Page 177 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

“Goddess, Vincent,” I groan. “Unsettle me now and tell me! If it’s so urgent, I can’t believe Nox didn’t tell me yet.”

“It’s all still a secret,” Vincent admits. “Only the Luna and Alpha, and I know.” He pauses. “Okay, I will tell you, but if your dad gets mad at me for telling you and worrying you, you are going to protect him from kicking my ass.”

“Vince!”

“The twins are missing,” he blurts out. “Fuck, Aurelia. They were visiting Liam’s pack, and it seems like Beta Dante’s niece… she was being followed. From what we know Felix and Dario tried to escape with her. We are still looking for them.”

I don’t know what to say. Cold dread is filling me, and I’m unable to do or say anything. My two little brothers! Potentially hurt with their whereabouts unknown. They don’t have their lycans yet. Like Vander didn’t have his, which is the reason he didn’t survive being shot.

Oh fuck!

“Aurelia,” Vincent begs. “Talk to me.” There is rustling on the other side, and I can hear Vincent talking to someone.

“Aurelia?” Mom’s voice suddenly reaches me, waking me up from my spiraling thoughts successfully.

“Mom!” I blurt out. “What… Felix and Dario! Goddess, I need to come home immediately. I need to help. Tell me what I can do?”

“Sweetheart, they are alive. I know it. I can feel it. Your father, Liam, and I are doing everything to find them.” She pauses. “In no way will I let anyone take one of my children from me,” she says, and for a split second her voice sounds dark and angry before softening again. “Believe me. We are doing everything.” There are more voices in the background. “I have to hang up now, Aurelia. There is a new lead.”

“Mom,” I beg. “Keep me updated.”

“Of course. I will tell you immediately once I have news,” she reassures me before hanging up.

I am not reassured at all, though. It’s like my heart just froze in ice-cold fear.

Arden returns right at that moment, eyeing me in worry. “Aurelia, did something happen? I could feel it through our bond.”

“No,” I mutter. He didn’t need my worries now. He has enough of his own. I try to keep my emotions in check. “It’s just…”

“Don’t do that,” he begs. “I can feel something is wrong.

“I don’t want to burden you with my worries when you have so many of your own,” I admit.

“You said it yourself. We are a package deal,” Arden says. “Tell me, please. It’s not a competition, and your pain matters, too.”

“My twin brothers got attacked and are missing,” I mutter, recoiling at my own words. Saying them aloud just made it so much more real.

“What?” Arden gasps. “Goddess, Aurelia, that’s horrible!” He hurries to me and pulls me into his arms. “Can we do anything? Do you have any details? If there is a way for me to help, then I will do anything I can.”

“Mom said they have a new lead,” I say, trying to convince myself. “Seems like I can only trust them for now.”

Arden seems to look right through my fake confidence because he just hugs me tighter. “I refuse to believe that the Goddess would take another brother from us,” he says quietly.

“How is that logical?” I dare him.

“I know I’m not being rational right now,” he says. “But I’ve learned over the last couple of weeks that not everything can be rationalized. And I want to have hope that your brothers are safe and have faith in your mother’s words.”

His words are weirdly soothing to me. They don’t chase my worries away completely, but they lessen my panic. Dario and Felix are my little brothers, and they have always been particularly close to me because they are closer in age to me than I am to our three older brothers. In a household full of alpha pups, it was always refreshing to have these two around. They tend to see things lighter and aren’t that serious.

Dario is very smart. He is probably our very own little prodigy, while Felix is very athletic and can adapt to new situations fast. “I want to have faith too,” I tell Arden. “Not just in my parents, but also in my brothers.”

Chapter fifty-seven

Goodbye

*ARDEN*

Irummage through Eric’s cupboards, trying to find the pan I’m looking for. “Tell me once more,” Eric says, his gaze following each of my moves. “What exactly do you need my kitchen for?”