Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 16

The strong desire that pooled in Lucien's eyes was not different from the one in Ronan's. Alas, Lucien' away.

"No," he said while pushing gently against Ronan's chest. The latter cleared his throat and returned to disappointment.

The man on the bed reached out and hesitantly touched Ronan's cheek. "Not now," he added in a low Lucien rarely said yes and he did not make fake promises.

A speck of hope was still a speck of hope. Ronan grabbed Lucien's wrist and planted a chaste kiss on "Alright."

There were a lot of underhanded methods to drive a company to ruin. The Silverback Corporation and business deals, down to sabotaging each other's shipment and complicating bureaucratic procedures Their hands were dirty with mud, but both parties still had to maintain their appearance in social circ Then again the packs were still united in a werewolf community. Packs rarely ruined each other and se

.....

The Silverback Corporation and Clearwater Finance were no rivals in business.

The former was a bigger one, having various core businesses ranging from manufacturing to entertain The latter was an investment company that invested in promising start-ups or projects of existing con And yet Dane Silverback went out of his way to gain control over Clearwater Finance. His goal was clea The rest of the story was easy to guess.

At the brink of ruin, Gordon Clearwater was desperate for any way out.

Dane Silverback offered him a large sum of money. Money from his own pocket directly to Gordon's ba Eclipse Pack.

What option did Gordon Clearwater have?

e of responsibility was too great. Although Landon practically clawed his insides, aching for Ronan's touch, Lucien still pressed his lips together and looked

air obediently. He looked like a wolf pup that just got rejected for a treat. Lucien could almost see a pair of wolf ears on his head, slumped forward in

It was only the two words, but for Ronan it sounded like the beautiful toll of wedding bells.

de.

bungshaper Corporation for example were at it for decades: passive-aggressively launching attacks through smaller companies, ruining future and ongoing aller companies.

eeting each other, complimenting each other with hidden barbs and dripping poison. m down the ravine of oblivion. Unless of course both packs openly engaged in a war.

s and drew their profit after the companies were established or the projects concluded.

vas looking to destroy the Silent Walkers Pack. Quite a drastic move just to force Gordon Clearwater to the corner.

count with just one very humble request. For Lucien Clearwater to please end his ill-fated romance with his son, the heir to the Alpha position of the Infinite

Lucien was not the type to choose his own happiness over his parents' or his whole pack's. Ronan hated him for that, but it was inherent to Lucien's character.

One week passed by without any other occurrences but feverish bouts that came and went as Lucien struggled to keep his wolf at bay.

After the first visit when Lucien nearly ripped him apart, Kinnon decided to give him some space and took care to recover from his own injuries.

Alice Clearwater made a point to visit with Annalynne every day to accompany her son during the day. Unwilling to disturb the peaceful family time, Ronan only showed up at night. Sometimes he came close to midnight and Lucien was already asleep, so he only held the latter's hand and stayed with him until the wee hours. Before morning sun broke through the horizon, the Alpha already left. Only his scent lingered inside the ward to tell Lucien that Ronan was there.

It was a peaceful time, but Lucien knew that it was calm before the storm. There was still the issue between the Silent Walkers Pack and the Night Prowler Pack. And about him attacking Kinnon. This time it was he himself who injured Kinnon, not some rogue werewolves whose corpses disappeared mysteriously.

Sooner or later, the Werewolf Council would come knocking.

The uncertainty of the situation was the source of Lucien's restlessness. He feared the implications for his family and his pack. And for Landon.

When he was awake, he racked his brain for solutions. When he was asleep, he was plagued by nightmares about the worst outcomes of the situation.

One day, Alice Clearwater could not take it anymore and forced Lucien to go and take a walk with her.

"You need to move around to clear those dark clouds above your head," she declared.

Lucien did not share the same opinion, but he was too lazy to argue with his mother. He thus let himself be dragged out of his ward and out of the hospital.

The St. Clarence Hospital was run by a werewolf family who did not stay with any pack but was considered part of the werewolf community. It was necessary to ensure fair treatment for every werewolf who needed one.

In the backyard was a huge garden where patients were encouraged to visit at least twice daily to get some sunshine and exercise, including those in wheelchairs.

Alice dumped Lucien in the garden and forbade him from going back to his room until at least thirty minutes had passed.

