Bullied Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Chapter 102

Lily's POV

I blinked my eyes, the memories of my past swirling in my mind like a freaking storm. As the echoes of my memories faded, I found myself back in the present, my gaze locking with the mysterious woman.

She folded her arms and regarded me with a piercing stare. The realization of who she truly was dawned upon me, and I couldn't contain the accusation that escaped my lips.

"You... you killed innocent people!" I accused, my voice laced with disbelief and anger. "You killed a four year old boy."

To my surprise, the woman before me appeared bored, as if my reaction was far from what she had anticipated.

"The audacity of mortals" she said, "saving their lives countless times, only to be met with ingratitude."

I realized that I was probably talking to a sociopath with no distinct perception on right and wrong, only vengeance and justice.

She massaged her forehead and leveled me with an annoyed gaze. "Here's how it works, sweetie, I'm your first line of defense. My job is to protect you at all times and my protection is involuntarily. The moment I sense a threat, I strike. It's not rocket science. If you ask me, it sends a message so that everyone knows not to mess with you."

"Why have you been silent all this time?" I demanded, instead. "If you were so oh-so-powerful, why did you never try to make contact with me?"

No wonder I always felt so hollow. As if a part of me was missing. As if a vital part of me had been wrenched from my gasp.

"And of all the times... Now?! You show up to reveal that I happened to be mated to the man that hates me the most. You've been there for years, watched me be bullied and harassed and you only chose to appear now?" I was spiraling into madness.

Her gaze narrowed at my accusation, "your meddlesome father is the reason I couldn't establish contact with you."

"Wha-?"

Suddenly, it hit me. The memory... the ritual... it suddenly made sense why I had no memories of my thoughtless killings from that day... but that can't be right...

"My father... H- He sealed you away."

"A very stupid and unreasonable move, if you ask me."

I glared at her. "He risked his life to stop you! He risked MY life!"

"No, I saved YOUR life. He was performing an ancient and forbidden ritual that could have taken both our lives. Sacrifices had to be made."

My heart stopped, the wheels in my head turning.

No... NO No no!

I was around seven or eight in that memory, the timing was terribly convenient. Terribly coincidental.

My voice was tight. "What did you do?"

She pressed a hand to her chest, a smirk on her lips, "why, I did what I had to do to survive, honey."

I held my head.

Sacrifices had to be made.

The m******e. People dropping dead like flies as if by black magic. The barriers that had never been let down since my father took over as a sorcerer suddenly stopped working. The hunters that raided all of Shadow Cove. "Your fault!" I hissed.

"Now, child-"

"My father was killed for a crime he didn't commit! Aiden's parents were murdered! And it was all your fault... All MY fault!"

I was going to be sick.

I deserved it. Every hurt, every pain. The person that didn't deserve any of this was my dad.

I went pale. Bile rose up my throat.

She grabbed my arm and forced me to look at her. "Listen to me, Lily. I love you, okay? Nobody in your life can ever love you the way I do because my life force is tied to yours and I will do whatever it takes to protect you. Because if you die, I die." My heart pounded hard.

"I have been reincarnated into your body for a reason. Ten years ago, it was to use you to protect your kind but your father didn't understand that. He tampered with forbidden magic and paid the price. His ritual could have taken your life, OUR LIVES. I used what was left of my energy to protect us. Therefore, it took the equivalent. A quarter of Shadow Cove's population was wiped out in a single instant because your father didn't know better."

I shook my head, tears trickling down my cheeks.

"He was completely drained after the ritual and the barriers that functioned with his powers failed for the first time. Hunters invaded your community. That was not my fault!" My dad... Oh god...

"I've been completely useless for the past ten years watching you get treated like a common thief when you should rein over these dogs like a queen. Every hurt, every pain, I've been forced to bear it while I've been sealed away in your consciousness, unable to make contact with you. It hasn't exactly been a happy experience for me either, Lily."

I bit my trembling lip hard.

"And as for your mate..."

I swallowed, my heart sinking into my stomach.

