Chapter 253
Westin frowned and straightened his back immediately.
âClemente listen-â
âWhat is wrong fists, asking in a hurried
with this child?â Clemente clenched his voice. âLycans should give birth to pups! But this babyâ¦this baby doesnât have a wolf? Should we call in the doctors and let them take a look?â
âClemente!â Janet propped up her upper body and stared at Clemente, âThe baby is fine.â
âBut-â
Janet turned to Westin, âI think we should tell him.â
âWe need more people to protect this child. And frankly speaking, there arenât a lot of people we can trust in this castle.â
Clemente was one of those people.
After a little pause, Westin gestured Clemente to come close, âCome over here. There is something we need to tell you.â
Clemente gulped uneasily.
He sensed that they were going to let him on a huge secret.
Halfânervous and halfâcurious, he took a careful step forward and got up to the bedside.
He glanced down and saw the newborn.
The baby was lying peacefully in Westinâs arms, that small face adorned with. delicate features.
Clementeâs gaze focused on that buttonâlike nose and the faint rose tint on those cheeks.
He couldnât help but take a hand and poke at the babyâs face. It was so soft, as though it was made of the nicest silk.
Clemente quickly withdrew his hand, worrying that he might hear this delicate little. wonder.
Yet the baby grabbed his finger before he could take his hand away.
Tiny fingers, each one a work of art, wrapped around his own, creating an immediate connection.
Clemente held his breath involuntarily.
His eyes widened with a mixture of awe and tenderness.
Just then, he heard Westin saying in a low voice, âClemente, what I am about to tell you is thatâ¦I am not the biological father of this child.â
Clemente snapped his head up.
His mind went completely blank.
âWâWhat?â he stuttered, utterly confused and shocked, âBut Janetâ¦she â
He flickered his eyes towards Janet, who lay weakly on the pillows, and gave him a small nod.
âI was already pregnant when Westin brought me here. He needs an heir and I want to keep this childâ¦so we established a partnership,â she said lowly.
âPartnership?!â Clemente gasped, âYou are telling me that your relationship is nothing but a goddamn partnership?! What the hell
âLower your voice, Clemente!â Westin snapped.
There were still people outside of this room, people who couldnât find out about this
secret.
Clemente shut his mouth immediately. Yet he was still breathing heavily, glaring at the couple
âI know it is a lot for you to process. But we are where we are. The child is born. Westin has already announced me as his Queen. There is no way I can return to the werewolf society againâ¦â
Her voice faded off. Pain flickered across her eyes.
âSo this child will grow up in our Kingdom, despite his identity,â Westin picked it up. and said. âClemente, I donât care if I am the father or not. All I care about is the safe of Janet and my child. So I am asking you this nowâ¦Can you help me protect them and this secret?â
Clemente froze on his spot as a thousand thoughts whizzed across his mind.
This was treason. He thought.
If he agreed to this, he would be helping them raise a nonâLycan child as the heir of this Kingdom.
If the secret got leaked one day, he would be skinned alive by thousands of angry Lycans, including his own father.
Butâ¦
He raised his head and met with Janetâs eyes.
She was staring at him with pleading eyes, which were gleaming with tears.
âTake a look at the child, Clemente,â she pled. âThe baby adores youâ¦Please help us protect this child.â
The babyâs small fingers were still wrapped around his.
Clemente could smash a rock with barehand, yet he couldnât take his finger back from this delicate little hand.
How amazing was that?
Clemente took in a deep breath and asked, âIs it a boy or a girl?â
âA boy,â Westin smiled.
âHave you thought of a name yet?â
Janet shook her head and then asked, âWould you like to give him a name?â
Clemente hesitated for a little while.
Then, with a shaky hand, he pushed a tuft of wispy hair out of the babyâs forehead. âAspen,â he said.
A gentle smile tugged at his lips as he continued, âAspen⦠You are the heir of this Kingdom. And I swear to protect youâ¦with my own life.â
Right at this very moment, thousands of miles away, in the Blood Moon Pack, a large party was going on in the packhouse.
People were here to celebrate the birth of Princess Jasmine earlier today at dawn, daughter of Alpha Casper and Luna Balvina.
This was a huge event. And a lot of guests were invited, including the King of the werewolves, Daran.
Those people were chatting enthusiastically about pack business, trade matters, and
even the pretty women here at this party.
Yet Daran didnât pay any attention to them.
He stood there in silence, like a soulless ghost, and gazed absently into the distance. His eyes lacked focus and carried a heavy burden of pain and loss.
Just then, he arched his back abruptly, as though he suddenly got struck by a sharp wave of pain.
âKing Daran!â one guest gasped, âWhat is wrong?â
Daran breathed heavily, clutching his chest tightly.
âIâ¦I feelâ¦â he murmured, hoarsely, âI just felt a strong connectionâ¦a bondâ¦it is so weirdâ¦â
Just a few seconds ago, he sensed a strong connection being built between him and an unknown person in this world.
It wasnât the mate bondâ¦. similar but differentâ¦as though someone very close to him just came into this world.
The guests exchanged looks of suspicious.
It sounded like a mate bond, what King Daran just described.
But King Daranâs former mate had eloped with the Lycan King. Everybody knew that. It was considered a huge scandal.
One particularly brave guest said in a careful voice, âMy King, is it possible thatâ¦you felt it wrong? You donât have a mate anymore. Princess Janet is goneâ¦forever. You should get over with that treacherous little-
Daran snapped his head up.
His eyes blazed with anger as he gritted, ââ¦What the fuck did you just say?â
The guest flinched, waiving his hands hastily, âNâNO, nothing-â
Yet it was too late.
Daran smashed his wine glass to the floor and grabbed that guest by the neck, dragging him over.
In a tumult of horrified gasps and screams, Daran pressed the guest to the wall and tightened his grip.
âWho the fuck do you think you are!â he snarled, his handsome face consorted by insanity. âTo disuse my mate, my personal business and to give me a fucking suggestion?!â
The guest struggled for breath in his iron grip, his face quickly turning purple, âPâPleaseâ¦let me downâ¦Please-â
The other guests backed from them in horror.
King Daranâ¦he didnât look sane. It was as though he had completely lost his mindâ¦
This sudden fight had caught the entire partyâs attention.
startled crowd, and went at Daran.
He grabbed Daran by the shoulder and spun him around forcefully.
BANG!
He threw a hard punch at Daranâs face, sending Daran staggering to the side for a few steps.
âGET YOUR FUCKING SELF TOGETHER, DARAN!â Casper roared, his face filled with
rage.