The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 45

< Lether Work With Him

+25 Points

Let her Work With Him

*Freya***

I burst into my Grandfather’s office for the third time in as many days.

“WHY is Will Leighton-Carter here?” I demand angrily, putting both hands down on his desk, looking

him straight in the eyes.

He doesn’t flinch, he simply gestures toward the chair opposite him impassively. He has grown a

little too used to female alpha outbursts over the years, it seems.

“Rephrase, please,” he says politely. I breathe.

“You asked me not to say anything about our history of a wolf and faerie bonding…but we suddenly have the third heir to the country’s largest and most powerful pack downstairs, and he’s already spent most of his first morning here with Ella. He also knows what she is. This cannot be a

coincidence!”

My grandfather seems unusually surprised by this news.

“That is interesting. The fact he knows…but also the fact he has come all the way here. I heard he had transferred, but I did not know why. Being an alpha and also warlock hybrid may mean he could be drawn to her because of her power, but also subconsciously…because it is within all alphas to seek power. Looking for any advantage to increase our ability to protect our pack, sometimes even subconsciously, they may do this without even knowing they are doing it.”

I make a face.

“The same thing as Cassian? He was so forward and possessive towards her that she ended up breaking his nose in a combat class,” I reveal with a short laugh.

My grandfather laughs a big belly laugh himself for a moment at that news and nods.

“It is hard to say for sure as the Fae have been gone for so long. There isn’t much written about them, so I can only hypothesise. But…I wonder if she has any effect on you as an alpha,” he contemplates. I was a bit taken aback by his question. I certainly had no romantic interest in Ella at all, despite Mira’s fluid view of the world. But, I do consider his question for a moment.

“I mean…I immediately felt quite fond of her when she started, but I have only ever wanted to prote ct her. Actually…I’ve been fiercely protective. Right now, I feel like that means keeping her away from Will. He’s apparently ‘helping’ her with her abilities,” I muse. My grandfather contemplates things for a minute or two himself.

“Perhaps…you are in fact subconsciously looking out for your potential future Luna? Who knows.

MON

27

|||

O

୮

11/5

<Lether Work With Him

+25 Pointé

Follow your instincts, always, sweet girl. Keep an eye out, but you need to let her work with him, he says much to my annoyance, “the sooner Ella is in touch with her true self, the better.”

***Ella***

I take a deep breath, steadying myself as I extend an upright palm toward another long-decayed plant. My magic bristles like heat beneath my skin, eager and restless. It had been ready for this even before I left the hall, anticipating the chance to try again.

Focusing intently, I fix my gaze on the withered stems, willing life back into them. I picture them lush and vibrant, alive once more. Without Will’s help, the process is slower than it had been with the roses, but bit by bit, the transformation begins. The brittle stalks stretch upward, deepening

a rich

green, their leaves unfurling in a slow, fluid motion, shortly joined by elegant buds.

A gasp escapes me-I had done this. On my own and so soon. A rush of exhilaration swells in my chest, a wild, undeniable sense of purpose taking root within me. Landry had said the Fae were deeply connected to nature… and now, I could feel it in my bones.

The moment lingers like a held breath. Wonder curls through me, fierce and golden, not just for the magic itself, but for what it means. If I could do this-truly do this-then what else might be possible? What boundaries could I break, what long-forgotten things could I restore? There is no end to what I want to learn, no limit to how far I want to go. I don’t just want to revive this greenhouse-I want to master this gift, to become someone who can shape the world with it. Not for glory, not even for recognition, but for the quiet, aching joy of doing something that matters. Reaching out, I brush my fingers against one of the buds. The moment my skin makes contact, it bursts open, unfolding in an instant as though caught in a time-lapse. A happy laugh escapes my lips, pure and unrestrained, as I take in the sight before me-delicate pink lilies, impossibly perfect, proof of what had been long hidden within me.

Rising to my feet, I scan the greenhouse, its quiet sorrow evident in the remnants of lifeless plants surrounding me. But where others might see only decay, I see potential. This place was drowning in death and sadness, and I was going to change that.

I was going to bring it all back to life.

***Freya***

Through the window, the sky is painted in warm hues of red and orange as the sun begins its slow descent. The sight stirs a familiar thought-could this be a reflection of Ella’s mood?

MON

27

Ն

2/5

O

<Lether Work With Him

With no clouds in sight, had she finally found clarity?

Was she happy? And if so, what had brought her that happiness?

+25 Pointe

I wrestle with the decision that’s been weighing on me-whether to tell Aus everything, despite the rules we had set. I had been ignoring his countless messages, avoiding the inevitable, but maybe it

was time to stop.

As far as I knew, Ella hadn’t spoken to him since the night of the dance. And with Will lurking at the edges of all of this, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

I had to do something.

Me: meet me in the greenhouse asap

Austin: the old greenhouse?? That’s random. Why?

Me: please just do it. I’ll be there in five.

Five minutes later, I push open the greenhouse doors, flipping on the lights. Ella must have left it unlocked. The bulbs flicker for a moment before steadying, casting a dim glow over the space.

Surrounded by withered leaves, brittle branches, and lifeless stems, two vibrant spots of color stand out-a single red rose and a pot of delicate pink lilies.

“What the-?” Austin says from behind me. He comes in and stands next to me, looking all around

the place.

“This place looks dreadful. Why have you summoned me here, Freya?” he asks curiously.

“Sit down Aus, I need to tell you about Ella,” I sigh. His eyes light up and widen at this, and he eagerly takes a seat on the bench.

“Freya, I have really wanted to talk to her, but Atlas is absolutely against it for some reason. How is she?” he asks, looking concerned. I sigh again.

“Well, the mystery of what she is has been solved,” I begin, folding my arms. “Ella is a Faerie. That necklace she always wore? Turns out it was a centuries-old talisman, enchanted to conceal her true nature. She’s the last living faerie-the rest supposedly went extinct six hundred years ago. That necklace had been protecting her bloodline for generations… until it finally stopped working

the other night.”

Austin stares at me, thick brows furrowed, his mind clearly working through the weight of my

words.

“How did she find out?” he asks after a beat.

MON

27

Ն

3/5

O

< Lether Work With Him

+25 Pointo

“She didn’t,” I say. “Our grandfather did. I think he’d suspected for a while-he made a few

comments that hinted at it-but once a pair of wings appeared on her back, well… that pretty much

confirmed it.”

Austin takes a slow breath in, biting his lip in thought. “And the necklace? Why did it burn her?”

I smirk, barely holding back a chuckle. “Apparently, talismans are designed with a built-in fail-safe- a clause, so to speak. If certain conditions are met, the magic stops working. Something triggered

that break the other night.”

His expression shifts as realization dawns, and I watch with satisfaction as confusion overtakes

him.

“You’re telling me…” he starts slowly, “that Ella and I dancing together-kissing-was enough to break a several-hundred-year-old spell?”

“That,” I say, holding his gaze with absolute seriousness, “is exactly what I’m telling you.”

“That’s…I mean I don’t understand the relevance of us doing that. She must’ve kissed a few other guys in the past? I kissed her on our date…why not then?”

“Eh…firstly…no I don’t think she ever had, Aus…I think you were the first,” I reply, biting my lip. He looks somewhat happy about that idea.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify