Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 47

"Reporting to the Luna, the Alpha of the Silent Walkers Pack requested an audience." Lucien choked on his coffee. He then coughed violently under the worried gaze of the guard.

The guard might think it was because Annalynne dropped by so suddenly, but actually, it was because Lucien was still not used to being addressed as a Luna.

Even before Lucien was introduced to them as the future Luna, the whole pack more or less already knew about Ronan's intention. They just did not dare to refer to him as the Luna directly for fear of overstepping their boundaries. After Ronan officially announced Lucien's status to the whole pack, it became much easier. Instead of choosing between the address "Lucien" or "Mr. Clearwater", they could just call him "Luna" directly.

Red from the coughing fit, Lucien replied with ragged breathing, "Cough... I am coming soon. Please let her in."

Lucien barely stepped into the audience hall before Annalynne threw herself at her brother woefully. "Lulu...!!!"

Lucien laughed while he pulled his sister into an embrace.

.....

"And I was just thinking about visiting you and Mom at Blue Hill City. Anna, what brings you here?"

Her happiness at seeing Lucien quickly faded, leaving a sullen expression on her face.

"I am here to take you home."

"... Umm..."

Annalynne squeezed her brother's hands and stared at him intently.

"Lulu, you still belong to the Clearwater family. It is not yet too late to break off everything with the two-timing bastard. I know that Kinnon is going to ask for your hand in marriage as soon as you get Ronan Silverback out of your life!" Lucien's eyes wandered to the two guards who stood by the door. He almost applauded them for keeping their poker faces despite hearing Annalynne's words loud and clear.

Lucien sighed.

"Anna, come with me," he hissed while dragging his sister with him to Ronan's apartment. Thankfully, Ronan already went off to work early in the morning.

"Anna, you need to mind your position," he chastised his sister as soon as they were alone. "You are an Alpha now. You can't just roll into another pack's pack house and badmouth the other Alpha in front of his pack members!" Annalynne pursed her lips in displeasure.

"Maybe I do want them to know what kind of an unfaithful person their Alpha is! Like father, like son! Hmph!!!"

Lucien sighed again.

"Anyway, I can't leave. If that's all you come here for, I am sorry to disappoint you."

Annalynne groaned and clawed into the air.

"Lulu! Arghhhhh!!!"

Seeing that his brother was not willing to go back to the Silent Walkers Pack with her, Annalynne deployed her Plan B.

"In that case, I want you to come with me to my scar removal appointment."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"When?"

"Today. In three hours at St. Clarence."

...

"Didn't you say that you will still be my twin brother no matter what??? Are you not willing to accompany your twin sister on this traumatic event?" What traumatic event?

The traumatic event was the one that caused the scar, and it was over months ago. If anything, this was a joyous event.

"I thought that you didn't want to get rid of the scars," Lucien pointed out.

"Well, now I do."

"Because of Lowell?"

Blood shot to Annalynne's cheeks in an instant.

"NO!" She blurted out. "I mean yes, he is part of the reason, but I mainly just want to be pretty again!"

"Oh, my baby sister," Lucien chuckled. "You have always been pretty."

Annalynne's plan B worked wonders. Lucien called Ronan to inform him that he would be away to accompany Annalynne, but the latter was in a meeting.

"Would you like to leave a message, Luna?" Milroy asked on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, just tell Ronan that I will be at St. Clarence to accompany my sister."

"Alright, Luna."

By the time Lucien ended the phone call, Annalynne already grabbed Lucien's coat and pushed him out of the door.

"Go, go, go!" She shouted excitedly.

For some reason, Lucien felt as if he was being kidnapped. Annalynne was just not being too obvious about it.

During the ride to St. Clarence, Annalynne could not stop chattering about Ronan Silverback's despicable character.

"And you know what, Lulu? He hung up on me! That bastard hung up on me!"

