It was clear I wasn’t the only one with a few restless nights under my belt, and I instantly felt like an ass-hat for ignoring his calls. This appeared to be much harder for him than it was for me.
He bowed to us the moment he saw us. “Prince, please forgive me for pulling you out of class this way, but I haven’t been able to reach you and—”
“No. I’m the one that needs to apologize for not answering your calls,” I interrupted, walking closer. “I’m sorry. Honesty, I haven’t mastered the art of diplomacy, though I try. The situation with your son was too messed up for me to want to face it, especially after what happened at your house. I handled that badly. I should have talked to you when you first called. Please accept my apologies.”
A small smile stretched his lips, but the sentiment didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you for your honesty and explanation… and you say you haven’t learned diplomacy, my prince.”
We shared a small chuckle as he motioned us to the seating area next to the panoramic window, which displayed a postcard-like view of the campus.
“Gustav,” I reminded, sitting down on the sofa. Zelin sat by my side while he took the leather armchair across from us. “My mom says honesty and respect should always be our first priority,” I admitted.
“Your parents have raised you well, Gustav…” he paused, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’m not sure I can say I have accomplished the same with my son.”
He took a settling breath, holding his hands before him. His gaze focusing on them, as though he couldn’t look at us.
“I’d like to formally extend an apology from my son and myself to you, Eisen Ritter and the kingdom, for whatever his indiscretion might have been.”
“Apology accepted,” Zelin answered without hesitation, being the only one able to accept such thing due to her title.
“I’d also like to apologize personally to you, Gustav. I can already tell the kind of young man you are, and though I’m afraid to admit it, a part of me knows your reaction to my son was not unwarranted.”
“You don’t need to apologize, Walter. It’s fine.”
He forced his eyes to settle on me, the dread in them was palpable. “Would you please tell me what it is my son did to incite the judgment of your Iron Knight?”
His words were pleading, and I sensed not knowing was eating at him the most. I doubted knowing would bring him any peace, but I couldn’t think of anything good coming out of keeping this a secret from him anymore. Zelin and I exchanged a glance and she nodded, agreeing with me.
A heavy breath left me as I leaned forward on the seat. “When your son and I met for the first time, your son was attempting to—”
“Doesn’t say the R word, do not say it!” Zelin hurriedly warned into my mind.
She was right. That was such an ugly term. Not that I was trying to sugar coat it for Logan’s sake, but for his father’s. Sarah’s statement about not wanting to hurt her father with the news returned to me, and I couldn’t even imagine what Walter would feel knowing what his son had done.
“Um, he was being forceful with a girl. He kissed her, and touched her even after she said no, and asked him to stop.” Shit. That didn’t sound any better.
Walter’s eyes widened, immediately catching onto my meaning. “Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed, as a human would—a logical reaction, given how long he’d pretended to be one of them. He stood abruptly, horrified, and walked around his seat to face the window. His hand flew to his mouth as though fearing the worst. “Please tell me he didn’t…”
“No. He didn’t,” Zelin answered in a soft tone, her compassion for his suffering coming to the forefront. “Gustav stopped him before he could.”
“I heard Sarah in the alley, asking him to stop, and I went to help,” I added, while Zelin and I held hands, our bodies tense beyond belief. I was unsure of whether we were helping or making things worse.
When a wave of relief caused Walter’s chest to fall, I realized we had helped. He had been holding his breath, waiting for the answer. His palms rubbed his face, as though trying to relieve the stress he felt, and he returned to his arm chair, sitting down once again.
“How is the girl, Sarah, doing?”
“She’s doing well,” Zelin offered. “We invited her to our home afterwards, and kept her company until she calmed. Ms. Elizabeth made her hot chocolate,” she added, as though the action had been heroic. I supposed any act of kindness towards someone who needed it was heroic.
I smiled. Zelin had taken a liking to Ms. Elizabeth.
