Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 34

The fight was done with bamboo canes only, but Lucien could barely open his eyes to watch.

Back then when he was busy preparing for the war, he did not manage to pay attention to Annalynne. Now that he was standing to the side and not fighting himself, his heart was filled with immeasurable trepidation for his sister. Surprisingly, Annalynne was not bad at all. Despite being the weaker gender, she was able to fight on par with her male opponents by employing different tactics.

Most male alphas counted on knocking out their opponents in a single blow.

It was not something that Annalynne could do. Her blows did not have the same powerful impact, so she took more than just one attack to bring her opponents to their knees. Every blow was landed carefully with utmost precision. Step by step, she worked to gradually incapacitate her opponents.

Lucien cheered the loudest when Annalynne won her matches, but he was also the one who cowered the most in his seat whenever Annalynne took a hit.

"Oh Goddess, I can't watch this at all," Lucien murmured under his breath when Annalynne came face-to-face with a burly man that was around twice her weight.

Kendra could barely stifle her laughter.

"Open your eyes and watch. You should be rooting for your sister."

.....

"I am," Lucien said while pulling a grimace. "I just don't want her to be smashed into pulp."

Kendra shook her head at Lucien's dark words. "Silly Lucien. We might be competing against each other, but we still keep in mind that we belong to the same pack. No one will hurt her for real."

"I do hope so," Lucien said while pulling a grimace.

If this burly man dared to hurt his darling sister, he did not know what he would do.

It turned out that Lucien's worries were for nothing. After dodging hits like a pro, Annalynne smacked the burly alpha at the back hard and then kicked the back of his knees. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The watching crowd instantly cringed.

The poor alpha buckled and fell outside of the arena with a loud thump.

Lucien rubbed the side of his head.

“|

guess we don't need to worry about Anna. If it were me, I would be worried about her opponents instead," Kendra joked. "She is doing great."

After watching Annalynne kick-a*s left and right, Lucien had to agree. He did not know when Annalynne learned to fight. Was she that good during the war? Or did she continue training after the war?

Either way, Lucien was glad to see a side of his sister that he was not aware of. Annalynne's talk about wanting to become an Alpha did carry some weight. It was not just a fleeting wish of a little girl that Lucien kept seeing in Annalynne.

The matches ended one by one, some of them took longer than the others. By noon, only 5 alphas were left - four men and one woman. The one woman was of course Annalynne.

Numbers for the next two matches were drawn, and Annalynne's number was not selected. The other four men thus got to fight each other while she watched from the side. "Anna."

The woman was startled when she saw her brother cross the lawn and approach her.

"Lulu."

"Good job," Lucien praised her. "You have worked hard."

Annalynne grinned. "I did not bring shame to the Clearwater family name, did I?"

Lucien shook his head and smiled.

"Silly girl. How can you ever bring shame to the family name? You will forever and always be the precious princess of the Clearwater family."

Together, they directed their eyes toward the arena.

The four remaining alphas were all quite resilient and skilled.

The two matches did not end quickly. Every each of them was trying their best to excel not only physically but also strategically.

By the time they were done, only three people including Annalynne were left.

Two more numbers were drawn for the next match.

Annalynne's number was again not drawn, so the remaining two male alphas got to fight each other. The winner would then fight with Annalynne in the final round. I got lucky," Annalynne heaved a sigh.

“|

"I have two fights less than my next opponent. Will they think that I win unfairly?"

"Not at all," Lucien said. "Luck is part of the equation. Similarly, they are not going to let you get away with it if your number was drawn again and again." "True."

After fighting for almost an hour, one of the alpha werewolves was too exhausted to continue. He thus declared his defeat, and his opponent emerged as the victor. It was Lowell, the lead warrior who won the first hunting game during the war preparation training week.

At this point, Lowell had gained a sizeable fanbase. A lot of she-wolves were shouting their encouraging words from the sides.

"LOWELL!!!! AAHHHHHHH YOU ARE SO COOL!!!"

"LOWELLLLLLLL MY FUTURE ALPHA! THERE IS NO ONE MORE DESERVING OF THE ALPHA POSITION!!!!"

"LOWELL!!!! MY HEART IS YOURS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE AS WELL!!!"

Both Lucien and Annalynne furrowed their brows after hearing the screeching she-wolves' calls.

"If he becomes the next Alpha, another competition will take place," Desmond declared as he stepped closer to Lucien and Annalynne. "What competition?" Annalynne asked.

