Griffin

“I never thought they’d come a day when the palace would be termed unsafe for conversations about the palace’s wellbeing,” I mused, walking beside Elder John.

“Times like this, although rare, are not exactly alien to the royal family. The power mongers will never give up, and their thirst for power will only burn brighter with time.”

I picked up an empty can of soda lying carelessly in the middle of the park and tossed it into the waste bin.

Littering was a pet peeve of mine, one I couldn’t ignore for the life of me.

Even Mira used to tease me about how unnaturally organized I was and how there was always little to no work for her to do whenever she came to clean my room.

A small smile kissed my lips at the memory.

She was always eager to offer up advice, a listening ear, and companionship, and now that I had no access to them anymore, I found myself desperately in need of her attention.

I would give up anything for a minute of her just listening and making subtle jokes.

We truly don’t realize the value of a bond until it’s lost.

“How power hungry can they be that they can’t see past his mask and realize he will be the end of us if the slightest bit of power gets into his hands?” I queried, banishing any distracting thought that pulled my attention and focusing on the matter at hand.

“These people will run towards whatever they feel will protect their selfish interests. Victor knows this. It’s why he’s making these proposals and playing into their deranged lust for power.”

I couldn’t hold back the scoff that escaped my lips.

“And they think Victor would really provide a world where the elite are assured of generational wealth, power, royal positions, and a level ground between them and royalty?”

The more I thought about Victor’s so-called proposal, the more ridiculous it was, and I couldn’t believe the elders were buying into his lies and waging an internal war to protect these ideas.

Victor was exiled for a reason. My father, as powerful as he was, couldn’t curb Victor’s excesses and resorted to letting him go.

Did these men really think that the same man who thought the supernatural community should wage open war on humans, assert dominance as the superior beings, and make humans our slaves at the young age of ten would be their savior?

I guess Elder John was right. In their quest for power, they had completely forgotten how he had raped their daughters and bragged about how he was entitled to all the women by virtue of his royal blood.

“It takes a corrupt man to play into the fantasies of other corrupt men,” Elder John replied, his steps coming to a slow stop.

“I need you to understand the situation and get ready for what is to come. There’ll be times when I’ll have to antagonize you in court to prove to them I’m on their side.

In moments like that, I’d like you to play along.

The only way to beat them is to have intel on what they’re up to.

I’ll be your eyes and ears while you do what you have to do. ”

He took a deep breath, his eyes resting on me like heavy hands on the shoulder. “Our community needs you, and I owe it to your father to avail myself to you in any way I can.”

“Thank you, Elder John,” I replied, holding his gaze. “I really appreciate your help and devotion to the throne.”

“I’ll leave you to continue your walk,” he replied with a bow and walked off in the direction we came from.

The sound of machines whirring and kids laughing filled the air, but I couldn’t bring myself to tap into the joyous environment.

I couldn’t shake off the heavy weight resting on my shoulders.

I had always known ruling a kingdom wouldn’t be easy, but I certainly did not expect this level of difficulty.

It was baffling to me how deeply corruption had eaten into our community and how far people would go to ensure the security of their selfishness.

Years of training to take over the throne suddenly felt like too little. Victor’s appearance and the elder’s resistance to me at every corner were not helping matters.

We still need an heir to secure our place. My wolf subtly added, and I sighed, running my hands through my hair.

“You can’t catch me!” A little boy yelled before zapping off, almost running into me while his parents followed closely, their smiles as bright as the sun.

A bitter-sweet feeling settled into me as I watched them. This used to be me years ago with my parents, water gun in hand, speeding through the park while they followed closely, laughing at my silly antics .

It was the only happy memory I had of them—weekend visits to the park with them walking hand in hand, father whispering sweet nothings to mother while she blushed and giggled the whole day.

Those were beautiful times. The rosy, sunny days before it all fell apart, and they went from doting on each other to wanting to be as far apart as possible.

I came here whenever I needed to feel their love and remind myself that love once lived in my family and laughter was once the order of the day.

However, today, I wasn’t feeling that love. The clouds were heavy, and my heart was heavier with the possibility of all that could go wrong if things failed.

This was different from business. This wasn’t about money, legacy, and statistics.

This was a far more delicate business and required appealing to the people’s personal interests—a quality I obviously lacked.

I’ve never been one to play into the desires of others.

I stood for what was right and just and would defend it with the last drop of my blood, even if I were the one standing for it. That wasn’t going to change now.

I just had to find a way to prove to them that Victor was a lying, deceptive son of a gun, and if he got on that throne, they might as well say goodbye to their basic rights and the ability to live like free beings. It’ll be modern-day delivery.

