Chapter 51
[Third Person POV]
Lorenzo wasn’t entirely sure what surprised him more as he continued to walk the grounds of the palace at the side of the Lycan King. The fact that the king had taken the job himself to instruct Lorenzo on his expected duties as the new aid to the Royal Heir...Or, the fact that the older man seemed far more interested in Lorenzo’s personal life?
People who held such status, couldn’t be bothered to deal with trivial things like this. Normally, when someone new needs training or instruction, there were other members of the staff who would take the time out of their day. But never the king.
Of course, the king knew this. But, ever since he first discovered Lorenzo's very existence back during the Luna Moon Festival, he was determined to know his son.
However, his intentions left a questionable feeling to Lorenzo.
But what truly brought Lorenzo to a complete standstill was the expression on the Lycan King’s face when he’d told him about his parents. The man was stunned. His face paled several shades whiter while continuing to stare at Lorenzo.
His eyes widened in disbelief before curving into total devastation, Lorenzo wondered if the man had merely misheard him.
“Your Majesty, are you alright?” he asked.
The king, looking as though he were about to faint, shook himself from his mental stupor and cleared his throat. His voice was graveled and low. “I...I’m fine...But, y-you...You said that your mother,” he stammered. “She’s dead?”
He’d lost his mate—his one true fated mate. And didn’t even know it. The guilt and pain that rotted in his chest, surrounding his broken heart, ate him like an illness that would never be cured.
The king knew he had no right to ask Lorenzo anything regarding his mother. What had he done, aside from unknowingly impregnating the woman and half-hazardly aiding her escape from the palace years ago? Nothing.
He’d forced himself to forget her. And now, she was lost forever.
All the Lycan King could do now was admire the gentle likeness that came through his own son’s features. He believed that Lorenzo resembled his mother in certain ways. This was the only way he could ever be close to her again.
Lorenzo slowly nodded his head, his eyes never leaving the king’s.
“How?” he asked.
“An illness,” Lorenzo answered. “She’d been battling it for a long time. It reached a point when her body just couldn’t fight it off anymore.”
Lorenzo’s brows pulled together at the forlorn expression on the king’s face. He found it odd that the king, of all people, would care so openly at the news of hearing about someone else’s mother passing.
“And you said that you never knew your real father,” the man commented. “Was there never anyone else around to help?”
“No. It was always just my mother and I. She did what she could to provide for us as best as she could.” Lorenzo’s expression darkened. “To be honest, I don’t care to ever know who my true father is. My mother once tried to hint at the idea that he had passed away, but I never believed her. I’ve always felt that he’s rejected her and never cared about the fact that she was always struggling to make things work for us.”
Right as the king was about to speak, the muffled sound of someone else clearing their throat echoed through the room. The two men turned their attention to see the Lycan Luna and Eleanor standing in the doorway.
“Pardon the interruption, Eleanor and I have finished up our discussion for today.”
The king clenched his jaw in silent anger. He wasn’t ready to part ways with his son yet. Not when there was still so much more he wished to know. He’d hardly scratched the surface, but circumstances would not allow him.
“Right, well it was good for the two of you to come by,” he remarked coolly.
The four made their way back toward the main doors when suddenly they were met with a very disheveled-looking prince. The guy looked as though he’d just returned from some kind of party that lasted all night long. His clothes were tugged out of place and his hair was tousled and messed. Hell, even his royal signet ring was turned in the wrong direction.
The Lycan Luna gaped at her son in total embarrassment while the rest of the group stared at him with questionable looks.
“And just where have you been all evening?” she asked temperamentally.
The prince rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders back. “Mother, do relax. I was out with a few friends and I simply lost track of time,” he said dully.
Lorenzo and Eleanor did their best to keep the judgment out of their gazes. However, the Lycan Luna’s glare filled with rage for her son’s insolence and subtle rudeness.
Meanwhile, the tension grew unbearably worse when the prince caught sight of Eleanor. His eyes raked over her person while the corner of his mouth curved upward into a smirk.
Eleanor’s body went rigid, recalling the last time she was in the prince’s company. She’d been drugged and felt his same uncomfortable energy cloud around her.
Lorenzo, noticing his Luna’s uneasiness, circled an arm around Eleanor’s waist and pulled her close. He kept his stoic look firm on the prince.
He gave a polite nod. “Your Majesty, it’s good to see you again.”
“My dear, I’m sure you recall Lorenzo Sinclair. He’s the newly appointed alpha we’ve chosen to aid you,” the Luna said evenly.
The prince appeared almost taken aback by this bit of news. He eyed up Lorenzo in silent contemplation, not sure whether or not how he should handle it. But according to Lorenzo, the prince looked a bit more than just bewildered or surprised...
The man looked almost...nervous? Worried? Perhaps, anxious?
He couldn’t fathom why the prince would feel this when the two of them hardly interacted.
‘Unless,’ Lorenzo thought. ‘There’s, usually, only one possible reason why anyone would give off such a reaction...It means that they’re guilty of something.’
