Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 18

Over at the Infinite Eclipse Pack House, Cassie - Jake's mate - had just given birth to an alpha wolf pup. The little girl was the couple's first child. As the custom demanded, the parents and the children should spend an intimate period of four weeks adapting to the challenges of becoming parents to an infant. Jake was thus momentarily released from his tasks as the Beta of the pack and took on a new job as the father of a little girl. One of his tasks was to arrange for visits from pack members who would love to share in on the joyous event. Cassie, who had just given birth, was naturally very protective of her baby girl. Although she tried to suppress her beastly nature at all times, it often manifested in form of an unexpected snarl whenever she saw someone extending their paws to touch her little girl. A little squeal from the baby girl was enough to set Cassie ablaze.

It was thus necessary to regulate the visits. Not too often as it would upset Cassie, but also not too se dom as it would alienate the remaining pack members and they did not want that. It took a whole pack to raise a little pup!

Ronan Silverback extended his congratulations to Jake and Cassie the same day Cassie gave birth, but he did not come back to the Pack House until after Lucien was discharged. By that time, the four weeks had passed and Jake was ready to retake his position as the Beta.

To his greatest dismay, the first piece of news he heard on his first day of returning to his job was the hearing to clear up the mess between the Silent Walkers Pack and the Night Prowler Pack.

Jake restlessly waited for Ronan to come back in the latter's office. Poor Milroy was also there, going back and forth between the office and the entrance to see whether Ronan had finally arrived or not. The young man had lost a lot of weight, but he knew how to do his job by now. That was good because Ronan was not a patient boss. He expected his subordinates to read his mind without Mind Link.

Just as Jake was busy scolding his Alpha in his mind, Milroy entered the room hastily with a leather bag full of Ronan's work documents.

"He is here," he reported. There was fear in his eyes. Jake had to swallow. He straightened his suit and gestured for Milroy to stay out of the hell fire.

.....

Ronan's languid footsteps were heard along the corridor long before he arrived in his office. He did not look happy, but he also did not look angry. Jake had expected worse. He should be glad, but he knew he should not relax yet. Not until Ronan said something. The Alpha entered the office and smiled at Jake.

"Back already, Jake? How is Cassie doing?"

Well, that was unexpected. How nice of Ronan.

Jake cleared his throat before answering. "She is doing just fine."

"Have you decided the name for your little girl?"

"Uh, no. Not yet. We are hoping to get some suggestions from Cassie's parents."

"Ah."

Cassandra was not born of the Silent Walkers Pack. Her birth pack was located some cities away from the Infinite Eclipse Pack. Although her parents were part of the family, they were not part of the pack. The custom demanded them to wait until the four weeks were up before they could pay a visit to their daughter and their granddaughter.

Although Cassie understood the rules among the packs, she was still very unhappy about the fact that she did not have her mother around to take care of her when she needed her the most. That was why Jake had to pamper her a lot so that she did not feel all too lonely.

Ronan tugged his tie loose and sighed as he plopped down on his leather seat.

He looked exhausted, Jake thought. Maybe he did not want to talk about the heavy topics yet.

"I have not visited your daughter even once," Ronan remarked. "Why don't we go there now?"

Jake gaped at Ronan for a split second before he quickly gathered himself.

"Sure! Let's go now!"

The Beta hastily contacted his mate through Mind Link, knowing that Cassie would go rampant if he let Ronan come to their apartment while it was in no different state than a shipwreck. 'CASSIE! QUICK, TIDY UP THE HOUSE!'

On a brighter note, maybe Jake could have rephrased his sentence in a better way because his wife was not in the mood for cleaning the house. Not while she was taking care of a newborn baby at least.

'STOP ORDERING ME AROUND! JAKE, I NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THE BABY!'

...

Jake tried again.

'Cassie, uh. Ronan is coming!

41

...

'How wonderful. Excuse me for a little bit, I need to throw out some trash and vacuum the floor.'

Jake heaved a sigh. He knew that he was going to pay for it after Ronan left. Jake had been tidying up the apartment during the four weeks that the pack members get to visit. After the visitation period was over, naturally the couple did not pay too much attention to the cleanliness of the place. Until the Alpha of the pack decided to pay them a visit, at least.

