Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 60

Once the Infinite Eclipse Pack gave its consent, Katreena Swifttalon used it to persuade all other packs into giving their consent.

Naturally, none of them believed that Ronan Silverback was very keen on forgiving Lucrethia Woodland. That's why one phone call after another came flooding, all of them were asking basically the same thing: "Did Alpha Ronan really agree to release Lucrethia Woodland's body to her daughters?" Of all the Alphas, Kinnon was the only one who correctly guessed that Lucien was the one who coaxed his mate into the generous act of mercy.

"Lucien is too kind for his own good," Kinnon said.

Ronan had to agree. He told Lucien about it, but Lucien merely shook his head with a smile.

"There is no need to hold a grudge against a dead person."

Annalynne, on the other side, felt that it was necessary to hold a grudge. She made a call to her brother first thing in the morning after she gave her consent.

"Lucien, you are too kind," the twin sister criticized. "If I were you, I would suggest cutting her into pieces and feeding them to wild dogs."

Lucien shook his head in reproach.

"Anna, such words are unbefitting of an Alpha."

Unexpectedly, Annalynne had a comeback response.

"Are you telling your Alpha how to talk now?"

Lucien narrowed his eyes at the laptop screen in front of him.

"... Really, Anna? Are you pulling ranks on me now?"

The woman on the other end of the line broke into a giggle.

"No, of course not! But Lulu, didn't I sound cool??? I am starting to love the Alpha lingo! As the first and only female Alpha currently, I need to assert myself! Be my own woman! Confidence is the key to success!" Lucien rubbed at his forehead and sighed. What was his silly sister spouting so early in the morning?

"Anna, have you been listening to motivational podcasts or reading uplifting motivational quotes?" Annalynne cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Yes?"

"... Go read from 'Virtues Of An Alpha' and 'How To Rule A Pack Wisely' when you have so much time in your hand."

"But... But..."

"No buts. I am sending you a copy of each right now."

Lucien finished his purchase before ordering those two books for his sister. Once he was done, he stepped into the bedroom to take a look at Ronan.

Just what was taking him so long to get ready?

Ronan was on the phone, fully invested in what sounded like a business call.

"How much longer do I have to wait?"

"Has all the preparation been done?"

"Wonderful, when can I go down to take a look?"

"No, no, that is not necessary, not for now."

Lucien knocked slightly at the door to make his presence known.

Ronan turned around and smiled at him.

'Come here,' he said through Mind Link, gesturing for Lucien to come nearer.

The red-blonde man looked handsome in his three-piece suit. It perfectly highlighted Lucien's provocative contours and slender legs. The man emanated an undefinable aura of authority. Ronan wanted to kiss the sole of Lucien's feet and worship him. At the same time, Ronan also reveled in wild fantasy, in which he got to rip the formal clothes off Lucien and make him moan lasciviously as he took Ronan's c**k inside.

"That's all," Ronan ended the call, his mouth dry from longing and desire.

His focus scattered into thin air as soon as he caught sight of Lucien anyway.

Ronan slipped a naughty hand into Lucien's shirt. He hummed in delight when he ran his fingers across Lucien's beautiful muscles.

"Stop that," Lucien smacked his mate's hand. "We have to go now, otherwise we will never go."

"Oh, Lulu..."

Ronan's voice was husky from intense [**t.

"I would love to make love to you right now. You look so good."

The Alpha grabbed his mate by the back of his neck and buried his nose into his collarbone.

"And you smell so heavenly."

Ronan sighed.

Lucien gave him another smack.

"Stop that right now. Your parents are waiting for us to have breakfast together."

"...

The words "your parents" or "your mother and father" had been extraordinarily effective in killing Ronan's erection these days.

By the look of it, Lucien made use of this newly gained power too freely. Almost as if he enjoyed it.

"Come now," Lucien whispered with an alluring voice as he leaned against Ronan's chest and flashed the man his most seductive smile.

"When we get back, you can do anything that you want to me."

Ronan swallowed hard.

"Anything?"

"Anything," Lucien winked at him.

"Don't eat your words later," Ronan crooned.

The Alpha lowered his head and captured his Luna's lips in one fell swoop.

"Mmm..."

Ronan tilted Lucien's head backward, exposing his fair neck to the former's hungry eyes. As he peppered Lucien's neck with kiss marks, his other hand wandered from Lucien's chest down to his waist and settled on the fleshy mound that he so loved to squeeze. "Mmm... Ahh..."

