Page 195 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

Anders sighs but eventually smiles. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

We continue our way through the pack. Finn has taken my hand, and feeling him so close to me always sends butterflies through my stomach. I love this man so much. He looks a bit sad, though, and I instantly know why.They are leaving today, aren’t they?

Yes,he nods.They need to return to their packs.

I feel bad for putting him through this. His friends are so important to him, yet he has to remain here in Ocean Snow while they all return.I’m sorry, I get to keep everything, and you—

Freya,he interrupts me, tugging at my hand to make me come closer to him before he puts his arm around my shoulder.You didn’t force me into anything. I happily took this chance to become alpha, and after years of torment, you are allowed to feel happy about being united with your friends in freedom.He pauses.Listen, my friends, and I went through a lot together during the last few weeks. It made us closer. I love them, but it wouldn’t have stayed like this even if we had returned to Silverlake. Marcel is needed in Moon Blood, and he would have returned there. Elodie and Elise are working for the Council and my cousin Eric; they have the next few weeks off and will celebrate their birthday here, but then fly back to Paris. Steve’s busy in Moon Blood too, and Henry and Anthony are going to take over as alphas eventually. They are ready to take on more responsibility now.

But they are further away from you now,I point out carefully, although his words did set my mind at ease.

Distance doesn’t matter.He smiles.We have two witches here now, and we have the portal. So at least us ranked members can come and go. I plan on having it a bit more stable, and then we can also have the pack members use it. That’s something we need to organize and control well, though.He pauses.There will be plenty of chances to visit my family and friends. Sure, the distance might be longer, but we’ll work around it.He squeezes my shoulder.I’m very happy to be here. Don’t forget that I’m an alpha wolf, and even when Max is a bit of a lazy ass, we still were made for a higher rank. Had I not found this chance here, we likely would have found it somewhere else or even at the Council.

I smile at him, relief filling me. I would have hated taking too much from him just so that I can be happy, but Finn wouldn’t lie to me. And if he says he is happy for the chance here, then I’m going to believe him.

His friends are waiting for him at the pack house, and we lead them through the first floor to the backyard. It’s a private place, and only Finn and I can enter it. Our two witches have created a portal there for us to walk straight onto Silverlake pack grounds. It shouldn’t be used all the time, which is why we kept the group of people who can use it on a regular basis very small.

Finn looks sad to see his friends leaving. He hugs Marcel first, then Anthony and Henry. “You were a great help,” he mutters.

Henry doesn’t say much. He seems to be worse with goodbyes than I am.

“Watch out for Matthew for us, please,” Anthony says. “Don’t forget to kick his ass if he steps out of line.”

“I will,” he promises.

“It was an honor to work with you,” Henry says. “Thanks man, for everything.”

Anthony smiles. “Don’t be a stranger and come to visit. You and Freya are welcome anytime!”

Finn smiles gratefully at them, squeezing their shoulders before he turns to Elise and Elodie. The two of them pull us into a little group hug. I exchanged phone numbers with them earlier, and we plan on keeping in touch. Maybe one day I can even visit the Council with Finn.

“Say hello to Eric for me,” Finn tells them. “Freya and I are not sure if we’ll make it to your birthday party, but we hope to come for the winter solstice. Liam’s pack is organizing it this year.”

“Don’t worry.” Elise smiles. “We know you can’t just get up and leave the pack whenever you want. Not yet.”

“Hopefully, we’ll have everything organized within the next couple of months,” he says.

“This was an important experience,” Elodie says. “Thanks for taking us along, Finn. We learned a lot, not just about werewolf packs, but also about teamwork and ourselves.”

“Thanks Elodie,” Finn says quietly. “It means a lot to me to hear that.”

“We’ll stay in touch.” Elise beams.

We all stand around awkwardly for a moment until Marcel breaks the silence by chuckling. “Fucking goodbyes, don’t we all love them. I’ll go ahead then. I’ll see you two around for sure! If you meet up with Alpha Elden or Alpha Liam and are in Silverlake longer than a few hours, call me!”

“Sure, man.” Finn nods.

Marcel waves at me and winks, making me giggle. Then he disappears through the portal, and the others reluctantly follow him.

Lastly, we both turn to look at Arman and Leila. They have been waiting for us to say our goodbyes, giving us some privacy, but now Arman steps forward. “It’s time for us too,” he says.

I let go of Finn’s hand and step forward towards them. “You were our safety net here, both of you,” I say quietly. “I wasn’t even aware how much you watched out for everyone. I’ll be eternally grateful for what you did. I know you think it wasn’t much, but it was. You restored my faith in this pack when I was still helpless and at Colton’s mercy.”

Arman shows me one of his rare smiles. “You’ll be a great luna, Freya. You and Finn will help this pack strive and finally get it back to being a good place.”

Leila hugs me. “I won’t wish you good luck for your future,” she says with a warm smile. “Because I know that you and your mate are going to do so well. You’re exactly what this pack needs. And Finn is right; this is not goodbye forever. You have a portal now, and you can visit your friends and family.”

“And you?” I ask curiously. “What’s your plan moving forward?”

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