Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 74

Ronan extended a hand to help Lucien climb the elevated stage and Lucien took his hand gracefully.

The bouquet was handed to a priestess shortly after.

The music stopped playing and the room went quiet.

The High Seer ascended the stage from another entrance of the room.

A bright smile laced her lips as she directed her unseeing eyes at the pair of Alpha and Luna in front of her.

"It is a beautiful day blessed by the Moon Goddess," she said to start the ceremony.

"It grants us a privilege to witness another union that shall strengthen the Infinite Eclipse Pack in specific and also the werewolf community in general." Posted by Ebookex.com; visit us for more free novels. "Alpha Ronan Silverback from the Infinite Eclipse Pack, please step forward."

Ronan gave Lucien's hand another squeeze before he let go and stepped before the High Seer.

.....

"Do you presume to take Lucien Clearwater from the Silent Walkers Pack as your Luna?"

"I do," Ronan answered.

"Alpha Annalynne Clearwater from the Silent Walkers Pack, please step forward," the High Seer turned in Annalynne's direction.

The latter stepped out of the first row and walked toward her brother.

She smiled at Lucien when she took him by his elbow and led him in front of the High Seer.

"Do you agree to hand over one of your pack members to Alpha Ronan Silverback in marriage?"

Annalynne's smile turned into a cold glare when her gaze landed on Ronan.

She was so tempted to say no.

Because in her eyes, Ronan had not fully earned the right to marry Lucien. But her brother did not think that way. They loved each other, and Annalynne could testify to that. For the sake of Lucien's happiness, Annalynne reluctantly answered with a "Yes". "Very well. Then, we shall proceed with the vows."

With parting tears in her eyes, Annalynne handed Lucien over to his waiting mate.

"Love him well," she said with choked sobs.

"I will," Ronan promised. "Thank you, Alpha Annalynne."

Ronan and Lucien gazed into each other's eyes while they held hands in front of the High Seer, the representatives of all packs, the entire werewolf council members, all priests and priestesses under the Holy Temple, and also their families and friends. "Alpha Ronan Silverback," the High Seer spoke to Ronan first.

"Have you decided to take Lucien Clearwater as your Luna and thus grant him the power to rule over the Infinite Eclipse Pack by your side?" "Yes," Ronan answered.

"Will you honor the mating bond between the two of you and stay faithful to your mate until death separates the two of you?"

"Yes."

"Will you love and cherish your mate dearly, and also love and protect any children that will be born from your union?"

A lot of Alphas and Betas furrowed their brows when they heard the High Seer's words.

Some thought that she was senile.

Some believed that she was just using a standard speech for all wedding ceremonies.

Because how could two men bring forth children to the world?

They did not notice the grin that laced Ronan's lips for a split second or the slight blush that appeared on Lucien's cheeks at all.

"Yes."

The High Seer turned to Lucien subsequently and asked the questions that were reserved for him.

"Lucien Clearwater from Silent Walkers Pack, have you decided to leave your birth pack and accept Ronan Silverback as your Alpha and your mate?" "Yes."

"Are you willing to rule alongside Alpha Ronan as his Luna and devote yourself to your new pack, the Infinite Eclipse Pack?"

"Yes."

"Will you honor the mating bond between the two of you and stay faithful to your mate until death separates the two of you?" "Yes."

"Will you love and cherish your mate dearly, and also love and protect any children that will be born from your union?" "Yes."

Ronan unconsciously held his breath during Lucien's turn. Only after Lucien said the last "Yes" that the Alpha exhaled out of relief. He looked at the High Seer full of expectation.

The youthful leader of the Holy Temple did not disappoint.

Her turquoise eyes fluttered lightly as she announced, "The ceremony has concluded. Congratulations, Alpha Ronan and Luna Lucien." Ronan tugged at their joined hands and pulled his mate into his arms.

Lucien closed his eyes while he breathed in Ronan's calming scent, just before their lips were pressed together in a loving kiss.

All around them, the hall was drowned in a cacophony of cheering and clapping sounds.

The werewolf community welcomed the new Luna of the Infinite Eclipse Pack among themselves. "Finally," Ronan whispered as they held each other close and bumped their foreheads together.

Lucien cupped Ronan's face in both hands and beamed at the man he just married.

"Please take good care of me, Alpha."

