Page 44 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

Anthony snorts. “Smooth, Steve. I didn’t know you had it in you to be so crazy.”

“Really Anthony?” Henry glares. “He’s probably done one stupid thing in his life. It doesn’t compare to you at all! You need to be careful. The warriors here might be shit, but they have more than enough in numbers to seriously hurt you.”

“They could hurtus,” Anthony corrects him. “I’m not the only damsel in distress here. We’re all in danger.”

“Of course,” Henry grumbles. “It’s just…” His voice trails off, and he looks frustrated.

For the first time since this trip began, I understand how he feels. I tend to feel the same way whenever I try to reason with my younger twin brothers or my sister, Aurelia. It’s a thin line between wanting to be their friend and needing to protect them. They don’t always appreciate my interference, often arguing that they feel patronized, especially the twins. Aurelia, on the other hand, doesn’t need anyone to watch out for her anymore.

Henry seems to be shit at getting across his feelings and his worry.

“It was stupid to pick a fight,” Henry argues.

“Don’t listen to him,” Anthony whispers towards Steve, as if Henry and I couldn’t hear him. “He’s always angry.”

“Okay,” I interrupt them before they start arguing for real. “I know it was a tough situation, and I can see why you stepped in, but next time try to think of a way to do it less suspiciously. I don’t need to remind you where we are and what we’re doing here, right?”

“It won’t happen again,” Steve promises.

Anthony looks torn. As a future alpha, it’s difficult for him to bow his head to someone else, but eventually, he nods. “I will be more careful,” he mutters.

I let it be for now, but my worry remains. I need to talk to my father and see what he thinks about this situation. He needs to know that I’ve found my mate. I might act like it doesn’t matter to our mission, but the fact is, it changes everything for me.

fifteen

Change of Plans

*FINN*

IcallDadstraightafter lunch, keeping in mind our talk needs to be as short as possible so that my phone won’t be hacked or tracked. I tell him the basics, and although he tries to sound casual, I can easily hear his worry.

“You’re the one who’s there, Finn,” he points out. “You need to assess the situation and think of the best way to save this pack.”

That’s the problem. I don’t think we can do shit here. Not because we are bad warriors or because we’re not good enough to take them on; we lack the numbers needed. There is no way to take down this whole pack, especially seeing how Colton leads it like a cult.

“I wish we could find a way to leave and return with an army of warriors,” I admit. I’ve been pondering this for hours, but time is limited, and I need to make my decision fast. The one option is to take Freya and her friend and then disappear from here, but that means leaving the rest of the lower ranks in this hellhole. Another would be to ask Dad to send some of his best trackers and elite warriors as backup. But my gut feeling tells me that’s not the right move either. Dad and the others haven’t seen this pack from the inside, so they won’t know the surroundings, the warriors, or their weaknesses.Max?I ask, needing his input.

I’m with you,he says.We know how this pack runs; we know the borders, the guards, and the surroundings. We need to be the ones to lead any attack.

“Ok,” I decide, “We’ll leave, regroup, then attack. I feel like we’re wasting our time remaining here just watching!”

I thought Dad would be disappointed or have a different view on things, but instead, he sounds relieved. “If this feels right to you, do whatever you deem necessary,” he says.

It’s frustrating that he won’t tell me what to do. I’m sure he’s used his gift to glimpse into the future, but I know his gift is peculiar in that one nudge from him might alter it completely. I know that, but it’s still difficult as fuck not to have his input sometimes.

Once we’ve hung up, I switch the phone off again, going over what we just talked about in my head. Leaving now and returning later would be best, but how could we achieve that without raising suspicions?

I’m still contemplating our options when the intoxicating scent of strawberries fills my nostrils. “I’m here to bring you your afternoon snack,” Freya announces, her melodic voice soothing me.

I drop the phone into my bag and hurry over to my mate. She closes the door behind her, so I rush past my friends and pull her into a tight embrace. “I missed you.” I sigh, nuzzling my nose into her hair and inhaling deeply.

She wraps her arms around me and leans into my chest.

But as usual, we only have a few minutes before Freya has to return to the kitchen.

I wish I could keep her here with me, safe. I want nothing more than to grab her and run away, but this would probably end up getting us all killed. It’s more important now than ever to keep my cover.

“Don’t worry,” Elise says in Freya’s absence, unusually earnest. “We’ll make sure we get her out of this hellhole.”

---