The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 75

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She’s Here

**Ella***

In the corridor that leads toward the atrium we see Annabelle up ahead, a vision herself in an off the shoulder, emerald green, satin dress.

“Wowzers, you look absolutely amazing AB, Freya says, giving her a twirl. We come to the end of the corridor where the separate residential wings merge, and I spot Will, waiting and looking pretty damn dapper in his tux. He looks around and his eyes fall on me, first, going wide in surprise.

You look absolutely incredible. Go get him!

I hear Will say in my head. I shoot him a warm smile and mouth a ‘thank you’, gesturing with my head towards Annabelle. He turns his keen attention to her as we stop by him and he holds his arm

out for her.

“May I escort you?” he asks politely. She looks made up and a little shy, but warmly takes his arm before he turns to lead her down the stairs.

“Will? What the hell?” Freya whispers as Annabelle disappears from sight.

“Please, just trust me,” I reply reassuringly.

We get to the top of the stairs and I feel my heart pound so much harder when I look down, my eyes finally falling onto Austin.

My mouth goes dry and I start breathing deeper and faster at the sight of him. He looks like a younger but much hotter version of James Bond in his navy tux and gold pocket square. The suit fitted him perfectly. His unruly hair now carefully coiffed, shiny navy shoes…he looked so good, but he didn’t really look like the Austin that I knew. Stood either side of him is his dad and Ollie.

“Who knew Ollie scrubbed up that well?” Freya mutters next to me in a breathy way. I smile at her comment, hoping that Freya might chance a dance with Ollie tonight. I take a deep breath as we

descend the staircase.

***Austin***

“Thank you so much for coming, we are very glad you could attend,” I say politely, nodding toward the alpha from the Thetford Forest pack. I take the hands of his two daughters in turn, kissing the backs of their hands dutifully, even though it’s an antiquated notion.

They were gorgeous. All these young women were; but none of them were anything like Ella. All I

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could hope for them was that it would still be an enjoyable evening for them.

“Thank you, it is a pleasure to be here. Oh I do enjoy these sorts of events,” the apha replied.

“As do I. It’s the most proper thing we can do in our human form,” my dad agrees.

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“I feel that-” I begin, but stop as my breath hitches suddenly as I feel her approach. I clear my throat and dutifully focus myself, casting my eyes slowly up the staircase as Ella and Freya step carefully

down toward us.

I hear a low growl from Ollie next to me as my eyes lock into Ella’s, as she and Freya descend the stairs, somehow looking more beautiful than she had at the winter formal. I hear my heart thundering in my own chest and hers too as she and Freya step down in front of us.

Atlas is growling approvingly in my head and despite the noise around us, an air of calm descends on me as I look intently into Ella’s beautiful eyes.

My gaze shifts to her bare neck momentarily and I swallow hard, fighting the immensely strong impulse to grab her and nuzzle her right then and there.

To me, all there is at this moment is the two of us.

She slowly presents her hand to me and I take it, the familiar warm tingles shooting to my core like electricity from our connected hands. I bring the back of her hand up to my lips, giving it a soft kiss, still maintaining eye contact. It is taking immense mental effort to stop myself, right now, because all I want to do is kiss her, hold her and so much more…

It is one hundred percent her. In case you had somehow started to doubt it, Atlas jokes.

She is OURS, I knew it. I knew she was special from the day we first met and now I know WHY!

I release her hand.

“We will see you both inside,” dad says politely, none the wiser to what has just transpired inside of

Freya and Ella move past us and into the dining hall. I look at the next set of people to greet and am surprised to see Annabelle accompanied by Will, of all people.

“Will Leighton-Carter, what a surprise,” dad says, shaking his hand.

“Thank you very much sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you once again,” Will says politely, as Annabelle, rather humerously, refuses to give me her hand.

“Is that my SON?” comes an authoritative and gruff voice from behind us all.

I turn around and see Sebastian Leighton-Carter, arguably the most powerful man in the building,

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striding forward in a black dinner jacket, one burly young man in his wake who I recognised as his heir, Marcus.

“Father?” Will says in surprise, looking shocked and uncomfortable.

“It’s been two years, my son. I heard you’d transferred, but I couldn’t think why you would leave Howardian Park,” he says gruffly, bringing Will into an awkward hug.

I bow at Sebastian before I speak.

“Welcome to Exton, Mr Leighton-Carter. Indeed, Will has become an asset to the school since the day he arrived. He has recently started a magical combat class, encouraging the education and broadening of his peers. He has also been an incredibly strong addition to our school border patrol,” I say politely, sensing that Will could do with a hand in this situation. I knew Will had become very important to Ella since he’d arrived, and of course I would have heard about magic based combat classes starting, even if Freya hadn’t told me about them just yesterday.

“Oh, is that right?” he replies, looking surprised but proud toward his youngest son.

“Well, a lot has changed since I was last home,” Will mutters, looking down at his feet awkwardly.

“Evidently,” Sebastian says, regarding Will with a conflicted expression.

He turns to my father.

“What a strapping heir you’ve got here eh?” he says.

“Very. He makes me proud, every day,” dad says, squeezing me on the shoulder.

It was a quarter to eight and it appeared that we’d greeted the last of the guests. Thankfully. I was thirsty, hungry, but above all I just wanted to go to Ella.

My father turns to me.

“Well?” he asks, clearly hoping for the answer I was about to give him.

“She’s here,” I reply with a short nod. His expression is jubilant, something I wasn’t used to seeing

from him.

“Excellent, I hope she’s from a fine pack,” he says, chuckling to himself and clapping me on the back once more before he disappears into the dining hall. I sigh heavily.

He’s going to be pissed when he finds out that our mate isn’t Lycan! I exclaim to Atlas.

Trust me Austin, your father is going to know the huge significance of this once he finds out WHAT

she is, Atlas replies.

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What do you mean? How could he know anything about the Fae? I ask.

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Because, Austin, the knowledge of how our pack REALLY began is eventually passed down to every

alpha…. Atlas explains.

Look up to your right… he adds.

I look up to my right and could see nothing except for the giant painting of the Golden Lycan on the

staircase.

The painting? I ask.

Precisely. Do you know WHO that is?

Supposedly the original Golden Lycan, our founder, I answer.

Yes…it is a painting of ME, Atlas growls proudly.

Are you serious? I ask, wondering if I’d heard him correctly.

Nine hundred years ago, yes. Nine hundred years it has been, and you are the first alpha I’ve been blended with since I became a wolf spirit, Atlas said.

The first? Why? I said.

Because now is the time for my return. Now, history repeats itself for the first time in nine hundred years. An alpha Lycan has once more been bonded to a faerie. THAT, Austin, is where our proud lineage began, Atlas explains.

Our pack is descended from a Lycan and a faerie? I ask in surprise.

Correct. Just imagine where our golden fur came from…does it remind you of anyone?

I am floored by this information.

Why did you not mention all of this MONTHS ago? I ask, slightly annoyed.

Indeed, I had my suspicions when I saw how fast she was, coupled with her unusual appearance. But I also needed to be SURE it was definitely a mate bond we were feeling, rather than your rampant teenage hormones. I have been hoping for this since the day you met her on her run. Finally, you are of age and your great destiny now awaits, Atlas replies.

I definitely think I’m going to need some time after this evening to process what youve just told me, but

what now? I ask.

We eat. We dance and then we claim our mate.

I take a deep breath in, turn and go into the dining hall.

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