Rejected By My Mate, Chosen By Fate
Chapter 75

Kayden’s POV

I almost couldn’t believe it. It seems providence had finally smiled on me because who I was searching for was right in front of me the whole time. She had come to me, to save me. Now that I think about it, it makes absolute sense. Lucia, the Vampire King’s mate, was said to be a vampire hunter by Voithós and this woman is certainly a vampire hunter. I almost can’t believe that the one I’m looking for is right in front of me.

“You’re Lucia Fitzherbert?” I questioned, just to be sure. “ Yes, you sound a little shocked. Do you know me by any chance?” She questioned with a suspicious gaze and I instantly had the urge to facepalm myself. I should really be careful with the things I say while I’m here.

“No, no. I’m sure we’ve never met before. It’s just that your name sounds very special. I really like it.” I quickly said, hoping that she would believe me and I heaved a sigh when she laughed. This is the first time I’ve heard her laugh out loud and to be honest, she has a beautiful laugh.

“Well that’s new. You’re the first one to say that, thank you. I see that you’re quite the smooth talker.” She said and applied something on my back that made me shudder a bit. “Sorry if it hurts but this is necessary. The ointment I’m applying will help to ensure that your wound doesn’t get infected.” She said and kept rubbing it around my back in a circular motion.

“You already know my name so you might as well hear my story too. I was born into a prominent family, my father was a respected noble in the city and everything was going just fine. There was peace, prosperity and most importantly, love. We were ruled by a wise and great king but everything fell apart when the vampires attacked. They slew the entire royal family and took the kingdom by force. From what I know from the stories, the vampires have their own land but because of the great power at their disposal, they loved to take things by force. They came and turned our once peaceful city into a bloodbath. After killing the royal family, that tyrant by the name of Cassius Von Drago.” She said the name with so much hatred that I began to wonder if Evelyn would ever be able to complete her task of uniting them.

“It utterly disgusts me to say his name and truly, if I ever get the chance to be alone with him, I will not hesitate to bury a dagger deep into that black heart of his. Even if I die after that, I wouldn’t mind because then I would finally have gotten the justice that the people of Luceras deserve. The tyrant declared himself King, he took our kingdom as a mere conquest, simply as a way of expanding Vampire territory. Our kingdom is the biggest in this region so it was no simple attack. It was a well planned strategy and we all fell for it. After becoming king, he began killing the nobles one by one just because they refused to surrender to him.

Many people tried to leave the kingdom but they couldn’t, his minions had sealed off the border.

It all happened on a fateful day that I can never forget, I had only been seven then. The vampires invaded our home and killed my parents so brutally and right in front of me. It feels just like yesterday and it still gives me nightmares. My father was the leader of a small resistance that was building up to help defend us against the vampires. It would be impossible to take back our city so the resistance was formed so we would be able to fight the vampires at the border and at least escape the city, in search of a better place. But the vampires somehow got wind of it and because my father was the leader, those dreadful creatures came to our home and killed my parents. Their evil king came with them and after killing my parents, he looked me straight in the eyes and laughed. After killing my parents, they set our house on fire and burned their bodies right in front of me. I was young and feeble, I couldn’t take it, I cried so much that I fainted and when I finally woke up, one of them suggested killing me but he refused and decided that I would be made to pay for my parent’s sins by being a slave all my life because his twisted mind reasoned that killing me would be too little a punishment and it wouldn’t be beneficial to them.

I became a b***d slave and served a vampire lord for ten years before I was finally able to escape. The tyrant made sure that almost all the grown men were slaughtered leaving only the women and children who became slaves to the vampires. Because of the terrible fate that befell Luceras, all the kings of the neighboring kingdoms instantly became afraid and they surrendered to Cassius. He has vampires stationed in every kingdom and he is the supreme leader of this region. He became some sort of feared and revered King and all the other kingdoms pay tribute to him every year.

In those ten years of slavery, I saw hell. When I turned 17, I decided that I had had enough and I killed my owner. It wasn’t really easy though, the encounter left me with scars but it was all worth it. Growing up, I had secretly learned to use and throw knives. The vampires love meat and I was in charge of killing the animals while an older woman cooked them. I was desperate for the ability to defend myself but I was more desperate to earn my freedom so I somehow learned how to make good use of sharp objects. After five years of secretly training, I attacked my master when I knew I was ready. By the Creator’s grace, everything just turned out right for me that day. My master had taken me and a few others on an expedition that day so I killed him outside the city and that’s why I wasn’t met with any resistance.

