Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 63

Time passed by quickly.

Before long, good news was heard from the Ironclad Claws Pack. Lillian Woodland, now Locksworth, had safely given birth to a baby boy.

She announced the paternity of the boy on her social media, along with the deepest, most sincere apology to Lucien and Ronan for everything that she had or had not intentionally caused.

The news naturally caused an uproar among the human beings. A lot of people ended up cursing Lillian for her ruthless lies and sympathizing with Lucien.

They all forgot that they were the ones who opened their mouths and swung their fists to attack Lucien in the first place.

After making the announcement, Lillian disappeared from social media like a wisp of smoke.

Ronan and Lucien, on the other side, could not be bothered to care about what was happening online. It was up for Mara Keenthorne to speak on their behalf.

When the news came, the lovebirds were busy taking a few days off at West Coast City.

During the day, Ronan was busy filling Lucien's stomach with nutritious food to fatten him up. During the night, he was busy filling his mate's belly with his essence, just to prove to his mate that he did not have erectile dysfunction.

.....

After three nights of sweet, passionate, and yet torturous lovemaking, Lucien called it quits and banned Ronan from his bed.

The latter ended up whining at his bedside like a discarded puppy.

"Lulu, how could you be so cruel," Ronan howled. "Weren't you worried about my medical condition??"

Lucien whipped his head around in fury.

"What medical condition??? The only problem that you have, Ronan Silverback, is not between your legs but inside your brain!!!"

"I know," Ronan took Lucien's hand and kissed it. "I am sick. I am helplessly in love with you. I just want to make love to you all day. Please heal me, Lulu-"

The shamelessness was unbearable to hear. The fact that Ronan was unable to keep it in his pants was known all over the werewolf community. How dare he blame it on Lucien???

Nevertheless, Lucien could not endure Ronan's constant begging and whining.

The Luna thus begrudgingly allowed the bigger man back to the bed. The Alpha was obliged to cover himself up properly from neck to toe, though.

It was good enough.

It almost reminded him of the time years ago when he just started dating Lucien and had yet to consummate their relationship.

At that time, young Ronan was quite happy when he got to spoon young Lucien from behind and inhaled the latter's heavenly scent every night.

Meanwhile, Ronan's hard work with the fertility center started to show some results.

During the few days of their stay, they received the good news that Lucien's s***m cells were successfully converted into egg cells. Thank the Moon Goddess, because the same thing failed to happen with Ronan's.

"I told you," the Alpha bragged as if he were the one who caused the miracle to happen.

Lucien scoffed. He grabbed Ronan's jaw and squeezed it.

"Don't be too cocky," he chastised his mate. "Otherwise you won't get to hold a baby in your arms."

"You are right," Ronan agreed. They were still far from success.

Because Lucien was going to be the "mother" of any children they might have, naturally the lab-grown uterus must carry his DNA.

Lucien went again to the fertility center to donate some blood and tissues. Afterward, the fertility center declared that he and Ronan were free to go back and wait for the results.

By the time the couple got back to the Infinite Eclipse House, a message from the Holy Temple of The Moon Goddess already waited for them.

Ronan held his breath while Lucien ripped the envelope open and took the scribbled piece of parchment out.

It was the 7th of July. Less than two months. In the same year, not five or twenty years.

Ronan heaved a deep sigh. He wrapped his arms around Lucien from behind and buried his face into Lucien's nape.

"Heh. I thought you were confident. Looks like you are all talk. Ouch!!!"

Ronan bit into Lucien's nape in response to Lucien's mockery.

"Hmm, are you not happy that we are getting married soon?"

The Alpha slipped a hand into Lucien's pants, causing the latter to gasp.

"Ronan!"

Lucien grabbed Ronan's wrist and tried to get his hand out of his pants, but his other hand went in and squeezed his m*****d instead.

"Let go, you lecherous Alpha!" Lucien shouted, flailing to no avail. An amused twinkle passed through Ronan's eyes. He took his hands out of Lucien's pants afterward. Just as Lucien was about to breathe out of relief, his mate grabbed him by the waist and slung him over his shoulder.

"Ronan!!!"

"Luna, you have been disobedient," Ronan clicked with his tongue. "You need to be reminded of the Alpha that you serve. I will punish you properly."

"Punish me, your foot! I am still sore down there, Ronan! Don't you dare!"

Ronan let out a series of hollow laughter.

Lucien smacked at Ronan's back repeatedly. Unfortunately, just as always, it yielded no effect. Just when Lucien thought that he was going to be f****d until death, Ronan put him down.

