Page 86 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

I take Ryllis’ hand into mine. “This means more to me than you can imagine,” I say gently. “I…I’m so happy to have found you, and I will try to be the mate you deserve.”

Look at you.Lynx sounds impressed.You’re a natural with Cutie. Just trust the mate bond and your instincts. Good things happen to good people. The Moon Goddess makes sure of that.

He is right. I smile down at my mate. I don’t care how long it will take for her scars to heal. I will be there the whole way with her. I’ll never allow anyone to hurt her again.

twenty-seven

Undefined

*FINN*

Ihonestlycan’twaitto get back to an inhabited area, shower, get rid of my stinky clothes, and then spend some private time with my mate. I love my friends, and I know we didn’t have any other options after our escape, but I haven’t had one private moment with Freya yet, and I just long to be alone with her.

I love how easily we get along and how natural the bond feels between us. Maybe getting to know each other in a normal situation would have been simpler, as I would have certainly courted her properly, but we haven’t had any chances to go on dates…yet.

Well, we’ll do that once we are back home.

I think Steve feels the same. Amaryllis is clearly battling some heavy trauma, and I’m sure she will feel better with fewer people around her, same for him. However, something good clearly happened between them, as I notice she is smiling now and holding his hand.

“Awesome, another lake,” Marcel states dryly while we carefully step onto the thick ice.

I look at Freya. “Do you notice anything strange in here?” I ask her. The fact that she felt a presence in the cave is genuinely unsettling. Max claimed that while he could feel something dangerous…he could only tell it was there when it was already retreating.

But Freya felt it all. Maybe she has gifts she doesn’t know about.

“Nothing,” she says with conviction. “There is nothing here.”

With a cheeky grin, Elise pushes past me and grabs Freya’s hand. “Come,” she squeals and pulls her onto the slippery ice. Freya laughs, clinging to Elise for support. Elodie joins them, gracefully gliding over the ice.

“Please don’t tell me I have to find my inner figure skater now,” Marcel begs.

“The other option would be to walk around the lake,” I say with a chuckle. “We’re definitely choosing the lake.”

“Don’t be such a grump, Marcel.” Anthony grins while joining the girls on the ice. He does a pirouette and grins at us.

Henry rolls his eyes. “I should have let him die back on the mountain,” he grumbles without any heat in his words.

“Come on, everyone, stop sulking.” I grin, urging them to take the stuff the girls dropped and follow them. I carefully take my first steps on the ice, but it’s so thick that I feel comfortable leading the group over it. I was contemplating asking Max for his opinion, but he seems to be in his usual early afternoon slumber. Now, with Freya close to us and our successful escape, he decided to get some sleep. I think in his previous life, he might have been a sloth.

The girls and Anthony are still sliding over the ice, and eventually, Ryllis joins them after Freya keeps waving and calling out to her. It’s good to see them having fun.

“So, how long until we reach the village?” Henry asks us, frowning when he checks our surroundings. In the distance, we can see some houses.

Marcel checks the map once more. “I’d say a few hours. We won’t make it today, and we should seek shelter once we’ve crossed the lake.”

We all sigh a bit but nod. At least we are close to being back in civilization. I still don’t have any reception on my phone, though. No matter what I try, I don’t get any signal. Liam is able to link his pack even over long distances, but it came as his gift for being a firstborn lycan prince. I’m just the third-born, so no extra awesome superpowers for me.

Eventually, our ice skaters joined us, having had enough of chasing each other around. “I’m sorry we’re dragging you down,” Freya says when she takes one of the smaller bags from Marcel. “You would have already reached your destination in your wolf forms.”

“It’s just an extra day,” I attempt to reassure her. “And we like to walk!”

“Yes,” Marcel backs me up. “It’s good practice, right Henry?”

“Absolutely. Never have been this fit before.”

Freya tosses us a gaze of disbelief but lets the topic slide.

“Can you shift, Ryllis?” Elise asks the sweet, shy girl.

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