Page 174 of An Omega for the Lycan Prince
“He told you?” Elden sounds surprised but also pleased. “I’m overjoyed that he found someone he can open up to. But yes, you are right. He broke down. He felt he would never be able to rein Fenris in, that he wished he would have been born differently, born with less power, not born at all. It broke my heart. Before that, I didn’t even know he felt that much pressure. It was a turning point in our relationship, I guess.”
My heart aches when I think of how lonely Liam probably felt sometimes. He had this unique scary power and was constantly afraid of hurting someone. I still believe that Elden and Flora did the best they could. Liam wouldn’t love and respect them as much as he does if he blamed them for something in his past. It was a tough situation for everyone. They wanted to make sure he grew up safely without carrying the burden of accidentally killing someone. “That scar Flora has… that was you, wasn’t it?”
He looks at me in surprise. “How did you figure it out?”
“I just wondered why you made sure Liam had complete control over his power. I know he is a Lycan, a firstborn and strong, but I figured it came from a place of personal experience. I saw her scar once and wondered…”
Elden is quiet for a while. “We were young back then,” he finally says. “My parents were just glad that they had an heir. They didn’t care about more than that. I struggled with my wolf alone. All the things I stopped Liam from doing, I probably did myself. In a way, I’m a hypocrite. As teens, Flora and I met each other and later found out we were mates. I was nineteen. She was eighteen. One day, I shifted in front of her during a rogue attack. She prevented me from killing a very young wolf and got in the way of my wolf, Regis.”
My heart clenches. “Oh no, that must have been horrible.”
“I struggled for control and finally won over my wolf.” He pauses. “It’s still one of my biggest regrets that I almost killed her. I was so sure that she would reject me, but she just laughed like I was a crazy nutcase and said she was proud of me for finally reining in my beast, as she called it.” He rubs his hands over his temples. “She tends to joke about it to this day. The beauty and the beast.”
“You wanted to make sure that never happened to Liam,” I conclude quietly.
“Hurting our mate…that’s the worst.”
“I think you did the best you could,” I say after a while. “I don’t have any experience with kids, but I think it’s like that for most parents. They try. Liam isn’t scared of you. He looks up to you, and he never talks badly about you. He loves you and Flora.”
“I love my father dearly. But even I sometimes wish he would have encouraged me more to step out of my comfort zone, to provide me with more options and not coddle me so much.” I smile. “I don’t hold it against him though. He did his best and I know that. No one is perfect.”
“You think so?” Elden asks with interest.
I’m sincerely surprised. What’s going on today? Elden is normally so confident in everything, and now he suddenly tells me he thinks he messed up his son. “If you truly believe that Liam would speak to you as an equal like he does now; that he would have gone out of his way to save Red Claw; that he would be brave and confident enough to do all this… without your previous guidance, that’s kind of delusional too.” I point out. “You think he would have grown up so confident and strong with a highly developed sense of justice if you had messed up? It’s truly naïve to think this.”
Elden raises his eyebrows at me. Before he can say anything though, Jace bursts out into laughter behind us. For a second, I think the ground is shaking. That’s how loud he laughs. “Goddess, I can’t! I don’t know what I missed, but I just came in here to check on you guys, and there is this cute little she-wolf telling the almighty Elden that he is naïve,” he hollers and laughs. “I’m dead! Gonna mark this day on my calendar. I swear, I will make sure you tell Flora! Should have seen your face, man!” He can hardly contain himself and grins at me. “You have a sister, hun? Because my boy could use a mate with a backbone too!”
“Which of your boys?” Elden asks dryly, a smirk on his lips.
“Both of them,” Jace growls. “No reason to gloat about having such awesome kids.” He grins again, turning on his heels. “Naïve,” he chuckles. “And delusional. Goddess, how I love this girl.”
When he leaves, I feel like an overripe tomato. “I didn’t mean to insult you,” I blurt out.
Elden laughs. “No, that was exactly the kind of honesty I needed.” He grins. “Most people don’t tell me their opinion.”
I beam at him. “Anytime.”
He looks at me thoughtfully. “And you?” he asks. “How are you keeping up?”
“I’m doing okay. There are just a lot of voices in my head now.”
“You are their Luna now, that’s why,” he smiles. “Speaking of which: that speech you gave about why Marcus was a bad Alpha was a truly shining moment.”
I blush, not sure how to react. I have always been bad at accepting praise. I diffuse the attention by touching Liam’s arm softly. “He seems to be asleep now.”
“It’s more like a stage of unconsciousness,” Elden explains. “His body already fought and won the battle. Now it’s a battle in his mind.” He smiles softly. “Don’t worry. He will be alright. We all eventually made it through.”
I nod tentatively, my gaze shifting towards my strong mate. I wish I could do something, but apparently, Liam has to fight this battle alone. Once again, I notice the voices swirling around me, reminding me of Red Claw again.
My... my pack.
The realization hits me suddenly. By killing Marcus, Liam and I became the new leaders of this pack, and it means we have a ton of responsibilities. The people here will need a lot of guidance and healing… It reminds me that I still have a job to do tonight. “Elden, would you watch Liam for a few minutes? I need to make a few phone calls and make sure we are set for tomorrow. It will be a difficult and long day.”
Elden nods. “Of course, Annie. I have kept a few of my men here and linked them already. They will help you with whatever you need.
I nod, thankfully. I hate to leave Liam like this, but I have to do this. I know he will appreciate it when I organize something to eat for everyone and make sure we are set for a few days. I need to take my job as their Luna seriously.
Goddess, I’m not ready for it.
