Page 132 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

“And you are more helpful with trying to remember where you saw that rune,” I encourage him.

“You know what’s weird,” Val says. “All the time when Annette talked, she was able to describe the men perfectly. They never hid anything from her. They didn’t disguise themselves aside from the one time they kidnapped her.”

“That’s because they don’t expect their victims to leave this place alive,” Arden says quietly. “They don’t care.”

It’s silent once he says it, mainly because we all know it’s the truth. The gravity of his words is written all over Arden’s face, making me reach out to take his hand. He is so strong and always seems to have a logical approach to everything, but he has feelings, too, and I know this whole ordeal our victims have gone through is lying heavily on his mind and soul.

We are still standing around in silence when the door opens again, and Annette comes rushing in. The luna is following her. After she told us where she ran from, we sent her to the pack’s kind luna, to keep an eye on her until her father arrives.

“I remember something else,” Annette blurts out, almost stumbling over her own words. “It was on my first night there before I met Meg. I think it was PJ and Junior talking. I listened but didn’t understand what they were talking about.”

“What did they say?” Arden wants to know, his curiosity clearly piqued.

“PJ asked why Night is so obsessed with that skanky little omega. I think he was talking about Meg. Junior then told him to never say anything like that to Night, or he would end up dead. He then said something about Night and his father having a fallout years ago, and that the first Azurite died.” She pauses. “I think Junior said that Night got rid of his own father to make sure to find and retrievehisown Azurite.”

“They were talking about Meg’s mother,” Arden exclaims. “Goddess, that’s crazy. She was on the run from—”

“From Night’s father, probably,” Eric mutters.

“We need to find out who this man is,” Arden says.

“He is right,” Eric says. “Everyone, go to work immediately. Arden, Aurelia, and I will go to the hideout.” He turns to his mate. “Val, may I ask you to stay here in case Annette or our guys at headquarters remember something?”

“Yes, of course,” she agrees easily. “I will keep you updated. Be careful.”

Chapter forty-one

One Step Forward, Two Back

*ARDEN*

Ilook around the hideout. It’s exactly like Annette described it. There is only one door, tightly secured, and every window has planks in front of them. There are silver chains in every room. A corridor leads past them, and the bigger room has to be the one where they took the photos.

“Annette is a brave girl,” Aurelia says. “She has to be traumatized by what happened, yet she was able to give us such a detailed description.”

“It’s the adrenaline of her escape,” Eric says quietly. “She is still living off it and off her wish to save Meg. Once it wears down, reality will hit her.”

“I’m just glad she is in a good pack and has a loving parent,” Aurelia says.

Eric nods. “Me too.”

I open the door from the big room leading further into a corridor. Annette hasn’t been in here, so she couldn’t describe it. There are several bedrooms that are completely empty now, and “A library,” I mutter.

“They weren’t able to take all their belongings with them,” Eric says.

“Yes, they were still very effective in their clean-up,” I point out. “There is not even a scent lingering around, nothing. Goddess, I hate to admit it, but this Night has to be very intelligent, and at the same time, he shows a complete lack of empathy.”

“He has to be completely crazy,” Eric mutters.

“I’m not sure,” Aurelia says, looking around. “He is way too organized and controlled. This guy is a psychopath who knows exactly what he is doing.”

“I have to agree with that,” I say.

“There is a door leading to a basement,” Eric points out, sending some of the warriors who accompanied us downstairs while we keep looking around. It doesn’t take long for them to notify us.

“Prince Eric!” one of them calls out, while another man dashes upstairs and past us, emptying his stomach once outside.

“That can’t be good,” Aurelia says.