"Your mate. Your equal and partner in all aspects. He was chosen by-"

"I know that. Your mate is chosen by the goddess yada yada-"

"Listen to me, child. I make my own choices. As my host, you do too. I am naturally drawn to life forces that rival mine in strength and power and that is not easy to come by. Do you know how hard it was to replace not one but two mates that checked all the boxes?" "Two?"

Cade...

"Sadly, my first choice was torn forcibly from me but this one, you have to make it work. Whether or not he is your worst enemy, he is my mate and yours."

Forcibly torn? The text? We never even rejected each other. How could I-

I caught myself immediately. No. Stop. I won't entertain that idea. Cade ruined me. He doesn't deserve my curiosity.

I changed the subject. "You said that I was allowed to choose."

"That you are. I am aware of the boys you fancy."

Boys. I blushed immediately, turning red and sweaty all of a sudden.

"Don't be shy!" She beamed, "it is perfectly normal for female hosts to have two or more mates. And I must say, you made excellent choices, even without my help. I approve of them. You couldn't have made better choices."

I shook my head, not wanting to entertain the thought of having both Ren and Zac and changed the topic right back. "I never felt the bond with Cade the way I felt it with Aiden."

"I couldn't make contact with you at the time, but I did what I could to let you know that he was the one for you."

I had always been drawn to Cade. Always looked him out in a crowd even when he never knew my name. His smile, whenever I watched him talk or laugh with his friends, my heart would skip beats.

I always thought it was a mindless crush.

"That was you."

She rolled her eyes in a 'duh' expression.

"Your father's seal was strong enough to hold me at the time, but it has been weakening drastically for years. I am glad that it didn't stop me from imprinting on Aiden. The timing also helped. I thought I would be dramatic for once and let you know on your birthday."

A disgusted grimace contorted my features as I looked at her. "The mere thought of being mated to someone like Aiden repulses me," I declared vehemently, hating myself for even feeling anything as physical as attraction to him. "If you knew better, you wouldn't have chosen somebody like that!"

A flicker of sadness flashed across Dahlia's gaze as she spoke softly. "I am sorry for the pain you have been through. It would be thoughtless of me to not acknowledge what hardship you were passing through. I hope that you can replace it in your heart to forgive Aiden for he likely did not understand the weight of his actions."

I barked out an incredulous laugh, disbelief squeezing my heart. "Of course. Boys will be boys. Good, understanding little Lily should let it roll off her shoulders for the greater good. What I want, what I feel, what I experienced at his hands doesn't matter, does it?" I asked sarcastically.

"Lily-"

I shook my head, "please stop. I don't want to hear anything about him."

"But you have to. Because he is the only one that can truly set me free."

I froze. "What?"

"Like I said, your father's seal has gradually weakened over the years. However, the only way to permanently shatter the seal that keeps me captive is to get claimed by Aiden. He's the only one with enough power to break through your father's seal." Claimed?

My heart dropped. Her words triggered Aiden's threat.

"Run, and don't stop running because if I catch you, nothing is going to stop me from claiming you. You are mine, no one elses. And you will be mine. I'll make sure of it."

Fear gripped my heart as memories of Aiden's threats to forcefully claim me resurfaced.

Suddenly, a vivid image painted itself in my memory; Tate, pushing my face against the cold wall of the convenience store bathroom. Rubbing his erection against me. Those nameless boys that nearly raped me in the school toilet under Aiden's orders. I imagined Aiden forcing himself on me. His hateful eyes, his livid sneer. His heavy weight on mine. His demanding hands. Taking and taking and taking. Not caring if I wanted it or not. The pain. The shame. The humiliation.

I squeezed my eyes shut and vehemently shook my head, refusing anything that would bind me to that boy. If it meant that I was going to be a weakling for the rest of my life, I would rather have that.

"You can't be serious."

"I am. It must be him. He is the strongest of the chosen-

I'm going to be sick.

"No, Dahlia, you don't understand. I hate him."

She huffed a frustrated breath. "Time is of the essence. Breaking the seal is just the beginning. I was hoping now that you're eighteen, you might be more-"

"No. No, I don't want to hear it. I have managed just fine on my own and I have no desire to unlock my 'true potential." I answered firmly, making sure that she saw that I was not joking.