Lucien ghosted around mindlessly, stopping only to admire the marble statues that the hospital placed at strategic spots for aesthetic purposes. The chubby cherubs with their golden trumpets at four corners of the garden, and a benevolent angel at the center of the fountain. She was looking down at the mortal subjects with compassionate eyes, that were painted so vividly to resemble human eyes.

This was not the usual practice. The cherubs' eyes were not painted. Why were the eyes of the angel statue painted?

Gripping the fountain railing to maintain his balance, Lucien's upper body leaned forward to take a closer look at the statue.

Behind him, a gentle female voice spoke up.

"Careful, Lucien. You will fall into the fountain if you do not pay attention."

When Lucien whipped around, he came face-to-face with an elder lady. Although the ruthlessness of time had taken a toll on the woman's appearance, she still looked astounding with long, curly jet-black hair and a pair of clear greenish-blue eyes. Her voice might not be familiar, but the person herself was.

Or to be more precise, the woman looked like someone who was familiar to Lucien. She was the spitting image of Ronan Silverback.

"Mrs. Silverback?" Lucien greeted in hesitation. Ronan had never spoken about his mother during their short time together, so Lucien knew nothing about her.

"No," the lady responded decisively.

Lucien immediately apologized, "I am sorry. I mistook you for someone else."

The lady stifled a smile behind a silk handkerchief.

Even the smiles were similar.

Lucien could hardly believe that the lady was not Ronan's mother. Could she be a relative of Ronan's mother then? A twin sister, maybe?

.....

The lady in question turned her head slightly to talk to her nurse.

"Please leave us, Edith."

The nurse must have known what brought Lucien to the hospital because she threw the lady terrified looks.

"But Ma'am," she objected as discreetly as possible while throwing obvious looks at Lucien. Lucien might as well be a serial killer. It would not have made much difference to Edith.

"It's fine," the lady smoothed the blanket on her lap with a smile. "Leave us."

Edith left reluctantly, not without throwing glances over her shoulder. Lucien was not surprised. Responsible as she was, she would most likely call for some hospital security guards to lurk around just in case Lucien decided to go on a rampage and hurt the defenseless woman...

"No need to mind Edith," the lady said. "Will you push me around for a bit? There is a small pond over there. The air is nice and fresh. It's a good place to talk."

A good place to talk.

"Sure."

Lucien moved behind the lady and wheeled her in the direction she described.

Indeed, there was a little pond just some distance away from the garden. While Lucien was wheeling the lady in the direction of the pond, he caught sight of other patients who were also enjoying the fresh air outside of their wards. When they saw Lucien, they could barely conceal the shock on their faces.

Humph.

News traveled fast, especially the scandals.

"You don't need to worry about what people say about you. Only you know what is going on, so why do you care about other people's opinions?" The lady asked once they arrived at the side of the pond.

Lucien smiled as he went on his knees to secure the lady's wheelchair.

"You are wrong. I don't really care that much."

A soft smile adorned her visage, enhancing her beautiful features even more, but the words that she spoke carried a sharp tone. "You are lying."

Lucien lifted his gaze in sheer amazement. Was he such a bad liar if even a stranger could tell in an instant?

The lady looked down at Lucien, scrutinizing him with Ronan's eyes.

"I can see that you are bothered by what people think about you, and the recent incidents that happened in your life."

Lucien could not help but laugh.

"That is quite judgmental, coming from someone who I met for the first time."

"Indeed, quite judgmental of me, to say that to someone that I meet for the first time," the lady agreed with a grin. "Is that not true, though?"

"I do not wish to answer," Lucien said. He was not willing to talk about himself, even less with a complete stranger.

"I should go back to my room now. Please excuse me."

The man rose to his feet and turned around to leave. On his way back, he almost bumped into Edith. The nurse looked terrified. She mumbled a hurried apology before she rushed to the lady's side.

At night, Lucien waited for Ronan to arrive to ask her about some lady with a striking resemblance to him. Unfortunately, Ronan did not show up in time. Lucien was tempted to send him a message to quench his curiosity, but then he decided not to. It was not that important.

Besides, he had more pressing matters to think about.

It turned out that Ronan did not come at all that night. He merely made a call and asked his assistant to drop off another bouquet of red carnation flowers for Lucien.