Lucien closed his eyes and moaned from pleasure.

Ronan's touch was scorchingly hot. Lucien got goosebumps when he felt the man's adventurous hand around his body, separated only by a few layers of clothing.

"We should go," Ronan cleared his throat. "Otherwise, we have to cancel. I don't think that I can control myself any longer."

Lucien laughed.

"Are you not tired of it already?"

"Tired? Never."

Ronan gave Lucien a peck on the lips.

"I will never stop wanting to sleep with you."

Lucien shook his head at the hopeless Alpha.

"In a way, I guess it is a blessing that we don't have children. Otherwise, it will be difficult to explain their father's lustful behavior."

Speaking about children...

Ronan's face turned red in an instant.

He was itching to tell Lucien, but he also wanted it to be a surprise.

The Alpha bit into his lip full of indignation.

No, he should not spoil it.

Ronan put an arm around his mate's waist and smiled.

"Shall we?"

"We shall," Lucien nodded.

After delaying their marriage for what felt like eons of time, they were finally going to report their marriage intention to the Werewolf Council.

This time, no one and nothing was going to stop them.

The reconstruction of the entire Werewolf Council Headquarters was expected to take at least five months, not including the gigantic Moon Goddess statue.

The gigantic statue was, according to the legend, not built by men.

A long, long time ago, the Moon Goddess lived in the North Ridge Forest with her werewolf children. It was a peaceful period when she got to spend every single day with children who adored and worshipped her. Unfortunately, the Moon Goddess did not belong to the earth.

One day, she found that she had stayed for way too long. The time had come for her to leave.

When she told her children that she had to go back to heaven, all the werewolves cried bitterly. They begged her not to leave them behind; take them to heaven if need be.

That was one thing that the Moon Goddess could not do. It was not yet time for them to come and live with her in heaven, she said.

To provide solace for the werewolves, the Moon Goddess left an imprint behind. This imprint was the gigantic statue that henceforth watched over the children that the Moon Goddess left behind.

Having sustained a great material loss among others, the Werewolf Council was not particularly satisfied with how things ended.

.....

First, the Moon Goddess statue crumbled into a heap of ruins.

Second, the headquarters too was utterly destroyed.

Third, the perpetrator got to escape trial by dying quickly.

The elderly left the world with a huge bang, but her descendants and pack members had to suffer from the consequences.

In order to not implicate the other Ironclad Claws pack members in Lucrethia's sins and give other packs reason to initiate wars, Alpha Kieran Locksworth denounced Lucrethia Woodland the same day she died.

Had she survived, she would be tried as a rogue she-wolf.

In death, neither status nor title mattered. All the werewolf society remembered about Lucrethia was the great extent of the harm that she had caused, particularly to the Infinite Eclipse Pack and the Night Prowler Pack. Her name was tarnished forever in the werewolf society for generations to come.

After both Conrad and Lucrethia Woodland had passed away, Vera Woodland no longer felt at home in the Ironclad Claws Pack.

With Kieran's blessings, she opted to take Conrad's remaining children and followed Katreena Swifttalon.

Only Lillian and her mother remained in the Ironclad Claws Pack. They would be the last Woodlands to stay in the pack. Looking back, it was a wise decision for the Woodlands to leave with Katreena.

In the southern continent, the werewolf packs were scattered without a central government body. Without strict rules and regulations to live by, the werewolves lived freely without many restrictions. They did not bother integrating with human civilization and chose instead to live as close as possible to the werewolves of the past.

Though Lucrethia certainly condemned Katreena's marriage to a faraway pack back then, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. She had found her place there, and gained respect from both her mate and her pack.

In the pack she married into, Alpha and Luna reigned together. They had equal standing, both were highly respected by their pack members.

In a way, she had become a leader of the pack. Was that not what Lucrethia wanted for Katreena all along?

And now, Vera too might replace a home in the faraway land. Lillian's younger siblings, too.

Maybe, just maybe, so Elder Kragen mused that day, Lionel Woodland did not hate Katreena at all. He saw Katreena's potential, and he did not want her to be crushed by the patriarchal society.

She might be far away, but she would be safe and happy.

If only Lucrethia had seen it through Lionel's eyes. The lady had automatically assumed that Katreena was doomed. That her future was ruined.

It turned out that among all three of Lucrethia's children, Katreena was the one who gained the most.

The Woodlands left with Katreena Swifttalon on the same day they reclaimed Lucrethia Woodland's body.