Lucien could barely suppress his smile. Look at how energetic Annalynne was. If she had time to worry about Lucien's love life, then she must have had no problem while settling into the Alpha seat. That was a relief. "Why are you smiling?? What is so funny??" Annalynne demanded as they walked toward the cosmetic surgery department's waiting room.

"Nothing," Lucien replied while patting his sister's head fondly. "So how is it going with Lowell?"

Annalynne turned pink again in an instant.

"Ohhhh what was that? It's my turn. Bye Lulu! Please wait until I am done!"

She bolted away just like that. Chuckling to himself, Lucien shook his head at his sister's retreating figure.

The man leaned back into his seat and stared at the hospital ceiling. It should not take too long now. He wondered whether Ronan already got out of his meeting or not. If he did, did Milroy share his message already? Was Ronan going to be upset because he went away without any bodyguards?

He would surely scold him later when he got back home...

"AHHHHH!!!"

Lucien ripped his eyes open and turned his head toward the source of the noise.

An elderly woman sat on the floor in a pitiful manner. A wooden cane with a pointy end lay one meter away from her.

"Madam, are you alright???"

Lucien quickly rushed toward the elderly woman to help her back on her feet.

"My... My cane," she said with a hoarse voice, tapping blindly in the direction of her cane.

Lucien picked up the cane from the floor and handed it over to the elderly woman.

Heaving a sigh of relief, she looked up at Lucien, her eyes a beautiful color of greenish-blue.

"Thank you, child," she beamed at Lucien while squeezing the latter's arm.

It was almost as if he were gazing into Ronan's eyes, or better said Lady Adele Fangblade's eyes. Lucien was so stunned that he could not help but stare at the familiar pair of eyes for a long time. "Child? Is there something on my face?" the elderly woman asked Lucien after a while of awkward silence.

"No, not at all," Lucien quickly snapped from his daydreams. "Madam, you resemble an acquaintance of mine very much. To be exact, your eyes remind me of her."

Lucrethia Woodland smiled sweetly at Lucien.

"I hope she is a good person."

"She was. She was an amazing person."

"Oh," the elderly woman pressed a hand against her lips in realization. "I am so sorry for your loss."

Lucien shook his head.

"It's fine."

.....

Lucrethia Woodland buried her fingers into Lucien's arms like a predator clutching its prey. The gesture stood in contrast with the beseeching look that she threw Lucien right after.

"Child, I believe I fainted from low blood sugar. Do you mind taking me to the canteen for some brunch?"

Lucien hesitated for a while. He glanced back at the surgery room door that separated him and Annalynne.

It would take a while for the doctors to work on Annalynne's scars. Surely there was enough time to accompany the elderly woman and go back to the waiting room. Annalynne wouldn't even know that he was gone.

Besides, the elderly woman looked so pitiful and lonely.

"Sure, Madam," Lucien responded at last.

"Thank you, my child."

Lucien thus took the elderly woman to the hospital canteen. She picked the farthest seat from the counter, claiming that she wanted to bask in the morning sunlight.

As a result, Lucien had to go back and forth between the canteen counter and the table to bring Lucrethia her food and drink. Surprisingly, the elderly woman had a massive appetite. She ordered two big cheese and ham sandwiches, a plate of deviled eggs, a bowl of clear chicken soup, and also a plate of candied plums as dessert.

"Please have some," she pushed the plate of deviled eggs in Lucien's direction once Lucien was done acting as food courier.

"No, thank you. Madam, you should eat more," Lucien rejected her politely, pushing the plate of candied plums back in Lucrethia's direction.

The elderly woman pursed her lips in a slight pout

"How can I finish all of these alone? You have to help me!"

""

Lucien smiled graciously.

"Then maybe just a candied plum," he said.

Lucrethia's lips curled up into a smile. "The candied plums here are the best. I like them a lot. Eat more, eat more."

While they shared the plate of candied plums, Lucrethia eyed Lucien full of curiosity.

