Page 114 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince
I stare at the sheet of paper, while realization slowly dawns on me. “He got back with her?”
“I don’t know for sure,” he says. “But I know that he went to her when he left Silverlake.”
“Where is he now? Is he still with her?”
Calvin stays quiet, awkwardly so. His face devoid of any emotions, but at the same time, he looks like he doesn’t quite know what to tell me. He doesn’t need to say anything. I know without hearing it. Another small crack to my heart.
I swallow thickly. “What now?” I ask quietly.
“The woman’s name is Grace,” he says. “I talked to her, and she is ready to meet you if you want to. She told me to make sure to tell you that things aren’t as they look.”
“Is this her address?” I ask, pointing at the paper.
He nods. “She is fostering young, orphaned wolves,” he says. “So, maybe you should be careful when you go there. Not that I am in any position to stop you from doing what you need to do.”
I stare at him, annoyed. “Do you think I will go there and kill her?” When he shrugs, I just groan. “I am the future Luna of Silverlake Pack. I will never bring that kind of disgrace overmy pack, my mate and my future position. Even if she was my father’s mistress, she didn’t force anything on him. He made his own decisions. All I want to know is the truth. And if she is ready to tell me the truth, it’s reason enough for me to meet her with at least some respect.”
“Interesting,” Calvin muses.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing, just… that this wasn’t what I expected,” he says. “Do you want me to accompany you? I know the alpha will feel more at ease if you aren’t going alone.”
He is right, I promised Elden I would take someone with me. But I don’t think Calvin is the right person to take along either. I turn around, gazing back at the office I just left. “I think I would like to take Geneva with me,” I say. “She is trustworthy and has the right amount of sensitivity for that situation.”
To my surprise, Calvin looks relieved.
“Why do you look so happy?” I ask.
“I just think my strength is better used here,” he says. “Spending a whole evening talking to Grace sounds like a waste of time.”
I sigh inwardly. But Calvin is the way he is, and I doubt he will ever see the error in how he talks about people he deemsuseless. He also isn’t too big on keeping someone’s feelings in mind or being thoughtful. Well, his strengths clearly lie elsewhere, and I need to try not to be a hater.
“Thank you for your help, Calvin,” I say, instead of complaining or showing my annoyance. I am going to be luna sooner than I want to, and there is no avoiding it. It’s Elden’s and my fate, and as such, I can’t always let my emotions rule me. I need to find a healthy balance. Calvin is Elden’s assistant, his beta, and to that point, he is doing good work. He doesn’t need to do any extra work for me. I will find my own people.
Not even a day later, Geneva and I make it to Grace’s place, where I spend an hour standing in front of her cottage. Calvin verified and set the date swiftly for me, and it seems like Grace also wanted to be done with it. My bravado is all gone now that I am about to meet the woman my father loved more than my mother and me.
Geneva doesn’t say anything and instead gives me the time I need. A warrior has driven us, one of the best guards. He is not going to come inside with us and will wait in the car. That is if I ever find the courage to go inside.
“This is so ridiculous,” I mutter.
“It isn’t,” Geneva says. “It’s incredibly difficult. Take your time, sweetheart.”
I haven’t told her who my mother is, but I did tell her that this is the woman my dad went to after he left me behind. Why did he go? Why did he never reach out to me or Grandma? Grandma was so worried about him, and it broke her heart that her only child wouldn’t even talk to her anymore.
Only one way to find out,Celeste says.
She is right, but it’s so hard to drag my body forward and ring the bell. I don’t have to do that, thankfully, because the door opens suddenly and three little girls run outside, screaming and laughing. They are carrying a ball with them and run towards a huge field where more children are waiting for them.
I turn my attention back to the house, suddenly seeingherin the doorframe. Grace is nothing like I imagined her to be. In my mind she was a femme fatale, a voluptuous woman with curvesto kill for, but instead, she is a tall woman with short brown hair, a kind face and lines of worry around her lips and eyes.
She looks so normal, and nice.
“You… you must be Flora?" she breaks the silence. “I am Grace.”
I take a deep breath. “Thank you for having us,” I say.
Just like that, the ice is broken, and I find myself walking towards her. “Before you come inside, I want you to know that I wasn’t your father’s affair,” she tells me.