Ronan planted a kiss on Lucien's wrist before he captured his Luna's lips in another kiss.

"I am forever in your good hands, my Luna..."

In Ronan's twenty-six years on earth so far, he had experienced countless beautiful moments with his fated mate.

If anyone bothered to ask him which one the dearest to him was, he would have to say that all of them were equally precious at the corresponding time, place, and occasion.

And yet, at this very moment, Ronan was pretty sure that he had never been happier and felt luckier in his whole life.

A wedding was but the beginning of a long and arduous journey as a couple.

Granted, governing a pack was not an easy task.

One thing that they were sure of was that they could overcome anything together, whatever awaited them in the future.

According to the legend, the Moon Goddess promised eternal bliss to pairs of fated mates who found their ways to each other.

She never mentioned that it would be easy.

Looking back, the path that led to said eternal bliss was full of roadblocks, thorny vines, and sharp rocks.

Ronan and Lucien survived to tell the story.

It was a bittersweet journey, but it was worth it every second of the way.

Ronan and Lucien had been very secretive about what was going on in the fertility clinic, but news eventually leaked out.

Not to the nosy fans that were still chasing after Lucien's shadows incessantly, but to Dane and Adele Silverback who were very unhappy to be the last people to know about the babies.

"Technically, Mom, you are not the last people to replace out," Ronan tried to placate his mother, and it only served to infuriate her further.

"Ronan, I am your mother!" she insisted. "And I live one floor under you! Why does the entire Clearwater family know about Lucien's pregnancy, but not me???"

When the words "Lucien's pregnancy" was mentioned, Lucien felt compelled to correct his mother-in-law.

"Mother, technically, I am not pregnant."

Adele Silverback waved her hand at Lucien impatiently.

"Yes, yes. Same thing."

"

"It is my right to know about my future grandchildren!!!"

Dane Silverback was not as excited as his wife. He was even rather skeptical about this supposedly wonderful and yet unproved technology.

Nevertheless, this concerned the continuation of the Silverback name and whether or not they could keep the Alpha position in the family.

For that purpose, whatever method Ronan employed to gain heirs was approved instantly by his father.

"I demand to see them with my own eyes," Dane said. "We need to ensure that they are well taken care of."

Adele clicked with her tongue in displeasure.

"Dane, how crude. Do you suggest we cut Lucien open so you can take a look at the fetuses' development???"

Lucien cleared his throat.

"Mother, technically, they are not inside me."

"Yes, yes. Same thing."

44

"..."

Apparently, Adele Silverback thought that the new technology was too complicated. It was easier to say that Lucien was pregnant. Whether the womb was inside or outside his body was another story. Meanwhile, three months had passed and the fetuses grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.

And so did Lucien's number of fans.

Thanks to that, he was still unable to set foot at the fertility center. And neither could Ronan, because they were a couple. Whatever Ronan did or wherever Ronan went was often linked to Lucien and vice versa. In the end, they had to rely on their parents to watch over the fetuses' development.

Initially, Gordon Clearwater was the only one who had the privilege to watch over the fetuses day after day.

And then came Adele and Dane Silverback.

Once they came, of course Alice Clearwater also demanded to come and visit.

The two couples kept coming and going again and again, seemingly in a competition that they did not bother to announce.

Eventually, the news leaked out.

It started as a silly theory among the fans. Some of them hyped it up. It ended up being published on some paparazzi's social media account.

Shamelessly, the fans even tagged Lucien and Ronan in the comment section.

When Mara Keenthorne read it in the morning, she almost sprayed her coffee all over her table.

The post went like this: "Because Lucien Clearwater and Ronan Silverback were unable to have their own children, Ronan's parents had been trying to conceive. The child would be handed over to Ronan and Lucien for adoption." Lucien thought that it was a good story to mask the truth.

Ronan was disgusted.

One day, a very smug Adele Silverback went to visit her son and son-in-law on weekend.

She had a colored ultrasound image of the two babies at five months with her.

The future parents were completely in awe when they looked at the image.

"They kinda look like me," both Lucien and Ronan said at the same time.

And then, they furrowed their brows and looked at each other.

"I believe they look a lot like ME," Adele Silverback commented with full confidence. "The Fangblade blood lives on in them."

...

There was no use arguing with Adele.

She was in euphoria for the grandchildren, so why not grant her the delusion?

