Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 69

"You animal!" Annalynne roared in Ronan's direction.

She grabbed his brother away from Ronan as if the latter had done a major, unheard-of crime.

"Lulu, are you alright?"

Annalynne cupped Lucien's face in her palms. "Why are you so pale? Did that perverted Alpha bully you again? Tell me, I am going to teach him a lesson."

Said perverted Alpha shot Annalynne a dirty look.

Lucien was barely able to suppress a chuckle. Did Annalynne forget that that perverted Alpha happened to be his mate? But yes, he did bully Lucien in the jacuzzi. Not that Annalynne needed to know about that. "Anna, are you hungry?" Lucien pulled at Annalynne's elbow in an attempt to distract his sister. "I am famished. Why don't we get something to eat?"

Delighted at the prospect of spending some alone time with Lucien, Annalynne stuck her tongue out at Ronan out of schadenfreude.

"Take that, Alpha Ronan! Don't disturb my brother anymore! He's with me now!"

.....

"

Ronan put both hands against his waist and glared at Annalynne, who looped her arm around Lucien's and dragged him away.

The Alpha pondered whether he should attempt to kidnap Lucien and make a run for it.

Despite having taken advantage of Lucien once in the morning, his thirst was far from being quenched.

It was of course entirely Lucien's fault.

Why must his Luna look so good in that shirt and pants?

He looked as gentle as a fairy and as innocent as an angel, but Ronan knew what kind of seductive and tantalizing body hid underneath.

The Alpha cleared his throat and averted his eyes from Lucien's mesmerizing figure.

'Lulu, I love you,' he called after his mate via Mind Link. He had to remind Lucien just in case his Luna forgot.

Lucien turned around and shot Ronan an indulgent smile.

'I love you too, Ronan. I'll be back!'

Ronan and Lowell stayed behind at the lavish resort entrance, looking at the siblings' retreating figures.

"Well, that leaves you and me," the Alpha nodded at Lowell after the objects of their desire had gone out of sight. "Why don't we take care of the birthday dinner then?" "Of course, Alpha Ronan."

The Clearwater siblings went to take a walk along the beautiful beach. In summer afternoons, it was bustling with tourists.

Some were sprawled across their sunbathing sheets or chairs and fell asleep under the sun.

Some were either swimming near the beach or playing volleyball on a nearby volleyball court.

Some others sat under huge umbrellas and were immersed in a good book, good music, or an animated chat with each other. Lucien and Anna headed directly to the food stalls.

The siblings shared a common interest in unhealthy junk food, which Annalynne got to enjoy a lot more than Lucien on daily basis.

Ronan had been very strict with Lucien's diet. The latter could not remember when he last enjoyed fried chicken or a burger or a pizza from a fast food restaurant. Today, he especially needed some comfort food to fill the gaping hole in his heart.

Annalynne could not help but stare when she saw the tray full of food that Lucien placed between them. It was enough for at least four people.

"What's up? Eat," Lucien said while grabbing three french fries at once.

"Wow. Lulu, are you so hungry?" Annalynne asked after a gulp.

"Yes," Lucien answered nonchalantly.

He chewed on his burger full of indignation. Still plagued by the poor destiny that Sean and his mother suffered from, Lucien ended up asking Annalynne for her opinion.

Of course he could not tell Annalynne outright about Seam's identity. Although he knew that Annalynne could keep a secret, he already promised Sean not to tell anyone.

"Say, Anna... What would you do if you are forced to be part of a belief system that no longer makes sense to you?"

Annalynne blinked in confusion.

"Sorry, what?"

"... To put it in simpler terms, what if you are forced against your will to do something?"

Annalynne's mouth dropped open.

"Uh, I guess I will fight it. I don't want to just resign myself to my fate."

Lucien gave his sister a thoughtful look.

"What if you can't fight it?"

"If you really want something to happen, you will replace a way. Otherwise, you will replace an excuse."

