Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 3

Suppressing the urge to jump out of the car, Lucien only had one thing to say.

"This is kidnapping, you know."

Ronan took out his phone and started scrolling on it. "Really. Have I forgotten to extend you an invitation for breakfast?"

Lucien shot Ronan a glare. "Hmph!" he snorted, looking away from Ronan.

The man next to him did not say anything else. Lucien stared at the passing scenery outside of the window. Fifteen minutes later, they stopped in front of Carlton Bay Hotel. Lucien squinted at the huge words that hung fifty stories above him. The door at his side opened with a click. Ronan bent down with both arms spread between the car door and the car roof. He stared at him intently.

"Can you get out or must I carry you?"

Lucien shot Ronan daggers but he said nothing. He stepped out of the car and slapped Ronan's lower arm out of the way.

It was supposed to be a breakfast, but it turned out to be brunch. Carlton Bay Hotel hosted a luxurious buffet selection throughout the day, naturally at an astronomical price per person. Even the oxygen felt expensive. Lucien crossed his arms in front of his chest, refusing to even take a look at the buffet table. He went to sit at a table in the corner and waited for Ronan while the latter went to pick up his breakfast.

Despite his bad habit of drinking carbonated drinks every morning before breakfast, Ronan lived a healthy lifestyle since childhood. Boiled eggs, oatmeal with milk and fruit slices, toasts with cottage cheese, avocado, and bacon slices. Lucien knew what Ronan would get before he even returned from the buffet table.

Lucien closed his eyes, stubbornly refusing to look at food and ignoring his crying stomach. One hour top. Ronan was not a slow eater. His voice rang out close to Lucien's ears. "Lucien."

"What? Mmmphhh!!!!"

Lucien opened his eyes in fright. Ronan just shoved a croissant into his open mouth unceremoniously! It was incredulous! Lucien spat out the croissant to an empty plate and opened his mouth to scold Ronan but the latter stuffed a pineapple slice into his mouth instead.

"Go on," he said. "I will keep stuffing food into your mouth until you go and pick your breakfast."

Lucien spat the pineapple out and blocked further attempts to feed him.

"Ronan, don't be childish! You must be dreaming if you think I will pay any cent for breakfast here! Don't you know how much it costs to eat here???"

Ronan took a seat opposite Lucien and started to peel a boiled egg.

"Of course I don't know. I eat here for free. The Carlton Bay Hotel belongs to my family."

Lucien rolled with his eyes and rose to his feet, intending to leave.

"By the way, having food inside your mouth is considered eating so it is necessary to pay."

Lucien shot Ronan an icy look. "You set me up."

Grinning, Ronan offered the peeled egg to Lucien. "I said that I wanted to invite you. Please sit down and let me treat you to breakfast, Mr. Clearwater."

Lucien did not take the proffered egg. "For what purpose?"

"To tell me what you know about Gavin and Maya, for starters."

Lucien sighed. He went back to sit and eat the pineapple slice and croissant that he spat out previously.

"Maya is one of my students in the art class that I am teaching," he started. "I knew that she was a she-wolf from day one. And I also knew that there was another werewolf who was stalking her aggressively. Gavin followed her from class to class and tried to talk to her many times."

"That day, he cornered her again in the evening after she finished art club activities. I happened to witness Gavin when he dragged an unconscious Maya into the basketball group storage house. I intervened and got into a fight with Gavin. I kept telling Maya to run away but she didn't. She had been drugged, and the drug muddled her mind. In her confusion, she transformed and escaped into the woods in her wolf form."

"Gavin also transformed into a wolf and went into the woods. I could not transform. It took a long time to finally replace Maya and bring her back home with me. I reckoned that Gavin would come to get Maya again, so I did my best to prepare." Ronan's eyes swept over Lucien's thin frame. If Landon was still there, Lucien would not be wounded that severely. Ronan had once fought against Lucien in their wolf forms. Lucien was not easy to defeat.

"Thank you for protecting one of my own," Ronan said finally.

"She is also one of my students. Don't mention it," Lucien replied.

Ronan pushed a plate of omelets in front of Lucien.

"Eat properly. The breakfast costs 100 dollars whether you only eat one croissant or a fulfilling breakfast."

It was the most civil conversation they had since they met again. Urged by his rumbling stomach, Lucien let himself be persuaded to go to the buffet table and pick some food.

