Page 68 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

Oh, right, she doesn’t know yet.Actually…where do I start? Do you see Steve there, your friend’s mate?When she nods, I continue.He is from a different pack. One of his pack members, the gamma’s mate, was a former pack member of Blood Snow.

What?she exclaims.

His name is Elias,I explain.I’m not sure if you know him. He was an orphan and slave, but participated in a tournament when he turned eighteen and won. He became a low-ranking warrior and was visiting an alpha summit once with that fuckhead Colton.She laughs a bit at me insulting Colton.He found his mate there and left.

Something about that rings a bell,she admits.I was still quite young back then, a child, but I remember that an orphan managed to win one of those competitions. He is like an urban legend to us.

He told us what happened in your pack, all the injustice that was going on. So, my father announced me as the mission’s leader and sent me to research and see what it was about. My friends are all from different packs. The male twins are heirs to a lycan alpha too.

She stares at me in surprise.You’re all high-ranking pack members?

Yes, in a way, we are.

And the two girls?

I grin.They played their role perfectly, didn’t they? Meek little girls, you think? They are actually working for the Council.

Wait…she stares at me,the Council exists? I thought it was just a legend. Our chief, Ludovica, would sometimes tell us about it, but I thought…I’m sorry…

Of course, you would think it’s just a fairytale,I say, feeling her pain through the bond.Because no one ever came to your pack to help you.

You did,she says after a while.

And I’ve never been happier that I took on a task my father handed me.

She suddenly turns around to face me, jumping into my arms. She wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, bending her head down a bit. I claim her lips before she can reconsider, enjoying her sweet taste, and the feel of her lips against mine. I push my tongue past her lips, searching for hers, and she willingly answers.

Behind me, Elise clears her throat. “Sorry to interrupt your moment of shoving your tongues into each other’s mouths, but maybe you could kiss while walking?” she says with a grin.

I toss her a smirk, not allowing Freya to jump down again and leave my embrace. “I’m multitasking.”

Elodie rolls her eyes. “Of course you are.”

Freya chuckles softly into my neck, exactly at the spot where I hope to one day carry her mark. I’m sure she will be able to connect more with her wolf when she gets stronger, and the wolfsbane leaves her body completely. Same for Amaryllis.

As for now, my greatest concern is to make it to the cave on the coast before the sun sets fully, but my biggest worry is Anthony. We need to find this safe place to tend to his wound and get the bullet out of his body. Also, I hope we can light a fire in the cave and eat something. I can feel Freya shivering slightly in my arms, and I am sure Amaryllis is feeling even colder despite Steve keeping her close to him. Their bodies are weakened, and the cold is getting to them faster than the rest of us.

We’ve safely made it out of the forest and are approaching the cliff now. It’s steep, but following Arman’s advice, we take the path leading us along the ridge, and further down until we reach a dead end. It seems like a few rocks have loosened and fallen into the path, turning it onto an actual cliff now with no path available anymore.

Henry turns to look at me in worry. “Finn…” he mutters. “This is steep, and I’m not sure if Anthony can descend there…”

By now, we don’t need to worry about leaving traces anymore, so I allow Freya to leave my arms and hurry past the others to approach Marcel and the twins, standing right at the edge of the path. To my concern, Anthony’s face is glistening in sweat while being ashen at the same time. No matter how… we’ll need to get him down there.

“Okay, Marcel.” I turn to my friend. “I entrust Freya’s safety to you while I’m checking this out.”

Marcel nods, smiling kindly toward my mate. Fortunately, she has warmed up to us by now and is no longer intimidated. It’s unbelievable how strong she is. Meanwhile, I look at Anthony’s wound, noting how angry and inflamed it looks. It’s not helping his case that we are moving nonstop. He needs the safety and the warmth of the cave.

“Elise,” I mutter. “Can you attend to his wound once more?”

She nods and immediately checks him over, taking an extra shirt and ripping it into pieces to wrap it around his waist tightly. “The only good thing is that the bullet didn’t hit any organs, it’s just the fact that it’s silver and stuck in Anthony that hinders his healing.”

“Hang in there,” Henry mutters, and for a split second, I feel like I can see his true self, the vulnerable and kind side he tends to hide behind a mask.

“It’s going to be alright,” I tell him with conviction while rummaging in my backpack. Fortunately, I’m a bit neurotic and tend to prepare for all kinds of eventualities. I’m the dude that always packs way too much on a trip, earning me teasing remarks from my family and friends most of the time. But this time, it’s going to help us. I pull out the rope I added to my luggage at the last minute.

“You’re kidding me.” Marcel’s eyes widen. “Dude, you’re always prepared for everything.”

“I tested this at home,” I tell the others while tying the end of it to a rock I find suitable. “It’s able to carry double my weight. I’m descending first to check the way down. Wait for me. If it’s safe, I’ll come up again, and then we can all descend. I can also carry Anthony then.”

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