"Young man, were you waiting for your girlfriend back there?"

Lucien smiled and shook his head.

"No, I was waiting for my sister."

"Ah. What a doting brother."

"Thank you, it is my responsibility as a big brother."

"You seem to be a very caring man. You must dote even more on your wife," Lucrethia praised her younger companion.

Lucien cleared his throat.

He did not wish to comment on that, so he said nothing.

Lucrethia switched the topic from spouse to offspring.

"Have you had any pups, my dear?"

"Oh, no."

"No? At your age? My son sired a pup when he was only twenty-two years old."

"I am not thinking of having children," Lucien said hurriedly.

"Oh?"

Lucrethia narrowed her eyes at Lucien. The latter had his eyelashes lowered; otherwise, he would see the peculiar hunger in Lucrethia's eyes.

"What does your girlfriend say about it?"

"My partner is a man."

"Oh. What a pity."

Lucien's lips parted slightly in surprise when he glanced up at Lucrethia.

"Why is it a pity?"

"Because, every man wants to be a father."

"I don't think so," Lucien denied.

"Maybe you don't, but your partner dreams of having little feet running through the house."

Lucien furrowed his brows.

For some reason, he felt uncomfortable.

He could not pinpoint where exactly the uneasy feeling came from, but it existed. And it was gradually growing stronger.

"He does not," Lucien mumbled while rubbing the spot between his brows.

"What makes you so sure?"

"He said, he didn't."

"He said that because that is what you want to hear," Lucrethia said. "If anyone else asked him, he would say that he wanted some children. He just did not want to offend you." Lucien held a hand before his mouth and shut his eyes tightly.

It was dizziness...

No, nausea...

Lucien did not know what was happening. He could not put a finger on what he was feeling. He just felt extremely uncomfortable.

Lucrethia extended her hand and squeezed Lucien's shoulder. It was very gentle, but Lucien unwittingly shuddered.

"If you think that he will make a good father, you should allow him to be one. Otherwise, it is rather selfish, don't you think?"

Lucien wanted to pull away from Lucrethia's grip, but for some reason, he was unable to.

"Right?" Lucrethia pressed on.

Lucien's headache intensified. It hurt so much. He wanted it to stop. He needed it to stop.

"Right," he helplessly said.

Lucrethia retracted her hand and asked with a voice full of concern, "Young man, are you alright? You look so pale."

"I..."

Before Lucien finished what he wanted to say, his phone started to ring.

It was Annalynne.

"Lulu!" She snapped. "Where did you run off to???"

"Sorry, Anna, I..."

His head still throbbing painfully, Lucien glanced up at the elderly woman.

"Sorry, Madam, I need to go."

"Oh, thank you for keeping me company. My son will come to pick me up in a bit. Go to your sister."

Lucien nodded. He rose to his feet and left without saying goodbye.

Lucrethia stayed behind. She watched the back of Lucien's head until he disappeared around the corner.

"What a delicious young man," she thought to herself. "A heavenly, sweet orange scent."

Her wrinkly hand reached toward the plate and took another candied plum.

Biting into it, she thought further, "So delicious that one just has to take a bite."

"Uhh...!"

Heads turned in Ronan's direction when they heard the latter groan.

The Alpha pressed a hand against his chest, large sweat beads built on his forehead.

"Alpha, is everything alright?" Jake leaned closer to his superior.

"Mnh."

The sharp pain in his chest disappeared as quickly as it appeared, leaving not a single trace. That was disconcerting.

"Are we done here?" Ronan asked impatiently.

The meeting had been going on for two hours, and they were through with the major issues.

Seeing that the Alpha's mood was rather foul, naturally no one dared to prolong the meeting.

"Yes," Jake answered.

He gestured for everyone to leave. "Meeting is over for now."

The Alpha was bathed in a cold sweat. Jake had never seen him in this state, so he was quite concerned.

"Alpha, is everything alright?"

