Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 14

The dean stared at the rich man that stood in front of him and made such a bold statement. There were around thirty-something artworks inside the studio. Did he just say that he wanted to buy all of them? He could, of course. A rich tycoon like Ronan Silverback could afford this little expense without breaking into a sweat.

The dean did not think that it was a good idea to sell everything to Ronan Silverback.

If Lucien's artworks were sold to various buyers, then there was a chance for him to rise in fame.

"Mr. Clearwater has expressly asked for the artworks to be auctioned," the dean explained. "I would like to respect his wish."

"Fine," Ronan said. "My assistant will contact you regarding the auction time and date. I will bid on every piece without fail."

Ronan got into his car a while later. The car did not move as the driver was waiting for the CEO's instructions.

"Mr. Silverback? Where are we going to next?"

.....

Yes. Very good question.

Ronan rubbed at his tired eyes.

Where to go next?

Lucien, where the f**k are you?

"The Place Where Our Time Stopped"...

Ronan opened his eyes and stared at an imaginary object in front of him.

"Go to the Art Exhibition Center," he ordered.

The Art Exhibition Center kept a record of all submissions from year to year. The artists that created the artworks, the buyers, and also the price at which the artworks were sold.

The building was thankfully bought off and managed by the Woodland Enterprise lately. The building manager was a member of the Ironclad Claws Pack.

When Ronan said that he wanted to take a look at the submission record, he was led to a private waiting room. Coffee and baked goods were served while folders containing the submission data from the past three years were hauled into the private waiting room. Naturally, Ronan did not have to skim through the pages himself. He merely had to wait for a little while ten people went through the folders in search of the three paintings that were submitted by Lucien Clearwater in the past three years for the Annual Art Exhibition's purpose.

"We found them," the manager announced eagerly once they had all three paintings together.

Ronan put down his cup of coffee and extended his hand for the three plastic files, each representing Lucien's submission of the respective year. A picture of the painting was stuck on the front page along with Lucien's name.

The first painting showed a pair of a brown-red wolf and a black wolf that were cuddling in the middle of the woods.

Ah.

Ronan's heart melted at the sight.

It had been so long ago, but the memories of that day were as vivid as ever. It was the day of their first date. Sneaking around the woods in order to hide their relationship from curious eyes. In retrospect, although Ronan kept proclaiming that their relationship was blessed by the Moon Goddess herself, he knew right at the start that it was going to be a bumpy ride. He was willing to hold Lucien's hand and bleed together while climbing one hurdle after another. In the end, Lucien was the first to let go.

The second painting showed the same pair of wolves by a lake. There were blurred shadows in the backdrop, most likely the other alpha werewolves who took part in the camp.

The black wolf was nuzzling the brown-red wolf intimately.

Ronan smiled.

The days in the Alpha Camp were filled with lessons and exercises. From Monday to Friday, the young teenagers worked hard to fill their brains and build their muscles. Saturdays were reserved for games, and Sundays were reserved for free time. That day, the children were split into teams of ten players. They were taken to the lake where a bunch of colorful balloons were gently bobbing up and down in the water.

There were five colors altogether to represent the number of children that attended the Alpha Camp that year: red, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

Ronan was in the Yellow Team and Lucien was in the Blue Team.

The team who got all their balloons from the water and put them into respective underwater baskets would win the game.

Once the instruction was clear, the alpha werewolves were lined up at the edge of the lake in their bathing suits.

A bang into the sky signaled the start of the game. All the teenagers jumped in at once.

Naturally, their competitive nature prevented them from just obediently collecting their own balloons. When they reached balloons of different colors, they mischievously threw them as far as possible from the baskets.

Ronan was a natural-born swimmer. He was faster than anyone else. He kicked and punched balloons away from his peers, making them curse and swing their punches at him while he swam away like a sly eel.

Except of course when he was dealing with Lucien. Ronan was so sweet to Lucien that he not only gathered the yellow but also the blue balloons.

It was thus no surprise then the Yellow Team came first and the Blue Team came second.

Ronan and Lucien exchanged their winning medals for fun. The Alpha still kept the medal that he got from Lucien.

Lucien... It turns out that the memory is as precious to you as it is to me.

The third painting depicted the same pair of wolves lazying around in front of a wooden hut.

