The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 91

Ready, Atlas?

*Ella***

+25 Pointe

I wake, fully aware that it is now morning due to the sunlight I can feel, streaming in through the window. I’d had a very restful night’s sleep, despite the intense events of the night before.

I don’t want to open my eyes just yet and I really didn’t want to have to get up and get on with the

day.

Sometimes….Sundays needed to be for laying in bed.

“Ella!” I hear Freya call loudly from the other side of the room.

“I’m still asleep, leave me be,” I joke groggily, still not opening my eyes.

“Come on honey, its ten o’clock in the morning,” says a somewhat familiar voice with an edge of

amusement.

My eyes snap open. I turn over to see both Freya and Dana standing there, watching me with thinly

veiled impatience.

I sit up immediately, blinking.

“Mrs. Landry?” I ask, confused. Then, a more urgent thought crashes into me, and my eyes widen.

“Wait-what happened? Is everything okay? Is Austin okay?”

Dana smiles, holding up her hands in a calming gesture.

“Relax, honey. Everything’s fine,” she assures me-before her gaze flickers over me, and her expression shifts,. “more than fine, it seems.”

She perches herself on the edge of my bed, looking entirely too comfortable.

Freya, meanwhile, runs a brush through her hair as she explains, “Dad’s putting Austin through some kind of test-some weird ‘heir protocol’ thing. No clue. I don’t have to do it, so I don’t care. Mum tagged along because she wanted to see what you did to the greenhouse.”

Before I can react to that, Dana clears her throat.

“I know you have your own mother for these things, Ella, but…” She hesitates just a beat too long before continuing, “last night-did you and Austin complete your bond?”

I blink, caught entirely off guard. That is an incredibly personal question from someone who is, for

all intents and purposes, a near stranger. Then again, Lycans seem to have their own way of doing things.

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“No,” I answer bluntly, “I am not sure why you’re asking.”

Dana’s gaze drops slightly-to my left. Her expression shifts again. I follow her line of sight, suddenly feeling self-conscious, until I realize what she’s looking at.

Oh.

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“Ohhh,” I say slowly, my fingers going to the tender, slightly raised skin on my neck, where Austin’s canines had pressed deep, “right. Austin… marked me.”

The memory floods back in vivid detail as I scramble out of bed, making a beeline for the mirror.

I smile, for staring back at me is a small crescent moon-shaped scar, nestled beside an equally small sun-shaped one. There’s a bit of dried blood left over, but I rub it away with a wet finger.

Freya steps up beside me, taking a look before making a face.

“I just… I struggle to picture my brother sinking his teeth into anyone.”

“Well, marking without mating is unusual,” Dana comments, standing, “but then again, you two aren’t exactly conventional.”

She smooths down her clothes before adding, “I was going to suggest meeting with our pack

doctor for birth control-”

I nearly choke.

“-Birth control? Wow. Okay. Nope. Not necessary right now, but… uh, thanks for the concern?” My ears burn, and I resist the urge to disappear into the floor.

Freya rolls her eyes.

“Mum, why don’t you go grab yourself a coffee?”

Dana sighs, giving me one last knowing look.

“Alright, alright. I can take a hint.”

With a dramatic little tut, she heads for the door and disappears down the hall.

The second she’s gone, I flop backward onto my bed with a groan.

Lycans.

“Oh my god, that was so awkward!” I groan, as Freya practically doubles over with laughter.

“It’s hilarious!” she wheezes.

“No, it’s not!” I shoot back, “I don’t know how casually Lycans discuss these things, but that is not a

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conversation I’d even have with my own mum unless I was absolutely desperate-let alone with my …my….” I trail off, suddenly realising the dilemma of defining whatever Austin and I actually are.

“guess he’s kind of my boyfriend?”

Freya smirks.

“That was painful to listen to. Say it with confidence next time.”

I roll my eyes, but she’s still grinning.

“To be fair,” she continues, “that’s definitely up there with one of the cringiest things/my mum has ever said. Another prime moment was when she handed Austin a pack of condoms right before we left for school three years ago. He’d barely been blended with Atlas for five weeks-he was so indignant that he didn’t need them!” She snickers, “poor things have probably been long expired by

now.”

I sit up sharply.

“Wait-are you saying Aus is a virgin?”

Freya gives me a look, like I should have definitely figured this out already.

“Uh… yeah? Have you guys not talked about this?”

I blink, caught completely off guard.

“I just assumed… I mean, with Ava, I thought maybe they had….” My voice drifts off as my brain rewinds to last night in the greenhouse. Austin had seemed very sure of his actions. He had known exactly what he was doing, and definitely knew his way around… “I mean, he really seemed to know what he was doing last night…”

Freya groans.

“Firstly, ew. I do not need to hear about my brother’s ‘skills,’ thank you. Secondly, he and Ava were strictly ‘above the covers’ until a confirmed mate bond. Mutual decision, not just him.”

