Claimed By My Husband's Enemy novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161

(Silver)

65 you here

My son was wild and untamed, but he was not always like that. Aidan used to be a kind-hearted boy. When he was a kid. while others his age were running and messing around, giving their parents headaches, he was calm and steady, as he read a fairytale book to a toddler. His father did not have to give him lessons about caring for his mate. It came naturally for Aidan.

Watching how the little princess fell asleep while he held her tiny hand was a memory that I planned to treasure for as long as I breathed. He could settle her down with his hums, the same sound Leo used to make when he was a toddler himself. In his young age, he became like a steady mountain that she relied on to calm the storms within her brought by her immeasurable powers.

Those days with her were my son’s happiest memories. Since he could no longer remember them after Queen Aurelia removed his memories of princess Maria Regina, I had to remember and cherish the memory for him. Beside that, Aidan was obedient and sweet. He never got annoyed. He was always patient and kind. He was our pride and joy.

Others said that raising a son was difficult, that’s why I raised my chin each time. Because we did not encounter any problem with our only child.

At one point, Leo and I had this silly thought that we did not deserve Aidan. He was too good for us.

Until he lost his mate. And then everything changed.

Since then, none of us could get through to him. He was only thirteen when we saw him become angry for the first time in his life. No, ‘angry’ was putting it mildly. He was enraged. He nearly killed two warriors at that time who tried to stop his wolf, and we wondered where his strength came from.

Even with Aidan’s memories removed, he was no longer the same. His eyes became empty. He refused to talk to us. And he was easily irritated. His shifting became more and more frequent until he was often a wolf rather than a person as he roamed the streets, growling like a mad beast.

Seventeen years ago….

What the hell is wrong with you?!’ Leo snarled after slapping Aidan on the cheek.

I could tell that my husband regretted it immediately that night. It was the first time he had hurt our son. Aidan did not come home for days. We were worried and scared to death. Prince Zanè was still recovering from his injuries while princess Mari was dead. Even if the mage who caused that was gone, we still panicked when Aidan went missing. Our soldiers could not track him. It was the worst day of our lives as parents. We could not sleep, eat, and rest. Leo and I had been waiting at the gate for six days now.

And when Aidan returned, his fur was coated with blood. If his father did not demand that he shifted while I pleaded so we could talk to him, I did not think he would do it. Leo’s patience snapped.

‘Son, I’m sorry,’ Leo apologized after seeing the blood on Aidan’s mouth. ‘I didn’t mean to do that. I was-

‘I don’t know,’ Aidan answered, surprising us when he sat on the floor and burst into tears. ‘I don’t know, okay? I don’t know anything! All I feel is pain! I’m in pain every second! I’m mad and I’m clueless. I feel like I should be doing something and 1 don’t know what it is! I can’t breathe! I can’t stay still! My wolf is searching for something I don’t know.’ He looked up, lost, and whispered, ‘I think I’m broken, mom.

Hearing that from my son had broken me more. That night, I had come to understand why I did not have troubles raising him for the past thirteen years. I neither felt sad nor did I cry. That must have been the Goddess’ way of preparing me because for the next few years, I would be filled with sadness and tears.

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Aidan was alive. I could see and hear him breathing but I felt like with the princess’ death, we had also lost our little boy.

I sank onto the cold floor and wrapped my arms around Aidan as he cried harder in my arms. Leo looked crestfallen as he dropped onto the floor with us and put his arms around us.

I linked with him, sobbing. ‘What are we going to do now?’

Our son was too young to be this broken. We were aware that losing mates felt like losing half of themselves. But we did not know it would be this bad for him. We never thought their bond would have an impact this big that it was changing Aidan drastically.

How did that happen? They were too young to form anything.

‘I’m sorry, Silver. I wish I had the answer. But I don’t. I really don’t.’

My husband looked equally lost. For hours, the three of us sat there helplessly. Eli always had solutions to things. I wished I could go to her and ask her. The fog in my head always cleared when I talked to my best friend. But how could I do that when she was having the hardest time out of all of us? We still had no idea when her son would recover. And then she had to deal with her daughter’s funeral.

The last time I came to see Eli, she was wrecked. So was Creed.

The dawn was breaking when Aidan looked up and whispered, ‘I’m sorry.’