A little too abruptly, too.

Confused with the Alpha's sudden change of behavior, Lucien looked up at his mate. Ronan was staring straight ahead, the muscle on his cheek twitching visibly.

Lucien turned around. Once he saw the two people who were walking in their direction, he understood immediately.

"Ronan, we need to talk," Lady Adele Fangblade said with a smile, as opposed to the expressionless Dane behind her.

She nodded at Lucien.

"Lucien is now part of the family. If you don't mind, why don't you join our conversation?"

Lucien's lips parted open in surprise.

He was pretty sure what it was about. He was also pretty sure that Ronan did not want to hear it.

'Ronan? Should I pretend to have a stomachache?'

Technically, that was not even a lie.

'No,' Ronan replied. 'Lulu, stay with me please.

Ronan's hand reached out to grab Lucien's. Lucien squeezed back and said, 'Of course. I will stay with you, then.'

"Well, this is awkward as it is," Lady Fangblade curled her lips into an eerie smile once they had all taken their seats at the Alpha's apartment.

Ronan tilted his head backward and closed his eyes. He seemed to be murmuring a silent prayer. The content of the prayer was either "Please make this end" or "Please just kill me". "Ronan."

Ronan gave his mother a beseeching look.

"Mom."

"There is no easy way to say this, so I will just say it out loud. We want your blessings to get re-married."

"Argggggghhhh...!!!"

Ronan grabbed Lucien and howled into his shoulder.

'Lulu, make her stop. Make her stoppp!!!!

.....

Lucien cleared his throat. How did he get caught in the Silverback family drama again?

"Ahem. Lady Fangblade, what wonderful news. All wonderful news takes time to digest, why don't we meet again tomorrow and..."

That was not what Ronan wanted at all.

He wanted to end it, not prolong or postpone it.

The Alpha whipped around and growled at Dane, who was standing behind Lady Fangblade's couch.

"How dare you," he hissed. "My mother is forgiving, but I will never forget the years of humiliation that you put her in! She already rejected you. The bond between you two was broken ages ago. You two already divorced!!!" Dane's gaze drifted to his ex-wife instead.

"Care to explain now, Adele? He won't believe any word out of my mouth."

"Correct," Ronan narrowed his eyes at his parents. "What is there to explain? Mother???"

When Ronan looked at his mother, what he saw was the crying woman who was shunned by the whole pack. Ronan was only a little boy then. He did not know how to comfort his mother. His hugs and kisses and words of comfort did nothing to stop the tears that flowed incessantly across his mother's beautiful face.

"Mom, tell me the truth," he said, his voice broken from pain. "What is happening?"

He wanted to add a question, "Did he force you?" but he did not want to embarrass his mother.

The affair between Lady Fangblade and Dane Silverback had been going on for a while, but Ronan had to replace out by witnessing it, not by hearing the words from his mother's mouth.

It was hurtful, considering that Ronan had been his mother's greatest ally throughout the divorce.

The whole pack sided with Dane, only Ronan stood in front of his mother to defend her.

So why did his mother not think about telling Ronan what it was all about?

Lady Fangblade sighed.

"Ronan, we never truly spoke about what happened years ago. It is time to straighten a few facts."

Ronan gazed at his mother, waiting for the latter to speak up.

"Do you remember the day when your father's mistresses came to the pack house to demand their rightful position in the pack?" she asked while Dane assumed a grim expression behind her.

"Yes."

Ronan did not think that he could ever forget. It was originally a bright and clear day. When the two irritating women came with their spawns, they also carried dark clouds with them. The visitors left, but the dark clouds remained in Ronan's and Lady Fangblade's hearts ever since.

"The truth is that I was pregnant with your baby brother at that time, and I miscarried from being pushed by one of the women."

Ronan gaped at his mother. He didn't even know that there was a baby brother!

"Oh, Mom..."

The Alpha went to hug his mother.

Lady Fangblade welled up with tears.

"This is embarrassing to admit, but pregnancies did not come easy for me. The healers told me that the miscarriage scarred me badly. It would be next to impossible for me to ever have another child."

"I was mad. So mad. Dane had two women before marriage who gave him sons and daughters. I only got one precious child after trying so hard. So I blamed it all on Dane."

Ronan shook his head.

"Mom, it's not your fault. It's normal to be upset. It's all Dad's fault," the Alpha conveniently said, ignoring his father's presence completely.

Lucien had to cringe on the inside.