“We stayed with her until she could talk about it, and then we took her home,” I explained. “Zelin assigned three of our knights to accompany her while in the campus until she felt safe on her own. They have been attending class with her. I’m sorry about the altercation that took place after, we didn’t know he was your son.”
Walter nodded, taking a deep breath. “No need to apologize. Whether or not Logan is my son shouldn’t make a difference.” His attention shifted to the window as he shook his head. “What kind of damage have I done to him…”
“This isn’t your fault, Walter,” I interjected. “You can’t blame yourself for his actions.”
A humorless chuckle left him. “Yes… I can.” Walter’s voice became grim as he turned to face us again. “When his mother died the loss almost destroyed us both, and it became clear to me how much my son truly needed me. I put my pain aside to help him heal his, but the grief changed him. Resentment filled his soul, and he seemed to hate everyone and everything.”
His gaze fell to his hands as he wrung them together, but not before I noticed a flicker of shame creeping into his blue eyes.
“I shielded him from life, trying to alleviate his sorrow. I wanted to put him in a bubble, to block him from the hardship of this world, so I created one of my own. I forgave his actions because I knew he was just acting up from the pain he felt—the one I carried too. I couldn’t blame him. I used my money and position to help cover for him, at least I thought I was helping.”
“You were doing what you thought was best to protect him,” I added, feeling the weight of his words, but Walter shook his head.
His blue eyes connected with mine. “It’s clear now I wasn’t helping him. I did this by forgiving him each time, by covering his indiscretions, by supporting him without question. Still, I thought that was behind us. Once he made friends with the other Alpha’s sons, he began to turn around. After the Hunters were eradicated he came up with the crime force unit idea. It became his baby, and I was so proud of him. He showed so much growth as we worked on structuring the unit together, and I started seeing glimpses of my son again.”
Taking a deep breath, he paused, his attention leaving me to find Zelin.
“When Logan and the guys opened the force, and he began to lead the team I was relieved, because I believed he had finally grown past it. He was doing so well… he had reclaimed his life.”
“I understand,” I offered, reaching forwards and placed my hand over his, squeezing it supportively. “But this isn’t your fault, Walter. Grief is not an excuse to take advantage of others, or make them pay for what we are going through. Sooner or later we all learn the consequences of our actions, and that is but our lesson to learn. You may shield him as much as you can, but that doesn’t make you responsible for his choices. Those are his, and his alone. As long as you continue to be there for him when he needs you, you haven’t failed him.”
My words had a tangible effect on him. Walter’s shoulders dropped as he took a calming breath, and he clasped my hand tightly against his. His eyes filled with the emotion my words brought out of him.
“Thank you. Thank you for saying that, Gustav, for your understanding, and for trying your best to forgive in an impossible situation. Even though what my son tried to do was heinous, he is still my son… I will always try to help him and protect him.”
He shook his head as though the act made him weak, or a bad father.
“
And that is the way a good father should be. You are good man, Walter. Your son’s mistakes don’t take that away.”
He sighed, a small smile grazing his lips. “Are you sure you are not a shrink already? You are better than my therapist. I’m going to have to start paying you the $200 an hour from now on.”
We chuckled, and his eyes filled with appreciation.
“You are mature beyond your years, young prince. You are going to make a great ruler one day.”
Though I appreciated his words, I wasn’t really fit to rule. Even if I ever were, the throne was not for me… My little brother and sister would inherit the crown.
“Truly, thank you for your understanding. You are an amazing young man, and I know you’ll be able to accomplish so much by helping others. You are a pure soul.”
Zelin suddenly grinned beside us, and the act distracted us both, forcing our eyes towards the mesmerizing sight. When my eyes connected with hers a flow of happiness and pride entered my being. The feeling humbled me. I wasn’t sure why she was proud of me, but I loved feeling her like this.
The sight of her smile made right everything that had been wrong with my day, and my lips stretched into bright smile, mirroring hers.
“Well, now I can die happy,” Walter joked. “I have seen an Iron Knight smile.”
