When I saw his reaction, I instantly understood. I crouched down, stroked his hair, and softly asked, “Do you know me? Are you Arron?” The little boy nodded vigorously. “I’m Arron. Did Mommy ask you to save me?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t stop myself from touching his round head. All my speculations were confirmed. Crystal was truly skilled at concealing the truth.
Arron was very happy, but then his expression changed drastically. “Oh, no! The bad man knocked Mommy out. I don’t know where he has kept her. The bad man wearing a skull mask said that he would chop off my mommy’s limbs. We need to go and save her right now.”
The little boy’s eyes turned red again. He was terrified. “What if Mommy gets hurt? This is all my fault. I’m too small and weak.” Tears streamed down the boy’s face, and he wept bitterly. He was only five years old, but he had experienced such a gory and horrible incident. No matter how strong a person he was, he was bound to be frightened I felt pity for him. I wrapped my arms around him and wiped his tears. “Don’t worry. Your mommy will not get hurt. I will do my best to protect her. Calm down and don’t be frightened. I’m going to save your mommy now.”
Rufus’ POV
I soothed Arron until he calmed down. I then picked him up and we continued on our way. My heart prickled with fear and worry. The things that Arron had just said matched the pink-masked clown’s claims. I needed to find Crystal as soon as possible.
“No, you’re going the in the wrong direction. This isn’t the way to Mommy!” Arron was slapping my arm frantically in a bid to make me stop. He twisted his tiny body and pointed in another direction. “It’s that way. We need to go there to save Mommy.”
I blinked at him in a mix of surprise and bafflement. “How do you even know where she is? Weren’t you unconscious just now?’
Arron scrunched up his adorable brows. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I just know. I’ve always had some telepathic abilities, ever since I was a baby. I can just tell. Maybe it’s because Mommy and I are connected.”
I nodded, even as I processed this new information. Arron seemed to possess a keen sense of connection to his surroundings. With this level of perception at such a young age, I was almost certain that by the time his wolf woke, he would attain other unique powers.
I pondered over our options and finally said to the boy, “I’m sorry. Believe me, I want to save your mommy as soon as I can, but a lot of children are waiting for me to rescue them, too. As their king, it is my duty to help them first.” I was desperate to find Crystal and make sure she was safe, but I had to find my soldiers first. They should be able to rescue the children without issue. Every moment I spent away from those poor, young souls was a risk to their survival.
Moreover, this place was teeming with Lee’s goons. I had no doubt that his lair would be heavily guarded. I needed my men for backup, just in case.
My priority now was to get Arron to somewhere safe. He had endured enough fright for a lifetime. I couldn’t bear to subject him to any further danger.
I was expecting him to cry, but though his eyes turned red, he still managed to hold back his tears. “It’s okay. Mommy is very strong and powerful. Those children need your help more than Mommy does.”
My heart ached for the boy. “Listen, I promise to save your mommy, okay? I’m willing to risk my life just to bring her back.”
Arron swiped at the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes, but he failed to stifle a sob. “I want you to be safe, too. I want both you and Mommy to come back safe.”
“I know. I’ll make sure that we both come back safe. Come on, don’t be sad. You can trust me. Now, let’s go and get help.”
“Okay! Let’s run like the wind!” Arron sniffed one last time before winding his arms around my neck. “All right, I’ve secured my position. Now, run as fast as you can!”
“Roger that,” I joked. “Hang on tight. Commander. I won’t let you down!” My chest warmed when I saw him crack a smile at that. Before entering the amusement park, I had ordered several of my troops to stand guard at certain appointed spots and await my orders. Luckily, a group was stationed near the park itself.
Unless they had run into interference, they should be getting close by now.
The villa was located in the suburbs, and my soldiers could easily cut through a patch of woods to get here from the amusement park. Sure enough, they were already waiting for me at the edge of the woods. They pushed forward as soon as they spotted me.
Kiefer Harrison, one of my most trusted subordinates, walked up to me. “Your Majesty. We were talking about storming in if we didn’t hear from you in fifteen minutes.” He was about to say more when he took notice of the little boy in my arms. He promptly froze in place. “T-the little prince?!”
Right on cue, the other soldiers peered at Arron as well, their eyes widening in disbelief. “Your Majesty, he is the spitting image of you!”
Arron bristled at the commotion and shrank deeper into my embrace. “What’s the matter?” he asked worriedly. “Why are they staring at me as if I’m a monster?”
The boy probably had no understanding of how genes worked yet, so he couldn’t have thought much about the similarities in our features.
I pressed him against my shoulder and patted his head. “Maybe it’s because they’ve never seen a child as cute as you.”
Arron pouted. “But Beryl is the cutest of all.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “You’re right, Arron. She is, indeed.”
Rufus’ POV
In the face of my subordinates’ burning questions, I decided to be brief with my answer. “This little boy is Arron. He is Alpha Crystal’s son.”
Unsurprisingly, my men looked even more baffled upon hearing this, especially Kiefer. “Your Majesty, why does Alpha Crystal’s child resemble you so much?”
This time, I didn’t bother with an answer. Instead, I told them the layout of the place and the current situation at the traffickers’ base. I directed them to the room where the children were confined and gave them an estimate of the number of kids we had to rescue. Most of all, I told them to get the kids out first and foremost, as soon as they could.
My men didn’t dare to tarry any longer. They quickly lined up and moved forward.
Only Kiefer and a handful of his elite soldiers stayed behind with me.
I waved him over and set Arron down. “Take good care of him. Take him back to the imperial palace and get him examined by the doctor.”
Kiefer was a confidant of mine. I could entrust the boy to him without any worry.
“Yes, Your Majesty. ” Kiefer took Arron’s hand with a sigh.
“You look so alike.”
Arron, being the precocious little boy that he is, sidled up next to Kiefer before turning his big eyes at me. My heart instantly softened. I crouched down so that we were at eye level. “Listen, Arron. You need to return to the palace with him, okay? I will only get worried if you stay here, where it isn’t safe.”
“I understand. ” Arron nodded seriously. “I’ll stay put and behave.”
“All right. And don’t worry, okay? I promise to bring your mommy back safe and sound. ” I looked him in the eye as I spoke, hoping that my sincerity would come across and alleviate his fears.
Thankfully, he bobbed his head in earnest, his eyes twinkling with hope. “It’s okay. I trust you! I’ll be waiting for you at the imperial palace!”
It was clear that Arron was brought up well. As for Beryl. that little girl could be too naughty for her own good at times, but she had a heart of gold. Whenever she found something that delighted her, she would always make sure to bring it back to share with me and my mother.
My chest ached at the thought. If Beryl and Arron were twins, then that meant Beryl was my biological daughter too.
Though I couldn’t confirm anything yet, I had a feeling that everything would come to light pretty soon. How could it not, when I was resolved to uncover every secret Crystal was keeping?
I smiled and took a candy out of my pocket. “Here. This is a small reward for your bravery. You’re a good boy, Arron. ” He returned my smile with a timid one before taking the candy. “Thank you, Sir. ” I ruffled his hair and nodded at Kiefer.
“There’s one more thing I need you to do. ” I made sure no one was paying attention to us and surreptitiously tucked a bloodstained strip of cloth into his hands. “This is my blood. Have them do a paternity test on Arron while they conduct his check-up.”
Kiefer pulled back in shock. “Your Majesty, do you mean to say that the boy is really your son?”
“Run the test first,” I hedged. “And don’t tell my mother about this. We can talk once I return.”
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