CHAPTER 27: _THE GOLDEN BOY AND THE PRINCE

Lucian’s POV

*****

He clenched his jaw as everyone in the room gave each other solemn looks after his father’s statement.

After several seconds of silence, Beta Axel cleared his throat beside him, finally speaking. "What can we do now? Support Arcadia’s encroachment or...?"

All eyes went to Alpha King Arian who shook his head, folding his arms in front of his chest. "No. We’ll do what we’ve done for years anytime Arcadia makes a bold move like this... We stay neutral. We don’t say anything but watch."

Just... Watch?

"But father, you said it yourself just now that if Arcadia manages to expand into the dark lands that we might be next." Lucian placed his hands on the obsidian table, leaning forward and locking his gaze on the Alpha King. "Don’t you think being silent would be... Detrimental?"

All eyes once again went to Alpha King Arian whose jaw clenched.

"What would be detrimental would be adding ourselves to this conflict and making this whole thing spill to global proportions." Arian’s voice was firm. "Other continents are watching Evaros. If this becomes a full-blown war, there’s no telling if the Beast kin of Thal’Saria or the Alloy Dominion overlords will turn a blind eye... Or use this to their advantage to overtake the entire continent at its weakest."

Lucian rubbed his forehead with a sigh.

Goddess, the whole world was running mad in real time!

After a few more conversations, the meeting came to a conclusion. But before anyone could leave.

"Oh, one more thing." Alpha King Arian cleared his throat, forcing all heads to swerve to him.

Lucian had just been about to turn around and walk right out of the war room.

Ugh, now what?

"The Rogue King, Kyren Nochthane, will be visiting the capital by the next full moon. Like I said, we’re to remain neutral in this conflict between the Dark Lands and Arcadia... For now. I hope you all will be prepared for his arrival."

The Rogue King... Kyren Nochthane. A name that made diplomats flinch and council members whisper prayers.

Lucian glanced at Beta Axel who didn’t seem bothered at all by the Rogue King’s imminent arrival.

He watched as the Beta left where he stood and walked over to meet the Alpha King at the other end of the obsidian table as the holographic map of Evaros flickered out of existence.

Lucian lingered, pretending to adjust the sleeve of his outfit as the others filed out. He tilted his head slightly. Just enough to catch the whispers.

"Sir, I wanted to bring an update on that assassin who almost killed Elian." Beta Axel whispered.

Lucian dimmed his eyes at the Beta, trying to hear the conversation and ignoring the glances from the passing council members.

"The assassin is dead. Why are we still bothering ourselves with what happened?" Alpha King Arian asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

Well, well, well...

So much for "respecting the goddess’ will".

Lucian stared at his old man with disdain while the latter merely spared him a glance before continuing his conversation with Beta Axel... His golden boy.

Axel and his father have always been close even before the former became Beta. The Alpha King had an eye for talent and had noticed Axel’s uniquely powerful golden wolf and instantly made him his prodigy.

And where did that leave Lucian? On the sidelines squabbling for his father’s attention. But he was done playing those games ages ago.

"I suggest I run an investigation committee on the matter. In secret." Beta Axel still insisted, backing Lucian. "Sir, there’s something more to that assassination attempt. It wasn’t merely someone trying to get rid of Elian for being an Omega or the prince’s mate."

Pfft... Really?

Because Lucian felt like that was the exact reason.

There was a long moment of silence between Axel and Alpha King Arian. Until...

"Lucian, don’t you have better things to do right now?" His father queried sharply, fixing his gaze directly at him.

Beta Axel only looked over his shoulder but didn’t input anything.

"Oh, I’m sorry, Father. I didn’t realise this was some... Private father and son moment." Lucian said with pure sarcasm, plastering a smile on his face. "I just noticed the conversation had to do with the Ome—"

"With your mate." Arian interrupted coldly. "It has to do with your mate, yes. You know what...?"

He turned his gaze back to Axel, causing Lucian to frown.

Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling?

"Axel, go ahead and make that committee for the investigations. And make Lucian your assistant for it." Alpha King Arian dropped that like a bomb.

Lucian’s eyes widened as his shoulders slouched. "What?"

Arian gave him a sarcastic smile before patting Axel on his shoulder and brushing past him. When the older man was about to step out of the war room, Lucian grabbed his arm.

"Father, you can’t be seriously dragging me into this." Lucian sneered, ignoring the look his father gave him. "It’s clear to me that someone sent that assassin to Elian because he’s my mate. You don’t expect a pitiful Omega to become the Alpha Prince’s mate without some repercussions, right?"

Alpha King Arian’s eyes scanned his son from his hand which was still latched to his arm, and then to his face, as if he was searching for where he got the audacity from.

Then...

"If that’s the case, then find the person who sent the assassin." Arian snarled, yanking his arm out of Lucian’s grip in one fluid movement. "He’s your mate and your responsibility. Maybe watching after him would teach you a thing or two about responsibility before I hand over an entire Empire to you."

Lucian felt like he’d just been slapped across his face. He watched with clenched fists as his father walked out of the war room, banging the heavy doors behind him and leaving the Alpha Prince in silence.

He wasn’t angry. Or maybe he was. But beneath that, buried somewhere deep, was something far worse... The gnawing certainty that he would never be enough, not even for his own father.

"Well, I guess that means it’s just me and you. Right, assistant?" Axel walked over to him with a chuckle, patting him on his shoulder.

But Lucian scowled, brushing his arm aside. "You might have my father and the rest of this bloody Empire wrapped around your fingers. But your charms ain’t working on me, golden boy."

Axel blinked with surprise at first but then smirked, taking a daring step forward. "You sure about that, Alpha Prince?"

Lucian’s eyes twitched but he had had just about enough.

He turned away from the Beta and stormed out of the room, ignoring the bows of the guards in front of the door as he walked down the hallway.

Fortunately, his room was on this very floor.

When he got to his room, he was about to unlock the door when he realised it was already open. That caused his eyebrows to furrow as he slowly placed his hand on the knob and pushed it in.

He stepped into the dimly lit room slowly, yelling out a command to the robotic system controlling the technology in it. "Xenon, turn on the lights."

When the lights turned on and his gaze landed on his bed, his eyes widened.