Lady Fangblade broke into ironic laughter.

"Dad did sleep with the two witches after he married you, right? Otherwise, where did the younger children come from? I saw them that day."

"Well yes, one time. He met up with them because they begged him to come. He ended up drinking a tea with strong aphrodisiac and going into a rut. Then they took turns with him, using him like a male prostitute."

"

Dane wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Can you not put it that way, Adele? It sounds horrible."

Tear-streaked, Lady Fangblade gave Dane a lazy look.

"Do you prefer the child-friendly version that I told Ronan back then? That you willingly went with them?"

"Technically, that is the opposite of the truth."

"The opposite will be you not sleeping with them at all, Dane Silverback."

Lady Fangblade and Dane Silverback exchanged glares, but Ronan could see that the enmity between them was entirely gone. It was nothing but a petty squabble between a couple.

Ronan swallowed hard.

"Then, what happened?"

"The rest of the story was just as you knew it. I rejected your father, divorced him, and left the pack house. At first, I went to live somewhere close to your school so I could still see you every day. After that..."

Lady Fangblade cupped his son's face in her hands, "my health started deteriorating. I felt so miserable day by day. I ended up moving into St. Clarence and never left.”

"And that's his fault, right?" Ronan insisted. He was so used to seeing Dane as a villain that if the latter stopped being one, Ronan might just lose the ground beneath his feet.

Lady Fangblade shook her head.

"Not everything is your father's fault."

"Of course it is," Ronan argued. "Rejection does nothing. If one is sleeping with others, the mate will still suffer from a backlash."

"No, Ronan. A rejection does end all the connections between two mated werewolves. Don't compare your parents with you and Lucien. You two are fated mates, and clearly, a rejection did nothing to sever the connection between the two of you. It did for me and Dane."

"But then why were you sick all the time?"

Lady Fangblade gave a long, sorrowful sigh.

"What can I say? Old disgruntled women like me held a lot of grudges and it started to eat me from the inside."

"Mom, that's not true. I saw it. Dad had another son after you left! It was his personal attendant at the council!"

Ronan's sudden allegation made both of his parents furrow their brows.

"My personal attendant? Are you referring to Nathan?" Dane asked.

Ronan scoffed. "Whatever his name is. He was the one who took Mom out during Lucrethia Woodland's hearing."

"Yes, that was Nathan."

Unexpectedly, Lady Fangblade started to giggle.

"Oh, Ronan, you silly boy. That was your cousin Nathan! He is the youngest son of your uncle Kragen."

"Impossible!" Ronan snapped. "Uncle Kragen's and Aunt Helene's families are still living within the pack house! I can summon them now if need be!" Lady Fangblade grinned at her son.

"Youngest illegitimate son," she added the teeny-tiny detail.

.....

...

44"

...

Dane cleared his throat.

Lucien stared at the two Silverback men in the family. Apparently, Dane was not the only player in the house. So was his younger brother!

"That is another story, but Nathan really isn't Dane's son."

Ronan wobbled back to Lucien's couch. His head was hurting so much that he might just collapse on spot. What's with this complicated family drama?

Lady Fangblade smiled at Lucien, who did not dare to say a word from the start to the end.

"Sorry that you have to hear this, Lucien," she said. "Our family is a mess, huh?"

Well, that was an understatement. Ronan's family was akin to a luxurious ship that ran into an iceberg one day. The ship cracked and revealed all the invisible secrets underneath, shocking not only those aboard the ship but also the innocent observers. "It's acceptable," Lucien lied through his teeth.

He rubbed his poor mate's back while the latter was slumped forward with his head resting against his arms on top of his legs.

"Ronan, do you want something to drink?" Lucien asked nicely. His mate was like a fragile glass sculpture at the moment. One careless word might just send him shattering on the ground.

"No, thank you."

The Alpha was not as kind to himself. Determined to end the conversation once and for all, he lifted his head and glared at his parents.

"And what's with this marriage story?"

Lady Fangblade and Dane exchanged glances.

"Are you planning to step up anytime soon, Dane? Or do you want me to do the whole work for you?" Lady Fangblade asked Dane pointedly. "Cough. No need."

Dane and Ronan stared into each other's eyes.

"I'll just be completely honest with you, Son. Your mother and I rekindled our affection and thus we hope to spend the rest of our lives together." Lucien bit into his lower lip.

Well, that sounded a lot better than "Your mother and I have been sleeping with each other a lot. It makes sense to get married at this point".

