Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 36

When Ronan asked him out on a date, Lucien was thinking about going to see movies or maybe a visit to local zoo or aquarium.

At least that was what normal people envisioned when they planned a date.

Unfortunately, Ronan was not one of the normal people. He demanded to pick Lucien up at 5 AM shar

Despite Lucien's initial objection, he eventually gave in to Ronan's incessant pleas and agreed to go on a super early date with Ronan on the first day of December.

Lucien was a punctual person. He was ready forty minutes before the clock hit 5 AM. After he got dressed, he opened his bedroom window to allow some fresh air inside. It was still pitch dark outside. Lucien had to press a hand against his mouth to stifle a yawn. After some time, he shut the window again and went to stand in front of the bathroom mirror.

Lucien wore a baby blue shirt underneath his white sweater. The color complimented his blue jeans and his blue cap toe boots.

The man adjusted the collar of his shirt many times as he scrutinized his reflection in the mirror.

Did he look good? Was Ronan going to like it?

.....

Other than the Sunday dates that they used to have at the Alpha Camp, Lucien had never been to any date with Ronan. In his heart, he knew that Ronan would not care about his clothing. Before they established their status as a couple, they used to meet and go to various places. Lucien never cared about what he wore and Ronan never once said anything about it.

But now they were a couple.

Lucien felt that he had to care somehow. He wanted to look good for Ronan. Ronan probably expected him to dress to the nines on their first date.

The man went back to rummage inside his wardrobe, but he could not replace anything that he liked better than the ensemble that he was currently wearing. The main reason was that Lucien liked the color white the most. His clothes were mostly white or blueish. Only a few clothing items came in other colors, and that was because Annalynne bought them for him They came in pairs. One for Annalynne and one for Lucien. The patterns that Annalynne picked were all very girly. There was a yellow long-sleeved shirt with a huge teddy bear print on the front side. And then there was a red sweater with a reindeer and Santa pattern,

Lucien closed his wardrobe with a sigh and went to the dining room to make himself some cappuccin

He barely finished brewing the espresso when he heard a distant sound of car tires rubbing against pebbles. A luxurious black Porsche pulled up at the entrance of the pack house and a dark silhouette stepped out of the driver's seat.

The figure raised his eyes to look at the only window in the pack house that was burning with light.

The man walked up the staircase of the pack house and came knocking at the Clearwaters' apartment He did not have to wait long.

Smiling, Lucien opened the door with a cup of cappuccino in his hand.

"Good morning," he greeted Ronan Silverback who gave him a roguish smile in return.

The Alpha was dressed in a long dark brown top coat that reached to his knees. Ronan Silverback boasted a height of 1.87m. On average men, the top coat would look like a giant's coat. On Ronan, it looked exquisite, just right for his height. "Hello, my love. You look gorgeous."

Ronan pulled Lucien into his arms for a hug while the latter carefully moved the hand that was holding the cup of cappuccino out of their ways.

"I miss you," he whispered before pressing a kiss against Lucien's soft lips.

"Do you want some coffee?" Lucien asked after they broke apart, pointing at the half-drunk cup of cappuccino in his hand.

"I added some syrup for you."

Ronan took the half-drunk cup from Lucien's hand and finished its content in one gulp.

"I am good," he said with a grin.

Lucien chuckled.

"Should we go?"

"Yes, we don't have much time."

Lucien walked back to the kitchen to put the coffee cup into the sink. He then grabbed his jacket and followed Ronan out of the apartment.

The two men walked hand-in-hand across the lawn. Winter already started. A gust of frosty wind blew through the area, shaking leafless trees and sending chills down the two men's spines. Lucien and Ronan hurried toward the car.

As soon as they got inside, they sighed in unison from having warm air blow at their faces.

Ronan reached out to strap the safety belt across Lucien's body while taking the opportunity to steal a kiss from his date.

"Your lips are so cold," Ronan whispered.

"Then warm them up for me," Lucien whispered back.

The Alpha raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You have learned how to flirt," he teased.

Lucien craned his neck and leaned closer toward Ronan. "Shut up and kiss me."

Ronan happily complied.

He sucked gently on Lucien's lips, coaxed the latter to part his soft lips, and slid his tongue between Lucien's wet folds. "Hmm..."

Wet kissing sounds were heard as they sucked on each other's lips. The longer the kiss lasted, the more erratic Ronan's mood became.

