Page 133 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

“Do you want to stay here?” Eric asks her.

“No,” she says. “I will be alpha, eventually. If I can’t stomach it, I have to learn how to.” She turns to us. “Let’s go.”

We carefully make our way downwards, following the voices of the warriors, before coming into a room with a foul scent. “Why didn’t we smell that from upstairs?” Aurelia asks.

“They are clearly using something to diffuse any scents,” Eric says. “This is insane. Arden is right. They are not stupid.”

“Prince Eric.” One of the guards looks at Eric with a sad, torn expression. “We… we found someone.”

He makes way for us to look at the person behind them, the body of a man. “That’s Denis,” Eric says sadly.

Aurelia carefully moves to a second body, gently tugging the blanket away. “And Juliet,” she whispers. “Oh no…”

“Fuck,” I curse, brushing through my hair. “Fuck!”

“And an unknown female body,” Eric mutters. “Oh, damn it.”

“There is something else.” One of the warriors gestures for us to come closer. He looks shockingly pale and almost like he is about to throw up as well. The foul smell increases when we get closer, and we all cover our mouths and noses with tissues. “It’s not a beautiful sight,” he breathes out.

Aurelia is the first to catch a glance, letting out a shocked gasp before turning to the side and heaving slightly. That’s not a good sign. If something unsettles her like that, it can’t be good. “By the Goddess,” she says blandly.

Eric and I glance at what she just saw, both of us taking a step back simultaneously. “Is that…” I breathe out.

“Yes,” Eric says, clasping a hand over his mouth and coughing slightly. “Never have I ever seen something alike.”

I take a deep breath, gazing at the plastic bag again, full of dismembered body parts. I can barely keep my composure. “What do you think?” Aurelia asks, clearly struggling too.

I take a shaky breath. “The way he died, it was personal.”

“And the other bodies weren’t?” Eric asks while the three of us step back. He turns to the guards. “One of you, call the headquarters. We need someone with experience in forensic medicine here. No newbie.”

The pale-looking guard is the first to answer. “I will make that call,” he blurts out before dashing out of the room.

Eric turns to look at us. “Arden?” he asks.

I nod, taking it as my cue to continue. “Well, the other two were just killed and left here. So, it leaves two options for this person here. It was very personal, making Night so angry he literally slaughtered them for whatever reason. And probably also to make it harder for us to find out who it is.”

“If we find his head,” Aurelia says, a shiver going through her body. “Then we might be able to take a photo and ask Annette if that’s one of the guys.”

“You think it’s one of the men?” I ask.

“Why else would it be so personal?” she asks. “The victims are clearly the ones lying behind us. And this here doesn’t look like Meg.”

I gather my courage and look at the dismembered body again, gazing at one of the arms. “Clearly a man’s arm. You are right.” I pause. “It looks like they took Meg with them.” I know she is probably in a terrible state. What Annette told us gives us real reason to worry, but I can’t help but feel relieved that at least one of our victims might still be alive.

Eric, Aurelia, and I are waiting at the hideout until Eric’s requested forensic medic appears together with his assistant, a young she-wolf who is also working for the Council. I’m almost a little impressed to see how she deals with seeing the bodies, without showing a sign of discomfort aside from a short moment of shock.

“I feel depressed,” Aurelia says all of a sudden.

“Me too,” Eric says promptly.

I look at them in surprise. “Why?”

Aurelia takes my hand and sighs. “Because it feels like we are constantly losing and one step behind.”

“I thought the same when we were standing in the basement,” I mutter. “You said it yourself only a couple of hours ago. Is that really true? We know a lot more than a couple of days ago. They had to give up their hideout, which means from now on it willbe difficult for them to operate, and they are prone to making mistakes. Plus, if our gut feeling is true and that guy in there was working for them it means their group is slowly falling apart.”

“Look at you being the voice of reason,” Eric says, slightly amused. He pats my shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Arden. You’ve come a long way.”