He must have reflected after seeing us break down. Since then, he tried coming home every day even if he was still in his wolf form most of the time. What mattered was that we knew he was safe at least. Although when he turned sixteen and we could all see the darkness clouding him getting thicker and heavier, he asked to be sent to the borders to help the soldiers deal with the rogues.

Leo and I were against it, but Aidan looked like he needed it. He needed an outlet for his anger and pain. With a heavy heart, we sent him off. Every time we would hear that there were rogues, we prayed to keep him safe. The more the rogues, the harder we prayed.

Three years later, Aidan returned and resumed his studies. His hands had the blood of those he slayed. His wolf was still instable, but he was determined to train and become the next king, saying that he had a goal which he never told us, Leo and I were relieved. We thought he was getting better.

Every time Aidan would feel the darkness about to consume him, he visited the borders. He did it every now and then where he met his bond brothers, Sebastian and Bradley. Seeing the three of them worried me and my husband more. All of hem had the same look in their eyes: haunted, as if they were trapped by unseen forces.

Bradley Laurent was a professor who also volunteered with the borders to calm his dragon. Sebastian Harley, for all his flirty and playful ways, had scars in his heart that were identical to my son’s. Leo and I planned to disrupt their brotherhood but something magical happened. We noticed that since being with them, Aidan’s time in the borders had lessened until he was able to focus on his studies, on his training, and graduated with sky-high achievements that made his father and I proud.

Aidan knew his limits. The borders were his go-to place to vent. For the past years, that was consistent.

Until I heard about him destroying a building last night. Worse, it was inside the very academy that his father helped build with his best friends. Aidan had never lost control in a public place. He had never fought anyone without a valid reason. He had never fought any of his best friends.

Last night, he did all that. And the reason was the famous Ari Gray who was already making quite a nasty reputation in less than a month of staying in the academy.

Naturally, I was pissed. I needed to come visit the academy to see the alpha myself, the guy who I heard was making my son do things he had never done before. Without meeting him, I knew he was already a bad influence which was why he had to

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Chapter 161

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leave this place as soon as today.

“Greetings, your majesty.”

While I was inside the car, I expected a lot. My mind conjured images of Ari. In another time, I would not mind if Aidan was seeing a guy if it meant he would find happiness at last. My son had gone through so much. He deserved to be happy. But fearing that Ari would send my son to danger and bring out more darkness in him, I automatically disliked him.

None of those images in my head did justice to this young man though.

This was the alpha that my son claimed as his? The reason why he was visiting this academy every night?

I was surprised. My son truly had an incredible standard. After seeing Ari, I could say I understood why he was losing his marbles. But that was not the reason why I was here. I shook my head, reminding myself to focus. I did not come all the way here to compliment a guy’s beauty, for goddess’ sake.

“Lift your head and look at me.”

He did. And when he smiled, my anger just melted. This had never happened unless I was with Eli or Leo. My mind cleared. My wolf was calmed.

Ari’s smile was… pure sunshine which surprised me because I was sure that a while ago, I saw the same haunted look in his purple eyes which mirrored Aidan, Bradley, and Sebastian. Although that seemed to disappear because now, there was curiosity in his gaze and a bit of innocence as well.

And for some reason, it was making me want to burst into tears. Why, though? Why did I want to pull him to me and wrap him in my arms? Why did I want to protect him?

He was on the shorter side, probably around Eli’s height. Was that the reason why I felt protective of him, why my mother’s instincts were screaming at me right now?

‘I’m sure you are here to talk to me about your son, your majesty. But can we do that over snacks? I only had an apple as >reakfast.”

His stomach rumbled and his cheeks turned pink. And I… smiled at someone I was supposed to warn to stay away from my

ion.

Lead the way, Ari. I’ll buy you as many snacks as you want.”

His eyes glowed. “You really mean that, your majesty?” He offered me a playful smile. “Did you bring a lot of money with

IOU?”

handed him my black card, another first for me. I felt like I was being scammed as he took it readily. His eyes twinkled as he thought of the food he wanted to buy, reminding me of Eli who was also a sucker for food. Was that why I was suddenly ond of the boy I was supposed to hate?

put on my enchanted hood to cover my face before Ari led me to the cafeteria. He asked what I wanted for coffee and then he proceeded to order for three people. He came back with two trays full of different kinds of bread.

‘Did you already have breakfast, your majesty?”

‘Not yet.”

‘Please join me.”

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