"Yes," Ronan said. "Maybe I just need more sleep. Or water."

Before Jake thought about anything useful to say, Milroy rushed into the meeting room.

"Reporting to Alpha, the Luna called and left a message."

Ronan furrowed his brows.

"What did he say?"

"The Luna is going to St. Clarence today with Alpha Annalynne from the Silent Walkers Pack."

Considering that Annalynne yelled at Ronan the previous day about his involvement with Lillian, Ronan was not too happy about the two siblings spending their time together.

"Get me my phone," Ronan said curtly while wiping the cold sweat off his forehead.

Milroy dutifully handed Ronan his phone before he continued, "Also, there is a summon from the Werewolf Council for tomorrow morning."

Ronan stopped in the middle of calling Lucien and turned to look at Milroy with furrowed brows. Jake too was stunned.

"The Werewolf Council? What do they say?"

Milroy clutched his notebook like a shield before his chest and answered, "It was initiated by Conrad Woodland."

Conrad Woodland, Lillian's father.

Ronan rubbed at his chin. He pretty much knew what the man wanted to say.

"Never mind. I am going to bring Lucien with me. We might as well inform the whole council of our plan to get married."

"Umm, the Luna has also received the summon," Milroy's voice trembled slightly when he said it out loud.

44"

What did Conrad Woodland want to do with Lucien?

"I want to read the summon notice myself," Ronan demanded while walking to his own office.

Jake and Milroy dutifully followed behind him.

Once Ronan got to read it with his own eyes, he saw that Milroy was not mistaken.

The Werewolf Council demanded not only his but also Lucien's presence at the Werewolf Council Headquarters.

"Alright, leave me," Ronan said, waving his hand to dismiss both his assistant and his Beta.

He threw the notice onto his desk and shifted his attention to his phone.

Lucien did not pick up.

Impatient, the Alpha called again and again.

After the fifth call, the connection finally went through.

The one who answered the call was not Lucien but Annalynne.

"Could you please shut it for an hour or so???" Annalynne roared into the phone. "We are busy here! We don't have time to cater to your phone call!"

""

Ronan checked the number that he dialed.

It was Lucien's.

"Where is Lulu?" Ronan asked, ignoring Annalynne's angry speech.

"In St. Clarence, where else???"

Ronan's expression turned icy. "So happy that your scars are gone, Alpha Annalynne. Hand the phone to Lucien, I need to talk to him."

From the other end of the line, the sound of someone throwing up was heard.

"... Who was that?" Ronan asked.

"Lulu? Lulu, oh Goddess..."

Веер.

And the call ended just like that.

Ronan drove by himself to St. Clarence.

As soon as he arrived, he demanded to see a certain Lucien Clearwater.

"There is no patient by that name," the elder nurse told the Alpha once she finished checking on her computer.

"How can there not be? You made a mistake, check again," Ronan growled impatiently.

The nurse narrowed her eyes at Ronan and pursed her lips.

"Alpha Ronan, your mate is not here. Maybe he already went back."

Ronan did not even bother asking how she knew that Lucien was his mate.

"He is here! I know it!"

"He is not!"

Ronan gritted his teeth. He was just planning to check room after room in search of Lucien when the latter's weak, trembling voice was heard behind him.

"Ronan, I am here."

Ronan turned around and was shocked to see Lucien's pale face. He had one arm around Annalynne, who wobbled slightly in an attempt to keep Lucien in a standing position. "Lulu, my love, what happened?"

Ronan rushed to Lucien's side. He wrapped an arm around Lucien's waist and let him lean on his chest.

"I don't feel too good," Lucien mumbled. "Maybe it's the weather."

Ronan gave Annalynne a piercing stare, to which the woman immediately responded, "I did nothing to Lulu! I was in surgery!"

She pointed at the thick bandages on her cheek.

"When he came back, he was so pale. And then he threw up in the bathroom..."

"It's not a big deal," Lucien muttered. "Maybe some food poisoning."