Dahlia regarded me with an expression that clearly communicated, "Are you serious?"

When she saw that I was not going to budge, she frowned.

"Listen to me, child. You said so yourself. You will be a weakling all your life without me. I am the only one capable of keeping you safe, as my existence is inextricably linked to yours. The fact that I have been reincarnated suggests that powerful forces are at play, and that you and your kind are possibly in grave danger. Reincarnation does not occur without purpose. It would be foolish to not heed my words." My frustration mounting, I gripped my hair, I shook my head again.

I had zero desire to have any part in any of this. All I had ever yearned for was a quiet existence, free from the burdens of destiny. I wanted for everyone to just leave me alone.

But as I was about to say it, Dahlia seized my arm, her grip firm as she stared into my eyes. "You are meant for something greater, and believe me that running away from your destiny rather than embracing it and wallowing in self-pity will do more harm than good." And as if she was tired of speaking, her thoughts flowed into mine and I could feel her berating me for cowering in fear before those I should be stomping under my feet. Her gaze swept over my shoulder, envisioning the insignificant people who had tormented me. In her eyes, I was pathetic, a sorry reflection of my true potential.

I turned away, done with listening.

"Don't you ever get exhausted?" She whispered and I squeezed my eyes shut.

She walked in front of me and tilted my chin up to look at her. "Always looking over your shoulder like prey at the bottom of the food chain when you can be ruling at the apex. You're a sorry version of who you are supposed to be because you don't know your true power. You would have been killed by the ferals if your mate hadn't come to save you. Tell me Lily, don't you ever dream of saving yourself?"

Her words resonated deep within me, stoking a dark ember of vengeful rage. I pictured Tate, Mauve, Paige, and Sebastian, and a surge of vindictiveness welled within me. The thought of them groveling at my feet, paying the price for their transgressions, ignited a dark, bitter and vengeful emotion, one that Dahlia smiled at with poisonous red lips and encouraged with bloodthirsty green eyes.

"You do, don't you? You want to hurt them. You want to make them pay."

Make them pay... but would I know when enough is enough?

I recoiled as images of the innocent nurse and the boy on the playground flashed before me. And those were only the victims she had let me see. What about the ones I didn't even remember. The lives I don't recall taking. I couldn't bear the thought of causing harm to innocents. I couldn't hand over the reins to a being that couldn't temper justice with mercy. That couldn't differentiate between an actual threat and a rude four year old with bad teeth. If Dahlia was as powerful as she claimed, I didn't want her to hold such control over me.

"You said that breaking the seal is just the beginning. What will it take for me to reach my true potential as your host?" I asked, for curiosity sake.

Dahlia's gaze softened, her touch grazing my cheek gently. "Like I said, it is possible for female hosts to have as many mates as they want. Our powers cannot be contained to one mate alone. When there is a bond, fated or chosen, it must be completed by your mates claiming you as theirs. As soon as the bond is completed, there is a power exchange. We draw power from our mates and they in turn become more powerful in their own right. If you think I was powerful before, wait until you've bonded with all your mates." I tried my hardest to swallow the lump in my throat. Is this what I want? Power? Vengeance?

"Lily!" My mother's voice suddenly echoed around us, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Come back to us, sweetheart." My stomach turned to jelly at Ren's voice and I started looking around, searching for him.

Dahlia sighed. "My time is almost up. Remember what you must do to set me free. To be bonded is a beautiful thing. Your power grows and you forge a unique and unbreakable connection. Embrace it. Don't be scared of it."

I started to feel weird. Like there was a rope tethered to me, pulling me back.

As the voices of my friends calling out to me grew louder, Dahlia gripped my arm. "Time is running out. I fear that there is still so much to tell you and so little time left. If you want to seize control of your life and stand a fighting chance, you need to break me free. Everything will be useless if you are not claimed specifically by the mate I have chosen for you. Aiden. It HAS to be Aiden."

Oh God.

Suddenly, I was yanked back to the present. I blinked severally as my vision cleared before me. And there, hovering over me and standing right in my face was the last person I wished to see. Aiden fucking Vanderbilt.