Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 2

The werewolf ran through the night with the unconscious prey that was slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He struggled to move as quietly as possible to avoid unwanted attention. It was not an easy feat because panic started to creep up his spine. The werewolf did not expect the Alpha and Beta to come personally to collect Maya. As he told them Maya's whereabouts, he was seething inside. He knew that if he had let them bring Maya back home, then it would be over. His sins would be revealed before the whole pack. Although it was not his fault at all. It was this bitch's fault, always seducing him day by day.

So what if he just wanted to taste her once and for all? She was such a drama queen too... Transforming into a wolf like that and then running away. Heh. As if she could escape that easily.

The werewolf knew what to do. He just needed to subdue Maya and put a baby in her belly. After that, the bitch would belong to him. Forever. A wicked smile appear on his lips. He just had to replace a safe place to lock her up. This time, no one was going to come between them.

A rustling sound was heard and the werewolf snapped up his head in alarm. He only saw the shining gleam of a long blade for a split second before he let out a shriek and jumped aside from fear.

Lucien Clearwater's red-blonde hair was illuminated by the sparse moonlight. He moved smoothly as he hacked ruthlessly at the werewolf with a medium-length saber. The curved end caught the werewolf a few times, stabbing and cutting at him ferociously. Not unlike Lucien himself.

.....

The werewolf was forced to drop Maya unceremoniously on the ground. He was contemplating his options: grab Maya and run away or leave Maya and run away.

Unfortunately, Lucien did not look as if he was willing to let him leave just like that. The man held his saber in a horizontal position, the shining blade reflected Lucien's fierce caramel-brown eyes.

"Submit yourself or die," Lucien growled.

The werewolf brandished his teeth. The moon shall be his aid. He gave Lucien a maniacal grin as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Cracking sounds were heard coming from his body when the transformation started.

His neck and limbs extended in a grotesque way, the human bones were remolded into wolf bones. His eyes took on a rabid look, the white part assumed the red color of blood.

Before long, the cornered man was gone and replaced by a wolf with a dark brown coat. The beast slipped easily out of the clothes that he wore just moments ago. He showed him two rows of sharp teeth with two pairs of sharp fangs, ready to tear through anything and anyone in his way.

Lucien squinted at the transformed man. Neither his expressionless face nor his cold eyes betrayed anything.

"Come," he said, turning the blade in his hands a few degrees and assuming an attacking pose.

The wolf lunged at him with a roar. Lucien kicked off the ground and met the wolf in the air. The wolf nimbly evaded the blade. With a triumphant look in his eyes, he opened his mouth wide to sink his fangs into Lucien's arm.

Before he managed to do so, Lucien's leg shot out and kicked the wolf in an upward direction. The wolf howled in pain when Lucien's boot hit its stomach. It was flung backward, and Lucien landed on the ground safely.

The kick did hurt, but it was not enough to deter the wolf. The werewolf was humiliated to the core. He was a werewolf! How could he lose against this... human being??? Driven by his hurting pride and lust to tear his enemy into bloody shreds, he lunged forward again with the full intention to kill this annoying man who spoiled his plans again and again.

Lucien tried his best to fend himself against the bloodthirsty wolf. The saber in his hand danced elegantly in his hand, but he only had that one saber on him. His opponent had two pairs of sharp fangs and four sets of claws.

Lucien landed a few slashes and kicks, but he also sustained a few scratches on his back and shoulders. Fresh blood spurted from the open wounds and permeated the air with a rusty smell.

The werewolf bared his fangs in a perverted delight. Lucien's mental fortitude was slowly abraded by his wounds.

One more time, he thought.

One last time, the wolf thought.

They charged at each other at the same time, the beast against the man. This time the werewolf managed to bite Lucien's saber-holding wrist. Pain streaked through Lucien's usually calm and collected eyes, distorting his face into a mask of agony. Lucien was forced to let go of his weapon. Blood gushed in a stream from his vein into the werewolf's throat.

"You...!" Lucien's eyes flashed dangerously. He stepped at the hilt of his saber. The blade flew into the air lightly and Lucien caught it with his left hand. Just as he wanted to stab the wolf's neck with the saber, the wolf widened his eyes in fear and let go instantly. The saber missed him by a hairbreadth.