"Did you eat something weird, Lulu???" Annalynne was aghast.

"Just... Candied plums from the canteen."

Ronan and Annalynne exchanged glances before they both turned to look at the elder nurse at the reception desk.

She was leaning forward and staring at Lucien.

"Our canteen does serve candied plums for dessert today, but no one else got sick from it."

"I want a doctor to take a look at him," Ronan insisted.

"That already happened. There is nothing wrong with me," Lucien replied.

"What do you mean with nothing wrong? Look at you! You are so pale and weak! Where is this so-called doctor? I want to speak to him!"

Lucien shot Ronan a glare.

.....

"Ronan, don't make a fuss. I just need to take some rest."

The Alpha heaved a sigh.

"Fine," Ronan growled. "Then let's go home. Alpha Annalynne, allow me to take my mate home."

Lucien gave his sister a weak smile. He patted Annalynne's bandaged cheek.

"I am so glad that you did it. Tell me what it looks like later."

Annalynne nodded. She watched as her brother and Ronan departed from the hospital. An uneasy feeling spread in her heart. What happened to Lucien?

"Lucien, how are you feeling?"

"Mmm.

Alright."

Ronan stole a glance at his mate.

Lucien had his eyes shut tightly as he leaned his head against the headrest. The passenger seat was tilted a few degrees to the back to grant him some comfort.

"There is a summon by the Werewolf Council for tomorrow morning. Both you and I are required to attend."

Lucien opened his eyes and turned to look at Ronan.

"What is it about?"

Ronan pursed his lips.

"Apparently, Conrad Woodland initiated it."

.....

Lucien furrowed his brows and groaned slightly.

"If you are not feeling better, we should not go," Ronan said. "I will inform the council as soon as we get home."

"Don't be silly," Lucien sighed. "Let's get it over with. I want to hear what he has to say."

"... Fine."

Ronan wanted to carry Lucien in his arms on the way to their apartment, but the latter refused to be treated like an invalid.

"I can still walk, Ronan Silverback," he said with a frown.

"I know, I just want to carry you," Ronan said hastily while chasing after Lucien who walked so fast ahead of him.

"No need. Carry me another time."

Lucien had a thin face. He might be the Luna, but he refused to act spoiled and depend on Ronan. Not in the public at least. Once they got into their apartment, he was a lot more agreeable.

Ronan helped Lucien into the bed and lay next to him.

They cuddled and Ronan rubbed Lucien's back affectionately.

"Lulu, do you want to eat something?"

"No..."

"Do you want to drink something?"

"No..."

Lucien raised his head and gave Ronan a pitiful look.

"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Ronan smiled.

"Of course, my baby."

Lucien closed his eyes. He fell asleep eventually, but his sleep was restless. In his dream, Lillian gave birth to a healthy baby boy and Ronan cried with joy. Just like Lucrethia said, he was so happy to be a father. The beautiful couple shared a beautiful family moment while Lucien stood at

the side like an unnecessary ornament.

He tried to say something, but his throat was tied.

Even the Mind Link did not work.

Lucien kept calling for his mate. Unfortunately, Ronan only had eyes for Lillian and the baby.

He neither answered nor gave Lucien any sign that he heard him.

An unknown force pulled Lucien away from the perfect scene before him. He extended his hand and tried to fight the unknown force, but he ultimately lost.

A string of words echoed in Lucien's head.

"If you think that he will make a good father, you should allow him to be one. Otherwise, it is rather selfish, don't you think?"

Selfish...

Selfish...

"No!!!" Lucien shouted in his sleep.

Ronan woke up with a start.

"Lulu? Honey? What's wrong?"

Lucien breathed heavily while staring at the ceiling.

What was that?

"I don't know," he whispered. "I don't know..."

Ronan pulled Lucien into his arms and showered him with kisses.

"It's just a nightmare. My love, don't be scared. I am here for you."