They spent the remaining time eating in silence. Lucien's mind started to wander toward his plan to take the train at night. It took seven hours of train travel to arrive at the Blue Hill City train station. After that, he still needed to take a bus for an hour to reach the nearest station to his destination. The Silent Walkers Pack House was around one kilometer away from the bus station. Most wolves would transform and disappear into the woods. Lucien, unfortunately, had to walk on his two feet.

Ronan took Lucien home after the meal. Lucien stepped out of the car without looking back. Ronan's gaze lingered on Lucien for some time before he ordered his driver to go back to Great Lake City. After two hours of the car trip, Ronan received a call from Jake. "Ronan, bad news," Jake said as soon as Ronan picked up the phone. Jake liked to go to the point every time. "Gavin has escaped!

Gavin's parents passed away when he was ten years old. He had been raised together with other orphans by the Gamma and her mate. The Infinite Eclipse Pack's Gamma was a she-wolf who went by the name Quinn.

After Gavin's detainment, Quinn continued visiting Gavin and taking care of him like a mother would. Gavin did not show any abnormal behavior during her visits, but then he broke out of the prison after spending only one night in the prison.

It was to be noted that the prison merely served as a temporary lodging for guilty werewolves who were waiting for the Alpha to decide their fates. There was only one cell inside the prison.

The Warriors watched over him day and night alternately, and yet Gavin still managed to escape. The Warrior in charge claimed that he had not seen anything. It was almost as if Gavin evaporated into thin air.

After careful investigation, they discovered a hole at the bottom of the bed. No one knew how long the hole had been there. The prison was left unguarded when no prisoner was inside. It was possible that Gavin dug the hole in preparation for his escape if he was ever caught. It looked like his efforts paid off.

Thinking that Gavin was hiding somewhere, Jake had a search conducted to the whole Pack House and its surrounding to replace Gavin. He truly had left.

"Is Maya safe?" Ronan asked.

.....

"Yes, she is. She is surrounded by a lot of people. Gavin will not be able to get to her easily."

It was easy to get Maya when she was surrounded by strangers in a city far from home. It was basically impossible to do the same thing when Maya was surrounded by so many werewolves who would detect Gavin by his scent before the latter even came close to Maya.

So where did Gavin go?

What was he planning to do?

Ronan clenched his fingers into fists. He could only think of one person who might be in danger at the moment.

"Get the Scouts to replace me Gavin," he said to Jake before ending the conversation. To the driver he ordered, "Go back to South Bedford City."

Lucien's fellow teachers at the South Bedford Art College were surprised to see him come in the afternoon. Even more surprised when the man asked for one-week leave.

The dean was so concerned that he invited Lucien to his office to have a private talk.

"Mr. Clearwater," The Dean said with furrowed brows. He leaned forward and spoke to Lucien with a paternal tone, "should you require any assistance, please do not refrain from contacting us. We can help, be it financially or psychologically."

Lucien was touched. "Thank you, Dean. I am fine. I just have to go back to my hometown for a while. My family needs me."

It was technically not a lie. Only that it was not his family specifically but his own pack.

The Dean sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Alright, you are allowed to take leave. Please take care of yourself, alright?"

"Yes, Dean."

Lucien was in the middle of packing up when the unknown number called again. Lucien let his finger hover unsteadily over the phone screen, unsure whether he should answer or not. In the end he didn't answer. He merely stared at his phone screen for a long time. Kinnon Youngshaper.

The name was connected to a lot of memories in the past, most of them quite pleasant. Kinnon had expected Lucien to become the Alpha of the Silent Walkers Pack. Had he been one, then maybe Kinnon would be more lenient when dealing with Lucien's birth pack. Lucien already left the Silent Walkers Pack. Why would Kinnon want to meet him? For what purpose?

They were childhood friends. All of them. Lucien wanted to trust that Kinnon had not changed much. And him? What about him? Lucien scoffed to himself. He had changed so much that it was hard to associate him to a werewolf pack.

The phone lit up again and started to ring. This time Lucien decided to accept the call. "Hello?"

The voice on the other side was gentle but powerful at the same time. "Lucien, finally."

It was none other than Kinnon Youngshaper indeed.

"I am in front of your house. Will you please let me in...?"

One thing was asking to meet him, and the other thing was appearing at his doorstep.

"Fine," Lucien answered before ending the call. He gingerly went to the front door and opened it. A tall man in black suit stood in front of him. His intensive black eyes were locked on Lucien's own caramel-brown eyes.

"Kinnon."

