Page 141 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

I find Elden easily. He is at our special spot right in front of Silver Lake, sitting on a rock and just staring at the water. The little beings of light flutter around him. There is darkness surrounding him, like a monster that has its claws in his flesh and tries to suck every joy and love out of him. I hurry to him, wrapping my arms around him from behind. The light around me expands, reaching out for him too and wrapping him up like a blanket.

When we were teenagers, Elden grew and grew into a tall and broody alpha, while I remained his tiny, itsy-bitsy girlfriend. But it doesn’t matter; my arms are still big enough for him and our children. His big hands reach out, touching my arm and gripping it like he was holding onto life itself.

I crawl around him so that I can kneel in front of him.

I failed him,he links me.

My heart breaks at how broken his voice sounds. It’s the second time today that I can feel it scattering into pieces. I left him alone down there with this monster because I wasn’t strong enough to stay in control.

How will he ever be able to forgive me?

I grab his face between my hands and force him to look at me. His eyes are wet with tears. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him crying. He wasn’t raised that way; he wasn’t allowed to cry, his father deemed it a weakness, but I remember every single time he broke down in my arms. No one saw him the way I did. I kiss his cheek softly. “It doesn’t work that way,” I whisper sadly. “For now, Marius needs to learn how to forgive himself and learn that he is not to blame for what that monster did to him. He needs to be given the time to heal and to mend his broken bond to his mate.”

Elden’s dark brown eyes bear into mine now. “He blames himself?” he asks.

“Calvin made sure to break his mind,” I mutter. “That’s why we can’t succumb to our guilt, we can’t allow ourselves to drown in it. Marius needs us now, and we can’t fail him a second time. He will need time. Elden, can you give it to him?”

I can feel how torn he is through the bond we share.

“He is terrified,” I mutter. “Liam called me and asked me to give him some time. He is not ready to open up yet.”

“What if we will lose him?”

“We won’t, but we need to abide by his rules and allow him to do it at his pace.”

Elden wraps his arms around my middle, pulling me closer. I move my fingers through his long hair. I love his wild look, the long black hair, the serious face, all his scars and muscles. He is mine, all of him is mine, and so is his sorrow and pain. I allow my light to engulf him further.

“You’re doing it again,” he complains, but his voice is less strained now.

“You can break down tonight, all you want,” I tell him. “But tomorrow, we need to be sure to be at the top of our game again.”

I can feel his big hand, stroking my hair. “And you?” he whispers.

I can feel tears filling my eyes as I rest my head against his chest, allowing the mate bond to do its magic and lull me into a feeling of safety. All the power Elden and I have is useless when we can’t protect our children.

It is not your fault,a fleeting voice reaches me.I’m so sorry I couldn’t take this pain from you.

There were times when I was angry at her, that she wouldn’t warn me ahead sometimes, that she wouldn’t share all she knew, but I’ve come to understand her reasons for not intervening in our fates more than she has to and the difficulty of her existence.

Warmth lingers around me, my head feeling a bit lighter. I can feel how I’m drifting into a state between sleeping and waking, the little beings fluttering around me and settling down not to disturb me anymore. Elden has picked me up, and I can feel how he is carrying me back to the pack house. He lays me down on our bed before disappearing into the bathroom. Once he returns, I make sure to hug him close to me again, feeling his big arms wrapping around me.

“It will be alright,” I mutter against his chest. “We are family. We’ll get through this.”

Mom

*CELINE*

“Lookatthatbelly,”Dave coos when we make it toward the alpha suite. “I can’t wait for a bunch of cute little Annies to be running around.”

“Or a bunch of little Liams,” Ella muses.

Dave grins. “You’re still keeping the gender a secret, huh?”

Annie smiles brightly. “Yeah, I have way too much fun watching how curious everyone is.” She rubs over her belly and shuffles around the kitchen. She’s invited us all for breakfast, something we haven’t done together for quite a while. We used to have breakfast or brunch at college all the time.

“I can’t believe that Dave as a human is officially allowed on your pack grounds,” I tell Annie in awe.

She and Ella exchange a grin. “Yes,” Annie says in her best business tone. “That’s because I told Liam either you all come here, or we meet outside the pack borders, pregnant or not.” She laughs. “You should have seen his face when I suggested leaving the pack grounds while heavily pregnant.”