"Okay, thanks for dropping by with the image, Mom, I...

Before Ronan ended his words, the sonogram was ripped out of his hands swiftly.

"Now that you have looked at it long enough, I will excuse myself."

Lucien's jaw dropped open.

So did Ronan's.

"Mom, wait!!!"

"Mother, the image!!!"

"Nope," Adele said. "You two kept the news from me for so long. This is your punishment, accept it."

"Mom, wait, what about a trade???" Ronan begged. "Lucien will give you the precious two-week sonogram and you will..." Lucien smacked Ronan hard.

"No!"

"But Lulu, this one is colored and the babies have grown so big and..."

"I said no!" Lucien growled unhappily at his partner.

Ronan basically asked him to hand over the first picture of their babies! How insensible!

""

Ronan was speechless.

Despite incessant pleas by the Alpha and the Luna, the Alpha's mother refused to hand over the colored ultrasound image.

Three days later, a supersized version of it hung proudly in the Silverback couple's living room. The smaller version was framed and put on Adele's nightstand so she could look at it anytime. Dissatisfied about the outcome, Ronan gave Gordon Clearwater a call the next day.

Apparently, Gordon Clearwater proved to be a lot less than generous.

"You don't want too many images to be circulated prior to the birth of the babies, Alpha Ronan," he chastised the Alpha instead. "Only twenty more weeks to go now. Please be patient."

...

As a result, Ronan and Lucien bothered Adele and Dane every night for the next ten weeks, just to look at the supersized ultrasound image.

Until Gordon Clearwater deigned to send them another image.

Coming with the image was a recording of the babies' heartbeat.

When Ronan heard it for the first time, he broke into tears immediately. He was more than touched. Their children were alive, their hearts beating decisively as they grew stronger with the passing days. One week before the babies' birth, the Alpha and Luna took their leave to West Coast City in the most discreet manner possible.

Traditionally, pups were born in an intimate circle consisting of only core family members. They were then left alone for one whole month to recuperate and get to know the new members of the family. In Ronan's and Lucien's case, the birth of their children was comparable to the launch of the first rocket to the moon.

There were so many people - mainly the fertility center staff - that attended the birthing event that the Mother and Child Center looked almost like a performance venue. Gordon Clearwater reserved the privilege to be there, as opposed to his own wife, Adele, and Dane Silverback.

Not that the three people did not try to smuggle themselves in.

Even Alpha Annalynne was ready to abandon what dignity she had and begged her father to let her in.

Acting as the fertility center director, Gordon Clearwater was quite ruthless. He threw away all unrelated people, with or without the Clearwater and Silverback surnames.

Before the babies were born, a lot of preparation had to be done. Seeing people running around in their lab coats and shouting instructions at each other was enough to make Lucien even more nervous.

He gripped the iron bar handle of the balcony that oversaw the entire Mother and Child Center hard. That was all he could do to alleviate his anxiety.

.....

"Lulu."

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around him. Lucien sucked in a lungful of air mixed with Ronan's calming sandalwood scent.

The Alpha's warm chest pressed against his back, providing him endless and ultimate comfort.

"Are you alright?"

Lucien cracked his mate a nervous smile.

"Yeah."

Ronan pressed a kiss against Lucien's forehead.

"Don't worry. I am here."

"Mmm."

Tranquility was like having a bunch of butterflies settling down in one's stomach. They were unexpectedly quick to scatter as soon as one of the fertility center staff shouted, "We are ready!" Lucien felt as if his pair of legs turn into two useless wooden logs all of a sudden.

He had to rely on Ronan to drag him toward the huge glass column that housed the meanwhile bloated artificial womb.

Inside, the babies occasionally pushed against the wall so they were able to see various imprints. Sometimes a hand, a foot, sometimes even a face.

They were very active.

And healthy.

Lucien could not stop staring at the flesh-colored organ that floated peacefully inside the glass column.

"Lulu, Alpha Ronan, are you two ready?"

Gordon Clearwater pressed a hand on his son's and son-in-law's shoulder.

Ronan and Lucien answered "Yes" at almost the same time.

The glass column was slowly drained, and the suspended artificial womb slowly descended to the bottom.

"Do you want to cut it open yourself?" Gordon asked Lucien.

"No, I can't," Lucien quickly answered. "What if I hurt them???"

He would never forgive himself if something happened to the babies because of them.

