Page 136 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

There is no denying it. “I’m crushing hard on him,” I admit excitedly. “He is so nice and charming, but also really understanding, and I love that cute little accent he has,” I ramble. “Oh, and he’s really funny too, and—”

“Sweety,” Aryanna grins. “Don’t ever tell him that, please, or we’ll never hear the end of it otherwise.”

Jazz beams. “I’m expecting details!” she exclaims.

“Tonight,” I promise. “We’re meeting up with the others, and Tori and Marilou have already been bombarding me with messages.” I chuckle. “The guys have too, but they are trying to be very subtle about it.”

“Same with me,” Jazz laughs.

“I think only Aurelia is truly holding back.”

“That’s in the princess’ nature,” Aryanna explains to us. “She has always been like that. She would never pry into her friends’ private matters.”

“Yep, she’s cool,” Jazz agrees. “Well, not as cool as Luna Annalise, obviously, or my mate,” she adds, batting her eyes at Aryanna.

Before they start kissing again, I grab Jazz’s arm and pull her away. “Okay, enough flirting,” I laugh. “We need to get going, anyway. It’s my turn to choose a movie, and I don’t want to miss it.”

Jazz grimaces. “Please don’t let it be one of your gory horror flicks.”

I beam at her. “It’s not gory, I think. Well, not much, but I heard it’s going to be pretty scary! Can’t wait to watch it.”

Aryanna laughs. “Alright girls, Marilou already linked me to say she’s waiting for you. One of the pack warriors will drive you to Silverlake to meet Aurelia and the others. Have fun!”

The whole way to Silverlake, Marilou keeps bombarding us with questions. I’m glad Jazz is here because I still don’t want to talk about what happened with Henrick Sullivan. Fortunately, most of her questions are about our mates, which neither of us mind answering. The questioning doesn’t stop there because the moment we get out of the car, Tori starts. “I can’t believe it,” she blurts out as she squeezes the life out of me, and then Jazz, “I’m so happy for you two! Tell me everything. EVERYTHING!”

Nox and Lionel are trying to act nonchalant, before Lion gives in to the craziness and starts teasing us for having landed a prince and a high-ranking beta. Lion used to flirt with me before. I didn’t take him too seriously, but I am relieved he hasn’t taken it to heart that I’ve found my mate. He seems genuinely happy for us. It reminds me of something Aurelia said about him before… how they were friends with benefits, but didn’t want to be more because they are waiting for their mates.

Nox smiles at me, “Prince Eric is a decent guy,” he says quietly while the others focus on Jazz. It’s typical for Nox to wait until everyone else is finished talking before adding his thoughts. He tends to be quieter and more reserved than the others.

“I still can’t believe it,” I whisper back.

He looks at me thoughtfully. “Are you worried?”

“It’s just… I haven’t told him about my family background yet,” I mutter.

Nox considers this. “Let’s talk about this later,” he offers. “I think it’s about time I tell you my story. Maybe it will set your mind at ease.”

I’m surprised by his words. Aurelia once hinted that Nox came to their pack when he was around ten, and Alpha Elden mentored him, but I don’t know much more. This is not the time for that kind of talk anyway, because Aurelia is approaching us along with her mother and brother. It’s Finn, I realize, the one who looks a bit edgy and dangerous, but is actually really nice.

Aurelia smiles warmly. “I had a feeling the noise here had something to do with you arriving,” she teases.

“Can you blame us?” Tori beams. “Jazz is mated to Aryanna, isn’t that cool?”

“It is indeed cool,” Finn points out with a soft chuckle.

“And Val, you’re with Eric, huh?” Aurelia asks curiously.

“A new addition to our family,” Luna Flora beams, “Eric is my nephew, I’m so happy he found his mate. He’s been traveling all over the world looking for you.”

I smile. “Is that true?”

Finn nods. “It seems like us lycans tend to get a bit… desperate at times,” he says with a sigh. “Myself included.”

“You’ll find your mate,” Aurelia points out. “Just like me. It’s just not our time yet.” She sounds pretty confident, which is encouraging. I know my other friends aren’t eighteen yet, but the fact that Jazz and I have found our mates so quickly is quite unusual. We are truly lucky, and I don’t want to rub it in their faces.

“Oh, Aurelia, sweetheart, I can’t wait for you to find your better half,” Luna Flora beams. “We’ll get to go wedding dress shopping. Oh, and your father will walk you down the aisle, it will be wonderful.” She twirls around. “We need a winter wedding for you!”

“Mom,” Aurelia raises her brows. “Please take five steps back. I haven’t found my mate yet. And even if I did, I’m not sure if I even want to get married. Isn’t marking and mating enough?”