It was amazing how fast Cassie worked when she had to. The apartment was spick and span by the time Jake and Ronan entered through the door. Cassie even found some time to change from her overlarge pajamas to a cream-colored dress. "Welcome, Alpha," she greeted politely.

Ronan closed the distance between them, took her hand, and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

"You have worked hard, Cassandra. Where is the little princess?"

At the receiving end of such a gallant gesture, Cassie inevitably blushed.

"Oh, she is in her crib..."

As if on cue, the little baby started crying right after.

Cassie and Jake were horrified. Would Ronan be irritated by the crying noise?

They entered the nursery - Ronan at the front and the anxious parents at the back. When Ronan saw the baby kicking up a fuss in her crib, he picked the baby girl up with one smooth movement. As soon as she landed in his arms, she stopped crying and blinked at Ronan in adoration. Either Ronan was a natural-born Dad or his oppressive nature as an Alpha was enough to force even newborn babies into obedience.

"Such a precious treasure," Ronan remarked as he gazed upon the tiny face but big, round eyes that were directed at him with unconcealed fascination.

Unbeknownst to people around him, Ronan did not dislike babies. In fact, he adored them. He too thought about having his own pups one day, having the tiny hands and feet crawl all over him to wake him up when he was relaxing in bed with his mate. It was just that the mate next to him was never anyone other than Lucien Clearwater.

Be it seven years ago or recently, when Ronan bedded Lucien, he always fantasized about Lucien getting pregnant. When he knotted inside his lover and slowly filled him up, Ronan hoped that his seed would take root in Lucien's belly. Lucien would look good with his baby growing inside him. He would be a good mother to their pups. And their pups, boy or girl, would look adorable. It would be great if they inherited Lucien's beautiful eyes.

Ronan could not help but chuckle to himself. Their children would probably be as hard-mouthed as Lucien was. They would enrage Ronan to no end, but Ronan would love them until the last drop of his blood left his body. Unfortunately, it was all nothing but sweet dreams. If Lucien was able to get pregnant at all, Ronan would have locked him up ages ago and not let him run free until his belly was protruding from a new life.

The little girl in Ronan's arms squirmed unhappily when the Alpha put her down in her crib, but she did not cry. Her face just crumpled in dejection and she gave Ronan a look full of indignations.

.....

Jake was not sure if he should beat his Alpha for making his infant daughter fall in love with him within weeks after being born or not. That was his daughter and she was not even half as clingy to her own father! Ronan turned around and smiled at both Jake and Cassie. "She is adorable. Congratulations again."

"Thank you, Alpha," they both spoke up almost simultaneously.

Cassie dropped on a chair next to the crib after Jake and Ronan took their leave. She groaned at her baby girl who immediately threw a crying fit as soon as the door closed with a click.

Ronan was very quiet, and Jake disliked it. It was not in Ronan's nature to be that quiet. Did he replace out about the hearing? Of course he did. Milroy would have gotten some beatings if he did not report such an important thing to Ronan. Not that Ronan cared so much about official hearings of anyone. Anything about Lucien Clearwater was considered an important matter, including his sleeping schedule.

"Jake."

Jake snapped back right away.

"Yes, Alpha?"

"Find out what happened to Miss Lillian Woodland. Why did she suddenly disappear?"

Jake's jaw dropped open. Lillian Woodland? Really? At this time? Why would Ronan even think about Lillian Woodland when Lucien Clearwater was set to participate in an important hearing before the Werewolf Council???

"I will get on it right away," Jake answered nonetheless.

Ronan gave him a subtle nod before he went back to his own residence.

Lucien.

Ronan took out his phone and sent Lucien a message.

"Hey."

Ronan waited for whole five minutes, but Lucien neither read nor replied. Ronan put his phone aside and went to take a shower. When he came out of the shower, there was a new message from Lucien.

"Hey."

Ronan sat on the couch with only the bathrobe draped around his muscular body. His wet hair was dripping copiously onto the backrest but the Alpha could not care less. "How are you?"

This time Lucien replied right away. "Are you asking because of the hearing?"

"Yes."

"I will be fine. This is something that I have to settle with the Night Prowler Pack."

"I" instead of "Silent Walkers Pack".