"I will do that," Ronan offered. "I want to do it."

"But Ronan...!"

The Alpha gave his mate's hand a squeeze and a kiss on the knuckles.

"My Luna, you have worked hard to give us these babies. Let me welcome them to the world with my own hands."

"In that case, let's do it together," Lucien decided. They wanted children, and now the children were there. It made sense to take responsibility and bring them to the world together.

The fertility center staff and Gordon broke into a smile.

The corners of Ronan's lips too were tugged up in a grateful smile.

"Alright, my love."

The process was rather grotesque, but when Lucien and Ronan first held a baby each in their arms, tears quickly welled up in their eyes.

They were so tiny.

And so precious.

Shocked by the sudden change of environment, they cried out loud while inhaling a lungful of air for the first time.

The hardest thing to do in the end for the fertility center staff was to extricate the babies from the new parents.

All parents hated to part from the babies in their arms, even more so werewolves.

"Just to examine them," the staff pleaded. "We will clean them up and return them to you."

After much persuasion, Ronan and Lucien agreed to hand over the babies. They insisted on standing around and watching while the babies get cleaned and examined.

Ten fingers and ten toes.

Separated from the warm embrace of their parents, they kept wriggling around restlessly. When the cold instruments touched them, they whimpered pitifully.

Ronan and Lucien had to restrain each other to not rush to their side and interrupt the fertility center staff while they did their job.

"One boy and one girl," an elder woman announced.

"The boy is an alpha."

The same woman avoided looking into Alpha Ronan's eyes when she continued, "The girl is not."

Both Ronan's and Lucien's lips parted from surprise.

They had no experience holding newborns, so they could not easily replace out whether the babies were alphas or not.

Alpha babies had bigger bone structures than non-alpha babies. The little boy was indeed heavier than the little girl, but boys were usually bigger than girls, right?

It turned out that their little girl was not an alpha werewolf.

Lucien looked up at Ronan.

"My daughter is perfect the way she is, whether she is an alpha or not," he declared.

Ronan chuckled.

"I was about to say the same. Those who dare to tell me that my daughter is anything but flawless will regret being born into the world."

The Alpha and Luna exchanged warm smiles.

These were their children.

They were a little family of four.

Soon, the vast apartment that the Alpha shared with his Luna would no longer maintain its peaceful state.

It will be filled with the sound of crying babies, the tapping of little feet when they learned to walk, and also the babbling of little mouths when they learned to walk.

The children would grow up stronger and stronger day by day.

Ronan and Lucien would be there to oversee their development, and love them every step of the way.

News regarding the birth of the Alpha heirs of the Infinite Eclipse Pack was received with mixed reactions by the werewolf community.

After returning from West Coast City, Ronan and Lucien locked themselves up inside their apartment and entertained no guest, as the tradition required.

The problem was that these were two men with no experience in child rearing, so it was natural when everyone in the pack was worried about them. Adele Silverback was anxious to hear the babies' cry every day.

"As long as they still cry, then they are still alive," she claimed.

Apparently, she did not dare to expect too much from her son and son-in-law. As long as they did not end up killing the babies, it was already good enough. Days passed by quickly, and before long, the four weeks were over. The minute the Alpha ended their seclusion, guests came rushing like a wave of tsunami. To Ronan's greatest dismay, the frequently asked questions were:

"Are the babies still alive?"

"Do you remember to feed them?"

"Do we need to call a healer???"

To that last question, Ronan had a perfect answer, "Sure. You will need a healer soon if you don't stop asking stupid questions!"

In the end, Ronan Silverback kicked all of them out for being noisy and made a list of approved visitations for a week.

Even that was not an easy task because everyone was dying to meet the babies. Particularly the Alpha's parents and the Luna's parents and sister, of course.

Unable to make a sound decision regarding which side of the family got to visit first, and also because there was some revelation to be done regarding the babies, all of them were invited to come at the same time. And all of them did. They waited outside the Alpha's apartment way before the allocated time arrived.

When Ronan opened the door, the Alpha had to prevent the anxious family members from rushing in.

"Slowly!" He shouted. "Mom, please!!!"

Once they got past Ronan, they all ran as silently as they could inside the apartment.

In the living room, Lucien was entertaining the two precious heirs inside a basket.

"Ooooooohhhhh," the women immediately squealed from delight.