Just like Lucien, Ronan was prepared to hear the worst. He was thus relieved to hear the child-friendly version of whatever was going on between his parents.

"Technically, you don't need my permission to get married," Ronan sighed. "Mom, you left the pack a long time ago. Dad already left after becoming a council member." Lady Fangblade laughed.

"I said, we want your blessings, not permission. My baby Ronan..."

The elder woman rose to her feet and walked toward her son. Then she sat next to Ronan, took his hands in hers, and squeezed them lovingly.

"You and I have been the best of friends from the moment I held you in my arms. I will always love you first and foremost. Your blessings mean a lot to me."

Ronan gave his mother a piteous look. He almost looked like the little boy from the past, who gave his mother the same puppy eyes to ask for more time to play before bedtime. "Ronan, you have grown up so big," she said. Tousling her son's hair affectionately, she continued, "but you will always be my little boy. I want you to be happy always." Ronan bowed his head and sighed.

"Mom, do you love him?"

In the past, the word "love" had never been mentioned in connection to their relationship. Lady Fangblade and Dane Silverback were matched by their parents. They had not interacted much with each other before their marriage. Funny how the wheel of fate turned and brought them back together. By then, without the both of them realizing it, the complacency of their marriage that turned into anger-filled hatred already morphed further into a semblance of love. "Yes," Lady Fangblade said with a bright smile. "I love him."

Behind her, Dane Silverback looked as if he was struck by thunder.

For the first time ever, Ronan saw a side of his father that he had never before seen.

The elder man was taken aback by his ex-wife's words, but then his shocked expression melted into a picture of eternal tranquility, his eyes were filled with tenderness for the woman in front of him.

He kept curling his fingers restlessly. If Ronan and Lucien were not there, he might be tempted to close the distance between them and kiss the air out of Lady Fangblade's lungs.

Seeing his parents in a light that he had never before seen, how could Ronan deny them this little speck of happiness?

The Alpha's heart softened. He turned to his mother and said, "I give both of you my blessings, Mom."

He then rose to his feet and walked toward his father.

"If you ever hurt my Mom again, I will beat you up. I don't care if you are my father or not."

Dane scoffed. He shot his son a sharp glare.

"Insolent child. How dare you threaten me. I..."

The rest of Dane's words were stuck in his throat when he was pulled into a hug by his adult son. He was so shocked by this sudden gesture of familial warmth that he practically turned into a concrete block. "Thanks for saving Mom," he mumbled. "And thank you for saving Lucien."

Petrified, Dane didn't know what to do other than clumsily patting Ronan on the back.

Behind them, Lucien could not help but smile.

In the end, albeit a little late, Ronan's family was whole again.

A week later, a grand wedding was held in Carlton Bay Hotel at Great Lake City.

It was probably the most expensive wedding that the city had ever seen, but also the most abrupt one.

The preparation started only a week before. The poor event organizers barely slept during the week. There was not a second to waste while they ran around the city to get the flowers, music, and food ready for the special day. Typical of rich people, the bride and groom simply could not agree on the number of people that they wished to invite.

At first, they said that it was supposed to be a small, simple wedding to rekindle their feelings for each other.

Maximum 50 guests, no more.

But then more relatives came to mind.

Maybe 100 then, no more.

What about friends? And the family of friends? And friends of friends? And the business partners? And the family of the business partners?

.....

The many questions almost drove the event organizer team insane.

In the end, they updated the guest list to include 1000 guests.

After a lot of sleepless nights, the day finally arrived.

"I can't believe this," Ronan groaned.

"Does this count as a shotgun wedding?" he turned to ask his mate.

Grinning from ear to ear, Lucien straightened the black bow tie around Ronan's collar.

"If you plan to hold your father at gunpoint during the ceremony, I think we can ignore the fact that your mother isn't pregnant and he willingly marries her."

Ronan rolled with his eyes.

"I gave them my blessings, but why do I still feel uncomfortable about their relationship?"

Lucien's grin grew wider.

"Maybe because you found out that they had been sleeping together behind your back."

"Oh, Goddess!!!"

A series of curses escaped Ronan while he wriggled in pain like a worm that was grilled over fire.

Laughing, Lucien put his arms around Ronan so the latter did not go and bump his head against one of the pillars.

Ronan sighed.

"On top of it, I can't believe that they plan to wed earlier than us. The audacity!!"

Lucien covered his mouth with his hand in order to prevent himself from laughing out loud.

"Really, Ronan? Competing against your parents? If we married first, they would have to replace a man of honor and a best man. Imagine how hectic it would be."

