Chapter 253


    Westin frowned and straightened his back immediately.


    “Clemente listen-”


    “What is wrong fists, asking in a hurried


    with this child?” Clemente clenched his voice. “Lycans should give birth to pups! But this baby…this


    baby doesn’t have a wolf? Should we call in the doctors and let them take a look?”


    “Clemente!” J propped up her upper body and stared at Clemente, “The baby is fine.”


    “But-”


    J turned to Westin, “I think we should tell him.”


    “We need more people to protect this child. And frankly speaking, there aren’t a lot of people we


    can trust in this castle.”


    Clemente was one of those people.


    After a little pause, Westin gestured Clemente toe close, “Come over here. There is something


    we need to tell you.”


    Clemente gulped uneasily.


    He sensed that they were going to let him on a huge secret.


    Half–nervous and half–curious, he took a careful step forward and got up to the bedside.


    He nced down and saw the newborn.


    The baby was lying peacefully in Westin’s arms, that small face adorned with. delicate features.


    Clemente’s gaze focused on that button–like nose and the faint rose tint on those cheeks.


    He couldn’t help but take a hand and poke at the baby’s 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, “Clemente, what I am about to tell you is that…I


    am not the biological father of this child.”


    Clemente snapped his head up.


    His mind wentpletely nk.


    “W–What?” he stuttered, utterly confused and shocked, “But J…she ”


    He flickered his eyes towards J, whoy weakly on the pillows, and gave him a small nod.


    “I was already pregnant when Westin brought me here. He needs an heir and I want to keep this


    child…so we established a partnership,” she said lowly.


    “Partnership?!” Clemente gasped, “You are telling me that your rtionship is nothing but a


    goddamn partnership?! What the hell


    “Lower your voice, Clemente!” Westin snapped.


    There were still people outside of this room, people who couldn’t find out about this


    secret.


    Clemente shut his mouth immediately. Yet he was still breathing heavily, ring at the couple


    “I 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 again…”


    Her voice faded off. Pain flickered across her eyes.


    “So this child will grow up in our Kingdom, despite his identity,” Westin picked it up. and said.


    “Clemente, I don’t care if I am the father or not. All I care about is the safe of J and my child. So


    I am asking you this now…Can you help me protect them and this secret?”


    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 non–Lycan 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.


    But…


    He raised his head and met with J’s eyes.


    She was staring at him with pleading eyes, which were gleaming with tears.


    “Take a look at the child, Clemente,” she pled. “The baby adores you…Please help us protect this


    child.”


    The baby’s small fingers were still wrapped around his.


    Clemente could smash a rock with barehand, yet he couldn’t take his finger back from this delicate


    little hand.


    How amazing was that?


    Clemente took in a deep breath and asked, “Is it a boy or a girl?”


    “A boy,” Westin smiled.


    “Have you thought of a name yet?”


    J shook her head and then asked, “Would you like to give him a name?”


    Clemente hesitated for a little while.


    Then, with a shaky hand, he pushed a tuft of wispy hair out of the baby’s forehead. “Aspen,” he


    said.


    A gentle smile tugged at his lips as he continued, “Aspen… You are the heir of this Kingdom. And I


    swear to protect you…with my own life.”


    <hr>Right at this very moment, thousands of miles away, in the Blood Moon Pack, arge 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 didn’t 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.


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    Just then, he arched his back abruptly, as though he suddenly got struck by a sharp wave of pain.


    “King Daran!” one guest gasped, “What is wrong?”


    Daran breathed heavily, clutching his chest tightly.


    “I…I feel…” he murmured, hoarsely, “I just felt a strong connection…a bond…it is so weird…”


    Just a few seconds ago, he sensed a strong connection being built between him and an unknown


    person in this world.


    It wasn’t the mate bond…. simr but different…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 Daran’s former mate had eloped with the Lycan King. Everybody knew that. It was


    considered a huge scandal.


    One particrly brave guest said in a careful voice, “My King, is it possible that…you felt it wrong?


    You don’t have a mate anymore. Princess J is gone…forever. You should get over with that


    treacherous little-


    Daran snapped his head up.


    His eyes zed with anger as he gritted, “…What the fuck did you just say?”


    The guest flinched, waiving his hands hastily, “N–NO, nothing-”


    Yet it was toote.


    Daran smashed his wine ss 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.


    “Who the fuck do you think you are!” he snarled, his handsome face consorted by insanity. “To


    disuse my mate, my personal business and to give me a fucking suggestion?!”


    The guest struggled for breath in his iron grip, his face quickly turning purple, “P–Please…let me


    down…Please-”


    The other guests backed from them in horror.


    King Daran…he didn’t look sane. It was as though he hadpletely lost his mind…


    This sudden fight had caught the entire party’s 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 Daran’s face, sending Daran staggering to the side for a few steps.


    “GET YOUR FUCKING SELF TOGETHER, DARAN!” Casper roared, his face filled with


    rage.