Adele picked up the little boy and Alice picked up the little girl.

"Oh my Goddess, look at how beautiful he is," Adele cooed. "He looks just like Ronan when he was little!"

The little boy broke into an adorable giggle when he came face-to-face with friendly strangers.

"Baby, I am your grandmother," Adele said while peppering kisses all over the baby boy. "You precious, precious child."

That reaction was expected from the alpha baby boy.

The problem was the baby girl, who was not an alpha.

As soon as Alice lifted the small baby in her arms, she knew.

Her eyebrows were pulled up from surprise, but she said nothing.

Instead, she held the very quiet girl close to her heart and cuddled her like she was the biggest treasure she had ever come across.

The little girl extended her small hands and pressed them against Alice's cheeks. Alice did not want to cry, but she ended up spilling tears upon meeting her granddaughter.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

Annalynne ended up passing her some tissues and at the same time steal the baby from her arms.

Gordon was there when the babies were born, so he naturally knew that the baby girl was not an alpha.

Annalynne had no idea at all. She was just happy to welcome a beautiful baby girl among them.

"Oh, Goddess!" she squealed from delight.

"Look, Mom! She looks like a mini-me!"

Alice smiled.

"Technically, she looks like Lucien."

Although both babies inherited Ronan's dark hair and greenish-blue eyes, the boy looked a lot like Ronan and the girl looked a lot like Lucien.

That being said, the girl was very beautiful. And she was also very quiet.

Lucien opened his mouth a few times to tell both sides of the grandparents and also Annalynne that the girl was not an alpha pup, but he was unable to replace the right moment.

It was not until they swapped babies that Adele and Dane were overcome with surprise.

"Oh, she is..." Adele gasped.

Dane did not say anything, but everyone could see the surprise in his eyes.

Protectively, Lucien took the baby girl back into his arms.

"Sorry to disappoint," he said with an icy tone. "Our precious daughter is not an alpha."

For a while, no one said anything.

"Nevertheless, she is our daughter and we love her very much. We hope that all of you can come to terms with this surprising news," Ronan continued while he put his arms around Lucien and their daughter.

And then, Annalynne put her hands against her waist and exclaimed loudly, "What the hell? Does anyone have any problem with my awesome, most beautiful niece???"

"I don't," Adele said with a shrug. She took the baby back from Lucien, having not cuddled her long enough before she was taken away by the protective parent.

"I don't care whether she is an alpha or not. My granddaughter is so beautiful. A perfect mix of Ronan and Lucien. She is going to grow up to be the prettiest girl in the whole werewolf community!"

"I obviously don't care," Alice too said. "I fall in love with her at the first sight. Anyone who has anything bad to say about her will have me as their opponent."

Gordon pulled Lucien and Ronan into a hug.

"Congratulations for the adorable children, you two. Alpha or not, it doesn't matter."

Only one person had yet to voice his opinion.

Annalynne, Adele, Alice, and Gordon all said their piece of approval.

Unwittingly, eyes were directed to Dane Silverback, who did not look like he planned to say anything.

His lips were pulled into a thin line and the severe lines that were etched on his face seemed to be even deeper than before.

To the greatest disappointment of everyone in the living room, he cleared his throat and then with a hoarse voice, said, "Excuse me."

Ronan's father left without looking back.

"Oh, that big fool," Adele cursed under her breath.

She gave Ronan, Lucien, and the two babies each a kiss before she excused herself.

"Lucien, don't worry," she said while grabbing her son-in-law's hand. "I am going to smack that alpha superiority idea out of his head. There is nothing wrong with our little girl. I cannot be a happier grandmother."

Ronan's mother then stomped off in search of her ridiculous husband.

Annalynne huffed angrily.

"What the hell?" she complained loudly.

As expected, she just had to vent her displeasure at the remaining Silverback in the room.

Glaring at Ronan, Annalynne said what she needed to say.

"Alpha Ronan, if your pack does not acknowledge non-alpha heirs, then give her to me. The Silent Walkers Pack is more than happy to raise this little bundle of blessing! We are not that arrogant to think that only alphas are worth anything!"

.....

Ronan crossed his arms in front of his chest and growled at his sister-in-law.

"I will fight you if you dare to take my daughter away from me, Alpha Annalynne. I don't give a crap about what others say about my daughter. For all I care, I will make her the heir to the Alpha position if need be!"

