Lycan Prince Matteo

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“I apologize for my tardiness, Your Highness,” Freya expressed, smiling at Dad as our eyes met. Not a glimpse was spared in my direction, affirming her lingering displeasure. I recognized the reason – my earlier discourtesy, likely unsettling her. My encounter with Ronaldo had triggered it; he complained about her perceived disrespect. In the palace, irrespective of status, we imbibed the value of respecting our elders, a fundamental etiquette.

“Come, dear,” Dad urged, gesturing for Freya to join him. “Matteo mentioned you’re not feeling well,” he continued.

“Yes, Your Highness,” she replied. Eunice and her father, Ronaldo, shared our company. Initially content without my presence, their demeanor shifted upon Freya’s arrival, now radiating evident displeasure, echoed in their accelerated heartbeats. I observed my mate, attempting to gauge her emotions, but the endeavor yielded no insights.

“I believed this might be my sole opportunity to express myself, if you permit, Your Highness,” she added. Dad, along with Calvin and James, displayed confusion.

“What is it?” Dad inquired.

“This marks the final occasion I’ll share a meal with you in this manner.”

“Why is that?” she questioned.

“I didn’t want to encounter the woman who asserted herself as my mate while I was having a meal, and an elderly man who refused to acknowledge me as his princess,” she explained. So, I shifted my gaze towards the father and daughter seated in front of me. “I understand your intention to keep my identity confidential, but those whom you entrusted with this secret took advantage of it and disrespected me. Despite my current state, I won’t allow anyone to treat me that way. I would willingly relinquish my mate to anyone; they only need to ask.”

locking eyes with my father, who seemed to already grasp the reason behind her absence.

“Your mate is a gift from the moon goddess. Why are you willing to let him go?” he inquired.

“The moon goddess desires us to love ourselves too. I expected my mate to be reasonable and to believe in me alone. If he chooses to believe and listen to another woman, I would rather release him,” she replied, then rose from her seat. “I apologize for this, Your Highness. I don’t think I can endure being in the presence of those I dislike during the meal,” she added, turning her back. “By the way, I would like to remind those two to address my mate as Prince Matteo, not by his name. If they desire respect, they should first learn about hierarchy,” she stated before leaving the dining room.

“We will discuss this later,” Dad informed me, and I nodded. “This is the final time you will join us for a meal, Ronaldo and Eunice. As the princess mentioned, you will address her and Matteo as Prince and Princess,” he declared.

“Yes, Your Highness,” they both replied. I was certain they were seething with anger. They never anticipated that Dad would side with my mate, and I felt foolish for believing that deceiver. I needed to reconcile with my mate later. I should have consulted Camila first before confronting her or simply asked her directly.

Calvin and James remained silent. They had cautioned me against hastiness when facing Freya after hearing Ronaldo’s account of her actions, but I ignored them. I didn’t want others to perceive her as unreasonable simply because she was the princess, and I wanted the entire kingdom to accept her readily. That’s why I hadn’t allowed the fact that she’s my mate to become a public matter yet.

I glared at Ronaldo when I realized he had deliberately caused a rift between Freya and me. My gaze shifted to Eunice, who couldn’t meet my eyes and had her head down. I had already informed her that there was nothing between us, that I wouldn’t accept anyone as my chosen mate, and that I was willing to wait for my fated mate.

Freya later joined us for lunch, clarifying things, and I’m certain my father admired her for her outspokenness. My mother was similar to my mate; she always spoke her mind to Dad without sugarcoating her words.

Lunch concluded, and I made my way to the king’s office, preparing myself for the scolding I was sure to receive. It was my fault, and I had no choice but to accept it. I also needed to figure out how to apologize to my mate.

“I am disappointed with you, son,” Dad expressed as we all sat down, with James and Calvin also present. I was certain they would share their thoughts on the matter as well.

“I know, I just thought that she really-” I began, but he cut me off.

“Enough!” His anger was evident; I could see that. “You should have asked her first. If you value and accept her as your mate, that is the first thing to do. I can’t blame her if she gets mad at you. The way I see it, she already is,” he added. My head hung low. I knew I was stronger than him; he had admitted that to me before. However, my Lycan remained silent, indifferent to the reprimand.

“Are you hesitating about your bond?” he asked, surprising me. I looked at him. “Are you still thinking about that scent you smelled nine years ago?” he added. I didn’t know what to say. I was sure Freya was my mate, but there was something in me that made me think twice.

“Dad, I smelled her before. I should have known when something happened to her. There was this one night when I was in so much pain. I went to the palace hospital and asked the doctor, but he told me that what I am feeling is not from my mate’s infidelity, but because something happened to her,” I explained.

“What??” He was surprised because I never told him about it. I even asked the doctor not to tell anyone, so this is a secret between me and him. “Does that mean she’s dead?” he added.

“I don’t know either, dad.”

“If she was, I would have known it. You will be in so much pain that a night will not be enough for you to recuperate. It was very painful and will almost kill you,” he said, and I nodded. I saw how he was when my mother died, and what I experienced was way easier than what he had been through.

“It’s not like she rejected Matteo either, right? She didn’t know his name, even if she smelled his scent as well. She has to know his full name before she can reject him, if ever,” Calvin said.

“I think you have to delay the markings,” Dad suggested. “I already know that. nless her wolf transforms into a Lycan, does she even have a wolf?” he added.

“Yes, I noticed that she was transforming. She’s glowing,” I replied.

“Then we will have to wait for her transformation. After that, we might be able to have answers to some of our questions,” he said. “In the meantime, find a way to soothe her. Yeah, I need to talk to her; I just hope that she will.”