Page 3 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince

“She is such a creep,” another boy spits.

“She mumbles something to herself all the time. So pathetic,” one of the girls giggles. “I thought she was mute.”

“And she is so obsessed with flowers. Is she trying to be cute or what?”

I try to shield the flower with my hand, but the boys start pushing me away again. I struggle against them while something keeps drawing me to that flower, like a voice whispering to meto protect it. The light around me goes crazy, circling me, but it's not strong enough to help me.

Another pair of footsteps comes closer. For reasons unknown, I seem to hear these footsteps louder than anything else around me, as if they echo in my mind.

“What are you doing here!?” A voice demands to know. It sounds dark and a bit angry. Raising my eyes, I meet the frame of a boy who I instantly recognize. He is taller than the other kids, his eyes and hair are dark.

I shrink away further. Goddess, this is bad, this is really bad. Something must have alerted him or drawn him to the group. Just like me, he doesn’t hang out with the other children, but unlike me, they actually want him to.

The boy who always looks so angry.

I usually try to avoid him as best as I can. I can’t remember that I’ve ever talked to him, as he has training every day, and our paths barely cross. He is my age, but he already radiates so much power and strength. I have never paid much attention to him, but now that I do, it’s obvious he could easily hurt me.

“Prince Elden,” one of the guys looks at him. “Good thing you came, this girl was being a creep again.”

“What did she do?” Elden wants to know, his dark brows furrowing further as he checks us over.

“Well… she kinda… she was sitting there and pretending to see something invisible… again. And she tried to pet the plant or something. So weird!”

“What?” Elden laughs, and my heart breaks. He is laughing about their words and their bullying. To my surprise, however, his laugh dies down and is replaced by a glare. “So, you want to punish her for existing!?”

“But-”

“Flora is a lycan of royal heritage,” he spits, and my heart warms at the idea of him knowing my name. “Show her some respect. She is above you.”

“She is-” one of the girls stares at me in disbelief. “She is… royal?”

“Yes,” Elden snaps. “Her father was of royal blood. Now get lost, before I change my mind.”

The other children don’t wait for him to say anymore and instantly shuffle away. Seems like they are scared of the prince, too. Silence engulfs us. It doesn’t seem like he is going to hit me or push me around, so I crawl towards the flower again, trying to free it from the dirt once more. The boys stomped on it, but the ground beneath it is soft, so the plant is still alive.

Hurt, but not dead.

Prince Elden approaches me and kneels down next to me. “You shouldn’t cry so much,” he grumbles. “They think you’re weak.”

I blink up at him, my heart skipping a beat when I take in his serious features. Grandma keeps saying, he is so young, but already looks so serious. Now that he is here, I’m not sure how to feel about him. I thought he would be terrifying, which is why I never crossed his path. But now, something feels different. I should be scared, but I’m not. To my surprise, I can see one of the dots of light slowly approaching him, as if they are curious.

For a split second, I swear I can see little wings in the light. Is this… what the light is?

“I need to protect the light,” I say.

He looks confused and a tad bit annoyed. “That’s why you try to shield the flowers?”

I’m surprised he catches on so fast. “Yes, the light likes it.”

“Then just take it along, and let’s leave.”

I blink in surprise. He is right. I can just take the plants and put them somewhere safe. The little blobs of light seem to likethe idea, too, as they excitedly flow around me. With Elden’s help, I carefully free the plant. The moment I hold it in my hands, the light attaches to it. It’s like I can feel the roots of the small plant moving slightly around my hands. I will head home and find a safe place for it to grow.

Elden reaches out his hand. “Come,” he mutters. “I can’t continue looking at your pathetic frame.”

Is he trying to be nice? I blink and take his hand, letting him pull me up. There are sudden sparks I feel, making me wince slightly.

Elden must have felt it, too. “What was that?” he blinks.