"The competition to pick the next Luna of course," Desmond answered with a chuckle.

"Way to destroy the fan group," Annalynne scoffed.

Lucien put an arm around Annalynne and kissed her on the forehead.

"Good luck, Anna. Do your best."

Annalynne nodded.

At the arena, Lowell was already waiting for her.

Acatha handed both Lowell and Annalynne two new bamboo canes. Both of them had broken enough canes during their previous fights. "START!" Acatha shouted to start the last match.

The crowd did not even dare to blink let alone breathe too loudly. This was it! They were finally going to crown a new alpha!

It was not until ten minutes later that the crowd realized that something was not quite right.

It was quickly apparent that Annalynne's abilities were still beneath Lowell's. The latter was able to parry all of Annalynne's hits smoothly.

While Lucien expected the match to be over rather quickly, the crowd was stunned to watch the two alpha candidates in the arena exchanging blows without moving even an inch toward the match conclusion. "Erm."

Desmond leaned closer to Lucien.

"What the hell is happening?"

Lucien shrugged.

"I also want to know."

"If I were Lowell, I would kick Annalynne off the arena in the first five minutes," Desmond said with a shrug.

"No offense," he quickly added when he saw the sour expression on Lucien's face.

.....

Lucien disliked hearing Desmond's bold statements, but he had to secretly agree. Just what was Lowell doing?

In the arena, Annalynne was slowly losing her cool. She glared at Lowell angrily, her composure unraveling into a series of uncoordinated attacks.

"Oh, oh..." Lucien mumbled.

"There we go," Desmond said.

The two men half-expected Annalynne to fall off the edge of the arena on her own accord due to her carelessness, but Lowell actually prevented her from doing so.

Again, the crowd was speechless.

Lucien did not know what to make of it.

Desmond rubbed at the bottom half of his face, wondering just how long the circus was going to last.

Annalynne too was at the end of her wits. Lucien could almost hear her patience bar snap like a twig above her head.

"RAAAAAHHHHHHH...!!!" Annalynne lunged at Lowell with a battle cry.

Lowell looked a little shaken. He raised his bamboo cane to block Annalynne's attack, but the latter sneakily dropped her weapon to stab at Lowell's stomach instead.

Eyes wide open from the sudden change of Annalynne's movement, Lowell reacted very quickly. He stepped aside, missing Annalynne's attack by a mere millimeter, and then smacked the latter on her back and sent her flying to the edge of the arena. Aided by both their combined forces, Annalynne ended up placing her weight on the wrong foot position.

She yelped before she fell off the edge and landed on the grass.

"ANNA!!!"

Lucien and Alice quickly rushed over to take a look at Annalynne. Before they got to her though, Lowell already jumped down to help Annalynne sit up.

"I am sorry," he quickly apologized. "Are you okay?"

"Meh," Annalynne said as she examined her foot. "I think I sprained my ankle."

"Anna! Are you alright?"

Lucien pulled his sister away from Lowell and inspected her wounds. Other than the sprained ankle, she only had some scratch wounds.

"Lulu, I am fine. So sorry that I lost, though."

Only then did Kendra realize that the competition had come to an end. Clearing her throat, she thus announced the winner.

"Right. Herewith we announce that the winner of the Alpha competition is....!!!"

"WAIT!!!"

All heads turned to Lowell in confusion. The handsome man was rather pale on the face.

"I surrender!"

"Dude," Desmond furrowed his brows and patted Lowell on his shoulder. "What's wrong with you? Why would you surrender after a clear win?"

"No," Lowell denied. "I planned to surrender before Miss Clearwater fell out of the arena anyway."

The statement was not something that he should say out loud in front of so many people. Lowell quickly cursed under his breath when all pairs of eyes were staring at him in surprise.

"

"Umm..."

"I knew that you were just humoring me up there. What is this competition to you? A joke?" Annalynne snapped impatiently.

"No, that's not it," Lowell hastily retorted. "I just... I didn't want to surrender before fighting for some time. Just to make it somewhat real. I...”

Lowell heaved a deep breath before he continued.

"I only joined this competition to win and then to swear my allegiance to Miss Clearwater."

By saying that, what Lowell meant was that he planned to hand over the Alpha position to Annalynne as soon as he won it through the competition. It was another legal way to obtain an Alpha position, although it must be said that people rarely did that. Everyone coveted the Alpha position for themselves and their descendants, right?

