Page 54 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

I notice Alpha Celine suddenly standing behind him and nodding encouragingly at me. “Yes,” I stutter.

“Valerie was very sick as a child. She had a disease that targeted her lungs,” my mom explains quietly. “She was homeschooled until very recently. Everything got better when she connected with her wolf.” She smiles at me, brushing over my head.

“The pack doctors didn’t know if she would have a wolf at first,” Alpha Celine explains. “But luckily, our fears were unfounded.”

“Can you shift?” he asks me.

I shake my head. “I tried once, but my body couldn’t take it, and my wolf told me to stop.”

“Mind-link?”

“Only when I’m inside our pack,” I flush. Goddess, I sound pathetic. “I… I’m just weak…” I stutter, feeling embarrassed by being so weak.

“No,” he says evenly. “The presence of your wolf is strong, which is why I’m wondering.”

My eyes snap up. For a second, I look him directly in the eye, and he looks thoughtful. Panic fills me. Shit, I just looked one of the most powerful alphas ever in the eye. I’m so stupid.

He chuckles though. “Lycans might be extremely territorial, but we don’t mind someone looking at us. That’s a weird thing only werewolves seem to do.”

“Valerie’s wolf is strong?” my father asks, surprised. I’m so grateful for my parents. My father was Alpha Cedric’s beta back then, and normally wolves from such powerful families don’t want weak children, but they’ve always accepted me the way I was.

“I can feel her wolf’s presence,” he tells us. He looks at me again. “I can feel her. Strong and fully there. She’s as strong as any other beta wolf.”

My mouth drops open. “What…”

“But where do her issues come from then?” Alpha Celine asks the question I don’t dare to ask.

“I can only guess for now,” Alpha Elden says. “Maybe because she was very sick while growing up, and it takes so long for her to heal fully. Or…” He tilts his head and lets go of my chin. “You are a beta, right? You tested beta?”

I nod.

“Do you know what your gift is?” he wants to know.

“Unfortunately not,” I say honestly. “Back then, they said my gift might need time to develop. Maybe the test was wrong?”

“No,” he shakes his head. “The test is not wrong. The Lycan Council is responsible for it, and they have a bunch of very powerful witches as their mates. A very gifted elder created the test. It works on hybrids and wolves of all kinds. It’s able to depict even the slightest hint of a gift.” He pauses. “I’m not a massive fan of it though, because it divides our society.”

“Yes,” Annalise agrees. “In a way, that’s how it is. However, the test itself is not bad, but the human side of us is responsible for making more out of it than it is. And for taking it as an excuse to deem others worthless.”

“But what is it for then?” my mom asks quietly.

Luna Annalise smiles. “It’s to determine if a child has a gift. Some gifts are hard to control. When you know it’s there, it’s easier to learn how to handle it.”

Alpha Elden smiles at her. “My daughter-in-law is right.” He looks at me thoughtfully. “Maybe your gift will give you the answer to why you are of weaker health and why you are facing more hardships than others.”

“Like a handicap?” Luna Annalise queries, “Then, if we think logically, it means she has a special gift, which is why she has a disadvantage in other areas.”

I look at her surprised. After all, she’s the Silver Luna, immune to silver and alpha’s orders. But I didn’t know she could connect the dots like she does.

Alpha Elden seems to be surprised too. “That’s what I have been thinking too. As always, you never cease to surprise me, Annie.”

She chuckles. “I just stated the obvious, Elden. Don’t make it sound special.”

He shakes his head in amusement but doesn’t say anything.

“Val needs someone to help her connect with her wolf,” Luna Flora says, snapping out of the daydream she has been in for a while and staring at me. It’s as if she’s looking at something no one else can see. She turns to Alpha Elden with a glint of something in her eyes that I can’t quite put my finger on.

He nods tentatively. “My wife is right. Maybe that would be a good idea. How about I train with you?” he offers.