It was ridiculous how much responsibility Lucien took upon himself without even serving as an Alpha of his pack. Deacon Clearwater was an idiot, and every single member of the Silent Walkers Pack was shameless for relying on someone who already left the pack ages ago. Ronan suppressed his anger and typed in something helpful instead. He knew that Lucien would not look favorably upon Ronan for badmouthing his pack members.

"Do you need anything?"

"Nothing. Thanks."

Hmph.

Cold and indifferent as always.

Ronan did not know what else to say. He did not usually send any text messages to anyone. His closest confidante was his mother, and his mother did not like to use phones. Ronan had to call her nurse if he wanted to talk to her, or just visit the hospital right away to spend some time with his mother. It was what she preferred anyway.

After getting dressed, Ronan went back to his office to take care of some internal matters within the pack before he retreated back to his apartment for a good night's rest.

His phone was still sitting on the couch, neglected by his owner.

The moon was already high up in the sky. Ronan grabbed his phone and sent Lucien one last text message for the day.

"Good night, Lucien."

And then he took the phone with him to his bedroom and discarded it on the night table. After he changed into his night attire and climbed into his bed, he saw the screen lit up with another message from Lucien. "Good night, Ronan."

Right after typing that one last message to Ronan, Lucien sighed and put his phone on the desk. He was about to leave for Hapsborough City the next morning, spend the night, and then attend the hearing in time. Alice and Annalynne had both offered to come with him, but he refused both of them.

"I can take care of this matter myself," he told them. "Don't worry, I will go back as soon as the hearing is done."

Alice bit into her lip. She did not think that the hearing would end peacefully, and honestly, Lucien would be stupid if he thought that way.

Lucien himself did not think that it would end peacefully. He just did not want to implicate more people from the Silent Walkers Pack, especially the few people in his inner circle of family.

If Lucien did not want to be accompanied, no one could force their way through. Alice and Annalynne had no other choice but to watch the car that took Lucien away from the Silent Walkers Pack House depart, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

Call it premonition or bold assumption, but Lucien knew that he would not be alone after all.

He did not tell anyone the name of the hotel that he was checking into, but Ronan simply knew. He must have put a lot of people to tail him ever since he left the hospital.

The Alpha of the Infinite Eclipse Pack was sitting on a couch in the hotel lobby. He had his left arm draped around the couch's backrest, while his other hand was holding up a book. Passing guests could not help but gush about this extraordinarily handsome man, whose simple but alluring choice of grey shirt and black pants complimented his toned body perfectly.

Unfortunately, the handsome man only had eyes for another handsome man who was just checking into the hotel.

.....

"Excuse me, Sir, but you have already been booked into a presidential suite," the receptionist said while pushing Lucien's card toward the latter.

Lucien was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure. "Is that so? Thank you, then."

The receptionist smiled and passed him the card to the presidential suite. "You are welcome. Enjoy your stay."

Lucien looked around, searching for a certain nosy Alpha. He spotted Ronan in the lobby quickly enough. The man looked up from his book and flashed Lucien a toothy grin. Lucien rolled with his eyes and approached Ronan.

"Ronan, why are you here?"

"Because I know that you insist on going alone to the hearing."

"And how is that of any concern to you?"

Ronan stood with a chuckle. He put his book down on the couch and reached out for Lucien's neck. When his warm fingers brushed against the side of Lucien's neck, the latter frowned and pushed his hand away. "Ronan, don't."

It was just a little touch, but Lucien could not take it at all.

"Although you have Landon fully under your control now, he still affects your mood severely, doesn't he?"

Lucien pressed his lips together, refusing to answer. He did not need to, because Ronan also felt it. The strength of their fated connection increased after Landon returned to Lucien's body. Despite Lucien's fierce resistance, he still had to give in to Landon at times. Otherwise, Landon was more than glad to dole out punishments for Lucien in form of discomfort or bad mood. "Landon is just so attached to you because you keep popping up," Lucien said in an accusatory tone. "If you stay away, his feelings will also cool down."

Ronan stared at Lucien in disbelief. Did he think that Landon was a little pup who had poor memory retention? To think that Lucien would diminish their fated connection down to a simple "out of sight, out of mind". "That is not true and you know that," Ronan called him out on it.

Lucien scoffed.