Annalynne and everyone else gaped at Lowell for some time until Lucien broke the silence with the one word that resounded in everyone's mind.

"Why?"

Lowell was bright red when he stammered out, "B-because I believe that she would make a good Alpha."

Kendra rubbed at her lips to suppress a smile.

"Are you sure that that's all there is?"

"Y-yes."

Desmond shrugged. "Okay, so I personally don't mind. Either Lowell or Annalynne will emerge as the winner anyway. If Lowell doesn't want the Alpha position and decides to hand it over to Annalynne, then, by all means, you know?" Annalynne struggled to stand up, but her sprained ankle kept dragging her down.

"I don't get it," Annalynne said. "Unlike my brother, I have done nothing meritorious for this pack."

"Anna, shut up," Desmond said with a frown. "At the very least you have someone willing to be your champion. Just say thank you."

Annalynne pursed her lips. She turned to Lowell and said, "Then, I shall pick you to be my Beta."

"NO!" Lowell shouted in return.

He again amazed everyone with his sudden rejection.

"Why would you refuse to be my Beta if you truly support my claim to the Alpha throne?" Annalynne asked in confusion.

"B-because, because..."

The knot on Lowell's throat moved up and down anxiously. He tried to speak up a few times but failed to formulate his sentences. In the end, he only managed to say, "Can we please talk alone? Just the two of us?"

"There is nothing secretive about this matter," Annalynne said impatiently. "Whatever you want to say, please say it openly. Why do you not want to serve as the Beta?"

Lowell clenched his fingers into fists. He stared hard in Annalynne's direction for a few seconds before he gave everyone another shocking statement.

"Because I have been in love with you for some time. I wish to one day marry you."

A public love confession.

And a bold one too.

Alice failed to prevent a broad grin from appearing on her face.

Lucien too could not help but smile. He patted his sister's arms affectionately and then said to Lowell, "Lowell, my sister sprained her ankle. Do you mind taking her inside the pack house and helping to attend to her injuries? We will clean up over here." Annalynne shot her brother an alarmed look. A soft blush appeared on her cheeks, turning the fierce warrior back to the little sister that Lucien was used to spoiling.

"R-right away!" Lowell shouted, his voice trembling a little from anxiety.

He wanted to take Annalynne into his arms in a princess carry, but Annalynne shot him a warning look. In the end, the helpless man put one of Annalynne's arms around his neck and held her close by her waist.

The crowd watched the couple slowly move toward the pack house. After the hems of their clothes disappeared, chaos ensued.

"WHAT THE HELL!!! LOWELLLL, NOOOOO...!!!!"

.....

The she-wolves who until then were in a complete daze broke into tears.

"WHYYYYYY!!! WE HAVE SUPPORTED YOU FOR SO LONG!!!"

"LOWELL!!! I ALSO LOVE YOU! TAKE ME INSTEAD!!!"

"I feel that an internal war is about to break out," Desmond said in a murmur. He then went to shoo the grieving women and take apart the makeshift arena.

Lucien, Kendra, and Alice laughed.

"What internal war? I think a wedding is going to happen soon," Kendra said. "Good for Anna. Who would have known that the hottest bachelor in our pack is secretly in love with her?"

"And he gallantly protected her claim to the Alpha throne too!" Alice gushed. "I hate to say this but this is by far the most romantic thing that I have witnessed in my whole life."

Kendra giggled.

She then slowly scraped the diamond ring, the heirloom of the Clearwater family, off her hand and returned it to Alice.

"Mama Clearwater, it is time to return this ring to your family. I hope to see it on Anna's finger on the wedding day."

Lucien and Alice stared at her, aghast.

"Kendra, you don't have to. The ring has been given to you. It is yours."

Kendra shook her head.

"It should remain in the family. After Deacon's death, I am not tied to the family anymore. I also failed to give birth to his son, so..." She shrugged. "Catherine and I had a falling out when I decided to join the war. She disowned me. I am free now. I am Kendra Firemoon, not Kendra Clearwater. I want to pursue my own happiness."

Alice took the ring from Kendra's hand and pulled her into a hug.

Sighing, she whispered, "I would have loved to have you as my daughter-in-law. You are an amazing woman. You need to know that."

Kendra whispered back while looking into Lucien's eyes, "I know, but your son preferred the company of an amazing man instead." After Alice let go, Lucien too hugged Kendra.