I was so wrapped in my own world I didn’t see the kid heading towards me until he barreled right into me. I rolled back to the balls of my feet, cushioning the force of the impact while reaching down to hold him in place.

“Hello,” he grinned at me, his eyes twinkling with mischief .

I don’t know what it was, but I felt my heart swell at the sight of his blue eyes twinkling behind the stray locks of hair scattered on his forehead.

“Hello, big guy,” I replied, squatting to bring myself to his height. “What’s your name?”

His grin widened, and he reached out to touch my face. It was a very brief contact, but I felt it linger. “My name is Noah. What is your name?”

I smiled at his cute attempt to mimic my deep voice.

“My name is Griffin. Who are you here with, Noah?” I added, immediately realizing a kid in the middle of a park had an adult somewhere worried sick about them.

“My mommy. Where is your mommy?”

I chuckled, rising to my feet. He looked to be three or four years old, but he was quite eloquent and confident, and I didn’t miss how his little fingers slipped into mine like it was the most natural thing.

The gesture caught me off guard, as kids his age were often weary of strangers. He seemed to relax right into me. I, on the other hand, couldn’t understand the sudden streak of care and tenderness I seemed to have developed towards him.

“My mommy isn’t here, Noah. How about you lead me to yours?”

“Will you tell her to take me to the rollercoaster?” he queried, busying himself with the strap of my watch.

I let out a low chuckle. I can see this kid growing up to be a terrific negotiator. “Yes, I will.”

He was swift with his reply.

“The horses.”

I had barely taken a step in the direction of the games section of the park when a familiar voice reached my ears.

“Noah! ”

I lifted my gaze to find Mira staring at me with wide eyes. She rushed to us, snatching the kid from my hands, panic etched on her face.

“Hey baby, are you okay? Why did you run off?”

She fired question after question at Noah. If the shock I was feeling wasn’t so crippling, I would’ve scoffed when she spun him around and started inspecting him for signs of harm.

“Mommy, this is Uncle Griffin,” the kid said, beaming at me. Mira stiffened like she had just been reminded of my presence.

Her eyes narrowed to slits.

“Are you following me?”

“You have a son?” I queried, still reeling from the shock and wondering how Michael missed such an important detail.

“First, you turn up to a gala and almost ruin my reputation in front of potential investors, then you corner me in a bathroom, effectively ruining my date.”

I couldn’t hold back the eyeroll this time. What she had with Victor barely qualified as a date, but I let her go off.

“..... and now you’re going after my son? I can tolerate a mild business squabble, but my family is out of bounds, and if—”

I cut through her string of accusations, not having the patience to listen to all of them and returned to what was more important. There was something about the boy that beckoned to me, and I wondered if it was a result of him being born by my mate or something else.

“Who’s his father?”

The question caught her attention as she leveled me with a murderous look.

“Excuse me?”

“Is he mine?”

It was obviously an audacious question, as Michael had informed me that Adrian and Mira met almost as soon as Mira left, and the boy’s age was quite in tandem with the timing.

But a hollow feeling I couldn’t place suddenly settled inside me, and I found myself grasping for something to fill it with. I had never felt so drawn to a kid.

A part of me also hated the idea of her sharing a son with another man. I’d rather she ran away with mine. A son with him would remain a constant reminder of his presence in her life, and she would always be tied to him. The mere thought of that made me want to punch a hole into the nearest wall.

The bitter taste in my mouth wouldn’t go away.

Finding out she had gotten married shortly after she left was one thing.

A son with her late husband was another.

I was enraged. She belonged to me in a way she would never belong to anyone, and if there was a kid in her arms, it should be mine. Not Adrain’s—not anyone’s.

“Are you accusing me of infidelity, Mr. Thorne?”

Her voice was ice cold, and her eyes were as hard as metal. I immediately saw the folly of my actions. I should’ve approached the question in a more sensitive manner, but before I could make up for it, Noah’s chirpy voice interrupted.

“Mommy, Uncle Griffin said you would take me to the rollercoaster.”

A closer look at him standing next to her enhanced how much they looked alike. He had dark brown hair, unlike her black curls. He must’ve gotten that from his father.

“I told you no roller coasters until you’re a big boy,” she replied, not taking her razor-sharp eyes off me.

“But Uncle Griffin said I was a big guy.”

“He is not your uncle, Noah, and you shouldn’t be running around the park and seeking out madmen.”

“Madmen?” I echoed her words, my initial resolution to be sensitive flying out the window, leaving a deep simmering anger in its wake .

“What else would you call a man who corners a child in a park and asks stupid questions about his paternity?”

“That would be a man who has a reason to question said paternity,” I shot back, and she went pale.