The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 79

<IFeel Complete

I Feel Complete

*Freya***

I’m immensely relieved to see Annabelle already standing at the bar.

“How’s it going, AB? You and Will looked pretty cozy,” I say casually, latching onto the first

distraction that comes to mind as she takes her drink from the bartender.

She smiles coyly.

Claim

“You know, Freya, Ella was right about him-he’s totally genuine. An absolute gentleman, so lovely… plus, goddess, do I think he is hot.”

I sigh dramatically, rolling my eyes with exaggerated irony. “I guess I should probably cut the guy some slack. You can’t both be wrong.”

Annabelle throws an exaggerated nod my way, as if I should’ve realised this much sooner.

“Anyway… on the topic of people looking cozy,” she says, casually sipping her drink while glancing- not subtly at all-toward Ollie, “actually, scratch that, sister; that looked positively fiery rather than

cozy.”

My cheeks burn instantly, and I avoid her gaze.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, far too haughtily, “he was just getting me away from

Ella so Aus could move in.”

Annabelle arches a perfectly sculpted brow.

“Oh, Freya. Come on. I couldn’t help but notice the way you two were at Christmas. Something has changed. Yes, you’ve always talked to each other like you’re brothers, coz you’ve all basically grown up together like siblings. But trust me, he definitely doesn’t see you as his friend’s little sister anymore. And let’s be honest, you cannot deny he’s not that nerdy-looking little kid anymore. Not

even close.”

I tap my fingers on the bar, anxiety creeping up my spine. Annabelle’s sharp gaze softens, as if

sensing my inner turmoil. My rubbish façade crumbles, and I drop my head slightly.

“I don’t really know what happened at Christmas,” I admit, “but it’s weird. I mean, it’s Ollie… and yet, I have been looking at him a little differently lately. And then tonight… the way he was just holding me, that wasn’t how you dance with your best friend’s younger sister.”

Annabelle smirks knowingly.

“Good goddess, Freya, he’s clearly been eyeing you up for months. I’m amazed you haven’t noticed

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Clary

but I guess you’ve been a little fixated on Aus lately. Plus, dealing with all of Ella’s weird faerie/

stuff.”

My stomach twists. First Ella, now Annabelle.

Had I really missed something so obvious?

I clear my throat.

“Yeah, well… he comes of age in two weeks, so… whatever. None of this matters. He’ll find his mate, and I’ll go back to being the alpha she-wolf other guys are afraid to even make eye contact with,” I say, feigning indifference, “it’ll be great when I’m seventeen and Austin has left for Uni. Even though most of them are terrified of alpha she-wolves anyway.”

Annabelle outright laughs, shaking her head.

“Oh my. I haven’t heard that before!”

I scowl, and she grins wickedly.

“What if, Freya…what if dear Ollie is your mate? How would you feel about that? Because there is a man who would embrace the alpha in you, not run screaming from it. He’d handle Mira…”

My heart stops, her words striking me as my mind touches on what I’d just felt in my chest on the dancefloor, a feeling that Ella had described all too well…

“Ha ha,” I say stiffly, reaching for a subject change like a lifeline, “I wonder how it’s going with Aus

and Ella?”

Annabelle eyes me with pure amusement but humors me.

“Oh, sure, let’s change the subject completely,” she says, rolling her eyes, “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me what was going on with them. That was big news, and you kept that from me of all

people.”

“Believe me, I wanted to, but you know the rules. I couldn’t interfere. They needed to figure it out on their own. I was worried when Ella was hanging around Will so much, but at least it all worked out.”

Ironically, as the words leave my mouth, a sudden commotion stirs near the doors.

We both turn just in time to see Austin and Ella walking back in, hand in hand.

My heart swells as the sight of Austin smiling. Genuinely smiling. It’s the biggest, most unguarded

grin I’ve seen on him in months.

Relief floods through me. I guess my brother was still in there after all.

He just needed his mate to coax him out.

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Claim

***Ella***

I can’t help but feel self-conscious as Austin proudly leads me back to the dance floor, the weight of countless eyes trailing after us like shadows. Moments ago, he had formally introduced me to his parents-as his mate-and the stunned look on his father’s face had been utterly priceless. Honestly, it bordered on hilarious, knowing the man still believed I was human. He could think that for the rest of the evening, for all I cared. Let him stew in confusion while the truth shimmered just

beneath the surface.

What struck me most wasn’t the reaction-it was Austin. The way he held his head high. The way he looked at me, unashamed and unshaken. There was something unmistakably different about him tonight. A new kind of gravity. A quiet authority that wasn’t there before. His posture, his presence… it was as though the moment he came of age, something inside him clicked into place

And I knew. Whether it was the shift, or me, or simply the power of this bond now solidified between us-I knew he had changed.

The attention around us buzzes in the air like static, thick with speculation, with envy, with awe. But Austin doesn’t seem to notice. Or maybe… he just doesn’t care. His focus is locked entirely on me. As if I’m the only one in the room. As if I’ve always been the only one.

We reach the dance floor, and without a word, he slips his arms around my waist, pulling me close. My hands find his shoulders instinctively, my fingers brushing the fabric of his shirt before sliding up to rest at the back of his neck. The heat of him seeps into my skin, warm and grounding, like sunlight through glass.

The moment our bodies align, my magic flares-unbidden, electric. I suck in a breath as power pulses through my hands, singing through my veins. It’s not volatile, not uncontrollable… but it’s there. Alive. Thrumming beneath the surface, just like the bond between us.

Ever since we’d spoken the words-accepted each other completely-it’s like something within me had broken open. A dam shattering. A gate unlocking. A surge of heat and energy had roared through my core, lighting up every nerve ending in my body. And now, it lingers.

Always ready.

Always there.

He senses it. I see it in the glint of his eyes as he watches me, his gaze dipping to my lips for just a second longer than necessary. His smile is soft-reverent, almost-as though he still can’t quite believe I’m real. It’s the same look he gave me on the bridge that day, when everything between us

had first shifted into something deeper.

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