The man and wolf were locked in a staring competition. Just then, a strong scent of sandalwood mixed with sea salt invaded their noses. The aggressive and tyrannical pheromones made both Lucien and the wolf wince. Not long after, the Alpha who spread the pheromones appeared before them.

Ronan Silverback's face looked as if it was carved from stone. The severe lines on his face spoke from extreme fury. The wolf in front of Lucien immediately grabbed his clothes and went behind a tree.

His transformation back to his human form was a lot quicker than the other way around. But what amazed Lucien the most was his shameless words right after he transformed.

"Alpha, help me! This human being kidnapped Maya. I am fighting him but he is intent on killing me!"

A dangerous light flashed across Lucien's eyes. His pale face was twisted by fury. How could anyone be so shameless?

Lucien wanted to drag the werewolf out of the tree's shadow and beat him black and blue. He could not care less whether or not Ronan was present. However before he even took another step toward the tree, Ronan already grabbed his wrist. Accidental or not, Ronan was squeezing a slash wound on Lucien's arm. The latter hissed from pain.

Thinking that his Alpha was there to save him, the werewolf came out after he finished dressing himself. He went to pick Maya up from the ground, but Jake went ahead of him.

The Beta put one of Maya's arms around his neck as he hoisted Maya into his arms. He shot the werewolf in front of him an indecipherable look.

"Is something the matter, Gavin?"

So his name was Gavin. Lucien tried to wrench his arm away from Ronan's steely grip to no avail.

"Nothing," Gavin answered with a grin. "Alpha, Beta, I am so happy that Maya is finally safe again. What are we going to do with this human being? I fear that he is going to do something to Maya again."

.....

"You f*****g bastard!" Lucien shouted angrily, ignoring the pain in his arm. "You shameless liar!"

Gavin shrank back. He furrowed his brows, pretending to worry about Lucien's emotional state. "Alpha, it is best to take care of this human being right away. He lives alone. No one will notice if..."

Gavin did not end his sentence but all of them knew what he wanted to say.

Jake chuckled. "That won't do, Gavin. Considering that he has been protecting Maya from scum like you."

Color drained from Gavin's face as soon as he heard Jake's words. He turned around and escaped.

"Ah...!"

Lucien tried to free himself but Ronan was not letting him go. Jake too did not move from where he was, still standing in front of them with Maya in his arms.

"Jake, go back with Maya to the hotel," Ronan said languidly. "I still have something to do."

Jake was not in a position to question his Alpha about what it was exactly that he had to do so late in the night, so he simply nodded and went back to the hotel.

"You fool!" Lucien hissed at Ronan as soon as they were alone. "Why are you here standing around like a useless Alpha? Are you letting that werewolf escape because he's from your pack???" Ronan raised an eyebrow at Lucien.

"I already gave an order for a hunt. He is not going to be out in the wild for long. I shall have him delivered in front of me at the Pack House tomorrow."

Lucien shot Ronan a glare.

"Then what the hell are you doing here. Let me go, l..."

A wave of dizziness flooded Lucien's head. He felt faint, and then his legs gave up under him. Ronan picked him up with one swift movement and carried him in his arms.

Lucien was losing a lot of blood. Ronan brought him back to his hotel room and asked the Healer that they found for Maya to take care of him.

Beowulf could not shut up.

'Ronan, is Lucien going to be fine?'

Ronan chuckled.

'I thought you only care for Landon. Now that Landon deserted him, do you still care about Lucien?'

'I do, and so do you, Beowulf pointed out.

Ronan furrowed his brows in displeasure. Only Beowulf spoke to him in this way. Ronan hated to be reminded of his unrequited affection for Lucien.

After the Healer patched Lucien up, she excused herself to go back to her and Maya's room. Jake already got them a new room.

Ronan slowly walked toward the bed and towered over the unconscious Lucien. He was pale from excessive blood loss, and half of his body was covered in bandages. He had fought as bravely as any werewolf.

Only that he was no longer one. Not after Landon left him.

Ronan rubbed at his forehead and sighed. There was only one double bed in the room. Lucien was not going to like sharing a bed with Ronan, but so what. Ronan was not going to get himself a new room. Lucien just had to make do for the night. Ronan took off his shirt and slipped inside the quilt.

