Page 20 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess
“Yes, not that I would have liked you less if you weren’t able to dance,” she says. “But it’s cool that you can.”
Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see Eric and Valerie moving over the dance floor, too. Eric grabs her around her waist and lifts her up slightly, twirling her around and continuing his perfect dance steps. He is a pro… at dancing and at romance. I can definitely learn a thing or two from him.
Eventually, he and Valerie approach us and greet me. Eric squeezes my shoulder while Val gives me a swift hug. “You and your date are looking fantastic,” she says.
“You too,” I say before clearing my throat. “Allow me to introduce my date. This is Coralie. She is from my pack. She is the gamma’s niece.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Eric says, surprised. He looks at her with a polite smile, but I can see a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
“It’s not important to me,” Coralie tells him. “It’s not like I am in line for a rank.” She turns to look at me with a smile. “Arden and I met outside of the pack.”
I nod at her words. At the same time, Vander and Léna join us, and he introduces her to them. Léna is nervous to meet Eric, but he wouldn’t be Eric if he couldn’t diffuse any tense situation. Eventually, Leila and Beta Emilien join us, also. I don’t know either of them much, although Emilien is Eric’s beta, and his most trusted subordinate and friend. He is a quiet and serious man, a stark contrast to Eric himself.
Up close, Leila is even more of a dazzling beauty, and both Coralie and Léna are completely in awe of her.
“I think you haven’t met, officially,” Eric says. “This is Lady Leila. She is Valerie’s and my guest and a valuable member of the Council.” He gestures towards me. “This is Arden, the young man I told you about.”
“Oh, the young genius, am I right?” Leila asks. She shakes my hand and smiles at me. At first glance, I thought she might be more distanced, but she is surprisingly warm and friendly.
“It’s an honor to meet you,” I say. “But I am not a genius.”
“Eric said you would react like that.” She chuckles. “He also told me not to believe you when you say that, and that you are an incredible lycan.”
Her praise makes me flustered but also happy that Eric thinks that highly of me, and inside, Cato swells with pride. It’s rare for him to react that way, so Leila’s words must truly have struck something in him.
Before Eric can introduce Vander and our dates, Leila’s expression changes. It’s almost like a mask drops down, and her whole face is dead serious. Her eyes turn over until we can only see the white of them. Her lips tremble, and she seems to mutter something. She sways slightly, so Beta Emilien hastily takes one of her arms and Eric the other.
It only lasts for a couple of seconds, then she is back to normal. She turns to Eric. “We need to talk,” she says.
“You saw something?” he asks.
“I certainly did, but I am not sure what it was. I do think it’s one of the girls, though, one of the omegas…”
“One of the girls?” I ask thoughtfully. “You mean the missing cases?” Eric told me only a few days ago that omega wolves seem to be disappearing. He wants me to work on this case. It’s only a handful of them, but we are not the only country that’s been faced with missing omegas. It seems like Alpha Elden has reported something similar across the continent. “Do you need help?”
Eric smiles at me. “Thank you, Arden, but I want you to enjoy your evening. Leila and I will just talk briefly to discuss what she saw.”
True to his words, he and Leila disappear, leaving the rest of us behind. Valerie joins us shortly before walking over to some other guests.
“Omegas are going missing?” Léna asks.
“We don’t know for sure what happened,” I tell her. “It’s currently being investigated.”
“It’s horrible,” she mutters.
“Yes,” I say, quietly. “It really is. We don’t even know what’s happening with them.”
“You are not an omega,” Coralie tells her. “You don’t need to worry.”
“But, I do worry,” Léna says, “I have friends who are omegas.”
“Arden is a genius,” Vander tells her, a hint of pride in his voice when he looks at me. “He was chosen to help with this case.”
“That makes me feel better,” Léna says. “I know you are very smart.”
“Every life, every rank matters,” I say. “I will make sure to put my all into this.”
Léna indeed looks relieved and nods, and soon Vander successfully lifts her mood again, by pulling her back to our table to grab something to eat. Coralie takes my arm, swaying slightly.