Zelin scowled at him, the smile already gone and I laughed.
Wasn’t that the truth…
The lightness of my spirit continued as I walked into the dining hall with Zelin’s hand in mine, and the knights behind us. The meeting with the Alpha Supreme had ended on an amicable note. He’d promised his son would face the consequences of his actions, and asked only one thing of us—to please give Logan a second chance.
Walter swore his son valued his place in the pack, and would show us the respect we deserved, even staying out of way. I found that very hard to believe, especially remembering the vile look in Logan’s eyes when he discovered who Zelin and I were during the party. Logan’s gaze had promised retribution, but I didn’t tell him that. The man had enough to deal with as it was.
A few of the students in the dining hall already knew us since we always came here for lunch, so they smiled, nodded their greetings, or called our names. The guys waved behind me while Zelin glared at every girl that dared looked my way.
I chuckled, shifting my gaze to find Len, Ivo, Sarah, and Geron already seated at what had become our tables. Kevin and Zack were seated there too, the two tables already filled with food trays for us all.
“I’d like to say it’s my treat, but there ain’t no way I’m coughing up over a hundred dollars on lunch for you all,” Kevin joked, and I chuckled as the guys chose their seats.
Clasping hands we shared a brief hug, and I sat down across from him, placing my messenger bag and jacket at my feet. Sarah, who had been talking to Kevin when we arrived, stood, briefly hugging Zelin in greeting. My guardian accepted the hug, looking at her with an almost smile on her lips.
She was getting used to Sarah’s girlie gestures. She’d even let Sarah use her “metallic” nail polish, so now she had silver nails—literally.
Changing seats, Sarah took my left, while Zelin sat to my right. I slightly frowned, it seemed that lately I always sandwiched by both women.
Sarah’s lips puckered as she silently asked for a kiss and I smiled, leaning down, and giving her a brief peck. She was always doing things like that, and sometimes it made me wonder if I wasn’t really affectionate with her. Then again, that should be coming naturally from me, shouldn’t it? My frown deepened.
Kevin smirked at Zelin and she sighed, rolling her eyes. Their interactions had been getting funnier during the past week. I had made Zelin promise she’d take my advice, and stop blocking herself from others so much, but that wasn’t going too well.
“In the hopes that this won’t result in me suffering any kind of bodily harm at your hand…” Kevin joked, pulling something from his backpack and getting a warning scowl from Zelin. “I brought you a flower,” he announced, offering it to her.
“Awe,” Sarah sighed next to me, loudly.
I probably should have turned my attention to her reaction, but I was too busy with the menacing growl rumbling within my chest. My hands fisted under the table as the unease increased, and I didn’t like the feeling one bit. The knight’s eyes flew to me—the growl was no longer inside me—and I frowned blinking. The growl died instantly, while Sarah stared at me strangely. So did Kevin and Zack.
Sarah rested her head on my shoulder, while Zelin’s startled gaze was on the pink flower. Kevin still held it up for her.
“I know you are not a pink kind of girl,” my friend continued, “but pink tulips are a symbol of confidence and happiness. To say you are confident is clearly an understatement, which I like, and I can tell you are pleased with who you are, so I figured this would be perfect for you.”
Zelin stared at the flower for probably a whole minute. Perhaps she was trying to figure out how to kill it, before her hand slowly lifted and she reached for it, holding it between her fingers. Her head lowered as she instinctively took in the scent of the bloom, and as her eyes lifted to Kevin again, her lips stretched into a small smile.
She had smiled at him.
She smiled at him.
My brow deeply furrowed as the expression on Kevin’s face shifted from shock to a triumphant smile at her reaction. It was clear he enjoyed the challenge Zelin presented, and the unease returned, constricting my chest.
WTH?
Glancing around the table I noticed that every single one of the knights, and even Zack, shared my confusion and shock.
Zelin SMILED at Kevin. I didn’t think they all understood the severity of that statement.