A smirk hushed over Ronan's face.

He put both arms around Lucien's waist and pulled at one of his thighs. Smiling, Lucien hooked his arms behind Ronan's neck and pulled him in for a wet kiss.

Ronan pressed their bodies together intimately while Lucien leaned backward for the kiss.

"Hello," Ronan winked at his mate once he was done sucking and biting at Lucien's lips. "You are the most attractive man in honor that I have ever seen. Can I take you out for dinner?"

A naughty smile appeared on Lucien's face.

"Hmmmmm, I don't know about that," he dragged out. "My mate might get upset."

Ronan clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"Oh, don't be so boring. I bet your mate is having fun out there on his own."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"You are right. The men in his family indeed have a penchant for cheating."

Ronan growled in response. He leaned in and kissed the breath out of Lucien. The mood was so good and Lucien looked too breathtakingly handsome.

Against better judgment, Ronan's hands started to wander inside Lucien's shirt.

"Ronan, we can't," Lucien whispered between kisses. "The wedding is about to start."

"I can do it for five minutes," Ronan whispered back.

"Stupid. What about the rest of the time??? Are you going to pitch a tent during the ceremony?"

"Mmm, I can hide it."

"AHEM!!!!"

The lovebirds separated in an instant.

An ashen-faced Annalynne in a beautiful white dress gave them icy stares.

"Alpha Ronan, will you stop fooling around with my brother? Go to the groom's side, please."

Ronan gave his giggling mate a peck on the lips.

"We are not done," he left with a wink.

"Seriously!" Annalynne huffed in anger. "Isn't it taboo for the best man to meet the man or maid of honor before the wedding?"

Lucien crossed his arms before his chest and stared at his sister.

"No, Anna. It is taboo for the groom and the bride."

"Same thing," Annalynne snorted. And then she broke into a squeal.

"Lulu, you look so handsome in white! Oh gosh, I can't believe that we finally get to dress alike again. Aaaaaahhhh!!!"

Annalynne threw herself into her brother's arms.

"Let me take a look at you," Lucien said.

He took his sister by her hand and the latter twirled around coquettishly in front of her brother. The circle skirt came alive and danced around her slender body, making her look like a princess that jumped out of a fairytale collection.

"You are the most beautiful girl here, Anna," Lucien praised.

"And you are the most handsome boy in here," Anna tittered.

A despondent sigh was heard behind them, causing both Lucien and Annalynne to look up.

"Am I not supposed to be the fairest person in this wedding???" Lady Fangblade complained as she entered the room.

Dressed in a strapless, white gown with a thousand tiny diamonds sewn into the dress, Lady Fangblade looked magnificent. The make-up was done perfectly, hiding all traces of her age and making her look almost twenty years younger.

"Wow," Annalynne mouthed. "Lady Fangblade, you look... Amazing."

"Indeed," Lucien agreed. "I have never seen a more beautiful bride."

The bride tilted her head to the side and smiled playfully. "Okay, stop with the empty compliments. I cannot compare with the Clearwater twins that are way younger than me!"

"Noooo," Annalynne wailed. "That's not true!!!"

Three knocks sounded at the door, and Nathan's voice was heard coming from outside.

"Excuse me, it's time for the bride to enter the wedding hall."

Lucien offered his arm to Lady Fangblade.

"Shall we?"

"We shall," the bride responded, looping her arm around Lucien's.

At present time, Dane Silverback was no longer an Alpha. That meant that the remarriage, however sincere, was not to be performed at the Holy Temple of the Moon Goddess. That did not stop the entire werewolf packs from coming down to Great Lake City to offer their most sincere congratulations to the happy couple.

In fact, the wedding felt like a more intimate affair. The guests attended because they wanted to share the joy and happiness of the wedding couple, not because they were forced to pay homage to a certain pack.

The wedding day was thankfully sunny, with not a single grey cloud hanging in the sky. The soft spring sunlight fell upon the chattering guests, and the fragrant smell of flowers filled the air.

Werewolf pups ran around in the garden, shrieking with delight and playing with each other without caring about the politics and rivalry between packs. Shortly before the ceremony started, their poor parents had to go around to catch their children before they wrecked anything and ruined the otherwise beautiful wedding.

