Page 73 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

Tori was the one who suffered from a hangover yesterday. I remember Aurelia telling me about it. She looks fine today, albeit a bit quiet. I only know what Aurelia told me, so my mental notes about her friends aren’t really detailed, yet I make sure to briefly visit my memory palace. Tori: sweet, kind, talkative, bubbly. I’m not the most skilled in reading people, but she seems to be much more reserved than I would have expected.

I sit down next to Aurelia, instantly feeling at home by the way she puts her hand on my knee. “Allow me to introduce my two co-workers…and friends,” I say, not sure if that’s the right way to introduce them, but by the way Zoé beams and Gustave looks hopeful, I think it’s okay. “Zoé and Gustave. Zoé is an IT genius and is from my pack. Gustave is from an allied pack. We went to school together.”

“Come sit with us,” Tori offers, making room for Gustave to squeeze himself between her and Marilou, successfully pushingMarilou closer to Terry, so that she is almost sitting on his lap. “That’s why my sister is the best.” He grins.

“Another genius?” Lion asks Gustave. “Must be awesome to be good-looking and smart.”

I’m not sure if it’s a jab or not. Judging by the way Aurelia glares at him, I feel like it’s the first.

“Ignore him,” Nox says. “He sometimes can’t read the room.”

“Well, he isn’t the only one,” Gustave admits. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

Aurelia watches them chat before leaning towards me. “Is this really okay?” she whispers, subtly gesturing towards Gustave.

“Yes, I’m trying to move on from the past,” I answer quietly. “It’s not easy though.”

“Okay,” she says with a smile before kissing me softly.

For a while I just enjoy sitting next to Aurelia while listening to everyone talk. Normally, big groups make me nervous, but this time it doesn’t. They are all surprisingly pleasant to be around. Eric joins us, too, making the whole gathering even more lively. Eventually, my ears start to hurt as with every time I am with a lot of people.

I know it’s just in my head and not a real physical condition. I just get overstimulated, though it took me much longer this time than usual. I excuse myself for a moment, deciding to step out onto the balcony to catch some fresh air. The moment I am outside, I switch off my hearing aid, allowing the silence to settle in.

Cato projects Aurelia’s image in my mind, but even without doing so, my bond to her tells me she is close, so does her heavenly scent. She doesn’t say anything, just wraps her arms around me from behind, her touch adding to the comforting silence. We stay like that for a while before I switch on my hearing aid again and pull her into my arms.

“Were my people too much?” she asks.

“Not at all,” I reassure her. “Actually, it’s been a while since I was able to last that long. I like them.”

“Really?” She smiles. “That makes me happy, because they like you too.”

Aurelia wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me into a kiss. I press her against the balustrade while she opens her lips for my tongue to slip past them. I’ve kissed before, but nothing is like kissing her. It’s the tingles all around, the way her tongue battles for dominance, and how it spurs Cato on to engage in her game.

Only when we hear someone giggle behind us do we draw apart. A teenage girl gapes at us, giggles some more, and dashes away. “That’s our cue.” Aurelia chuckles.

“Yes, let’s go to the others before someone comes looking for us.”

She nods. “Or worse, until we have more spectators.”

Chapter twenty-three

The First Body

*ARDEN*

Another very short night comes to an end when the alarm goes off, waking Aurelia and me up. The gathering with her friends went on longer than anticipated. At one point, Gustave and Zoé went home, and Gustave stuck to his promise taking Zoé home. He hadn’t drunk any alcoholic beverages either, so I felt safe letting them go together.

It was fun, but it also meant Aurelia and I didn’t manage to spend a lot of time with each other alone.

While I’m brushing my teeth, Cato projects an image with Aurelia’s neck, marked.

I agree, buddy,I say.It’s almost funny that she is as much of a workaholic as I am.

Judging by his glare, he doesn’t find it funny.

She is diligent and a hard worker,I point out.Like a true alpha. And the kidnapped omegas are her top priority… well, and also mine.

Cato shows me an image of us freeing a group of omegas.