Page 158 of An Omega for the Lycan Prince

Elden approaches us too. “Annie,” he puts a hand on my shoulder. “Liam definitely allowed them to take him on purpose.”

“What…”

“Wolfsbane doesn’t work on Lycans the same as it does on regular wolves,” he hurries to explain. “If he wanted to, he could have escaped immediately. I assume he is thinking about keeping the casualties low. He is keeping his strength locked up inside now, probably waiting for a moment to escape and save the warriors with him.”

“Maybe he should have run, though,” Felix points out. His normally so cheerful aura is gone. Instead, he looks worried.

“No,” Elden states calmly. “The pack comes first. He is already thinking like an Alpha. He can’t run. Which Alpha would leave his entrusted behind?”

Flora throws him a thoughtful glance. “Yes,” she agrees quietly. “He has decided.”

I am not sure if I understand what she and Elden are talking about. “What kind of decision?” I want to know.

She shakes her head. “You will understand soon enough. Probably faster than the others because it’s yours too.”

My decision? I blink. When did she turn into Buddha?

“Is this what he meant when he said that capturing him and his men was part of Marcus’ plan?” I ask.

Everyone halts in their tracks, looking at me in surprise. “He talked to you?” Elden wants to know. “He linked you?”

I am surprised. He didn’t link his father or his Beta? Only me? But why? He gave me more information than the others… Why did he link me specifically? It’s one thing to reassure me that he was all right, but it’s another to give me more information… just me. “He said it was part of Marcus’ plan to capture them,” I explain thoughtfully, suddenly feeling completely calm again. I manage to calm Leah down, too, our emotions under control again. Liam doesn't need me going crazy now. He was trying to tell me something. I’m sure about that now. And I can’t share it with anyone else yet. “What about Alpha Philipp?” I ask to diffuse their attention and to stop them from inquiring more. I need to think about Liam’s last message longer before sharing it with anyone.

Our special allies? Who did he mean? He emphasized this part in particular.

“Philipp is being captured right now,” Elden points out grimly. “Some of my men have already taken off to his pack.”

“He returned there?” Finn asks in disbelief. “Weren’t his men also hit by the surprise attack? He just let them be captured and returned to his pack? Is he delusional?”

“More like desperate,” Flora points out. I nod my agreement, remembering Philipp’s tired and sad gaze from before when we met at the meeting. It’s still not right what he did. He is an Alpha, and he can’t jeopardize his whole pack and allies like that without facing the consequences. He could have shared his issues at the Alpha meeting or even with Liam in private, and everyone would have considered his mate. But this? His warriors could have been killed…

I’m not a Luna yet, but I know I wouldn’t want that to happen. Of course, I want Liam to think of me and come to save me, but I certainly wouldn’t want his way to be filled with people he backstabbed and killed just to save me.

The next hours pass like minutes. I keep my mind link open without reaching out to Liam myself, not wanting to strain him too much. Sometimes I can feel him being in pain. I can feel his stress, but it’s bearable, so I assume he is holding up well.

Elden is raging, which I can fully understand, considering he is the Alpha of this pack, and Philipp just betrayed him and Liam. Also, it’s the third attack on a member of Silverlake, the first one being my abduction, the second the attempt to take Flora, and the third now capturing Liam. I’m still trying to make sense of Liam’s words to me and his actions. Elden said Liam probably had a plan for why he allowed them to capture him.

I go over his last words again and again. A suicide mission, he said. I furrow my brows. Was he talking about Marcus? He said Marcus expects Silverlake to attack… meaning Silverlake and their allies would kill anyone going against them.

I halt in horror. I can’t fucking believe it! He wants to have his whole pack wiped out. He knows he is losing control, especially after the failed attempt to kill Flora and me, but he also probably heard about Ella being with us now. And like the monster and narcissist he is, he wants to take as many people as possible down with him! That’s what Liam was talking about.

He wants me to do something about it. But what can I-

My eyes widen. There is someone else he left behind for a backup plan. Dante! His Beta! He took Aryanna with him, although she is far less experienced, but left Dante behind for a rather shallow reason. Now I know he wanted to make sure one of his fiercest allies was ready to do things the way he wants. Not the way Elden wants it. Dante is loyal to the pack like most pack members are, but his prime loyalty is still with Liam.

I jump up, hurrying through the ground floor of the packhouse. I need to find Dante and Ella as fast as possible.

“Dante!” I blurt out once I find him. Ella is in the same room but keeps her distance from everyone. She looks worried and nervous. Once she sees me, relief flashes in her eyes, and she hurries toward me immediately.

Dante turns to look at me. “Annie,” he sighs deeply. “I am so sorry, Annie. I should have- “

“No,” I interrupt him. “We are the backup plan.”

He blinks. “The backup plan is to attack Red Claw,” he says

“No, that’s Alpha Elden’s and the other Alphas’ plan,” I protest. “You and I are Liam’s backup plan. Liam allowed them to capture him. We all know that. Elden told me it would have been easy for him to get away, but he went with them.”

“To save them,” Dante mutters, his eyes widening.