A few of us escaped into the forest while the others ventured to go to neighboring kingdoms. It’s been five years since the incident and a lot has happened during that. I started my own resistance made up of vampire hunters and we were able to save a few of our kind and thus, our numbers increased. What worries me most is the fact that our numbers in Luceras are dwindling. The vampires are killing humans like birds and if this continues, we’re more likely to go extinct since they don’t allow humans to mate with each other much, they’re afraid our numbers will increase and so will our power. At this point, I’m not even considering taking Luceras back from the vampires, it’s clearly impossible. I only wish they would set us free and let us live in peace, the way we used to.” She said and sighed before wiping her tears and only then did I notice that she had been crying. I truly feel sorry for the humans. It would be hard to imagine all that they’ve been through. According to Evelyn, love is all that’s required to solve most problems and I believe that would be the only solution to this problem unless werewolves go on an all out war with vampires and I honestly doubt that that would solve anything, only complicate the issues further. Well, there won’t be a need for any war once we somehow get Cassius and Lucia to fall in love with each other but honestly speaking, it’s so much easier said than done. Especially due to the fact that Cassius seems to be directly responsible for the death of Lucia’s parents. Only Selene or rather, Lilith knows how to make it happen but I do believe that wherever there’s a will, there’s always a way.

I became a b***d slave and served a vampire lord for ten years before I was finally able to escape. The tyrant made sure that almost all the grown men were slaughtered leaving only the women and children who became slaves to the vampires. Because of the terrible fate that befell Luceras, all the kings of the neighboring kingdoms instantly became afraid and they surrendered to Cassius. He has vampires stationed in every kingdom and he is the supreme leader of this region. He became some sort of feared and revered King and all the other kingdoms pay tribute to him every year.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you and the people of Luceras.” I apologized, it was all I could say in such a situation. She wrapped the bandage around my back before standing up. “None of it is your fault so there’s really no need for you to be sorry for anything.” She said and tried to manage a small smile.

“It’s really late now, you should try to get some sleep.You can sleep in this sleeping bag.” She offered and grabbed the first aid kit before turning away from me, probably to keep it back. I grabbed her arm, instantly stopping her.

“Wait, if I sleep here, where will you sleep?” I questioned and she smiled at me. “ You don’t have to worry about that, I’ll be fine. You’re a guest here, plus you’re injured so you should be given the best comfort available.” She said casually but I wasn’t willing to let it go.

“If I sleep in your sleeping bag, where will you sleep?” I reiterated and she sighed. “I told you not to worry about me.” She pushed but when she saw how serious I was, she finally gave in.

“I’ll sleep on the floor but you really shouldn’t be bothered, it’s not my first or second or third time so there’s nothing to worry about. You’re badly injured so I can’t let you sleep on the floor or your wound will worsen. I want you to heal quickly, OK?” She said and shook her hand out of my grip.

“I don’t know about you but it’s been a long day and I feel very tired. I’ll go call the others inside so we can all get some sleep. Do have a good rest and if you need anything, just let me know.” She said as she kept the first aid kit back in the cupboard.

After doing that, she headed outside without looking back while I laid down on my stomach, trying to get some sleep. As I laid down, my mind couldn’t help but wonder. She really is a kind soul. She still cares so much about others despite having gone through so much in the past. Now I see why Lucia is meant for that devil, Cassius, only her goodness and her light is strong enough to overcome his darkness and wickedness and maybe bring out the hidden good in him, if there is even any. One thing is sure though, I have to get some rest because tomorrow is going to be a long day. Now that I’ve met Lucia, I have to somehow come up with a way to bring her into the royal palace which would be the same as bringing her closer to Cassius. I have to find a way to help Evelyn finish her task quickly so that we can finally get out of here and everything can go back to normal. I just hope that everything turns out in our favor because bringing Cassius and Lucia together is very risky, especially with Lucia’s plan to kill him when she gets the chance. Evelyn and I will just have to worry about that later. I sincerely hope that she’s OK and that she’s doing fine wherever she is.

The pain of the injury was starting to weigh on me and tiredness quickly began setting in. The others filed into the room and they each took out their sleeping bag and took a spot in the room to sleep. Lucia laid on the floor, just next to me. She smiled at me reassuringly and I smiled back at her. “Goodnight.” She mumbled to me and I whispered it back to her. She then closed her eyes and I did the same.

“Don’t worry Lucia, Evelyn and I will make sure you get the happiness you deserve and you’ll finally be able to live the life you’ve always wanted. You and the rest of your kind.” Those were the last words that I whispered before finally drifting off to sleep.