Page 53 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

“What happened?” he asks, his voice shivering slightly. I know it’s due to the situation overstraining him, but it fits so well right now. It makes it more convincing.

“Steve…I, I don’t know…how to tell you, but…” I make a meaningful pause in which I look at him through sad eyes. “We are needed back at the pack. There was a rogue attack.”

Steve shakes his head, and a hint of tears is swimming in his eyes. I’m actually impressed. I didn’t know he would be that good! “No, Finn, don’t tell me…”

“There is no time to mourn them,” I blurt out, making sure I sound pissed. “We need to avenge them!”

“I’m not ready!”

“You have to be. We don’t have any time left,” I say earnestly, pretending to already slip into my beta role. “Our alpha expects us.” I turn to look at Alpha Colton, bowing toward him. “I apologize, Alpha Colton, but I’m afraid we need to cut our visit short.”

He frowns. “Your pack was attacked?”

“Yes, and we faced some…casualties,” I say without specifying it. “Steve and I need to return as fast as possible.” I look at him sadly but make sure my jaw is set tightly. “We need to step up in our ranks.”

He sighs. “This was a short visit.”

Why the fuck does he even complain? It’s not like he wants us to even be here. “I know, and my alpha sends you the best regards. He asked me to tell you he would like to continue our exchange as soon as possible.” I smile politely. “That is, if you are up to it, of course.”

“I understand,” he nods, eyeing us through his dark, menacing eyes. “I hope you won’t leave tonight, though?”

Actually yes, that was the plan, but my gut feeling tells me to make sure we stay for one more night, so that we don’t raise too many suspicions.

“No, it’s too late to make the long trip, but my alpha ordered us to start our trip back tomorrow.”

He leans back in his seat, tapping his fingers against each other. “Alright then. I’ll make sure the road is free from snow so you can pass easier. It’s a dangerous way back; there are many rogues and werebears in this area, and then the icy road.” He flashes us a smile that sends a shiver down my spine. “We don’t want anything to happen to you, do we?”

Yeah, he sounds really worried about our safety.

I keep the pretense up, though, and smile thankfully at him.

What did he mean by that?Steve asks us when Alpha Colton sends us out of his office.

I don’t know, but we should keep our guard up,I mutter while we make our way downstairs.

We’ve just reached our floor when a young omega she-wolf almost runs into us. She stumbles a bit and drops the plate she is carrying. To my shock, a warrior grabs her by her hair, pulls her up, and slaps her hard. It has her flying back to the ground. I can see how she rubs her wrist; she probably sprained it, her eyes wide open in fear.

“Be glad you’re cute,” the piece of shit snickers. “I don’t want to ruin this pretty face of yours. You still have to be good for something.”

The other warriors laugh, their laughter growing with the horrified gaze of the girl. I have to fight every fiber of my body not to intervene. Max is growing restless and angry. Elodie was right; being forced into watching someone abuse his powers without being able to intervene is a horrifying experience.

Oh, just wait, I think grimly. I will make sure to return with full force and plaster this fucking pack house with their blood and intestines.

Wow,Max sounds impressed.Gory. Can we really do that?

I promise you; you can do as you please once we return.

My words calm him down a bit. I can see the girl silently grabbing her things and shuffling away.

Don’t,I tell Steve when I notice he has balled his hands into fists.

But Finn…

I know,I tell him.But if we intervene now, it will not be just our death sentence. I wouldn’t put it past them to kill the slaves or put an even worse fate upon them.

My words help Steve calm down. It helps that the girl has scrambled away, escaping to the safety of the kitchen. I’m not sure if Steve and I masked our shock fast enough, though, because when I look up, I notice Alpha Colton’s cold gaze. I wasn’t aware he had followed us. He looks displeased when he eyes his warriors and sly when he eyes us. When he sees me looking, he masks his expression with a smile that doesn’t reach his eye.

I return it. Once more, this creepy feeling of foreboding is crawling over me.

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