Page 39 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

The Race

*CELINE*

Idon’tknowmuchabout witches or other creatures. If I’m being honest with myself, it never occurred to me that I should maybe read up on them to educate myself more.

“That’s not your shortcoming, but mine,” my father tells me while spreading jam on his bread. We habitually eat breakfast together on Sunday mornings, and I just finished sharing my thoughts with him, wanting to know what he thinks about it all. “It never occurred to me either.”

“But these people inhabit the planet just like we do,” I muse. “They have their own laws and social structures. Wouldn’t it be important to know?”

“Absolutely,” he agrees. “I really like your approach.”

I nod my thanks as he hands me the basket of bread. “What do you mean?”

“I prepared you to be alpha the best that I could. You’ve taken over, learned so much, but you are still open to learning new things. You lead this pack in your own way, and I appreciate that.” He smiles brightly. “Now, if only I had a bunch of grandchildren roaming around the pack house...”

“Thanks, Dad,” I say, amused. “It was going so well up until your last sentence.”

“Sorry,” he chuckles, and I’m happy he does laugh. For years he was so grief-stricken that leading the pack, along with being a single father, took almost every bit of strength he had. Now he seems to be slowly healing. “You’re right, you still have plenty of time.”

I smile thankfully at him. He has never pushed me to find a mate. Not even once. I know for other alphas, it’s an issue, but my father never invaded my privacy. Maybe it’s because he lost his mate. The reason doesn’t matter though, I’m just glad he doesn’t push—one less thing to stress about. Finding a partner and starting a family should be something pleasant to do, not something others stress one into. “Dad, do we have hybrids in the pack?” I shift our conversation back to the original topic. “I’m feeling embarrassed for even asking because I feel that’s something I should definitely know already.”

He blinks. “You think the weird movements around our borders are because of a potential hybrid in the pack?”

I shrug. “Could be.”

He tilts his head. “In this generation, we haven’t,” he says. “I do think, however, that a few pack members around the time of my grandfather had mates that weren’t wolves.”

I stare at him. “Really?”

“Yes, but as I said, that’s at least two generations ago. During my reign, all the mates were werewolves.”

“And two humans,” I add.

“Right,” he nods.

“And if one is still considered a hybrid after more than one generation?” I ask. “What if… let’s say… witches have a different stance? What if they deem someone a hybrid, even if only their grandmother was a witch? What if their powers manage to pass down more than one generation? The same question goes for other species too.”

Dad was just about to sip from his coffee; now, however, he put the cup back down in contemplation. “Goodness,” he mutters.

We stare at each other for a moment, neither one of us saying a word. Until finally, I take a deep breath. “I need to look into this.”

He nods, eyes wide. “Give Alpha Liam a call or his father, Alpha Elden. Silverlake’s library in Elden’s territory is huge. The lycans keep in touch with other species far more than us werewolves, they are bound to know more.”

“Good thing Liam and Alpha Elden are both allies,” I mutter.

“That’s your doing,” he says evenly.

“No, you were alpha back then, and—”

“No, Celine,” he says seriously. “You were the one who brought justice for Annalise. You didn’t rest until you knew what Lauren had done. You stood up despite me and found spies within the Red Claw pack who were willing to help you free Liam and save their whole pack. The fact that Liam sees you as a friend, and that Elden agreed on an alliance is your doing, and yours alone.”

I blush slightly. It’s rare for him to praise me like this… I mean, it’s not like he never praised me before, but this time he’s commended my qualities as an alpha and what I’ve done for our pack. It means so much to me. “Thank you,” I say sincerely. “But I was only able to do it because you’ve allowed me to make my own decisions.”

“That’s what every parent should do,” he chuckles. “I’m glad to see you smiling again,” he points out.

“Wasn’t I smiling recently?” I ask, carefully so.

“You were,” he says evenly. “It wasn’t real though. As your father, I could tell. Was there something on your mind?”