"Sorry, Kendra," he whispered. "You know that you deserve a man who loves you wholeheartedly for his whole life."

Kendra nodded subtly.

"I know."

The crowd dispersed and celebrated privately at home. They finally had a new Alpha! The new Alpha must be a little busy for the rest of the day, though, so the pack members did not bother her yet.

Annalynne and Lowell were seen holding hands at the entrance of the forest as they spoke in a low voice.

The she-wolves were nursing their broken hearts in the pack kitchen, crying and eating together.

Lucien and Alice returned to their apartment and opened the windows to let in some fresh air before closing them for the night.

At night, Lucien made a call to Ronan.

His call was not picked up.

Although they kept sending messages throughout the day after Ronan left, they kept failing to talk to each other directly.

Lucien disliked sharing news through messages, particularly if they were happy news. He wanted to hear it in Ronan's voice.

Dejected, he thus threw his phone on the bed and helped his mother prepare dinner instead.

To celebrate Annalynne's victory in the Alpha competition, they decided to prepare her favorite dishes. Chicken salad with feta cheese cubes; slices of baked garlic bread; beef lasagna with four kinds of cheese; mushroom, potato, and carrot cream soup; and of course creamy chocolate pudding with whipped cream on top.

"I called your father just now," Alice informed Lucien while they were peeling the vegetables. "He is surprised. He is going to come to visit tomorrow."

Lucien's eyes widened in delight. "Really? Anna is going to be so happy."

"I didn't tell him about Anna joining the competition. Honestly, I did not expect her to reach the final round at all."

"Well, she did get a bye for two rounds just before the final round. Lowell is the one who has been working hard."

"Speaking about Lowell. We can take the time to introduce Lowell to his future father-in-law as well," Alice winked naughtily.

"Mom, I don't think Anna is going to get married so soon. Lowell just confessed today. I think it is going to take a while before they even start dating."

By the end of Lucien's sentence, the front door opened. Both mother and son poked their head out of the kitchen frame to see a bright red Annalynne enter with a dashing but also blushing Lowell. Their hands were locked together.

Alice leaned closer and whispered to Lucien, "What did you say just now, Lulu? By the look of it, I believe they are already dating."

Lucien was speechless. Did couples come together so quickly these days? Back then when he was his younger self, it took Ronan a week or two of stalking and himself a few days of thinking before they started dating. Even then, Lucien would never dream of taking Ronan home to introduce him to his parents!

His twin sister, Annalynne, was rather bold!

The lovebirds took their seats at the dinner table side-by-side. They kept sneaking glances at each other, both extremely nervous to be in the presence of Annalynne's mother and brother.

Alice recalled the time when she, Kendra, and Annalynne cornered Ronan for taking a bite at Lucien. Lowell should be thankful that Alice did not chastise him for stealing her daughter's heart that quickly.

"So," Lucien broke the awkward silence over dinner. "Are you two dating now?"

The two people in front of him flinched when they heard the word "dating".

They exchanged nervous looks, and then Lowell cleared his throat.

"Actually, I am here to ask for your blessings. I would like to propose marriage to Anna."

Lucien almost dropped his fork.

Alice gaped at her daughter.

Wow.

.....

Talk about speed romance.

"No way!" Alice shouted.

"It is too rushed, Anna," Lucien spoke to Annalynne in a stern tone. "You guys literally just start talking to each other today. How did it go so quickly from fighting each other in the arena to a marriage proposal???" Annalynne pulled a grimace. She raised her head and looked at her brother and mother beseechingly.

"But... But if I know that it is the right person, why can't I just go for it? Why must I wait?"

Oh, Goddess.

Lucien rubbed at his temples.

In her teens, Annalynne was in love with Kinnon Youngshaper. Up until two weeks ago, she still harbored strong feelings for the Alpha.

Lucien never even heard her talk about Lowell. They were not even acquainted with each other. She might not even know that a Lowell existed in the pack!

"Anna, marriage is a serious matter. You should not go about it in a careless manner."

To Lowell, Alice had something to say.

"Lowell, you seem to be a responsible man. I thank you for the kindness and affection that you showered my daughter with today. Let's wait with the marriage talk until a few months have passed."

The lovebirds hung their heads in disappointment, but they begrudgingly accepted Alice's and Lucien's objections.

Drawing lessons from her awful experience with Lucien's own heated romance, Alice made sure to shoo Lowell out of the door after dinner. She could not risk it. If Lucien easily fell into Ronan Silverback's love trap, who was she to claim that Annalynne would not do the same?