The room was filled with a mix of their faint scents. It had a calming effect on Ronan, who slept throughout the night without further disturbances. He only woke up when the man next to him started to stir. Their eyes met as soon as Ronan opened his eyes. It was difficult to decipher the look on Lucien's face, but there was neither gratitude nor delight in his eyes. Ronan's heart turned a few degrees colder when he saw Lucien being his usual self again.

What did he expect? He was the fool for expecting more from a heartless person like Lucien. Ronan raked his fingers through his hair and put his shirt back on. Lucien propped himself up with a lot of effort. His eyelashes were slightly moist from pain. Ronan reached out to help Lucien but the latter shot him a fierce glare and refused his help.

Ronan raised an eyebrow at Lucien's haughty attitude. "What's with the attitude? We shared a bed before. And we did a lot more than just sleeping next to each other."

Lucien's head snapped toward Ronan as he regarded the latter with an icy look.

"Stop speaking about the past."

Ronan scoffed. That was it? "The Past"?

"I have a burning question for you. I hope you can enlighten me."

Lucien cut him a smirk.

"Please speak then, Alpha."

Hearing Lucien call him Alpha made Ronan bristle with annoyance. It was less a compliment, more a mockery. Never mind. Ronan drew a deep breath before he posed his question.

"If you did not want to be with me, why did you let me f**k you back then?"

Lucien flashed Ronan a sweet smile despite the latter's grim expression. Ronan knew that he was about to hear another jab before said jab even landed.

The man who was covered in bandages gathered himself and climbed out of the bed. He walked around the bed languidly and stood in front of Ronan with squared shoulders, his eyes were full of unsuppressed contempt.

"What do you want me to say, Ronan? That you were so irresistible that I could not help it? That I was so overcome by lust that I let you top me? That you were destined to be a great Alpha just because you managed to f**k another alpha?" Ronan shook his head, his eyes never leaving Lucien's while his lips formed a bitter smile.

"I would not dare. After all, you were the one who broke up with me."

Lucien scoffed and threw his head back in exasperation. Rolling with his eyes, he started to criticize Ronan.

"That is your biggest problem, Ronan. You f****d me once and you acted as if we were married.

.....

Who can stand that? You acted like a clingy wife. If I did not, as you put it, 'break up' with you back then, I would do so days later.

Or weeks later. It didn't matter. Thankfully I am not the sort of person who likes to waste my time or my supposed fated mate's time. Be thankful for that."

"Oh, I am," Ronan said with a poisonous grin. "Thanks to you, I was able to taste many other men and women. I can say that their company is preferable to yours."

"I am excessively happy for you," Lucien said with cold exaggeration. He averted his eyes afterward. Ronan thought that he saw dark clouds hushing over Lucien's face for a while, but it must have been his imagination. A moment later, Lucien's head snapped back up and he shot Ronan a glare.

"After I answer your boring question, can I leave? Infinite Eclipse Pack members sure think that they are so great that they can detain anyone for as long as they want."

The statement was pretty vexing. It was less a detainment, more a medical treatment.

"I brought you back to treat your wounds," Ronan pointed out.

"Wounds that I got thanks to your incapability as an Alpha," Lucien snapped. "So you are welcome."

Lucien put his bloody white shirt back on and left the room without another word. Ronan stood in the middle of the hotel room with fire burning in his eyes. He was so angry that he could punch the nearest wall. What exactly made Lucien think that he was better than Ronan? How infuriating!!!

Ronan's mood was entirely foul when he departed with his little group in tow that morning. It was made especially difficult because Maya broke into hysteria as soon as she caught sight of Gavin. Not that Gavin was all that well-behaved either. He knew what was waiting for him once they arrived at the Infinite Eclipse Pack House, so he tried to escape a lot of times. Ronan had to use Alpha Voice to subdue both of them.

Upon arrival, Gavin was immediately detained in the Pack Prison and Maya was returned to her parents. Although she was resistant to going home at first, it was her parents' warm embrace that eventually calmed her down. And yet, she was still very shaken from the recent events in her life that she immediately clamped up upon being questioned.