The corners of Kinnon Youngshaper's lips tugged up in a charming smile. He extended his arms and gathered Lucien into his arms. Lucien only managed to let out a surprised gasp before his face was pressed into Kinnon's warm chest. An overwhelming scent of pinewood and fresh grass invaded his nose and dazed him momentarily.

"I've missed you," Kinnon whispered into Lucien's ear intimately. His breath tickled at Lucien's earlobe. Lucien gently pushed at Kinnon's chest. "Kinnon, release me." It sounded like a plea. Kinnon did not seem to hear him. He tightened his arms around Lucien's waist instead.

"You have lost weight."

Lucien pulled a grimace. Despite the thick bandages, he still felt pain from the tight embrace.

"Kinnon, let me go."

"No."

Kinnon buried his head into the crook between Lucien's head and shoulder. "I finally have you back in my arms now. I am not going to let you go anymore."

Lucien sighed. His eyes wandered over Kinnon's broad shoulder and landed on someone who was standing just a hundred meters away from them. Lucien's eyes widened in shock.

Ronan Silverback's eyes were as cold as ice, but he was burning with rage. The Alpha of Infinite Eclipse Pack marched toward the two people in front of him who were locked in an intimate embrace. He pulled at Kinnon's shoulder forcefully and his fist flew toward Kinnon's face.

Kinnon blocked Ronan's fist and pushed him to the ground instead. Ronan grabbed the back of Kinnon's neck and pulled him down together. The two Alphas finished their transformation before they even hit the ground.

"STOP IT!" Lucien screamed. He looked around frantically. Curiosity over the loud noises invited the first neighbors to come out of their houses. Alphas transformed into giant wolves!

There was no way people would think that it was just a fight between two street dogs. Lucien gritted his teeth. Out of option, he pushed open the door to his house as wide as possible and encouraged the two wolves to continue their fight inside his house. As Ronan and Kinnon snapped, bit, and clawed each other, they also jumped around and knocked down everything that was of value within the living room, no matter how small.

There went the paintings that his students gave him for his birthday.

And the antique vase that he chanced upon in a flea market.

They even bumped off the television and left long scratch marks over the table and sofas. Lucien cast an icy look at the dissected sofa. The sponge underneath had been torn along with the fabric.

.....

Lucien never thought that he would one day witness the destruction of his living room in this manner.

Lucien went into the bathroom and connected a rubber hose to the water tap before turning it on. He then came out and sprayed cold water all over the two wolves that were wrestling with each other for domination. Startled, the two wolves immediately transformed back into two very naked men. Ronan and Kinnon wrinkled their faces in disgust and distanced themselves from each other right away.

"Sober now?" Lucien asked, his voice was trembling from anger. "Do the so-called Alphas still have the sense to protect the secrecy of the werewolf community? Or must I invite the whole neighborhood to watch your magnificent display of prowess???" Neither Ronan nor Kinnon answered Lucien. They merely scowled at each other and licked the blood off their wounds. There was an ugly gash on Ronan's cheek and a bite wound at Kinnon's neck. Lucien grabbed two towels and threw one at each of them. "Dry your honorable selves," he said sarcastically.

When Lucien opened the door again to fetch the scattered clothes on his lawn, the neighbors were staring at him. There was slight judgment mixed with curiosity in their eyes. Lucien did not know what to say. He took the clothes inside and tossed them at the two Alphas who were still glaring at each other.

They all averted their eyes when they got dressed in silence. The atmosphere inside the house was heavy with pheromones and bloodlust. Lucien had to open the windows to let fresh air inside, not without closing the curtain.

Ronan tugged at his collar to loosen it. "What is the meaning of this, Lucien? Why do you let 'that thing' hug you?"

Kinnon laughed. "That thing', eh? So much for brothers who grew up together since childhood."

Ronan flashed Kinnon a hate-filled glare. "My brothers will not go behind my back and touch my fated mate like that."

Kinnon chuckled. He straightened his suit and smiled at Ronan. "Ronan, aren't you too much? You have already rejected Lucien. You have no right to lay claim on him. Lucien is available for everyone else but you. Aren't you, Lucien?" Lucien threw a tattered pillow at Kinnon's face as an answer. "I am not a toy for you two Alphas to fight over. Get the f**k out of my house, NOW!"

Ronan strode toward Lucien and grabbed his right upper arm. "I need to talk to you. Privately," he added, casting a side glance at Kinnon. He hoped that Kinnon could read between the lines and scram, but the latter did not show signs of leaving. He eyed the hand that Ronan put on Lucien's arm with a burning glare. The way Kinnon looked at them made Ronan's hair bristle.

