Page 108 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

WHAT!?

I used to be fairly confident that nothing could ever shock me, but this… this is so much, I have difficulty registering what Lion is saying and what his words mean. My mind goes crazy, rewinding and searching for all the moments I can remember since Tori turned eighteen. Turning my attention to my friends, I notice they look equally shocked. Jazz’s face shows mere disbelief, Nox looks like his brain is working at high speed, Val, who has hurried to us the moment she heard the commotion, looks like a deer caught in the headlights, Marilou looks surprised, while Terry just glares at the whole scene.

“The good thing is,” my mate mutters towards me. “That no one is paying attention to us.”

“This is a weird time to show your cynical side,” I say, but I can’t help but smile.

The guy who wanted to tug Tori to the dance floor scoots backwards. “I-I didn’t know she was someone’s mate.”

“But you certainly knew that she said ‘no’ the moment you asked her for a dance,” Lion growls.

“She didn’t say no immediately,” the guy defends himself. “She agreed to dance, and I was leading her to the dance floor, then she changed her mind.”

Lion looks furious, throwing his arms in the air. “What am I even doing here!? I’m so stupid… this is not worth it.”

His words seem to have triggered something in Terry because he lunges towards Lion, pushing him away from Tori. “Stop playing with my sister!” he yells. Before he can deliver a punch at Lion or Lion can attack him back, I finally find my footing again.

“Stop it,” I bellow, my aura turning more commanding and domineering, stopping the two of them instantly. I gaze towards Nox, and he steps forward.

“Let him explain first,” Nox says calmly.

“Noctis is right.” Eric pushes through the crowd, turning towards them first and clapping his hands, before smiling at them dashingly. “The show is over. Everyone, please return to the amazing food, to your dates. Eat, kiss, make love.”

As usual, his gift comes forward, and the tension subsides. The crowd disperses, completely ignoring us. “You can use my and Val’s apartment,” Eric says to me. “Do you need me there?”

I gaze towards my friends. Terry still looks furious, Tori looks confused, and Lion… almost sad. “I think I can handle it,” I tell him. “Arden and Nox are with me. And Jazz is there, too. She is the beta female in her pack.”

Valerie approaches me. “I will come with you,” she says.

Eric nods, his eyes gazing over me, then he smirks and turns towards Arden, whispering something to him. Arden doesn’t say anything but flushes slightly.

I make the brief decision to separate Tori and Lion for now, believing they will be more open when they aren’t in a room together. The girls leave with Tori, while Nox and I take Terry and Lion. I’m sure Val, with her sensitivity to people’s feelings, will get the truth from Tori. I doubt it’s a black-and-white situation.

We send the girls to Eric and Val’s apartment while the rest of us decide to head for Arden’s office. Once inside and the doors are closed behind us, Terry pushes past Nox and stomps forward. “She is my sister,” he yells at Lion. “How could you play with her!? You are my best friend! WHY HER, for fuck’s sake! She deserves better than that!”

Something seems to snap in Lion because his eyes darken, and he pushes forward. “It was her fucking idea,” he yells, anger and hurt in his eyes. “She wanted to hide that we are mates. It was her idea! And I just went with it. But, of course, it’s all my fault!”

“What the fuck,” Terry hisses. “I don’t believe a word. Tori would never do that!”

“She wouldn’t, huh?” Lion growls. “Seems like you don’t know your sister as well as you think you do.”

“Bullshit,” Terry blurts out. “Tori is a romantic. She was dreaming about meeting her mate and how he would lay eyes on her. Love at first sight and all.”

Lion stares at him, a hint of guilt suddenly flashing in his eyes.

“So, it’sallher fault, huh?” Terry huffs.

Terry isn’t wrong. That’s truly Tori’s dream. I know that’s pretty much how my oldest brother, Liam, met his mate, Annie. He saw her at a party, laid eyes on her, then basically walked over to her and swept her off her feet. Perfect first impression, perfect reaction. Love at first sight.

With Arden and me, it was similar but not the same. Arden isn’t as dominant as Liam, and we are both more rational people,less romantic. But that doesn’t mean we weren’t happy to have met each other.

“It’s not like she was overjoyed when she laid eyes on me,” Lion points out. He sounds calmer now but still upset. “Do you think this is how I imagined meeting my mate? I wanted to be the one to sweep her off her feet.”

“Why didn’t you?” Nox asks softly. “It seems like you both want the same thing.”

“Because it’s Tori,” Lion mutters.

Terry throws his hands up in the air. “And because she is Tori, she isn’t good enough?” he snarls. “Is it because she is an omega?”