Maybe his sister was right. Self-admonishment was not going to help the Moon Goddess' banished children. He needed to do something big. Something meaningful. Something that would change the mindset of the entire werewolf community. Lucien smiled at his sister and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"You are so smart, Anna. I love you."

Annalynne's cheeks turned pink from her brother's praise.

"Ehehehe... Do you really think so?"

"Mhm," Lucien nodded. "My Anna is the smartest."

Having been praised by her brother, Annalynne smiled all the way until they each returned to their own suites.

"Aaaaah," she said, the broad grin was still plastered across her face. "Lowell, do you know that I have the absolute bestest brother in the world? Lulu is so amazing~"

"I know. Oh, speaking about your brother... You left your phone in the suite. Your father called about an hour ago."

"Oh, really?"

Lying across the bed with her feet swinging up and down leisurely, Annalynne picked up her phone and made a call to her father.

"Hi, Dad. What's up?" she said when the call finally connected.

Gordon Clearwater's voice rang out from the other end of the line.

"Anna? Dad needs to talk to you. Make sure Lulu isn't listening."

"Okay..."

Annalynne pulled herself into a sitting position right away with furrowed brows.

"Dad, we booked two different suites. He is not here. What happened?"

"Oh, alright. It's nothing bad. I have a birthday gift for Lucien. Since I can't be there to give it to him, can you help me out, Anna?"

"Okay...? What is it?"

"I sent a package to Amaranthus Dream Resort a few days ago, addressed to you. I just got a notification that it is now at the reception desk. Please pick it up and give it to Lucien tomorrow, will you?" Annalynne loved her brother, Lucien, beyond doubt.

She would die a thousand deaths for her brother's sake.

On the other side, Annalynne was also a petty twin sister.

When she heard that Gordon Clearwater had taken the effort to send a birthday gift for Lucien, she only had one question in her mind: "Where is my gift, Dad???"

Pride prevented her from asking the question straightforwardly.

Argh.

The curse of an Alpha. She hated that she had to restrict her speech and actions to conform to an Alpha's supposed refinement and wisdom.

In the end, she didn't ask her father the question, but it took root in her mind.

The Alpha kept brooding over the question all the way to the reception table, but no answers came to her mind.

.....

"Excuse me, I am here to pick up a package," she said, leaning against the reception counter.

"Name, please?" the reception lady asked with a smile.

"Annalynne Clearwater."

"One second, please."

The lady rose to her feet and rummaged inside a huge box for a while before she pulled out a thin, creme-colored, ten-by-twelve-by-two-centimeter package. "Okay?" was Annalynne's only response.

She initially thought that it was the wrong one, but her name was written clearly across the package surface.

...

"Have a nice day, Miss!" the lady chirped at the confused guest as s

Annalynne walked away from the table.

"Uh, you too."

Annalynne weighed the small package in her hand. It was heavy for it's size. Maybe an ounce? Two? Just what was inside?

Annalynne wanted to know.

She wanted to know so bad.

Just what did Gordon Clearwater want to give Lucien for his birthday?

Her fingers started to feel around the package. She successfully located the seam. She ran her fingers around the seam and swallowed hard.

No, she shouldn't.

She shouldn't, should she?

On the other side, she couldn't just hand the package over to Lucien like this, it was not classy at all...

The label with her name still stood there.

Of course.

Duh, Annalynne was so dumb. She smacked a hand against her forehead.

Gordon would want Annalynne to open it and wrap it with beautiful gift paper. And pretty ribbons. Yes.

Convinced, Annalynne went out to buy pretty packaging materials.

The wrapping paper that she picked was white in color with intricate silver pattern. She also procured a huge orange-colored bow and a roll of golden ribbon to decorate the gift box with.

And then, she sneaked back into the suite and locked herself up in the bathroom.

"Anna? Is everything alright?" Lowell came knocking not long afterward.

"I am fine!" Annalynne shouted frantically. "I will come out soon!"