After trying hard for a whole day, the Healer reported to Ronan that Maya would require a longer time to heal, possibly months. Gavin could impossibly be imprisoned for months while waiting for Maya to recover. There was only one other person that they could turn to. Someone who might know the story from his point of view and Maya's point of view.

Having met with his wife again and ensured that she was still well-fed, safe, and sound, Jake was again ready to attend to his responsibilities conscientiously.

"Alpha, why don't I go back to South Bedford City tomorrow and ask the man some questions? He can provide us with some insight into this matter. Besides, the pack owes him. He protected Maya for days."

Ronan replied with a noncommittal grunt as his fingers rubbed against a decorative carving at his seat.

A tight smile formed on Jake's lips. He waited for Ronan to tell him to go and do that, but somehow it did not seem that Ronan heard him at all. Jake was already wondering if he should repeat his words when Ronan finally decided to give him some attention. "Do you know who he is?"

Jake averted his eyes for a split second before he met Ronan's eyes again. His gut told him that it was the beginning of a very unpleasant conversation. "I found out. His name is Lucien Clearwater. He is an art professor in the college that Maya attends. Maya is one of his students."

"I see."

Jake swallowed and tried his best to maintain the polite smile on his face.

Ronan narrowed his eyes at his Beta. "What else?"

Jake sighed in his heart. Of course Ronan knew that he had dug further. For the first time since he became Ronan's Beta, Jake regretted taking initiative in this matter. If he knew what he was about to replace out, he would not even do so unless Ronan asked him to specifically look into it.

Anyway, there was no room for pretense. Jake cleared his throat and told Ronan everything that he knew about Lucien.

"I also heard that Lucien Clearwater used to be one of the alphas that belonged to the Silent Walkers Pack. And," a muscle at Jake's cheek twitched visibly, "that you and he used to be fated mates."

Ronan rubbed at his lips thoughtfully while pinning Jake with an unfathomable look. Jake could see a hidden sneer forming behind his fingers. He just didn't know what it was that Ronan was thinking. "You have found out that much and you are now offering to meet up with him directly. What is your intention, Jake?"

Lucien Clearwater went back to his house that morning. The sight of a man who was covered in bloody clothes with numerous bandages underneath quickly freaked his neighbors out.

Lucien's grim expression did not help his case. He looked like someone who just had a bloody, life-or-death fight at a cliff with someone who was not less fierce than him and won to boot.

As soon as Lucien entered his house and closed the door behind him, he crumbled in a heap of mess right at the door.

"F**k," he cursed under his breath. He acted strong, but his wounds were not light. Werewolves healed quickly so the wounds that he inflicted on Gavin must have healed partially.

Not so with the bite and scratch wounds that Gavin gave him. Without a wolf, he was only a werewolf in name. He was unable to transform, and his recovery process was no different from a normal human being's.

Lucien groaned as he dragged himself up from the floor only to collapse on a nearby sofa, staining it with the blood that seeped through the bandages. Lucien sighed in his heart. It took him an hour of rest before he had enough energy to drag himself to the bathroom to clean himself and re-dress his wounds.

The man soaked inside a tub filled with warm water to loosen the bandages around his body. The water quickly turned red, a ghastly sight to anyone who did not know the full story. Not long after Lucien was done with bathing and re-bandaging himself, his phone started to ring.

.....

Lucien gingerly supported himself on the walls while walking toward his bedroom. The phone dropped to the carpeted floor just when Lucien opened the bedroom door. The man sighed. He sat on his bed and bent to pick up the phone.

It was one of his colleagues at the art college, Mark Young.

"Hey, Mark."

The voice on the other side sounded relieved but also surprised. "Lucien, thank God. I have called you ten times since last night! What is happening? Are you alright? Are you coming to the college?"

Lucien rubbed between his eyebrows. "No, Mark. I am feeling unwell. I cannot come today."

"Is that so? Then please rest for the day. Get well soon!"

"Um, thank you."

Lucien ended the conversation and saw a lot of notifications on his phone. Ten missed calls from Mark, two missed calls from an unknown number, twelve missed calls, and a wall of messages from his twin sister, Annalynne.

While Lucien was contemplating to call Annalynne or to read her messages first, Annalynne called.

"Big Brother," she sobbed into the phone. "We lost the fight. Our Alpha has died during the battle."

