Page 41 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

“Finn,” I look up at him, wondering how in the world I could suddenly trust someone so fast. I don’t know a thing about him, yet here I am, putting my faith in his hands. It’s a feeling rooted deep inside me, an instinct that says trust my mate. “There are so many other innocent people here, so many…” I pause, hating the next word because it applies to me too.

“Victims?” Finn finishes for me, his voice warm and tentative.

I sigh, my gut clenching painfully inside me. I hate it. I hate the abuse this pack and their alpha subjects us to. I hate what they do to the girls and boys here and how they treat regular pack members. Until yesterday, I thought the whole pack was trash, but then I met Frankie, Odette, and some other she-wolves who don’t have any special rank.

It’s not like their lives are great either.

Although, anything is better than what Ryllis, the other slaves, and I are living through.

“I can’t endanger them,” I point out.

“I know,” he says earnestly. “I can’t endanger them either. We’re on the same page.”

“I trust you,” I say because I don’t know what else to say. “I trust you.”

He looks at me with a serious expression before declaring, “I won’t let you down.”

fourteen

Risks

*FINN*

Mymindhasbeenoccupied by Freya all night,not to mention every other night. Her scent lingers whenever she visits, though, to my surprise, the others don’t seem to smell her at all. Maybe it’s due to the wolfsbane she’s forced to take…it might be suppressing her whole aura.

It doesn’t matter to me if they can smell her or not. I can smell her, and I know without a doubt she is my mate. Nothing else matters. Freya and I decided to lie low for now and continue to play our roles. I doubt we’ll be able to keep to our plan for the whole of the originally planned three weeks… and that’s not just because I’ve found Freya. We might have heard in advance how bad the pack is, but none of us imagined it would be this terrible.

We’ve been here four days now, and every day gets a little worse. They don’t even mask their disdain for Elise and Elodie anymore, and yesterday, Alpha Colton told me they can attend dinners in the pack house, but other than that, they aren’t welcome inside aside from their rooms. Apparently, he thinks he is being generous by allowing these two unworthy females into his holy temple once a day.

Elise and Elodie don’t mind, though. In fact, they claim it gives them a chance to jump further into their own investigations. The women in this pack might open up to them more than they would do for us.

We need to keep mate safe,Max mutters. He looks a bit ragged and restless. Freya tries to bring us either our afternoon snack or evening snack, but sometimes another girl comes instead of her. She needs to be careful not to ruin her cover.

You’re right. We need to keep Freya safe, but also the rest of the pack. This is so fucked up, Max. We should be enjoying this time with our mate; instead we’re stuck here with this psycho alpha and his shitfest of a warrior group.

I wish I could tear through them,he growls, surprising me with this sudden spout of dominance. It seems that finding his mate has stirred a new side in him.

I momentarily ignore him as I wave to my group, who are ready and waiting to have breakfast. In Blood Snow, the warriors all eat at the same time. Normal pack members are only allowed in the pack house during specific hours, and women are not allowed at all. I haven’t seen any regular pack members, except for the rare occasions when Arman shows us around the pack grounds. On those days, we sometimes pass little houses where people are busy working.

I lead my group down to the dining room for breakfast, shifting my attention back to Max for a moment.We can’t endanger her. Always remember, if we’re reckless, it will endanger her, and we can’t risk her safety!

I won’t,he grumbles.But I won’t rest easy until we’re holding her safely in our arms.

The fact that he’s decided to stay on alert for the remainder of our stay is more than a little of an unexpected surprise. The mate bond truly does miracles.

I shift my attention back to my friends.I don’t need to remind you to play along, do I guys?

We’ve got you.Marcel nods.

Steve and the twins agree. Much to my surprise, Henry and Anthony have even stopped bothering Steve with their unnecessary comments. It seems like the reality of this mission has finally caught up to them. Henry wears a constant frown while Anthony tries to make lighthearted jokes about everything whenever we’re in our room. It annoyed me at first, but I figure it’s probably his coping mechanism.

Elise and I will head to the kitchen, and look behind the scenes,Elodie links.

It’s ridiculous that you aren’t allowed to join us for breakfast anymore,Steve mutters.

It is, but it’s also an opportunity,I agree, nodding to the girls.I will tell Colton that I’ve ordered you to get some work done in case he wonders why you haven’t had any breakfast at all. They hate women, so they certainly won’t bother asking too many questions. But make sure to grab something on your way.

Will do,Elise agrees.

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