Alpha Prince Egon And His Bride

9. Step Brother

Alpha Richard stormed down the hallway, his furious gait causing the passing wolves to flinch in terror. He slammed his bedroom door behind him, consumed by dark emotions. William followed him, entering the room a moment later.

"Didn't I tell you to get better control of Egon? Look at what he did today," William commented angrily, pacing around the room, disturbed and panicked.

"Shut up, William. I'm a hair's breadth from losing my sanity here," Richard growled. Despite his frustration, William confronted Richard face to face, his face flushed with humiliation and rage.

“It’s only your sanity. You can't see what we've lost? When Harry made the proposal, I was going to ask you to reject him outright. Until I thought about us, our dreams. I didn't even consider Bree, only our pack and how we would profit. Yet Egon ruined everything," William spoke rapidly, his eyes filled with regret for losing this opportunity. "It was a golden chance for us, Richard. There are only three packs in a position of power: the Blood Moon Pack, the Blue Moon Pack, and our own. I know the other two packs are our friends, but how long will that last? Bringing the Blood Moon Pack's girl into our pack is a rare opportunity. I've heard a great deal about Princess Emily. They say she possesses the beauty of the moon. She's a treasure in the Blood Moon Pack, if we could marry her off to Egon, we could achieve so much in the future. We could..." William paused, turned away, and flopped down on the sofa. "Oh, f**k it! This is only making me angrier!" he shouted, pulling at his hair.

"I f*****g DIDN'T KNOW EGON WAS LISTENING TO OUR MIND-LINK! HIS EXPRESSIONS WERE AS CASUAL AS EVERY OTHER PERSON IN THE ROOM. AS AN ALPHA, I CAN SENSE EVERY WOLF BUT NOT EGON!" Richard roared his frustration at William.

He grabbed a half-empty bottle of wine from the table and drank from it then pulled the curtain hiding the painting on the wall. He could never bring himself to throw away the painting of her, so he kept it behind the curtain.

"Twenty-four years..." Richard tightened his grip on the bottle, laying eyes with the woman in the painting. "It's been twenty-four years to the day since she died, and I haven't been able to forget her. Do you know why? My son was born with the same mysterious powers that she had. I could never make Melissa submit to me. She never bowed down or obeyed, not once. Egon, my son, my own flesh and blood, was born exactly the same," he snorted like a bull, his eyes bloodshot.

"I know," William murmured, walking toward Richard.

"To this day, I haven't been able to figure out why I couldn't control Melissa and can’t Egon either. Do you have an answer for that?" Richard asked, gazing into Melissa's beautiful blue eyes.

"I...I don't know," William slightly stuttered, facing the dilemma that only fueled Richard's anger.

"WHY DON'T YOU KNOW? YOU HAVE THE BLOOD OF A WIZARD! YOU'RE A HYBRID, WILLIAM! WHY HAVEN'T YOU FIGURED THIS OUT BY NOW? IT'S BEEN TWENTY-FOUR YEARS, AND I STILL DON'T HAVE A SINGLE ANSWER!"

"Yes, I have wizard powers, but Egon's mysterious abilities are beyond my understanding, Richard," William hated himself for sounding defeated. "I already told you that Melissa wasn't a normal woman. She had an unknown power. The day you found her as your soulmate, I tried to stop you from bringing her to the Silver River Pack. I told you not to get her pregnant, but you didn't listen, and look what happened. Now, you can't control her or her son," William snapped.

"EGON IS NOT MELISSA'S SON. HE IS MINE, WILLIAM!" Richard threw the bottle against the wall shattering it then grabbed William's collar furiously. "MELISSA GAVE BIRTH TO MY SON, BUT I AM THE ONE THAT TURNED HIM INTO A MONSTER. HE SHARES MY BLOOD, MY FLASH. EGON WILL DO WHAT I TELL HIM TO DO!" he shouted at William, who calmly listened to his Alpha. He knew how to handle Richard when he was out of control.

"I know he's your son, but have you thought about what will happen the day Egon meets his soulmate?" William calmly asked. Richard blinked in realization and slowly let go of William's collar. He turned to look back at Melissa's portrait.

"You know that day will never come." Richard turned to glare at Melissa. William's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Even if he finds his soulmate someday, he won't love her. He'll kill her the moment he lays eyes upon her. I've raised him in my shadow and teachings. The curse that Melissa put on me before her death still haunts me at night. It wakes me up, that's why I can't let Egon meet his soulmate. If the curse comes to fruition, then my downfall will be at the hands of my son and his mate. It will begin as soon as he finds her and brings her here. That's why twenty-four years ago, the rule about killing soulmates was put in place. They had to be killed where they were found and never brought here. We can't let Egon and his mate meet, no matter what," Richard murmured.

