Rejecting My Lycan Mate: Chapter 16

Dimitri’s POV

My heart skipped a beat as she laid next to me. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and press her to my chest.

I was in heaven. Her scent in the room was so intense that I felt like I was high on it. My whole body was filled with it and it felt fucking amazing. The only thing that was missing was the feeling of her skin on mine.

I would have that soon, though. Just nine months and I would lay in bed with her pressed against me.

“I know everything about the Great War,” Maddie said. “My mom told me a lot of stories about it.”

The war between the three Lycan Kingdoms was a brutal affair, with the clash of steel and the roar of battle going on for months on end. It was a war of tooth and claw, of strength and sometimes dirty tactics, as each Kingdom fought tooth and nail for dominance over the others.

The three Lycan Kingdoms had lived in an uneasy truce for many years, but tensions began to rise when the second Kingdom, The Kingdom of Goldfangs, discovered a rich vein of gold in their territory. The first Kingdom, The Kingdom of Bloodmoon, eager to get their hands on the precious metal, launched a surprise attack on the second Kingdom in an attempt to seize the gold mines.

The third Kingdom, The Kingdom of Shadowclaws, who had always resented the other two Kingdoms for their arrogance and aggression, saw this as an opportunity to assert their dominance over the region. They swooped in and attacked both the first and second Kingdoms, hoping to weaken them enough to make them vulnerable to a complete takeover.

As the war raged on, it became less about the gold mines and more about power and control. The third Kingdom, with its superior tactics and secretive nature, began to gain the upper hand, and it seemed that they would win.

The first Kingdom, known for its quick reflexes and sharp senses, launched a surprise attack on the second Kingdom, catching them off guard and driving them back to their borders. However, the second Kingdom rallied and shattered the first Kingdom’s army and left their once-great city in ruins.

As the war raged on, the third Kingdom watched from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. And when that moment came, they emerged from the darkness like a pack of vengeful wolves, unleashing a devastating assault on both the first and second Kingdoms, crushing their armies and winning the Great War.

However, the surviving Lycans of the first and second Kingdoms refused to submit to the third Kingdom’s rule. The war left the Third Kingdom in ruins and serious financial issues, leaving their people scattered and broken. The third Kingdom won, but the cost of victory was too big. The entrance to the gold mines was lost and their hope of finding it slowly disappeared. No one knew where it was and the existence of the gold mine under the second Kingdom’s land slowly turned into a legend.

The surviving wolves banded together under a new leader who promised to unite the Lycans and bring an end to the senseless bloodshed. And so, the new king rose to power, bringing a new era of peace and prosperity to the united Kingdoms.

That new king was my great-great grandfather.

“Did you know that The Kingdom of Goldfangs had a legend about the Goddess of Gold?” I asked as I smiled at her.

Her eyes widened a little. I saw a small gold freckle on her iris and I just fell in love with her even harder. I couldn’t wait to cup her beautiful face and stare into her eyes until I memorized every shade and every freckle.

“I didn’t know that,” she mumbled. “What did the legend say?”

I wasn’t surprised. The legend of the Goddess of Gold was kept a secret. There was only one book that mentioned it. It was the book only kings had access to.

“The Goddess of Gold is a mortal deity that takes the form of a wolf,” I started my story. “According to legend, everything she touches with the claw on her right paw turns into gold.”

I lifted my hand and caressed Maddie’s cheek. I couldn’t hold back. I needed to feel her skin under my fingertips.

“The people of The Kingdom of Goldfangs believed that she would be the one to unite the Kingdoms,” I continued, focusing on that beautiful freckle on her iris. “They believed that she would be the one to mend the differences that separated the Kingdoms for years.”

My princess’s eyebrows furrowed.

“But your great-great grandfather did that,” she mumbled. “He united the kingdoms.”

I sighed and ran my fingers through her hair absentmindedly.

“Not really,” I sighed. “There are a lot of fractions in the Kingdom. There are descendants of the third Kingdom who still believe that they should be the ones to rule.”

I sighed and gave her a small smile.

“The legend said that the Goddess of Gold would bring peace,” I said. “We don’t have that in our Kingdom. I have to deal with attacks on the throne constantly.”

That was probably the biggest reason I didn’t want anyone to know who Maddie was to me. They could use her against me. Someone could take her from me and blackmail me into giving up the throne. My princess didn’t have her wolf yet and she would be defenseless. I couldn’t let that happen.

“I am sorry to hear that,” she mumbled quietly.

I smiled at her.

“It’s okay, Maddie,” I said. “I learned how to deal with them. I want our people to live in peace and I am trying my hardest to keep it. I want to be a good King.”

Maddie studied my face for a second.

“You already are,” she said, making my heart skip a beat.

I smiled at her. “Thank you.”

She smiled back and my knees buckled. I wanted to kiss her so fucking badly.

“Do you believe in it?” Maddie asked, making me furrow my eyebrows.

I was so focused on that beautiful smile on her face that I completely forgot what we were talking about.

“The legend,” she explained after she saw the confusion on my face.

“Oh,” I mumbled, my eyes widening a little. “I do. I believe that the Goddess is real. Maybe we aren’t worthy of her yet. Maybe she is waiting somewhere and she will appear when we least expect it.”

Maddie nodded and looked at the ceiling.

“Do you think that she exists?” I asked her, resisting the urge to kiss her cheek.

“Maybe,” Maddie mumbled.

I smiled and took a deep breath.

I didn’t need any Goddess in my life as long as I had Madeline. She was my Goddess. She was my princess. She was my everything.