Page 112 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

She laughs. “Oh honey, what do you want?”

Maybe you could prepare us a picnic basket? Nothing too extravagant. A few sandwiches would be more than enough,” I ask hopefully. “Then we could eat outside. Would you like that, Ryllis?”

Amaryllis beams. “I’ve never had a picnic.”

The couple’s hearts instantly melt, it seems. “We will put something together!” the chef says.

“Your picnic basket will be ready in an hour, lovebirds,” her mate promises.

“Perfect.” I beam. “That gives us time for the fashion show first.”

Again, Ryllis smiles at me, her fingers around my hand tighten, and she tugs at my hand to follow her. It’s the first time she has taken the lead like that, and I happily follow, letting her guide us to our guest suite.

The place is beautiful, and when Gamma Aurel brought us here yesterday, Ryllis was blown away. She was in awe and practically speechless for almost an hour, but once her shock wore off, she got curious and checked out everything.

The shopping bags are on the sofa, and Ryllis starts going through them. I sit down on the bed, waiting for her to show me everything she got. She starts by holding out a few pieces, before she gets bolder and decides to put some things on for me to see them properly. With a handful of clothes, she disappears into the bathroom just to come back a minute later, dressed in some of her new stuff.

My heart melts as I realize how much more comfortable she is around me now.

Lynx seems to be very happy about this too.Cutie is starting to relax around us.He beams.Make sure to compliment her on some things, but don’t overdo it! Women don’t like that.

Thank Goddess, you are in this with me. Otherwise I would face no chance.

We are an entity,Lynx says.Without you, there is no me, and the other way round. You’re a fine human, so go get our little flower there and win her heart.

Lynx’s words have spurred me on, so I comment on some pieces she got, and when she shows me a beautiful summer dress with sunflowers, I beam at her. “I like this one in particular.”

“Really?”

“I mean…you can wear anything,” I say, blushing because it’s true. She would look great in a potato sack. “But this, you could wear this during our annual foundation festival in Moon Blood. It’s in the summer.”

“Oh, brilliant.” She beams, happy to have an occasion for her new dress. “I’ll save it for then.”

We wrap the fashion show up in an hour and soon find our way back to the kitchen, where a huge picnic basket awaits us. I already know where I want to take her. Silverlake has an old couple who are both florists and gardeners. Together with Luna Flora, they usually tend to a beautiful flower garden. They even have a zen garden there. It’s the perfect place for our little date.

On our way to the garden, I notice Ryllis looking at everything, mesmerized. “I’m sure you’ll like it in Moon Blood too,” I promise. “Silverlake is fancy and beautiful, but Moon Blood is more idyllic.”

“Really?” She looks at me in sudden interest. She seems to like the prospect of being surrounded by nature.

“Yes, lots of parks and forests and meadows,” I promise. Moon Blood is a great place, with fewer people than Silverlake, which is one of the most populated packs around.

Once she has seen Moon Blood and settled down, and Ryllis is ready, I’ll ask her if she wants to move into one of the little cottages in Moon Blood with me. My dad built one for his kids to have someday. I will talk to my sisters first, and if they are okay with it, we will use it. Something tells me she will like how it’s surrounded by nature. There is even a little pond close by.

Back to reality, I lead Ryllis to the garden, and as I had hoped for, she is in awe. She keeps looking around and inspecting every flower while I spread the blanket on a little section of meadow. There are not many flowers still blooming, but some still are. Luna Flora wanted to ensure that the garden would bloom at any time of the year. It’s late fall, but the sun is shining, and the weather is warm enough to eat outside. Once Ryllis returns to me and we sit down, silence engulfs us.

Shit, I didn’t think this through being alone with her!

Finn told me not to overthink it, but I’m so bad at this. I always overthink everything…and I’m not smart enough to hold a great conversation.

Talk to her.Lynx nudges me.

But I don’t know what to say,I stutter.I’m scared of saying the wrong thing, and of hurting her.

You can’t be scared of talking to her,he says,she is our mate! Just be honest.

I groan.

“Is something wrong?” Ryllis asks, worried. She looks guilty all of a sudden. Shit, this is exactly what I wanted to avoid. She thinks she is doing something wrong.

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