Page 139 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

“Awesome. He made sure to pry on his prey,” Eric mutters. “Meg had no chance.”

“I talked to the director of the orphanage again,” Leila says. “And he verified that this man was an anonymous patron, donating money but staying anonymous. He said that nothing he did rang any alarm bells. He always stayed away from thechildren and was very respectful. He sometimes brought gifts for the children, not just Meg.”

“He is a very intelligent psychopath,” I say. “I don’t know much about this stuff. Arden would be the better one to ask, but I bet he is the type of person doing heinous crimes while all his neighbors would vouch for him to be a well-mannered, calm, and polite man.” I pause. “He gifted Meg the gemstones, right?”

“Exactly,” Leila says. “I was able to verify that.”

“I don’t think we’ll find anything about Night as an adult,” Eric says. “If Arden isn’t already on it, tell him to make him younger. Let’s see if we find Night as a child. Or maybe, that way it will help us find his father.”

“On it,” Leila promises.

“Keep us updated,” Val says.

“How is Annette holding up?” I ask before she can hang up.

“Her dad arrived and is with her, so she has a familiar face around and some comfort,” Val says. “I don’t think what she went through has truly settled in yet. I talked to her father and set him up with a therapist in his area to work through her trauma. He also agreed to stay here for a couple of days and let Annette help.”

“I’m glad to hear that. It will make her feel useful and like she is doing something to stop Night,” I say. “It can only help her mental health in the long run.”

“I agree, and the therapist here did too, which is why her father agreed,” Val says. “Oh, the alpha wants to talk to me. I better get going. Watch out for yourselves.”

“You too, my love,” Eric says.

After a long, draining day without much success, Eric and I return to the Council, both of us tired to the bone. Eric doesn’t stay here, though, and instead decides to drive to the pack where Val is currently staying, to help her.

“Update me the moment you know something,” he tells me.

“Of course. The same goes for you.”

I get out of the car and decide to look for my mate. We have been separated for the whole day, and I need my daily dose of Arden to get in a better mood. His room is empty, indicating that he is still at work. While I’m walking through the corridor towards his office, I feel an overwhelming sense of grief that almost takes my breath away.

That’s our mate!Maxima alerts me.

What… what’s happening!?I don’t wait for Maxima to tell me her assumptions and instead pick up my pace, running towards Arden’s office. I know he is there. Now that my lycan is on the surface, I can easily detect his scent.

It’s quiet inside the office, almost eerily so. When I open the door, I’m surprised to find Arden sitting on the floor of the dark room. I’m about to switch on the light when he interrupts me.

“Don’t,” he begs. “Don’t switch on the light.”

I stop in my tracks, not sure what to do or say, so I just step closer and sit down next to him. For a while we both stay silent. “Can I touch you?” I ask gently.

He nods, and I make sure to wrap my arms around him, feeling how he trembles slightly. I don’t need to prompt him to talk. He starts all by himself.

“I focused on finding Night, but during a break, I decided to look into something else. You know,” he mutters. “Neither Vander nor I were subtle about who we dated, so people knew, but yet, something felt off. I don’t really believe in gut feeling, but this time I listened to it.”

“What did you find out?” I ask quietly.

He wordlessly hands me a sheet of paper. One is a caller log, the other a sheet with transactions. “One is a list with transactions, nothing out of the ordinary there. But the in and outgoing call protocols to and from a certain number,” he says. “I had them delivered to me. There is an unknown, suppressed number that called every other day, always at the same time, and once a week the other called a burner phone.”

“Whose phone number was it?” I ask, dreading the answer already. It can’t be good. I know it can’t be good, or Arden wouldn’t look so defeated.

“It’s my father’s.”

I hold my breath at his revelation. I was hoping it wouldn’t be his dad. I could argue with Arden now, try to prove to him that there could be valid reasons, but he has connected the dots, and his gut feeling already tells him the truth. “I’m so sorry, Arden,” I say sadly, hugging him tighter.

“Thank you for believing me,” he says quietly. “This will destroy Vander,” he adds.

“Vander…” I say. “How is he holding up?”