Page 160 of An Omega for the Lycan Prince

“To see if someone tells the truth?”

“No,” he pauses. “I can detect the future.” Before I can voice my surprise, he shakes his head. “It’s way less fancy and cool than you imagine it to be. Imagine it like… strings leading from one situation to several outcomes. Depending on the decisions of several people, the outcome might be altered. For our scenario, there are various outcomes, most of them ranging from mediocre to bad. There is the option of Marcus snapping too early, our attack wiping out everyone, and the possibility of at least some Red Claw wolves siding with us. On the other hand, there is also the possible future of all their mates dying. However, while preparing for our attack, I realized that another outcome was opening a path, and I assume it’s been your doing.”

I stare at him, eyes wide. “That’s still pretty cool,” I whisper.

“So, will you tell me?”

I nod.

“I want to have Liam freed while everyone else approaches for an attack. Liam is doing everything he can so the pack members of Red Claw have a chance of surviving, and I would like to try my best to help him achieve that. There are so many innocent lives at risk.”

“You mean while we distract them by approaching with an army, a secret team will free Liam?” he pauses. “That’s why you want to have the informants here. They know more than Ella does.”

I nod.

“What’s my task in this?” he asks.

I look at him with what I hope is an admiring gaze. “Obviously, you are the strongest wolf in the universe.”

He snorts. “Thank you. Flattery always works on Alphas.”

“I know,” I chuckle. His reaction tells me that he is not mad at me. He is ready to listen to me. “I need you to stall everyone before the attack. Maybe you could approach Red Claw slowly and negotiate with the patrol. Anything that buys us time. But before you do that…” I pause. “You need to get me to Liam.”

“Wait a moment!” He looks up in shock before his face turns stern. “You want to come too? I can’t possibly allow this, Annie. It’s impossible. I’m following your plan so far. I’m ready to compromise and have Dante there to help Liam break free and follow his initial plan. But you?”

“I need to come,” I tell Elden earnestly. I’m not going to beg. Either he will take me there, or he has to lock me in because otherwise, I will go there by myself. Hearing Liam’s voice when he linked me gave me enough fighting spirit and resolve to get moving.

“You can’t take any risks,” Elden says shortly, his eyes turning darker than usual.

“I know. I’m not asking to fight. I’m asking to come with you, and once you find Liam’s whereabouts, take me to him.” I pause. “He might need my presence.”

“I’m with her, Elden,” Flora says, sounding serious. “Take her to him. Liam is doing everything he can to save Red Claw. This is his project, and we should respect his plan. They attacked us, so obviously, we will react, but the least we can do is give Annie and Liam a chance to turn things around. None of us wants to face hundreds of corpses tomorrow morning. Deaths we could have prevented.”

Elden looks at her, then at me, back to her, and then he groans. “The two of you as mates could be the end of any Alpha!”

She beams at him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips against his shoulder. “You won’t regret it.”

“I hope not,” he grumbles.

“Think of this new outcome you saw,” she points out. “You know it’s the best one, which is why you even chose to hear what Annie plans. Don’t forget she is resistant to wolfsbane and silver. Marcus doesn’t know that yet.”

“Fine, I give in.” he gets up. “Now come you two. Annie, gather Dante and Ella, your two partners in crime, then we have to greet Celine and our two guests.”

“You are not mad at Dante, are you?” I ask carefully.

He sighs. “My feelings concerning these matters are always complicated, Annie. For regular wolves, it might be weird, but for us Lycans, it’s normal to assign Betas and protectors to our children. Dante has a particularly tight relationship with Liam. He has always been Liam’s ally first and a member of the pack second. Like Anders is to Finn. As the Alpha, I obviously want my orders to be always followed, but my children’s Betas have a special position in the pack. As a father, I’m relieved and thankful for how protective they are over their protégés.”

“You mean they can ignore your commands occasionally, when they have their protégés’ interests in mind?”

Elden nods. “Dante sees Liam as his little brother, and he was there for him whenever things got rough between Liam and me. On the other hand, Liam was the one who prevented Dante from going crazy when his mate and unborn child died. So, to answer your question: I’m not mad. I’m relieved Dante fulfills his task so well, but I still don’t like it.” He sighs. “Now, let’s go before I change my mind,” he mutters.

Celine waits for us in a small meeting room. Finn managed to sneak her and the two men inside without anyone noticing them. I have already noticed that Finn is really good at walking around without being seen. He is great at strategically finding the best way for everyone to stay hidden.

I’m a bit surprised that these two informants dared to give up their anonymity, though. One of them is around fifty or sixty years old. His skin is sun-burnt. The other one seems to be in his late teens. He looks tired and a bit malnourished but still strong. He is Asian, and despite the obvious strains on his body and mind, he is beautiful. He definitely has either Alpha or Beta blood in him.

“That’s Emmet,” Celine introduces the older man first. “And with him is Jun. They are both warriors. Jun has been working undercover for Emmet for years. He even joined some of Marcus’ ranks at one point.”

“Why now?” Elden demands. “Why are you showing yourself now?”