The next day, Alice again kicked Lucien out of the ward.

"The sun has done wonders to your complexion. Go take a walk again, make it an hour this time."

It was naturally complete nonsense. Whose complexion would improve after thirty minutes of walking around in the garden?

Nevertheless, Lucien obediently went down to the garden. Just as luck had it, he just had to bump against Edith and the mysterious lady.

...

The lady beamed at Lucien and greeted him, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Lucien greeted back with a stiff nod. He then quickly distanced himself from the lady and everyone else just in case people feared him.

He found himself a comfortable spot under a large tree, so he sat beneath the tree and leaned against the trunk.

Above him, the dark green leaves were densely piled together to form a natural canopy that only let some strands of sunlight through.

Before long, his head started to feel heavy and his eyelids kept threatening to fall shut. Lucien rubbed at his eyes to stay awake, but the temptation was too great.

Maybe it was also because he had not been having the best sleep night after night, but the gentle blowing wind and the warm sunlight were mostly to blame for the sudden drowsiness. Before Lucien knew it, his eyes were already closed for good and his body slackened.

His sleep was so deep that he did not even hear the sound of a rolling wheelchair approaching.

Edith stopped wheeling the wheelchair when the lady who sat on it held her hand up.

"Edith, my shawl."

"Lucien...?"

"Hey, Lulu!"

Lucien opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the brown color of earth.

...

"Lulu!"

The second thing he saw was his twin sister, pale from fright.

Annalynne dragged her elder brother up to a sitting position and wiped the dirt off his body.

"Mom and I are so worried. How did you end up passing out in the garden?"

Lucien rubbed at his eyes. "I did not pass out. I fell asleep."

.....

"Oh fine. Fell asleep it is. But then you really should not be sleeping outside. Mom wants you to breathe some fresh air and not sleep."

"I do breathe while I sleep, Anna."

Annalynne pursed her lips. "You know what I meant!"

Of course he did, but he could not help it. Something slid off his body when he stood up. Lucien's eyes were drawn to a heap of white garment that lay on the ground. He picked it up and observed it.

The white shawl was made of very soft cashmere material, and it bore a sigil in the middle part. A wolf fang crossing against a sword blade. A golden ribbon wrapped itself around the fang and the blade, binding them together. Annalynne mumbled an "Oh" when she too was looking at the shawl with great interest.

Lucien's fingers rubbed against the sigil.

Not all werewolf families had sigils, although they were more than free to make one. Sigils were more relevant to the ancient werewolf families that existed over centuries.

Such as the Silverback family's sigil that depicted a silver wolf howling at the moon.

Or the Youngshaper family's sigil that depicted a black wolf looming behind a child.

"I wonder whose family sigil this is," Lucien murmured.

"I also don't know. But the person is nice enough to lend you his shawl!"

"Yes, I guess so."

Since they were unable to replace out the owner of the shawl, the two siblings decided to just go back to Lucien's ward.

Alice was speaking to the doctor when Lucien and Annalynne arrived.

"Oh, thank the Goddess!" Alice was full of gratitude. She rushed toward Lucien and patted him all over as if trying to make sure that he was not broken somewhere.

"Lulu, are you alright?? Where did you go?? It has been three hours!"

"I fell asleep. Sorry, Mom."

Lucien's eyes drifted toward the doctor who was smiling at them.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Clearwater?"

Alice dragged Lucien to sit on the bed so that the doctor could examine him.

"I am feeling fine. I believe I am mostly recovered."

The doctor flipped through Lucien's medical file and hummed in agreement.

"No more fever for two days. Has the wolf been acting up? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Lucien shook his head.

After struggling to keep Landon at bay for weeks, he finally did it. Landon was no longer able to take over his body and do as he pleased.

"Very good." The doctor closed the file dramatically. "Let's wait for one more day. If everything is fine, you can be discharged in two days. Until then, please continue taking your supplements and rest as much as possible." "Of course, Doctor," Alice answered with determination.

The same determination compelled her to get Lucien to take a bath after taking a nap outside and then bundle up for the night.

After making sure that Lucien finished his dinner, Alice tucked him into the bed and left with Annalynne.

Feeling so tired for no reason, Lucien dozed off again. He startled himself awake a few hours later when Ronan entered his ward.