He slipped an arm around Lucien waist and another hand under Lucien's shirt. When the cold hand touched Lucien's warm abdomen, the latter opened his eyes and grabbed Ronan's wrist before he wandered further. "Ronan," Lucien called after breaking the kiss, his breath heavy with desire. "I thought we didn't have much time."

Ronan wiped traces of saliva from the corner of Lucien's mouth with a grin and then returned to his seat obediently.

"Right."

Where are we going?" Lucien asked once he recovered from Ronan's stormy kiss.

Ronan's lips curled up in a smile.

"That is for me to know and for you to replace out," he answered casually.

The car gently pulled away from the Silent Walkers Pack's territory and rolled unto the road.

Not used to waking up this early, Lucien quickly became sleepy. The plush headrest, the comfortable seat, and the car heating system did not help keep Lucien awake at all. The man was quickly lulled back to sleep. He was gone for only around ten minutes before Ronan pinched his cheek and kissed him awake.

"Wake up, Lulu. We are here."

Lucien mumbled something incoherent and rolled on the car seat to continue sleeping.

Ronan chuckled. He peppered Lucien's neck with kisses as he coaxed him into waking up.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead. If you don't, I am going to carry you out of the car."

"I can walk alone," Lucien mumbled while rubbing his eyes and squinting at the scenery ahead of the car.

As far as his night vision allowed him to see, they were in the middle of a vast clearing. There was nothing in there but emptiness.

.....

Ronan unbuckled his and Lucien's safety belts.

"Come, let's get out," he said, tapping Lucien on the shoulder.

Lucien wrapped his jacket tighter around his body in preparation for the harsh winter wind. Once he stepped outside, he started looking around in the darkness.

"Oh," he said when he saw some light ahead of him.

"What is that?"

"Let's replace out," Ronan replied, smiling to himself.

The two men walked together toward the source of the light.

As the light gradually grew bigger, so did the things that the light illuminated.

Lucien widened his eyes in disbelief when he caught sight of the wonderful object that lay ahead of them.

A few hundred meters away from them, across the short-trimmed grass field, stood a huge hot air balloon. It bobbed up and down in the air as if nodding its head at the two approaching men.

Lucien, ".."

He was so amazed by the gigantic balloon that he barely noticed it when Ronan led him by his elbow.

A few local men were busy holding down the balloon while two people held oil lamps nearby for lighting purposes. Behind them, a younger man was seen screaming some guidance.

"A little to the right!"

"No, no, too much! Go back!"

"Wait, it is about to fall backward!!!"

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

It turned out to be a panda-eyed Milroy. It was clear that he too had not had a good night's sleep for a few nights in a row. As soon as the latter caught sight of Ronan and Lucien, he came over hastily to greet them. "Mr. Silverback, everything is ready," he reported, breathless from screaming around.

"Good job," Ronan praised. He placed his hand at Lucien's waist and kissed the side of his head. "Let's go over there, my love."

"Hmm," Lucien gently hummed, letting Ronan lead him toward the balloon. Lucien gave Milroy a tiny smile, meant to be a sympathetic gesture. Ronan must be a tough boss to serve. The little smile drew a gasp from the younger man instead. Oh my gosh, the assistant screamed in his head. So this was the person who stole the Alpha's heart in one fell swoop! He was so, so, so handsome! No wonder the Alpha could not take his eyes off him for even one second! Blushing profusely, Milroy quickly dedicated himself back to giving instructions to the men who were working hard to stabilize the hot air balloon.

After some more time, they finally managed to tie the hot air balloon to the ground by using ropes and wooden stakes.

Lucien reached out and ran his hands around the edge of the huge basket beneath the balloon. It was made of woven rattan sticks and canes. Sturdy but light.

The pilot was already inside the basket.

"Come on in," he gestured for Lucien and Ronan to get into the basket.

Lucien had never been in a hot air balloon before. He put both of his hands at the edge of the basket, unsure how to get in.

Behind him, the sly wolf lifted him up easily and helped him into the basket.

Ronan himself slotted his feet expertly through some holes at the side of the basket and jumped in.

"Hold on tight," Ronan whispered into Lucien's ear, his warm breath tickling the latter's earlobe.

Lucien held on to the basket edge tightly while Ronan stood behind him and put his hands next to Lucien's.

"Ready???? GOOOO!!!" The ropes that tethered the hot air balloon to the ground were cut at the same time, allowing the balloon to gently bounce up and down before it lifted into the air. Lucien sucked in a deep breath when the ground, the local men, and Milroy became smaller and smaller. At the same time, a strong gust of winter wind blew and caused his teeth to clatter. Ronan put a blue beanie hat over Lucien's head, covering his freezing earlobes. After making sure that Lucien was warm and comfortable, he put a dark brown beanie hat over his head. The scenery was amazing.

The hot air balloon reached a certain altitude before the pilot stopped going higher and steered the balloon in a certain direction.

When the balloon left the ground, it was still rather dark. Five minutes in the sky, golden streaks broke through the horizon. The morning sun emerged from beyond the fluffy clouds, sending red, orange, and yellow hues across the sky. The hot air balloon was bathed in warm, sparkling golden light.

"It is so beautiful," Lucien said, overwhelmed by the enchanting sunrise.

"Not as beautiful as you," the man behind him flirted.

Ronan licked at Lucien's nape, bit at Lucien's pheromone gland, and gently sucked on it.

The sensation caused Lucien to shiver inadvertently.

After Ronan was satisfied with the kiss mark that he left on Lucien's nape, Lucien tilted his head to the side to give Ronan a smooch on the lips.

"How many people have you taken on this ride and how many times have you said this sentence?"

"With you, two." Ronan wrapped a strand of Lucien's red-golden hair around his finger and kissed it.

Lucien's face darkened in an instant.

"Hmph!"

Lucien smacked Ronan's hand furiously and turned away from him.

He knew that he was being childish, but he could not help it. Could Ronan not take him on a date where he had never been with anyone else? Biting his lip from jealousy, he failed to notice the wide grin that spread on Ronan's face.

Thick-skinned as always, Ronan hugged the sulking Lucien from behind.

"I also told my mother that she was more beautiful than the sunrise."

Ronan pressed a kiss on Lucien's cheek.

"... Your mom?"

.....

"My mom," Ronan confirmed.

"

Lucien felt so stupid.

"Do you not agree?" The Alpha teased.

"I do," Lucien answered begrudgingly.

Ronan spun him around and bumped their foreheads together.

"Then why were you angry?"

"

Lucien glared at the Alpha who flashed him an innocent smile. Lucien could almost see the bushy tail wagging behind Ronan. What a bad, bad, bad wolf.

If he could lie smoothly about not being mad, Lucien would have lied. Unfortunately, his fury bled through when he slapped Ronan's hand away.

Unable to answer, Lucien resorted to employing a trick to divert Ronan's attention.

He put his arms around Ronan's neck and started kissing him instead.

The corners of Ronan's lips ticked up in a victorious smile.

He wrapped his arms around Lucien, pressing their bodies together while exchanging kiss after kiss.

On the other side of the balloon, the poor pilot pretended hard to be invisible, blind, and deaf.

The hot air balloon drifted past the buildings characteristic of Blue Hill City.

All the buildings were reduced to their miniature versions. The people were reduced to moving dots on the ground.

"Wow," Lucien whispered in amazement as they passed the city's famous cathedral. He never thought that he would one day watch the bell tower from the sky.

While Lucien was mesmerized by the amazing view, Ronan grabbed a bottle of champagne from the small storage inside the basket.

The sudden popping sound of the champagne bottle drew Lucien's attention.

He turned around to see Ronan pouring champagne into glasses that the pilot was holding.

The pilot handed one of the glasses to Lucien.

After Ronan put away the bottle, they stood in the middle and raised their glasses.

"To the flight!" The pilot hollered.

Following the toast, the pilot started to give them a little lecture about the history of hot air balloon rides.

Lucien leaned against Ronan's body while he listened. Such a small gesture was like an open invitation for Ronan to pamper him. The Alpha enveloped Lucien in the warmth of his embrace while they enjoyed the remainder of the trip. The hot air balloon crossed a lake and then slowly descended toward a resort area.

The beach had a few huge, white umbrellas with a picnic table and two lounge chairs each. A few fire pits stood some distance away from the white umbrellas for outdoor cooking purposes.

A group of people were already waiting for their arrival. As soon as their hot air balloon landed, a few men rushed over to tie the hot air balloon to the ground.

Ronan jumped out without much effort, then he put his hands around Lucien's waist to help him climb out of the basket.

