Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 10

It was a question that Annalynne was unable to answer, so she told Elder Luke straightforwardly that she did not know.

"All of them just rushed toward Kinnon and attacked him at the same time. There was no argument, no discussion. I don't know where they came from." Another Elder spoke up. This time it was Elder Alan.

"Does Miss Clearwater know what happened to the corpses of the fallen werewolves?" Annalynne nodded once. "Yes. Kinnon told me that they were nowhere to be found."

Elder Luke spoke up again.

"They disappeared without a single trace. Even the blood was wiped clean off the ground. You must understand that the circumstance was extremely unusual." Unusual was not a good word in light of the situation. Lucien disliked talking in circles. He would rather hear the allegations right away.

"Beta, Elders, let's go straight to the point. Do you harbor suspicion that my sister might be involved in the assassination attempt?"

.....

Bjorn cupped his hands together and looked at Lucien with a cold, hard gaze. "Unfortunately, yes."

Lucien drew a deep breath.

"In that case, we would like to inform you that Annalynne did not have a hand in the unfortunate attack. Should the Night Prowler Pack nonetheless demand a payback, I would like to see the incriminating pieces of evidence and or witnesses." Annalynne hugged her brother's arm. She was terrified, not only for herself but also for her brother. While it might be true that there was nothing to prove Annalynne's involvement, there was also nothing to prove her innocence.

Annalynne could not stop blaming herself. If not for her stubborn foolishness, she would not have dragged her brother into such a pit. She would rather die than let Lucien take the fall for her.

While the siblings and those from Night Prowler Pack were participating in a staring contest, the door of the audience hall opened with a dramatic creaking sound and revealed Kinnon Youngshaper. The Alpha stood there, supporting himself on a polished teak wood

cane.

Kinnon swept a glance into the room, eyeing his pack members and also the two siblings in the middle of the room thoughtfully.

"Why, such an important meeting and I am not invited."

Bjorn rose to his feet and walked toward Kinnon.

"You are resting. We do not mean to disturb you."

Bjorn took one of Kinnon's arms and helped him toward his throne. Kinnon lowered himself onto the seat with a sigh. The short trip that he took from his bedroom to the audience hall already managed to exhaust him, but he was glad to have made it in time. "What is this about?" he asked the people inside the room.

"Alpha, we were discussing... the assassination attempt," Elder Alan answered while shooting a look at the Clearwater siblings. "We are glad to hear the story from Miss Annalynne Clearwater herself."

"Ah. Now that you heard it, I believe that the matter is settled. We shall no longer speak of it."

"Alpha!"

"Alpha, we must take this matter seriously!"

"If this incident repeats itself...!"

Kinnon held a hand up to demand silence from his pack members.

"I am solely responsible for carelessly putting myself in danger. It will never happen again."

"Alpha, does this mean that you are not even going to investigate?" another Elder queried.

"Elder Noah, the corpses disappeared. I don't think there is any track we can pursue at this point."

"Indeed, the corpses disappeared. A very convenient situation," Elder Alan muttered darkly.

They all knew what Elder Alan was talking about. If Annalynne had organized the attack, it was easy to arrange for other werewolves to drag the corpses away while she distracted the pack with the injured Alpha.

"I believe it is best for Miss Annalynne Clearwater to remain with us until we have gotten some answers regarding this incident," Elder Luke said.

"Anna already told you everything that she knew. There is no point keeping her here," Lucien said. "Please let my sister go. I will stay here in her place."

"Lulu, no!!!" Anna shouted. "I will stay here, please let my brother go!"

Kinnon closed his eyes and heaved a sigh.

"I trust that neither Annalynne nor Lucien had anything to do with this attack."

"It can still be someone from the Silent Walkers Pack," Elder Noah pointed out. "We understand that the Silent Walkers Pack has yet to answer our proposal regarding the post-war arrangement."

