Page 199 of An Omega for the Lycan Prince

“I feel sorry for putting you into this situation,” I say. “But I can’t apologize for it. I would choose to save Red Claw again.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” He sighs deeply. “If you want to apologize, apologize for defending your insolent brother.”

His words make my lips tug up in amusement.

“I raised you to be the Alpha of Silverlake. You would have been perfect. As the firstborn son of a Lycan Alpha, you are meant to rule. You have it in your genes. It’s in your nature. It’s my loss and Silverlake’s.”

I nod tentatively. “Red Claw is almost as big as Silverlake. And while they need a lot of restructuring and guidance, they’re a strong pack.

He pauses. “You would have taken over Silverlake naturally. But for your other siblings, they were not raised with that expectation. I need to find out which one of them is suited for this task the most.” He looks up at me. “I can’t allow myself to act based on emotions, and I can’t go lenient on them anymore. I punished Finn for his insolence because now he’s one of the candidates to one day take over the Alpha position.” He pauses. “We have other business to speak to,” my father frowns. “Such as how we will progress professionally from here on out as two Alphas with independent packs, what alliances we should pursue together… We need to make sure that Red Claw has trustworthy allies. Think about it carefully, Liam. Who do you need at your side? Who is ready to leave Silverlake and go with you? “And these conversations cannot be just between the two of us. We need our Lunas present to get their valuable input.”

“I still keep wondering about how easily they were able to abduct Annalise from Sivlerlake’s packground.”

“Me too,” Dad says. “Your mother and I are keeping our eyes wide open in case there was an insider.”

“I hate to imagine we have someone on the inside who would do something so atrocious,” I say.

“I agree. Unfortunately we can’t solve this overnight. For now we need to focus on the things we can do, namely on making sure you have a successful start as Alpha of Red Claw.”

“We need to find a way for the four of us - you, Mom, Annalise and I - to meet in private.” I smile slightly. “If Annalise and I come to your packhouse, we won’t have one second of peace.”

He snorts. “Your insolent siblings,” he raises his eyebrows. “You spoiled them rotten, my son.”

Before I can reply about how he spoiled them rotten himself, there is a knock at his door. I can easily detect Aurelia’s scent.

“Come on in!”

For a split second, I wonder if she’s in trouble again. She’s one heck of a mischievous teen. But to my surprise, she strides in confidently. “Liam! I didn’t know you were visiting.” She beams. “Goddess, you need to tell me everything that’s happened during the last few weeks. I chatted with Annie a few times, but it’s just not the same as seeing you guys in person.”

Her joy at seeing me and her genuine curiosity warms my heart. “Why don’t you visit us soon then?”

“I would love to.” She nods eagerly. “I took over an extra shift, but I’ll talk to Annie and have her check your schedule too. I bet she’s more organized than you.”

“You are correct,” I say, amused. Annalise knows all the dates not only concerning me, but also concerning the pack. It’s one of her main duties as Luna. “What was that about an extra shift?”

“Oh, one of the warriors… Lexi’s daughter is sick, and she’s with her. So, I volunteered to take her shift patrolling the borders this weekend.”

My sister, skipping weekends and potential parties? I throw a surprised look at my father. He just shrugs. “What brought you here, Aurelia?” he asks.

“Oh, right!” She hands him a folder. “These are a few security holes I figured out during the last weeks of patrolling. Also, I thought through my own experience when Annie got abducted and typed up a report.”

Dad stares at her in surprise, taking a swift look at the folder.

“I made sure to do it properly,” she states. “None of these documents are meant to accuse anyone of wrongdoing. Everyone’s work is fantastic, and they work hard! But I wondered what we would do if humans or other species who are not wolves breached our borders again. I went through a few scenarios and wanted to know what you think.”

My father hands me the folder, letting me skim through it. “Not bad, sister,” I mutter, impressed.

“A few scenarios you said?” my father asks.

She nods.

“Are there more possibilities?”

Again, she nods.

“Good, go through all of them, and then present them to me and my Betas in a meeting.”

Her eyes widen in surprise.