As soon as they picked their table and took a seat on the lounge chairs, a man came over to bring them a pitcher of fresh orange juice and two glasses.

While he poured the orange juice into the two glasses, Lucien looked around curiously.

"Why is there no other guest here?" He asked.

"I booked the whole resort for today," Ronan answered without skipping a beat.

Lucien gaped at him.

"Why...?"

"I want to be alone with you," Ronan said, reaching for Lucien's hand across the picnic table.

Lucien chuckled.

"Did you miss me that much?"

"Yes," Ronan replied, pressing kisses on Lucien's hand. "I did."

Lucien said nothing in return. He merely averted his gaze in embarrassment. The fluttering eyelashes and the soft pink blush that crept toward his cheeks were enough of an answer for Ronan.

While the two men were enjoying the refreshing orange juice, two braided girls in kitchen uniforms came over. They each had a picnic basket in their hands.

"Excuse us," they said in unison before emptying the baskets and putting all the contents on the picnic table.

A cardboard box was placed in front of Lucien directly. Curious, he opened it and found six individually-packed burgers inside.

His eyes lit up with delight instantly.

Burgers!

On the surface, one would have thought that Ronan picked the burgers up from a random, unknown burger shop in town.

It was not until Lucien took a bite that he realized that the content had been tampered with.

The cheap processed Cheddar cheese had been replaced with a selection of Gouda, Camembert, and Emmental cheese.

The beef patties were extra juicy and flavorful, clearly hand-made with the best ground beef that Ronan could replace.

Even the salad looked as if it had just been washed and slipped between the bread buns ten minutes ago! Lucien stared at Ronan, who gave him a nervous smile.

"Well? Is it good?"

It was too delicious. Only lacking some edible gold sheets and truffle bits to make them the costliest burgers in the world.

Ronan had learned to lower his standard for high-quality dishes, but Ronan was still Ronan after all. Although he was willing to lower his regular meal standard down to burgers, he was still adamant about selecting only the best ingredients. As expected of a Silverback, Lucien thought as he chuckled to himself.

"Very delicious," he praised, prompting a smile to appear on Ronan's face.

"I am glad."

Other than the burger box, a bunch of glass containers were placed on the table, covering almost the entire table.

These containers contained a lot of fillings, among which crab sticks, corn kernels, caviar, boiled eggs, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, tuna and salmon fillets, fried shrimps, hotdogs, ground beef, and even fried chicken strips.

The smallest ones contained various condiments.

Lucien's jaw dropped mid-eating.

He was about to ask what all the fillings were for until the bag with tortilla wraps landed in front of Ronan.

"Um, Ronan..."

"Yes?"

"Are you hosting a feast? Just how many people are you inviting to this date???"

"Only you and me," Ronan said cheerfully. "I think you can eat a little more. You are too skinny."

Lucien scoffed.

"Were you not the one who said that my butts are squishy?"

Ronan steepled his hands below his chin in a cute manner.

"I like your squishy butts. Eat more."

.....

""

Lucien pursed his lips in displeasure.

"Maybe you should eat more so I also have some squishy butts to grab."

Ronan chuckled.

"Why don't we have a small burrito-making competition? The loser has to eat all the burritos that the winner prepares."

"Heh."

Brimming with confidence, Lucian leaned in and said, "You are going to lose, Ronan Silverback. What does a rich boy like you know about making burritos?"

Ronan leaned in as well and replied, "I don't think so. I have better taste than you."

Without further ado, four resort personnel were recruited as judges for the impromptu competition.

Ronan and Lucien gave each other one last glare before they went to work on their unique burritos. Each of them had to prepare two burritos that were cut in halves for the judges to rate. There was no limitation on the amount and type of fillings. Anything can be used.

Ronan took care of spreading molten cheese over his tortilla wrap before he stuffed his burrito with salmon filet, caviar, tomato, and lettuce.

Lucien did a lot more work on his burritos. He first minced the cabbage and red onions. He then fried them over the fire, adding black beans and ground beef one by one. The fragrant smell that emanated from the pan was enough to make the bystanders salivate. At last, he arranged the steaming fillings neatly on his tortilla, topped it with shredded Gouda cheese, and rolled it carefully so that the filling did not spill out.

After both Lucien and Ronan were done with the wrapping, the chefs helped them to roast the burritos over the fire pit.