Their departure marked the end of the Woodland family bloodline in the North American continent, but also the start of happier times.

Spring began in March, but the season culminated in April. Despite losing the ancient building that served as its headquarters for hundreds of years, the Werewolf Council could not just cease its operation.

A smaller building was built post haste near the huge construction site where the new headquarters were supposed to stand, and the council reopened its doors to those who needed its service.

On the very first day, Alpha Ronan Silverback and his future Luna, Lucien Clearwater showed up close before noon. Their fingers were intimately intertwined as they walked toward the temporary council headquarters. "Welcome, Alpha Ronan and Lucien Clearwater," the two young ladies at the reception counter beamed at them.

"Are you here to register your marriage?"

Ronan and Lucien exchanged smiles before they answered in unison, "Yes."

"Then please head to the third chamber from left," one of them instructed.

Inside the chamber, three people were already waiting for them.

The first one was a High Priest who was in charge of accepting the marriage registration. The second one was Elder Rick, and the third one was Elder Aaron.

"Welcome, Alpha Ronan and Lucien Clearwater. Please join us," the High Priest greeted them with a smile.

Once the couple took their seats, they were questioned by their elders about their intentions.

"Alpha Ronan, is it your intention to take Lucien Clearwater as your Luna in a sacred wedding that is blessed by the Moon Goddess?" Elder Rick queried on Lucien's behalf.

"Yes," Ronan answered.

On the Infinite Eclipse Pack's behalf, Elder Aaron turned to Lucien and asked, "Lucien Clearwater, is it your intention to accept Alpha Ronan as your mate and serve the Infinite Eclipse Pack as its Luna with all your heart?" "Yes," Lucien answered.

Both elders nodded at the High Priest, who then unrolled a parchment and laid it before Ronan and Lucien.

"In that case, please add your thumbprints here and here to express your agreement to marry each other."

Lucien moved to dip his thumb into the ink pad, but Ronan grabbed his wrist and stopped him. "Lulu, wait."

Lucien blinked at Ronan in confusion.

"What is it?"

The Alpha took Lucien's hands by the wrists and pressed a chaste kiss on his knuckles.

"My love, it has been a struggle to arrive to this day.

Ever since I met you years ago, even throughout our break-up and separation, there had never been a day when I did not think about you.

Your presence in my life makes it worth living.

Your kisses are what I need to start every morning.

Your love is the sweetest nectar that I ever taste.

Lucien, I love you with every drop of blood I have in my body.

.....

Forever and always, my feelings for you will only grow stronger."

Drunk with love for his mate, the Alpha forgot that other people were present in the room. The two elders literally held their breaths for fear of ruining the tender, romantic ambiance.

Although Lucien was often at the receiving end of Ronan's powerful proclamations of love, he still could not help but blush profusely.

When he averted his eyes from embarrassment, Ronan pulled him into a hug with one hand and grasped his chin with another hand.

"Don't look away from me, baby..." Ronan whispered. "I love you..."

Oblivious about his mate's inner turmoil, Ronan lowered his head and kissed Lucien's soft, quivering lips. His kisses were overflowing with possessive but also gentle love for his mate.

The Alpha held his Luna close to his heart while baring his fangs and claws at anyone who dared to come close and try to snatch his lover away.

For once, Lucien did not try to break free from Ronan's overbearing impulses. He hooked his arms around Ronan's neck instead and pulled him into a deeper kiss. Who cared about the others? Let them watch if they wanted to. Lucien could not be bothered to care for the time being.

The so-called other people showed mixed reactions.

The elders were still holding their breaths, their faces meanwhile were slightly tinted blue.

The High Priest maintained the professional smile on his lips. He most likely had witnessed more fiery display of love. Werewolves were not known to be submissive, especially not the alpha males.

When the couple broke their kiss and opened their eyes to look at each other, everyone could see the scorching, all-consuming love that they shared. It did not matter whether people approved or disapproved of their relationship.

In this life, they chose to stay together. In good times or bad times, in sickness or health, in breezy or stormy weather.

"Ahem."

The two elders finally got sick of holding their breaths.

Truly, these younger people knew no such thing as self-restraint!

Could they not keep their hands to themselves until after they were alone??? Good Goddess!!!

"Please add your thumbprints so we can complete the registration," Elder Aaron reminded the two men.

Lucien and Ronan smiled at each other before they added their thumbprints onto the parchment. Once it was done, they both heaved a sigh of relief.

