sharp jawline, a pointed nose and a thin pair of lips that had her swallowing subconsciously. He was tall and big, this she noted immediately as she cast her eyes on him.

"I will let go if you promise not to run," he said, but she glared at him. The truth is that he could not blame her for acting the way she did. Had he not waited for the day he would meet the other half of his soul, he would have been the way she was right now. Ready to run away and deny the truth.

It also came as a surprise that she was a shifter, one of an alpha bloodline. Well, that was a good thing in a way, at least his other half was not some omega, one without status and power.

"You can not deny what you feel," he said and slowly released his hold when she stopped struggling. He had to admit, she was quite the strong one. He could tell that despite her fight and struggle, she didn't use her strength to push him away, probably because of the bond acting on them.

As the king released her, Auriana felt a sense of disorientation, her mind reeling with the implications of their connection. She had come to rescue her friend, but instead, she had found something far more unexpected. And as she looked into the king's eyes, she knew that her life would never be the same again.

"I can, and I am," Aurora replied. She stepped away from the wall and looked around. "I am here for my friend, you took her, give her back," she demanded and he nodded his head, surprising her that he agreed so readily.

"There are quite a few, could you give me a name?" he asked. He would give her friend to her if that was all that she wanted. He would even thank that little human for allowing herself to be taken because it was because of her that he was able to meet his lifelong partner.

"Astrid, Princess Astrid," Auriana said and he nodded.

"She will be with you in a few minutes. Care for a seat?" He offered but she did not reply.

"Why are you so calm about all of this?" she asked, finding it odd that he had no issue with their bond. He couldn't have expected it because he would come for her even before she turned eighteen or even last night when the clock struck midnight, marking her eighteenth birthday.

"Because you are mine. I can not reject you, that is a pain I do not want to go through," he replied very casually and she pursed her lips. "You deny the possibility of this being true even when you know it is."

"Where are you going with this?" She frowned, having a bad feeling about what he would say next.

"Do you reject me as your mate? Can you reject me?" He asked.