"So what if it isn't true? Ronan, I... This is not the right time to even think about having an affair."

Ronan was stumped. Was that what Lucien thought about him all this time?

The Alpha pulled Lucien by his waist into his embrace. It was like hugging a block of ice that refused to melt despite his warmth. Ronan could not help but chuckle.

"What is so funny?" Lucien asked in irritation.

Ronan whispered his answer directly into Lucien's ear.

"It is not funny or anything. I just want to tell you that although I long to undress you this very second and have my way with you, I will not do anything until we finish dealing with the Night Prowler Pack." Lucien scowled at Ronan.

"And what makes you think that I need you to help me deal with the Night Prowler Pack?"

"Easy," Ronan answered confidently as he ran his hands up from Lucien's waist to his back.

"I will keep you company so that nothing happens before the hearing. This is the Hapsborough City after all. Kinnon will also be here tonight."

Upon hearing Kinnon's name, Lucien flinched from discomfort. Landon was clawing furiously inside him. He knew that Ronan was right. Landon despised Kinnon enough to kill him. If he had been left alone in the Hapsborough City a day before the hearing and he ran into Kinnon, who knew what ugly things might unfold?

Whatever happened would not be in Lucien's favor. Annalynne was suspected of trying to murder Kinnon once. And then he also almost ripped Kinnon into two the night of the Moon Banquet. He should be glad that the Werewolf Council did not ask Annalynne to come along. Lucien could not afford to mess this hearing up.

The man lifted his gaze seductively and smiled at Ronan.

"In that case, will the Alpha please kindly stay with me so I don't rip Kinnon Youngshaper or any other werewolves into pieces?"

Ronan laughed.

"Sure, I shall keep Mr. Clearwater busy so that he can not think about anyone else but me."

There was only one presidential suite at the highest floor, and hotel guests were not allowed to access the suite floor without swiping the suite card against the card reader in the elevator. The suite itself had a lavish living room that separated the two bedrooms at each end.

As soon as Lucien entered the suite, he marched into one of the bedrooms, slammed the door shut behind him, and locked himself inside the bedroom. Landon was close to turning rabid.

'Lucien, are you crazy? You are finally staying with Ronan in a lavish hotel suite and you plan to lock yourself inside this bedroom until morning?'

'Yes, Lucien answered curtly.

'I can't believe it. Let's go out, I want to hunt!'

'I will not allow you to. Who knows what or who you want to hunt.'

Landon giggled like a madman.

'Are you afraid that I will rip your ex-boyfriend to pieces?'

'Landon, you...

.....

Lucien growled into a pillow in frustration. 'Don't you feel bad at all? He was not raping me. I consented to the consummation.

'I don't, Landon answered smoothly. 'If you want to have s*x, get out of this bedroom and drag Ronan into your bed. Or his bed. Whichever works!

'Are you crazy? I cannot do that to Kinnon!'

'Don't tell me you are still hoping to get back with him? I swear I am going to kill him the next time he dares to lay his hand on you.'

Lucien rolled onto his back and sighed. How could he make Landon understand?

'Even if we are not getting married anymore, it is completely disrespectful to have s*x with Ronan before we officially end our relations, don't you think?' 'As far as I am concerned, it ended the night I almost killed him.'

Practically yes. But not on paper.

'I already said that I am not going to marry him anymore. Will you please just spare him? Or anyone who is not Ronan?'

Landon growled in displeasure. 'You are making things way too complicated, Lucien. Just give in to your instincts and heart. I know you love him too!'

That was exactly why he had to lock himself up inside the room. He could not just give in to what he truly wanted, or else it would be a disaster. Lucien noticed that his self-restraint declined by leaps and bounds as soon as Landon came back.

His desire for Ronan threatened to engulf his sanity, his peace of mind. If the hospital bed did not break back then and no one interrupted them, he might have ended up having s*x with Ronan without caring about the time, place, and occasion. And then the fool just had to knock at the door and excite Landon.

"Lucien?"

The man pressed his face against a pillow as soon as he heard his name. Forget it. He was not going to answer. He should just go to sleep.

"Lucien, if you don't answer then I assume that you have escaped through the window again."

Lucien turned his head to look at the window wall in his bedroom. What was with hotels and their fascination for window walls?

