The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 67

<A Best Friend Knows

A Best Friend Knows

*Ella***

I cannot believe how sneaky Freya has just been!

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I am annoyed, but also low-key impressed with the cunning way she had just gone about that.

I was well and truly, utterly busted.

She is staring at me expectantly, her nostrils flaring a little in baited silence. She is definitely quite

aggravated.

“Well….I’m not sure where to begin,” I reply nervously.

“You can begin by telling me exactly how long you have been feeling like this!” Freya demands

loudly, her eyes looking exceptionally fierce. I exhale sharply and look down at my feet.

“Technically…I have felt something truly strange and unusual, since the winter formal,” I begin with

a wince, causing Freya to look at me with even more annoyance, “BUT…I didn’t figure out what was actually going on between us until you guys had already left here at the end of term.”

Freya makes a confused expression.

“I don’t get it. Why did you not just say something to him earlier today once we were all back? I mean this is exactly what you have BOTH wanted! Isn’t it?” Freya asks emotionally. I understand her frustration right now but I just hope she can also try to understand my perspective in all this.

“Please don’t be angry with me, Freya. It’s not as simple for me as it is for a Lycan. It’s a lot. It’s not the case of just being like ‘oh hey, this is the man you’re bonded to for LIFE, aren’t you lucky’, it is also ‘this guy also comes with a job title, and limited choices”,” I reply sadly, “I’ve needed time to think. I’m only just seventeen years old and my life has already changed a ridiculous amount in only four months. I can’t make that kind of LIFE decision that easily; because I am not Lycan.”

Freya sighs and looks pensive for a moment before her expression softens considerably.

“Austin figured out you were his mate, just after you came back from your date. He has been so

patient and he has given you a lot of respect and space. He so badly wanted to know how you

were doing after your birthday and he has asked me about you almost daily, ever since. I didn’t

believe him for a long time and Ollie hasn’t particularly believed him either, but he has been right all along! He remained steadfast in what he knew in his heart and he still gave you space to figure

yourself out, despite how badly he wanted to tell you what he felt he knew to be true. But on Saturday, Ella, YOU won’t be able to deny it any longer. Once he comes of age on Friday at

midnight…it’s going to hit you both so hard,” she says carefully, “and then at his party, my brother

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A Best Friend Knows

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the alpha is going to declare himself to his mate and he deserves a proper answer. To be blunt, he deserves you.”

od in acknowledgement of Freya’s emotional explanation, but I then look at her anxiously.

“I know, it’s only going to feel worse and worse until I talk to him. But Freya, there is a lot more to all this than you likely know. More than your Grandfather knew, and it’s only added a huge amount

extra pressure on me since I found out,” I say, finally looking at Freya in the eye. I tell her everything my parents had told me, about the talisman, my birth mother, the beginning of the Golden Lycans pack, and the supposed approaching darkness. But, Freya doesn’t seem at all surprised by most of

what I have just said, in fact she nods knowingly, much to my surprise.

“I realised the day after we met with my grandfather, that he hadn’t been totally forthcoming with

some information, so I went back to him the next day and demanded he tell me. Despite making

clear that a bond could indeed exist between the two of you and likely did, he forbade me to say anything. I really wanted to say something, but I couldn’t. Keeping this all from Austin has been rub bish. But we have clear, strict social rules about not interfering with mate bonds. They cannot be coerced or encouraged. They have to happen organically,” she adds, sighing loudly and looking thoroughly depressed about the whole thing.

“I’m sorry, and now I know he’s had a really tough holiday period, I now feel even worse about it. It’s just…I’m only just seventeen, Freya. I’ve barely had any driving lessons and your moon goddess wants me to be Austin’s mate for life and your pack’s future Luna? It’s…a lot. I mean I wanted to study medicine. I wanted to help people and make a difference…” I trail off.

Freya raises her eyebrows and looks at me like I am mad before she promptly laughs out loud.

“Ella, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t do what you want to do. Every pack has a pack doctor, we have three of them. Every pack also needs sources of income. Particularly these days,

it’s very normal for Lunas to have a paying job. The cost of living is so high, especially around here,

and it’s impossible to keep packs running without the higher earners and definitely without women

working as well. Times have really changed compared to what you’ve read about in the dusty old

books from the library. Ella, you can lice whatever life you want… within location, of course…”

I contemplate her words, particularly after I realised earlier, where I’d got my outdated information

from.

