Page 74 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince

“Do you want another drink?” Vincent offers. “Or maybe something to eat? I got some extra lovely chocolate soufflés from my friends, in the kitchen.”

His love language must truly be food. To imagine he shares his beloved soufflés with me means a lot. “Yes, please.”

Vincent looks relieved that he was successful with his offer and shuffles off to retrieve the dessert and something to drink. We eat it in silence, both of us lingering in our own thoughts. That is until there is someone hammering against the door. “Elden, are you in there?”

“That’s Flora!” I look up at Vincent. “Did you-“

“No. When could I have? I was with you the whole time,” he pauses. “What now?”

“Let her in, of course,” I say.

Vincent does as I told him and opens the door. Like a whirlwind, Flora comes inside, dragging Calvin along with her. “This was like an impossible quest!” she complains, narrowing her eyes to a glare as she looks at me. “And you thought you could hide it? We share a bond, Elden! I could feel everything through it!”

When I gaze at Vincent, he raises his hands. “Not my circus, not my monkeys,” he mutters. “That’s on you, bro.”

“I even went to check in your father’s office. Guess what? He and Geneva were having the weirdest glare-off I have ever seen. She looked seriously upset. And she is never upset! When I ran out of options, it forced me to work together with this weirdo,” she says, gesturing towards Calvin.

“Sorry for being weird,” Calvin says politely. “I am working on it.”

His calm and polite approach seems to surprise Flora. “Well, I don’t know you yet,” she admits.

“That’s fair enough,” Calvin reassures her. “I will earn your trust, Luna.”

Flora turns her attention back to me.

“I am sorry,” I say. “I didn’t want to unsettle you.”

She throws her arms in the air. “That’s so you,” she exclaims. “Not hearing from you at all, is much more unsettling than anything else! And I can’t believe you are running off to Vincent instead of me.”

“In his defense, he was really looking bad when he came here,” Vincent tries to defend me.

I glare at him. “That’s exactly the part you should have kept to yourself.”

“Sorry,” Vincent mutters.

Flora looks at me. “How bad?”

“I’m better now,” I reassure her.

She is neither stupid nor blind. She is obviously seeing my face now, and she definitely felt my anger and sorrow through the bond. “That was not my question,” she says quietly.

When I open my arms, she sighs deeply. Then, however, she runs to me and jumps in the spot next to me on the sofa, before hugging me. “Do that again,” she whispers into my ear. “And I will bite you.”

“That sounds more like a promise than anything else,” I chuckle.

When Flora glares at me again, I raise my hands in defense. “Alright, time to fill all of you in on what happened yesterday and today.”

Vincent organizes more drinks for Flora and Calvin, then, I do as promised and tell them what I overheard yesterday. To say Flora is shocked would be an understatement. Vincent looks displeased too, but for Flora it hits differently. She knew my mother. Hazel and Mom were friends.

“That pathetic piece of shit,” Flora cusses, which is very rare for her.

No one has anything else to add to her words, all of us just nodding.

“Do you think my parents knew their fated mates?” I ask into the silence.

“Maybe his mistress was his fated mate?” Vincent offers.

“I doubt it,” Calvin says.