Chapter 257
Daran thought that if he could know the names of this kidâs parents, he could send the boy home.
He would probably even teach these people a lesson on how to be qualified parents. Hearing Daranâs question, Aspen slowly put his burger down and held his head down.
âWhat is the matter?â
Daran could see that the boyâs spirit was suddenly down at the moment.
âAreâ¦Are you getting rid of me?â Aspen asked in a broken voice.
âNo, of course not, I am simply curious.â
âI already told you that my parents donât care about me!â Aspen cried, snapping his head up, his eyes filled with tears. âDonât send me back. Please. I donât want to go home. Everyone at home is so mean to me. They called me a bastard, saying that I am not daddyâs boyâ¦â
Daran began to soften.
He stood up and switched to the boyâs side and sat sideâbyâside with Aspen, rubbing his soft hair.
âDonât worry. If you donât want to go home, no one can make you. The reason I asked for your parentsâ names was thatâ¦Well, you said that they were bad parents, right? Maybe I can give them a warning or something.â
Aspen blinked his teary eyes and choked, âRâReally? Can you do that? My daddy is pretty tough. He wonât be afraid of you.â
Daran smiled, âI think I can handle your daddy no problem. Now, what is hist name?â
Aspen lowered his head again and played his own thumb
After a long pause, he spoke up in a small voice, ââ¦I donât remember.â
It was clearly a lie.
How could a boy not remember his parentâs name?
But Daran got it.
Aspen was still worried that he might send him home.
If Aspen wasnât ready to tell him, he wouldnât make the boy.
âHey, Aspen.â he patted the boyâs shoulder, âHave you been to the Blood Moon Pack before?â
The boy shook his head in a daze.
âInterested in a tour?â Daran asked.
âDaran!â Francis gasped, looking very disapproved. âAre you seriously going to take this little homeless with you? You are already late to those meetings. And how are you going to explain to people who this boy isâ¦â
âI donât need to explain anything. It is none of their business,â said Daran coldly.
Francis lowered his voice, âSure, the others wonât dare to poke around your businessâ¦But what about Alpha Casper? Alpha Casper will think that this boy is your
bastard child.â
Daran frowned.
Casper was indeed a problem.
Just then, Aspen raised his head and said in a voice loud and clear, â-Daddy!â
Francis let out a short cry, âWhat the hellâ¦â
Even Daran widened his eyes in surprise, âWhat did you just call me?â
âDaddy.â Aspen held his hand, âIf people ask, you can say that you are my dad.â
Daran found himself smiling at the boy, âWhat about your real dad? Wonât he be mad?â
Aspen came close to his ears and whispered, âThenâ¦let us never tell him. He wonât be mad if he never finds out. I will let you be my fake daddy⦠Just for a couple of days.â
Daran laughed.
He loved this idea more than he thought.
âHow dare you!â Francis huffed, trying to pull the boy off from Daranâs lap. âDo you have any idea whom you are talking to right now, boy?! Standing in front of you is the King of werewolves! He will never be your father!â
Daran shot him a cold glare, silencing Francis at once.
âIf I say I am the father of this child, I AM the father. Understood?â he said icily.
Francis gulped nervously.
Aspen rolled his eyes and let out a small snort, âYeah, so what if he is the King? My dad is also King. And I am the prince. But you donât see me brag about it everywhere.
Humility is a virtue. My mom taught me that.â
âAnd your mom is right about that,â said Daran as he picked up Aspen and carried the boy in his arms, marching towards the doors.
âWhere are we going?â Aspen asked, wrapping his little arms around Daranâs neck.
âBlood Moon Pack, a city that you have never been to. Let me show you around. Francis stared at their back and let out a long, frustrated sigh.
The way that the boy rolled his eyes looked just like Daran when Daran was young
People might actually believe that these two were father and son.
Janet and Elder Medline used their fake identities and successfully got into the city of Blood Moon Pack.
The streets were jammed by people, who were all gathered here to see the Alphas from different packs andâmost importantly the King.
âLook!â somebody cried, âIt is King Daranâs car!â
A cheer went up from the crowd as a shiny silver car drove down the street.
Blended within the crowd, Janet stood on tiptoes with the others and looked.
Her heart was thumping wildly against her ribs.
Daran.
It had been 8 years already.
Yet even today, she could still remember his face vividly, and how he stared at her with a look of pain and hatred when they last met.
That memory made her heart ache every time she thought about it.
There were a couple of girls by Janetâs side, and they were all giggling stupidly.
âDo you think I can get King Daranâs attention this year?â one girl smirked, âI heard that he was still not married vet.â
âDrop it, slut. I bet the King has companies.â
âNo, I swear it, he doesnât! He has been single sinceâ¦you knowâ¦his skunky ex ran off with another man.â
Janet bit her lips listening to those girls gossip.
So Daran still hadnât married?
Was it possible thatâ¦he was still waiting for her to come back?
No.
Impossible.
He made it clear that he hoped that the two of them never met again; and if they did, he would see her as his enemy.
That was how much he hated her.
And it was why she had to keep her return a complete secret. She didnât want to see the hate in his eyes again.
âThe Kingâs car is here!â a girl cried excitedly.
The silver car drove close.
The back window was lowered a couple of inches, so the crowd could catch a glimpse
of the inside.
Yet they didnât see the King.
Instead, there was a tiny figure leaning against the window, staring curiously at the enthusiastic crowd.
Janet rounded her eyes in shock. She almost screamed out-
That was her son, Aspen!
Shit. What the hell?!
What was Aspen doing with Daran?
Did he know that Daran was his father? Did Daran know?!
The car drove past them in a few quick seconds and then it was gone, leaving the crowd in wonder.
âHave you seen that boy? Who is he?â someone gasped.
âThe Kingâs son? No, wait, that canât be right. The King doesnât have a son. Maybe his relativeâs child?â
Everyone was busy discussing that mysterious child as Janet stood on her spot, shocked and frozen.
Medline tugged her sleeve and whispered urgently into her ears, âWhat the hell? Why does that werewolf King have Prince Aspen?â
ââ¦I donât knowâ¦â Janet shook her head in a daze.
âI bet he knows that Aspen is the Lycanâs heir and has taken Aspen hostage to threaten us!â Medline snapped, âFucking, despicable werewolvesâ¦â
âLower your voice! We are in the werewolfâs city right now. Donât cause any trouble!â lanet buffed
trouble!â Janet huffed.
She was also worried about another pressing matter
Nobody in the Lycanâs Kingdom knew that Aspen wasnât Westinâs child.
It was a secret that she must keep in order to protect Aspen.
Yet Aspen was taken by Daran now, his birth father.
Janet had never been this worried that the secret might get exposed with the two of them being in the same room.
âThen what should we do now?â Medline asked her, âWe need to get Prince Aspen back fast. God, if King Westin comes back and finds out that his kid is gone, just imagine how pissed he is going to be.â
Janet let out a frustrated sigh, âI knowâ¦OK. Letâs sneak into those meetings. See if we can approach Aspen without causing any attention.â
If she could talk to her boy and persuade him to come home with her, all problems. would be solved.
Yet she had a feeling that things would not go as planned.
Chapter 258