William fetched a new bottle of wine and poured two glasses. He passed one to Melissa and stood by her side, watching the painting.

"She's gone, yet she left her unknown powers and abilities to my son. I'll never let Melissa or the Moon Goddess win. Everything will go as I want it to and as I've planned," Richard smirked, mockingly raising his glass in a toast Melissa.

"I believe in you, and I'll always stand by your side to help fulfill your dreams," William exchanged evil grins with his Alpha.

***

In the afternoon, Emily was lying on her bed with her books when she received a mind-link from her bodyguard, Sonia.

"Princess Emily, Prince Luck is on his way to your bedroom,” Sonia urgently communicated through their mind-linked. Surprised, Emily jumped out of bed and hurriedly searched her wardrobe for clothes. She had no idea he had returned to the palace.

Prince Luck had been adopted by Alpha Levi when his best friend’s pack had been attacked and destroyed. Luck had only been seven years old at the time but had an Alpha blood in his veins. Levi, who had always longed for a son, took him in and bestowed upon him the status of Alpha Prince. Luck was destined to take over Alpha Levi's throne. Everyone had to obey him, even Emily's bodyguards were afraid of him.

Emily quickly grabbed a random piece of clothing. Since she was alone in her room, she saw no reason to be fully dressed. However, Luck had a tendency to come and go as he pleased, even entering Emily's bedroom unannounced. She heard his footsteps approaching her door, growing louder. Realizing she didn't have enough time to get fully dressed, she picked up a small silk robe and wrapped it around her upper body.

"Emily!" Prince Luck's cheerful voice echoed in her bedroom. Emily turned to face him, her wrapped form meeting his shining eyes.

"Prince Luck, how many times do I have to tell you not to enter my room without permission?" Emily sternly remarked.

"I’m the future Alpha of the pack, Emily," Luck smiled, standing just a hand's length away from her. "No one can stop me, not even you, Emily." Prince Luck eyed her up and down.

"Why are you here?" Emily ignored him, well aware of his hidden intentions. Even Alpha Levi had an idea about them, but chose to ignore the issue.

"It's been a while since we last met. I've been away for fifteen days, completing the tasks assigned by Alpha Levi. I missed you quite a bit, so I came to see you as soon as possible," Luck murmured, glancing at Emily's exposed waist. The robe didn't provide much coverage.

"Well, as you can see, I am healthy and perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I'm eating, breathing, and living as I did before. Now that you've confirmed that, please leave my room. I need to change," Emily stated, her tone calm, but her eyes speaking volumes.

"Emily, why do you always push me away? You know that I love you, yet you constantly try to distance yourself from me. Why are you so cruel?" Prince Luck's expression turned sad, resembling a wounded beast.

"Please stop using such words. You are like a brother to me..." Emily began.

"I AM NOT YOUR BROTHER!" Prince Luck yelled, cutting off Emily's words. She flinched at his sudden outburst.

"We both know we're not blood-related. I've loved you since childhood, and I've never hidden my feelings from you. Can't you see me as a man?" Prince Luck grabbed her arms, trying to control his anger.

"Prince Luck, I would appreciate it if you never mentioned your feelings for me again. It's disgusting. As for seeing you as a man, that will never happen," Emily replied calmly.

"Why?" Prince Luck growled, pulling her closer to his chest. Emily met Luck's wolf gaze in silence.

"Go back and check on your soulmate, Prince Luck. That woman has been waiting for you for months," Emily stated, freeing herself from his grip. Luck's expression darkened as his eyes traveled from her lips to her neck, before finally looking away.

"f**k!" He kicked a nearby table, causing it to smash into the wall before storming out of Emily's bedroom. As his footsteps faded down the hallway, Emily sat on her bed, dropping her robe onto the floor.

"Princess, are you okay? Did he do anything to you?" Sonia and Monica rushed into the room in a panic.

"I'm fine," Emily replied with a light smile.

"We're sorry. We couldn't stop him," Sonia and Monica apologized simultaneously.

"I know it's not your fault. His behavior is no secret to me, but thank you for informing me of his arrival," Emily's smile brought instant relief to the two women.

"It's our duty. Prince Luck's actions have been growing bolder lately, Princess. Despite having a soulmate, he still desires you. I've heard he mistreats that poor woman and vents his anger on her. I'm afraid to think what will happen if he becomes our Alpha," Sonia expressed her worry, taking a deep breath.

"That's true. Prince Luck's obsession is making your life difficult, Princess. I heard he's not leaving anytime soon. We don't know when he might suddenly appear in your bedroom again. So, Princess, how will you escape the pack? Prince Luck keeps a constant eye on you, like a hawk. How will you succeed with your plan?" Monica asked anxiously.

"No matter what, I will run away from here," Emily raised her gaze to the setting sun. The time had come. "No one can stop me."