Page 63 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince

“Don’t worry,” I reassure her. “Fortunately, it wasn’t red wine.”

“Yes,” Calvin says. “We can just dry it up.”

We wait for her to leave us before starting to clean up in silence. I am not sure what to say now that I am alone with Calvin. I barely know him, and he is quite some years older.

“Listen, Prince El-“

“Please just call me Elden,” I tell him.

“Sorry, Elden it is then,” he pauses. “I know I’m not your first choice, and that nepotism is what got me here today, but I am hard-working, and I am ready to put all my abilities into this, use all my contacts. If I’m awkward to be around, you just need to tell me, and I will do things differently.”

“Thank you for being honest,” I say. “May I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“I read in your folder that you have troubles with social interactions.”

“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” he says.

I eye him thoughtfully, deciding to test him now, and see his response. “I don’t like being so blunt, but what is your take on this?”

“No, you have to be,” he says. “The truth is, quite some diagnoses were tossed around, ADHD was within them. My parents dragged me to several doctors to get answers. If you ask me, they just accepted the ones they liked the most.”

I am shocked – to say the least – about his honesty. I didn’t expect him at all to answer so directly. “Why did they test you?”

“The truth?” When I nod, he continues. “My parents had high expectations of me, and as a child, I did have some behavioral issues, quite some tantrums, you know. My father believed I wasn’t responsible and reliable enough, and was too detached when I got into trouble. I think he believed something was wrong with me, though I actually didn’t want him to see I’m scared.”

Once again, his words shock me. I didn’t expect him to share a similar upbringing to myself. What he just described couldhave been me. Granted, I didn’t have any behavioral issues, but my father constantly scolded me for my lack of responsibility, tarnishing our name and whatever, and he got mad when I didn’t give him the satisfaction of getting emotional.

“I am awkward in social situations,” Calvin admits. “I was alone mostly when I grew up. At one point my parents stopped playing an active role in my upbringing.”

I swallow thickly. “Thank you for being honest with me.”

“Can this stay between us?” Calvin asks.

“Of course,” I say.

“I think we should return,” he says. “Vincent is probably already waiting for us.”

“You are right, let’s go.”

*CALVIN*

Fascinating.

He is intriguing even at first glance and worth my effort.

He is still skeptical though, which made me change my original approach, twisting my background into something he could empathize with.

I have my eyes pinned to Elden’s back, watching him return to our table. He was more difficult to convince than others. He saw right through the fake diagnosis. It was my own stupidity as a child, not to have thought of something smarter, but at that time ADHD was the only thing I was able to pull off.

Ever since then I have learned and evolved, not making such feeble mistakes anymore. I know when people expect me to laugh, or when I’m supposed to ask questions. It’s easy to push the right buttons. My original plan was to somehow get rid of the other beta, but seeing him today and his interaction with Elden, I have decided to keep him around. I will need him to be able to properly read the atmosphere and adapt my reactions.

Elden is going to be the most powerful leader one day, and since I knew about his existence, I knew I had to make it to his inner circle somehow. My father showed me his picture once, and I was mesmerized and intrigued instantly. I researched everything I knew about him, about his past, the death of his mother, the rumors about his father, his intelligence and his success at school. Even his luna is special, as she should be to be fated to such a promising alpha.

I was hoping he wouldn’t be a disappointment. Seeing him today though, verified the inkling I’d had. He is composed, attractive, intelligent and has a strong aura. That’s the type of person I want to serve.

“Say, Elden,” Vincent says when we sit down again. “Do you mind if I put up a gravestone for my parents in the pack. They are buried at my old one, but I want to be able to mourn them here, too.”