"Will Alpha Kinnon Youngshaper please grant us some privacy?" Ronan asked through gritted teeth. Lucien sighed. "Kinnon, please."

Kinnon licked at the bloody wound on the back of his hand and walked toward Lucien. He extended a hand and smeared some of his blood on Lucien's chin.

Kinnon actually dared to mark Lucien as his possession! Ronan wanted to rip the man into shreds. When Kinnon reached the door, he turned around one last time with his hand on the door handle. "Come back with me today. No need to travel on your own." Ronan glared at him. Kinnon's words made the blood inside Ronan's veins boil. The werewolf spoke as if there was indeed something between him and Lucien. But it was Lucien's "Okay" that almost made Ronan's heart stop.

The door shut, leaving Ronan alone with Lucien. The latter turned his face to look at Ronan. The calm eyes met with fiery ones. Ronan put more pressure on Lucien's right arm and made him wince from pain. "You are pressing right into my wound," Lucien hissed. "Release me, now."

Ronan loosened his grip but he did not think about releasing Lucien.

"What is between you and Kinnon Youngshaper?"

"It does not concern you," Lucien answered as a matter of factly. "Ronan, there is nothing between us."

It was over seven years ago.

Pain flashed across Ronan's reddened eyes. "You forced me," he reminded the man in front of him. "You forced me to reject you. Is it because you want to stay with him???"

Lucien glared at Ronan. "You. Are. A. Fool," he spoke slowly, emphasizing every word as if Ronan were too stupid to understand. "Besides..."

Lucien shoved at Ronan's chest hard. The latter had to retreat a few steps backward.

"Why are you acting like you keep yourself pure during these seven years? Didn't you say it yourself? You dragged countless men and women into your bed. Was it not pleasurable? Why can I not do the same?"

A primal growl escaped Ronan's throat. He grabbed Lucien's wrists with both hands and pinned him to a nearby wall. "Is that what you want? Do you want to sleep with Kinnon Youngshaper???"

Lucien gritted his teeth but said nothing. His silence was a confirmation. Ronan's burning eyes wandered to the bloodstain on Lucien's chin. He could not take it anymore.

He rummaged in his pocket to replace anything to wipe the blood away. There was something silky in his pocket and he took it out hastily.

It was unfortunately not a handkerchief. It was a woman's underwear. The silk piece unfurled itself in Ronan's hand before the latter could stop it. Lillian Woodland's sweet scent still stuck to it. Lucien's icy stare moved from the underwear to Ronan's face. "Aha."

For the first time in his life, Alpha Ronan Silverback cursed his maid's habit to take out everything from his old pants and stuff it into his new pants. Thanks to her, Ronan stood there like deer in the headlights - the headlights being Lucien's merciless stare. Ronan dropped the underwear on the floor and grabbed Lucien's arms. "It is not what you think!"

It was a cliche statement spoken by numerous cheating husbands to their betrayed wives upon discovery of their debauched nature.

Even lovers with good temperaments would frown upon the sinners, let alone someone with a temperament as volatile as Lucien. The latter shoved Ronan hard one more time. "Stay away from me," he hissed. "And take that love token with you." Lucien's eyes were full of disgust when he saw the item that Ronan dropped on the floor. One would think that Ronan just dumped a pail of slime all over Lucien's impeccable floor.

Lucien's rejection only served to pour oil over the flame in Ronan's heart. The Alpha grabbed Lucien by his waist again and wiped away the bloodstain left by another Alpha by using his cuff. Even after rubbing hard against the man's chin and getting rid of the other werewolf's blood, Ronan was still dissatisfied.

He wanted more.

He wanted to mark Lucien so deep that no one else could lay claim on him.

He wanted to devour Lucien with hair and bones and prevent anyone from even looking at his remains. His obsession ran deep, coursing in his blood like a potent poison. Seven years of separation did nothing but amplify his desire for the fated mate that he rejected.

Panting from unvented desire, Ronan captured Lucien's lips and pried open the latter's mouth.

"Mmmh... Nggghh...!!!"

Lucien bit down in resentment. Blood quickly flowed from Ronan's torn lips but he could not care less. He bit back and tore a wound at Lucien's lips.

"!!!"

Lucien clearly did not expect that. The kiss became deeper and wilder, their counterpart's blood flowed down their throats as they sucked on each other's lips without restraint. Lucien was thoroughly confused.