"Sorry," the latter whispered. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I slept a lot today," came Lucien's answer. "The doctor said that I can be discharged two days from now."

Ronan raised an eyebrow in doubt. He reached out to feel Lucien's forehead. The latter did look a lot better already. He did not have a fever anymore. And yet Ronan's face became gloomy.

The Alpha did not dare to say it out loud, but he had been enjoying their time alone night after night in the hospital.

All he had ever wanted was to lock Lucien somewhere safe, allowing only his closest family member in and no one else other than him.

Unfortunately, he could not. Not that Lucien would willingly enter into solitary confinement.

"What is it? You don't look too happy," Lucien furrowed his brows at Ronan.

Ronan quickly moved away from Lucien, worried that he would somehow smell the heinous thoughts in his depraved mind.

"I am. Work has been tough these days."

"Oh."

Lucien believed Ronan because Ronan had not been able to come early these days. Yesterday he did not come at all.

Ronan emptied the vase and refilled it again before he put the fresh flowers in.

When he put the vase back on the table, he saw a neatly folded piece of clothing by the couch.

His gut feelings told him that he saw it before, but where? It was not something that Lucien would wear.

"Do you know who it belongs to?" Lucien asked. "Open it, there is a sigil in the middle of the shawl."

Ah.

Ronan knew who it belonged to right away without looking at the inner side of the shawl.

"How does this shawl come to your possession?"

"It doesn't. Someone put it around me when I fell asleep in the garden this afternoon."

44"

If Ronan was not more interested in the encounter between Lucien and the shawl owner, he would chastise Lucien about sleeping outside.

"So, who does it belong to?"

Lucien's thoughts immediately flew to the lady with astonishing similarities to Ronan. He held back from saying the words "Your mother?" because why would Ronan's mother be staying in the hospital? The lady did not look like she was there just for a short visit.

Ronan eyed the fang and blade sigil inside the shawl before he meticulously folded it together again.

"It is my mother's."

"Ah."

Ronan did not continue speaking. Neither was he surprised that Lucien happened to meet his mother in the hospital garden. Just like Lucien thought, Ronan's mother was a long-term patient in the hospital. The Alpha did not want to speak about his mother, so he quickly switched the topic.

"Are you hungry?"

Lucien had already eaten his dinner, but being awake late at night made him want to eat something.

"Hm, a little."

"Then let me get Milroy to buy us something to eat. What do you want to eat?" Ronan took out his phone, preparing to make a call. Lucien put his hand on top of Ronan's and stopped him.

"Don't. It is already late in the night."

Poor Milroy. Ronan must be very difficult to please.

.....

The Alpha heaved a sigh.

"Alright, let me go buy something for you then. What do you want to eat?"

Rather than eating, Lucien was more interested in taking a ride to the nearest town to chase off his boredom.

"Can we go out to get some food? Together?"

"Uh. Sure, I think the hospital staff wouldn't mind if I take you out for a few hours."

Ronan thus went to ask the nurse in charge. By the time he was back, Lucien already changed into a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt.

"Wow, that was fast," Ronan remarked. He held out his hand in Lucien's direction with a broad grin plastered all over his face. "Come, let's get out of here."

"Mm."

Lucien took his hand and they walked hand-in-hand out of the hospital. Summer already ended and the autumn season started without any delay. The night air was so cold that it sent shivers down Lucien's spine. Ronan took off his suit jacket and put it around Lucien's shoulders.

"Don't catch a cold one day before you get released," he teased.

Lucien scoffed. "Do you think I am made of glass?"

He immediately took the suit jacket off and tried to return it to Ronan. Ronan ended up wrapping Lucien in the suit jacket again. When Lucien resisted, Ronan hugged Lucien in his tight embrace.

"No, but I know very well that you are not made of steel," Ronan quipped, his warm breath hot against Lucien's cold cheek. "Stop acting so tough."

Lucien disliked being treated like a sick person, but he also did not want to argue with Ronan over a suit jacket. The man thus, for once, obediently let himself be taken care of.

The nearest town was thirty minutes away by car. Lucien wanted to have some midnight snacks. His idea of midnight snacks involved greasy food with a lot of sugar. Ronan wrinkled his nose in disgust when Lucien asked to stop at donut shops and fried chicken outlets.

