Page 161 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

“It’s Arden!” I blurt out. “Fuck, Eric… Eric, it’s Arden!”

I grab the wheel tighter and push the accelerator as much as I can. Take me to Arden fast. Get me to him! We speed onto the pack grounds like this, right towards the pack house.There are pack members and warriors running around; some fighting, some seeking shelter. It seems we were right, and Night gathered his whole support system to attack.

I halt the car. Eric and I both jump out of it. “Help them!” Eric commands the warriors who followed us.

They comply and throw themselves into the battle. It looks like the pack and its warriors are already getting the upper hand. My eyes are searching for my mate, Maxima’s panic surging me on further.

Emilien comes running towards us, he is covered in blood, but it’s his expression that strikes me. “Eric, Aurelia!”

“What happened?” I yell. “Where is Arden!?”

“Eric,” he mutters. “Fuck.”

Eric grabs his shoulders. “Take a deep breath. And talk to us. What happened?”

“It’s Vander. He… he got shot several times.”

Eric looks at him, and Emilien just shakes his head.

A couple of seconds drop by with Eric and me just standing there in utter disbelief. Slowly, Emilien’s words trickle in, and I feel my stomach sinking to depths I didn’t know it could sink to. I feel sick all of a sudden. Vander, the sweet and kind young guy, whose life got rooted upside down and who just found his footing again. He always was so polite to everyone and had a smile on his lips. And he loved Arden so much; he looked up to him. He had so many plans, with Léna, with Arden, and with his life. He was already planning on either coming with us to Silverlake or staying at the Council. He was starting to plan out his future, and he was always trying to be optimistic, even when he was sad.

I can’t believe it.

Arden’s little brother!

“Where is Arden?” I whisper.

“He was with him until Vander took his last breath, then he… he just lost control and ran into the forest,” Emilien mutters. “I wanted to go after him, but some of Night’s men attacked me.”

“Night?” Eric asks.

“He wasn’t among the attackers,” Emilien says. “But it doesn’t mean he isn’t here. Someone shot from a distance.”

“He is going after him,” I say, already tugging my clothes off my body.

“Who?” Emilien asks.

“Arden! He is going after Night,” I blurt out. “I’m sure he is. He either spotted him or put two and two together and knows he is behind the attack. We all knew Night was not going down silently.” I look at Eric, who just nods at me.

“Make sure to bring him home safely,” he says. “I will deal with everything else here.”

I shift to Maxima and allow her to take over completely. I block every other noise out, focusing on my bond to Arden and on his scent that still lingers in the air. Maxima pushes forward and dashes across the pack, following our mate’s trail into the forest.

It’s getting more and more obvious that Arden didn’t just run aimlessly. He had a goal. He must have spotted Night or sensed him. Maybe the loss, pain, and anger made his gift appear in full force. His strength is mental after all, and he was able to block out an alpha command. Maybe it goes the other way, too, and he can actually invade someone else’s mind.

I can barely focus on anything else but him, his safety and pain completely filling my mind. I can feel so much sorrow and fury through our bond that it makes my head spin.

His scent gets stronger with every step we make. Maxima is incredibly fast, so I’m not surprised we are able to catch up so soon. There is another scent, too, one that I only briefly caught when Tori was abducted before my eyes. Night hasalways covered his scent but didn’t do so when he came here to attack the pack. He probably didn’t have the time or the right equipment with him.

So, that’s how he smells; rotten through and through.

With a jump, Maxima crosses a river and makes it past a couple of bushes before halting abruptly. My eyes fall on my mate. Finally, I found him!

Night is kneeling on the ground, holding his head between his hands, screaming in pain, while Arden just stares at him. “Stop it,” Night begs.

“No,” Arden says coldly, watching how Night coils over.

Maxima and I don’t intervene. It’s his fight and not our place to stop him from doing what he needs to do. I don’t know for how long Arden tortures Night’s mind. I have lost track of time watching how Arden continues to stand there, emotionless to the eye, but I can feel the turmoil of his feelings.