Page 43 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

Vander bumps into me only a moment later.

Right in front of us are Dad and Beta Jules, three warriors, and Aurelia.

“Alpha,” one of the men says. “This she-wolf came to our borders and told the guards she is from the Council.”

“He forgot to mention that I did, in fact, identify myself,” Aurelia says calmly. “I did not just waltz in here.”

Dad furrows his brows. “And what do you want here, girl?” he asks, annoyed.

I’ve heard enough and have certainly had enough time to collect myself from the shock, so I push past the warriors and towards Aurelia. Her lips tug into a smile when she sees me. “Isn’t it obvious?” she asks while looking at me, her smile growing. “I’m here to pick up my mate for a date,” she says while looking at me.

She is amazing. I’m starting to feel impressed by her fearlessness and her confidence. She knows her power and position in our world and isn’t afraid to use it. But, my idiot father has no idea who he is talking to because, as usual, he doesn’t bother to ask any questions.

His mouth drops open after her last words, though, his eyes narrowing to a glare. “Who do you think you are to say you are mated to an alpha’s son!? If anything, I get to choose his mate, so he will get at least one thing right. It’s bad enough I have a useless cripple as my son.”

I growl at him for the first time, not remembering ever fighting back at him. It even makes me forget the shame I feel for how he talked about me in front of my mate. I don’t care what he says about me, but he will not threaten or insult my mate!

Before Dad can do anything, Aurelia laughs. “So that’s how it is?” she muses. “Not happening,” she continues. “You can whine and complain all you want. Arden and I are mates, and nothing is going to change that.”

My father is fuming. Behind him, I can see Vander scooting closer, but I toss him a gaze that hopefully will tell him he should stand back. The last thing I need is my brother getting in the crossfire of this here. “You heard her,” I say. “She is my mate. And we have accepted each other.”

We have not done that, yet, but there is no doubt in me that I will.

Aurelia looks at me, her eyes softening. “Yes,” she says, grabbing my face between her hands. I can feel her voice coming through. Never before have I been so thankful for being part of the Council. It means she and I can share a link without being part of the same pack, and without having accepted each other as mates.

I forgot to do it yesterday,Aurelia says.But I, Aurelia Alcott, accept you, Arden…

Shoal-Dupont

…Shoal-Dupont, my amazing prodigy, as my mate.

I gaze into her beautiful blue eyes.And I accept you, Aurelia Alcott, as my mate. My beautiful alpha.

I hear a growl next to us, pulling us out of our little lovey-dovey stare-off. Fortunately, my father has no idea what we just did, but me gazing at my mate like a lovesick pup proved to him that she is indeed my mate.

I can see surprise in his eyes, anger, and also resentment.

“Reject her,” he bellows, using his alpha command on me.

I feel my mind aching, my whole body shaking at his command trying to come through. Cato projects an image into my mind, and with trembling fingers, I do as he says, switching off my hearing aid. Silence engulfs me. My father’s still saying something while my mind searches for the information I need. Like flashbacks, I see them in front of me, everything I have ever read or heard of. It’s like a palace I built in my mind to never forget anything.

A palace only I can enter. I know it’s there somewhere. My fingers brush over the hundreds of book spines in my mind before I find it.

I read a book when I was a teen,I link Cato.I will project it for you. Do as it instructs.

It’s a book with a small collection of protective spells that the witches at the Council wrote. I was a teen back then and residedthere for them to check my loss of hearing. I was bored and read. And read. Everything I could find.

I can feel Cato’s doubt.

We are of alpha blood,I tell him.No matter what Dad says, we are still of alpha blood. We are strong enough to protect our minds. The silence will only block him out for a while before he uses the mind link on me.I pause.She is our mate. She won’t accept the rejection even if we try to. But do we want that? What kind of alpha are we if we don’t fight his command!

Cato growls, his eyes narrowed to slits, and there is new determination in his eyes. Aurelia and Maxima are everything to him, and he would never give up on them. I can feel his power enhancing while he focuses on the spell I’m showing him. It’s less a spell and more a meditation technique, helping ranked wolves keep a strong mind in tense situations. I focus on my mind, too, on Cato, Aurelia, and Maxima, a hint of her presence suddenly seeping into my mind.

A welcoming presence.

It helps Cato to focus further, step by step, building up a wall around our mind.

The spell is working,I mutter.