"... Um, alright. We are having dinner with your brother and Alpha Ronan soon, so..."

"I said, I will come out soon!!!" Annalynne shouted again in irritation.

""

Outside, Lowell shrugged. Sometimes, women threw a tantrum for no reason. He should just go and do something useful.

Once Lowell's retreating footsteps were heard, the only sound that invaded Annalynne's mind was that of her loud pounding heart.

She rubbed her fingers against the seam of the package again.

Here's to now or never!

Annalynne carefully unwrapped the small package.

It turned out to be smaller than it actually was. Gordon Clearwater had packed it inside layers of bubble wraps.

The more bubble wraps that Annalynne had to go through, the more impatient she became.

At last, she arrived at the last layer.

Her fingers trembled when she ripped it off and unveiled the item underneath.

A loud gasp resonated within the bathroom. Annalynne widened her eyes in disbelief.

It was a framed black-and-white sonogram.

In the picture, there were but two tiny dots that were floating inside the womb.

They were so tiny.

So small.

Just two little bubbles that were happily awaiting the time of their birth.

At the top left corner, the name of the mother was printed clearly. Lucien Clearwater.

Another gasp escaped Annalynne, followed by two streams endless tears. "Oh, Goddess," she whispered to herself amidst the waterfall of tears. Lucien was pregnant!

She was going to become an aunt!!!

Annalynne cried and cried.

When her tears dripped unto the framed picture, she hastily wiped them away. Her fingers wandered through the glass surface and hovered over the two tiny dots in the picture.

In her mind, she kept repeating two sentences again and again.

Lucien was going to become a mother.

And she was going to become an aunt.

Were they going to be boys? Girls? Maybe a boy and a girl?

Whatever the gender was, Annalynne promised her unborn nieces and nephews that she would love them with all her heart and dote on them excessively.

She knew that Ronan invested in a fertility center and her father personally oversaw its operation, but she never thought that...

Wow.

Annalynne broke into a chuckle.

Lucien was a man after all.

Men didn't get pregnant.

Ronan actually managed to get her brother pregnant...

That's why her brother ate so much just now. Of course, he had two tiny babies inside his body. He had to feed them.

""

Feeding them...

Oh, no.

Lucien's words during their late lunch more than an hour ago echoed in Annalynne's mind.

"What if you are forced against your will to do something?"

Do what, exactly? Get pregnant???

.....

What was her answer again?

"Uh, I guess I will fight it. I don't want to just resign myself to my fate."

"What if you can't fight it?" Lucien had continued asking.

"If you really want something to happen, you will replace a way. Otherwise, you will replace an excuse."

Annalynne's eyes turned round in horror.

What the f**k?

What kind of ideas did she plant into her brother's mind???

And he even ruffled her hair and called her smart!

No! She was not smart!

She was dumb!

Very dumb!

Annalynne stared at the two tiny bubbles inside the picture.

"Don't be scared, little babies. Aunt will go now and have a proper talk with your mother! If he really doesn't want you two, we will replace a way to bring you safely to the world! I will raise you as my children, I swear this by my ancestors!" Lucien just got back to the suite, having picked up his sister's birthday gift from the reception counter.

Alice Clearwater told him that it was a limited-edition dress that Annalynne had fawned upon for months.

The packaging was nice enough. Lucien peeled off the label with his name and pondered whether he needed to buy gift packaging material to make it more appealing to the eyes.

"Hmmm..."

Ronan had not come back yet, and Lucien had nothing else to do.

He thus went downstairs to get some gift packaging material from a nearby DIY shop.

It was a small shop among many others that were cramped together in a humble shopping district. The letters DIY at the display window were made from colorful paper pieces that were pasted together to form an unlikely and yet working pattern. When Lucien went inside, he was baffled to see a familiar face.

It was none other than Sean's mother, the exiled werewolf who married a human being.

.....

"Yes, young man? Are you looking for something specific?"