Lucien was close to crying.

It was not a nightmare.

It

was a dream about the future.

Was he being selfish by demanding Ronan to stay faithful to him?

Was Lillian

suffering?

Did

he

deny the little pup his father?

But he too wanted to be happy.

Why could he not be happy?

Why must he give away the one person that he was ever in love with?

Inadvertently, tears started building in his eyes and he started sobbing.

"Lucien...?"

Ronan tilted his mate's chin.

Lucien was crying.

"Lulu, what's wrong...?"

The man refused to say anything. He kept shaking his head fervently.

"Alright, alright. Baby, if you don't want to say it now, you don't have to. Just know that I am here for you, alright?"

There was nothing else that Ronan could do other than let his mate cry to his heart's content.

He cursed himself for his helplessness. He wished that he could just take away Lucien's sadness and throw it far, far away.

Unfortunately, he could not.

Not as long as Lucien did not open up to him.

This was something that Lucien must do on his own. If Ronan forced him, he was only going to get hurt.

Hopefully, the warmth of his embrace could sneak into Lucien's heart and tickle him to come out of his shell.

While Ronan soothed his mate with soft words, his eyes shone fiercely in the darkness.

Annalynne, just what did you say to Lucien to make him cry like this??? There was nothing Ronan wanted to do more than call up Annalynne to question her, but it was already late at night. Judging from Annalynne's personality, she might just whine at Lucien right after, complaining about being bullied.

Arggghhhhh... Women!!!

Overcome with exhaustion, the Alpha eventually fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, Lucien was not on the bed.

Ronan found him in the kitchen, making coffee.

"Lulu? Good morning, are you alright?"

Lucien turned to look at his mate, his neutral expression betrayed nothing.

"Of course. Get ready, Ronan. We need to leave soon."

Lucien walked past Ronan to get into the bathroom, but Ronan pulled at his wrist and stopped him.

“Lulu, do you not need to talk to me about something?"

.....

Lucien wiped at his face, covering the upper half of his face with his palm.

What was he supposed to say? That an elderly lady with stunningly similar eyes to Ronan's mother told Lucien that the latter was being selfish?

He couldn't say that out loud, could he?

In fact, if it were any other random lady, Lucien might just tell her that it was none of her business.

Unfortunately, the lady looked so much like the late Lady Adele Fangblade.

Lady Fangblade supported the relationship between Ronan and Lucien, but what would she say if she knew that Lucien secretly hated the fact that Ronan was having a baby with someone else?

Would Lady Fangblade too think that Lucien was selfish?

Lucien was afraid to know the answer.

Ronan was not surprised to see Dane Silverback present during the meeting. In fact, if he were not around, Ronan would be amazed.

The Alpha had not yet forgotten how Dane Silverback treated his mother's corpse. He did not think that he could ever forgive his disgusting action.

Dane Silverback, on the other side, was clearly still angry about the mating bond between Ronan and Lucien.

What gave him the right to be angry, that was what Ronan wanted to know the most.

Nevertheless, today's meeting was not to solve the problem between the father and son.

It was, of course, to talk about Lillian Woodland.

The pregnant lady came together with her father, Alpha Conrad Woodland of the Ironclad Claws Pack.

Both Ronan and Lucien looked grim. Lucien was somewhat pale.

Lillian's gaze shifted to Dane Silverback and the few elders that represented each of the three packs; Elder Rick for the Silent Walkers Pack, Elder Aaron for the Infinite Eclipse Pack, and Elder Kragen for the Ironclad Claws Pack.

.....

Conrad Woodland was the senior Alpha in the room, but his presence was far beneath Ronan Silverback who was tens of years his junior. Even lower than Dane Silverback who already stepped down from the Alpha position.

Sweating profusely, Conrad Woodland stuttered out the reason he called for this meeting.

"I would like to know Alpha Ronan's plan regarding my daughter and uh, the boy that she is carrying."