"No!" he said decisively while driving as far away as possible from the fast food joints. "How could you even eat those junks when you are still in the hospital?"

Lucien groaned. "Just once! Why do you care so much about what I like to drink or eat?"

Ronan furrowed his brows at him.

"Because I care about you. Is that so hard to understand?"

They exchanged glances before Ronan turned his attention back to the car. Lucien did not ask to eat any unhealthy snacks anymore. He merely mumbled some hmms in agreement when Ronan gave him some healthier options. "That place over there is selling some hummus salad. Or do you want some fruits? We can go for apples. Oranges and berries if you want sweeter fruits..."

"Mmm. Up to you."

Ronan thought that Lucien was secretly angry because he did not get to eat donuts and fried chickens. He did not notice that beneath the hand that covered the lower part of Lucien's face, the latter's lips curled up in a hidden smile.

The two men ended up getting some hummus salad and warm milk for the night. The warm milk was to help Lucien fall asleep quickly, so Ronan said. Even without the milk, Lucien already felt warm inside his heart.

It was already quite late when the two people made their way back to the hospital. The nurses in charge could not help but shoot Ronan a judgmental look. Although Lucien was not in any danger anymore, he was still a hospital patient. He should not stay out for hours, especially not in the middle of the night.

Belly full with delicious food and milk, Lucien fell asleep almost immediately.

The next day, Alice arrived a little late at the hospital.

"Lulu!" She shouted as soon as she opened the door. "Sorry for being late, I was held up at... Eh? Lulu?"

The ward was empty.

Alice gazed dumbfoundedly at the empty bed.

"Mrs. Clearwater?" A nurse poked her head into the ward. "If you are looking for Mr. Clearwater, he is taking a walk in the garden. He should be back in a bit."

Lucien, taking a walk without being kicked out of the ward?

"Oh, wonderful!" Alice clapped her hands in delight. Finally, Lucien realized the benefit of getting some exercise! He could stay out a little longer. If he fell asleep again then Alice would come to pick him up.

Meanwhile, Lucien was busy scanning the surrounding area for Ronan's mother. Unfortunately, she was not there. Lucien walked around for almost two hours but she did not show up at all that morning.

Garden visitation time was limited to morning from 8 to 10 and late afternoon from 5 to 7. Thinking that maybe the lady visited in the afternoon instead, Lucien made a point to go in the afternoon but again he failed to meet her.

A little disappointed, Lucien made his way back to his ward. When he was walking through the corridor, he overheard some nurses speaking about a recent death.

"What a pity. And she was such a nice lady too."

"Yes. Her family is going to arrive soon to take care of the body..."

Lucien's heart dropped to the ground. Could it be? How could there be such an unlucky coincidence?

"Excuse me," he asked the nurses anxiously. "Are you talking about Mrs. Silverback?"

The nurses stared at Lucien's handsome face for a while before they snapped back to reality. "Oh, no... not Mrs. Silverback. Grandma Kelley passed away this morning from old age. She is ninety years old."

Oh.

Although Lucien had no idea how old Ronan's mother was, he was sure that she was not ninety years old. But then what happened to her? Why did she not show up for her daily walk in the garden? "Excuse me," he disturbed the nurses again. "Did something happen to Mrs. Silverback?"

"Alright, thanks."

The nurses exchanged confused glances. "Mrs. Silverback? We don't know. Young man, why don't you ask the receptionist for some information instead?"

Lucien went to the receptionist area right away. The nurse in charge beamed at the handsome man in delight when he approached the desk.

"Excuse me, I would like to inquire about Mrs. Silverback."

.....

"First name?"

"Sorry, I don't know."

"... Alright, any relatives?"

"Yes. Ronan Silverback, son. Dane Silverback, husband."

The nurse started typing on her keyboard and moved the computer mouse around while going through the patient list.

"There is no such patient."

Lucien could barely believe his ears.

"Impossible. Mrs. Silverback is a long-term patient here."

The nurse shook her head. "Short-term or long-term, there is no patient here whose surname is Silverback. I also can not replace them in the relative list."

This was rather puzzling. Did Ronan not say that it was his mother?

Why would Ronan lie about it?

