Page 142 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

Her pregnancy is indeed progressing fast. She’s carrying alpha pups, so the pregnancy will be short. Five months maximum. However, considering she’s having twins and her body has to go through so many changes so fast, she’s probably in quite a lot of discomfort regularly. “And you convinced Liam?” I ask curiously.

She smirks at us. “Well, let’s just say, I have my ways.”

Ella groans while Dave and I burst into laughter. We take a while to calm down, eventually though, I notice that one member of our little clan is still missing. “Where’s Finn?” I ask curiously.

Annie tilts her head, and there is something in her eyes I can’t quite put my finger on. She looks a bit thoughtful, sad almost. “He’s coming a bit later.” She pauses. “They had some family issues, but he said he was coming today.”

“Yep,” Dave throws himself on Annie and Liam’s huge sofa. He stretches himself out and grins, probably happy for the rare opportunity to be on pack grounds. There are definite perks to being friends with the luna. “I texted him earlier and asked if I should pick him up, but he said he would be running late. Two of the croissants are for him, though.”

Ella smacks his legs. “How about helping us set the table then, instead of letting our very pregnant friend do it?”

Dave grins and jumps up, throwing one arm around Ella and one around me. “Sorry, Annie,” he looks at her bashfully. “I would hug you too, but your guy doesn’t like to smell me on you.”

Ella raises her brows. “And you think Celine’s and my guys would like that?”

“Well…” Dave’s voice trails off. “Not so sure about your sugar-daddy, El, but as for Celine’s dude… to notice my scent, Mr. Charming would need to actually come near our darling Celine, after all.” He pauses, furrowing his brows. “He is hot though! Between his grumpy yet sassy look and Finn’s edgelord appearance, it’s hard to decide.”

Annie chuckles. “Like you wouldn’t choose Finn over anyone else anytime.”

“What can I say?” Dave smirks. “The edgelord is my weakness.”

Against my better judgment, I have to grin. Dave has the uncanny ability to make things sound hilarious, even when they aren’t. He makes me laugh, even when the topic really isn’t funny.

“When are you meeting him?” Annie turns to look at me.

“Meeting who?” Finn suddenly appears at the door. He’s smiling, but I can see the exhaustion behind it and the sadness in his eyes. Annie said they have some family issues going on. I hope it isn’t too bad. They did have a few scares recently and could do with a break from the chaos.

“Her mate,” Dave says while giving Finn a half-hug. “Hey man.”

“Good to see you, Dave,” Finn smiles, before hugging the rest of us. “You’ve decided to give my brother a chance then?” he asks me in surprise. There is a hopeful expression on his face. It’s sweet how they all always stick together, even when they are fighting.

“It’s not a date,” I try to explain. “Marius asked me to give him the chance to explain himself.”

“I think that’s good,” Annie points out, groaning as she tries to stretch out her back muscles. Dave immediately sits down and starts massaging her back. “I think it’s important to allow someone to explain, even when they did something wrong.”

“Yeah, who knows what reasons are behind his actions,” Dave muses toward me.

I nod. I’ve decided to definitely hear him out. He is still my mate, after all, and I know something keeps bothering him, although our mate bond got so weak over the months that I can hardly feel him through it.

“Honestly,” Finn sighs. “I envy you for your issues. Because at least you have found your mate…”

I’m not sure what to say to him, because I know how nerve-wracking and crushing it can be to search for your mate, knowing they are somewhere out there, but not being sure when or where you will ever meet them. Fortunately, Annie is here to help. She always knows what to say. She touches Finn’s shoulder, squeezing it. “Finn,” she says earnestly. “There is a person out there who is destined for you. You will meet her. I’m sure of that, and I know she will be wonderful.”

He smiles at her. “Thanks, Annie.”

“What about you, Dave?” Ella asks into the silence, a worried expression on her face. “You and Jun…”

Dave stays quiet, which is pretty unusual for him. Annie and Ella exchange a glance. “What’s wrong?” Annie urges softly.

“Nothing,” Dave sighs a bit. “To be honest, we broke it off.”

“What!?” we all exclaim.

“I knew you would react like that,” he says defensively. “But I’m not Jun’s mate. We kept it strictly friends with benefits, and we’ve just cut out the benefits part for now. We’re still friends. I love my Jun, just on a platonic level now.”

“But…” Ella’s voice trails off.

“Jun’s a great guy,” Dave says seriously. “He will meet his mate one day for sure. And I’ve seen what the mate bond did to Marius and Celine if someone fights it. Never in my life do I want to be the reason for someone else’s suffering. Never! When Jun meets his mate, I want the other person to feel loved and welcomed and not have to deal with a guy Jun just dated. And frankly, I deserve better too.”