The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 44

Right before Xandar was about to say something, large metal floor panels covered by sand and rusty construction materials folded upwards to reveal a route which seemed to lead to an underground tunnel. They followed Greg's car and came to a well-lit parking space. As soon as Laurent and his followers were in, Greg shut the panels. After Xandar parked in a random lot, he turned to his wife and asked, "Weren't you only annoyed on those shopping trips because the books, clothes or shoes weren't to your taste?"

Lucianne furrowed her brows and exclaimed with elaborated hand gestures, "Are you kidding me, Xandar?! You want to talk about shopping when your cousin just opened a freaki—" "Yeah yeah, that was all very impressive but really, baby, it wasn't the material things that bothered you on those trips?"

She decided to just go with what her husband wanted to talk about for now. "No! Seriously, Xandar?! How could you not see some of the sales staff, cashiers, waitresses and female customers look at you like they would gladly submit to you as and when you please?!"

He pecked a kiss on her nose to calm her increasing agitation before explaining in defense, "Forgive me, my little freesia. I was preoccupied with trying to subtly scare off any man looking at my wife like I wasn't right next to her. And can I just say that I have it way worse? Even the little boys seem to be so mesmerized by your beauty that the toys in their hands don't seem to be able to hold their attention."

Lucianne calmed down a little after Xandar's kiss, and her mood improved further because she still found it amusing that Xandar had the tendency to be jealous of little boys, so she reached out to stroke his shoulder as she said, "Don't worry, my indecent beast. I'll only reciprocate Russell's attention."

Xandar's blissful eyes widened in shock as his smile fell. Lucianne dashed out of the car with a cheeky grin, and closed the door behind her which effectively cut her mate off when he was exclaiming, “WHA—” When Xandar got out, he heard Lucianne saying, "Lead the way, Your Grace."

Greg nodded with a small smile and started walking towards a white wall. Xandar was at Lucianne's side in an instant, and with his arm around her waist, he murmured, "You didn't play fair, sweetheart."

"How do you think I almost always win, darling?" Lucianne responded with the same cheeky smile which pulled at Xandar's heartstrings, making him give into his urge to squeeze the flesh at her waist before kissing her temple.

From afar, the white wall in the underground parking space looked like any normal wall. Up close, there was a row of very subtle, minute, vertical lines, like they were carved there for decorative purposes. Greg didn't even need to count from the far left to know which line was the fifty-second one, and he inserted his car key into that line before giving it a twist. He pulled the key back out, and the wall raised.

So, it wasn't a wall. But a concrete roller shutter.

Lucianne's eyes widened in wonder and awe at the sight of the wall rising up, which was when Desmond exclaimed, "Ain't that cool, queen?!"

Greg threw a disapproving glare at Desmond, and made a mental note to talk to him about basic, incredibly basic, formalities soon. Desmond was still grinning in Lucianne's way when she said, "Very cool." The awe in her tone soothed Greg's irritation. He could almost picture the shine in her eyes, and it took a lot of restraint to not turn around and start staring at her.

Laurent and the other policemen were still wary. But Alissa, Hailey and Ivory smiled at Lucianne's words. They could see how their boss fell for her. The queen was so...real, expressive and open-minded for a royal. And they could tell that, when they spoke to her about their pasts, she wasn't just listening out of duty, sympathy or with the intention to judge. They felt her sincerity, and she listened with the intention to understand and feel their plight, making them feel heard and less...alone.

Behind the cement roller shutter was motion-detection glass doors that opened to each side as they stepped into another space with beige-tiled floors. A small, black-colored cubical device was right in the middle of another white wall with a mahogany door at the far right. After Greg punched in a twelve-digit code on the cubicle device, the device scanned his retina before the door opened with a click.

Lucianne's smile was evident when she exclaimed in a hushed, excited tone, "So cool!"

Xandar loved seeing her being a curious cat, but maybe not when it came to this cousin's stuff. He pecked a kiss on her temple to remind her that he loved her so much that he would give her anything, and if this extensive security system was what she wanted, then he would make i happen.

Greg finally allowed himself to look at Lucianne before he gestured at the door which his people just went through as he said with a warm smile, "After you, My Queen."

As she approached the entrance, Xandar mind-linked her, asking her if this was what she wanted for themselves. She looked at her husband with narrowed eyes and linked firmly, 'Darling, we don't need this system. We're not being shunned from society or hunted down by the authorities. I like it, but it doesn't mean I want it.'

He smiled and pecked another kiss on her temple before responding with a simple, "Okay."

The moment Lucianne stepped through the door with Xandar by her side, she froze at the sight in front of her. Ninety-four lycans in the large-spaced lounge were down on one knee with their heads hung low as they echoed in firm synchronicity, "My Queen." Greg's voice echoed through the lounge, "And her mate, too."

Some of them raised their heads to glance at Xandar before they all muttered with blatant reluctance, "Your Highness."

Lucianne slid an arm around her husband's biceps as her thumb stroked his skin in slow, soothing motions. Any ordinary creature could feel the chill in that greeting. They didn't even want to acknowledge Xandar as their king, only greeting him by royal address. Lucianne tried not to let the surroundings go quiet for too long, so she smiled at everyone and said, "Rise. All of you."

When they did, most were already throwing her smiles because of whatever Ivory and the others linked them on the way to the Den. Lucianne then added, "Don't take this the wrong way, but please don't do that again. I'm quite fine with a smile and a wave, or a simple handshake, really."

Surprisingly, all eyes moved to Greg, who pressed back a smile and uttered with a firm nod, "As you wish, My Queen."

Lucianne smiled politely in return. "Thank you, Your Grace."

Suddenly, a familiar ringtone filled the quiet space. Lucianne's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment before she rummaged through the things in her bag to look for her phone. The lit screen read: Pelly