"This has nothing to do with the attack," Kinnon said in a sharp tone. "I will not accuse the Silent Walkers Pack of anything even if they reject our proposal."

Lucien looked up at Kinnon in surprise. Kinnon shifted his eyes and met with Lucien's gaze. A silent understanding went through their eyes. If Kinnon had wanted to, he could have forced Lucien into marrying her. If not to save his pack then to save his only sister. And yet Kinnon readily let go of this golden opportunity.

Lucien was speechless.

Everyone was dismissed from the informal meeting, leaving only Lucien and Kinnon alone.

"Have you been avoiding me?" Lucien asked.

Kinnon let out a chuckle.

"Pretty much. I know that you come here to reject me. I just want to prolong the uncertain period. I don't want to hear a 'no' as an answer. Not yet."

"And yet here you are, out of your bed."

Kinnon pulled his lips into a thin smile. "I do not claim to be kind or gracious. I simply dislike intimidating someone just because I can."

Kinnon took Lucien's hand into his and kissed the back of his hand. "You are free to go, Lucien. Take Anna back to Blue Hill City for the time being. Let's talk about a new proposal once everything settles down."

Lucien grabbed Kinnon's chin and forced him to look up from his seat. "How are you so sure that I am here to reject you?"

Kinnon raised an eyebrow. A helpless grin spread on his face. "Aren't you?"

Lucien didn't even blink before he answered, "It would be my honor to serve as your Luna in the Night Prowler Pack

Ronan Silverback, on the other side, had a lot on his plate.

Thanks to his poor choice in recent days, he ended up neglecting his business and thus had to deal with the consequences all at once.

They came back to haunt him in form of piling paperwork and documents, not to mention scheduled business trips to meet up with unhappy business partners all around the globe.

Lillian Woodland conveniently hired a real secretary to do all the legwork and mundane activities late into the night while she accompanied Ronan for meals and leisure activities only. Whenever the other secretary popped up to accompany Ronan through meetings, Lillian would go on shopping sprees with her friends and post cute pictures on social media.

As infuriating as it might be, Ronan could not even begrudge the werewolf princess' unconventional behavior because she paid the other secretary's salary with her own pocket money. After two weeks of an unintended trip with Lillian, Ronan was more than happy to return to the Infinite Eclipse Pack House.

The first thing he did after he opened the door to his lavish apartment was to lower himself onto the couch while loosening his necktie.

The second thing he did was ask about Lucien.

.....

The person who had the unlucky task to monitor Lucien's movement was none other than Jake.

It just so happened that Ronan came back when Jake was enjoying some private time with his pregnant wife.

Not that Ronan, the model employer, remembered. If he were not able to use the Mind Link, he would have marched to Jake's apartment and intruded shamelessly. 'Jake, how is Lucien doing, these days?'

Jake, who was putting together a baby crib, almost hammered a nail through his own finger.

'Oh Ro... I mean, Alpha, you are back.

'Well...?'

'Lucien Clearwater was last seen getting off the train at the East Temple City's central train station, Jake reported. East Temple City?

Ronan sat up straight immediately. It was the territory of the Night Prowler Pack. Why would Lucien even go there? 'Then?'

'Then, he has been off the radar ever since.'

What the hell?

'What do you mean, off the radar? I asked you to keep an eye on him. Where did he go after leaving East Temple City?'

... Alpha, he never left!

...

'Lucien Clearwater has been staying in the East Temple City for two weeks straight now!'

'Alpha?'

No answer. Ronan had closed off his Mind Link. Jake sighed.

The moment the Alpha was pissed was the end of his well-deserved break.

In his apartment, Ronan leaned against the couch while pressing a hand against his eyes.

'Ronan, we must go, Beowulf urged him in his head. 'Something is up!'

'B, I can't just roll into the Night Prowler Pack's territory without any reason.

'So you are not going to do anything? You are just going to dismiss it altogether?'

'No, of course not... Beowulf, give me some time to think.