"... Madam, aren't you supposed to be staying at home?"

Sean's mother chuckled.

"And who will feed us? The island?"

""

"I can only rest when I am not working. Today I have the afternoon shift, so I get to serve the wonderful customers that come to visit."

Lucien rubbed at his forehead.

He knew that Sean's mother harbored deep hatred toward fellow werewolves because these fellow werewolves banished her and her son.

At this point, there was nothing else he could do but stay away to avoid aggravating the elder woman even more.

"I will just take a look," he said. "Thanks."

Lucien walked into a corridor between the tall shelves and disappeared from her sight.

The elder woman bit into her lower lip in resentment. She tapped her foot against the ceramic tile impatiently for some time before she walked away from the cashier counter and went to replace Lucien.

"Hey."

Lucien was in the middle of picking out ribbons. He looked up at the sour-faced woman in confusion.

"Yes?"

"Pick the wrapping paper first, then the ribbon," she pointed out with raised eyebrow.

"Oh. Alright, thanks."

"The wrapping paper section is this way," she said when Lucien moved in the opposite direction.

"Alright, thanks."

Lucien thought that Sean's mother would leave him alone once she pointed him in the right direction, but she followed him to the wrapping paper section instead.

"I asked around about you," she said. "You are quite famous."

A chuckle escaped the man as he looked through the selection of wrapping paper that hung gracefully from the shelves.

"I am not a celebrity. I am not interested to know about what people think about me."

Even after his reputation had been cleared, Lucien refused to re-open his social media account. He had no aspiration other than spend the rest of his life next to his mate, so he did not care about what the rest of the world thought about him.

"I think that you are great. You went through a lot and practically became the enemy of all women for a period, but you rose above it."

Was that a praise?

Lucien gave Sean's mother a weak smile.

"Thank you. I had a lot of help."

Lucien moved to another shelf, and the elder woman followed him.

"Look, I am sorry for my harsh words this afternoon. I was just so worried for my son. I never thought that he would come and seek full-blood werewolves of his own volition. That was the stupidest thing that he could have done." The elder woman heaved a long sigh.

"Mothers will forever worry about their children. Before I got married, I only cared about my life and my husband's life. After Sean was born, I worry about him day and night."

She glanced at Lucien, who was still picking wrapping paper in silence.

"You won't understand," she decided. "You are mated to Alpha Ronan. Children are the least of your concern."

Children.

Lucien lifted his eyes and looked at Sean's mother at last.

"If the Moon Goddess allow me and Ronan to have our own children, I don't mind worrying about them day and night."

A red shade hushed over the elder woman's face.

"You mistook me. I am not complaining."

"And I am not condemning you. Madam, your son loves you. You should not make things difficult for him because he sought us out."

"... I know that."

"That's great then."

Lucien pulled out a dark green, glittery wrapping paper and rolled it together.

He then went back to the ribbon section to select something that complimented the paper that he just picked out.

Sean's mother followed him again. She cleared her throat awkwardly before she mumbled, "By the way, thanks for the money. We knew what medicine to buy for my condition, but the cost was astronomical."

"Glad that I can help," Lucien replied. "I hope that you are feeling better now."

"The cough attacks are less severe. The medicine is very good."

"I see."

"Get the gold ribbon," the woman suddenly said. "It will look perfect against the dark green color that you just picked out."

Lucien took the recommended gold ribbon and held it against the rolled wrapping paper in his hand.

"You are right. It is perfect."

They went to the cashier counter afterward.

The woman smacked her lips impatiently. "Of course. I work here for fifteen years. If I don't know the best color combination here, who does?"

Lucien took out some bank notes from his pocket and handed them to Sean's mother, who stared at him instead.

" "

"You are very kind," she said. "I wish more werewolves were as kind as you."

For a while, all they heard was the sound of the printing machine printing out the receipt.

Sean's mother ripped it out and handed it together with the purchase bag to Lucien.

