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Vander stares at me. “...No, forget it, I can’t.” He looks completely flustered. “It’s too weird.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” I say.

“Goddess,” he groans. “Why can’t you push me?”

“Why would I?” I blink. “You either want to talk or you don’t.”

“I’m thinking about sleeping with Léna,” he blurts out.

“Okay,” I say. “And? What’s the problem? Does she want it too?”

“We almost went all the way last time,” he admits. “And she later said she wants to try to go further next time.”

“Good,” I say, still not sure where the problem lies. “Think about protection,” I continue. “And remember, even if she thinks she is ready, she might not be. So don’t push her and don’t push yourself.”

Vander looks at me expectantly before groaning. “Arden! You should tell me not to do it.”

“Then don’t do it!”

My brother looks seriously frustrated, making me more and more confused.Do you know what he is getting so upset about?I ask my lycan.

I don’t need to have Cato project an image, because one glance at him tells me he has already mentally checked out of that conversation. I’m on my own.

I take a deep breath. “I can’t read your mind, Vander.”

“You are supposed to judge me or talk me out of it,” Vander says. “I’m only sixteen, and I should wait for my mate, like you did.”

“You make me sound more noble than I am. Waiting for my mate wasn’t a conscious decision,” I say. “You know more than anyone else that I was an outcast ever since the accident. I didn’t have a choice, because girls I liked wouldn’t even look at me. And the one that did was actually out for my nonexistent rank. I don’t know what I would have done if I had a cute girlfriend I loved at your age. Once I turned eighteen, I decided to wait because I hoped I would find my mate soon. It was just a convenient decision. So, I’m not judging you. If you want to have sex with Léna, and she wants, too, I see nothing wrong with it. Just use protection.”

Vander looks at me for a while, and I almost think he is still upset. “Okay,” he mutters. “That helped, thank you. I hope I won’t look like an idiot, though, because I have no idea what I am doing.”

“Is that truly something you are worrying about?”

He blinks. “You don’t?”

“Not really,” I say. Actually, it never really crossed my mind. Besides, Aurelia has experience, so even if I happen to be completely clueless, she will for sure tell me if I’m going wrong somewhere. Worst-case scenario, I will have learned something from a scientific perspective. I don’t tell that to Vander, though; something tells me he would get annoyed again.

“You know,” Vander mutters. “You are a bit weird sometimes, but in a good way.”

“Says the basketball champion,” I retort.

“It’s not like you were any better!” he exclaims.

I grin. “Let’s settle the score next time.”

With that, we make it downstairs to the entrance hall, where we are supposed to meet with the others. The girls wanted us tomeet them there. It seems like they want to have a big entrance. They even ensured Léna joined them in time so that she could come with them. Val is the only one who will need to make a separate appearance, with Eric.

At the hall, Lion, Nox, and Terry are already waiting, and I notice they all made an effort to look good. Terry already told us he would come with a green blazer because he wants to match with Marilou. Nox is wearing a turtleneck and black jeans but has added some accessories to look fancier, while Lion is wearing a dark red suit, which looks surprisingly good on him.

“Guys,” Terry grins. “We look good. I can’t wait for the girls. I bet Marilou looks the best.”

“Oh?” Vander raises his brows. “Léna will clearly look the best.”

“You meant to say Aurelia,” I say.

“Yeah, yeah,” Nox snorts. “You guys just show off with your women.”

Lion hasn’t said anything so far, but now his eyes widen. “Beautiful,” he mutters.