The burritos were served on two small plates in front of the judges along with salsa and sour cream. The red-rimmed plate had Lucien's burrito while the green-rimmed plate had Ronan's.

"Please taste them and tell us which one tastes better," Lucien said.

The four judges exchanged funny glances before they tasted the burritos in front of them one by one.

In order to respect the Alpha, naturally they tasted the green-rimmed plates first.

"Hmmm," they nodded in appreciation while nodding toward each other after taking the first bite. Beaming with pride, Ronan shot Lucien a victorious look.

"I told you that I have better taste."

Lucien rolled with his eyes and said nothing in return.

When the judges tasted Lucien's, though, they could not stop eating. After they were done, they showered Lucien's creation with praises.

"Amazing! Mr. Clearwater really knows how to make proper burritos!!!"

"This has to be one of the most authentic burritos that I have ever tasted in my life!"

"It reminds me of my dead grandmother!"

"The perfect combination of the fillings makes me want to cry!"

The winner of the small competition was clear.

Ronan's face darkened visibly. He crossed his arms before his chest and pursed his lips.

The four judges looked like prisoners who were about to face the gallows.

Patting Ronan on the back, Lucien grinned at the taller man.

"I told you that you are going to lose."

The four judges were dismissed right after to preserve what remained of Ronan's dignity.

The Alpha took his seat and sulked while Lucien happily rolled up his sleeves to make burritos for Ronan.

He took out not one, not two, but five burrito wraps at once.

Ronan widened his eyes in shock.

The Alpha thought that his lover was an excessively petty person. If Ronan had won, he would not have forced Lucien to eat five burritos in one sitting! How evil! This angelic-looking man in the white sweater was a devil in disguise!

Lucien was extremely good-mooded.

He had been wanting to punish Ronan Silverback for some time. Ironically, it was Ronan who dug his own grave.

After he finished roasting the five burritos, Lucien strolled over to the waiting Ronan with a huge grin.

He picked a burrito from the plate and held it in front of Ronan.

“Come, Alpha. You should keep your word," Lucien taunted while he pressed the end of the burrito against Ronan's lips.

Aggrieved, Ronan pulled his lover to sit on his lap. He then obediently opened his mouth and ate his lover's creation.

It was not bad. Ronan did not say it out loud, but he claimed credit for sourcing the best ingredients for Lucien to pick from.

If they had sent Lucien off to go shopping for ingredients, Goddess knew what cheap, low-quality meat and vegetables he might get from the supermarket.

Although they were very good, Ronan was still unable to devour five burritos for brunch.

After eating only two, the Alpha cuddled his lover and shot him a barrage full of pitiful looks.

"I can't eat anymore," he begged. "Please don't do this to me."

Lucien chuckled.

"Then what do you want to do?" He teased. "Are you going to waste my cooking?"

Ronan lifted a burrito, dipped it into salsa, and held it before Lucien.

"Help me eat," he begged further. Lucien broke into a smile. He thought that the Alpha in front of him was both shameless and adorable. He spouted big words prior to the competition, but after he lost, he not only failed to deliver but also tried to make the winner share his punishment.

The sauce dripped down Ronan's fingers when Lucien finished eating the burrito from his hand. The man then proceeded to lick Ronan's fingers clean.

His tongue danced around Ronan's middle finger before he sucked it into his mouth.

The beast that hid between Ronan's legs quickly reared its ugly head. The Alpha licked his lips lasciviously. He sank his middle finger deep into Lucien's mouth before withdrawing half of it and thrusting it inside again.

The act was very similar to s****l intercourse.

Lucien's warm mouth made wet, sucking noises as it spat and swallowed Ronan's finger.

The jut on the Alpha's throat moved up and down from lust. He grabbed Lucien's hand and pressed it against his breeches.

Lucien blushed immediately.

Ronan was rock hard.

"We should stop," Ronan whispered with a hoarse voice. "Otherwise don't blame me if I shove my burrito into your other mouth."

Lucien smirked.

He squeezed at Ronan's manhood through the fabric, extracting a moan from the Alpha.

.....

"You are such a horndog," Lucien scolded him. "You get excited too quickly."

Ronan raised an eyebrow at Lucien. He wiped his hands clean on the tablecloth to get rid of the remaining salsa and then reached under Lucien's sweater to pinch his waist.

"And you don't?"

"I don't," Lucien stated confidently.

"Oh, really."

Ronan's hand wandered to Lucien's chest and rubbed against Lucien's trained nipples.

