Page 156 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince
I hand Flora my backpack to hold for me, before looking at Vincent. “I will need you.”
“Don’t worry, I am not going anywhere,” he says. And then, after a short pause, “I am actually burning to see this.”
“Me too,” Flora says quietly. “I think it’s time for his downfall.”
This is something I would have done anyway, even without support, but knowing that they have my back and support my decision helps tremendously. Samuel looks completely confused, while Geneva looks equally perplexed at first, before there is suddenly a hint of understanding in her eyes. She looks at Flora for a moment. “It can’t be,” she mutters.
“We all know he would do anything for his own means.”
“But you are his son,” Geneva says quietly. “Kidnapping his mate-”
“You can join us,” I tell her. “So, you will know for certain and have proof.”
“I am definitely coming,” she says. “Samuel?”
“I am coming also,” he says.
With my entourage behind me, I make my way back out of the packhouse and towards the training area. The warriors are outside, gathered around my father. I am not sure what he is doing, and by the look on their faces, the warriors aren’t sosure either. By now, however, my little group has attracted some attention. I don’t know why exactly, but something seems to draw the warriors and other pack members to me right now. Soon enough, I can also see Emilia hurrying outside to join us.
The burn inside me gets stronger again, the closer we get to my father. My eyes are pinned on him, while the rage just seems to eat through me.
“Goddess,” Vincent says. “It feels suffocating! Dude…”
“It’s his alpha aura,” Samuel says, almost sounding joyful when he says it.
Once I reach the group of warriors, the burn inside me gets so strong, for a split second my view gets blurred again. I shake it off and push past the other men. They readily make place for me, moving away as if they are in pain.
“You!” I say when I finally reach my father. He looks at me, grimacing in pain and pressing a hand against his forehead. “You had my mate kidnapped! Don’t even deny it. I know it. Flora knows it.”
“What!?” Emilia exclaims. “Caelum?” She pushes forward, and I readily let her. “No, you didn’t! Tell me you didn’t abduct your son’s mate!”
Dad stays silent.
“Goddess, Caelum,” Samuel mutters.
“You involved humans, shared our secrets with them and had them abduct my mate,” I snarl.
“You truly got directly involved with the humans?” Geneva asks, alarmed.
“How could you?” I ask. My voice feels bland and cold, foreign to my own ears. When he stays silent, I feel the pulsating anger in me grow again. “Tell me why!” I demand, pushing against his walls.
He groans. “You needed to reach your full potential!” he exclaims. “And I was right; look at you now!”
So that’s his excuse? He just wanted to upset or traumatize me so much that Regis would lean more into the powers we still were developing and discovering for ourselves.
“I would have reached it,” I yell. “Easily with some time, without you dragging my mate away.”
“But you can’t become alpha, when-“
“Says who?” I ask. “You were alpha, and you had nothing going for you aside from my mother’s name. You only got the position because of her. The pack was her legacy, it’s the Alcott legacy! And I know it never mattered to you. You couldn’t care less about her or the pack. Yet, I thought maybe you still had a tiny bit of respect for the pack, or for me, in you. But even that hope you had to shatter.” I pause, taking a deep breath. “I have had it. I am not waiting until next week. I challenge you for the alpha rank, now!”
The look on his face would be priceless if I wasn’t too pissed off to care. “What?” he mutters his question.
“I challenge you,” I repeat. “I am pretty sure you heard it the first time.”
He hesitates, which is hilarious given that, not too long ago, he was smacking me around during training, just to show me his superiority. I was a young teen back then, a kid; of course he could easily beat me, but now things are different.
“Caelum,” Samuel intervenes, to my surprise. “Accept the challenge. At least go down with a hint of respect and dignity.”