One second he was pushing at Ronan's chest, and the other second he was grabbing Ronan's hair to deepen the kiss. The nature of Ronan's tyrannical kiss robbed the breath out of Lucien's lungs, plundering the inside of his mouth ravenously. Lucien could hardly keep up. His knees went weak and he hung limply from Ronan's strong arms like a doll with broken strings.

Ronan gathered the half-conscious Lucien in his arms and went in the direction of the bedroom. He kicked open the door in a brutish manner and threw Lucien on the bed.

Lucien groaned while rolling to his side. His mind was hazy. For a split second, he was not sure where he was or what time it was. He was not even sure what he was doing on the bed. Not until the Alpha mounted him, pulled his legs apart, and settled in-between. There was something big that was pulsating against Lucien's own hardened s****l organ. Something that threatened to take his life away.

Soft moans emanated from Lucien's throat as Ronan's lips moved to the side of his neck and peppered it with tiny, greedy kisses. Lucien's fingernails clawed into Ronan's shoulder and scalp, but Ronan could not care less. He had one hand clawing the back of Lucien's neck while his other hand snaked at the back of the man underneath him, locking him in position.

Lucien parted his lips in consternation. He pushed and kicked at the werewolf on top of him desperately but it was sheer impossible to escape the steely grip of Ronan's limbs.

"Ah... Ronan, don't...!!!"

The werewolf in question might or might not hear what Lucien was shouting. Before Lucien knew it, Ronan already sank his fangs into his nape, biting directly into his scent gland, marking him.

Lucien's scream of pain failed to leave his throat. His warm blood flowed like a tiny stream and Ronan drank it all like a gluttonous beast.

As his blood slowly drained from his nape to Ronan's throat, exhaustion crept into Lucien's body and numbed him. He stopped resisting Ronan and his limbs fell from the Alpha's body. Tears started to fall from his eyes as he drifted into a daze. Ronan froze when he felt the body under him go slack. He lifted his eyes and saw tears dripping from the end of Lucien's eyes.

"Lucien...?"

Ronan wiped the tears away from Lucien's face but they kept falling.

"Hey..."

Ronan sighed. He pulled Lucien into his arms and pressed a kiss against his eyes. "Don't cry, Lulu. I am sorry."

Lucien broke into a sob but he still said nothing in response. Ronan sighed. His warm breath blew against Lucien's face. Ronan sat up and pulled Lucien to sit on his lap. He rocked the trembling man in his arms gently, trying to coax him like he would a child. "Lulu, don't cry alright? I am sorry for hurting you. It didn't count just now. It is only half a bond... It will disappear within days."

Ronan kissed the spot where he marked Lucien. It might only be for several days, but during these several days, Lucien was his and his only. He would respond to his pheromones only and no one else's.

Ronan's hand slid to Lucien's slim waist and held him tight. His lips trailed the path from Lucien's nape and ended at Lucien's torn lips. Lucien's eyes fluttered open. Tears glistened at the bottom of his eyes. He let himself be kissed again and again, but there was no energy left in his body.

"Ronan," Lucien called in a hoarse voice. "you have to let me go. Let me go, okay?"

Ronan shook his head stubbornly. "I can't. I don't want to. Lucien, it has been seven years."

Lucien broke into another sob. "It has been seven years. So let's stop this madness. Let this be the last time. Let's never meet again."

Ronan was unable to answer. He was unable to hear anything but the sound of blood rushing past his ears. Why was it that Lucien had such power over him? He was the Alpha, but he was completely at Lucien's mercy. The man's kisses were more intoxicating than the strongest wine and his cruel words were more devastating than any natural calamity.

"Why?" Ronan asked, his voice hoarse from the turmoil in his heart. He grabbed Lucien's face and held it close to his own. "Why did you say that?"

Lucien's lips trembled slightly. "We are not good for each other, Ronan."

"I don't think so."

"I don't love you anymore."

"Liar."

The knot at Lucien's neck bobbed up and down. "If it were a lie, then I would not have asked you to reject me seven years ago."

.....

Ronan pinched Lucien's chin between his fingers. His thumb rubbed against the man's chin thoughtfully.

"Your kisses stemmed from love."

"That was not love."

"Lulu!"

Ronan tightened his grip around Lucien's waist and shortened the distance between their faces effectively. Their lips brushed lightly over each other. "No," Lucien said in a low voice. "That's enough."

Ronan was not sure if his persistence was a blessing or a curse. He just knew that he could not give up now.

"What was that if not love?"

"Tell me!" Ronan pushed for an answer.

