Page 129 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

“Yes.” Aurelia approaches me to hug me. “She is alive. And now we have a chance to find the others.”

“She is alive,” I mutter. “This is why they canceled the auction! It’s a miracle. We need to act fast now. Once they notice Annette is missing for real, they might get rid of their other victims or go into hiding, but this is our chance, finally!” I feel my body tense up in anxiety.

“You’ve got this, Arden,” Aurelia reassures me. “You know this case better than anyone. Annette is alive. She managed to escape. She is traumatized, but we’ll make sure she gets help. And she can tell us about Meg and the kidnappers. We need to keep our nerve.”

“You are right.” I take a few shaky breaths. I can’t freak out now. I need to keep my cool. I’m only useful as long as I keep a cool head and allow my mind to work. Annette is alive. She escaped, and I’m sure whatever she has to tell us will be helpful.

We are one step closer to Meg. One step closer to Denis. One step towards Juliet and all the other victims they might still have at their mercy.

Chapter forty

Annette

*AURELIA*

When Eric, Val, and I arrive at the pack, Arden has already dealt with most of the paperwork, got a therapist and doctor involved, and made preparations to have Annette brought to the Council later, to stay until she can return home to her own pack. We all want to give her the time she needs, but unfortunately, wedon’thave time.

Annette is a sweet young girl. Shockingly young. I knew her age from our research, but seeing her in person brings home how young she truly is. Something about her scent seems off too. They probably mess with their victim’s scent so they can’t be tracked. She clings to Valerie and me, in particular, probably feeling safer with us because we are women.

To my surprise, Annette herself is more than eager to help us, almost anxiously so. “You need to save her,” she sobs while clinging to Val.

“Who, sweetheart?”

“Meg,” she mutters. “They call her Azurite, but her name is Meg. She told me she’s forgetting her name and who she is, that she’s losing herself. She was so nice to me.”

Arden’s eyes cloud over in worry. “Probably developing Stockholm Syndrome,” he mutters. “I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”

“Will you help us?” Valerie asks gently. “I know it’s difficult, Annette, but we—”

“YES, I will help!” she blurts out. “I just want Meg to be safe. I will do whatever!”

“We need you to tell us what happened,” Val says. “Can you do that? Can you talk with these two nice guys?” She gestures towards Eric and Arden.

Annette looks anxious, so I make sure to reassure her. “Valerie and I can stay with you.”

“And my dad?” she asks. “Is he…”

“He is on his way,” I reassure her gently. “We called him immediately, and he jumped into his car right away. Your alpha is with him.”

“Are they far away?” she asks anxiously. “Please be honest.”

“We are close to Paris,” Valerie answers honestly. “I know your pack is further away, sweetie, but don’t worry, we will make sure to watch out for you until your dad is here.”

Annette takes a deep breath. “I want to talk,” she says. “Now. For Meg.”

I honestly feel relieved that she is so compliant. I thought we would need to work with a therapist maybe or give her more time, but she is desperate to help us. Her worries are probably pushing her forward. The shock and trauma will come later.

The alpha of the pack we are currently in offers us his living room so we can have some privacy. “Thank you for the generous offer, Alpha Florent,” Eric says smoothly.

“Of course, Prince Eric. Let’s hope we can finally put an end to these kidnappings.”

Eric nods at him before we all retreat to his living room. Fresh beverages and sandwiches are prepared for us. Annette hasn’t eaten yet, too anxious to do so, but with Eric around us, I can feel the air getting lighter, and Annette’s anxiety seems to subside slightly. She starts digging into a sandwich while I set my phone up to record the meeting. “I hope that’s okay for you, Annette?”

“Yes, I don’t mind.”

“Well then.” Arden smiles nervously. I can almost feel his nerves through the bond. This is important to him, but at the same time he doesn’t want to hurt this teenage girl more than necessary by forcing her to relieve the worst hours of her life. “Can you tell us how you were kidnapped, Annette?”

Annette nods. “Dad and I were visiting the nearest town to our village to run some errands. We always do them together. It’s just the both of us, you know? We split up, and I went grocery shopping while he went to the hardware store. I was finished sooner than he was and was waiting for him in a small alley.” She pauses. “That was stupid, wasn’t it?”