Page 24 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

“There was a party yesterday,” I pant as I quickly try to rush the words out, “Alpha Dick…er Benjamin was celebrating his birthday, and they went out hunting,” I push out, grasping my sides in agony. I ran so fast to get here that my heartbeat refuses to calm down enough to let me talk. “They came back and partied.” I gasp, “And they found the first-aid kit you gave us, and now they are killing Emmanuel, and—”

“What?” Leila interrupts, looking equal parts confused and worried. She turns to face Arman, and her eyes gloss over as they link each other.

He nods. “Stay here,” he tells her. “You…” he barks, staring straight at me now. “What’s your name, girl?”

“Freya.”.

“Freya, go back to the pack house. I don’t want to see you outside. I’ll handle this.”

“But—”

“No! Get out of their sight! The less they see of you, the better,” he commands. “That’s an order, so follow it. I’ll head over to the group and straighten this out.”

All my instincts are screaming in protest to go against his orders especially when I’m not used to trusting anyone. Least of all, a high-ranking wolf. Arman jumps down from the observation tower and gently squeezes my shoulder, breaking my train of thought. “It will be more believable if I go alone,” he says simply.

I take in a deep breath and blow out all of my hesitation. So, either I’m about to be betrayed like never before, or he is actually going to help Emmanuel and the girls. I’ll know either way in just a few minutes. “Yes, Lord Arman,” I say before turning on my heels and hurrying back to the pack house. True to my word, I go straight to the back entrance, catching the relief in Ludovica’s eyes as she sees me approaching in one piece.

“Where are the others?” I whisper.

“I have someone tending to them,” she says, eyes wide in fear. “What do we do about Emmanuel?”

Just as I’m about to respond, we both hear a deafening roar outside. That’s got to be Arman, I realize. “What the hell is going on over here?” he bellows. His deep, commanding voice sends shudders down my spine. I know he said that he would help, but his anger sounds freaking real. “You lot are supposed to be on guard or training right now!”

I cautiously scoot over to the window and peek outside.

The warrior who’d been whipping Emmanuel approaches Arman. “But Lord Arm—”

The guy doesn’t even finish his sentence before Arman grabs him by his throat. “I have been on patrol for hours. I’ve just had to leave my sister to stand guard in my place in order to come over here and see with my own eyes that you idiots are slacking off!”

“But the first-aid kit…they stole it—”

“That is my sister’s first aid kit!” he growls. “She gave it to the omegas because it’s old, and she doesn’t have a use for it anymore. Are you implying my sister is a thief? Because if, as you say, it is stolen, then it must have been stolen by Leila. Are you actually trying to make me believe that my sister would be stealing anything?”

The guard’s eyes are filled with terror, and his skin has paled into a deathly pallor. Leila is like the pack’s personal Goddess. Suggesting or even thinking she was doing something shady could get you killed on the spot by Arman or the alpha.

Arman wrenches the whip out of the guard’s shaking hands. “I will count to ten. If you are not where you’re supposed to be by then, I will chain you up and whip you myself!”

His threat works miracles. Within seconds, the place is deserted, except for Emmanuel and a few omegas and slaves that couldn’t escape before. Arman looks over, catching me peeking out of the window. I think I see him nod ever so slightly before he heads back in the direction where I’d found him. I wait a few minutes until I’m sure everyone is gone before racing outside. I rush to Emmanuel’s side, freeing him from his restraints. Amaryllis helps.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” I whisper.

“I can’t hide forever,” she says, her eyes revealing how sad and tired she must be. “Please, let me help.”

I feel torn. She’s like a little sister to me, and I want nothing more than to protect her as much as possible. But at the same time, I understand her desperate need to help. Now isn’t really the time to argue anyway. We need to work fast and move Emmanuel into the pack house before anyone catches either of us out here. “Alright,” I whisper, smiling as I see the tiniest sparkle return to her eyes.

“Bring his arm up and around your shoulder,” I instruct, carefully wrapping his other arm around my own shoulder before hugging him to my side.

“Freya…” Emmanuel mutters, his voice broken and strained.

“Don’t talk,” I whisper. “Keep your strength.”

“Thanks…” I hear him mumble, but his voice trails off before he says anymore. He’s about to lose consciousness any second, so Ryllis and I pick up our pace. As soon as we reach the doorway, we’re greeted by a lot of helpful hands, making it easier to carry Emmanuel downstairs into the basement.

“Fetch the first-aid kit,” Ludovica tells one of the younger guys, who instantly hurries outside to find said item. He returns quickly and hands over the kit. Speed is the first thing we all learned: the faster you are, the less likely someone will see you. Out of sight,out of mind is a motto we all live by here.

During the next few minutes, Ludovica orders those of us who aren’t injured to fetch several things from the kitchen. She might be prioritizing Emmanuel right now, but she knows who else they hurt out there and has sent them off to rest.

“Ryllis, fetch some water from the kitchen. Freya… I need some herbs. The first-aid kit will only get us so far.”

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