"Money is important, but for werewolves, the sense of belonging is even more important. You know that, right?" she asked with a broken voice.

"I know," Lucien answered.

Of course, he knew.

As soon as Ronan got back to their suite, he heard the sound of someone throwing up in the bathroom. The reminder of what used to happen in the past made his heart skip a beat and lurch to the bottom of his stomach.

The Alpha hammered on the door like a lunatic, determined to see his mate.

"Lulu??? Open the door!!!"

When he did not hear an answer right away, he slammed his hand on the door so hard that it might fall off the hinges.

"LULU!!!"

"Wait a moment," came the answer from behind the door at last.

A while later, the door unlocked with a click, and Ronan rushed in.

Lucien sat next to the toilet, its bowl was full of vomit.

"Baby?"

.....

Ronan took a seat next to Lucien and pulled him into his arms, his voice trembling from fear. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"Mmm..."

Lucien wiped his lips with some paper towel and leaned into his Alpha's chest.

"I ate too much this afternoon."

"... Why did you eat so much?"

"... Because I wanted to."

"

...

Ronan grabbed Lucien's chin and tilted it in his direction.

"Are you really just vomiting because you ate a lot? Did you meet someone? Did you eat or drink anything with someone?"

He did meet with Sean's mother, but Lucien didn't want Ronan to go rampant for no reason.

"I only ate and drank with Anna. Unless you think that she poisoned me?"

Ronan looked so serious that Lucien had to squeeze his face for fun.

"Haha, look at your face, you look so tense."

Ronan took a deep breath.

"Lucien, don't joke around. It's not funny. If you throw up again, I am going to drag you to St. Clarence. We will celebrate your birthday there."

Lucien cracked a smile.

"I thought you said that they were incompetent," he teased.

"They were," Ronan agreed. "But they are more than willing to learn. The Clarence family has agreed to use half of the 'A Thousand Flowers Of Separation' poison for clinical studies. In the future, this poison will not go unnoticed anymore. A cure will be found soon

enough."

The Alpha and Luna exchanged smiles.

"A Thousand Flowers Of Separation" was not going to harm any fated mates, ever again.

Ronan leaned over to kiss his mate, but the latter pressed a hand against his lips.

"Don't," he said. "I just vomited."

"Then I will just taste what you had for lunch."

"Ewww!!!"

Lucien pushed his laughing mate away and jumped to his feet.

"Get away from me!"

Ronan wrapped his arms around Lucien's torso and kissed his beloved mate on the nape instead. The Alpha's teeth lightly grazed the mating bond scar, sending chills down Lucien's spine.

When his hand started to wander to Lucien's chest and squeeze a nipple through the fabric, he got a ruthless smack from Lucien.

"Don't fool around," Lucien turned around and chastised his mate. "Anna and Lowell are waiting for us."

"Can't I have dessert before dinner?" Ronan still refused to give up. He rubbed his nose against Lucien's neck and gently swayed left and right with the man in his arms.

"Come on, Lulu."

If Lucien had not been played with this morning in the jacuzzi, he might just let the Alpha have a taste. Unfortunately, the stinging sensation in his rear end had yet to subside. It served as a constant reminder.

"If you don't behave, you will not eat dessert for a whole week."

Full of indignation, Ronan gave in to his childish impulse and bit Lucien in the nape.

"Argghhhhh!!! Ronan!!!"

Lucien struggled to free himself, but the arms that held him tight were as strong as iron clamps.

Following Lucien's scream, another person hollered outside the suite bathroom as if her life depended on it.

"ALPHA RONAN! RELEASE MY BROTHER RIGHT NOW!!!"

"... How did she get in the suite?" Ronan just had to ask.

"I gave her a spare access card," Lucien readily answered before he turned in the direction of the bathroom door and hollered an answer to his sister, "One moment, Anna."

"

What's this? Was Annalynne going to run over whenever they did something improper?

"Tch."