Lucien dragged himself off the bed with the blanket wrapped around him like an overlarge cloak. He opened the door and gave Ronan a peeved look. Then he stepped aside and pointed at the intact window wall in his bedroom. "See? Not a crack. I have not transformed too."

Did he look that weak? Landon was powerful but it did not mean that he could push Lucien around if the latter was not in a weak state.

Ronan smirked. He grabbed Lucien's wrist and pulled him outside. The blanket slid off his body within an instant.

"Hey! Where do you think you are taking me? Hey!"

"Stop causing a fuss. You are staying in a presidential suite and all you want to do is lock yourself up in the bedroom? Seriously, you are so boring, Lucien."

Lucien pulled his wrist free from Ronan's grip.

"If I am that boring then why are you constantly following me?"

"Because I love you, stupid."

It's that word again. Love.

Lucien sighed in his heart.

If it were seven years ago, he would delightfully reply with an "I love you too". It was unfortunately no longer possible right now.

"Ronan, I..."

"I don't want to hear your rejection," Ronan quickly interrupted Lucien. "I am going to pester you until you are ready. Until then, feel free to not say anything."

Ronan turned around and grabbed the room service menu booklet from a tea table.

"What do you want to eat for dinner? Or should we go down to a restaurant?"

Landon was literally howling.

'I want to go out. Lucien, please. I will behave. I will even let Kinnon live as long as we get to eat dinner with Ronan!'

'Do you promise?'

'Yes yes yes!

Extracting a promise from Landon had never been that easy. He must be quite desperate. Oh well. They had not been around much, indeed. Only the hospital and the pack house. And now the hotel. It was good to wander around with Landon for a little bit and breathe in some fresh night air.

"I would rather eat downstairs. Can we also take a walk after dinner?"

That was quite surprising, but Ronan had absolutely no objection. He clapped the booklet shut and laid it back on the tea table.

"Wonderful. Let's go to the restaurant then. We have three restaurants in the hotel. What are you in the mood for? Western or eastern cuisines?"

"I just want some pancakes."

"

Ronan shook his head in disbelief. What was with Lucien and his sweet tooth? Also, they were going to eat at a fancy restaurant and he only wanted pancakes.

"You are not getting any pancakes unless it is for dessert. Come, let's have some grilled seafood then."

"Okay."

The two men took the elevator down and headed toward the seafood restaurant. There was already a line of guests waiting to be seated. At the back of the line was a familiar man with black eyes and dark brown hair. It was none other than Kinnon Youngshaper. Kinnon Youngshaper turned around when he sensed two pairs of eyes staring at his back.

"Lucien," he softly said when he saw Lucien.

When his eyes drifted to the man next to Lucien, though, his gaze cooled visibly by a few degrees. "Alpha Ronan. Fancy seeing you here. Or maybe I should say that it no longer comes off as a surprise to me, considering you have been hanging around my future Luna shamelessly for a while now."

Ronan cocked his head in arrogance.

"Your future Luna? Alpha Kinnon, don't be delusional."

Kinnon gritted his teeth. He held out his hand for Lucien.

"Lucien, come here."

A shiver ran down Lucien's spine. It was Landon who was about to break his promise to stay put.

"No," Lucien said while shaking his head and hugging himself. "No, I can't."

.....

That was all he could say to keep Landon under control.

The hand that was extended in Lucien's direction was balled into a fist. "Fine," Kinnon said angrily.

Bjorn came out of the restaurant just in time to witness this exchange.

"Oh, it's Lucien," he said with a diplomatic smile. "And Alpha Ronan," he added with an acknowledging nod.

The Beta of the Night Prowler Pack saw that the situation was not good, so he tactfully grabbed Kinnon by his elbow. "Alpha, our table is ready. Let's continue the discussion tomorrow."

During the hearing.

In front of the Werew

Council.

Bjorn nodded at Lucien and gave both him and Ronan a polite smile. "Excuse us."

Lucien felt sick to the stomach. Suddenly he was no longer in the mood for any dinner. Not even pancakes.

"I think I would rather have some room service now," he said. "Can we go back?"

Ronan nodded.

"Sure. Let's go."