Dane Silverback narrowed his eyes at Conrad Woodland.

"What is your expectation?" he asked, quite nonchalant for someone who once spoke highly about matchmaking Lillian to Ronan.

The muscle at Conrad's cheek twitched in distress.

"That... I would like for my daughter to have a status in Alpha Ronan's household."

A status.

What status could there be?

Ronan reached out to touch Lucien's hand and squeezed it.

"I have already formed a mating bond with Lucien Clearwater. This bond is holy and protected by the Moon Goddess. Surely Alpha Conrad knows that."

"I know that," Conrad snapped. "So what do you suggest, Alpha Ronan? Don't tell me that you plan to not take any responsibility for my daughter!"

Elder Kragen cracked a nervous smile. He grabbed Conrad's shoulder and gestured for him to calm down.

"Alpha Conrad is merely concerned about Lillian's future. No one is requiring Alpha Ronan to break the existing mating bond with Lucien Clearwater. That would be a sinful act, even," Elder Kragen said with a broad, placating smile on his face.

Ronan took a deep breath.

Lucien lowered his gaze.

"In that case, what kind of status does Alpha Conrad seek to obtain for his daughter?" Everyone knew the delicate situation they were in when they started the discussion. No one dared to make a suggestion. They merely shoved the question to each other's lap, hoping that someone could come up with something that did not offend the other parties.

It made Lucien sick. Whatever status Lillian got in the Infinite Eclipse Pack, Lucien was not going to be happy anyway.

He wanted to tell everyone that he did not care.

He just

wanted to leave.

But he could not do that, could he?

Lucien squeezed Ronan's hand.

The latter took it to his lips and gave it a reverent kiss.

"The child is mine. He shall be recognized as my heir when the time comes. Unfortunately, I cannot and will not marry Lillian. It won't be fair for my mate," Ronan pointed out.

"Then what will happen to my daughter?" Conrad glared at Ronan. "She is going to be damaged goods in the eyes of others! Mind you, my daughter used to be the most popular bachelorette out there! She gave her heart and body to you and now you are throwing

her away after she gives birth to your heir? Alpha Ronan, are you not too selfish???"

Selfish.

That's the word again.

Lucien clawed into Ronan's hand.

He could feel his breakfast coming up his throat.

"It is my fault," Ronan said through gritted teeth. "I am willing to compensate Lillian for everything that she has to go through. I just don't know how. As you see, I am a mated man. My mate should not have to suffer from this issue."

Conrad broke into laughter.

"Issue', huh? I guess when you did it with my daughter, you did not think that this 'issue' will come up."

Lillian wrinkled her forehead.

"Daddy, stop it," she murmured.

It's not as if Conrad was highly against her sleeping with Ronan Silverback and getting pregnant before they even sealed a mating bond. That was actually the original plan.

They wanted to force Ronan Silverback into accepting Lillian by making use of the child.

They just did not expect Lillian to come home with another man's seed in her belly.

On the other side, Ronan heaved a sigh as heavy as the whole universe.

To be very honest, his not sleeping with Lillian was a stroke of luck. Or maybe it wasn't. It was purely Lillian's achievement. Ronan should thank her for her kick that night.

If she had endured Ronan and gone through it, the baby would truly be his.

Conrad was not wrong to be angry.

Had that been the case, though, Ronan would have taken responsibility before he started courting Lucien.

He would have met up with Lillian and talked about things. It was not his style to leave a woman after he took advantage of her. Especially not if it meant that a child might have been born from a one-time union.

It was because Ronan knew for sure that they did not end up sleeping together that he dared pursue Lucien freely, without any trace of guilt.

Otherwise, he would have told Lucien about that night. He would have prepared Lucien in the event that Lillian really became pregnant from that one night.

Next to Ronan, Lucien pressed a hand against his lips. His white face had meanwhile turned blueish.

Ronan's eyes widened in terror.

"Lulu...!"