It was their second Sunday during the Alpha Camp. They found a deserted wooden hut in the forest by chance, so they tidied it up and turned it into their secret rendezvous place.

After that, they met up almost every night there to whisper sweet things to each other while curling up against each other under a blanket. They only went back to the campsite in the wee hours before anyone noticed that they were gone the whole night. Ronan looked at the paintings one by one many times.

The three paintings told the beautiful love story between him and Lucien back when they were just two alpha werewolf boys in love at Alpha Camp.

Ronan exited the Art Exhibition Center with copies of the three files in his hand. By the time he reached the car, his newly recruited assistant was already waiting for him.

Ronan handed the copies to him. "Get me all these paintings, no matter how much they cost. Then replace out from the South Bedford Art College dean about the date and time of the auction. Buy all of Lucien Clearwater's artworks. Make sure you get everything inside the studio."

Milroy, the poor man, gaped at Ronan for a split second before he started writing whatever he could remember from Ronan's instructions. Poor boy, the driver thought. The Alpha always expected anyone to know what he wanted just by dropping random orders. Milroy would have to pick up on every single hint and trace it backward in order to fulfill his tasks. Knowing that he had a long day ahead of him, the man excused himself before Ronan could give him more assignments.

The driver on the other way had a much easier task. He only needed to drive Ronan Silverback around.

"Where do you wish to go next, Alpha?" he politely asked.

Ronan sat inside the car, busy with his thoughts.

A few minutes of silence passed, interrupted only by the frantic typing on Milroy's phone as the latter tried to google some information. the driver started to panic. Had the Alpha started to expect him to know where he was going without even saying a single word? The driver thus thanked the Moon Goddess for all of her blessings when Ronan suddenly became wiser and realized that his driver could not read minds. "Noah, to the North Ridge Forest."

"Right away, Alpha," was what the elated Noah, the driver, said as he started the car, but then a lot of questions popped into his mind.

North Ridge Forest?

Why?

Where exactly?

What for?

"Excuse me, Alpha. Are we going to the Werewolf Council Headquarters?"

"No."

...

That was it? A single no?

Where exactly at North Ridge Forest are you planning to go to, Mr. Ronan Silverback??

Ronan Silverback was completely oblivious to his driver's distress. He closed his eyes to take a nap not long after the car pulled onto the highway that led to the North Ridge Forest. That fourth painting.

It was the place where he confessed his love to Lucien.

The eighteen-year-old Ronan was not very happy about having another alpha male as his fated mate, but he was unable to escape the Moon Goddess' will.

The more he resisted Lucien Clearwater, the more he fell for the boy.

Ronan who never once had s****l thoughts about anyone, boy or girl, started to pay more attention to Lucien. Lucien always appeared calm and collected. Mature for his age. He was not fun. He did not know what fun meant. He liked to stay in the art room and paint for hours. Lucien, boy or girl, was not Ronan's type at all!

Despite all of that, Ronan still ended up stalking Lucien whenever he was bored or had some free time in his hands.

This alpha teenage werewolf sucked at hiding. It did not take long before Lucien ran out of patience and pulled him out of his hiding place to confront him.

"What do you think you are doing?" the redhead snapped in annoyance. "Why are you following me every day?"

Ronan still remembered how nervous he was. There, in the middle of a grass field with yellowing ends and the scent of summer, he gathered his courage and confessed.

"Lucien Clearwater, I like you!"

I like you.

Lucien, I like you.

Ronan Silverback sighed in the present time.

Once they arrived at North Ridge Forest, Ronan finally had the grace to inform his driver where exactly they were heading.

"Alpha Camp."

It was "The Place Where Their Memories Stopped".

The Alpha Camp was only open for three weeks in summer, then closed for the whole year. At that time it was already the end of summer. The weather was still warm, but sometimes the chill of autumn could be felt through random gusts of wind that blew through the camp area. The Alpha Camp site was directly connected to the North Ridge Forest itself. It was a training ground for alpha werewolves after all, so the camp instructors were not afraid of wild beasts or anything.

Ronan walked into the empty piece of land and looked around.

"Lucien...?" He called out.

No answer.

He went to the woods, the spot that inspired the first painting.

There was no one there.

Then he went to the lake where they once had that balloon-collecting game.

Not even Lucien's shadow was around.