Hearing the harsh exchange between the adults, the babies abruptly began to cry.

"Oh no, don't cry," Annalynne hastily said. She wanted to take the baby girl, but Lucien stopped her.

"Let me," he said in a protective tone that no one in their sane minds would dare to defy.

Lucien lifted his baby girl into his arms. As soon as the little girl was pressed against Lucien's chest, she stopped crying right away.

"Sssh, my love," Lucien placated the little girl in his arms with soft kisses. "Everything will be alright."

Annalynne did not have similar luck with the baby boy. He screamed and trampled around wildly, overwhelming his aunt completely.

"Give him to me," Ronan said.

In his father's arms, probably suppressed by the Alpha's aura, the baby calmed down right away. Held against his father's shoulder, he blinked cutely at the people in the room.

The babies were happy and contented, but their parents were not.

Lucien looked extremely displeased with the way things turned out.

And all because one baby was not an alpha pup.

"I am sorry," he said in an aggrieved tone. "The babies need to rest."

That was the cue for the visitors to leave.

Alice gave her grandchildren a kiss each before she left with Gordon.

Annalynne could not bear to leave her brother behind.

"Lulu...?"

Lucien turned to look at his twin sister, who tugged at his arm in a spoiled manner.

"Lulu, I am here for you. Call me whenever you need me, okay? I will always be your sister. No matter what."

Lucien smiled.

"Mm. Thanks, Anna."

After Annalynne left, a deafening silence filled the apartment, only breached occasionally by the sounds that the babies made.

Lucien was awfully quiet, and Ronan did not like it even one bit.

The Alpha put his son inside the basket, then he hugged Lucien from behind and pressed a kiss on the latter's nape.

In response, Lucien cuddled the little girl closer to his heart.

"Baby, are you alright?"

"I don't know," he said truthfully.

He was not okay, and he did not want to lie about it. Maybe he was too exhausted to lie.

Alpha families were used to welcoming only alpha pups in their midst.

If Lucien were not an alpha, the fact that one of their children was not an alpha might be more acceptable. They were both alpha werewolves, but the girl was not an alpha.

Born perfect the way she was according to her parents, but she was nevertheless of lesser birth in the eyes of the entire werewolf community.

"Baby, let's talk. I know that you are upset."

Ronan would rather have Lucien go crazy, and vent his anger at his father, than have him go quiet and keep it all to himself.

"We expected this," Lucien answered, trying his best to maintain his composure.

They knew that if anyone was going to be repelled by the news, it would be none other than Dane Silverback.

"We can't change your father's opinion."

Or anyone else's for that matter.

Ronan sighed. He tightened his embrace around Lucien's slender frame and whispered, "I am serious, Lulu. I will lay down the Alpha position at her feet if need be."

If that was all it took for the pack to acknowledge the child, Ronan would go against the tradition. Their daughter was going to be the first Alpha without actually being an alpha werewolf.

Screw all those who dared to go against his decision.

Lucien scoffed.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "You are not going to take away Rayden's birthright and hand it over to Aria."

Ronan's lips curled up into a smile when he heard the baby names that they had discussed among themselves in the past week.

"Have you decided to give them these names, then?"

"Mmm."

Lucien handed their baby girl to Ronan while he picked up their baby boy from the basket.

"Rayden and Aria Silverback. How do you like your names, little sweethearts?"

The babies broke into a round of giggles in unison.

"1

guess that's a yes," Ronan said.

He pinched Lucien's chin and pressed a loving kiss on his Luna's lips.

"Let's announce their names tomorrow, then."

"Sure."

"For now, they need to take their naps."

"Yeah."

From today on, two babysitters would come to help the Alpha and Luna with their children. Ronan and Lucien could finally start sleeping at night. They both could use some. Taking care of two babies without help was surprisingly exhausting.

Maya Greenwood had offered her service as babysitter enthusiastically, but Lucien reminded her that she was a budding young artist with a lot of prospects. She had better things to do than say, take care of their babies.

Knock, knock, knock.

"It's them," Lucien said. "Ronan, open the door, will you?"

"At your service, Luna," Ronan chuckled as he marched toward the door.

Ronan expected the babysitters to be standing outside, waiting to tend to the babies.

When he opened the door, the person he came face-to-face with was not a babysitter but his father, Dane Silverback.