Page 163 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

I wrap my fingers around his hand tighter, my heart breaking at how dejected he sounds.

“I will deal with it immediately,” Eric says. “I’m going to strip him of his rank and imprison him. We will put him on trial. There are a lot of packs who will want to see justice to be served.It’s on you if you want to watch. I’m not forcing you, and I won’t hold it against you if you don’t. No one will.”

Arden contemplates his words for a moment, then shrugs. “I want to see his downfall.”

I was hoping for that answer, and I think Eric was, too. It will give Arden some closure at least. The three of us make our way back to the pack. Emilien and Gustave have worked hard; the whole area is clean of the bodies of the attackers, and most pack members are being attended to.

There is still a huge crowd surrounding Arden’s father, though. He is currently being held by Beta Jules and some of the pack warriors. I recognize Juliet’s mate and also Léna’s father. My heart sinks when I realize that Léna hasn’t heard the news yet.

Another heart to break.

When we step closer, the crowd parts for us. Eric walks all the way to Arden’s father, while Arden and I stay a bit behind.

The man looks up, his eyes meeting Arden. “I’m sorry,” he mutters. “Arden, I’m sorry.”

Arden just looks away.

Eric’s normally regal and beautiful features are hard as stone now, his eyes icy. The air around us seems to be getting thicker, almost making it more difficult to breathe. Whatever it is that Eric is doing seems to suck all the willpower out of Arden’s father. He turns pale and his body shivers. It’s a pathetic sight of a pathetic alpha. “Alpha Matthieu,” Eric says without further ado. “In the name of the Council, I hereby strip you of your alpha status for the abuse of your power, trafficking of pack members, and abuse of your children. You are not part of this pack anymore, nor are you their leader.” Something seems to snap in Matthieu, but not in the way I thought it would. I thought he might turn violent, angry even, but he just groans in pain, dropping down to his knees.

“Take him with you,” Eric commands some of his men. “I want him imprisoned in our specially secured cells.”

Alpha Matthieu doesn’t react when two of Eric’s warriors grab him and pull him up; his gaze is pinned to Arden instead. When the Council warriors take him over and accompany him to one of the cars to bring him away, it looks like he wants to say something to us, but in the end, he lowers his head and walks past us.

Eric waits for him to be gone before he faces Beta Jules. “You should have known better,” Eric says coldly. “As a beta it’s not your task to follow your alpha blindly. You have not just an obligation to your alpha but also to your pack, and you failed the latter. Unfortunately, there is no other option at the moment than to make you an interim leader. I will discuss the future of this pack with Arden when he is ready. As for the pack members—” He turns to look at everyone. “—you suffered enough. Please rest assured I will make certain that you will be in good hands.”

There are questions swirling around, and Eric makes sure to answer them all until the crowd is content, and finally leaves for their homes. With Matthieu gone, better times are ahead of them. That much is certain.

Only Juliet’s mate, Nicolas, stays back together with Pierre, Léna’s father.

Nicolas gazes at Arden. “Did he die?” he asks quietly. “The man who killed my mate and all these other omegas?”

Arden nods wordlessly.

“Thank you,” he mutters.

“Will Arden not take over?” Pierre asks, sadly.

Eric gazes at Arden, who just shakes his head. “No,” he says shortly. “I will go with my mate, as I’ve planned all along. The pack should have been Vander’s.”

Pierre seems to accept his answer and nods his understanding.

Arden moves his hand towards his ear and switches off his hearing aid.Can we go home?he asks me quietly.

Yes,I say.Let’s go. Eric, Gustave, and Emilien will deal with everything else.

Chapter fifty-two

Grief

*AURELIA*

Imanage to help Arden shower to wash off the blood and dirt of the day before he drops into our bed. His exhaustion kicks in, and he falls asleep almost instantly. I can still feel his grief through our bond, but I’m unsure what else to do other than to give him the comfort of the mate bond. I stay with him, holding him in my arms whenever he wakes up from a nightmare.

Every time he wakes up it’s different, almost like he is struggling with the demons inside him.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters the fourth time he wakes up.

“What for?” I ask quietly.