Page 25 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince

It slowly seems to dawn on Trevor’s father that his son fucked up big time, and that he is probably messing with the wrong crowd. “I’m sure we can find a solution,” he says. “It was probably just a coincidence.”

Coincidence my ass! But Trevor looks so horrified and scared that I’m going to take a bet he won’t touch a girl so soon again. Flora and I spend a couple of minutes longer in the office, before the principal lets us leave without any repercussions for Flora.

Outside, we bump into Jace, who has been waiting for us. “Everything alright?”

“Trevor, the creep, won’t touch anyone anytime soon,” Flora giggles, her eyes glinting slightly.

I take her hand into mine, squeezing it. “He picked the wrong girl,” I say. “What an interesting coincidence.”

“Oh, Elden, what are you implying?” she beams at me. “I would never!”

My lips tug into a smirk while I look at her. She is the smartest and the most cunning, yet most beautiful and sincere person I’ve ever met. I let my fingers glide over the back of her hand, enjoying the hint of tingles I feel. Once we are both eighteen, we will finally feel the mate bond for real. Ever since we were children, we were fated to each other. We didn’t understand it, at first, like we didn’t understand the prophecy that mentioned us being fated to each other at a young age, but we caught up with the truth when we were both in middle school. When I realizedthat every boy seeking Flora’s attention felt like a threat to me, and Flora wanted to rip any girl apart who came too close to me, we began to accept that we were different.

Jace, Flora and I make it through the crowd, who keep whispering around us. Some girls smile and wink at Flora, a gesture she returns.

“Let’s have our lunch,” Jace says. “Before the afternoon lessons start.”

He is so busy rummaging through his bag that he doesn’t watch where he steps. “Jace, watch out!”

My warning comes too late, and he bumps into a tall young girl. “Watch out!” Jace exclaims, saving our food last minute. Part of his soda, however, lands on the poor girl.

“Why don’t you watch out?” she returns, while she looks down at her soiled shirt with a frown. Her voice is quiet but firm.

Jace raises his gaze now, finally realizing what happened. The girl in front of us is new; I haven’t seen her before. Maybe she changed schools recently. She is tall with dark blond hair, that she wears shoulder-length.

“Oh, she is so pretty,” Flora beams.

The girl looks at her, surprised. “I… this is the high school, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“Because…” she pauses. “How old are you?”

“She is seventeen,” I say.

“No way,” the girl mutters.

Meanwhile, Jace has finally found his voice again, clearing his throat. “I am sorry for bumping into you.”

The girl looks surprised, clearly not having expected his apology. “It’s okay,” she says. “It’s my way of making a first impression: Bump into an alpha’s son.”

“You know who I am?” Jace asks, surprised.

The girl looks away from him, almost looking a bit hurt. “I just moved to your pack.”

Jace looks shocked and a tad bit embarrassed. “Oh, I wasn’t aware. It had to be recently, right?”

“Yes, last week,” she says. “I moved in with my grandma. Emerald Moon was her old pack, and so we returned here.”

“Jace was out of town last week.” I help my friend, who has just turned into a Neanderthal in front of this girl. It’s not just the surprise that’s holding him back though, it’s also the disappointment. The girl in front of us is clearly half lycan, half werewolf, a beta she-wolf; as heirs to an alpha we can easily detect her rank. Normally, new pack members get accepted into a new pack through a beautiful ceremony. Seems like Jace’s father skipped it, which unfortunately, is nothing to be surprised by. She is ‘just’ half a lycan, after all.

His father is an even bigger elitist prick than mine, and that says a lot.

Jace straightens his back, finally finding his voice again. “Let me start anew,” he says. “I’m Jace Hearst, and it’s a pity I wasn’t there when you and your grandmother moved to my pack. Allow me to welcome you now, though. I hope you will like it here and feel at home.” He pauses. “What’s your name?”

She smiles at his warm welcome, and when he reaches out his hand, she accepts it, shaking it. “Janice,” she says. “Janice Mable.”

“Do you want to have lunch with us?” Flora offers.