Page 59 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

“I agree,” Nox smiles warmly at her. “Lion and I will be turning eighteen in May and June, so… you are just a very few weeks behind us.”

“And the rest of us still have one more year to go,” Marilou giggles.

Aurelia raises her brows. “I hate to lose.”

“That’s my daughter,” Elden nods at her last words, making Flora roll her eyes.

We others laugh a bit. I can’t help it. It’s cute how Elden dotes on her. She’s his only daughter, so it’s only natural, I guess. She also seems to resemble him quite a bit in her behavior and characteristics.

Before we wrap up the family dinner, Finn surprises us. “I didn’t know we were having a party,” he chuckles as he walks into the dining room. It seems like he attended an official meeting, he is wearing a suit, a white shirt, and a tie… it’s a stark contrast to his tattoos and piercings, but he can pull it off. I’ve never seen him dressed like that. By the gazes he receives from the teenage girls on the table, they are quite impressed too. Tori even blushes a bit, although she should be used to seeing Finn around, and Val and Jazz look at him in awe.

“Does this run in the family?” Jazz asks into the silence.

Ella and Harmony burst into laughter. “I thought the same when I saw them the first time,” Harmony admits.

“Right?” Jazz looks at her. “I mean, you have the super-hot, strong, and imposing oldest brother, Mr. Stoic-face.”

“He’ll love to hear that,” Annie chuckles. “I’ll make sure to tell him you said that.”

“Then the second oldest with that hot hipster look. Even the resting bitch face looks good on him.”

“Best description of Marius I’ve ever heard,” Ella gasps for air.

“Jazz…” Val whispers, tugging at her arm. She looks slightly panicked. “Are the painkillers messing with your mind?”

Jazz ignores her. “Then the edgy guy who looks like a movie star who plays in a rock band. Aurelia looks like a supermodel, and the twins have that classic heart-breaker look going for them.” She frowns. “The Moon Goddess was really generous in passing on these family genes.”

“Pity Dante isn’t here,” Ella giggles. “He would have loved to hear all of this.”

“Well, there is nothing I can say against all of that,” Harmony chuckles.

Elden has been listening with a stoic face, but now he snorts and shakes his head in amusement. “You are a force to be reckoned with, Jazmine. But thank you for the compliment, I guess.” He smirks. “It’s all been mine, and Flora’s doing.”

Aurelia looks slightly grossed out at his words, making us all just laugh more.

Finn looks confused, but as usual, his humor wins over any confusion or surprise. “Nice to meet such a fun group. You must be Aurelia’s friends.”

“I told you they’d make a lasting impression,” Aurelia tells him dryly.

Finn grins, sitting down next to his parents. Soon he engulfs them in a talk about his meeting. Seems like he met some of Elden’s business partners today. Meanwhile, Harmony and I continue to catch up with Val, Jazz, and their friends. It’s been a long while since I had time to hang out with the teens in my pack, so I enjoy it quite a bit.

After dinner, we all retire to our rooms. Now that everything is settled, I want to look at some books and spend some time with Ella and Annie before getting some well-needed sleep. Annie is looking pale again as she drops down on the sofa next to me. It’s just us three. Against my better judgment, I just have to ask. “What’s that story about Marius about?” I ask them.

Annie sighs. “He just doesn’t like me,” she mutters.

“He doesn’t like anyone,” Ella argues.

“We had a little situation… and he got into a fight with Ella and Dante, and he might have said a couple of hurtful things. Liam was not amused.”

I sigh. I know we are only technically mates, but I still feel a bit embarrassed. What’s wrong with him? So many people genuinely like him and care for him, and he just pushes them away. “And what happened next?”

“Nothing,” Annie shrugs. “I think he’s battling something internally. Whatever he’s facing, he doesn’t want anyone to know. I’ve asked Liam to be patient with him for a little longer.”

Is it because of the mate bond, I wonder? Is he acting out because there is so much distance between us? But then, he’s the one who doesn’t want me, not the other way around.

“He’s not feeling well either,” Ella points out. “Dante told me that he has difficulties during training and that his wolf seems to be weakened.”

I frown. “Really?” Against better judgment, I’m feeling worried. I don’t want him to get hurt… Ok, a small part of me might hate him and want to see him in pain sometimes, but, If I look past my own hurt feelings, a bigger part of me doesn’t really want to see him like that. He appears to be spiraling downwards.