Heck, Lowell was a fine specimen of werewolf!

When Lucien returned to his bedroom, there were a few missed calls from Ronan.

Lucien sat at the edge of his bed and made another phone call to Ronan. This time he picked up the phone.

"Hello, my love," came the greeting from the other end of the line. Lucien's heart melted right away when he heard Ronan's husky, sexy voice.

"Hi, Ronan."

"I miss you," Ronan said. "I miss you so much."

Lucien bit his lip.

Maybe he should not have called. Now that he heard Ronan's voice again, he longed to run into his arms and bury his face in the man's warm chest. He wanted to have Ronan's strong arms around him, his hand gently tussling up Lucien's hair as Lucien breathed in his calming scent.

"Um. I miss you too," Lucien said return awkwardly.

"I can't wait to meet you again," Ronan said.

"You will," Lucien said, smiling to himself. "The Alpha competition is over. We have a new Alpha."

"Oh?"

Ronan's interest was piqued. "Who is it?"

"My sister, Annalynne."

There was silence on the other line, but then Ronan quickly picked himself up.

"Right. Wonderful. Please extend my congratulations to Annalynne."

"Mhm."

Lucien wanted to tell Ronan about Lowell, but he did not want to say it through the phone.

"Am I going to see you during the appointment ceremony?"

"Of course," Ronan replied smoothly.

The appointment of every Alpha was a serious business. It was handled officially in a ceremony at the Holy Temple of the Moon Goddess, attended by all the currently reigning Alphas.

It served as an event to strengthen the bond between the werewolf packs as well as to introduce the newly anointed Alpha to the other Alphas.

At the same time, the new Beta and the new Gamma would also be appointed and introduced to the werewolf community.

"After your pack no longer needs you to handle its matters, can you focus your attention on something else?"

Lucien furrowed his brows.

"On what?"

"On us, of course," Ronan chuckled. "Come to my pack house. I want you to stay by my side."

In the darkness, Lucien could feel his face glowing hot. Was Ronan expecting a continuation of their short vacation? It would be a lie if Lucien said that he did not wish for more.

"Mmm."

Ronan was not one to stop before getting what he wanted.

"I love you, Lucien. I want us to go back to the same pack."

And by that, naturally, he meant his own pack.

Lucien's mind was a mess. Was Ronan just saying it casually because they were dating? Or was he asking him to move in together with him? Or was he planning to propose to him?

It was all happening too quickly.

Or not?

Lowell and Annalynne were excited to get married on the first day they started dating.

What about him and Ronan?

They had been in and out of it for a while now. It was time to step up the game.

"Mmm, alright."

Lucien's voice was soft, but Ronan heard every syllable. At the other end of the line, the Alpha was grinning like a big bad wolf.

"I love you," he repeated, expecting Lucien to say the same thing in return.

If his pack members knew, they might ridicule him. The Alpha of the Infinite Eclipse Pack was such a lovesick fool that he could not sleep a wink if he did not hear an "I love you" from Lucien's mouth.

"I love you," Lucien said, drawing a contented sigh from Ronan. "Now go to sleep, it is late."

A gentle smile laced Ronan's lips.

"Good night, Lulu."

"Mm... Good night, Ronan."

Lucien quickly ended the call. If he did not, he would not be able to stop thinking about Ronan for the rest of the night.

As per Ronan's agreement with Kinnon, Gavin Ashmore's body arrived at the Infinite Eclipse Pack a few days after Ronan went back to his pack house.

The tinted glass coffin was sealed from top to bottom, preventing anyone from knowing whose body it was.

Ronan ordered for the coffin to be brought to the audience hall, and then he summoned Jake and Quinn.

"Alpha," the Beta and Gamma greeted their Alpha.

Ronan was seated on his throne, his eyes pinned on the glass coffin before him.

A few attendants were working to remove the lid to unearth the content inside the coffin.

"Jake and Quinn, come closer and take a look at this person."

Both Jake and Quinn eyed the coffin curiously. As soon as the lid came off, they approached the coffin and saw the frozen body inside it.

Thanks to Kinnon's arrangement, Gavin Ashmore's corpse was well preserved during the trip. Bloodless and cold, the convicted criminal that had been cut off from the Infinite Eclipse Pack lay there motionlessly.

.....