Ronan clicked with his tongue unhappily. And he thought that Lowell could keep Annalynne busy! Who would have known that she picked her brother over her boyfriend?

"Go and keep your nosy sister company," Ronan said gruffly before he released Lucien.

Lucien snickered. He pulled Ronan down for a kiss on the cheek.

"Be good, Alpha."

Lucien turned to open the door for his hysterical sister outside, but Ronan yanked at his wrist and reeled him in for a kiss.

The Alpha's tongue barely intruded past his lover's lips before he crumpled his face in disgust and broke the kiss.

"Blearghhh!!!"

"Serves you right," Lucien sneered. "Do you still want dessert, Alpha?"

"Yes," Ronan quickly said.

Sour dessert was still dessert. Plus there was ample amount of mouthwash to gurgle with.

"... Get away from me," Lucien pushed Ronan away from him when he understood that the Alpha was hopelessly unrepentant.

He then opened the door for Annalynne, who looked like she just ran all the way across the corridor to reach their suite.

"Lulu!" she exclaimed while examining her brother. "Are you alright??? Did he do anything to you???"

By this time, Ronan was out of patience. He pulled Lucien into his arms and pursed his lips at Annalynne.

"Alpha Annalynne, I tolerated you enough. Don't think that just because he is your brother you own him. If anything, I own him! He is my Luna!"

Lucien's "Technically, I am my own person," was drowned when Annalynne dragged him away from Ronan and screamed at Ronan, "You IDIOT! Lucien is in a..." and then she lowered her voice, "delicate situation right now."

Right afterward, she started shouting at Ronan again, "So stop with whatever perversion that you have in mind!!! Leave my brother be for the time being!!!"

Huffing angrily, Annalynne dragged a confused Lucien away.

Left behind, the Alpha gaped at the Clearwater twins' retreating figures and said to himself, "What the hell? What delicate situation?"

"Anna, what's wrong?" Lucien gave his sister's hand a tug when they arrived at the outdoor restaurant that they booked for the night.

It was fairly early, so customers had yet to come pouring down and fill the seats.

Thankfully, they already booked the table weeks ago, so it did not matter whether they arrived late or not.

"I need to talk to you," Annalynne said in a discreet voice.

"Okay?"

They took a seat on the couch and Lucien gave his sister a quizzical look.

"What is it, Anna?"

Annalynne took her brother's hands and swallowed hard.

"Lulu, I found out about what you were talking about during lunch yesterday."

.....

Lucien raised an eyebrow at his sister.

Did Annalynne replace out about Sean and his mother? That was quick.

"How did you...?"

"It doesn't matter how. I just found out, okay. And I don't think you should go through with what you are planning."

Lucien rubbed at his lips thoughtfully. "What exactly do you think I am planning?"

Annalynne shook her head fervently. "I don't even want to talk about it! It brings bad luck!"

""

Bad luck? How?

All he wanted to do was to fight for the right of the rogue werewolves and half-werewolves who were tossed away by the werewolf community ruthlessly. How was it bad luck, again?

"Anna, I don't think that I follow," Lucien said. "Speak clearly."

Annalynne swallowed again. She couldn't tell Lucien that she found out about his pregnancy because then it meant that she peeked at his gift. She could only speak in riddles, hoping that Lucien understood what she was trying to say.

"Lulu, look. Some things are meant to be. You should not fight it."

Annalynne's words astounded her brother. He almost could not believe his ears. Was it really his sister who spoke just now?

"Anna, that is a very selfish thing to say," Lucien remarked, unable to contain the bubbling rage in his heart. "You can say that because it is not happening to you."

Annalynne gave her brother a beseeching look.

"If it happens to me, I will still go with the flow. Besides, you said you would be there for me, right?"

Lucien gaped at his sister.

"But that's the point! I want everyone to be there for each other!"

"That's perfect! I agree!"

"

By then, they understood that they had been talking about two different topics altogether.

"Out with it. What the hell are you talking about?" Lucien stared at his sister while crossing his arms before his chest.

