How to forward http request from old path to new path retaining method and queries

I hope i can finally get help over here.

i want to forward all request from old path to new path and retaining the method and queries.

OLD URL PATH:

[POST|GET|PUT|DELETE]: mydomain.com/public/api?key=value

Desired URL PATH:

[POST|GET|PUT|DELETE]: mydomain.com/api?key=value

Please can any one help me with the .htaccess code to achieve above idea.