Lucien closed his eyes and leaned against the headboard of his bed.

He knew that this would happen. And it was unfortunately inevitable. The Silent Walkers Pack declined a lot since seven years ago. There had been some recurring conflicts with the Night Prowler Pack for a few months. It culminated in an official war between the two packs.

As much as Lucien hated to admit it, the Silent Walkers Pack was no longer the big pack it used to be. Unfortunately, the reigning Alpha refused to embrace humility and asked the Alpha of Night Prowler Pack for a peaceful end to the disputes. When Lucien heard that there would be war, he knew that the Silent Walkers Pack would lose.

"Anna, how is everyone? Are there many casualties?"

"Only the Alpha died... and... and... the Alpha of Night Prowler Pack has demanded to see you."

The Alpha of the Night Prowler Pack. Kinnon Youngshaper. The two missed calls from an unknown number. It was him.

"Is he... there?"

"Yes... the Night Prowler Pack has not left. The Alpha is waiting for you to settle the issues between the two packs..."

"Fine," Lucien said while rubbing against his bandaged arm absent-mindedly. "I will come back and meet him within the week."

The sooner they met, the better. The Silent Walkers Pack House was located in the outskirts of a faraway Blue Hill City, some 1000 miles away from South Bedford City.

By the time Lucien finished making the travel arrangements, it was already evening time. Lucien went to the kitchen to see what he could devour for dinner. He had only taken a few steps away from the bed when he was hit with an excruciating pain that spread from his chest to his whole body.

It was as if someone had stabbed a knife into his heart and given it a twist. Lucien cried from the immense pain. There was no new wound on his body, but it hurt more than all the wounds that Gavin inflicted on him.

Lucien rolled around on the carpeted floor. Crying. Begging for the pain to stop. But it was of no use. It was not the first time he had had this kind of attack. He knew very well what triggered it. After what felt like forever, Lucien passed out from the agony and lay motionless on the floor.

The man woke up hours later. The extreme pain had disappeared. Only the pain from the physical wounds remained. Some of them had started to bleed again because he tossed and turned in the evening.

Lucien sat up and leaned his head against his raised knee. His tears started to flow incessantly, running down his cheeks like tiny rivers. Lucien hated the tears more than the pain. It always made him feel so vulnerable, so weak. Lucien hated to be weak.

A certain person's face kept floating to his head. Lucien stubbornly refused to call his name. He did not eat dinner that night and went straight to bed.

The next morning, Lucien woke up early and tended to his wounds. He already used up his storage of medicine and bandages so he had to get new supplies. And then he had to go to the train station to catch the train to the Blue Hill City.

Lucien went out of the house with a shopping list. He was so immersed in his list that he almost bumped into the man who was waiting outside of his house. The man's familiar sandalwood scent mixed with sea salt alerted Lucien of his presence before Lucien even saw his pair of boots.

Ronan Silverback leaned lazily against a maple tree trunk, fixing Lucien's form with his sharp eyes.

"Yo."

"Why are you here?" Lucien asked without so much of a greeting.

If it were anyone else, Ronan would see it as an insolence. Since it was Lucien, this behavior was perfectly normal.

Ronan scrutinized Lucien from top to bottom. The latter was wearing a black long-sleeve sweater, a grey turtleneck shirt underneath, and long black pants to complete his selection of outfits. Ronan remembered that Lucien hated the color black. Did his taste change over the years?

"Fancy seeing you in black," Ronan commented.

Lucien cut him a sardonic smile.

"I am mourning my ruined morning."

It was early in the morning and Lucien did not even need a cup of coffee before he abused his opponent verbally. For once, Ronan did not get angry. He locked Lucien's chin between his thumb and index finger and leaned closer to him.

.....

"Big words coming from someone who is half-dead from the fight two days ago."

Ronan released Lucien's chin before Lucien smacked his hand away.

Lucien clicked with his tongue. He decided that the best way to get rid of Ronan was by ignoring him, so walked away in a hurry. Ronan chuckled and followed him casually. Lucien turned around after he reached a nearby bus station. He looked extremely displeased to see Ronan tailing him.

"Just how much longer do you plan to follow me around? Ronan, what do you want exactly?"

Ronan shrugged. "The road is not yours, the city is not yours. I have neither received complaints from the city council nor been banned from the area. I don't see why I cannot be here."

