Page 53 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

“I would,” he answers honestly, “as I don’t like giving out drinks before seeing their license or before verifying such a claim, but there are hundreds of kids at these parties, and we are just a few people at the stands. Most of the time, all we can do is trust the kids.” He flushes. “I apologize for blaming others for my own shortcomings.”

“No, that’s not your fault,” Alpha Elden sighs. “Making sure everything is secure is on me. I’ll make sure that you have more people next time.” Another sigh. “And next time, tell me sooner when you are having staffing trouble!”

Ollie looks nervous. “Will I get punished?”

“No,” his Alpha says. “Being gullible is not a crime. You were not involved in what happened tonight. You can leave.”

He seems beyond relieved, bowing a bit before leaving.

“I can’t believe it’s come to this, but it seems from now on we will have to train everyone working these events on how to identify and prevent date-rape incidents,” Aurelia points out. “I really think it’s necessary, Dad.”

“I hate to admit it, but you’re right.” Elden furrows his brows. “Although, as wolves, we should be better than this.”

“The wolves are not the problem,” Luna Annalise says evenly. “The problem is we are humans sharing a soul with a wolf. Wolves are animals, they aren’t vicious or unnecessarily cruel. We humans are.”

The uncomfortable truth, I think. She has a way of saying things others might not even see or realize.

“We have no clue which pack they belong to?” Alpha Celine asks with a frown.

“Oh,” Aurelia speaks up again. “I have an idea. They already tried to hit on Val before, and it felt off how persistent they were, so I tried to gather some information. There were some witnesses, and they said they are from Midnight River pack. I didn’t know at first that the two incidents were connected, but…” She scribbles something on paper. “Marilou, you said you saw some tattoos. Did one of them look like this?”

Marilou throws a glance at the paper and nods. “Yes.”

Aurelia hands Elden the paper. “Midnight River pack. That’s their pack tattoo.”

“Fantastic,” Elden looks at his beta, something dark flashes in his eyes. “Vincent, call their alpha!” He turns to look at his daughter. “Aurelia!”

“Yes?”

“I’m proud of you,” he says. “You took control of the situation from the beginning and went with your gut feeling. You have been doing this a lot recently. Also, when you realized what had happened, you arranged backup instead of going into an unknown situation on your own. Great planning and good senses. You acted like a true leader.”

Aurelia blushes, something I haven’t seen her do before… ever. “Thank you,” she says, beaming proudly at her father’s and alpha’s praise.

Alpha Elden and Aurelia both get that glazed look, which indicates they are being linked. It’s from one of their warriors who were sent to chase Greg and his asshole friends. They’ve indeed followed their scent to Midnight River Pack’s borders.

Alpha Elden nods at Aurelia. “Vincent just linked me to confirm that their alpha is aware of our presence at his border and our intentions to find the culprits suspected to be involved. Go, tell our warriors at the border that Midnight River’s Alpha is waiting for you. You lead them from there on.”

Aurelia looks at him surprised. “I can lead this mission?” she asks. “And find the men who attacked Val and Marilou?”

Alpha Elden exchanges a gaze with his luna and nods. “Yes. I trust this to you.” He pauses. “However, you have a decision to make. You can’t prolong it any longer. Finn already chose years ago; just like him, you need support too.” I have no idea what they are talking about, but she does. She nods, sighing a bit. “Lionel,” she says. “You are great, strong and loyal, and a true friend, but you have alpha blood in you, and we don’t know if your future will lead you away to another pack one day.”

He nods. “I knew you would say that,” he says evenly. “Don’t worry, Aurelia, I still have your back. Terry and Tori too.”

She smiles in relief, before turning towards her father. “I choose Nox… Noctis as my beta.”

“What?” Nox blurts out. “Are you for real?”

“He already almost died once when he protected the pack and Annie,” Aurelia explains. “His troubled past makes him sensitive to others, and I think he will be a great help.”

Alpha Elden seems content. “You have my full support. Now go.”

Once they are away, he lets out a deep sigh. “I think all we can do now is wait.” He approaches me now, crouching down a bit. I can feel my parents getting a bit nervous. He’s extremely imposing, after all. One of the tallest and strongest guys I have ever seen. I’m not as scared as I should be though… I have already seen his son Liam. I guess you get used to these huge men eventually. “May I?” he asks.

I nod. He cups my chin and turns my head to the side a bit, inspecting my face. “Did she get the antidote for the wolfsbane?” he asks.

Luna Flora nods. “That’s the first thing both girls received.”

He frowns a bit. “Do you normally heal so slowly, child?” he asks me.