Ronan went to the hut where they spent nights in each other's arms. It was now a dilapidated hut. After breaking up with Lucien, Ronan never again came back. Neither did Lucien because he only visited Alpha Camp once. Naturally, Lucien was also not there.

Ronan started to grow restless.

His feet took him to the grass field. The field was the same as it was seven years ago, but Lucien was also not there.

In his fury, Ronan punched at yet another innocent tree. Thankfully this one was thicker than the other one. It shook violently but it remained standing.

Ronan bit into his lip.

Was he wrong?

Was Lucien not in the Alpha Camp after all?

Ronan rubbed at his face and roared in exasperation.

But then where did he go???

Ronan already went through all the places that held the slightest meaning for Lucien and yet the man remained missing.

Lulu, where the hell are you?

Don't scare me. Almost three days have passed. Where are you???

Tired, the Alpha took a seat on a nearby rock. His elbows rested over his knees while his both hands were supporting his head.

Did he miss something? During the three weeks of Alpha Camp, was there another place that might hold any meaning to their relationship? Oh, wait.

There was one more place.

It was located on the north side of the Alpha Camp. It was the place Lucien took him to in order to break up with him.

With every step that Ronan Silverback took, his feet felt heavier and heavier. Almost as if he were dragging two blocks of iron up the deserted stone steps.

The north side of the Alpha Camp was not known by too many people. Beyond the thick, untouched section of the forest, lay an unparalleled, incredibly beautiful scenic area.

The first thing that people saw once they got out of the woods was a two-meter-high waterfall that fed water from a huge lake into a smaller stream underneath. The tiny river flowed between the woods and an orchard. It was packed with fat and succulent trout in the summertime.

Lucien and Ronan found the spot by chance when they were looking for places to be alone. They never expected to replace such a beautiful nook in the wilderness.

The werewolves who found the spot before them must have put some effort into planting all sorts of fruit trees to create a piece of heaven.

In summer, the orchard bloomed beautifully. The sweet, enticing smell of ripe fruits was appealing to their noses. It caused the two teenagers that were already drunk from love to get drunk even more.

Further up from the orchard was a huge stone platform where they used to sit to laze around while feeding each other a bunch of strawberries, cherries, and raspberries.

The sweetest fruits that Ronan ever ate were the ones that he licked off Lucien's fingers.

The greatest joy that Ronan ever had other than bullying Lucien on the bed at night was pampering Lucien, watching the young man glow with happiness from the love they shared.

.....

Sometimes they would catch some trout and roast them over an open fire. None of them knew how to cook so their first attempt was a fail. They still ate it all up anyway. After browsing for some good outdoor recipes, they finally managed to cook more or less decent dinners.

It was supposed to be their safe haven.

And then Lucien just had to ruin it by breaking up with him there.

Ronan never again stepped a foot into the orchard.

Never again fished for trout and roasted them over an open fire.

The once so wonderful place lost its appeal when he lost Lucien. The same thing happened with the hut. It was only then that Ronan realized something.

The only reason why he liked such remote places was the opportunity to be alone with Lucien.

For as long as he remembered, Ronan had always preferred bustling, crowded areas.

Lucien on the contrary enjoyed the serenity that only solitude could offer.

The orchard and the hut were something like a compromise. Ronan made do with only Lucien as his company, and Lucien tolerated Ronan's noisiness for love.

After climbing the steps for some time, Ronan arrived at the place that used to be their place for secret rendezvous. The orchard was still there despite lacking some housekeeping efforts. The river was still the same.

He could see the huge stone platform some distance away.

After walking a few steps toward the said platform, he stopped in his track. Something, or someone, was resting on top of it.

It was a lone wolf with a glorious brown-red coat.

Ronan sucked in a deep breath and held it in as he continued to move as quietly as possible toward the stone platform.

Although he was very skinny, he was bigger than any other wild wolf. He was most definitely a werewolf. And not just any werewolf.

This distinct fur pattern...

The burning longing in Ronan's heart that screamed a name into his mind incessantly...

Ronan's heart pounded hard against his chest. It was Beowulf who first recognized his fated mate.

'Landon...?'

The brown-red wolf on top of the platform opened its eyes when he heard the unusual sound of rustling leaves. He jumped to his feet in one swift movement and shot Ronan a fierce look. Two rows of sharp teeth were brandished at the Alpha, a warning for Ronan to stay as far away as possible.