"Very well," the High Priest remarked.

Elder Rick rolled the parchment together and added the wax seal of the Werewolf Council on top of it. It was then handed over to the High Priest.

"Now that the registration has been completed, please go to the shrine to offer a prayer to the Moon Goddess."

"Thank you," Ronan and Lucien said.

They rose to their feet and walked out of the temporary headquarters.

The aforementioned shrine was located close to the Holy Temple of The Moon Goddess. It was accessible through a stony path that was flanked by long and tall hedges on both sides.

Ronan expected to meet another priest or priestess there for further direction, but the shrine was empty. Only a statue of Moon Goddess sat in her throne at the front side of the shrine, her merciful gaze directed at the children who came to speak to her. Even after Ronan obediently knelt and prayed with Lucien, no one else showed up.

"Let's go," Lucien tipped on Ronan's shoulder once they were done. "What are you looking around for?"

"Erm, Lulu, when are we going to get married?"

Lucien pinched Ronan's cheek affectionately.

"The High Seer will decide within a week."

Ronan breathed out of relief.

"So, next month?" he asked, full of hope.

"Well... It will be between one week and twenty years."

"Oh, one week and twenty years... Yes that sounds reasonable. WAIT WHAT??? TWENTY YEARS???"

Lucien glared at Ronan. "Keep your voice down, you are in a shrine!"

Impatiently, the Alpha dragged his mate out so he did not have to lower his voice.

"Lulu, why? Why twenty years??? Why does it take so long???"

The red-blonde man neither looked surprised nor bothered by the fact.

"What's the problem?" he asked as if twenty years was no different from a blink of eye.

"Lulu, twenty years!" Ronan hissed. "By then, you and I would be SO old!"

Lucien squinted at the unhappy man in front of him.

"Does this mean that you don't want me anymore twenty years from now?"

Ronan quickly grabbed Lucien's hands and professed his undying love to him, "Lulu, I will still want you fifty or a hundred years from now."

"Then what does it matter?" Lucien asked while squeezing Ronan's face.

"We are bonded mates. We live together. What else do you want? A wedding is just there to make it official."

Heck, the whole pack already referred to him as the Luna with or without the wedding ceremony. His place in Ronan's pack was undisputed. So why the rush to hold the wedding ceremony?

"I want to make it official," Ronan grumbled unhappily. "I want everyone to know that you are mine."

Lucien shook his head with a smile.

"Ronan, do you know why Alpha couples are required to register their marriage before the wedding ceremony happens?"

"No. Why?"

"Because the burden of leading a pack is a massive one. Alphas and Lunas must rely on each other and support each other. The time between the registration and the actual wedding serves as the time to reflect on the relationship once both sides agreed on locking each other down in a marriage.

Whether the wedding date is set in one week or twenty years, it largely depends on the affinity of each couple."

While Ronan thought about Lucien's words, an interesting question popped up in his head.

"By the way, Lulu, didn't you register your marriage with Kinnon before?"

Lucien turned to look at his mate with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I did."

Sour feelings rose in Ronan's heart, but his curiosity was even stronger. He simply had to know.

"Did you get a wedding date?"

"Yes, we did."

Before Ronan asked further, Lucien told him what he wanted to know. "It was supposed to be five years from the day we came to register the marriage."

A smug grin spread across Ronan's face.

Pfffft.

Five years?

The connection between Lucien and Kinnon was apparently that shallow, almost meaningless!

Ronan was about to laugh out loud.

Deep inside, Ronan had always wondered why Kinnon did not take Lucien to bed earlier.

Kinnon could pretend to be a gentleman all he wanted, but Ronan knew his rival pretty well.

.....

The Alpha of the Night Prowler Pack was a man with a burning desire for Lucien, one that did not differ much from his own.

If it were Ronan, he would marry Lucien post haste. One day after registering their marriage, if possible.

He would then seduce Lucien night after night, until the latter agreed to open his legs and let him in. They would mark each other again and again while Lucien succumbed to pleasure in Ronan's arms, trembling and crying from powerful release.

They would embrace each other day and night, until Lucien was soaked in his scent, and Ronan in his.

The Alpha cleared his throat to banish the dirty images from his brain.

It didn't work out for Kinnon because the High Seer had a hand in this matter.

Heh.

Hahahahaha.

Why, the High Seer was extremely helpful. Before she helped to save Lucien's life, she helped to keep Lucien safe from Kinnon's greedy and lustful paws!

