Page 28 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

The girl stills completely in fear, eyeing us nervously. I look over at Ludovica, both of us trying to come up with a plan to get rid of the guys until her eyes light up in cautious hope. “Lord Arman,” she announces loudly. “How can we help you?”

My head perks up, noticing that, indeed, Arman has joined the scene. His face doesn’t give away anything about his mood. He is poised, and his expression is neutral, but I swear I saw a tiny flash in his eyes—something like anger.

“Do you want to join us?” Benjamin asks him.

“No,” Arman says shortly. “We have guests arriving tomorrow; there is no time for fun.”

“You never have any fun,” Nick complains. “Except for that one time with Amaryllis.”

Good, they truly bought our bullshit story.

“That’s because I think of my future mate and how it would disgrace her not being able to control myself.”

“Man,” Dickhead laughs nervously and clasps his shoulder. However, his bravado is all show, and he clearly looks uncomfortable with Arman around. “Loosen up for once.”

“My sister will drop by soon,” Arman says coolly.

At the mention of Leila, Nick lets go of his prey and takes a step back. Either he has the hots for Leila or is scared of her. Maybe a little of both. Everyone here is quite superstitious, and Leila, as the oracle, is untouchable. The rumor is that her premonitions will be bad if she is upset.

Arman and Leila are both of alpha blood and also tested as alpha. In Blood Snow, it is incredibly rare for a female to test so high; normally, women aren’t held in high regard here. Leilais the major exception due to her rank, and obviously, everyone has the hots for her. But she and Arman usually keep to themselves, hardly interacting with anyone.

True to Arman’s words, we soon hear Leila’s light footsteps approaching, her unique scent accompanying her. Every time I see her, I revel in her beauty. “Arman,” she smiles at her brother before looking over at us. “Ladies.”

She ignores the guys completely, making their discomfort grow. Instead of engaging with them, she grabs a handful of plates. “Where do you need these, Ludovica?”

Ludovica smiles, relief washing over her face. “You don’t need to help, my dear.”

“Lady Leila,” the guard beside her seems close to fainting in shock. “You can’t possibly sully your hands…”

“Oh, but I have to,” she says in a tone as cold as ice. “Someone had a birthday party last night.” She glares straight at Benjamin, making him lower his eyes nervously. “And you, Nick, and your fellow guards just couldn’t keep your hands to yourselves,” she sneers, “proving once again that you don’t have the slightest idea how to treat a woman. Your antics sent five girls and one boy from the kitchen staff to the infirmary. So, now we are terribly short on staff.”

“But I would never…I would never treat you or one of your friends—” Nick rambles.

“A woman is a woman,” Leila states shortly.

We should print that on a t-shirt,Sereia says thoughtfully.

“You know you could always take a chosen mate and…” Benjamin pauses with what he laughingly believes is a seductive and charming smile. He looks like an idiot instead.

“Oh, Benjamin,” Leila smiles sweetly, as if she is talking to a toddler. “You know that as the oracle, I can only take my fated mate!”

I swear that for a split second, Arman’s lips tug slightly like he is suppressing a grin.

“There’s still hope for you to find your mate,” Nick says to Dickhead, trying to improve his mood. Much to my joy and Nick’s confusion, it only increases his scowl. I pretend not to notice or listen in, keeping my eyes on the floor in case Dickhead looks over at me.

“He’s right,” Arman says seriously. “As the alpha’s heir, you’ll find your fated mate for sure.”

Benjamin forces a smile to his lips. “You’re right,” he says, trying to sound dignified. “I’m going to be fated to a kickass beautiful female,” he sneers. “At least it’s not one of these scarecrows here,” he gestures toward us, and his men burst into laughter.

Arman ignores him completely and instead turns around. “I have training,” he says shortly.

I bet he’s so strong because he spends all his time training so he doesn’t have to mingle with these assholes.

“And I’m needed here,” Leila announces sternly. “Please leave us alone to work. You know I don’t like being surrounded by men.”

“Right,” Benjamin nods, looking at her dreamily. “We always forget. See you later, Leila.”

She smiles graciously at him, keeping up the pretense until the guys have all left. As soon as they’re gone, she turns around and rolls her eyes. She grabs one of the kitchen knives. “Please tell me there is something that needs to be sliced open here.”

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