But Ronan could not stop himself from drawing near.

"Landon...?" He called while extending his hand toward the wolf. "Landon, it's me..."

It's me, Ronan.

Landon, do you still remember?

It was unclear whether Landon remembered or not. He always had a hot-headed temperament, very much the opposite of Lucien. Since he already warned Ronan not to get close and the latter chose to disobey his direction, Ronan ought to reap the consequences. The giant wolf pounced at Ronan with a thundering roar and two sets of sharp claws. Ronan gritted his teeth. He dodged the two sets of claws just in time before they tore him into shreds.

Ronan took off his long coat to catch Landon once he turned for another attack, but the second attack never came. Landon ran away and disappeared into the woods.

"Ck...!"

Ronan clicked his tongue. He threw his coat to the ground and ripped his clothes open as he ran in pursuit of Landon.

Within an instant, a giant black wolf took his place and ran with a speed that was not inferior to the Landon's.

Just as Lucien was tied to Ronan by fate, so was Landon tied to Beowulf. The brown-red wolf faltered in his movement for some time when he sensed his fated mate approaching. His desire urged him to turn around and run into Beowulf's arms, but his instinct told him to run away.

Run away, run as far as possible.

A sad whine escaped Landon as he continued running blindly across the forest. Anywhere was fine as long as he could escape Beowulf.

He must not get caught.

Landon already ran as fast as possible, but he had been out for days with barely any food. He was starving and weak. Beowulf easily caught up with him within minutes.

The giant black wolf jumped at Landon's back as soon as the latter was close enough. Beowulf tackled Landon to the ground hard and pinned him onto the grass.

Landon struggled to break free, but he could not escape Beowulf's persistent grip. Beowulf indulged Landon's useless endeavors for as long as possible. Until the latter gave up and whined pitifully while laying his head on the ground, exhausted and defeated. Beowulf nuzzled against Landon's cheek intimately. He licked at the wolf that was trapped under him many times until Landon nuzzled back at him.

Landon lay his head weakly on the ground. His caramel-brown eyes were full of accusations.

It is all your fault that I became like this.

Look at what I have gone through.

I suffered so much... Ronan...

Beowulf gave Landon a playful bite and nudged the latter's muzzle with his own. Landon whimpered. He wanted to stand up but Beowulf was still pinning him down with his weight.

Landon licked at Beowulf's face a few times to coax him to get up from his body. Eventually, once Beowulf felt that Landon was not going to run away anymore, he got up and Landon scrambled to his feet.

The two wolves stared at each other. Beowulf nuzzled against Landon's neck, asking for some love. Landon opened his mouth and gave Beowulf a gentle bite on his neck.

Beowulf jumped at Landon in retaliation. The latter landed on his back and Beowulf showered him with kisses. The two wolves rolled around the ground and exchanged affectionate kisses and bites. 'Beowulf, Ronan's voice rang out in Beowulf's head.

'What?'

'Get Landon to return to Lucien's body.'

'No,' Beowulf refused Ronan without skipping a beat.

Ronan sighed.

'B... Lucien has been out for three days without human food and water. He hasn't transformed for a while. His body must reject whatever Landon tries to eat. At this point, both of them will die!

"

Beowulf continued rolling around with Landon, ignoring Ronan completely.

'BEOWULF!' Ronan angrily shouted. 'Get him to return to his human form, NOW!'

'FINE!' Beowulf shouted back. 'You didn't have to yell, geez...

Beowulf nudged at Landon a few times and the latter stared at him. A low growl escaped Beowulf's throat when Landon refused to do what he wanted. Landon turned away from Beowulf. He was a tougher nut to crack than Beowulf. Unfortunately only Beowulf could coax him right now so Ronan had to be patient.

Landon barked at Beowulf when the latter became too annoying. Beowulf had to act meek to win over his lover again.

'Ronan, he doesn't want to,' Beowulf reported.

Ronan was about to get out of his mind.

'This is not negotiable. He is already very weak. He cannot survive if Lucien dies!

'I know, but... Ronan, Landon is even more stubborn than Lucien. Besides, Lucien has completely given up!'

