Page 126 of An Omega for the Lycan Prince
When Ella shrugs helplessly again, Elden looks at her insistently. “Ella, does no one in your pack talk about this? Normally when such an incident happens, rumors spread. Wolves don’t drop life-changing events just like that.”
She shakes her head. “No one talks about it ever.”
Liam and Aryanna exchange a glance.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“Isn’t it weird,” Liam starts after a while. “So, a bunch of wolves get together secretly. They plan on killing the Alpha. They don’t succeed. And no one in the pack knows any details? No one talks about it?”
“The wolves in my pack don’t talk much,” Ella points out.
“They don’t talk much?” Flora repeats. “Do you mean in general?”
Ella nods her head. “They don’t chat. I hardly ever see anyone hanging out with each other. It’s not like… in Annie’s pack, where they meet for parties and have gatherings. Everyone rather stays to themselves.”
Elden leans back, his brows furrowed. “Something doesn’t add up.”
“I’m not lying,” Ella says. “I swear, I’m not.”
“I know that,” Elden mutters. “Liam would have been able to tell if you lied. What I meant to say is that something in your pack doesn’t add up.” He pauses. “What about you? Annie said you were treated badly.”
“The Alpha’s officials,” she points out. “They… well… they did beat and harass me when I was younger.” She pauses. Her voice is not wavering at all. She has her tough facade up again, but I can see how anger flashes in Dante’s eyes. “The others in the orphanage suffered too. It stopped eventually. I don’t know why but they started to leave me alone all of a sudden. They still hit and harassed the other kids though.”
“When did it stop?” Elden wants to know.
“Around middle school.”
Liam looks at her thoughtfully. “It stopped when you befriended Annalise.”
Ella blinks, her eyes widening all of a sudden. “Yes, around that time.”
“It's like they didn't want to stir up trouble with Moon Blood,” Liam points out. “Annalise’s father, Brian, is a high-ranking Beta wolf in the Moon Blood pack. His word carries weight, and he has a lot of high-ranking friends. I saw it myself. Surely had he encountered his daughter’s best friend being abused and harassed… he would've done something about it. And Alpha Cedric’s leading style is very similar to ours. He would have listened, researched, and probably sent word to the Council.” He turns to look at me. “Wouldn’t he?”
“Absolutely,” I agree. “Alpha Cedric brought great changes to Moon Blood after he took over from his father. He changed everything and made it a much stronger and better pack. He hates injustice and thinks very highly of the Council.”
Aryanna turns to look at us. “Yes…” Her eyes widen. “Red Claw didn’t want any attention on them, and especially not from the Council!”
“Who pays for your education, Ella?” Dante asks softly. “College costs a lot.”
“I suddenly received a letter saying that I inherited some money from my parents when I turned eighteen, but that’s not all. When I was in middle school the Alpha kicked me out of the pack, but didn’t make me a rogue. I got a tiny one-room apartment to stay in.” She frowns as she lets her own words sink in. “Okay, you are right. When I put together all the facts, it just sounds weird.”
“So, just to get this right,” Elden sits up. “You are the daughter of so-called traitors, but no one talks about what happened. They stopped harassing you after you and Annalise became friends. How did they know?”
“Someone probably noticed and spread the rumor,” Liam points out.
“Exactly,” Elden nods. “On top of that, no one talks to Ella.”
Liam nods at his words, but I feel a bit confused. What are they talking about now? Why is it so special that no one talks to El?
Dante is standing next to her now. He doesn’t touch her, but he is obviously trying to be close to her. I’m not sure if Ella even notices, but her body language is also quite open towards Dante. It’s like she wants him to be close without even realizing it.
“Someone made sure to exclude you from everything so that you can grow up safely,” Dante explains quietly. “Look at it like this: They deliberately did not involve you in the pack for many years.”
It dawns on me what they are talking about, my eyes widening in shock. “It’s true that they shunned you, but the person or group who made sure you stayed an outsider… they meant to protect you. Maybe that’s all they could do at that point.”
“And you said someone pays for your education,” Liam adds, then shakes his head in frustration. “What the heck is going on in Red Claw!?” He looks at Dante. “Did you find anything?”
Dante glances at the group and explains, “I started to research the pack a while ago.”
