Page 140 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

I stare at him in surprise. So that’s how he hid it from everyone? What a vile, disgusting creature!

“Valerie, I’m trusting you to keep what you’ve heard between us,” he gently takes my face between his hands. “I think Elden and Flora, and their children, deserve to have some privacy to deal with this in their own way. I know they will respect Marius’ wishes to handle it quietly.”

I nod. “Of course.” I pause. “Eric,” I mutter quietly. I know this is not the time or place for this revelation, but I feel so emotionally raw that I just have to say this, or I’ll chicken out again. “I need to tell you something.”

He pulls me into a hug again. “Go ahead,” he whispers into my hair.

“I’m sure you’ve heard about Luna Annalise being kidnapped back when they first met, and how she was almost killed.”

Eric nods. “Of course.”

“The girl who orchestrated it and helped capture her was my sister.”

Eric looks at me thoughtfully. “And? Why are you telling me this, my sweet little princess on the pea?”

I’m being called fairytale names again, I think, with a careful smile. “You don’t mind?” I want to know.

He looks confused. “Mind? Why would I? You didn’t do it and obviously, you can’t choose your sister.”

I don’t know what it is, but my eyes fill with tears. I lean against his broad chest and allow him to pull me into a hug. “Thank you,” I whisper.

*FLORA*

It’s been hours since I left the dungeons. After I slammed a knife into Calvin’s hand, and later used it to slam it into his nether regions, I decided I needed to retreat, or my all-consuming wrath would kill him before he suffered enough.

I know Elden left the dungeons, although he didn’t link me. He also doesn’t join me in our suite. Men. Like I wouldn’t notice his troubled feelings through the bond. The creatures of light surrounding me spread a bit, and some trail toward the direction he must have disappeared into. I’m clad in some silky lingerie and don’t bother with changing. I just wrap a bathrobe around me and follow the light.

Come,they whisper.

Flora.

Giggles surround me.

Flora, Flora, Flora.

My lycan stirs in my mind. Celeste used to be wary of the beings of light. She wanted to chase them away at first, but eventually accepted that we’re an entity. She, I, and these mythical creatures of light.Mate needs us,Celeste mutters. Her coat has a very rare shade of light grey. Depending on where and how the sun or moon shines on us, it can change its color from grey to silver or even sparkle slightly in the light as if there were crystals on our fur.

“Luna.” Gamma Aurel must have noticed that I’m leaving the pack house. I have a very strong bond with him—ever since he saved my life when Aurelia was still in my womb. A bond of deep-rooted friendship blossomed between us. He is more than just a gamma and friend; he is a loyal servant and knows what and who he is protecting.

“Not now,” I tell him.

He stares at me in surprise. He is not used to me being so serious and looks at me with conflicted feelings.

“Trust me,” I whisper. My skin glows slightly under the moonlight, and it’s hard to tell if it’s illuminating me or if I’m illuminated from inside. But Aurel knows my secrets better than any other pack member, and he steps back now.

“Of course, Your Highness.”

I smile at him and make my way away from the pack house and towards the forest.

Like Elden can hide from us,I point out toward my lycan.

The Beta hurt our pup,she says, and her voice is broken. She lets her head hang down. I feel my chest clenching in pain at the sorrow and horror Marius had to endure without me noticing. I should have noticed; I’m his mom. I knew something was amiss… I first thought a girl had broken his heart, I thought his mate might have rejected him, but I didn’t imagine the hell he had to live through for so many years.

I was blessed with so many gifts, but none of them work with my direct bloodline.

Guilt and anger gnaw at me, but I will them down. Neither Marius nor Elden will benefit from my breakdown.

We’ll hurt him in return,I reassure Celeste.We will make sure he won’t ever have a single happy minute in his life. And we’ll be there for our pup and mate. We cannot succumb to the darkness of desperation.