Page 194 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

Jade stares at his hand before begrudgingly shaking it. “Jade, ancient witch and leader of the Circle of the Silent Forest.” She points at Grandpa, then Dad, then finally me. “You know my son, grandson-in-law, and great-granddaughter already.”

Vincent flashes me a grin. “It looks like we’ve become family, Celine,” he grins. “Good thing we never hit it off.”

“Yeah,” Harmony snorts. “Now, that would be awkward.”

“Your great-grandmother is more my type anyway,” Vincent says dryly.

“You don’t find this weird at all?” Jade inquires, her eyebrows furrowed as she stares at Vincent like she wants to read his mind.

“No, I can only speak for myself, but considering the last few months, this is definitely not the weirdest thing to happen,” he states.

I tilt my head. “He’s not wrong,” I agree.

Jade just sighs. “Hecate, have mercy,” she mutters.

Vincent offers her his arm. “May I steal you away for some tea?”

She tilts her head, her brows still furrowed as she contemplates his suggestion. “Well, I like tea,” she finally admits.

“Me too,” Vincent grins. “See, we have something in common.”

Jade just looks at him for a moment, before shaking her head in amusement. She takes his arm. “I hope I don’t regret this…”

As they walk off, Vincent looks at her curiously. “So, who’s that Hecate person you just mentioned?”

His comment even makes Eric groan. He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Be glad Uncle Elden didn’t hear you say that, Vince!” he shouts after them.

Vincent makes a dismissive gesture with his hand while leading Jade back into the pack house. This should be weirding me out… my ancient great-grandmother together with the tatted-up, skinhead lycan beta. Instead of feeling weird, I just feel happy for them.

It’s been many years since I’ve felt like part of a family. Ever since Mom passed away, we’ve all been living separate lives. Even though we were practically living next to each other, we’ve been stuck in our very own bubbles of grief. I never realized how much I missed them. And being fated to Marius, although sketchy at first, has shaken things up for the first time in many years, and helped me reset my priorities and focus on fixing my other bonds too.

The Birthday

*CELINE*

“Youdarethrowconfettiat me, and I’m leaving,” I threaten half-heartedly. “Garret already did that this morning. Confettiandglitter.” Some of it’s still stuck in my ear and nose. I kicked his ass in training for that stunt alone.

Marius’ lips tug up in amusement, and he carefully places the bag of paper streamers aside. Instead, he opens his arms to me, looking both hopeful and expectant. He waggles his brows, making me chuckle. I love how he’s both awkward and sassy around me. I pull him into a tight embrace. His body feels so warm and so good. Like his arms were made just to hold me, and mine were made to hold him.

“Thank you for agreeing to a coffee date,” he smiles happily. “I know you’re really busy today with the pack celebration.”

“You gave me the perfect excuse to leave the chaos for an hour,” I chuckle. Everyone has already gone crazy. Harmony, Garret, and the others went beyond themselves to prepare a crazy party for the whole pack. There’s something for everyone’s taste… a barbecue, cocktails, a bouncy castle for the kids, a dance floor, and a bonfire. I thought my father would be the voice of reason, which is why I asked him to help my team, but apparently, he’s made things even worse. He was so happy to throw a party for me, he and Garret went crazy trying to outdo each other.

“Is it really that bad?” Marius asks as he waits for our coffee order.

“You have no idea,” I groan. “I will mingle with everyone for a bit, and then, hopefully I can retreat and have a glass of wine with a few of my closest friends.”

“I feel you,” he chuckles. “I’m not a fan of big parties either. I promise not to hold any crazy parties on our weekend.”

“What should I pack for it?” I ask curiously.

“Go for comfortable and casual clothes,” he says. “We’re going to be outside for some of it, and I want you to enjoy yourself. There’s no dress code. I’m bringing a pair of jeans and track pants, plus a few shirts. There is nothing planned that you’d need fancy clothes for.”

I sigh in relief. “Thank you. A casual weekend away from everything sounds perfect.”

He beams at me. “I hope you’ll like it.”

“Well, I won’t deny I’m already curious about where we are going.”