Page 18 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

I’m amused that his first thought is to cuddle his mate in his sleep, my lazy lycan, but what he said motivates me a bit and pulls me out of my self-destructive thoughts. He is right; the Goddess has a plan for us. We just don’t know yet what it’ll entail.

seven

Carnival

*FINN*

Weheadoffbrightand early, equipped with plenty of sandwiches, tea, and coffee courtesy of the old couple who own the diner. I carefully turned down the narrow path Marcel pointed out to us yesterday. It’s a very bumpy, snowy road, and I thank the Goddess we brought a four-wheel drive and snow chains.

“If we die here, no one will ever find us,” Anthony decides.

And for once, I agree with him. “Yeah,” I mutter, carefully maneuvering the car along the windy, narrow passage that leads up a mountain. To my left, the mountain rises like an impenetrable wall, and I’ve all but destroyed the wing mirror on that side of the car trying to hug the mountain because it’s better than the alternative. To my right, the path gives way to an almost sheer drop, leading any wayward vehicles directly down and into an icy lake. I risk a quick glance down the slope before adding, “We definitely do not want to end up down there.”

“According to the map, this is the worst passage we need to go through, though,” Marcel points out. “The road should open up soon. It’s leading us to a forest.”

The nearly sheer drop to our right becomes a cliff, and the road feels slippier, if that’s even possible. “It’s not like we can turn around anyway,” I mutter. The only good thing to come from this is that everyone is so nervous they’ve forgotten to argue with each other. There is an upside to everything.

True to Marcel’s word, we eventually make it through the nerve-wracking passage and start heading down a wide ridge that opens out into a picturesque forest. This is much better, I think with a major sigh of relief.

“In around half an hour, we should reach a clearing. There is supposed to be more space there,” Marcel concludes.

“We can stop for a break then,” I say. “I think we can all do with one after that hell ride up here.”

“Yeah,” Henry says. “Not exactly the kind of ride I prefer.”

Elodie rolls her eyes at his dirty comment but remains quiet.

I drive slowly, giving us all time to check out our surroundings. The whole area is covered in a blanket of thick snow. It’s apparent that the snow in this forest is a permanent fixture, regardless of whatever the old lady from the diner said about it melting in the summer.

Despite the covering of snow, the weather has cleared up, revealing a beautiful landscape in front of us. It’s breathtaking. I’ve never been a fan of Summer; it’s too hot for my liking, so I’m kind of glad that our mission has led us north.

Going by our calculations, the fact that we’ve been driving slowly and that we’ve taken a few breaks along the way, it’s going to be two hours more before we reach Blood Snow Pack.

Time to wake up my wolf.

Max? I think we are going to be close soon. I need you to be alert.

My wolf growls, grunts, and finally snorts like I’ve just woken him from the deepest slumber. The image of him lying on his back pops into my mind, legs stretched out with his feet twitching as he looks around, distraught for being woken up. There is drool dribbling from his mouth.

Seriously? Are you drooling in my mind?I complain.

He looks slightly embarrassed.I just hunted for a deer in my dream, and it was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! And human, you are not supposed to disturb me during my private moments! I don’t watch when you take a dump or do whatever you do in the shower!

In order to watch me, it would require you to be awake occasionally,I deadpan.So, are you done playing Sleeping Beauty?

I am.He stretches, showing his silly grin.I’m starting to feel a bit giddy.

That’s new. My fun-loving lazy-assed wolf isn’t generally motivated by anything.Why?

Not sure, but there is something in the air.He stretches his snout upwards.Something exciting is going to happen!

I hope it’s not going to be a fight,I mutter.The last thing we need is to fall into a trap and need to defend ourselves against an entire pack.

Don’t worry; I’m strong,he says with confidence.

Despite his lazy attitude, he is indeed right about being strong. He might be my own personal couch-potato wolf, but he and I have trained a lot, and my father taught us how to connect with each other on a deeper level. He always has my back, and he is a great fighter. He just sometimes needs me to poke him a bit to wake up.

Thanks,I say.Just don’t go to sleep for now.

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