Beowulf stopped talking in his head. Once he was all alone, various thoughts came to invade Ronan's brain and give him a massive headache.

What the hell was Lucien thinking?

Lucien was not a frivolous person. If he had wanted to accept Kinnon Youngshaper as his husband, he would not have gone all the way with Ronan. Ronan was 100% sure that Lucien was going to reject Kinnon. Should the Night Prowler Pack then try to do something funny in retaliation, Ronan would have been there for Lucien to protect him, to cover his a*s.

So why would the man himself go to East Temple City and stay there for two weeks and counting?

Ronan got to his feet and started walking around his apartment anxiously. If Lucien did not stay there out of free will, it only meant that Kinnon Youngshaper was keeping him as a hostage.

It was not allowed to do such a thing, not even after a pack lost to another in a war. The Silent Walkers Pack would always have the Werewolf Council at their back.

Why did the Silent Walkers Pack do nothing? Did they even know that Lucien had been staying there? Why didn't they submit a report to the Werewolf Council? Ronan gritted his teeth.

Knock, knock, knock...

Ronan's head snapped toward the door.

"Who??" he yelled at the door, undoubtedly startling the person on the other side of the door.

"It's me," Jake's voice was heard. "May I enter, Alpha?"

"Suit yourself," Ronan said in response.

The door opened with a click and a sympathetic-looking Jake entered.

Jake did not know how strong the attraction between fated mates was. All he knew was that Ronan was actively pursuing Lucien while Lucien only took a day to reject Ronan's marriage proposal. Through the rejection letter, Lucien had officially expressed his disinterest in pursuing a relationship with Ronan. But what did Ronan do? Ronan kept chasing him, salivating after him like an obsessed wolfdog. After Lucien rejected Ronan, he went to stay with Kinnon Youngshaper. Was it not obvious? He already accepted Kinnon Youngshaper's proposal. They just had not announced it officially.

As Ronan's Beta, Jake saw it as his responsibility to wake his Alpha from his unreal dreams. The truth always hurt. So why wait until the wound festered? The sooner they treated the wound, the better... Jake opened his mouth to say something, but Ronan cut him off before he even said a word.

"Where is that saber?" Ronan asked, furrowing his brows at Jake.

"I... What saber?" Jake asked dumbly. How did Ronan end up thinking about a saber? He better not think about killing Kinnon Youngshaper!

"Lucien's saber. The blade he used when fighting against Gavin."

"Oh, THAT saber. We collected it and cleaned it. It is now sitting in the workshop. We should return it to Lucien with our thanks..."

"Get someone to bring it to me tonight."

"Oh, alright."

The saber was brought to Ronan's room and Jake was dismissed right after. Only to be summoned again within an hour.

When Jake arrived, Ronan was sitting at a bar counter. He was pouring himself a glass of wine. Judging from the level of the wine bottle, it was not his first glass. Jake feared that it was also not his last. Ronan drank half a glass before he turned to look at Jake again.

"Go to East Temple City tomorrow morning and return the saber to him personally," Ronan said impatiently.

"... Oh."

Jake's throat went dry.

Ronan crossed his arms in front of his chest as he approached Jake and pinned him with a glare.

"You must hand it over to Lucien personally. Do not agree to leave the blade with anyone else but Lucien."

Jake swallowed hard. "Understood, Alpha."

It was Friday morning, and Annalynne stood in the foyer, ready to go back to the Silent Walkers Pack.

She was holding her brother's hand anxiously as the latter squeezed back at her hand to calm her down.

"It will be fine. Go back, Anna."

Annalynne whispered, "Lulu, I am so sorry..."

She messed up. It was all her fault.

"It's not," Lucien said gently.

If he could send Annalynne back safely, all his efforts were worth it.

Annalynne kept glancing back at her brother as she descended the staircase and got into the car. She could not take her eyes off her brother even as the car was leaving.

