Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 37

Astoundingly, the resort was on the far side of South Bedford City. Lucien had lived in the same city for more than four years, but he did not even know that a piece of heaven lay on the outskirts of the city. He only got to know after they passed the familiar buildings in the car on their way to the last date venue for the day.

In South Bedford City, a new art gallery was opened in the name of the Silverback Corporation. Tonight just happened to be the inauguration ceremony.

As an active part of the art community, Lucien was naturally more than interested to go and accompany Ronan.

The art gallery was located in an elite part of the city. The single building was surrounded by neatly-trimmed hedges of various heights that were arranged in circles around the building. Ronan informed Lucien that the hedges formed steady and graceful waves from a bird's-eye view.

The exterior of the building itself was a perfect combination of wilderness and modern architecture. The wood, metal, and glass material seemed to transition into each other smoothly, forming an unlikely combination, an artwork in itself.

"Who is the architect?" Lucien asked as he marveled at the intricate details of the building.

"One of our pack members," Ronan answered him. "A cousin of your student, Maya Greenwood."

"I thought her cousin is a museum curator."

"She has a lot of cousins. All of them are very talented individuals."

"Ah."

As they made their way toward the gallery entrance, a bunch of soft, colorful lights were cast on the crowd and the bare ground. Lucien looked up and saw a lot of swirling lights in the sky. Their colors changed smoothly from one to another as they performed a coordinated dance in the sky.

"What are those?" He asked, pointing at the mysterious light sources.

"Drones with lamps. Let's go inside," Ronan answered curtly. He then pulled at their intertwined hands.

On the opening night, the art gallery was crowded with a lot of people. Lucien did not know most of them personally, but he had seen them on television. While scanning the crowd, he was pleasantly surprised to see the dean of the South Bedford City Art College. Said man was immersed in a serious conversation with a famous art critic, clearly from the Silverback family's acquaintance circle.

Lucien wanted to go over and say hello, but Ronan dragged him toward the foyer instead.

"The opening ceremony was about to start," he informed Lucien.

"Oh, alright."

Lucien made a mental note to greet the dean later.

More and more people entered the foyer from outside. They gathered in front of the huge glass sliding door that separated the foyer from the exhibition center. A huge blue ribbon with a blue and white ribbon bouquet was tied across the door, with the meticulously dressed art gallery personnel standing at the front side.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the opening ceremony of the 'Clearwater Contemporary Art Gallery," the art gallery curator announced.

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked while furrowing his brows at Ronan.

The Alpha gave Lucien a nervous smile, "Surprise."

Lucien's jaw dropped open.

"You named your new art gallery after me?"

"Mhm."

Lucien opened his mouth to say something to Ronan, but at that time the art gallery curator called his name.

"And now we shall invite the CEO of Silverback Corporation, Mr. Ronan Silverback, and our artist, Mr. Lucien Clearwater to cut the ribbon and officially launch the opening of the art gallery!"

Lucien's head snapped toward the group of people at the center of the foyer. They were all looking in his direction, their gaze full of unconcealed admiration.

Ronan tugged at their hands to urge him to step forward.

Lucien was dumbfounded.

When did he become the artist of an art gallery that he just now came to know?

The crowd applauded as the two men made their way to the front and joined the art gallery personnel. The art gallery curator, a man in his thirties with slicked back hairdo, handed Lucien a pair of huge scissors with a broad smile. From behind Lucien, Ronan put his hands on top of Lucien's.

Snip.

The crowd broke into another round of applause when Lucien and Ronan cut through the ribbon.

Ronan handed the scissors back to the art gallery curator, who announced the opening with a cordial but joyous enthusiasm, "Esteemed visitors, the art gallery is officially open! We herewith welcome you to take a look!" Lucien was speechless. He still had yet to fully comprehend what just happened, so he let Ronan guide him toward the exhibition area.

Once Lucien saw the first artworks, the puzzle pieces started to come together.

The so-called Clearwater Contemporary Art Gallery was none other than a private exhibition center for every artwork that Lucien had ever created.

The team of exhibit designers worked hard with colorful and plentiful materials to create an unforgettable set that brought out the life within each sculpture.

Some sculptures were paired together to tell stories. Stories that Lucien had long since forgotten, but were engraved so vividly in the magnificent presentations.

Lucien could not help but feel emotional when seeing his artworks being displayed like that. He buried his face into Ronan's shoulder and cried silently while the latter wrapped his arms around him.

"Are you happy?" Ronan asked while patting Lucien's head.

Lucien made some incoherent noise, muffled by Ronan's coat. What a stupid question. Of course he was. How could he not be happy?

But then... Wait a second.

Lucien lifted his head to look at Ronan. There was a little frown on his face. The pair of reddened eyes stared at Ronan as if the latter wronged him.