The High Seer was practically Ronan's best friend!

The Alpha secretly vowed to make a huge donation to the Holy Temple whenever possible.

Maybe he should do it soon.

It might inspire the High Seer to marry him and Lucien sooner than planned.

Grinning from ear to ear, Ronan grabbed Lucien's arm and pulled him into his arms. He rubbed their cheeks together and squeezed his mate to his chest.

"What are you doing?" Lucien asked in a flat tone.

"Baby, you and I, we will get married in a week!" the Alpha announced as if he just looked into the future.

Lucien chuckled.

"So confident?"

"Yes. We should have s*x more to further convince the High Seer."

That was the way to go. Nothing beat a mating bond and healthy s****l relations.

...

Lucien was speechless. There was no helping the horny Alpha. All he thought about was s*x, day in and day out.

The red-blonde man opened his mouth to scold his mate, but then they heard the sound of some people approaching.

For some reason, both of them felt the need to hide. Ronan and Lucien unanimously sneaked behind the tall hedges and peeked at the two people who were walking along the stony path, clearly heading toward the small shrine.

Lucien widened his eyes in surprise when he saw who they were. Next to him, Ronan was frozen on spot.

Lady Adele Fangblade was walking down the path with Dane Silverback by her side!

They went into the shrine without exchanging any words. Around ten minutes later, they re-emerged and this time they had something to say to each other.

"I still think that it is unnecessary," Lady Fangblade remarked.

"It IS necessary," Dane disagreed. "We marked each other. It is just right to get re-married."

Behind the hedges, Ronan looked as if he was about to suffer from a heart attack.

Did he hear correctly? His mother and... And Dane Silverback? She marked him? He marked her?

'Oh Moon Goddess in heaven, Ronan whispered via Mind Link.

'Oh, no, no, no...'

'Ssssssh shut up, Ronan...

"It was an accident," Lady Fangblade pointed out. "I was in heat and you were having your rut. We were just helping each other to relieve the tension."

That was more than what Ronan ever wanted to know about his parents.

He wanted to scream.

He wished to bump his head against the earth until he passed out.

Thankfully, his mate prevented him from harming himself by locking his arms and dragging him further away from the hedges.

"Adele."

Dane wrapped his arms around Lady Fangblade's form. His hand settled on the woman's lower stomach.

"What if you get pregnant?"

Lady Fangblade pursed her lips and gave Dane a look.

"Dane, I am old. Did you mistake me for your younger lovers?"

The man heaved a sigh.

"There is no one else. I told you that again and again, but you wouldn't listen."

Ronan's parents went away, back in the direction of the Werewolf Council's temporary headquarters.

Ronan and Lucien were still squatting behind the tall hedges with Lucien's arms wrapped around Ronan's.

They had the good sense to wait for almost an hour before they stumbled back to their car and drive away. Ronan was pale with fright.

He was silent during the whole trip.

Shaken by what he heard and witnessed, Ronan went to sleep as soon as they reached the apartment.

For the first time ever, he and Lucien slept next to each other without him trying to seduce Lucien even once.

At first, Lucien thought that it was not necessarily a bad thing. Engaging in intimate relations night after night was bound to be harmful for Ronan's kidneys.

He started to get worried when Ronan disappeared first thing in the morning while he was still asleep.

The Alpha only left a message, saying that he had to "take care of things".

Lucien called Milroy after breakfast and questioned him about Ronan's whereabouts.

The young man sounded so anxious and nervous.

If Lucien did not know better, he would think that Ronan was cheating on him.

"Milroy, where is he?" Lucien asked again. "Tell me the truth."

At the other end of the phone line, Milroy slumped his shoulders and wiped beads of cold sweat off his forehead.

"Reporting to the Luna, Alpha Ronan is currently in the fertility center."

Lucien's jaw dropped open. He almost dropped his phone from astonishment.

Did the unspeakable affair between his parents cause Ronan to have erectile dysfunction or something?

Ronan came back that night with a grim expression. He tackled Lucien into bed and rubbed their bodies together in a heavy make-out session, but then he did not proceed with s*x.

Lucien was concerned, but he did not want to push Ronan.

While Lucien was also a man at his prime age with a healthy s****l appetite, he knew that he could maintain a relationship with moderate physical intimacy. Once or twice a week would be perfect for him.

Unlike Ronan, who wanted to ravish him every night if possible, and often more than twice a night.

For Ronan's sake, Lucien hoped that he got over it soon.

