The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 104

Another Realm?

***Freya***

I yawn and stretch, feeling oddly relaxed after letting Mira run wild with Artemis for hours last night. Their deep affection for each other was undeniable, and it only made me feel worse about how awkward things still were with Ollie.

It was hard to imagine reaching that same level of connection, but since I still had several months before turning seventeen, I told myself there was time-time to adjust, to ease into it. But the apprehension lingered, ever-present in the back of my mind.

Swinging my legs out of bed, I immediately notice Ella’s bed is empty. The duvet is half-off, the pillow lying on the floor near the window-which is cracked open.

I sigh loudly.

“Ohh… not again,” I mutter, crossing the room. Peering out, I spot her curled up on the flat roof, blonde hair covering her face.

“Ella!” I call sharply.

She stirs, blinking groggily. As the realisation sets in, she looks at me sheepishly.

“Ella, it’s baltic. You should come in and warm up,” I say, exasperated.

A few moments later, she climbs back inside, rubbing her arms for warmth.

“Why are you back to sleeping on the roof?” I ask, grabbing fresh tights from my drawer.

“I was there again,” she says, sitting on the edge of her bed and rubbing her eyes.

“The place you think is real?” I pull my shirt on, glancing at her.

“Yeah. It was more real this time. I know it’s real now-I actually went somewhere this time. A little stone village. And you’ll never guess what I saw,” Her expression is serious.

I tug my jumper over my head.

“A mermaid?” I tease.

Ella scowls. “No… there was a bloody big wisteria tree in the centre of the village. Just like the one I grew in the greenhouse.”

I pause, sitting on my bed.

“You thought the wisteria was a doorway… do you think it leads to this place?”

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Ella nods, eyes bright with excitement.

“Yeah. I just don’t know how to open it. But it’s definitely important.”

Claim

Fifteen minutes later, we make our way down the corridor toward breakfast.

“You seem better today. Better than yesterday, at least,” I.remark, glancing at Ella.

She exhales, her expression thoughtful.

“Yeah. I think, on top of everything else lately, it was just a lot to process at first. But now… I’ve accepted that things are the way they are, and I can’t change that. He might be my biological father, but he’s not my dad. And as far as I’m concerned, I’m nothing like him. Aside from sharing some DNA, there’s no connection.”

“Right on. Glad you’re moving forward,” I say with a small smile.

We step into the dining hall, and, as has been happening more and more frequently, my senses immediately shift-drawn, as if by instinct, toward where Ollie is sitting with Austin.

As if sensing my gaze, he looks up. The moment his eyes meet mine, he smiles, and a warm, pleasant feeling spreads through my chest.

“You know, we could just go sit with them,” Ella murmurs, leaning in toward my ear.

“What? No. That wouldn’t be fair on AB.”

Ella raises an eyebrow. “You mean the same AB who’s currently sitting next to Will?” she teases.

Following her gaze, I spot Annabelle-completely captivated, a cereal spoon halfway to her mouth as she listens intently to whatever Will is saying.

“…I guess it couldn’t hurt,” I admit with a shrug.

Ella grins victoriously and steers me toward the guys’ table.

Austin immediately stands as we approach, ever the gentleman. His eyes brighten as he strides around the table to meet Ella, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in the crook of her neck. I watch as he inhales deeply over her mark, his grip tightening slightly.

“I missed you yesterday,” he murmurs, voice thick with emotion.

Ella leans back, searching his face.

Feeling like they needed a moment, I take a seat opposite Ollie, trying not to let my awkwardness

show.

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Claim

“I really enjoyed our run last night,” Ollie says warmly, his fingers brushing lightly over the back of

my hand.

Rod, smiling.

“Mira and Artemis are so happy, which… makes me happy,” I reply, though my voice comes out

oddly stiff.

It frustrates me-this lingering hesitation, this inability to just be with Ollie the way I know I should.

His gaze softens, as if he senses my inner turmoil, but he doesn’t push.

“I’m going to go grab some breakfast.”

***Will***

“…and that is why I am never going skiing again,” I conclude, shaking my head as Annabelle sits

beside me at breakfast.

She giggles, eyes filled with amusement.

“But… you’re so tall and strong. I don’t get how you’d be bad at it.”

I smirk, shrugging.

“I can’t be good at everything.”

I had just finished recounting the time I’d spectacularly skied off a simple blue run at thirteen, breaking both my legs in the process. Being a time before I’d be blended, it was good old-fashioned hospital care for me, at the time.

“Who borders a ski run with orange plastic tape anyway? Should’ve been a proper fence,” I mutter.

Annabelle laughs, shaking her head. But then, her tone shifts.

“You don’t talk much about your childhood.”

My smile fades. I exhale slowly, knowing she’s right, but not quite ready to unpack it all.

“Trust me, breaking my legs was the good part. I got a few weeks in the hospital. A welcome break

from… everyone else.”

Her expression softens.

“I know it’s painful, but… I need to know you.”

I pause, caught by the word need.

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For a moment, I study her aura. Still… nothing.

sigh, dragging a hand through my hair. “You will,” I promise. “I just… want to make sure that version of me is a distant memory before I do.”

Annabelle wrinkles her nose, frowning. “Will… I didn’t have an easy time either. Being an omega wasn’t exactly fun. But no matter how painful things were, they shaped who I am now.”

She leans in, resting her head against my shoulder.

“Your pain doesn’t have to stay pain,” she continues, her voice gentle but sure.

Claim

“It can be something else-something valuable. You wouldn’t let anyone else go through what you did, just like I never stand by when younger omegas are treated poorly. What makes us different shouldn’t be seen as something bad. And maybe, one day, we can change that.”

Her warmth seeps into me, her words settling somewhere deep. I wonder if I could ever be that person for someone else-the way Erebus had been for me, once.

Except… without the rapid descent into darkness.

“When did you get so wise?” I murmur, pressing a tender kiss to her head.

***Ella***

After breakfast, I pull Austin toward the greenhouse, knowing we have about fifteen minutes

before class.

“Ella, don’t get me wrong-I’m game… but we do have class soon,” he murmurs in my ear as I push

open the doors.

“That’s not why I brought you here, Aus,” I reply, though I wish it were.

But first, I need to tell him about my dream.

I march straight to the far end, stopping in front of the tree. I gesture up toward it, my excitement

bubbling over.

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