Page 136 of An Omega for the Lycan Prince
“Who is Dan?” Liam asks.
“Lauren’s father,” I explain quietly. “He is the current Beta. What about her sister?”
“She has a sister?” Dave asks in surprise. “I didn’t know!”
“She is younger, sixteen,” Celine explains. “Her name is Valerie.”
“How come I haven’t seen her in school?” Dave presses. “I mean, even with the age gap, we should have at least seen her at one point?”
“Valerie was quite ill as a child,” I point out. “She was home-schooled. Her health is better now that she’s connected with her wolf.” I pause. “How did Val take it?” I ask in worry.
“Bad,” Celine says quietly. “How do you tell a kid that one of her closest family members did something so bad? She didn’t believe it at first but eventually didn’t have a choice other than to face the truth. It really broke her, though.”
I sigh. “Poor Val. She was always such a shy and sad child.”
Celine nods. “I’m actually a bit worried. But your mom is great, Annie. She has invited Val to help her with the arts and crafts lessons for the little pups in the nursery.”
Dave leans back. He has listened quietly, but now he nods. “She needs to know that it’s not her fault. Annie’s mom is trying to make sure she remains a member of your pack so that she keeps a feeling of belonging somewhere.”
Liam chuckles. “She can visit us eventually,” he grins. “One meeting with my twin brothers and my sister, and she will steal my father’s gin, get drunk, sneak off the pack grounds and cheat her way into a club.”
I laugh. “When the heck did that happen?”
“I told you,” he chuckles. “Finn is the well-behaved younger sibling. It’s the rest that go crazy sometimes.”
We all laugh before I go back to our previous topic. “How did Dad take it? I mean concerning Dan… and Lauren.”
“Dan apologized to him repeatedly, said he didn’t know and would never have allowed anything to happen to you. He even offered to step down in his rank and have your father become Beta. But you know your father,” Celine smiles slightly. “He doesn’t hold it against him. He even told him that he would be there for him if needed.”
I nod. I’m glad that they direct their anger at Lauren and not at her family. “It’s thanks to you that it didn’t escalate further,” Liam points out. “You set the tone and gave her parents the benefit of the doubt.”
Celine sighs. “There is so much I can still learn from you both, Liam and Annie. Lauren is right about one thing: I’m an Alpha by blood, and my father is the leader of our pack, yet I’m passive. I have to grow stronger.”
“I disagree. You appear very strong! People show their strength differently,” I point out. “Not everyone is the same. It doesn’t make you weak. You always carry yourself with dignity and you try to do the right thing, thinking about your pack and your responsibility. You never abuse your power, and you always have the bigger image in mind. That’s something to be proud of.”
Liam nods. “You handled the situation very well. You dealt with Lauren and you ensured her family could stay out of it. Those are good leadership qualities. Besides, Silverlake wouldn’t have become allies with Moon Blood if it weren’t for you. You have made your pack so much stronger already.”
“I still need to work on myself,” she states. “Maybe one day I will be Luna too…”
“I think you will become the Alpha of your pack,” I assert.
“What?” She smiles in amusement. “And have a male Luna?”
“It’s not impossible,” Liam points out.
We both look at him curiously. “But it doesn’t happen often,” Celine muses. “That a she-wolf becomes the Alpha of a pack.”
He shrugs. “So what?”
“And a male wolf would become the Luna of my pack, then?” Celine presses.
Liam turns to look at her. “Celine,” he says seriously. “You might be exactly the leader your pack needs. You can become their queen. Your mate can take the role of your supporter, co-leading the pack. What’s so bad about it? For Lycans, that’s a normal way of ruling. We are far less patriarchal than werewolves. I need Annalise to rule at my side one day, not stay in my shadow. Annalise is right, you are powerful and capable, and you are the only heir to your father. I saw the way he looked at you when we freed Annalise; there is no way he will hand this pack to anyone but you.”
I can see how his words slowly sink into Celine’s mind. “I need to think about that a bit,” she says after a while. “But thank you both for giving me a new perspective to look at.”
“Good! Enough of the difficult topics,” Dave grins, immediately diffusing the tension. “Annie, we need to discuss that Top Model finale! Who do you think will win? And… tell me, what the heck is up with Ella? She was so evasive on the phone. The girl is hiding something. I know it.”
“She found her mate,” I explain happily. “It’s the man who is often with Liam.”