"

Ronan bit his lips. Beowulf was not wrong. Landon did invade Lucien's body, but Lucien was still the master of the body. If he wanted to, he could fight against Landon's consciousness and suppress him. Lucien was stuck in a wolf body because he did not want to fight Landon. He basically gave Landon full control over his body.

'This won't do. I will talk to him.'

'What...? But...'

Beowulf's protests disappeared as the giant black wolf transformed into a naked Ronan. Landon narrowed his eyes at Ronan and growled at him.

"Landon, come."

Ronan stretched out his arms and beckoned the wolf to come to him.

"Come to me, Landon."

The wolf snorted but he eventually trotted lazily toward Ronan.

"Good boy," Ronan placed a kiss on Landon's forehead affectionately. He pulled Landon to the ground and let it lay its big head on his lap.

"Landon, release Lucien, please."

The wolf blinked a few times but otherwise ignored his plea. Ronan did not give up. His fingers traveled across Landon's fluffy fur and gently rubbed his belly. The belly rubs caused Landon to whimper from pleasure.

"I know that I messed up.

I know that I let both of you down.

But I beg you, please give me another chance. I want us all to be happy again together."

Landon gave Ronan a look and snorted.

He almost sounded like Lucien when he scoffed.

"Please?" Ronan begged again.

"I love Lucien. I do."

Landon snorted again.

Ronan swallowed hard. Why was it that it was so much easier to convince someone of hatred than love? Of course he had been a despicable a*s to Lucien, but this time he truly just wanted to save Lucien's life. "Please, Landon."

That was all Ronan could do. Begging Landon for Lucien's life.

"I know that you also want him back. If this continues, the both of you will die."

"Hey... Hey, listen to me. Landon..."

Landon closed his eyes and grunted.

Ronan pulled Landon into his arms.

"Let's give it another try, okay? This time, we will be together. I will never ever leave you again."

Landon turned his head and licked at Ronan's belly. Then he went lower and his tongue scraped against Ronan's m*****d. The sensation of having a beast licking his organs was enough to make Ronan's blood freeze in his veins. It was almost as if Landon was saying, "If you lie then I am going to cut your p***s off."

Landon stood up and wagged his tail around. He turned to face Ronan and gave him a stern look. And then, he transformed. The brown-red form collapsed into a naked man who shared the same hair color.

Lucien Clearwater lay on the grass, his face pale and his lips bloodless.

He quickly approached Lucien and lifted the man's upper body into his arms.

Ronan sighed out of relief.

"Lulu? Lulu, can you hear me?"

He could not.

Lucien's eyes were shut tightly and he was barely breathing.

Ronan put one of Lucien's arms around his own neck and lifted the lifeless body in his arms. He walked as fast as possible toward the entrance of the Alpha Camp, where his car and driver were already waiting for him. Although their goal was indeed to replace Lucien Clearwater, Noah could not help but gape when he saw the naked Alpha walking out of the woods with an equally naked Lucien in his arms.

He quickly grabbed a thick, fluffy blanket and helped Ronan swaddle Lucien in it to keep him warm. After that, he gave Ronan another blanket.

"Alpha, for you."

"To the hospital. Now," Ronan ordered after taking the blanket from Noah's hands.

Landon...

Landon was crying.

'Landon... You are back...

He kept crying as he ran and ran into the night.

'Please don't cry, Landon... Why are you crying?'

The wolf sniffled for a while before he finally spoke up.

'Why, Lucien?' he asked, his tone full of recrimination. 'You love Ronan. I know you do. So why? Why did you do everything to sabotage your happiness?'

Lucien

sighed.

'Landon, you know why.

.....

'Don't give me that bullshit excuse with your father because I am not taking it, the wolf snapped. 'What is the real reason, Lucien?'

'There is no other reason,' Lucien answered meekly. 'I had to do things in the best interest of my family!

The cold wind whipped against the wolf's face.

'It is always like this,' he spoke bitterly. 'Always. Always making the decision that is good for everyone but yourself! You are even willing to sell yourself to the enemy!' Landon spat at Lucien.

Lucien could only close his eyes and sigh.

'Then what about me, Lucien? What about me?!'

...

'Do I mean nothing to you?!'

... You know that is not true.'

'Then why do you choose to hurt me?! Day and night, the pain... The pain... I can't take it...

