Page 20 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

“Good.” I nod in ease. “Steve?”

“Gamma’s heir,” he states. “I talked to my sisters about it. It was their idea.”

“Fantastic! You have that nice aura about you, yet you are strong.” I turn to the girls. “And you?”

“We are going to lie low,” Elise says seriously. “From what I’ve heard about this pack, they don’t hold women in high regard, so Elodie and I will pretend to be your cousins, Finn. Since you’re claiming to be the beta’s son, thus making you a high-ranking pack member, we’ll do better as your assistants, or servants, if you will.”

Elodie nods. “If anyone asks what we do for a living we aren’t warriors, we’re nurses.”

“Excellent. This will give you a chance to look at the infirmary,” I say, impressed. They will be able to snoop in places the rest of us won’t be able to.

“Can we repeat all of that?” Steve asks, running his hands through his hair in frustration. “I… I don’t want to mess anything up. I’m not sure I caught every detail.”

Before I open my mouth to respond, Henry chides, “For real? Okay, Steve, just for you, we’ll all talk veeery slowly so that you can catch up.”

Anthony laughs at Steve.

That was a low blow. Steve pretends he didn’t hear anything, but I can see the hurt in his eyes. Marcel glances over at me; he’s furious.

Elise just stares at them in sheer disbelief. “Oh really.” She frowns. “You think you guys are in a position to judge Steve?”

“You’re acting like we are on a school trip,” Elodie chimes in, completely fed up with Henry and Anthony. “Are you aware that people in this pack might be dying? Girls are getting raped, children abused, and slaves beaten! You are—”

“Elodie, Elise,” I interrupt them before they can go on. “We are short on time. Could you both call home and tell everyone we’re due to arrive at our destination shortly? I don’t know if we’ll get another chance to contact my father anytime soon.”

Elodie takes the hint. “Sure,” she says, grabbing her sister’s hand. “Come on, Elise.”

“Marcel and Steve, please scout the area to ensure no one is watching us.”

I know no one is watching us, but it doesn’t matter. I need everyone away from here for a moment. Marcel catches on immediately and nods in agreement. “Sure, Finn.” He waves at Steve, signaling him to follow.

I’ve heard some of the younger guys in Moon Blood say that Steve isn’t the smartest guy, and I also know he had some trouble keeping up at school. But he is kind, loyal, and trustworthy, and he is by no means stupid. I’m beyond thankful to have him with us on this mission. He’s made a real effort to be useful on this mission so far. He listens well to instructions and is trying hard to memorize our cover stories. Not to mention, he did his homework, unlike these two idiots!

I wait until the others are out of earshot before I turn to address the twins.

“What?” Henry grumbles. “You know he’s not the brightest bulb.”

I frown. “And you can tell that after the two minutes you’ve spent actually talking to him?”

“Come on, it’s obvious he is a bit slow,” Anthony jumps in.

“You know what?” I scowl at them, feeling my wolf stirring inside. I’m usually very controlled, but now I’m pissed. “The only reason I let your disrespectful words towards Steve slide previously was because I didn’t want him to feel even worse by making a scene out of it. But if I hear just one more negative or spiteful word from either of you towards him, I’ll send you straight back home.”

They stare at me dumbfounded.

“Do you think Steve is below you?” I huff. “Because, as of right now, I know I can rely on him far more than on either of you!”

“You can’t talk to us like that!” Henry hisses. “We are the future alphas of—”

“Oh please. Like I give a shit!” I growl. “I’m just as much of a lycan as you are, and even though I’m third born, I could easily beat your asses in a fight any day. Because, unlike you two idiots, I haven’t wasted every opportunity I’ve been given, and I don’t act like I’m something special just because my 'daddy is an alpha!’” I emphasize that last bit in a whiny imitation of Henry. “I honestly don’t think your father gives a shit what I think of you two morons. If I were to call him right now and tell him you guys are acting out and risking everyone’s lives, what do you think he’d do?” Alpha Jace is an old friend of my father, and I’ve known him since I was a baby. I know for a fact that he would be pissed beyond the moon if he knew how his sons are behaving. Henry and Anthony seem to think the same because they retreat slightly.

“And since rank matters so much to you,” I tell them, ready to hand them the final blow. “Steve happens to come from a very powerful beta family. His father is an elite warrior. One of his sisters is the beta of Moon Blood, and his other sister is a luna…she is Liam’s mate. Remember Liam? My brother?”

Anthony stares at me in shock, realization finally dawning on him. “Wait…Luna Annalise is his sister?” He looks to Henry, but his brother continues to glare stubbornly before turning away.

Well, at least I managed to get through to one of them…I hope. Anthony has always been a little more mellow in comparison to Henry. I have no idea where Henry’s hardness comes from, but now is not the time to delve into it. He either sucks it up, or he can go home.

I grab the map to fold it away, glaring at them both. “You can either be useful for once and check if the car is okay to drive through the snow again, or just step aside and not disturb anyone in our team!”

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