The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 95

<Where were you?

Where were you?

*Austin**

+25 Pointá

I open the door, relieved to see Ollie sitting stone-faced on the sofa. I step through, shut the door, and take a seat opposite him. The silence is thick, and we sit in it for a full minute before I speak.

I’m still furious, but I need to level myself first or I’ll say something I can’t take back.

“Ella thankfully managed to defend herself tonight. Against seven rogues. Seven souls she didn’t

have to take. Where were you?”

Ollie drops his face into his hands, shaking his head like he already knows he’s earned every ounce

of my anger. I let out a growl of frustration, low in my throat.

“What’s going on with you, man? This isn’t just pre-eighteenth angst. I’m pissed off. But this… this is n’t you. I need to know what’s happening. As your alpha, and as your friend.”

He lifts his head just enough to speak.

“Artemis got distracted,” he says, voice flat, “he got distracted by Mira.”

I exhale, dragging my hands down my face. Of course. All the signs were there.

“Ol… is Freya your mate?” I ask, dreading the answer, because I already know what it’s going to be.

There’s a beat. Then another. Then a slow, shame-filled nod.

Damn.

“If she somehow isn’t, then I’ve just been steadily losing my mind for the past six months,” he mutters. “Definitely since Christmas. And these last two weeks? Torture. I can’t focus. I smell her e verywhere. Meal times? I’ve been chewing the same damn mouthful for ten minutes just staring at her like a creep. And since her wolf took over and kissed me…” He groans, dragging his hands through his hair. “It’s like what you said. That pull-it’s in here,” he taps his chest, “dragging me to wherever she is. And I’ve been trying to fight it. For so long.”

I sit back, rubbing my jaw as I take that in.

“Why have you been avoiding her?” I ask, brows lifted. I knew it must be awkward as hell, but Freya

deserved better than silence.

“Imagine being me for a second,” he mutters, “your best mate’s little sister. Someone you’ve seen in nappies. Been on holiday with. Played tag with in the woods. She’s basically family. It’s not just awkward-it’s like the Goddess is playing some sick joke.”

I press my lips together. He’s not wrong.

009

OGW

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<Where were you?

“And she’s sixteen, Aus,” he adds with a pained look.

+25 Points

“know. She’s young. But she’s an alpha. You know it happens earlier. You just need to… control yourself. Be patient. Respect her pace.”

Ollie groans dramatically and flops back on the sofa like he’s being crucified.

“Why is the Goddess testing me like this?”

“Bonding you to a sixteen-year-old and forcing you into monkhood until she comes of age? That’s not a test. That’s divine comedy,” I smirk.

He shoots me a glare.

“I hate you.”

I laugh, breaking the tension as he smiles too.

“Look, all jokes aside-you need to talk to her, Ollie. Like talk to her. Don’t lurk in the trees like some hormone-riddled ghost following Mira around. Be a man. Tell her what’s going on. You owe her

that.”

He peeks out from under the cushion, sighs, and nods.

“I’m going to need a lot of chapstick.”

Half an hour later, I find myself knocking on the door of Freya and Ella’s room.

“Aus? What are you doing here?” Freya asks, her voice thick with fatigue. I glance at my watch-it’s

nearly midnight.

“Sorry. I know it’s late,” I say quickly, “but I need to speak to Ella. Just for a few minutes.”

She blinks, then steps aside without another word. I walk in, ignoring the fact that I’m breaking curfew. The rules about boys being in girls’ rooms after hours are strict-but right now, I don’t give a damn about the rules. I need to see for myself that she’s okay, because the ache I felt through

the bond earlier still hasn’t eased.

Ella’s sitting quietly on her bed, her knees tucked up, arms wrapped loosely around them. She’s wearing soft, pale pink satin pyjamas, but the shimmer of the fabric only makes the dullness in her eyes more pronounced. Empty. Haunted.

I cross the room and sit beside her, gently taking her right hand in mine. Freya offers me a small nod, then disappears into the bathroom to give us privacy.

Ella glances at me with a tired, faint smile.

OOGW

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<

<Where were you?

“Did you find Ollie?” she asks softly.

+25 Points

“did,” I say, turning more fully towards her, “we had a long talk. He knows he royally f*cked up

tonight-but that’s not why I’m here.”

Her expression flickers-wary, curious, maybe even afraid of what’s coming next.

“Ella…” I hesitate for a moment, then grip her hand a little tighter, “one of the effects of the mark…

is that I can feel what you feel.”

She nods, the movement barely there, before her face crumples and fresh tears gather in her eyes. I slide my arm around her shoulders, drawing her into me as I breathe her in.

“I remember the first time I killed a rogue,” I begin quietly, the memory already settling like frost

over my thoughts.

“I was fifteen. It was during a spring camping trip. My dad took me, Freya, Ollie, Dominic… and his twin sister, Emma. Stephen came too, of course.”

“Dominic had a twin?” Ella whispers, surprised, wiping her eyes.

I nod slowly, my chest tightening.

“Yeah. You wouldn’t have heard of her… because she didn’t make it.”

Ella looks up at me, her brows knitting with sorrow.

“We were ambushed. It was brutal. We were just kids. I’d only experienced two moons by then, and that night… it was the first time I shifted without needing the full moon. It hurt like hell, but I didn’t

even hesitate. I couldn’t.”

I pause, staring past her at something only I can see.

“I don’t know how I managed it, but I killed the rogue who attacked her. I wasn’t strong-not really.

Atlas was so new to me. I had no solid training, no strong instincts yet… and I was too late. Emma

was already gone. And after that night, everything changed.”

Ella stays quiet, her hand still wrapped in mine.

“Dad was harder on us after that. On Ollie and me, especially. He and Stephen were supposed to

be looking out for us. They blamed themselves-and rightly so. Dom… he holds it together most of

the time, but he still carries it. I do too.”

“I’m so sorry,” Ella murmurs, her voice thick, “that must’ve been awful for all of you. Poor Dominic…”

A few silent tears drop onto her lap.

“Despite killing someone who had savagely killed a young and innocent teenage girl for no good

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