Page 52 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

I feel almost bad for some of my father’s men; not all of them were bad. They had no power to resist the alpha.

“Come, Arden.” Eric nudges me gently. “I think it’s enough for today. Let’s return to your team and see how they are doing.”

He pays for the both of us before I follow him back to my office. “Zoé already looks up to Aurelia,” I say.

Eric chuckles. “I am not surprised. And Gustave?”

“He seems to be more curious about how I ended up with her.”

“He is looking up to you,” Eric says.

I laugh. “No way, he is!”

“You are nothing like he expected you to be,” Eric says. “He constantly tries to get your approval. If you don’t believe me, Emilien and Leila said the same.”

“It’s a bit difficult for me to see his good sides,” I admit.

“And no one blames you for that,” Eric reassures me before opening the door to my office. Aurelia is currently presenting the last couple of folders, so we arrived just in time. I listen to her for a while, noting how well-prepared she is and how she truly wants to find these kidnapped omegas. Her dedication impresses me. My earlier dark thoughts and my heavy talk with Eric are completely forgotten when I look at her and see the determination in her eyes.

Chapter seventeen

Gemstones

*ARDEN*

We wrap up the meeting with me promising to go through the folders and all the information again. I feel like we are missing something, but I’m not sure what it is. A detail that keeps clinging to my mind, but I can’t put my finger on it yet. The next step would be for one or two of us to question the orphanage.

It’s a task none of us truly wants to do because it leads us to the world of humans, to their reality, and we’d need to be cunning. I’m not made out for that. Zoé is too young, and Gustave too insecure. I still want to do it because someone has to, but Aurelia offers to do that task.

“I don’t mind,” she says. “I have a lot of contact with humans and am used to hiding who I am.”

“I can join her,” Leila offers. “I think together we’ll make them spill everything.” A smirk curls her lips, while she grabs the folder I put together about the orphanage. “The director is a man, isn’t he?”

“You don’t need to do that,” Emilien points out. “I mean, do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.”

“I’m not doing anything.” She chuckles. “It’s not like I’m going to bed with this guy. I just feel that if Aurelia and I inquire about Meg, then we’ll be more successful.”

“Leila isn’t wrong,” Eric says.

“You guys here are the geniuses and brilliant minds,” Leila tells us.

“But Leila and I aren’t,” Aurelia ends. “I personally am more suited for practical work.”

“Me too,” Leila admits. “Everyone just underestimates me because I’m pretty.” When Zoé gapes at her, she chuckles. “What, little one, there is a place to be humble and modest, but this isn’t it.”

“I agree,” I say. “Leila has spent years in survival mode, and Aurelia is going to become alpha. Both of them work well in stressful situations.”

“I think there was a more subtle way to say this,” Leila says, amused, ignoring the curious gazes Gustave and Zoé send her. “But essentially, it’s true.”

“I still don’t think—” Emilien starts.

Leila pats his knee gently. “I know. But I have an alpha to watch out for me.”

Aurelia chuckles. “Anything for my cousin… or however we are related.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll watch out for each other,” Leila tells him once more.

“Aren’t you concerned?” Gustave whispers to me.