Page 86 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

My body shudders in relief as her aura vanishes with her. The witch was giving off an intense aura of power, stronger than both the warlock from outside and the witch who vanished when Ari kicked her. She seemed to be able to fade in and out like the Cheshire Cat. With no scent and her cloaking ability, she’s like a chameleon. Turning back to Val and the others, a sense of foreboding realization settles in. That’s the witch who spied on Val and Jazz, and their friends, she’s been coming on to pack grounds undetected.

“Do you think she saw Valerie healing Jazz?” Marcel whispers.

I feel more dread settling inside me. Defeating our attackers was too easy, I knew it. “I think the whole purpose of the attack was to find the special wolf,” I huff.

How did they know there is a healer living in my pack, though?If our great-grandmother knew,Danica points out.Other powerful witches might know too. Maybe they just sensed the presence of a healer in our pack… and set out to spy on us.

Goddess, no, this is the worst-case scenario. Our enemies must have sensed there was something different about Val, and now that the witch has seen for herself that Val truly is what they were hoping for, she’s in danger. But from who? Who are ‘they’?

Valerie is the reason we were spied on,I mutter as realization settles in.

I shift my attention back to Valerie, noticing that she has fallen unconscious. She is like a little sister to me… I won’t allow anyone to hunt her for whatever reason.

“Let’s get her out of here,” I decide, and nod towards Val’s father, who carefully takes her into his arms and picks her up. She looks so small and frail against her father’s body. Now everything is starting to make sense. Healing is a rare ability, a strong ability. Val was weaker growing up because her wolf needed so much more power to grow. Her human form is fragile because all her strength has gone into her gift.

Aryanna hugs Jazz tightly. “I’ve known you for like five minutes, and you’ve already given me the biggest scare.”

Despite the tense situation, we all chuckle slightly.

“If you think that’s the worst scare you can get,” Marcel teases, “You certainly don’t know my sister well enough yet.”

While the others chat, my gaze locks on the elderly witch. Desmona looks worried. “Let’s get this child to a safe place,” she mutters. “I’m not sure what kind of forces are after her.”

“You’re right. And I know the perfect place for now,” I say, nodding toward Val’s father. “Follow me.”

I lead them outside to my SUV, signaling Harmony to start the engine as everyone climbs in. Meanwhile, I grab my phone and call Garret. I give him a brief rundown of what happened today. “What?” he exclaims. “Alpha, are you alright? Do you need me to come for backup!?”

“No, I need you to stay and protect the pack! Harmony and I will be gone for a few hours, and I need you as our backup in the pack. I want you to send Elias with a team of trackers here,” I tell him. “And an additional team of warriors who will accompany the remaining guests home from the party.”

“Of course, Alpha. Elias and his team will be here in half an hour, 40 minutes maximum.”

“Good. Marcel will wait for Elias here and give him the details.”

When I hang up again, I turn to look at Marcel. “Did you hear what I said?”

He nods.

“I want Elias to roam the whole area, not just the restaurant, and search the surroundings for anything they can find. Anything that might identify our attackers or give clues as to why they were here. I want regular updates!” I command.

“Of course, Alpha,” Marcel agrees. “What can I do to help?”

“Clean up the mess here and talk to the restaurant owner. We need to compensate him for the cost of any repairs. Also, make sure to remove the bodies of the rogues once they’ve been thoroughly searched and have them burned. Our warriors will be here soon. They’ll help you.” I pause. “But first, make sure everyone else gets home safely,” I tell him.

“I could help too,” Aryanna offers. She has an arm around Jazz. “My original plan was to take Jazz with me to Red Claw tonight. But I can wait a little longer to help you out for a night.” She smirks. “I’m strong.”

I feel instant relief at her offer. Aryanna is a kick-ass warrior. Liam chose her as his beta… it says a lot. “Thank you, Ari.”

“Awesome, I’ll call Liam and get his approval, but it shouldn’t be a problem.” She tilts her head. “I’ll make sure Jazz and Desmona get back to the pack grounds safely, and then I’ll return to help Marcel. I have a lot of experience with getting rid of dead bodies.”

Jazz snorts and Aryanna shows us a lopsided grin. “Well, that came out wrong, I guess.”

“Marcel, make sure you and Elias keep me updated!” I tell him once more, waiting for him to show a reaction that he understood. Once he nods, I return to my own task and usher Val’s parents into the car with Val. Desmona is happy to stay behind with Jazz and Aryanna. She came here tonight because she wanted to meet Jazz and introduce herself, then maybe talk to her about the coven her grandmother used to belong to. I figure it’s not a bad idea to have her stay with Jazz tonight.

Just as I’m about to take my seat next to Harmony, Marius grabs my arm. “Celine?” he asks.

I sigh, nodding towards Harmony to give me a few minutes, before turning to look at him, brows furrowed. “Is there something you need?”

He lets go immediately. “I apologize,” he says evenly. “I didn’t mean to touch you against your will… and I apologize for the other night… I would never, normally. Last time too.”