Page 185 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

“No kidding,” Vincent mutters.

Marius’ mouth drops open, and through our mate bond, I can feel his shock… and guilt… He’s blaming himself for what happened to Annie. I take his hand in mine, trying to calm the whirlwind of his emotions.

“Liam is a true lycan alpha,” Elden adds. “His bond to his pack, family, and his mate are stronger than for many other alphas. If he had gotten even a hint of Calvin’s crimes towards you Marius, nothing would have stopped him or Fenris from ripping Calvin’s head off his shoulders.”

It’s the first time I’m hearing about a werewolf or lycan having such strong bonds to those around them. “Are you a true alpha too?” I ask Elden.

He nods.

Marius rubs his hand over his eyes. He starts to laugh without any humor in his voice.

“Marius?” Elden asks worriedly.

He removes his hand, looking sad and angry. “Fuck! I knew this, I knew all of it. I knew about Liam’s gifts and yours, yet it never even registered that I could stop my suffering. I never realized I could have just talked to one of you and you would have instantly known it was the truth through your bond to me alone. Fuck. I’m so stupid!”

“If you’re stupid, what about me?” Elden mutters. “I just needed one hint. One! To stop all of this.”

“Calvin is a master manipulator,” Vincent speaks up again. “He is a genius. He knew what he was doing. In a way, he manipulated us all. Remember how he tried to frame half of the pack when Annie was abducted?”

“I was so pissed at him for doing that. I completely forgot to question him on why he would do that,” Elden explains.

Marius lets out a deep sigh. “He is not going to hurt anyone anymore.”

“I’ll make sure he won’t,” Elden says in an icy tone.

“Can we stop Mom from getting any more involved?” Marius asks.

To our surprise, Vincent laughs. “Good luck with that,” he snorts. “Not even an alpha’s command could make me tell her to stop questioning Calvin. Someone hurt her pup, and she is taking it very personally. My Alpha is scary, but his enraged Luna is even worse.”

I can see pride in Elden’s eyes at Vincent’s comment, before he turns to look at Marius. “I know we failed you, which is why it’s going to be difficult to trust us in this. But please, try to believe me when I say I promise you, I won’t ever fail you again.”

“I believe you, Dad, and this won’t ever happen again, because now I know that I can come to you for anything,” Marius says. “But I need something from you too. Once I go down there to confront Calvin and make my decision about what to do with him, it’s over for me. I have to draw a line on this guilt and blame I’m constantly feeling. It’s draining me more and more. And Dad, I want you to draw a line too.” He looks at Elden. “We need to let it go. I am finally starting to repair my bond with my family again. And while Calvin did horrible things to me, it doesn’t excuse how I’ve treated those close to me, who would do anything to protect me. I need to fix those bonds, not be excused for them. I did a lot of shitty things, and not all of it was related to Calvin. It’s just… I don’t want to be treated like a wounded victim, constantly reminded of what happened to me or excused for my behavior. I am not what was done to me, nor am I still a victim. I’m a survivor. I want to let things go eventually and move on. Please respect my wishes and treat me like you normally would. No excuses, no guilt, no blame. It’s still me, and I’m okay.” He pauses before he corrects himself. “I will be okay.”

Elden lets his words sink in before he nods carefully. “Alright, Marius, if this is how you want us to handle it, we will follow your wishes.”

Vincent nods too.

“So…” I break the silence. “Any rules down there?”

For the first time during this talk, Elden looks a bit amused. “Why, Celine? Do you have any plans I should know about?”

“Just covering my bases,” I say. “If Calvin runs into my fist or falls against my knee, it’s not going to be on me.”

“As long as he stays alive, you two can do whatever you want to him,” Elden explains, his voice cold as ice again. “I just need him alive to pay for his crimes.”

I look at Marius. “Are you ready?” He clenches his fingers into fists before I reach out and take his hand again. His tension eases a little.

“Let’s go,” he nods.

Scars II

*CELINE*

ThedungeonsofSilverlakeare situated in their own building, heavily guarded, and far below the ground. I know the lycans don’t keep a lot of prisoners here. They either kill their enemies immediately or have them transferred to the Council-owned prisons. At the moment, Calvin is the only prisoner down there. Elden reassures us that his cell is heavily guarded day and night and that he is dosed with wolfsbane and tied by silver chains.

Elden accompanies Marius and me to the staircase leading down to the actual cells. When we reach the final door, Marius turns to face his father and nods. “We can continue on our own from here.”

“Vincent and I will wait here at the staircase,” Elden says. “In case anything happens, link me, or yell. Just give me a sign.”