The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 44

<What is HE Doing here?

What is HE Doing here?

Austin***

+25 Points

The hair on the back of my neck bristles as I visually see that this morning’s whisperings are indeed true. I hadn’t wanted to believe them, but there he was; someone whose family often graced the society pages in one of the Lycan publications. But he had been inexplicably absent in recent years.

Oh dear, it IS true. What is HE doing here? Atlas says bluntly.

I really don’t know, but he’s bad news, I reply.

“Oh! Well if it isn’t little Austin Landry,” Will says with a smirk as I sadly have to walk past the table

he is sitting at in order to collect my lunch. I stop and turn around as he stands up, but it is now my turn to smirk as I stand at least a good two inches taller.

“Little?” I ask a little smugly, cocking an eyebrow at him.

“Well, it was about time you grew up and filled out. You might finally look somewhat like an heir after all,” he says deliberately, looking me up and down. Clearly he was still the same angry jerk I’d met a few years ago. I just hoped he wasn’t as dangerous and unstable as he was back then.

“What would you know about being a true alpha? Tell me, Will, how does it feel, being third in line for your pack?” I ask angrily, squaring up to him with my jaw clenched.

“I’ll take being third in line, in the strongest and largest pack, over third pack overall,” Will says, his eyes narrowed. I growl a little in response as we begin a bit of a stare-off in the hall.

“Guys, really?” I hear Freya say loudly in a disapproving voice from the side of me. I glance toward her and back off from Will, taking a deep breath and mustering control over myself once again.

“Wow, whipped by your little sister much? Or is it because you still don’t let your geriatric alpha out of his cage?” Will asks bluntly. I growl low in my throat at his cheap jab at Atlas.

“Still a giant jerk I see; how about you put a sock in it, Will,” Freya says stiffly, throwing him a dirty look before heading over to her usual table with Annabelle and Ella. I shoot another scowl at Will before finally collecting my lunch.

“Who is that guy?” Ollie asks, when I finally sit down with him and the other guys.

“You don’t recognise him? That…is the youngest alpha of the Leighton-Carter family of Dalston Lake,” I reply, earning an expression of surprise from Ollie. It is now that I realise I have picked up entirely the wrong sandwich. I sigh, opening it anyway.

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< What is HE Doing here?

“You’re kidding? Here? How do you know him? Also, how is it that he brings out the rare appearance of Alpha Aus over anyone else?” Ollie asks, looking over at Will.

+25 Points

“The annual summit dad took Freya and I to a couple of years back. I actually tried to help him with something he was finding difficult, but he was a total d**k about it. No clue why he’s here instead of Howardian. Maybe he got kicked out. Wouldn’t surprise me with what he did at the summit,”

mutter, glancing back toward him. Quite a few people were greeting him and chatting to him, and

he seemed friendly, bordering on charming towards them.

I knew better.

“Any news on Ella and her freaky appendages from Freya?” Ollie casually asks. My heart sinks, as I look over at Ella, who was actually looking happy, and remarkably she looks the most relaxed I’d seen her in a long time. I badly wanted to go to her and see how she was doing after the events of Saturday. Perhaps some clarity about herself had been exactly what she needed.

Patience, Atlas growls.

I’ve BEEN patient Atlas, this is just getting harder and harder! I exclaim inwardly.

She needs time, and you need to give her space. I can promise you that, Atlas says.

What aren’t you telling me? I shoot back.

Atlas doesn’t respond, and I let out yet another growl of frustration, causing Ollie’s brows to rise in surprise. Atlas could be so infuriating sometimes. I feel so agitated right now and that is highly unusual for me. Going for a quick shift after lunch would probably help me to cool off.

“Nope, I have heard nothing. Freya has ignored my text messages, and Atlas is being… Atlas,” I reply

sullenly.

“Ha, so…he’s being super cryptic and unhelpful?” Ollie asks.

“Right on point. I feel like he has had a hunch about what she is, and he knows more than he is

telling me.”

I reply before taking a mouthful of my sandwich. It is unsatisfying when it’s a filling I don’t care for. Today is not going well.

“Freya is single, isn’t she?” Ollie randomly asks. I make a face and look at him strangely, wondering how this day could get any worse and weirder.

“As far as I know…why?” I ask curiously. Ollie shrugs his shoulders a little awkwardly.

“I just never see her with any guys. It’s kinda weird. She’s an alpha after all,” he says, looking over at her, “but then she is related to you, so…”

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< What is HE Doing here?

