Page 32 of The Wolf Prince's Mate

“And they think Victor would really provide a world where the elite are assured of generational wealth, power, royal positions, and a level ground between them and royalty?”

The more I thought about Victor’s so-called proposal, the more ridiculous it was, and I couldn’t believe the elders were buying into his lies and waging an internal war to protect these ideas. Victor was exiled for a reason. My father, as powerful as he was, couldn’t curb Victor’s excesses and resorted to letting him go. Did these men really think that the same man who thought the supernatural community should wage open war on humans, assert dominance as the superior beings, and make humans our slaves at the young age of ten would be their savior?

I guess Elder John was right. In their quest for power, they had completely forgotten how he had raped their daughters and bragged about how he was entitled to all the women by virtue of his royal blood.

“It takes a corrupt man to play into the fantasies of other corrupt men,” Elder John replied, his steps coming to a slow stop. “I need you to understand the situation and get ready for what is to come. There’ll be times when I’ll have to antagonize you in court to prove to themI’m on their side. In moments like that, I’d like you to play along. The only way to beat them is to have intel on what they’re up to. I’ll be your eyes and ears while you do what you have to do.”

He took a deep breath, his eyes resting on me like heavy hands on the shoulder. “Our community needs you, and I owe it to your father to avail myself to you in any way I can.”

“Thank you, Elder John,” I replied, holding his gaze. “I really appreciate your help and devotion to the throne.”

“I’ll leave you to continue your walk,” he replied with a bow and walked off in the direction we came from.

The sound of machines whirring and kids laughing filled the air, but I couldn’t bring myself to tap into the joyous environment.

I couldn’t shake off the heavy weight resting on my shoulders. I had always known ruling a kingdom wouldn’t be easy, but I certainly did not expect this level of difficulty. It was baffling to me how deeply corruption had eaten into our community and how far people would go to ensure the security of their selfishness.

Years of training to take over the throne suddenly felt like too little. Victor’s appearance and the elder’s resistance to me at every corner were not helping matters.

We still need an heir to secure our place.My wolf subtly added, and I sighed, running my hands through my hair.

“You can’t catch me!” A little boy yelled before zapping off, almost running into me while his parents followed closely, their smiles as bright as the sun.

A bitter-sweet feeling settled into me as I watched them. This used to be me years ago with my parents, water gun in hand, speeding through the park while they followed closely, laughing at my silly antics.

It was the only happy memory I had of them—weekend visits to the park with them walking hand in hand, father whispering sweet nothings to mother while she blushed and giggled the whole day.

Those were beautiful times. The rosy, sunny days before it all fell apart, and they went from doting on each other to wanting to be as far apart as possible.

I came here whenever I needed to feel their love and remind myself that love once lived in my family and laughter was once the order of the day.

However, today, I wasn’t feeling that love. The clouds were heavy, and my heart was heavier with the possibility of all that could go wrong if things failed.

This was different from business. This wasn’t about money, legacy, and statistics. This was a far more delicate business and required appealing to the people’s personal interests—a quality I obviously lacked. I’ve never been one to play into the desires of others. I stood for what was right and just and would defend it with the last drop of my blood, even if I were the one standing for it. That wasn’t going to change now.

I just had to find a way to prove to them that Victor was a lying, deceptive son of a gun, and if he got on that throne, they might as well say goodbye to their basic rights and the ability to live like free beings. It’ll be modern-day delivery.

I was so wrapped in my own world I didn’t see the kid heading towards me until he barreled right into me. I rolled back to the balls of my feet, cushioning the force of the impact while reaching down to hold him in place.

“Hello,” he grinned at me, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

I don’t know what it was, but I felt my heart swell at the sight of his blue eyes twinkling behind the stray locks of hair scattered on his forehead.

“Hello, big guy,” I replied, squatting to bring myself to his height. “What’s your name?”

His grin widened, and he reached out to touch my face. It was a very brief contact, but I felt it linger. “My name is Noah. What is your name?”

I smiled at his cute attempt to mimic my deep voice.

“My name is Griffin. Who are you here with, Noah?” I added, immediately realizing a kid in the middle of a park had an adult somewhere worried sick about them.

“My mommy. Where is your mommy?”

I chuckled, rising to my feet. He looked to be three or four years old, but he was quite eloquent and confident, and I didn’t miss how his little fingers slipped into mine like it was the most natural thing.

The gesture caught me off guard, as kids his age were often weary of strangers. He seemed to relax right into me. I, on the other hand, couldn’t understand the sudden streak of care and tenderness I seemed to have developed towards him.

“My mommy isn’t here, Noah. How about you lead me to yours?”

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