Lucien stood at the top of the staircase, watching the car that took Annalynne depart from the Night Prowler Pack House. For the first time in two weeks, he was able to breathe out in relief.

......

The first person that Lucien informed about his decision to marry Kinnon Youngshaper was his own sister, who broke down in tears as soon as she heard it.

"Anna, I am sorry," Lucien said while kissing his trembling sister on top of her head. "I know that you like him, but there is no other way."

Annalynne shook her head fervently. "Lulu, that's not it. He already rejected me and I already came to terms with the rejection. But you... Don't you still love Ronan Silverback...?"

Annalynne knew her brother enough to know that Lucien would not have slept with Ronan if he had no feelings for the latter. If Anna had not messed up, Lucien surely hoped to get back with Ronan eventually.

A sad smile appeared on Lucien's face. He caressed Anna's long hair lovingly.

"We are fated to part. Don't feel bad about it."

"Lulu..."

Anna did not see the whole picture from Lucien's point of view.

Even if he did not end up marrying Kinnon Youngshaper, he still could never be together with Ronan Silverback. Ronan Silverback was supposed to walk a fixed path in life. The Alpha's path in life. Sooner or later, he would grow up and do what was demanded of him. That was for the best.

The first person who Kinnon Youngshaper told about the upcoming wedding was his son, the three-year-old Ralph Youngshaper. The father's exact words were, "Dad and Lucien are getting married. Lucien is going to stay with us forever. He will help me to take care of you."

Ralph was too young to understand what "getting married" meant. He only knew that Lucien was going to be there for him forever, and if that was not the greatest news ever, then nothing was.

After seeing his sister off, Lucien went to see Kinnon in his bedroom.

Kinnon was leaning against the headboard, reading some documents while running his hand across his pet Persian Cat. When Lucien approached the bed, he extended his hand and pulled Lucien close by his waist.

"Is Anna gone?"

"Yes. How are you feeling today?"

"Good," Kinnon answered. "Come closer."

Lucien climbed into the bed and Kinnon pulled him to sit on his lap. When the Alpha pushed the hair at his neck aside, Lucien trembled slightly.

"Hmmm," Kinnon observed what remained from Ronan's bite mark on Lucien's nape.

"It is healing well."

"Yeah."

"Meowwrrr...!!!"

With one swift movement, Kinnon had Lucien pinned on top of the bed. The poor Persian Cat jumped down from the bed and hissed at his owner in fury. Unfortunately, Kinnon Youngshaper was too busy to pay him any attention. Sprawled on his bed, Lucien looked more than breathtaking. Kinnon licked his lips in excitement. He could not wait to sink his fangs into the man beneath him and make him his.

Kinnon placed his hand on top of Lucien's beating heart and slowly ran it down the curves of his body. When he tugged at Lucien's pants, the latter grabbed his wrist and stopped him. "You are still hurt," Lucien reasoned. "There is plenty of time to do that."

"I don't want to wait," Kinnon said.

He lowered himself on top of Lucien and sucked at the side of his neck. Lucien's alluring scent invaded his nose and robbed him of his senses.

Lucien tried to relax, but his body tensed up instead. He was not ready to be intimate with anyone. He knew that, but he also did not want to deny Kinnon the pleasure.

"Lucien..."

Kinnon slipped a hand under Lucien's shirt and traveled up his back. His other hand sneakily went inside his pants and kneaded the twin mounds deftly.

Heavy breathing and ambiguous sounds filled the bedroom as the two men on the bed gently rolled on top of each other, the sweet scent of their pheromones mixing and entangling intimately. "DADDY!!!"

Kinnon and Lucien separated almost immediately, not unlike a married couple that had been caught red-handed by their toddler.

The door opened and the pata pata sound of Ralph's footsteps was heard.

The little boy looked up and saw his father and Lucien on the bed. Lucien was a little red in the face while Kinnon struggled hard to wipe the scowl off his face.