I get up and start pulling on some clothes, still mulling over what I’d just learned. I’d assumed there

had been something in his past, even if he hadn’t gone all the way. There’s no way last night was

just… beginner’s luck, right?

“I wonder where-” I start, then pause, tilting my head slightly. A strange sensation washes over

me, like an unshakable knowing. I don’t think-I just know where Austin is.

Freya narrows her eyes.

“Els? You good?”

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“I… I feel like I already know where he is. But how is that possible?” My voice is slow, as if saying it aloud will make it make more sense.

“Oh, that’s part of the effects of being marked,” Freya explains casually, “although, it’s kind of weird that you can sense him, when you can’t mark him.”

I frown.

“I don’t remember reading that anywhere. So I’m basically… lo-jacked? Like he can track me wherever I go?”

Freya shrugs. “Pretty much.”

“Wow. No trust in the Lycan world, huh?” I tease.

“It’s not about trust, it’s about protection. Phones don’t exist in nature, silly!” she giggles.

I shake my head but grab my shoes. “Either way, I should go find him. I want to make sure he’s

okay.”

Freya tilts her head, amused.

“Why wouldn’t he be? He’s the happiest he’s ever been, and now he’s even marked his mate.”

I pause at that, a small smile tugging at my lips before I shake my head.

“Well… I did kind of zap him with a lot of energy last night. Like, so much that I literally passed out

right after.”

Freya stops laughing.

“You passed out?”

“Yup. Right after he marked me. There was this insane rush of magic-out of nowhere-and I had

to channel it somewhere. It was way too much for me.”

I hesitate, voice quieter now.

“Honestly… I’m starting to worry about what could happen if we did complete our bond.”

Freya looks thoughtful for a moment before nodding slowly.

“It does sound like it’s getting stronger. How do you feel right now?”

“Fine. Normal. Until I get close to him or he kisses me or-“I wave a hand vaguely, “then it just bubbles up all over again.”

Freya gives me a knowing look, but I ignore it, lacing up my shoes.

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“Anyway, let’s go find my delicious mate.”

“ELLA!” Freya yelps.

“Sorry, not sorry!”

+25 Points

***Austin***

-Knock knock-

My eyes snap open at the sound of someone knocking on the bedroom door.

“Whoosat?” Ollie mumbles sleepily from across the room, his voice muffled by his pillow.

I groan, kicking the covers off and dragging myself out of bed. Yanking on a pair of jogging bottoms, I shuffle toward the door, still half-asleep. When I swing it open, I blink in surprise at the last person I expected to see.

“Dad?” I rub my eyes, checking my watch.

“It’s seven in the morning. On a Sunday. What are you doing here?”

“Get dressed and meet me in the sports hall,” he instructs, sharp as ever. His gaze shifts past me, landing on Ollie, who’s barely managing to lift his head.

“Ollie was supposed to tell you about this.” His tone is pointed as he shoots Ollie a look, then turns

on his heel and walks off.

I sigh, shutting the door behind him.

“What the hell is he doing here, now?” I ask, looking at Ollie expectantly.

Ollie groans, rubbing his face.

“Ohhh… right.” He sits up groggily, stretching, “yeah, he’s running some kind of test on you. Speed, agility, all that stuff. You just had your first moon since turning eighteen-it’s time to see how you measure up.”

I narrow my eyes at him.

“Must’ve slipped your mind to mention that?”

Ollie winces.

“Sorry, Aus, that’s not like me. I’ve just had… other things on my mind.”

I smirk knowingly as I pull on a T-shirt.

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“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” I grab my trainers, glancing over at him, “look, Ollie, it’s not gonna get any better if you just ignore it. I know you and Freya are sick of hearing it from Ella and me, but you two really need to sit down and talk. Whatever it is.”

Ollie’s jaw tightens.

“It’s not that simple, Aus,” he mutters, irritation creeping into his tone, “it’s complicated. You

wouldn’t understand.”

I pause, lacing up my shoes. Ollie wasn’t usually one for complicated when it came to girls.

Whatever was happening between him and Freya-it was definitely something.

“Fine,” I say, standing up, “but I want to talk about this later. Properly.”

He doesn’t answer right away, just stares off, deep in thought.

I shake my head, pulling the door open.

“Think about it,” I call back before heading out.

I shove open the sports hall doors, my eyes immediately locking onto my father standing dead center, flanked by his ever-loyal beta, Stephen, along with Elon and two newer gammas whose names I don’t remember.

“So, I hear I’m being tested?” I announce, my voice loud, carrying across the room with deliberate bluntness. My gaze flickers to the obstacle course sprawled out like a battlefield.

“It’s pack protocol, Aus,” Dad replies, tone as crisp as ever, “you’ve had your first full moon after turning eighteen. Your alpha blood has settled, so now it’s time to see how you measure up.”

He gestures toward the maze of physical challenges like it’s some grand rite of passage.

I fold my arms, raising a brow.