Page 55 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

I wiggle my brows at her. “Does the birthday kid get anything they want for that week?”

She smacks my arm and laughs. “You know it goes both ways?”

“I don’t mind.” I let go of the wheel for a moment, taking her hand and kissing it. “Tell me more about your friends,” I say when I realize the restaurant is coming closer.

“Of course. So, Nox is my beta.”

“He is the one with the dark hair and scar,” I verify. It makes sense; he stuck out the most and was very protective of Aurelia without giving me weird vibes. “And the blond guy?”

“That’s Lionel. We call him Lion. He is strong and a bit gruffly sometimes but very nice.” She pauses. “Listen, I won’t lie to you. He and I dated very briefly when we were fifteen. That was before he started to live in my pack. I never dated anyone in my pack.”

“I don’t hold it against you,” I reassure her, thinking of Coralie. “I dated someone, too. And unlike you, I wasn’t so smart to choose someone outside my pack.”

“I don’t mind that you have a history before me,” she says.

“We broke up shortly before you arrived,” I admit. “But it was just a fling. We both were waiting for our mates.”

“Listen,” she says. “You don’t need to explain yourself, Arden. I’m not a virgin either.”

Oh fuck, another point on my list that sticks out negatively. “But I am,” I say, deciding to get it over with and not lying to her.

She looks at me surprised.

“Does it matter?” I ask nervously.

“Not at all.” She squeezes my arm. “Actually, ever since I met you, I kind of wished I would have waited, too.”

Waiting for my mate wasn’t really a conscious decision. It’s just that no one wanted to date the bullied kid, well, aside from Coralie, and she had ulterior motives. “It’s not like I am such a noble person. It’s just that I wasn’t too popular,” I say evasively, deciding not to lie but also not to say it out loud.

“Our first time will be amazing,” Aurelia says, her voice carrying a seductive timbre that sends shivers down my spine. Yes, it will be! I can’t wait for her to be in my arms, to see her naked, and to touch her.

I clear my throat. “And the others?”

Aurelia smiles. “Jazz is Val’s best friend.”

I nod. “Valerie told me about her. She is a witch-werewolf hybrid and fated to another woman?”

“Yes, to the beta of her pack,” she explains. “Then, there are the twins, Tori and Terry.”

“Right, they looked like siblings,” I say, recalling the young man and woman.

“Tori is very sweet and kind. She sometimes talks before thinking, but she never means ill. She ranked omega. And Terry is also very kind. And head over heels for Marilou.”

“Marilou must be the one with the red hair?” I ask.

“Yes, she lives in my brother’s pack, together with Jazz. Her strong point is cooking. She is great at it and wants to have a career in it.” She smiles. “And you know Val already.”

“She is the best,” I say before inwardly biting down on my tongue. Cato shoots me an annoyed glance. “I mean, in a platonic sense.”

Aurelia grins. “Don’t worry, I agree.”

Thanks to Aurelia, I don’t have difficulties telling any of her friends apart and also have a bit of an inkling about their personalities. It makes it so much easier to interact with them. It helps that Aurelia, Eric, and Val are around, and as usual, Eric instantly keeps the talk running.

Once inside the restaurant and seated at our table, Tori eyes me curiously. “You are a prodigy, right? I’ve never met a smart person before.” When the others laugh, she clasps her forehead. “Oh shoot, I didn’t mean to say that the others aren’t smart.”

“Don’t worry,” Marilou reassures her. “We know what you meant.”

“Tori’s mouth works faster than her mind sometimes,” Terry jokes.