The color on Lucien's face changed immediately.

"WAIT!"

Ronan's wrist was grabbed and pulled out right away. Lucien was all red in the face.

"You are playing dirty," he complained. "You have been stimulating me there so many times that they have become sensitive to touch. You cannot touch there!"

Ronan gave Lucien a disgruntled look.

"If you forbid me from touching your sensitive points, how am I supposed to prove that you are as easy to excite?"

Lucien grabbed Ronan's hand and interlaced their fingers.

"Like this."

""

Ronan leaned his forehead against Lucien's shoulder while he shook from laughter.

"Lulu, you are killing me."

"It is not that funny," Lucien murmured, a little offended and peeved at the same time.

Ronan wiped at his lips to suppress the urge to continue laughing. Just what kind of man could excite another by holding hands? If he truly managed to do that, Lucien should be deeply concerned. Or did Lucien maybe think that Ronan only needed to do that to

reel in his "whores"?

Ronan grabbed the back of Lucien's neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I love you," he whispered. "Silly Lulu."

Lucien leaned against Ronan and inhaled a lungful of his scent.

"I love you too," he said, rubbing the side of his head against the Alpha's chest.

It felt so comfortable and secure when he lay in Ronan's arms. The sun shone brightly above them, but the blinding light was effectively filtered out by the umbrella. Only the gentle warmth filled the air. The sound of water waves that softly crashed against the beach further acted like a lullaby to Lucien's ears.

Belly full and eyelids heavy, Lucien fought hard against the oncoming drowsiness but was eventually defeated.

He nodded off a few times until he finally fell asleep from exhaustion.

Ronan waited until Lucien was sound asleep before he carefully lifted him in his arms and carried him to one of the rented beach cottages.

The sound of waves accompanied Lucien throughout his sleep, but the scent and feel of Ronan's body were gone after a while, replaced by the velvety, smooth surface of fabric.

When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on a bed, tucked in properly under a quilt.

"Ronan?" He mumbled sleepily, sweeping the other side of the bed for the Alpha.

"Here."

His voice came from another corner of the room. A moment later, a kiss was pressed on Lucien's cheek.

"Hello, my love. Did you have a nice nap?"

Lucien rubbed at his eyes.

"Mmm... Sorry, I fell asleep."

Ronan raked his fingers through Lucien's hair.

"It's fine. I want you to be properly rested."

Lucien raised his hand and caressed Ronan's cheek. "We are on a date though. You already prepared everything so wonderfully. I don't want to sleep through it."

"You woke up early today. It is normal to feel exhausted."

Lucien blinked at Ronan.

He did wake up early, but what about Ronan? Ronan must have woken up earlier than him. Ronan must be more exhausted than him.

Lucien's hand slid to Ronan's strong biceps and gave his upper arm a gentle tug.

"Why didn't you take a little nap? Do you want to rest a little, then?"

Ronan shook his head.

"I can't fall asleep."

"Why not?"

As an answer, Ronan took Lucien's hand and pressed it against his cheek.

"Just because," he said mysteriously.

Ronan's mood was not quite right. They were on a date, but the Alpha seemed so nervous, so restless.

"Is something wrong?" Lucien asked.

"Well, you seem a little..."

"No," Ronan quickly denied. "Why would you think that?"

Lucien could not think of a good word to say.

"I am okay," Ronan interrupted him.

"Um, Lulu... The sun is setting soon. Would you like to walk along the beach and see it?"

In the winter months, the sun set earlier. Lucien sat up on the bed and squeezed Ronan's cheek.

"Let's

go."

It was magnificent to watch the sunrise during their hot air balloon trip, but watching the sunset while they were leisurely strolling along the beach was quite magical.

The cold, damp sand rubbed against their feet as they walked along the coastline. Above their heads, the pearly clouds were slowly dyed in multiple shades of red, yellow, and orange. As the sun slowly slipped into the night, the symphony of colors gently faded into

a calm and peaceful blue.

Lucien and Ronan stood at the beach, facing the direction where the sun disappeared.

What a beautiful ending to their date, Lucien thought.

He turned to Ronan and slid an arm around the Alpha's back.

"Thank you, Ronan. It was a wonderful date."

"Not yet," the Alpha said with a smile. "Lulu, there is one more place I wish to take you to."

Lucien widened his eyes in surprise.

One more place?