Page 183 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

“Then you’ll do what I couldn’t,” Arman points out.

“In a way, you were a victim too,” I say. “You did what you could. And you gathered a group of loyal warriors. That counts too.”

“Maybe,” Arman says calmly. It’s tough to understand how he feels, but he shows me a small smile.

The rest of the time, we wait in silence. We don’t have to wait long, as Matthew and the other men soon join us. We set out right away. I link Freya briefly, letting her know not to worry before I shift my attention back to my group. Arman leads us through the forest that stretches across the eastern border and into unknown territory. I make sure to pay attention to the area, wanting to learn as much as possible about this place and how Arman navigates through it.

Without him, I would have needed weeks to find these rogues, but he was the one who followed their scents for months and tracked them back to this place.

We reach a clearing and then a small crevice between two mountains. I catch their scent immediately. I nod toward Arman and Matthew, signaling them to stand back before I link the rest of the group.You stay put until I tell you. Don’t intervene by any means!

Yes, Alpha!

I stretch my neck, poking at my wolf in my mind.Max, your rest is over. We have work to do.

With Freya?He asks hopefully.

No,I say.But if we do well, we might get an extra reward.

Alright.He grins.Let’s hope it’s going to be chicken wings!

I hide my smile before I squeeze myself through the crevice, stepping forward and right into the open field that spreads behind it. I let my aura flow through my veins and pulsate around me.

“STEP OUT OF THE SHADOWS!” I growl.

For a moment, nothing happens. There is silence around us; it’s almost too silent. I can hear something swishing toward me, grabbing it before it can hit me. It’s an arrow that I easily snap into pieces. I let my aura expand further, noting how my own men shiver and flinch.

“I said; step forward,” I command, my voice ripping through the silence.

This time I hear some rustling, and a scrawny-looking man steps out of the bushes. His eyes are wide in fear as he approaches me, and he halts at a safe distance. “Take me to your leader,” I command again.

The poor guy shivers nervously, but has no choice but to succumb to my power and oblige. I nod toward my group, gesturing at them to come, before I follow the scrawny man who leads us toward the rogue camp. As suspected, it’s subpar at best. They have set up tents out of fabrics they—I assume—have stolen. There are some planks of wood protecting them and their fireplace from the wind. All in all, not the worst rogue camp I’ve seen, but also not the best, especially not in such cold weather and rough climate.

When we step into the camp, I release my mental grip on the poor guy and instead expand it. “Gather in front of us.”

The rogues move silently, carefully approaching us while trying to stay as far away as possible. A shadow flashes past them. He lunges at me, but I punch him easily, knocking him backward. “Shift,” I push my alpha aura and force the order before he can attack me again.

The wolf fights my command for a moment, but then succumbs and shifts back to his human form. He looks a bit stronger than the others. He is clearly their leader, and despite everything, I’m amazed that he has managed to keep them together like this.

To my surprise, he gets down on his knees in front of me. “Alpha,” he mutters.

I can feel how one of my warriors shifts slightly. “Isaac,” he whispers.

I look at the man in front of me. “Is that your name?” I ask sharply.

He nods.

“Someone give him something to dress in, or he will freeze to death.” I notice one of the rogue she-wolves shuffling around quietly, and she brings him his clothes. Isaac dresses swiftly but keeps his gaze to the ground. “You know who I am?” I want to know.

“Alpha,” Isaac says simply. He doesn’t seem to talk much, and I wonder if he spent so much time out here that part of his feral side took over.

“How?” Arman mutters behind him. “I know you’re a royal lycan, Finn, but how did you manage to have them obey you?”

“I was able to alpha command them,” I say into the silence. “At least most of them. They are former pack members.” I turn towards the warrior who knew this rogue’s name, glad I learned their names beforehand. “Ethan, you know him, right?”

My warrior looks equally shocked and nervous. He is young, barely eighteen. “I… he was a friend of my older brother, who was killed by Colton.”

“Good man,” Isaac says quietly.

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