Once they went inside the suite, Lucien wanted to do nothing but bury himself inside layers of blanket. Even the promise of pancakes did nothing to stir his interest anymore.

"Don't be like this." Ronan pulled at Lucien's wrist before the latter managed to crawl into a safe hiding space. "You said that we should order room service so let's do that. Why let Kinnon Youngshaper ruin the night?"

Lucien pressed both palms against his face and groaned in frustration.

"You are mistaken," he stated once he revealed his face again. "It was not he who ruined my night. It was I who ruined his night."

Ronan shook his head. "You are giving yourself too much credit."

Lucien sighed and tried to go back into his room again but Ronan dragged him to the couch instead.

"The Youngshapers usually stay at the Seaside View Hotel. His appearance in this hotel is totally unexpected, so he is the one who is raining on our parade."

Lucien buried his fingernails into Ronan's arm and glared at him, causing the latter to pull a grimace from the sting.

"And why do you think he chose to stay in a nameless hotel instead?"

Oh.

Ronan pursed his lips when it dawned on him.

What a pity. After that one scandalous night, Kinnon Youngshaper might not be able to stay in any of the Seaside View Hotels for a while.

Ronan would have suggested going to Carlton Bay Hotel if he did not remember what happened between him and Lillian Woodland on the same night. Lillian ghosted him completely after that night.

Ironically Ronan had wanted Lillian to get lost for a while, but he wanted to do it without sleeping with her. Ronan did not know what to make of her sudden disappearance. Should he be grateful or worried? Yeah, nope. Not the Carlton Bay Hotel either.

After much persuasion, and also because Lucien did not want to deal with a nagging Ronan outside of his bedroom door the whole night, Lucien agreed to stay for a simple dinner. A simple dinner as in something along the line of "I don't care what you order." After expressing his nonchalance, Lucien dragged an armchair to a wall window and sat there facing the glass. He looked like a student who was being punished by facing the wall. Only that this wall at least gave him a good night's view of the Hapsborough City. Meanwhile, Ronan, heaving a sigh, busied himself to replace something to feed Lucien and himself.

"Hi. I want to order some room service. Please bring me a serving of each of the following dishes: tortilla chips with goat cheese and caviar dip; white bean and mushroom soup; beef-and-chicken stuffed potatoes; Greek salad complete with olives, lettuce, red onions, and feta cheese; lobster thermidor sprinkled with basil; roasted duck with honey and lemon glaze...."

Ronan's call to the front desk was ended abruptly by Lucien who pressed the end call button while staring at Ronan in disbelief.

"Are you insane? Why are you ordering a twelve-course menu for room service?"

Ronan blinked at Lucien, not understanding what the problem was.

"I thought you don't care what I order."

"I care if you order a humongous amount of food only to eat barely half of it in the end!"

Ronan chuckled. He held out the room service menu in Lucien's direction.

"In that case why don't you choose what you want then? Otherwise don't blame me for being a spendthrift."

"

Lucien flipped through the menu with an everlasting scowl on his face. Ronan happily sat next to him and watched she looked through the booklet. Back when both of them were young, Ronan found that it was difficult to get along with Lucien because of their differing personalities and hobbies. And yet once they started dating, they fell together harmoniously into the same rhythm.

Ronan often wondered whose rhythm they had been following. His or Lucien's? Probably Lucien's, because Lucien did not like to be hurried. He needed his own time to plan out his life and handle things carefully and meticulously. That's why he cared so much

about not wasting food before the food was even cooked.

When someone like Lucien hosted a banquet, he surely would demand to have a detailed guest list, making sure that the number of people he had on the list was correct, and then calculate the amount of meat, vegetables, fruits, and drinks that he needed to

appease said guests. Not an ounce more and not an ounce less.

Lucien might even implement a no-waste policy to further irritate the guests.

What about Ronan? Ronan was rather lax. Ronan would be the one who smuggled extra wine bottles into the banquet or ordered unplanned boxes of pizzas and earned grateful cheers from the guests.

"Ronan. Hey, Ronan."

Lucien snapped his fingers a few times in front of Ronan to pull him out of the trance.

"Hmm?"

"I already called the room service."

"Ah. Thanks then."

Ronan grabbed Lucien's face with both hands and locked their lips together in an intimate kiss before Lucien had time to raise any objection.