CHAPTER 114: HIDING THEIR RESENTMENT

After the council meeting was over after the teams were formed. Every team had four packs and their respective alphas were assigned with the task to find the evidence regarding the mass killings.

The Alpha King and the Alpha Prince were the first to depart. One by one, the remaining leaders filtered out of the chamber.

As Lucien turned to leave, Sorin approached him with a wry smile and a sigh.

"You’ve just made things harder for us," he remarked.

Lucien paused, then looked over his shoulder. "Maybe you should’ve spoken up when the Alpha King was in the room," he retorted. "And Sorin," he added, turning to face him fully, "don’t you think it’s time you started contributing more to the wolves’ cause? This isn’t the time to play safe."

His brow arched in challenge.

"Wolves’ cause?" Sorin chuckled. "I do better things than you, Lucien. At least, I didn’t come into the words of any fucking witch and killed my own parents," he muttered with a glare.

Those words hit Lucien’s soft spot. The pain of loss of his parents... He always avoided talking or even recalling about it.

Sorin then patted Lucien’s shoulder and took a few steps back before walking away.

Now, in the entire chamber, only Lucien stood. He brought his hand to the back of his neck, and took a deep breath before exhaling.

"Lucien," Cesar’s voice reached his ears, and he promptly turned to look at him.

"Your Highness!" Lucien was confused to see him return.

"Hey, I told you there shouldn’t be any formal titles between us," Cesar pronounced. "Shall we take a walk outside?"

"Sure," Lucien agreed and followed the Alpha Prince.

"Your mate must be waiting for you," Lucien said as they stepped onto the wide, open lawn outside the tall council building.

Cesar glanced at his wristwatch, then shook his head lightly. "She’s probably asleep by now. Don’t worry about her."

The two walked side by side, the cool night breeze rustling the leaves around them.

Lucien reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pack of premium cigarettes, along with a silver lighter.

He turned one between his fingers, but as he brought it to his lips, Leia’s face flashed in his mind, her disapproving expression, the way she once waved the smoke away in disgust. He paused, then slid the cigarette back into the pack and tucked it away.

Cesar raised an eyebrow. "Why aren’t you smoking? That’s new."

Lucien gave a half-smile. "Someone doesn’t like it when I do."

Cesar smirked knowingly. "Let me guess. Leia?"

Lucien chuckled. "Yeah."

Cesar’s smile softened. "Don’t let Sorin’s words get to you. He always looks for excuses to shirk his responsibilities. Still, the two of you are in the same team now. I’m hoping things will get better between you."

"I’ll stay professional," Lucien said. "But that’s all."

Cesar nodded in understanding. "Fair enough."

Lucien turned to him slightly. "You still haven’t told me why you came back. What’s the real reason?"

Cesar exhaled slowly, his expression turning more serious. "I wanted to apologize on my sister’s behalf. I heard what she did at your house."

Lucien’s jaw tensed at the mention, but he said nothing.

"I’ve made sure she won’t go near Leia again. I’ve also spoken to my father. He’s already begun looking for a suitable match for Angelica. It’s time she settled down. The longer we wait, the more likely she is to create problems."

Lucien’s gaze drifted away. "You can’t force a relationship on someone," he murmured. "Angelica is... naive. That’s all. She doesn’t understand what love is, only what she’s been told to want. She thinks she can have everything on demand."

Cesar nodded slowly.

"Maybe. But people like her often mistake obsession for love. That’s dangerous, for her and those around her. I know my sister well."

"What’s the guarantee she’ll stop obsessing over me just because she gets mated to someone else?" Lucien asked, arching an eyebrow, his tone skeptical.

"You’re right," Cesar admitted. "There’s no real guarantee. But Angelica... she thrives on affection. Being a princess, she’s always been surrounded by people who wear masks, who flatter her out of obligation, not sincerity. You know how that world works."

Lucien’s gaze shifted to the lawn.

"A long time ago," Cesar went on, "you were the only one who treated her with genuine care, without expecting anything in return. That meant something to her. Maybe too much. That’s when her feelings shifted. That’s when it became unhealthy."

Lucien let out a breath, almost a laugh, but empty of humor. "Yeah. That was my fault."

"It wasn’t," Cesar said firmly. "You showed her what kindness really was. That’s not something you should blame yourself for."

He noticed the way Lucien’s shoulders were still tense. Sorin’s earlier words had clearly left a mark.

"Lucien," Cesar said, "you need to hear this. You’re a good son. You didn’t let your pack crumble even when everything around you was falling apart. You led them when they needed you the most. Your parents... they’d be proud of the man you’ve become."

Lucien stood still, his eyes reflecting the ache he rarely let anyone see. He didn’t speak immediately.

"I know," Lucien admitted. "They are proud of me. I can feel it sometimes... in the way the pack looks at me, in the silence that follows when my father’s name is mentioned. But deep down, I still haven’t forgiven myself.

"Kieran was so young back then. He didn’t understand what was happening. I made him suffer without meaning to. And Ronan..." Lucien paused, his gaze distant. "He went completely numb after we lost our parents. He barely spoke for months. Dad was never affectionate toward him, but Mom was. She was everything to him."

He took a breath, shaky and full of memory. "The wounds are still there, Cesar. I can see it sometimes, in their eyes, in the way they avoid talking about the past. But they never speak of it. They just... refuse to show it to me."

Lucien ran a hand through his hair as his voice laced with guilt. "And I keep wondering... have they forgiven me? Or are they just pretending? Hiding their resentment behind brotherly smiles because I stepped into a role they never asked me to take?"