Ronan narrowed his eyes and pinned both of his subordinates with an icy look.

'Look at me,' he commanded using the Alpha Voice.

'Yes, Alpha, both of them responded as they raised their eyes to meet Ronan's.

'Tell me everything that you know about the man inside the coffin.'

Jake was the first to speak.

'This is Gavin Ashmore. He used to be part of the pack until he was punished and then expelled due to endangering Maya Greenwood, another pack member'

Quinn's description was more detailed because she knew Gavin the longest.

'Gavin Ashmore became an orphan at the age of ten. My mate and I raised him along with the other pack orphans. He committed a crime against Maya Greenwood, upon which he was sentenced to imprisonment at Black Reef Island.'

'Is there anything else that you know after he went to Black Reef Island?'

Jake's tone was steady. 'No, Alpha.

Quinn on the other side was unable to answer right away. Beads of cold sweat appeared on her face. She looked very conflicted.

'Quinn?' Ronan put additional pressure on the elder woman. 'Are you keeping something from me? Answer me.

Clawing into his armrest, Ronan could barely believe it. Quinn was one of the pack leaders that he valued a lot. She was a lot older than him or Jake, a mother figure for a lot of the younger pack members.

Her loyalty to the pack was supposed to be flawless, so why was she involved in this heinous crime against the Night Prowler Pack?

Quinn must know very well what impact the assassination attempt on Ralph Youngshaper had on her pack!

'There is something that I have not bothered to inform the Alpha,' Quinn said with a trembling voice.

Under the Alpha Voice's influence, even if she did not want to, she still had to obey Ronan's orders.

'I have never again seen Gavin after I delivered him to the prison. But, one of my protégées kept a close relationship with him. She visited him almost every week in Black Reef Island!

So it was not Quinn but one of the children that she raised.

'What is her name?'

'Shayla Plainheart. She lost her parents around the same time Gavin did. They have been close since they were children!

Ronan lifted the oppressive effect of Alpha Voice from his subordinates. Jake and Quinn dropped to their knees right after, their legs weak and wobbly.

Jake looked terrified, but Quinn was as pale as a sheet of white paper.

"Alpha, what really happened to Gavin Ashmore?" Jake asked in confusion.

Unless, of course, Gavin's death was related to something sinister.

Gavin had been expelled. His death was nevertheless regretful, but why was there even a need to interrogate them by using the Alpha Voice?

This sinister thing was what Ronan had yet to tell his Beta and his Gamma.

Heaving a deep sigh, he filled them in on the conversation that he, Lucien, and Kinnon had.

Undoubtedly, it sparked outrage from Jake and Quinn.

"What audacity!" Jake shouted furiously. "The Infinite Eclipse Pack had no need for such dirty tricks!"

Ronan corrected him.

"To be precise, the belt was pointing out toward the Silverback family in particular, not the pack in general."

"Still!"

Jake's eyes were blazing with fire.

"The Silverback family is one of the prominent families in the Infinite Eclipse Pack. Accusing anyone from the Silverback family of the crime simply means accusing the whole pack!"

Ronan

sighed.

"Thank you, Jake."

Quinn's face was as dark as the night. "Alpha, I am ashamed of my failure for having raised these two irresponsible children. Please punish me as you see fit."

Ronan shook his head.

"We don't know about the involvement of Shayla Plainheart yet. Please call her into this hall. Let's hear what she has to say."

Quinn bowed deeply in front of Ronan before she left to personally fetch Shayla.

Left alone in the audience hall with Ronan, Jake kept mumbling under his breath, "Oh, Goddess. I never thought that... I never expected this to happen."

Ronan crossed one of his legs over the other.

"So when Kinnon Youngshaper attacked me as soon as the war began, he truly meant to end me to avenge his son."

Jake swallowed hard.

"Alpha, I have not heard any death announcement from the Night Prowler Pack. May I safely assume that the little heir survived the attack?"

Ronan nodded.

"You may. Kinnon took him to play to Blue Hill City. He has fully recovered. Then again it was all thanks to their own efforts."

"I... I understand," Jake said weakly.

Quick footsteps were heard approaching. The door of the audience hall opened with a loud bang.

A terrified-looking Quinn stood there, her hair and clothing somewhat disheveled.

"Alpha, Beta, I am so sorry. Shayla Plainheart left the pack house two days ago to go back to the university for a new semester. I just called to check with the university, and the staff informed me that Shayla never arrived."