Page 96 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

Cyrus?I whisper, unable to hide the desperation in my voice.Please answer me. Please.

I swear I hear something in my mind, a very distant voice. More like a hint of it than an actual voice.

Then I’m greeted with silence again.

Shit. It feels like Cyrus can’t even reach me anymore. Like his presence is getting weaker and weaker by the minute. I’m terrified of that thought. I need to talk to Liam or my father, they know more than anyone else how we can connect with our wolves. I should have done so from the first day, but I was too ashamed of how I treated Celine to face them.

But there is no hiding it anymore. I need to come clean and admit to how badly I’ve handled the mate bond. I only hope that the family bond is strong enough for them to look past my behavior and they will help my wolf and me.

I drag myself back to bed. Tomorrow. I’ll talk to Liam tomorrow, I think, while drifting into another restless sleep.

It’s morning, yet I can barely drag myself down to breakfast. Eric and Emilien are currently sitting at the alpha’s table together with Ella and Dante, having their breakfast. Ella feeds Dante a bit of her toast with honey, and Dante peppers her with kisses. For the first time in a long while, I push my own petty feelings aside and realize how lucky Dante is for receiving a second chance mate. He truly deserves it.

I hear Eric’s teasing comments towards them, cheeky, but never vile.

“Morning,” I mutter as I sit down with my cup of coffee, feeling bad for disturbing their moment.

Ella stares at me. “Good grief, Marius,” she mutters. “Are you alright!? You don’t look too good. Do you need something? Should we take you to the infirmary?”

I would have never done that, I think. Showed concern about someone who’s hurt me and those close to me before. I try to think about what I would have done if the roles were reversed. Would I have asked her how she felt? Would I have cared? I don’t know the answer to that. And that thought is scaring me more and more. I wasn’t like this before; I was far more empathetic. When did I numb down so much that I’ve become so indifferent and spiteful towards others?

“Marius?” Dante nudges me with a worried expression.

“I’m sorry, I just dozed off.” I rub over my head. “Didn’t sleep too well again.”

Eric frowns when he looks at me. “Does this happen regularly? Did you get yourself checked, Mari? I could call someone if you want?”

Another person being nice to me, even though I haven’t ever been nice to them.

“Why don’t you take the day off?” Dante suggests.

“Yeah, I could take your shift,” Ella offers.

Goddess, were they always this kind? Somewhere in the distant corners of my mind, I remember several instances proving they were. They’ve tried to get through to me for a long time, and then I pushed it too far. “No, it’s okay. Being outside in the fresh air might clear my mind fog,” I admit.

“You could switch with Ella though,” Dante agrees. “She’s supposed to be running some errands today in town. You would still be in the fresh air. Meanwhile, El can do your patrol duty.”

“That would be really good, actually,” Ella smiles at Dante. “After someone went a bit wild yesterday, Nefeli really wants to stretch her paws and run with you for a bit.”

“Oh,” he raises his eyebrows. “So, now you’re saying it was me who went wild yesterday?”

“Obviously, it’s your fault,” she deadpans. “It’s always the guy’s fault.”

“Right,” he laughs and kisses her softly.

I smile at them. “Alright, how can I say no to such an offer? A man shouldn’t sabotage another man’s sex life.”

Dante snorts, while Ella rolls her eyes.

This is the most normal conversation we’ve had together in a year. It feels kinda nice. Goddess, I’ve been such a shitty person during the last few months. My poor pack members deserve an award for sticking with me and my pitiful behavior.

*VALERIE*

“I’ll be so glad when we are done with finals,” Lionel sighs dramatically while he walks us to our next class. “I just want it to be over.”

“Me too,” Jazz agrees with a sigh.

“Me three,” Aurelia chimes in.