As a response, Annalynne went to touch Lucien's stomach.

"It's only two weeks old, but they are inside. Lulu, please don't... Don't abort them, alright?"

Lucien's mouth dropped open.

He must have fainted in a sitting position because he blacked out for a full minute before he snapped back to reality.

"What the hell are you talking about, Anna? I am not pregnant!"

"Of course you are!" Annalynne insisted. "That's why you ate for three people at lunch!"

Lucien glared at his sister.

Good

Goddess!

He just ate too much one time in his life and everyone was making a fuss about it!

"I. Am. Not. Pregnant!" Lucien emphasized every word in anger.

"I am a man, Anna!!!" he added, just in case his sister forgot his gender.

Once Lowell and Ronan arrived, the angry man went to sit next to Ronan. Whenever their eyes met, he shoot icy glares at his sister.

""

...

Annalynne was baffled. Lucien's anger was real.

So, was she mistaken?

No

way.

The name in the sonogram was clearly Lucien's.

Gordon Clearwater did not make this kind of joke. Or was it something else?

After that, Annalynne did not dare to mention the pregnancy again. In fact, she was terrified about it. The way Lucien reacted strengthened her belief that he would definitely abort the babies if he ever found out about it.

Lucien could not replace out.

Annalynne had to destroy the sonogram before Lucien even got to see it.

But arghhh... It was the first picture of the babies in the womb!!!

Annalynne bit into her napkin in resentment. She couldn't destroy it. She wanted to supersize it and hang it in her bedroom at the Silent Walkers Pack House.

Then, what to

do?

Eventually, the babies would grow.

Lucien would notice for sure.

When Lucien found out, he was going to throw a tantrum.

He was going to abort the babies behind Ronan's back!

Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!

The

poor babies!

A waiter went around and poured everyone a glass of wine.

"Cheers to my beautiful mate and his insufferable sister!" Ronan said with a smile while raising his glass.

Annalynne watched with horror as Lucien lifted his glass and then tilted the glass to drink the wine.

"NO!!!"

Annalynne threw herself across the table and grabbed Lucien's wrist to stop him from drinking. In doing so, she soiled her yellow dress with wine and hummus salad.

"... Anna?" Lowell grabbed Annalynne's shoulders. "Honey, is everything alright?"

"No!" Annalynne broke into tears.

"Lulu, why? Why don't you want them??? Why are you trying to harm them???"

Lucien put down his glass of wine and heaved a long sigh.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Ronan furrowed his brows. "What are you fighting with Annalynne about?"

"We are not fighting," Lucien corrected him. "Annalynne seems to believe that I am..."

Lucien made a subtle hand gesture to point at his own stomach. Unfortunately, except for Annalynne, neither Ronan nor Lowell understood what he meant.

"What is that?" Ronan repeated the gesture and frowned at his mate.

Lucien pursed his lips in annoyance.

"She believes that I am... You know...?"

"... No, I don't," Ronan narrowed his eyes at the red-blond man, who looked more and more aggrieved with every passing minute.

"She believes that I am pregnant," Lucien gave up and said it out loud.

.....

""

...

Silence fell on the table, disrupted only by the chattering voices and clinking sounds that came from all the other tables around them.

"So, are you?" Ronan just had to ask.

Lucien squinted at him. "No. Goddess, please don't make me say it again and again. I. Am. Not. Pregnant."

He reached toward the glass of wine again. Heck, he needed a bottle to forget this disgraceful conversation.

Annalynne yelped a second time and grabbed Lucien's wrist again to stop him from drinking. "Help!" she pleaded with Ronan. "He is going to abort your babies!"

Lucien scoffed. He turned to Ronan and said, "Ronan, surely you won't be so dumb to believe that..."

Ronan took the wine glass from Lucien's hand and drank the whole content.

"Is that so?" he asked while setting the empty wine glass on the table. "Are you trying to abort my babies?"