"Oh, Mommy is here too!" he gleefully remarked.

Lucien's mouth dropped open.

Kinnon's scowl turned into a frown.

"Ralphy, who told you to call Lucien 'Mommy'?"

"Well..."

Ralph extended his hands upward at his father. Kinnon complied and pulled the little boy into the bed and held him in his arms.

"The big sisters at the playground said that daddies and mommies are married. Didn't Daddy tell Ralphy last time that you are going to get married to Uncle Orange? Then Uncle Orange is now Ralphy's Mommy!"

""

"Right? Right???"

Ralph attacked the two adults with his sparkling eyes.

Kinnon did not want to correct him. Lucien did not know how.

Ralph enjoyed Lucien's presence very much. Now that Lucien was going to become his mommy, Ralph felt entitled to 90% if not 100% of Lucien's time. Although Kinnon was not too happy about not having enough private time with Lucien, his heart softened upon seeing Lucien and Ralph spend time together.

Lucien looked good with children, he thought. When he held Ralph in his arms, it almost gave an illusion that Ralph was the child they gave birth to.

The days that followed were peaceful and uneventful. Kinnon was recovering well, and the couple made plans to go to the Werewolf Council's Headquarters to announce their plan to get married.

One day before they made the trip to North Ridge Forest, a guest from the Infinite Eclipse Pack came to pay Lucien a visit.

Jake forced himself to smile at the two men in sunglasses and black suits that were guarding him closely while he sat in the guest hall, waiting for Lucien to show up. He used to think that the Beta position was just right for him. Only less respectable than the Alpha but minus all the stress and responsibilities that were closely tied to the Alpha position.

Dane Silverback's Beta who happened to be Jake's uncle once told him that a Beta's responsibilities were often more than what they seemed. Jake merely laughed it off. He did not believe his uncle.

In retrospect, his uncle tried to prepare Jake for a role that he did not quite understand. Jake's opinion about the nature of a Beta's role quickly changed as soon as he started serving as Ronan Silverback's Beta.

Oh, Ronan Silverback was a great Alpha. He was strong and a born leader. He was also a womanizer who did not bother to hide his promiscuous nature.

After serving Ronan for two years, Jake thought that he was in for no more surprises. The road ahead should be smooth and straight. How wrong was he.

Knowing Ronan Silverback, he was dying to come to the Night Prowler Pack House himself and take Lucien away using his own two hands. Fortunately, he still minded his position as the Alpha of the Infinite Eclipse Pack who should not pick fights with other packs for personal reasons. Unfortunately, Jake as the Beta had to fill in for Ronan.

To make things worse, Lucien did not come alone. He was in the company of none other than Kinnon Youngshaper. The Alpha had one arm around Lucien as the both of them entered the guest hall, his hand resting intimately at Lucien's waist. It was a clear display of his intention toward Lucien.

.....

Jake swallowed the lump in his throat. Good that Ronan was not there, because Jake did not have the confidence that Ronan would be able to keep himself in check when he had to see Kinnon touching Lucien as he pleased.

Lucien himself did not show any signs of objection toward Kinnon's behavior. Jake did not know Lucien well, but it seemed that both packs had come to a certain agreement.

"Hello, Jake."

"Hi, Lucien."

Kinnon shot Jake a smile. "Fancy having the Infinite Eclipse's Beta here in our humble abode. May I know the reason for this visit?"

"I am here solely to pay a friendly visit to Lucien. How are you doing?" Jake turned to look at Lucien with an official smile plastered all over his face.

Lucien almost pitied Jake for whatever he was there for.

"I am doing fine, thank you."

"I am also here to return something to you. It is long overdue, really."

Jake took the black wooden box that sat next to him on the couch and opened it before Lucien's eyes. In it was Lucien's saber. The one he procured for self-defense.

Lucien took the saber out of the box and slowly pulled it out of its scabbard.

The handle was loose.