“My mom owns a flower shop.” Kevin shrugged, trying to downplay the gesture, but he was obviously pleased with himself.
My growl returned. It began in my chest, but I pushed it down before it could reach human ears, and stood from the table. “What do you all want to drink?” I spun, walking to the register before they could even answer. “I’m getting sodas.”
Granted, there were drinks at the table already, but for some reason, at that moment, I didn’t seem to care one bit. I paid for twenty drinks, about twenty more than we needed, and walked to the fountain machine with a tray and a tower of empty cups. A low growl mixed with my words as I began to fill the cups with pink lemonade, mumbling something unintelligible in German, just under my breath.
I could feel their eyes on me from the table, and for some reason that upset me even more. Downing down a glass of lemonade, I filled it again and placed it on the tray, rejoining the others. The tray loudly clashed as I set it down on the plastic surface. “I brought you all Pepsi.”
“That’s lemonade,” Sarah corrected, confused.
My gaze fell to the cups, and my scowl deepened. “I brought you all pink lemonade.”
The knights lost it, laughing at me for a second before clearing their throats as I glared at them, and they reached for a cup, gulping it down like they were parched. My gaze connected with Zack’s, who had an “oh shit” expression on his face, and then with Kevin’s who seemed troubled by my behavior.
Reaching for my slice of pizza I took about half of it in one bite, and began to chew, avoiding Zelin’s gaze, while Sarah looked at me puzzled.
“Sooo, what is everyone doing this afternoon?” Zack asked, trying to shift the focus off me.
“We are going to the Kindness Tower,” Emory answered, using the nickname the people of the city had appropriately given the old Hunter’s Tower, though it was truly the ReinheitWölfe North American Headquarters.
Zack’s eyes widened. “Dude, can we go with you? I’ve wanted to visit since they opened, but you know how life gets, and with school and all.”
“Sure, I’m starting as a junior counselor there today. You know, as extracurricular for my bachelors,” I lied, but I couldn’t really say it was the “family business” in front of Sara
h and Kevin, though Zack did know that.
“His mother is one of the founders,” Zelin added simply, but her voice once again filled with pride, bringing a smile out me.
Huh, I guess there was a simple way of saying it was the “family business.”
“Wow, that is awesome,” Kevin added, taking another bite of his pepperoni pizza. “I agree with Zack, I’d love to go if we can. I heard they have a Free Clinic there, a Free Housing program, and even offer free studies and job placement for the homeless.”
“Yeah, I applied to be part of the counselor therapy program. I start today at 3:00 p.m.”
“Awesome. Can’t wait to see you in action,” Zack added, and we chuckled.
“Is it okay if I go too, baby boo?” Sarah asked, caressing my flexed bicep as I lifted the pizza to my mouth again. “I want to spend every second with you.”
Holy huskie puppies. What the hell had she just called me? The pizza stopped midway to my lips as I froze. Mouth hanging open.
“Oh shit.” Emory’s words reached my mind, triggering the knights’ laughter through our shared link. Their lips twitched while they tried everything not to laugh out loud. Rod stuffed a full cheese slice inside his mouth, and it still wasn’t helping.
“Um, sure.” My gaze shifted to Kevin and Zack, who were staring at Sarah, perplexed.
Yep. It was official. I was an idiot. Scratch that. A royal idiot. That was not normal behavior for a girl. There was no way in hell. Dread filled me as what I had feared was confirmed. Sharing my essence with Sarah had done something to her. She didn’t seem like the needy type. She’d been fun and easygoing, but here we were.
Sighing, I dropped the pizza on my plate. I thought she had liked me for me. How didn’t I realize this sooner?
Zelin’s furious glare reached me then, she looked like she was about to rip me a new one. “You used your gift on a human? The words resounded through our private link, slow and punctuated, as though daring me to lie to her.
“Nooo,” I lied, internally cringing just as a weird noise reached me. I turned to find Sarah smelling my shirt. Shit. What had I done to that poor girl?
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