Page 173 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

“I’m so sorry I’m leaving you behind here,” Nox tells me. “I know my duty—”

“Your duty is with your mate for now,” I tell him. “Also, Vincent already asked about your whereabouts. I think he got bored and misses kicking your ass.”

Nox smiles at me.Thank you.

I hug my friends, and to my joy, even Meg reaches out for a hug, looking at me hopefully. I make sure to hug her gently. She is so sweet, I want to protect her by all means.

Arden is here, too, to say goodbye. “Thank you for all you did,” he says genuinely. “I’m so glad I met you all and can call you...” he swallows, “my family now.”

I wrap my arms around his middle, squeezing him, while he puts an arm around my shoulders. “We’ll see you in a couple of weeks,” I reassure them.

“Yeah, we’ll have Vander’s, Matthieu’s, and my belongings organized by then,” Arden says. He has recently stopped calling Matthieu his dad when he talks about him, and I think it helps him get some distance from him. At the same time, he has begun talking more about Vander again, which is a healthy development in Eric and my opinion.

We wait for our friends to get into the car and drive off before we make our way back into the building.

“Why don’t you join me for my talk with Gustave and Zoé?” Eric asks the two of us.

“You are finally going to tell them?” Arden asks in return.

“It’s about time, isn’t it?” Eric says with a smile.

“They deserve it so much. I want to see their reaction,” I say.

“Me too,” Arden agrees.

We make it to Eric’s office where Zoé and Gustave are already waiting for him. “Well,” Eric says while he offers all of us to sit down. “I will just come to the point. Arden and I talked about this a lot, and you know Arden will move soon. He will still work for the Council, but obviously, not here in Paris.” He looks at Arden. “I hope I can still rely on you.”

“Always, Eric,” Arden says promptly.

Eric smiles at him. “Well, as it is, I currently am left without a direct assistant. And I need one. You two have truly proven your skills. I want you to further polish and train them while working for me.”

I can see how the wheels in both their heads are turning before Gustave’s eyes snap wide open. “Wait… what… is this a real job offer?”

“For me too?” Zoé exclaims.

“Yes, you know what they say: never change a winning team. Arden shares my opinion and thinks you would be very well suited to work for the Council. I know you are still underage, Zoé, so we will make sure you don’t overwork and have time for an education, if you want to.”

“Really!? Can I go back to school?” she asks hopefully.

Eric smiles. “That’s the plan.”

“I am honored,” Gustave says. “Thank you so much. I will try not to disappoint you, Prince Eric. I know… I know I am not the first choice and that I can’t live up to Arden’s skills, but I will work hard to prove myself worthy. I’ve already begun training my memory palace.”

“You have already proven yourself and become more confident with your skills,” Eric says seriously. “I want you to stop comparing yourself to Arden and instead focus on whatyoucan do. That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. There always is.”

“You have this, Gustave,” Arden reassures him. “And if you guys need something, I’m just a phone call away. As Eric said, I’m still working for the Council.”

“Thank you,” Gustave says.

“So, you are in?” Eric asks.

“Of course!” he says promptly.

Zoé nods. “Me too.”

*ARDEN*

Eric discusses some more details with Gustave and Zoé before dissolving the meeting. Aurelia has some calls to make but promises to catch up with me over lunch.