“Speaking of this ‘approaching darkness’, I should probably tell you about why Will came to Exton,” I

say quietly, raising my eyebrows a little defensively. Freya’s eyes flash brightly for a moment.

“OHHH! Oh! Well this has got to be good, SPILL. I knew he was up to no good!” Freya growls with anger, her eyes glowing bright green momentarily. I tell her all the details of Will’s confession to me and Freya looks pissed.

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“How the HELL can you still trust him? HE’S BEEN IN CAHOOTS WITH THE SCUM WHO DESTROYED FERN LAKE!” she exclaims, her anger palpable in the air around me.

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“Freya..once again, it’s not that simple. I know he is good. Trust me, we can trust him. I cannot

explain it but I can just sense it within him. He is a good man. Your grandfather trusted him and bec

ause he did, Will was there to save my life on Christmas eve when I got attacked by a group of

rogues in Regents Park,” I say in Will’s defense. Freya shakes her head angrily.

“No. No. Nope. He’s after you romantically that’s for sure, or he’s attracted to the fact you’re a faerie, which is a very real thing, I might add!” Freya says, still looking pissed off. She briefly

explains her grandfather’s idea about alphas being drawn to me for the potential of increased

power, including how the theory fits with Cassian’s strange behaviour, but I shake my head.

“No he doesn’t care about the fact I am a faerie. Admittedly…he did tell me that he is in love with

me, but trust me, if anything he’s been trying to push me away from him and encouraging me

toward Austin,” I explain, sighing. Freya looks confused for a moment and then makes a disgusted

face.

“Wait… WHAT? Pushing you away from him?” she exclaims awkwardly. I sigh, because I can see

where my verbal slip up is going. I decide to come clean.

“Will and I may have had a couple of…moments,” I admit quietly. I look at her sheepishly while her

expression turns to one of horror.

“Oh my god, I knew something was up! I knew it!” she says looking at me in disgust, “what sort of m

oments?”

I nervously scratch the back of my neck as I reply.

“He kissed me the day of the full moon, and…….well, I did kiss him back. We had spent so much

time together and he’d been so kind and helpful while Aus had ignored me for so long…plus I was trying so hard to not feel anything for Aus anymore. But, strangely enough, it was actually Will

kissing me that made me realise what was happening between Austin and I. The physical pain I felt in my chest, was extraordinary, like my body was strongly telling me how wrong it was,” I

explain. Freya is still looking at me like I am a little nuts, but I continue.

“He stayed with us over Christmas because he saved me from the attack. I was literally pinned to the ground and about to be killed and suddenly he was there and he saved me. I got quite drunk on Christmas day…and then I tried to kiss him and he wouldn’t let me. He didn’t want to while I was drunk…because he’s a good guy. The next day I asked him to teach me fire magic in case I got attacked again and he was quite against it, because it turns out it can be more than a bit of an aphrodisiac of sorts…he tried to warn me about it but I didn’t listen. It also happened to be the day he came of age, and then one thing then led to another…” I describe, avoiding eye contact with

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Freya as I trail off at the end.

Freya gasps.

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“Oh my god…did you lose your virginity to him?” she asks quietly, her expression looking hurt, most likely for the potential emotional backlash on Austin if this were true. My eyes go wide at this suggestion, though.

“Oh…No! No, no, no, we just kissed and it was him who stopped it after a few minutes…and that’s

when he told me that I belonged only to Austin. Aside from kissing me twice he’s actually been pretty honourable when he really could’ve been the opposite. Honestly Freya, the effect of the fire

magic…it was mental, and I just cannot describe it. If Will hadn’t stopped us…I would have happily,

one hundred percent lost my virginity to Will, on the sofa in my living room at home. It was that

intense,” I reply with a huff..

Freya sits there a little speechless, taking in this new information, her expression one of mild

disgust.

“Look Freya, I was more than a little up in my head. I hated the idea that I’m being puppeted by some higher power, following a script that’s already been written. I think at the time I just wanted

to do something that I decided to do, not something that had been decided and predestined for

1. I wanted some control and I wanted to feel like I could make my own choices. Being fuelled by

the intense side effects of the fire magic, really didn’t help,” I’shrug.

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