I chuckle at his lame attempt at a joke.

+25 Points

Pongt

“She said the other week that guys are put off by her being my younger sister,” I reply, feeling a little guilty about that, “I don’t think she’s kissed anyone either. But…that is not my fault, I have never acted in a way that should make anyone afraid of me.”

Ollie makes a strange expression, indicating he isn’t quite on board with my perspective.

“Yeah, I can see that. You’re more passive than aggressive a lot of the time, but you are more than

a little intimidating to people who don’t know you like I do,” Ollie shrug. I put my sandwich down

and look at Ollie.

“Wait, you think I’m intimidating?” I find that idea absurd. I thought I was quite approachable. Ollie jokingly flinches dramatically at this, and I playfully punch his shoulder and laugh.

“Of course not. I know you, Aus, but you keep your head down and focus hard on things, so people don’t know you the same way our little hoops group does. It’s not like your dad has ever allowed you much time to do much else aside from your physical training and play ball with us. So. to many you’re this tall, bushy-browed alpha who they can’t read, coz you’re so level-headed. But that’s actually one of your best alpha qualities. I give you shit for it, but it’s what sets you apart from the

others.”

“Oh, thanks Ol, that’s actually reassuring,” I reply. It is nice to hear Ollie applaud that aspect of myself for a change, rather than make fun of it.

“Plus…thanks to my excellent training regimen, you finally look like you would probably shove someone’s head through a wall at a moment’s notice if they were to ever hurt Freya,” Ollie now says casually, scraping up the last remains of his jacket potato.

“Oh,” I reply bluntly, looking at Ollie in surprise, “well that assessment is a little horrifying to me. That makes me feel even worse for Freya. Although Mira is very feisty and a lot to handle, I think I’d be the least of any guy’s worries,” I laugh.

***Ella***

I had watched Austin and Will’s turbulent interaction curiously from my seat at the table.

How did they know each other, and why did they appear to really dislike each other?

“So…any idea who the dark-haired, purple-eyed hottie is?” Annabelle asks me just as Freya takes her seat with her lunch tray. Freya sighs and rolls her eyes.

“THAT, is Will Leighton-Carter,” she says, sounding irritated, before I can answer.

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<What is HE Doing here?

Annabelle’s eyebrows shoot upwards.

“Wait, as in-”

+25 Point

“Yep. As in Leighton-Carter of the Dalston Lake pack,” Freya sighs, sticking her fork into her jacket

potato.

“Wow…how come he isn’t at Howardian Park? You’d think he’d be going there, surely?” Annabelle asks. Freya shrugs, but she was now looking at me awkwardly. I was a little interested in Will’s background; he hadn’t mentioned any of it today, aside from being a hybrid. Freya opens her

mouth,

“He’s-”

“A hybrid. Half alpha wolf, half warlock, he transferred here and started at Exton this morning,” I finish casually, looking at Freya with a little shrug. She frowns immediately.

“You’ve already met him?” she asks, looking concerned, Scratch concerned, she didn’t look very happy to hear this at all.

“Uh…yeah. He joined my chem class…and then he kinda…followed me to the greenhouse during my free period,” I add, looking down at my plate awkwardly and pushing the pasta around. Freya puts her own fork down heavily.

“What? What did he want?” Freya asks, now sounding apprehensive. I was suddenly feeling a little ashamed by how I’d spent my free period, as if there was a reason for me to avoid Will, although I wasn’t sure why I should feel ashamed. I had no idea what beef Freya and Austin seemed to have with him, but that wasn’t really my problem, particularly when Will had only been helpful toward me,

thus far.

“Well…he somehow knew I was Fae, and he said he could help me to…you know, tap into whatever I can do,” I say quietly, avoiding Freya’s eye contact.

“You really need to be careful with him, Ella,” Freya warns sternly, “Aus and I met him at a summit two years ago that we went to along with our father. He was there with his older brothers and his father. He was so unstable, unpredictable, and so angry at everyone. He did not get on with Aus especially. Probably because he was jealous of his ability to have complete control over his wolf while he had none. He couldn’t shift properly at all. His magic was also so underdeveloped and he just couldn’t control it. He ended up accidentally hurting someone.”

I look over at Will, chatting animatedly with someone on a table not too far from Austin’s.

“That’s the opposite impression he gave me today. A lot can change in two years. My own life has changed dramatically in less than three months,” I say in Will’s defense.

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