Chapter 256 Sudden Reconciliation

Chapter 256: Chapter 256 Sudden Reconciliation

_Ezekiel’s POV_

I was lying flat on my back on the sofa in Pierre’s living room, tossing a small rubber ball up into the air and catching it.

Pierre was sitting at the table near the window, a cup of black coffee in his hand and a stack of papers spread out in front of him. The morning sun was coming through the window, making the room bright,warm and very relaxing. It was Saturday.

"You are going to drop that ball on your face, Ezekiel," Pierre said without looking up from his papers.

"I have great hand eye coordination, Pierre," I replied, throwing the ball a little higher and catching it with a laugh. "Besides, we deserve this small break. Rowena is handling her business, Alaric is in meetings, and everything is so quiet."

Before Pierre could answer, a sudden pain hit the back of my head.

My whole body went stiff. The rubber ball slipped out of my hand and rolled across the floorboards. A mental vibration filled my ears.

It was a royal pack mindlink. It came directly from my home pack.

“Ezekiel,” my father’s deep voice rang inside my head, sounding serious. “Pack your bags and come home to the packhouse right now. We need to talk.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my temple. The link cut off just as quickly as it came, leaving a dull ache behind my eyes.

I sat up on the sofa and looked at Pierre. He was already watching me with a worried look on his face.

"What was that?" Pierre asked, setting his coffee cup down.

"My father," I said, standing up from the couch. "He wants me to come home to the packhouse immediately. He sounded serious."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Pierre asked, stepping toward me.

"No," I said, giving him a small, reassuring smile. "I should handle this alone. I will be back soon."

I grabbed my jacket, left the mansion, and got into my car. I drove for three hours straight, leaving the Ashthorne territory behind and heading deep into my family’s land.

By early afternoon, I pulled up to the stone gates of our packhouse. The doors opened, and I parked in the main driveway. The guards nodded to me with respect as I walked inside. As a prince of this pack, the halls were familiar to me, but my heart was beating fast in my chest. I knew my father was usually tough, strict, and angry whenever I disobeyed him.

I walked up the stairs and knocked on the door of my father’s private study.

"Come in," my father’s voice called out from inside.

I pushed the door open and stepped into the room. My father was standing by the large window, looking out over the pack grounds. He looked older than the last time I saw him. His hair had gray streaks at the sides, and his broad shoulders were slightly slouched.

He turned around to face me. For a moment, neither of us said a word.

"Sit down, Ezekiel," my father said, pointing to the leather chair across from his desk.

I sat down, keeping my posture straight and my hands resting on my knees. "Why did you call me back, Father?"

He let out a long breath and walked over to his chair. He did not yell, and he did not slam his fists on the desk like he usually did. Instead, he sat down and looked straight into my eyes with a soft expression I had never seen on his face before.

"I called you here to talk about us," hesaid quietly. "And to talk about your life."

I blinked, taken aback by his tone. "My life?"

"When you told me about your sexuality... when you told me you liked men and wanted to be with Pierre, I reacted badly," my father admitted, his voice low and honest. "I acted tough, I raised my voice, and I said harsh things to you. I was selfish, Ezekiel. I was thinking about pack traditions and political appearances instead of thinking about my own son’s happiness."

I sat there in complete shock, unable to say a single word.

"I brought you here today to tell you that I was wrong," my father continued, a faint, sad smile touching his lips. "You are my son, and I love you. If Pierre is the person who makes you happy, then you have my full blessings to be with him. I will never stand in your way again."

A knot in my chest, one I had been carrying for years, completely dissolved. I felt my eyes get warm, but I swallowed the lump in my throat and gave him a nod.

"Thank you, Father," I said, my voice filled with emotion. "That means more to me than you know."

My father cleared his throat and leaned forward on his desk. "Now, there is the matter of the pack leadership. You are the prince. The elders want you to take more money from the fund, step up, and prepare to become the next Alpha King of this pack."

I shook my head immediately. "I do not want the Alpha position, Father. My heart is not in leading this pack."

"Ezekiel—"

"Give it to Riri," I said firmly, looking straight at him. "She is smart, she is strong, and she loves this pack more than anyone. She has been training for it every day. She will be a much better Alpha than I could ever be."

Riri was my cousin sister and a very smart girl. She would be a better leader than me.

My father stared at me for a few seconds. Then, a proud smile spread across his face. He stood up from his desk, walked around the table, and pulled me up into a tight hug.

"You have grown into a good man, Ezekiel," my father whispered, patting my back firmly.

I hugged him back, feeling at peace for the first time in a long time.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed inside my jacket pocket.

I stepped back from the hug, pulled out my phone, and looked at the screen. It was a new text message from Rowena.

I opened the message.

“Ezekiel, I need you to come and find me right now,” the text read. “I am in a slight mess at the moment. Come fast, and do not tell anyone where you are going. Not even Pierre. Also, ask Kyle of my whereabouts.”

Kyle?

My heart dropped straight into my stomach. Rowena never sent frantic messages like this. She never hid things from people dear to her, and not mentioning Alaric meant something was horribly wrong.

My father noticed the sudden change in my face. "Ezekiel? What is it?"

"Something happened," I said, my voice dropping into a serious, urgent tone as I shoved my phone back into my pocket. "I have to leave right now, Father."

I gave my father one last quick hug. "Thank you for everything today. I will call you soon."

Before he could even ask another question, I turned on my heel, ran out of his study, and sprinted out of the Packhouse toward my car.