The Crown's Entrapment



"Seth? What's wrong?"

It was another day when Calypso was minding his own business in his office when Seth suddenly came to his office. He didn't even think that a piece of news would ever upset him that day, but apparently, he thought wrong.

"My Alpha, my mother just returned," Seth informed him with a suspiciously grave tone. "She says that Aunt Anna's days are numbered. Her condition has gotten worse, and she says that she wants to see you one last time before… well…"

A beat of silence passed within the office as both men seemingly waited for the other to speak. Not that Calypso really cared. The woman could rot for all he cared.

"And?"

"And… what?" Seth apprehensively asked.

"Why does this concern me?" Calypso condescendingly asked. "I already decided that she  has no business being in my life, and her dying just means that I won't have to worry about ever seeing her again."

"But my Alpha, don't you at least want to see her?" Seth asked. "To at least see why she wants to see you?"

"If she wanted to see me, she should've come years ago," he scoffed. "As it stands, I don't see any reason why I should humor her."

Calypso scoffed even as Seth frowned at him from where he stood. Sure, he could understand fulfilling a dying person's wish, but said person was the woman he despised the most. Why should he give her the satisfaction of giving into her demands now?

"Look, why don't you just try?" Seth asked. "My mother said that Aunt Anna's in a really bad condition. You're the only thing she's asking for. I don't think she'll last once it happens."

"So you're saying that me showing up would just kill her faster?" Calypso scoffed. "Shouldn't that mean that I should avoid seeing her just so she could live longer?"

"That's not the point and you know it," Seth frowned. "It's just one visit. What's the worst that could happen?"

Before Calypso could even reply, Seth had already left his office, his last question lingering in the air as his curiosity began getting to him.

'Why am I even considering this…' he inwardly grimaced.

[You should really come and see her,] Axel suggested. [Seth's right. What's the worst that could happen?]

[Well, the worst that could happen is I kill her before whatever sickness she has takes her,] Calypso scoffed. [I don't think her family would appreciate me taking her away before her time.]

[As if you don't have the control to fight against that,] his wolf scoffed back. [You're just afraid.]

"I'm not afraid!"

Calypso gasped as soon as he realized that he just said those last words out loud. He was losing control, and he could only assume that someone heard him either through the door, or through something else.

Sure enough, Aurelia came into his office, her usual scowl growing colder even as her emotions told him otherwise.

"You're upset. That's not like you," she nonchalantly stated as she leaned on the nearest wall close to him. "What's wrong?"

[You should tell her,] Axel quickly advised. [She'll know eventually. She has a way of knowing things like this.]

Letting his shoulders sag, Calypso leaned into his chair as he began, "Seth just told me that my mother, Anna, was on her deathbed or something like that. Said that she wanted to see me one last time despite knowing how much I hate her."

"Is that so?" Aurelia asked, her one eyebrow raised as she began talking to him. "I can only assume that you don't want to see her then?"

"Why should I? What has she done for me beyond ruining my family?" he spat out. "I don't care what she thinks. This is what she gets for her actions."

It was cruel, but he was wholly justified for thinking so. He didn't owe her anything, so why should he take time out of his life to visit her?

"Truthfully, I think you're being stupid."

Her words almost made him jump off his seat. Still, he barely managed to control himself as he let her speak. He knew that the wrong thing to do now was to interrupt her while she was making a point, especially since he could feel her usual indignation at him brewing underneath the worry that she was feeling for him.

"What do you lose by visiting her? Your high-ground? Your pride? Would that be worth letting her die not seeing you one last time?" Aurelia began, her usual lecturing tone ringing in his ears. "On top of being stupid, you're just afraid of what you might find."

Calypso deflated. Seth said the same thing to him earlier. Perhaps there was a truth to that statement then.

"I know you're curious," she added. "You want to know why she even wants to see you after all this time. Why, after all, does she want to talk to you now after abandoning you? Perhaps she might have answers now. Perhaps she wants to beg for your forgiveness."

"I don't think I can forgive her," Calypso grumbled. "It's too late for that."

"But it's not too late for closure, don't you think?" she scoffed in her usual tone, masking the caring that she was feeling for him. "If all else, seeing her will close this book in your life. Hell, after it's over, you can even forget it all happened. At the very least, you can put this part of your life behind you and move forward."

He clicked his tongue even as Aurelia sat in front of her. To his surprise, the faintest of smiles appeared on her lips, showing him just how much his current state was affecting her.

"I highly suggest you go see her," she advised. "At least you can say you did it after it's all over."

Sighing, Calypso relented, "Fine, but I want you to come with me."

"As if there's any doubt," she scoffed at him even as she gave him a knowing smirk. "At the very least, I want to see just what this sickness is that's afflicting your mother."

Calypso smiled as they simply stared at each other, the two of them giving each other a silent reassurance as they sat near each other. Aurelia might not show her emotions much, but what little she did show only made them all the more appealing.

"We'll leave as soon as we're able then," Calypso nodded. "We best prepare until then."