Page 106 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince

“I know,” she says tiredly. “I meant… family.”

I swallow thickly. “I know,” I admit.

She opens her palm to show me something. I didn’t even notice that she was holding onto something. “Grandma went to retrieve this,” she mutters. In a sudden burst of anger, she tosses the brooch away. “She died for something like this.”

I jump out of the bed to retrieve the item again. Flora will regret tossing it away at a later point, like I did with tossing aside the letter my mom wrote me. The brooch is unlike any other I have seen so far. It’s a simple design but has a delicate pattern. In the midst of it, there is a simple white stone, almost translucent. I inspect it closer, noticing that it doesn’t reflect any light. Instead, it seems to be illuminated from inside.

“I don’t think this is just simple jewelry,” I mutter, returning to Flora. “I… Hazel… she wasn’t reckless, ever.” I hand the item back to Flora. “She wanted you to have it. I am sure it meant something.”

Flora clutches it into her fist, pressing it against her heart, before bursting into tears again. “She went back just for it. There were rogues attacking her… They attacked her because of me, didn’t they?”

I look up in shock. The thought hasn’t even struck me yet, but now that Flora mentions it, I am starting to see it as a possibility. The rogues went onto pack grounds. Vincent said it looked like they had a clear goal in mind, and they went directly to Flora’s cottage.

“We don’t know that yet,” I say quietly. “They might have been after this brooch, not after you.”

“But the brooch exists because of me,” she sobs. “That’s why Grandma retrieved it. She called me child of light and gave it to me, and then she died. My mom is never with me, because I am me. And my dad is so scared of me he left shortly after I was born. Grandma was the only one who stayed and cared. She wasn’t scared.” She looks at me now. “Why are you not scared?”

“You are my best friend,” I say while carefully sitting down next to her again. “My first friend in this pack, my best friend, my conscience, and my love. I want to be better because you are with me. I can fight my battles because you are there. That’s what you mean to me. You are everything.”

“I killed them with silver,” she blurts out. “I bet Regis thinks I am insane now. I am a freak.”

I let my lycan come forward, deciding this is something he can reply to himself. “Mate,” he growls, pulling her into his arms, “you are amazing!”

“But the silver-”

“It was hot!” he exclaims. He doesn’t always find the right words, but it seems his genuineness comes through because Flora relaxes in his arms.

“You and Elden won’t leave me, will you? You will always stay with me?”

He nods. “We will never leave you and Celeste,” he promises easily. “We will be your family, and we will be whatever you need us to be.”

Look at him, being so smooth!You did good,I tell him when he hands me back the reins.

I just said what I felt,he says.Mate is our family.

“You are everything to us,” I tell Flora. “You have been my family, my best friend, and my mate for so long. I will never let go of you. I want to fulfill all your dreams and be the best mate possible.”

“Grandma always said you are way too serious and try too hard to be perfect,” she says all of a sudden. “You don’t need to be perfect,” she mutters. “I love you either way.”

Before I can even reply to her, I can feel a new wave of grief through our bond and she starts crying again. “Grandma,” she sobs. “What am I going to do now?”

Once more, I wrap her into my arms, feeling angry at myself for not knowing how to console her, for not being able to take her pain from her. I should have been faster tonight… then maybe I could have saved Hazel, and Flora wouldn’t have to live through this.

Eventually, Flora is so exhausted that she falls asleep. There is a nurse attending to her, so I step out onto the big balcony of our infirmary. To my surprise, I meet Samuel there, who is just gazing at the stars. The silence around us is awkward, then I clear my throat. “Thank you for defending Flora today,” I say.

Samuel has his arm in a cast, but otherwise looks okay, just roughed up. “I wish I had been there sooner,” he says sadly.

“You were there, and that’s all that matters to me,” I admit.

“I just heard that Hazel and Flora took off, and needed to check on them,” he offers.

“The item Hazel retrieved is important, isn’t it?”

“I assume it’s Flora’s birthright,” he tells me.

I eye him thoughtfully. “Do you know her parents? Flora’s, I mean?”

He doesn’t answer for a while, and I am almost inclined to believe he will either lie to me or keep quiet, when he finally turns to look at me. “Geneva and I have an idea about who she is and where she came from, but you need to believe me that neither of us knows details. Hazel was the only one who knew, and she swore to take the secret to her grave.” He huffs bitterly. “And she did.”