Once the clock hit 10 AM, all the guests with their children - took their seats. At an elevated stage, a beautiful songstress sang an equally beautiful love song in accompaniment of soft piano and violin music. Heads turned toward the garden entrance as Lucien and Lady Fangblade entered the wedding hall. Behind them, Annalynne and a bunch of other girls walked with buckets of red roses in their hands. Lady Fangblade had always been an attractive woman, but she looked exceedingly beautiful on this day. So beautiful that Dane Silverback held his breath while watching his bride walk toward him. Behind him, Ronan stood with a gentle smile hanging on his lips. His mother looked like a goddess-incarnate, but the handsome man next to her was endlessly mesmerizing.

The beautiful pair of caramel brown eyes, his shiny red-golden hair, the sensuous pair of red lips that asked to be kissed the whole time, and the sturdy frame that was quick to melt beneath Ronan, accepting the Alpha's love unconditionally and willingly.

.....

'I love you,' Ronan whispered via Mind Link.

Lucien looked up at him and smiled.

'I love you too!'

While the Alpha and his Luna exchanged sweet glances behind the bride and groom, the wedding proceeded without delay.

Little Ralph Youngshaper had been recruited as the ring bearer. In his haste to reach his mommy, he kept wanting to run. Kinnon had to remind him to walk again and again. The cute little boy invited giggles and smiles from the enchanted guests.

When he reached the end of the hall, he lifted the red velvety pillow with the two rings on top of it like some kind of sacrificial item.

"Thanks, Little Youngshaper," Ronan said with a wink.

Ralph meanwhile had come to understand that Ronan was the awful thief who stole his mommy away, so he was not too fond of the Alpha.

He stuck out his tongue at Ronan in response.

"Bleehhhh," he said while pulling an eyelid down.

The crowd broke into laughter.

Ralph then ran in Lucien's direction and went to hug his leg.

Trying hard to suppress his laughter, Lucien lifted Ralph into his arms and cuddled him.

Ronan gave the little boy a stink-eye. He then stood aside with the rings in his hand.

The ceremony was officiated by the High Priest from the Holy Temple of the Moon Goddess.

"Esteemed ladies and honorable gentlemen, welcome to this wedding ceremony," he spoke to the crowd.

"The Moon Goddess has seen fit to bring the bride and groom together in this beautiful place, to unite them as man and wife."

"Bride and groom, please wash and dry your hands now."

Once they were done, they dried their hands on white towels.

Two attendants came up, each of them brought a basin of clear water for the wedding couple to wash their hands in.

Afterward, Lady Fangblade and Dane Silverback laced their hands together. The High Priest tied their hands together with a thick, golden rope and put both of his hands on top of their united hands.

"Adele Fangblade," he spoke to the bride first. "Are you willing to take Dane Silverback as your husband, love and cherish him, in happiness and sorrow, in sunny and rainy days, in sickness and health, from today on until the Moon Goddess separates you?"

Overcome with emotions, Lady Fangblade was speechless.

She nodded fervently before tears came falling across her cheeks and she said, "I am willing."

"Dane Silverback," the High Priest turned to the groom next. "Are you willing to take Adele Fangblade as your wife, love and protect her, in happiness and sorrow, in sunny and rainy days, in sickness and health, from today on until the Moon Goddess separates you?"

Dane's voice was hoarse when he replied with "I am willing."

He did not shed any tears, but his eyes were glassy and he had to press his lips together to keep them from trembling.

"Bride and groom, please put the rings on your partners."

That was the cue for Ronan to step forward. He turned to his parents and offered them a pair of sparkling golden rings.

"With this ring, I, Dane Silverback, take you, Adele Fangblade, as my wife," Dane said while he slipped the smaller ring on Lady Fangblade's finger.

"With this ring, I, Adele Fangblade, take you, Dane Silverback, as my husband," Lady Fangblade said afterward when she replied the favor.

"The wedding has concluded," the High Priest announced with a broad smile. "I declare the bride and groom to be man and wife."

Dane pulled his wife closer and gave her a deep kiss. A loud cheer went through the crowd. Lucien had to laugh when he saw the conflicted expression on Ronan's face. All red in the face, the Alpha averted his eyes in shame.

The bride and groom eventually broke their kiss. After the golden rope around their wrists was taken off, the bride received a wedding bouquet of pink roses from Annalynne.

The unmarried girls quickly hurried to the front to catch the bouquet as per the tradition glorified by human beings.

Lady Fangblade's gaze drifted over the sea of eager faces. After some deliberation, she cracked an apologetic smile to the girls and turned to Lucien who stood behind her instead.

"I can't wait to hear you call me mother," she said while passing Lucien the bouquet.