Page 172 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

Mom joins us again, and Dad clears his throat. “I think it’s about time we all come to a decision,” Dad suddenly says. “And at this point, I want you both to know I’m incredibly proud of both of you. You are both fantastic leaders; you’re strong, kind, smart, and capable.” He pauses. “You will both be great alphas.”

“I want to spare us all the drama.” I take a deep breath. It’s not been easy for me to come to this conclusion. I’ve pondered it for months now, but my talk with Freya has put it into perspective. I love Silverlake and would have taken the mantle as alpha if needed. Admittedly, Max and I lack the drive, but I would have done it for my pack and family. But Aurelia has proven over and over again how capable she is, and her heart is in it much more than mine. “Let me say what everyone already knows. Aurelia, you’re my sister, and I love you, and I think you’ll be a fantastic alpha of Silverlake.”

Aurelia looks torn. “I can’t deny that I would love to take over after Dad. I love Silverlake more than anything else—”

“—and you’ve worked hard for it,” I point out.

Dad leans back with a sigh. “I never wanted to make this decision. In a way, this journey made you both step out of your comfort zones and show immense progress, and I hate that I have to choose now.”

“Wait, you said we both will be good alphas,” Aurelia points out, and I’m amazed she caught on to it. That’s exactly why she is probably better off leading an enormous pack like Silverlake. She has a cunning side to her that will be important on a political level.

Dad raises his brows. “Oh, did I say that?”

“You got a glimpse of their futures,” Mom mutters, smacking his arm. “You could have told me!”

“Just like you told me about how Freya is half-siren?” Dad retorts.

“That’s something else. I’m bound by rules from the Goddess.” Mom glares and pouts.

“And so am I.” Dad chuckles. “Let’s just say it was just a glimmer of hope I saw, and everything worked out well in the end.”

I stare at him in disbelief while listening to their exchange, the wheels in my head turning slightly.

“Alright.” Dad straightens his back. “Aurelia, you worked on yourself like I’ve never seen someone do quite so fiercely before. Your gifts are deadly, your wolf is strong, you are strong, and Finn is right. You worked incredibly hard for this. I know your heart is in it, and the warriors and pack members respect and follow you. You’re exactly the type of leader Silverlake needs. Tomorrow, I’ll officially announce you as my successor as alpha of Silverlake. I’ll give you the time to finish college first, but then I expect you to take over. With or without a mate, I don’t care.”

Aurelia’s cheek flush in sudden joy and excitement, but she also looks torn, throwing me a tentative gaze.

“Forget about me for a moment,” I tell her openly. “I’m your brother, and I don’t want you to hold back because you think it will hurt my feelings. You worked hard. You’re allowed to be happy.”

Aurelia takes a deep breath and then jumps up to throw her arms around our parents. “I won’t disappoint you,” she promises, beaming in joy. “I promise I won’t.”

“I know.” Dad smiles, obviously pleased by her display of happiness.

Dad pauses, turning to me. “Finn, you proved to have a lot of strength, staying calm while being amidst your enemies. You proved capable of thinking fast and making swift decisions, and you have a very kind heart, which I don’t deem a weakness for an alpha at all. Blood Snow will need a leader like that.”

My eyes widen. “You mean. You think I should become the alpha of Blood Snow?” My mouth drops open. “But… I thought you wanted to dissolve the pack and add the pack members to Silverlake, Red Claw, and other packs.”

“We have been discussing this a lot, Liam and I,” he says. “Blood Snow might not be a huge pack, but there are still quite a number of people. We would have needed to separate the pack members and add them to different packs, but currently, their connection with each other and the fact that they are survivors means they are strongly bonded. Re-homing them and pulling them apart would put stress on them and would inevitably mean discontent amongst them. Besides, there are a few very small packs in the area; if we dissolve Blood Snow, they would be in danger too. If the pack members here truly wanted to leave, that would be something else, but your mother and I had our betas roam the pack lands. These people are used to living here, and they like the pack’s location, the nature, and the close-by small towns. Silverlake and Red Claw are both much more urban. I think these people here have suffered enough, and I would like to come to a solution that will be something they want.”

I exchange a gaze with Freya. She is my mate, and it would mean staying here instead of moving to the place she was starting to heal at.

“Do you want a moment with each other?” Dad asks.

“Yes, please.” I nod, taking Freya’s hand and leading her out of the room without wasting any more time.

We stare at each other for a while, not saying anything, until Freya breaks the silence. “He is right,” she whispers. “You are exactly what Blood Snow needs. You freed them, and they need a strong and kind-hearted leader.”

“But what about what you want?” I point out.

She smiles at me. “I don’t hate this place. I think that’s what some of you didn’t understand, what Elden just realized, and why he doesn’t want to disband the pack. We are used to the climate and the nature here. We are connected to it in a way. I personally just hated Colton and his men, but they are gone now. I have lots of friends here, people I’m worried about.” She blushes. “And there is the ocean,” she says. “Finn, part of me needs to be close to the ocean. I’m not going to lie; I thought… I thought I would need to say goodbye to Aenon and Nen soon, and I thought I wouldn’t be able to learn much about my roots because there would be no way we would stay here longer than necessary.” She pauses. “But I don’t want to be selfish, Finn. You are the one who would need to move, and I don’t want to make this decision for you. I don’t want to force you into something you don’t want. Silverlake is your home, and though there is no ocean there, I’m sure we can find a way for me to connect with my powers.”

I allow my gaze to wander out of the window, eyeing the pups playing outside. Now that Colton is gone, the whole area is more lively. I would be comfortable in Silverlake. It would be easy to take over the rank of an advisor for Aurelia or the Council. This is more difficult; it’s a challenge, a real challenge. My heart skips a beat. This is something only I can do!

I don’t need more time to make up my mind. I take her hand and lead her back into the office. “I’d happily take this chance,” I tell my father while I feel the excitement filling me. I can finally prove what I’m capable of. “And together with Freya, lead Blood Snow to a better future.”

“I think you and Freya will be exactly what this pack needs,” Mom says, smiling warmly at us. “And you, Freya, you don’t mind staying here?”

Freya beams. “What can I say? It’s close to the ocean, and my friends and family are here.”

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