Page 18 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

Celine greets all of us but avoids looking at me, preferring to stare at a point somewhere behind me. Her expression remains neutral though, and besides the lack of eye contact, she doesn’t seem to be affected by my presence at all.

On the other hand, my heart beats so fast that I’m scared it will jump out of my chest. Damn it. Why does she have to be so beautiful and so graceful? I try focusing on anything other than Celine and how she makes me feel, ignoring the way her lips move and how her long blonde eyelashes flutter gently whenever she blinks. She seems to be completely unfazed by my presence, talking mainly with Liam. I hate it. Something inside me wants to jump up and claim her as mine.

She is not supposed to look at anyone but me!

Get a grip, Marius! Focus. We can’t have her, and we don’t want her anyway.

Sometimes, I just want to hurt her, so she finally shows some emotion, any emotion.

I can barely pay attention to what she’s saying. Apparently, they’ve found some abandoned campfires on the edge of their borders, close to the mountains. The fact that there wasn’t any scent lingering around, despite the ashes still being warm is unsettling, though. The terrain is hard to move through. Whoever did this must have a few secret passages. I frown at my thoughts, a feeling of dread settling inside. Something doesn’t feel right.

“I think we need to see the places you’ve found,” Liam decides, a deep frown gracing his face now.

“I was hoping you would,” Celine nods. “Would you like to accompany me now? I want to know your opinion.”

“Of course. I want to see it for myself anyway, in case this happens to my pack or our other allies.” He and Celine stand up. “Ari can go with us; she is fast and agile.”

Aryanna is up on her feet in an instant and nods eagerly, probably happy for the long run awaiting her and her wolf.

“Great,” Celine smiles at Liam. “I’ll take Marcel with me. Harmony can stay here in case of an emergency.”

What the fuck… why is she asking Liam and that other dude? She is completely ignoring my presence, like I’m not even here. She’s very friendly with that black guy… that Marcel. She wants them to accompany her instead of me. What is wrong with her?

No one seems to notice my inner turmoil though, least of all Celine. She doesn’t even notice I’m here. I’m still trying to reel in my anger when I notice they’re gone, already running toward the mountains.

Meanwhile, Dante approaches Harmony, Elias, and Garret. “Elias, mind if you tell us what you and the other trackers found?”

Elias nods, “Of course, Dante. I have documented everything. Come, I’ll show you the images we have.”

“You have photos?” Dante asks in surprise.

Garret smiles. Seeing such a tough-looking, muscular guy like him smile looks weird. “Elias is always prepared and pays attention to details,” he says, sounding proud.

Elias returns his smile before leading us toward the office, where they prepare and plan their warrior training sessions.

Over the next few hours, I become engulfed in the pack’s issues and don’t notice how much time has passed. If it weren’t for my pounding headache, I could easily keep going for a few more hours. Eventually, though, Dante starts to notice something is wrong. He frowns. “Are you alright, Marius?”

I shrug, deciding to play it cool. “Of course, why are you asking?”

“You’re pale. Liam was right, you don’t look well.”

Why are they suddenly all so concerned about me? It’s not their place to comment on my health. Why can’t they mind their own business? It’s so annoying and… unsettling. I feel my stomach start to churn slightly. It’s not just annoying, it’s actually a bit scary. That’s why I can’t afford to let my guard down around Annie. If I am nice to her, she will try and befriend me, and then she will know.

Shit, she can’t know.

No one can know.

Not Liam, not Annie. And especially not Celine.

I’m still wondering how to divert Dante’s attention when Liam comes to the rescue by linking us, saying that they are going to be back soon. A few minutes later, Harmony comes by to pick us up. “My parents would like to invite you all for dinner,” she explains with a warm smile.

Dante smiles gratefully, “Thank you, that’s really nice of your family. We appreciate the offer, and I’d feel better if Liam and Ari eat something after being gone for hours outdoors, before we head back.”

“Come.” Harmony leads us out of the pack house. “Celine says they are back. We’ll meet them at my parents’ place before exchanging intel. Our newly retired Alpha Cedric will come too.”

Her family home is close to the pack house but secluded enough to give them some privacy. It’s a comfortable-looking house and exactly the sort of place I’d imagine my luna to have grown up in.

“Alpha Celine.” Harmony interrupts my thoughts, waving at the group in front of us.