Page 108 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

Goddess! Not knowing is driving me crazy. At least on the upside, it seems Marius is recovering, albeit slowly.

“He’s still weak,” Liam explains, finally allowing himself to lean back in his chair. He looks tired, worried, drained, but also slightly relieved. “Cyrus is not fully recovered, but at least his presence is partially back. It’s up to Marius now, he has to travel the remaining path back to the world of the living on his own.”

“Is it okay for me to leave so soon?” I ask him, feeling torn. Part of me wants to remain by his side, but as alpha, I need to join the search for my missing pack member. I have a responsibility towards my pack, and Val is like a sister to me. She needs me now more than Marius does.

He nods with a smile. “Don’t worry, I understand. You’re an alpha and have your pack to take care of. I would do the same.”

“He won’t be alone when he wakes up, will he?”

“He will be asleep for quite a while longer,” Liam tells me. “And I promise you, someone will be here for him the moment he wakes up.”

I feel relieved. Not just because I have a pack member missing and half of my pack is out looking for her, but honestly, I have no idea what I would say to Marius when he wakes up.

Maybe it’s alphas in general, or maybe it’s just me, but I tend to make awkward situations worse rather than better.

Liam insists that I grab something to eat before I leave, and he sends Eric to join me. Aryanna and Dante are busy with the pack, and Liam is in dire need of rest after spending so much time in Marius’ mind. As I stand up to leave, Liam reaches out and gently grips my arm. “I promise you, Celine, I won’t let Marius keep distancing himself from everyone. No running away anymore.”

I nod tentatively, not sure exactly what Liam is trying to tell me with this. I’m glad he’s set on helping Marius and getting him to open up, but why is he promising me?

There’s no time to linger on this. I need to hurry back to my pack ASAP. I quickly grab something to eat on my way to the parking lot, where Eric is already expecting me.

“Prince Eric at your service!” he announces, spreading his arms wide and bowing dramatically, “I’m here to save the wonderful Celine and her damsel in distress, kept captive like a princess in a castle.”

“Wow,” his Beta Emilien says dryly. “That’s a whole new level of dramatic.”

The twin advisors, Elise and Elodie, chuckle at their antics as we all pile into the car. They don’t really talk a lot, and during Eric’s party, they mentioned that they spend most of their time mind-linking with each other. They said they’re just so used to sharing their thoughts this way that they keep the mind-link open between them at all times. They probably don’t even realize they’re so quiet since their heads must be full of chatter. Eric winks at me from the passenger seat.

I can’t hide my amusement at his antics, either. I have a feeling Eric would get along really well with Dave. “I appreciate the help,” I admit and turn my attention to his beta and the twins in the back seat. “Thank you all for helping.”

Eric examines me briefly. “Smiling suits you, Alpha Celine. You should do it more often,” he says, his voice more serious than before.

“I’m trying to. So how come you’re helping us?”

“Well, Liam needs to rest after diving into my insufferable cousin’s mind, and the others are holding down the fort here, so to speak. But see, there is a positive in being fated to Marius!”

“And what’s that?” I ask against my better judgment.

“It means you’re fated to a member of my family. So, more time to spend in my glorious presence,” he grins and winks.

Emilien sighs. “How did you just make this about you, Prince Eric?”

“It’s a gift,” he grins.

I roll my eyes and give him a narrowed glare. But as always with Eric, it’s impossible to be angry with him. He’s never obnoxious or offensive, and he never crosses a line. He just has the ability to read the atmosphere perfectly and act on it. I think it might even be one of his gifts, and the reason he’s doing so well with the Council.

“Seriously, though. Thanks for your help, Eric,” I say genuinely.

*VALERIE*

I don’t know how much time has passed, but eventually, someone brings food and water. The food isn’t even bad, and there’s no wolfsbane in it. Had I been a stronger she-wolf, I would have been able to flee from this place. But even without the wolfsbane, my body is weak, for reasons I understand better now, but still… right now, it really sucks.

It seems like the douchebag who kidnapped me wants to make sure I have full access to my gifts. The someone who brought my food, however, is a new face… and definitely a weakened wolf. A pale young boy, probably a teen. He wears a silver collar, and his eyes look at me sad and dull.

“Hello,” I say carefully when he quietly enters the room again to pick up the empty plate. I didn’t want to eat at first, but Ailia told me to keep up my strength.

The boy looks at me, surprised for a second, before lowering his gaze again. “The master said you should eat,” he mutters before retreating again.

“Wait!” I call out to him.