Lucien's eyes dimmed. It had been tampered with.

"Thanks," he said, putting the saber back into the box.

"You are welcome. In fact, we should be the ones thanking you. Thank you for protecting Maya."

Lucien shook his head. "It was my job to protect my student."

Jake nodded. Now came the most difficult part.

"I don't feel very well. May I ask for the Alpha's permission to spend a night as a guest?"

Kinnon did not immediately answer. He scrutinized Jake with a sharp look. Jake did not even dare to blink, out of fear that he would accidentally reveal something.

Lucien put a hand on Kinnon's leg, drawing the latter's attention to him right away. Jake exhaled quietly.

"Kinnon, Jake must be exhausted. Can he please spend the night?"

A slight smirk played across Kinnon's lips. "Of course, anything that you want."

Kinnon turned to face Jake and gave him a condescending look. "Feel free to stay, Beta Jake. By the way, since you are here as a friend, I believe that you should be privy to some good news."

Good news?

Jake swallowed again.

Kinnon's hand traveled up Lucien's back and settled on the side of his neck.

"Lucien has agreed to marry me. We plan to announce it soon."

Oh no. Ronan would flip.

"Yes," Lucien confirmed.

"Right, my Luna?" Kinnon asked Lucien while caressing the side of his neck lovingly. He almost treated the man like a favorite pet.

Jake was given a guest room to spend the night in, just a few rooms away from Lucien's. Kinnon had wanted Lucien to move into his bedroom right away, but Lucien claimed that it was improper for them to cohabitate before the wedding. Kinnon begrudgingly

agreed.

Lucien returned to his room after dinner. It felt rather empty without Annalynne. His eyes flew toward the black box with his saber inside.

He opened the box and took the saber out. It only took a slight pull to remove the blade from the handle.

There was a piece of paper crammed into the hollow side of the handle. Lucien unfurled it and read two sentences that were written in the secret letter.

"If you are in danger, return the saber to Jake immediately. I will come for you no matter what."

Ronan...

Lucien closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and sighed.

Lucien lit a candle and held the letter against the flame.

The letter quickly caught flame and burned bright red against the dark backdrop. Lucien watched the flame engulf Ronan's last message to him. Turn it into a pile of ash.

Lucien thought that he would feel upset, but he did not. For some reason, he was unable to feel anything. It was as if something died inside his heart.

And then, someone knocked at his door.

"Who is it?" Lucien asked without turning away from the candle flame.

"Lucien, it's me. Can I come in?"

It was Kinnon Youngshaper.

The door opened with a click and revealed Kinnon's somber expression.

"Can

I come in?"

Lucien stepped aside and waved in the direction of the room.

"Go ahead."

As soon as Kinnon entered, his eyes darted around in search of a certain item. As soon as he found it, his eyes were stuck on the opened black box, and also the saber blade that had been pulled out of the handle. Kinnon slowly approached the blade and traced it

with his fingers.

There was also the smell of something burning.

"Did Ronan pass you something?" he asked without looking at Lucien.

"Yes," Lucien confirmed.

"Ah."

.....

Lucien burned it as soon as he finished reading it. What was it about? And what did it mean?

A lot of questions went through Kinnon's mind. He wanted to ask Lucien, but he did not want the latter to smell the jealousy on him.

Lucien took the saber blade in his hand and stuck it inside its handle. It made a clicking sound when it went inside.

Then, he tucked the saber away inside the black box.

Kinnon followed Lucien's movement with his gaze. After the latter stuffed the box into a closet, he turned to face Kinnon.

"It is nothing," Lucien told Kinnon.

He raised a hand to caress Kinnon's cheek. "No need to make a fuss about it."

Kinnon took Lucien's hand and planted little kisses on his palm.

"He has not contacted you for a while."

"I also have not contacted him," Lucien reminded Kinnon.

He and Ronan never exchanged phone numbers. They always met directly. With Lucien staying at the Night Prowler Pack House since two weeks ago, Kinnon would naturally know if Ronan came to meet him or not.

