Page 160 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince

Emilia smiles tiredly. “Thank you, Elden. Truth to be told, there is a lot I have to think about. About the decisions I made in my life and why they led me to this moment. You and Flora have become very dear to me, but I doubt this is a place I can remain. There are so many questions for me…”

“If there is something you want to do to help you find your answers, we will support you,” I reassure her. I get it. In a way, she was my father’s prisoner, just like my mom, just like hisfated mate, and even Tobias. They were all hurt by him. For most of them Silverlake was never their home or their safe space. It was their prison. Emilia probably blames herself for getting into this situation, something I can sympathize with all too much. I really grew to like her as a family member, although our bond only grew recently. I will miss her if she leaves, but if she wants a new start somewhere else, then I definitely want to support her.

She smiles at us. “I will think about it.”

Samuel takes a step forward towards my father. “You need to do it,” he says shortly. “I will order you anyway, but it would be better to save your dignity and do it yourself.”

Dad looks like he is barely able to move, but he whispers something inaudible. I frown, curious as to what he just said, when I feel a sudden surge of power in me. What’s that?

He denounced his title. Because we won over him, it went directly to us without any ceremony!Regis exclaims, full of pride for officially being alpha now.We did it!

“And what now?” Flora asks Samuel and Geneva. The latter has two warriors take my father to the infirmary where he can get treated, for now. The room will be guarded so that he can’t get out.

“We will deal with Caelum,” Geneva promises. “After everything he did, he can’t stay here.”

“I wished we could imprison him,” Samuel says.

“That would be a political scandal,” Geneva says, clearly displeased herself. “Elden and Flora don’t need that now. The easier their start into leading the pack, the better. Turning him rogue would be difficult, too. He has too many connections.”

“What are you thinking about?” Emilia asks.

“We will exile him from the pack,” she says. “And take him with us to Paris. He has a house there where he used to meet his mistresses.”

Emilia sighs. “Oh? So that’s how he did it.”

“Just so we are clear, you are not bound to him,” Samuel tells her. “I know he marked you, but we will dissolve the bond, so you are free to do as you please.”

“I thought it would be funny to put him under house arrest in that house,” Geneva says.

“Where he met with his mistresses?” I ask.

“Yes, he can live there on his own. The guards of the Council are fantastic. We will make sure he doesn’t go anywhere. We will control every step he takes, every call he makes. He won’t be able to meet anyone unless it’s approved by us.”

Emilia and I share a look, then I burst into laughter. When I notice the others are looking at me in worry, clearly scared that I might be having a nervous meltdown, I shake my head. “It’s hilarious,” I say. “He used to confine my mother to her room, making sure to control what she did, and who she talked to. He imprisoned her in a golden cage. Then, he did the same to Emilia. And now, the same thing will happen to him. I love that for him. He can rot there on his own and think of the things he won’t have or experience. I made sure to show it to him in detail.”

“I am glad you approve,” Samuel says. “I thought you might push for him to get thrown in a cell.”

“No,” I say. “I mean yes, if it were for me, I would prefer a cell for him. But then, there would be people who pity him. People who don’t know what he did and who might not care. But having him be exiled to a beautiful yet very lonely house makes us all look like the better person. He wronged his pack and his family, yet they gave him a second chance to live the rest of his life in peace. Oh, how generous we are! It will be a miserable existence, but no one will care because to them it looks generous.”

“Man, you have a mean streak to you,” Vincent says with a grin. “I like that. Gives you some edge.”

“Well, then we will inform the Council and set things into motion,” Samuel says contently.

I notice someone approaching me. It’s my father’s former beta, Oliver. “Sorry for interrupting your talk,” he says. “I just wanted to congratulate the new alpha and luna.”

“Thank you,” I say.

“I am sorry I was so useless all these years.”

“You did what you could,” I say. “We all know that.”

“We hope you are staying?” Flora asks.

“If you want me to.” Oliver looks at me, and I nod.

“I was hoping you could help out Vincent a bit. Calvin is responsible for all our security measurements, but Vince will need to do most of the more social and political interactions together with me.”

“Of course,” Oliver says, smiling in relief. “I would love to help.”