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Finn shrugs helplessly. “Honestly, I am curious as hell. There is no denying it.”

“Couldn’t you have called your brother and asked?” Dave asks curiously. “Would have saved us some headaches here.”

Somehow Finn finds his suggestion merely amusing, chuckling slightly. “Yeah, right. Calling Liam to ask for details about his mate. And date. Fantastic idea.”

“So,” Ella turns to look at me. “Your turn, girl. I am dying to know.”

I nod, grabbing my coffee and taking a sip before telling them about my evening. Well, not everything. I don’t tell them anything too private. In between, Dave asks questions about mating and marking and alike. He doesn’t know any details, and we never really talked about it because neither Ella nor I had found our mates before.

But now we are both ready to answer all his questions.

There is not that much to tell for now, though. Liam and I didn’t mate or mark each other yet, and part of me feels really relieved to have found such a respectful mate. Ella seems to be relieved too. I only noticed now that she probably was a bit worried for me. Finn, on the other hand, doesn’t seem too surprised. I assume he knows his brother well.

“Say, Finn,” I turn to look at him. “As Lycans, can you use the mind-link before marking someone?” I ask curiously.

He nods. “Yes, we can do that. I guess. Otherwise, Liam wouldn’t have let you come back here on your own.” He coughs a bit. “We tend to… be slightly protective and easily worried. More so than regular werewolves. He might believe that being with him makes you a target.” There is a pause before he chuckles a bit. “One time, my mother had to travel together with our Gamma, alone. Should have seen my father. His nerves were very thin. We were all tip-toeing around him. It was like walking on eggshells. Gladly his Betas know how to handle him.”

I throw a short sympathetic gaze at Anders. “Seems to be a common pattern,” I say.

Anders laughs slightly.

“I can’t believe he just accepted that I am his mate,” I admit.

Finn looks at me in surprise while Ella and Dave exchange a short look. “Why? Were you worried he would reject you?”

“He is a Lycan, a Lycan prince,” I explained warily. I don’t need to come forward with all my doubts and insecurities, so I try to keep it more general. “And I am just a normal wolf. Very normal. An Omega.”

Finn looks at me for a moment. I almost think he’ll inquire further, but then something flashes in his eyes. “Liam should be thankful he found his mate in you,” he grumbles. “And I know he is. He has been looking for his mate since he turned 18.”

“Sorry for being awkward,” I sigh.

Ella takes my hand. “Annie, you are fine the way you are. Or was there a second he gave you the feeling you weren’t?”

I shake my head.

“See,” she smiles brightly at me.

I know she is right. Rationally, I know. But emotionally, I don’t. It takes more than to have found my mate to shake all my insecurities off.

Finn checks his phone for something before he pushes it towards me. “Here,” he says.

I am surprised to see he received a message from Liam last night.Thank you for allowing me to join you tonight.

He sent it far after midnight. I don’t know Liam well yet, but I know that the fact he wrote Finn so late, thanking him even, means more than everything else. I smile carefully. “Thank you, Finn.”

Finn nods. “See, no reason to feel inferior. Liam’s just a normal man.”

Dave grins. “Yes, very normal.”

“Tell me more about him,” I inquire.

Finn blinks. “There is not much to tell,” he muses.

Great, never ask a sibling for their opinion, especially a brother.

“I honestly thought he would mark Annie immediately,” Ella points out thoughtfully.

“Liam has a very high moral compass,” Finn explains. To my surprise, he sounds proud. “He will never do something you don’t like. Well… as long as he has his wolf under control. If Fenris gets too impatient, he might get a bit more insistent. Depending on how your own wolf reacts to him, though.”