Page 110 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

“What!?” Lion exclaims.

“Are you fucking stupid?” Terry spits.

“Yes, so enlighten me!” Lion blurts out. “You know I’m more of a muscle guy and not too smart.”

“It’s disrespectful,” Nox says bluntly, before Terry can answer and probably say something worse. “You are saying Arden got so lucky because he got a shot with Aurelia.”

“But he is,” Lion argues. “Everyone would be lucky to be mated to one of my friends.”

“Yeah,weknow that,” Nox says, “but that’s not the way someone else would hear it. And it’s certainly not how Tori would understand it! If she was listening now and heard you say how awesome it is for Arden to be mated to a woman like Aurelia, it implies you didn’t get so lucky.”

“Especially, considering you and I had a fling once,” I add.

Lion groans. “Why is this so difficult?”

“It’s not that difficult,” Terry grumbles. “You just need to be a tiny bit considerate and actually value your partner. It’s not rocket science.”

“He isn’t wrong,” I say. “You need to communicate better. Seriously, going on months like this was insane. And Tori appreciates the small gestures. She is far less high maintenance than everyone thinks she is.”

“What’s better about Aurelia than about Tori?” Arden asks. “I don’t mean any insult by that,” he says, gazing at me. “I appreciate everything about Aurelia and think she is amazing, more than anyone I’ve ever dreamed of. But how did you conclude that she is better than Tori?”

“Because she is alpha?” Nox wants to know.

“No!” Lion exclaims. “I couldn’t care less for rank.”

I can see Arden eyeing Lion thoughtfully, wondering what his mind is putting together now, but he seems to have another one of his moments of realization. “Did you want a warrior girlfriend?”

Lion blinks before his cheeks flush slightly. “Not to say that I wanted one, just that I expected it…”

“How is that better?” Terry huffs.

“I get why you are upset,” Nox tells Terry. “But constantly lashing out at Lion won’t help. In a way, it seems both he and Tori had expectations that weren’t fulfilled.”

“Didn’t you have any?” Lion asks me in return.

“I wanted someone who understands me and won’t mind that I am an alpha,” I say. “I never had a real expectation or dream-mate, though.”

“Very similar for me,” Arden agrees.

“I just want Marilou,” Terry says.

“And I just want a girl that will love me despite my past,” Nox says.

“So, it’s just me who sucks,” Lion says.

“Not just you,” Terry mutters. “Because when Marilou happens not to be my mate, I will have hurt her and my future mate.”

“I wouldn’t say either of you is wrong,” Arden says. “I think it’s much more normal to have expectations. I would say we are the odd ones here. It doesn’t matter what kind of expectations you have. What matters now is how you handle them once you find your mate.”

Lion brushes through his hair with all ten of his fingers. “Fuck,” he curses. “I fucked up.”

Again, we are silent, not sure what to say. We hear the cheers and firecrackers from the party. “It’s midnight,” Arden mutters.

“It means it’s the 1stof January, now,” Terry says, anxiety suddenly filling his eyes. For a couple of minutes none of us say anything.

Then, there is a careful knock at the door. I can smell Marilou before she even enters the room. She lets her eyes glide over us before she looks at Terry. Her eyes get watery, and she bursts into tears all of a sudden, sobbing uncontrollably.

Oh no. Please don’t let that happen. That would be the second catastrophe today.