It's not like his parents never had s*x before. Otherwise, how did his mother conceive him? Ronan just needed to get over it.

The next morning, Ronan went to work as usual and came home as usual, but again he was not in the mood for intimacies.

Their bed had never been so quiet at night.

On the third night, Lucien decided to seduce Ronan. He came up to him in a thin silky bathrobe, with nothing underneath. The thin fabric slid down his shoulders when he straddled Ronan, showcasing his porcelain skin and the twin tantalizing red buds on his chest.

.....

Ronan grabbed Lucien by his waist and proceeded to suck and bite on the latter's nipples. When Lucien was getting warmed up for more, the wind died down all of a sudden.

Ronan froze up and was unable to continue.

Red with embarrassment, he murmured his apology and went to sleep right away.

Lucien could not take it anymore. After Ronan left for work the next morning, the Luna went to talk to a senior healer in the pack. The visit could not be more awkward and the conversation was even more embarrassing.

"Let me understand this correctly, Luna..." the healer put his fingers together in front of his chest and stared at Lucien.

"You happened to witness one or several distressing exchanges, and from then on, you, ahem, can never maintain your erection anymore. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Lucien tried his best to lie as convincingly as he could. Ronan was the one with the medical condition, but Lucien couldn't go around and spread the news, right?

The healer hummed and nodded a few times.

"I see. If the reason is purely psychological, then the Luna has come to the right place. We can start by talking about it."

""

What? Talk about it?

"So, can you tell me further about this... appalling incident that you happened to gain knowledge of?"

The healer gave Lucien an encouraging gaze.

"No need to rush. Take your time to put your thoughts into words. We have all the time in the world."

Lucien swallowed hard.

What was he supposed to say? That his married parents were still having s*x and he found out about it? It sounded stupid no matter how he expressed the thought.

Should he talk about Dane Silverback and Lady Fangblade? No, he could not. The topic was off-limits.

So what kind of "psychological root cause" tale was he supposed to spin out for the healer to hear?

Seeing Lucien sit there with horror burdening his mind, even the healer felt sorry for him. The Luna had gone through a lot recently, he thought. He had yet to heal, so naturally, that explained his lacking performance in bed.

"If you do not feel comfortable talking about it, you do not have to. We can do some breathing exercises for a start."

That

was an excellent idea.

"Great, how does it work?" Lucien quickly jumped to the second-best solution.

The healer thus taught Lucien how to do a few breathing and relaxation exercises.

Whatever it was, Lucien was going to give it to Ronan.

"The most important thing to do is to calm your mind," the healer reminded him. "Additionally, let me prescribe you some natural remedies to help with achieving an erection."

Not before having a heart-to-heart talk with his mate, no matter how uncomfortable it would be.

Alice Clearwater had one rule in the Clearwater household that she adhered to religiously. Difficult conversations must be done in accompaniment of food.

And that was how Lucien ended up slaving around in the kitchen all afternoon to deck the dining table with dishes that his mother would usually make.

He even specifically called and asked his mother for suggestions.

Lucien was done with his cooking spree just in time for dinner.

In the middle of the dining table stood a huge bowl of mushroom and potato creme soup that sent wisps of steam into the air. It was surrounded by a plate of stir-fried chicken filet and broccoli in oyster sauce, a basket of garlic butter bread slices, a plate of

These were home-cooked dishes, the kind of food that Lucien was usually too lazy to make.

watermelon and pineapple slices, and beef lasagna with four kinds of cheese.

He tasted each of them, making sure that they were not too salty or anything.

Ronan should be able to eat them.

No, he should like them.

Otherwise, how did Lucien get him to open up?

He snapped his finger once he recalled what he forgot.

Wine.

Lucien went down to the pack's wine storage to grab two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from the year 2001, which a wine connoisseur once recommended to him.

When Lucien got back, Ronan had yet to return.

The man waited and waited, but Ronan did not come back at all. He checked his phone, and there was a message from Ronan.

"Baby, I can't make it home tonight. You will hear from me tomorrow afternoon."

Dejected, Lucien ate dinner alone and packed the rest of the food into the refrigerator.

Maybe he went too far the previous night. He had wounded Ronan's self-esteem by ripping his wound open right in front of his eyes.

Nevertheless, they had to talk. Otherwise, how were they supposed to get through it?

When morning came, Lucien opened his door for Milroy, who handed him a package from "West Coast Center For Reproductive Medicine And Fertility".