Page 69 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince

“You have strong gifts, too,” I say. “Did you receive them early on?”

“Yes, I got them pretty early,” he says. “I have always been good at plotting and planning, and being sneaky. When I was in my early teens these talents got stronger, and I figured it must be my gift.”

“Must be nice to get your gift while you are growing and can adapt to it step by step,” I mutter, annoyed that I just got mine so late. It felt like I was hit by a brick!

Calvin nods. “Yes, it’s definitely an advantage. But I think most mental gifts appear later.”

He waits for me to talk to the doctor, who doesn’t look very happy to see me up, but doesn’t stop me either, before we both continue our walk.

I decide to use this moment to show Calvin around the pack. It’s interesting to watch him take everything in. He looks at everything, his expression concentrated and serious. He is so focused he doesn’t even blink. “Structure of the pack is good,” he tells me. “But there is room for improvement. I would love to see the schedule for the guards, at some point. Safety measures are one of my fortes. Vincent is good at battle strategy, right?”

“Yes,” I say. “You two seem to complement each other well. Do you want to see the pack house and the other buildings, such as the training halls?”

“Of course,” he agrees.

I lead him through the side buildings first, showing him the training areas, then the nursery and the orphanage. After that, the storage sheds and workshops, where our mechanics and engineers build and repair our vehicles and gadgets. Then we head to the pack house, which is clearly the pride of the pack. Vincent moved into one of the suites for ranked members recently, since, as beta of the pack he couldn’t keep living far away, so he accepted to take Oliver’s place.

Retired members don’t get kicked out just like that, and Oliver had already said he wanted to move with his mate to a quieterarea of the pack. I don’t think Dad really cares what happens to his ranked members, but the elders helped organize it. Looking back now, I am really glad Samuel and Geneva spent so many years here. They surely made the pack run better. Now, retired ranked members can choose where and how they want to live, and the pack will support them as thanks for their long service.

“This has to be a joke, Caelum!” I startle immediately, when I hear an exasperated voice coming from around the corner that leads to the alpha office. “How could you!? You went too far!”

“Did you hear that?” I mutter to Calvin.

“Loud and clear,” he says.

I gesture for him to be quiet before I step closer. I know eavesdropping isn’t good and certainly not something a respectable alpha should do, but I recognized the voice; it was Samuel’s and the fact he sounded so angry is enough for me to listen in. Calvin doesn’t seem to have anything against it, instead he looks slightly intrigued.

“The woman claims there is a child, Caelum! Tell me you didn’t know!” Samuel hisses.

“It’s none of your concern what I do in my free time,” Dad says.

“By the Goddess, Caelum, the boy is only a few years younger than Elden,” Samuel exclaims. “We are going to have a DNA test done, but I doubt the woman is lying. How did you hide it for so long?”

“I didn’t,” Dad says coolly. “I told her to get rid of it when she got pregnant, but that whore obviously didn’t listen.”

“Does Emilia know?” Samuel asks.

“No, and she will never find out. I have one heir only,” Dad says darkly. “Elden is the one with royal blood and with the prophecy. At least there is some worth to him, that other boy is just a waste.”

“Carolina was still alive when the boy was born,” Samuel says quietly. “You broke your oath to her, and you broke your bond.”

“Bond?” Dad huffs. “Don’t make it sound more than it is. It’s not like Carolina and I were fated mates.”

My heart stops beating for a second, my breath getting caught in my throat, only to be released in short huffs. Then it settles in me. This is it, the one puzzle piece I never quite understood. That fucker! He didn’t care when Mom died, because he’d already broken their bond plenty of times, and because she wasn’t truly his.

Still, if they were chosen mates, they would have built a similar bond to a fated mate bond, the moment they marked each other. Mom had his mark on her neck; she was his.

“Still, even to a chosen mate we have a bond,” Samuel verifies what I just thought. He sounds disgusted and disappointed. It’s true that I never liked him much, because after Dad completely abandoned me, the last thing I wanted was a second father figure. But right at this moment, I truly respect him.

I peek around the corner, seeing how Dad and Samuel glare at each other. Samuel has stopped talking now and, for a split second, he gazes in my direction. I retreat instantly, not wanting him to know I have heard their talk.

Calvin doesn’t need me to say anything, knowing instinctively that I want to get away. He leads me through the pack house, choosing a way where we don’t bump into anyone. It’s amazing how he already knows the best paths.

Meanwhile, my thoughts are running havoc. Dad betrayed Mom. He cheated on her. All the times he went away for business, leaving her behind, ill and sad, he was with another woman. Apparently, he didn’t even treat that other woman with respect either. It seems like she hid her child from him until there was no hiding it anymore. Maybe she sought out the council or asked for help. I don’t know what she did. I just know that I have a half-brother, someone my father disowned, and Iknow now that he is a cunning liar and broke my mother more than I knew he did.

twenty-two

Father & Son