Lucien rolled with his eyes in annoyance. He turned around resolutely and decided to ignore his stalker completely.

There was a convenience store connected to an apothecary just a few hundred meters away from the bus station. Lucien went to get bandages and medicines from an aisle. Behind him, Ronan grabbed some drinks from a fridge.

Lucien turned his head slightly and wondered what he could do to get rid of Ronan. He did not know what Ronan was following him for, but he definitely did not want Ronan to follow him back to Blue Hill City and meet up with Kinnon Youngshaper. Nothing good could come out of that.

"Young Mr. Clearwater, it is too warm to wear such thick layers," the old man who worked as the cashier commented with a chuckle. Lucien gave him a polite smile. "I am feeling a little cold, Mr. Clarke. Maybe I am coming down with the flu."

The corners of the old man's mouth tugged downward. "Oh, that is not good."

He grabbed a bottle of vitamin C and added it to Lucien's stuff on the counter.

"I shall hear no rejection, young Mr. Clearwater. Take this bottle and eat one tablet every day."

Lucien hastily spoke, "Mr. Clarke, I don't..."

"At least let me pay for it..."

"... Thank you, Mr. Clarke."

Lucien turned around with the plastic bag dangling at his arm to leave, but Ronan caught his shoulder.

"Wait, Lucien."

Mr. Clarke pressed his hand against Lucien's hand. "Just take it. Get well soon."

Lucien wanted to tell him that he did not have to wait for anyone, but one look at Mr. Clarke and the other people who lined up behind Ronan put him to silence. He thus stood there with his arms crossed, waiting for Ronan to pay.

As an Alpha from a powerful pack, Ronan Silverback never had to buy anything on his own or pay for anything upfront. The can of carbonated drink that he wanted to buy only cost a dollar and eighty cents, but he did not even have a single cent in his pockets.

"Uh..."

Mr. Clarke raised his eyebrows at him. Ronan turned to look at Lucien.

"Lucien, can you lend me some money?"

He never knew that on top of enduring Ronan's annoying stalking activity, he also had to pay for Ronan's expenses.

"Oh, you are such a handsome man," an elder lady behind Ronan crooned. "I will pay for him, old man Clarke."

"Or I can do that," another lady said with a giggle. "You can take more if you want, young man. Don't be shy."

Ronan shot both women his most charming smile. Lucien's face darkened. This shameless man did not hesitate from taking advantage of gullible, elder women!

Lucien pushed a two-dollar note toward Mr. Clarke. "Keep the change, Mr. Clarke."

Then he walked out of the convenience store, rolling his eyes all the way.

"Thanks," Ronan said after catching up with Lucien outside of the store. The can opened with a fizzing sound and the man drank the whole can in one gulp. Ronan had a bad habit. He liked to drink carbonated drinks early in the morning before he even had breakfast.

It was the one thing that Lucien asked him to change seven years ago. He did when they were together. And then after the separation, he adopted the bad habit all over again.

Ronan smirked at Lucien over the soda can.

"I am hungry," he declared.

"Then go home," Lucien snapped.

"Don't want to. Feed me." Lucien had a lot of curse words he wanted to spit at Ronan's face, but then his own stomach started to rumble. Lucien pressed against his stomach. To think about it, he did not eat anything the whole day yesterday and this morning.

Lucien looked around and found a breakfast stall nearby that was selling pancakes with all kinds of topping. Ronan raised an eyebrow at Lucien's choice for breakfast. He pulled at Lucien's shoulder to get him away from the pancake stall.

Lucien furrowed his brows. "I happen to like oil. I want to eat pancakes. You go and eat whatever you like."

"Too oily," he commented.

Ronan did not release his grip around Lucien's neck.

"Come with me. I will treat you."

"Ha!" Lucien scoffed. "With what money? Are you going to ask a few aunties to pay for your and my breakfast? Ronan Silverback, unlike you, I still have some self-respect."

Out of nowhere, a car stopped in front of Ronan and a stunned Lucien. Ronan opened the door and shoved Lucien into the car none-too-gently.

"Hey...!!!" Lucien shouted angrily.

Ronan climbed into the car after Lucien and calmly said, "Drive."