'I never blamed you for leaving!

'Of course. You had no right for blaming me!'

...

Landon wailed. His sobs grew increasingly louder.

'Landon, don't cry. What is it this time?'"

Landon already left once. And then he came back again. For what?

Lucien sighed in his heart.

He did not want Landon to suffer.

If Landon was happier when he was away from Lucien, then maybe it was for the best.

Lucien was trapped between the walls. Pick the pack or pick his wolf? Pick his family or pick his fated mate?

Whatever he picked, it would always be wrong.

He just never thought that he would end up hurting himself and Landon so badly.

'Landon, please don't cry, Lucien begged again. 'I will listen to you this time. You can do whatever you want with me. Just stop crying!

I can't take it.

I owe Landon too much.

That was Lucien's last thought when fatigue and malnourishment took their toll on his body and sent his consciousness into a deep slumber.

When Lucien opened his eyes again, it had been a week since Ronan brought him to the hospital. He was lying on a bed in the middle of the night. The room was dimly lit by a lamp with a flower-shaped shade at the nightstand.

Lucien turned his head weakly on the pillow and saw that an IV drip hung from a stand and connected to his hand.

His whole body hurt.

And he was so thirsty.

Lucien opened his mouth but nothing came out.

He was also unable to move even a single finger.

How was he supposed to call for help?

The door opened with a clacking sound and in entered a man.

"Lulu...?"

Lucien furrowed his brows. The man's face was obscured by the darkness, but his voice was familiar.

Ronan.

"Hey..."

Ronan approached Lucien's bed and caressed his cheeks lovingly. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

Lucien swallowed hard. He opened his mouth again, and again he was unable to say anything.

"Water? You must be thirsty," Ronan quickly said.

The Alpha went to pour Lucien some water from a container that stood on a table some distance away. He put the glass of water on the nightstand, helped Lucien to sit, and then held the glass against his lips to help him drink.

The glass of water was like rain on the desert. Lucien's throat finally did not feel dry anymore. Ronan pressed his forehead against Lucien's. Lucien's forehead felt warm against his.

"You still have some fever. Why don't you sleep a bit more?" He suggested.

Lucien shook his head.

"I slept enough. What happened to me?"

Ronan lowered his gaze and took Lucien's hand in his.

"What do you remember last?"

Lucien's eyes wandered away from Ronan's face.

"I remember attacking Kinnon."

He clenched at Ronan's hand. "Is he... alive?"

Jealousy climbed up Ronan's throat. Displeasure was written all over his face.

Must they talk about Kinnon right after Lucien woke up?

Ronan took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

"Yes. He is recuperating."

"Was it serious? His wound, I mean."

Landon almost ripped the poor man into two, but of course Ronan would not tell Lucien that.

"It was not that bad. He is fine. Let's not talk about him."

But then what should they talk about? About Lucien and Ronan?

Both of them fell into awkward silence.

"Do you uh... Do you want to eat something?" Ronan asked awkwardly.

Lucien shook his head. "I am not hungry."

"You have to eat something," Ronan insisted. "The doctor said that it's best to start with something light. I will order you some porridge. Do you want fish? Shrimp? Chicken? Beef?"

Lucien did not answer. He merely gave Ronan a strange look.

"Ronan."

"... What?"

Ronan gulped. Was Lucien going to kick him out? Because there was supposedly nothing between them anymore?

"Are you tired?" Ronan asked, retracting his hand from Lucien's grip.

"Ronan..."

"You should sleep a bit more. I will order the porridge and then I will call the nurse to help you eat..."

Lucien grabbed Ronan's hand.

"Ronan, thank you. For saving me."

.....

Oh.

Ronan held his breath while staring at Lucien. That was it?

After Lucien did not say anything else to kick Ronan out, the man finally felt safe enough to relax. He pressed a chaste kiss on Lucien's forehead.

"No need to thank me."

Ronan raised a hand to caress Lucien's cheek. His thumb slowly moved to touch Lucien's tender lips. It pressed against Lucien's lower lip, the topmost part gently lodged between Lucien's lips.

The two men were so busy with each other that they did not hear the sound of a third person coming.

"Indeed, there is no need for him to thank you. I should be the one to thank Alpha Ronan instead."

The door opened and Kinnon Youngshaper walked in.