If Ronan did not lie, then Lucien might have mistaken something.

"Anna, what do you know about Mrs. Silverback?" Lucien messaged his sister after he finished his dinner and Alice left. Unlike him, Annalynne never left the pack. She would know any news that circulated among the werewolf community, especially when said news revolved around prominent werewolf packs.

"Mrs. Silverback? Do you mean Mr. Dane Silverback's divorced wife?"

"What? They were divorced?"

Pack Alphas did not usually get divorced unless the Lunas had gravely sinned and thus deemed to be unsuitable to hold the Luna position any longer. Otherwise, almost all Lunas were devoted to the pack and would not do anything that went against the pack rules.

It was a sensitive topic, so Annalynne ended up calling her brother to talk about it.

"Lulu, why are you suddenly interested in Mrs. Silverback?" She asked in a low voice.

"I just want to return her shawl and say thank you," Lucien said as a matter of factly. Annalynne sucked in a deep breath.

"Oh, Goddess. How could I forget? That sigil! It was the sigil of the Fangblade family!"

The Fangblade family.

Now that Lucien heard the name, he remembered hearing one thing or two about the family. If he was not mistaken, the Fangblade family no longer existed.

"Correct," Annalynne said, confirming Lucien's thought. "the last generation only had one daughter, and she married into the Infinite Eclipse Pack. That was how the family line ended."

Ronan Silverback was born to Lady Adele Fangblade, the last descendant of the Fangblade family and Dane Silverback, the heir to the Silverback family. He carried the bloodline of two powerful werewolf families.

Annalynne quickly put two and two together. "Oh," she said. "The mysterious lady who covered you with the shawl must be Ronan's mother."

"Yes. What is her full name?"

Annalynne hummed at the end of the phone line.

"You know what, Lulu? I don't know. Give me some time, I will ask the elders about her."

"Sure."

The elders naturally knew more about the history of werewolf families compared to anyone else.

Lucien did not have to wait for long. Annalynne called again within an hour.

"Her name is Lady Adele Fangblade. She refused to renounce her surname even after marriage," Annalynne said as soon as Lucien picked up the phone.

"Oh? Possibly due to a sentimental reason. It was natural to be attached to one's birth family."

"And

um..."

"What?"

Annalynne lowered her voice down to a whisper. "I also found out the reason why Lady Adele is in that hospital."

"Why?"

"Mr. Dane Silverback betrayed his Luna. His extramarital affairs caused Lady Adele to suffer greatly. She never recovered from the pain of the betrayal. Due to her gradually failing health, she entered the hospital five years ago and never left."

Lucien was

speechless.

"Okay, Anna. Thanks. Is that all?"

"Yes..."

"Alright. It is late, go to sleep."

"Bye, Big Brother..."

Lucien ended the phone call and slumped against his pillow.

He always thought that Ronan was raised in a picture-perfect family. The only alpha son of a powerful couple, doted on by the whole pack. Who would have known that his father did such a thing to his mother?

It was common knowledge that every time a werewolf betrayed his mate, said mate would suffer from tremendous pain. The physical pain was already horrendous enough, not to speak of the emotional pain.

To know that your mate openly betrayed you despite knowing the consequences. To know that it was a choice made with sound body and mind. It was the worst thing that a mate could do to you.

Lady Adele Fangblade must have suffered so much when she was married to Dane Silverback. In the end, maybe it was a good thing that she never renounced the Fangblade surname. After the divorce, she did not have to listen to other people referring to her as a "Mrs. Silverback". The name must be so disgusting to her.

After knowing the lady's backstory, Lucien truly felt bad for his harsh tone during their first meeting. He wanted to sincerely apologize, but how could he do that if Lady Adele Fangblade decided to not visit the garden?

The next day, Alice and Annalynne came to pack up Lucien's stuff in preparation for the discharge. After changing to a new set of clothes, Lucien decided to pay the garden one last visit, in hope that Lady Adele Fangblade would be there.

To his surprise, the lady was indeed there. Interestingly, the person who pushed her wheelchair around was not Edith but Ronan. Both mother and son were surprised to see Lucien, but Lady Adele Fangblade's expression quickly melted into a smile. "Hello, there," she greeted. "I should thank you for staying longer here so that my son finally has some more time to accompany me."