Kinnon closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, there was some strong emotion reflected on them.

"Now that you hear from him again after such a long time, are you changing your mind?"

Lucien shook his head.

"Why should I?"

Kinnon stared at Lucien. Lucien might have agreed to marry him, but he never fantasized about Lucien being in love with him. It was clear who Lucien was in love with.

"You never told me why you suddenly agreed to marry me."

"Is that important?"

"

...

How could that be unimportant? Lucien spoke about it as if being his Luna was a job. Kinnon could not help but feel enraged. Would he speak the same way if he were to be Ronan's Luna?

Kinnon was seething inside. His face was darker than the clouds that were hanging in the sky outside. It also seemed like the storm was coming. Outside and inside the Pack House.

Lucien approached Kinnon and put his arms around the Alpha from behind, startling him. He covered Lucien's hand with his own. The warmth and the scent of the man quickly lightened his mood. "Kinnon, you don't have to be jealous of Ronan. I have decided to be your Luna, and I will not go back on my decision."

Kinnon pulled Lucien into his embrace and buried his nose into the crook of the latter's neck. The man in his arms smelled so good.

"After we send Beta Jake off, can we depart for North Ridge Forest right away?"

Lucien chuckled.

"Sure," he said. "Was that not the plan all along?"

"I love you," Kinnon told Lucien abruptly. The latter widened his eyes in surprise. He wanted to say something, but he knew that there was only one answer that Kinnon wanted to hear.

Anything else would not be good enough.

Unfortunately, it was the one thing that Lucien was unable to say.

Kinnon lowered his eyes. His disappointment could not be more apparent.

"Give me some time, Kinnon."

Lucien put his arms around Kinnon's neck.

"Give me some time to fall in love with you."

Kinnon lowered his head and kissed Lucien on the forehead. "Don't make me wait too long," he whispered softly.

Lucien smiled. "I will do my best."

The next morning, Jake emerged from the guest room. He was told that the Alpha was relaxing in the recreational room, so he went there to bid farewell before returning to Great Lake City.

The family scene that greeted him was beautiful. Lucien was accompanying Ralph to play with a train toy set while Kinnon was reading the morning newspaper.

"Choo choo... choo choo..." Ralph imitated the sound that the train set made as it traveled in circles. He was sitting on Lucien's lap, giggling happily whenever the train passed in front of him.

Both Lucien and Kinnon looked up at Jake when the latter showed up.

"Hi, Jake. How did you sleep last night?"

Jake barely slept, but he quickly lied, "Wonderful. Thank you for letting me stay for the night, Alpha Kinnon."

"Hmm," Kinnon grunted. "Thank Lucien instead. My future Luna is very agreeable."

Lucien smiled when Kinnon reached out to caress his chin.

A heavy feeling settled on Jake's stomach when he saw the three people together. He did not want to believe it when Kinnon told him that he and Lucien were getting married.

Jake waited the whole night for Lucien to knock on his door, to return the saber to him for whatever reason, for any cry of help. But, Lucien never came. It now seemed that he never needed any help to escape from the Night Prowler Pack.

Lucien truly went there to accept the marriage proposal.

Ronan was going to suffer from a seizure for sure.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay, Lucien."

Lucien patted the little boy in his arms and gestured for him to stand up. Ralph went to hug his father's leg. Lucien stood up and said, "Let me send you off."

They finally had a chance to be alone.

Jake's heart was skipping a beat. This was the last chance.

If Lucien had anything to say, anything at all!

Jake's hopes were dashed when the car to pick Jake up arrived and Lucien still had nothing to say to him. Dejected, Jake climbed into the car.

"Goodbye, Lucien," he said, dispirited.

"Bye, Jake."

For a moment, Jake believed to see some glimmer of sadness in Lucien's eyes. But maybe it was only his imagination.