Page 156 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

“Night dumped Sky with the girls,” I say. “He hoped he would either kill them or hurt them or that we would come and kill him. He sacrificed him because he was the weakest link.”

“You think he knew we were coming?” Aurelia asks.

“I believe the moment he saw Tori kicking up a fight, he knew something was off,” I point out. “Maybe he noticed that Léna and Coralie recognized Tori. This guy is incredibly smart and organized. I think he caught on pretty fast.”

“And then took Junior and ran?” Eric asks. “Where to?”

“That’s what unsettles me,” I admit.

“You mean that he will go back into hiding?” Aurelia asks.

I look at her anxiously. “No, we took everything from him. His hideout, his business, even his sister; hisgem, his obsession. He is not going to hide and sit it out.”

“But what other options does he have?” Eric asks.

“I don’t know,” I say. “We need to make sure that Meg is constantly guarded and never alone, not even for a second. He is certainly plotting something.”

Eric brushes through his hair. “Fuck,” he curses.

“He is obsessed with Meg,” Aurelia says. “And he wants to get back at us. Arden is right, he is going to do something.”

“Arden, what do you think is going on in this psycho’s head now?” Eric asks. “You said he is very organized. Isn’t lashing out the opposite of it?”

“Not necessarily,” I say. “He has nothing to lose anymore, but he certainly has a few more cards up his sleeve. From what I know and from what I can predict, he is the type of person who would rather die than have us catch him and imprison him. He is also not going down quietly.”

“Coralie said that his last words were towards Meg,” Aurelia points out. “Something about coming back for her. I don’t think he meant coming back here.”

“Sounds like it,” Eric says. “It was probably a warning for her. Goddess,” he groans.

“I will call Nox,” Aurelia says. “He needs to know to watch out.”

She steps to the side to call her beta while Eric and I continue to discuss our options. The first trackers are returning, telling us they were able to follow Night’s footsteps up to a road where he had parked another car. Then, the traces disappear.

I hate how cunning this guy is. He has not just one but several backup plans.

I gaze at my phone, noticing that Gustave has sent me several messages. My heart sinks instantly. “Fuck,” I curse.

Eric spins around to look at me. “What?”

“Gustave,” I mutter while already pressing the call button. “Something happened.”

I start pacing around again, waiting for my call to go through. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long for Gustave to answer.

“Arden,” Gustave blurts out, not even greeting me. “Fuck! I’m so sorry! It’s your brother. He isn’t here.”

I freeze. “What do you mean?”

“He was here at the start of the mission until Aurelia found the girls, then he excused himself to go to the bathroom. He didn’t return.”

“Is he maybe somewhere else in the building?” I ask against better judgment, just clinging to the hope. “He knew Léna was safe, so maybe he went to his room to wait for her call?”

“I sent someone to check,” Gustave hurries to explain. “But they didn’t find him. Arden, maybe I’m making a big deal out of nothing. I… I don’t want to upset you, but I needed to tell you. I don’t know where he is. I have searched everywhere. Then I got scared he followed you, but it doesn’t sound like he is with you.”

“No, he isn’t here,” I say blandly. “Thank you, Gustave. I…I know exactly where he is.”

Eric stares at me, waiting for me to put my phone aside before taking a deep breath. “We ran out of luck again, didn’t we? Bad news?”

“It’s my stupid brother,” I groan. “Why did he have to do that? Damn it!” I punch the wall next to me. “I should have seen it coming. He was way too compliant when he offered to stay behind.”