Lucien's eyes snapped up. Cold light gleamed in his eyes. He raised his hand and rubbed at the tear wound on Ronan's bottom lip slowly. Ronan winced when the man pressed at his wounded bottom lip without hesitation. And yet the pain was incomparable to what Lucien had to say next.

"It was nothing but animalistic lust. I have never denied your attraction to me. It just isn't love."

Ronan slowly exhaled. Despite the cruel retort, he still did not want to let go. It was as if he was a glutton for punishment. The body that pressed against his was comfortably warm, but the person himself was as cold as the harshest winter in the north pole.

The wounds on Lucien's body were ripped open again during the tussle with Ronan. The dark sweater and pants effectively drowned out all the discoloration from the blood that seeped out, but Ronan naturally could smell it on Lucien. He grabbed the end of

Lucien's sweater and pulled it upward.

"What are you doing?" Lucien asked, throwing Ronan a glare.

"You are hurt again. Let me help bandage you."

"No need. I can do it myself."

Ronan continued his efforts to undress Lucien. Lucien gave up and cooperated. Ronan narrowed his eyes at the loose bandages around Lucien's body. The ends were not tucked in neatly between the folds. Lucien basically covered his whole torso, arms, and legs in bandages. It was a wonder that he did not overheat under the many layers.

Lucien glared at Ronan, challenging him to say something. Ronan gave him a deprecating look.

"Lulu, your bandaging technique sucks as always."

Lucien gave Ronan a slap across his cheek.

"Shut up," he hissed. "Did I ask for your opinion?"

Ronan responded by ripping the soaked bandages from Lucien's body and making him scream. "Where did you put the stuff you bought this morning?"

In pain, Lucien pulled his lips into a line. He pointed inside the bathroom. Ronan climbed off the bed and went into the bathroom. He emerged a moment later with a plastic bag full of medicine, fresh bandages, a huge bowl of water, and a towel. Ronan carefully loosened Lucien's bandages with the towel while Lucien sat on his lap, facing him.

"Ngghh...!"

Ronan pressed a kiss on Lucien's shoulder.

"You can bite me if you want."

Lucien clawed at Ronan's back every time Ronan ripped a bandage from a wound. After being tortured for some time he ended up biting into Ronan's shoulder. Ronan chuckled.

After Ronan finished with Lucien's upper body, he unbuttoned Lucien's pants and grabbed the waistband to pull them down. He was stopped by Lucien.

"I can do this myself."

Ronan cut him a cynical smile.

"Lulu, you can't do it even if you grow another pair of hands."

44"

Despite Lucien's protests, the pants came off a while later.

Ronan's eyes were quickly drawn to Lucien's hardened p***s.

...

Lucien turned away from Ronan, determined to not look at him at all. He sucked in his breath when his legs were yanked up and a pair of warm lips pressed against the inside of his thighs. A pair of bright, mesmerizing greenish-blue eyes stared into his own when Ronan lifted his head again. The Alpha continued cleaning and bandaging Lucien conscientiously.

After Ronan was done, Lucien gingerly went to fetch some clothes from his wardrobe. The Alpha's eyes never left him as he put on fresh clothes. His movement was no longer impeded by layers and layers of overused bandages thanks to Ronan.

"Lulu."

Hot chest was pressed against Lucien's back, then a pair of arms wrapped themselves around Lucien's waist.

"It has been seven years. I understand if you want to move on, but I cannot deny my feelings any longer. Please consider, alright?"

Lucien closed his eyes and put his arms on top of Ronan's. He leaned his head on Ronan's shoulder and inhaled the latter's scent. Thanks to the mark at his nape, Ronan's pheromones gave him a calming effect. But no. Lucien peeled Ronan's arms away from him and freed himself.

"Ronan, don't say irresponsible things. You are an unmarried Alpha. Instead of chasing for a broken werewolf who cannot give birth to your children, you should go marry a fertile she-wolf, make her your Luna, and get yourself some healthy alpha pups." Ronan grabbed Lucien by his elbow.

"So if I am willing to throw away all of that, you will be willing to consider rekindling our relationship?"

A crease appeared between Lucien's eyebrows.

"Stop spouting nonsense. Take your position seriously. Your whole pack is depending on you."

Ding dong.

Both Lucien and Ronan glanced in the direction of the house door. Ronan put his hands on Lucien's shoulders and kissed the mark he gave him. Lucien flinched from the sensation. Ronan smirked. Kinnon only smeared some blood on Lucien's chin, but Ronan bit into Lucien's nape. That should be enough to declare his intention. A decent werewolf should know when to back off.