Page 15 of Lycan Prey (Little Secrets Duet #1)

· King Soren ·

I’m in a Zoom meeting with Alpha Rhett and Alpha Gideon from Clary City, discussing a potential alliance between the two Alphas who’ve been at war for years. When Damian, one of my most trusted guards and half brother. “Please excuse me, Alpha Rhett and Alpha Gideon. My brother needs my attention.”

Damian stands at attention, his expression serious as he waits for me to acknowledge him. I motion for him to enter my office and he enters, closing the door behind him.

I mute the call and turn to Damian, my eyebrows raised in question. “What is it?” My brother glances out the window before turning back to me.

“Your son has run off again, Your Highness,” Damian reports, his expression grim. “The nanny left him for a moment to fetch his lunch, and when she returned, he was gone.”

Panic rushes through me, and I end the meeting abruptly, unmuting the call. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but I need to go.”

As I hurry out of the office, guilt gnaws at me. I’ve been working too much, leaving Max to the care of his nanny. I should have been there for him.

Damian follows closely behind me as we make our way through the palace. My mind races with worry as we search for Max. The last time he ran off, he ended up in the park alone and scared. I can’t imagine what could happen this time.

“Where could he be?” I mutter to myself, my heart pounding in my chest when I recall how Max couldn’t stop talking about Brielle, the girl from the café, when I put him to bed last night.

Damian asked around about her; apparently she is staying with her grandmother.

It’s also how I found out she works at the café.

A thought crosses my mind, I jog to my car and climb in, the driver already in the driver's seat.

“Head to town,” I tell him, instructing my driver to take me to the café.

When we pull up, I waste no time rushing inside. My heart leaps with relief when I spot Max and Brielle, but my aura erupts with tension, betraying my anxiety. Before I can reach Max, Brielle steps in my path.

“He’s just a boy, My King,” she says, her voice soft but firm.

Her words momentarily take me aback, and it dawns on me my aura must have made her think I was angry with Max.

I study her, noticing the rainbow hue of her hair and the delicate curve of her face.

She’s breathtakingly beautiful, and I find myself unexpectedly impressed by her courage to stand up to me, especially for the sake of my son.

I compose myself, reigning in my aura and offering her a small, grateful smile.

“You’re right,” I concede, my voice gentle. “I was just worried about him. Thank you for watching over him.”

Brielle relaxes a little, her eyes flicking toward Max before returning to meet mine.

“He’s a sweet kid. I’m just glad he came here and wasn’t sitting in the park alone again,” she tells me and I turn my attention to my son hiding behind her. He peeks his head out from behind her and I motion with one finger for him to come to me.

Max runs toward me and I scoop him up in my arms, relief flooding through me.

“Max, what were you thinking? Running off like that,” I scold gently, holding him close as I inhale his scent and let out a breath of relief.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Max murmurs against my shoulder. “I just wanted to see Brielle.”

I stiffen at the mention of the girl’s name.

“She’s really nice, Daddy,” he says dreamily.

“I’m glad you think so,” I reply carefully. “But you can’t just run off without telling anyone.”

He looks down guiltily and nods.

I set him down, my mind is still reeling from the fact Max came here looking for this girl he barely knows.

“Why did you run off?” I ask gently, trying not to sound accusatory.

Max fidgets with his fingers and I nudge him into the booth.

I sit with Max, preparing to talk to him about the dangers of running off when Brielle offers to make me a coffee and Max a hot chocolate.

I nod, waving her off and turning to look at my son who still hasn’t answered.

Brielle brings both drinks and a muffin for each of us, and I appreciate the kindness in her actions.

I sip my coffee watching my son. Max sets down his cup, his small hands gripping it tightly as he looks around the café, his eyes scanning the room until they land on Brielle, who is now chatting with a group of customers.

I can feel my patience wearing thin. I take a deep breath and try to remain calm, knowing getting angry will only make the situation worse. “Max, why do you keep running off? You can’t keep doing this. I was on a very important call.”

“You’re always on calls. You never have time for me,” he pouts. I run my fingers through my hair and sigh.

“Max, you know how important my work is,” I say firmly. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t have time for you. You’re my son and you will always come first.”

He looks at me with wide eyes, seemingly surprised by my response. I reach over and ruffle his hair affectionately.

“What about Blair? She would have been worried about you. What if someone took you?”

“She’s old and can’t run fast,” he complains. “And I didn’t want to go training with Mr. Kitcher, either.” He turns to look at Brielle, his eyes lighting up.

“Blair may be old, but she loves you just as much as I do,” I add. Max looks down guiltily once again. I can tell he understands the severity of his actions.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” he mumbles. Then his head lifts abruptly when he speaks again.

“Can’t Brielle teach me? She can run fast, and she kicked your guards’ asses. Kicked one right in his family jewels; she did! Dropped him like a bag of potatoes.”

I chuckle despite myself, though I quickly scold him. “Language, Max.”

I give him a small smile and squeeze his hand before turning my attention back to Brielle who is still chatting with the customers. She catches my eye and gives me a small nod before excusing herself from the group and walking over to our table.

“Is everything okay?” she asks softly, her gaze lingering on Max.

“Yes, thank you for asking,” I reply gratefully. “I just had a very important call that was interrupted by Max’s little adventure.”

Brielle nods understandingly. “I know it must be tough being a single parent,” she says sympathetically.

My heart clenches at her words, somehow Brielle seems to have sensed it or maybe she asked around, it is technically public knowledge, but most rogues stay out of political stuff.

“It definitely has its challenges,” I admit with a sigh.

Her lips curl upward, forming a gentle smile as she looks fondly at Max.

As she sets the plate down on the table, Brielle’s hand lightly brushes against Max’s hair, tousling it playfully.

I take her in. Her skin is soft and smooth, she is petite, full lips, yet delicate features. She is gorgeous.

Brielle’s hair is a vibrant array of colors, and it falls in long curling waves almost to her hips.

Her lips are a soft shade of pink, curved into a genuine smile that reaches her bright-green eyes.

She wears a simple white T-shirt and jeans, with her apron over the top, but somehow manages to look graceful, even covered in spilled coffee and food crumbs.

“Then who would make everyone’s coffee?” she laughs nervously when Max suggests something to her that I missed when I was busy watching her. “You could be my nanny. I would go to Mr. Kitcher’s class if Brielle could come with me.”

I huff, leaning back in my chair.

“Brielle has a job, and my son won’t blackmail me,” I scold him.

Max pouts, but I notice the way Brielle’s presence seems to lift his spirits as she wanders off.