"So it's you," he growled while burying his fingers into Ronan's collar.

"It's me, what?" The Alpha failed to catch the meaning.

"You are the insane art collector who bought all my artworks from the auction," Lucien completed his sentence.

Guilty as charged.

Ronan cleared his throat.

"Uh, yes, it was me."

Lucien clawed into Ronan's coat.

"I am going to return the money to you," Lucien decided.

His determination made Ronan chuckle.

"No need. I bought them and displayed them in my art gallery. It was an honest business transaction."

"Your art gallery that you named after me," Lucien commented.

Ronan cupped Lucien's face with both hands.

.....

"Am I not allowed to, Mr. Clearwater? Are you going to drag me to court for that?"

"No..."

They leaned closer to each other and shared a gentle kiss. Lucien hummed contentedly when Ronan hugged him afterward, peppering the side of his head with little kisses.

"We are not yet done," Ronan whispered into Lucien's ear. "You have to take a look at the rest."

Lucien wanted to look, but at the same time, he also did not want to look.

Although he was generally satisfied with his creations, it was still rather embarrassing to have them displayed for public consumption. It was even more embarrassing to have a whole gallery full of his artworks only and nothing else. Traditionally, visitors were able to roam around the exhibition center as they pleased. For those who wanted a brand new experience, they had the option to step onto a broad moving pavement that took them from one artwork to another. If they wish to linger or take a closer look at a certain artwork, they had to step off the moving pavement into the respective sets.

If they wanted to move faster to the next artwork, they could also walk freely on the pavement.

Waiters swiftly moved along the pavement to offer wine to the visitors. Ronan grabbed two for himself and Lucien when they stepped into the moving pavement and watched the exquisite display.

The pavement was a continuous loop, but at the end of the last artwork were some luminescent footprints that led away from the pavement.

It was all dark, so visitors had to rely on the footprints to move forward.

The footprints led them up the staircase. As soon as they reached the top, they were greeted by a forest.

""

Or better said, a very convincing imitation of a forest. The visitors had their mouths open in amazement.

But it was not what surprised Lucien the most. The most surprising thing for him was the two wolf sculptures in the middle of the forest, one with a black coat and the other with an orange coat. They were intimately nuzzling each other. The sculptures were as real as they could be.

The fur was made of the best synthetic material out there.

Lucien started to feel weird when he looked at the two wolf sculptures and the fake trees around them.

What a coincidence!

He remembered having painted a similar scene before. The thing was that the painting was sold years ago during the Annual Art Exhibition. There was no way that Ronan could get his hands on the painting, was there?

Just as the thought crossed Lucien's mind, the black screen at the back side of the room lit up with a magnified version of the painting that Lucien was thinking about.

"

Lucien's face turned ashen. He caught Ronan's wrist in a steely grip.

"Ronan. Where did you get this painting from?"

Ronan coughed into his fist.

"I, uh, found it."

"Don't bullshit me," Lucien furrowed his brows. "This painting was bought by a couple who was visiting from another country! It is impossible for you to just replace it." "Fine. I searched for it and bought it," Ronan answered helplessly.

Lucien was speechless.

"How much did you spend to get this one painting?" He asked once he found his words again.

"Oh, I don't know, I forgot," Ronan said, beaming with a smile.

This rich, pampered Alpha from the Silverback family.

Lucien buried his face into his hands and groaned.

"You... Why must you do such unnecessary things?"

Ronan grabbed both of Lucien's hands.

"Lulu, this is our precious memory. It should stay with us."

Lucien averted his eyes.

"It is just a coincidence," he murmured. "I did not intentionally draw us."

Ronan narrowed his eyes at Lucien with a cryptic smile on his lips. "Uh-huh," he said.

There was another staircase leading to the next floor.

This time, it was a scene depicting the same two wolves by a lake.

Lucien turned to stare at Ronan.

"Did you search and buy the second painting as well?"

Ronan scratched at the synthetic grass beneath his feet.

"Did you coincidentally draw us for the second time?"

Lucien smacked a hand against his face. He could not believe it.

He was no longer surprised to replace the scene from the third painting waiting for them on the next floor. Ronan literally recreated the hut and turned the painting into reality.

"I can't believe it," Lucien murmured. "How did you even replace out? This is so embarrassing."

Ronan hugged Lucien from behind and rubbed the side of his face against Lucien's.

"Why can't you just be honest for once? Now, do I or don't I have the right to keep these paintings? These are our most intimate memories from the Alpha Camp." Lucien wordlessly nodded. Whether he agreed or not didn't matter. Ronan already bought the paintings and put them on display along with Lucien's other creations. Lucien looked around, searching for the next staircase, but it was not there. He could not help but feel disappointed.

Did Ronan not know that there was a fourth painting in the series?

Oh, it didn't matter, the redhead thought to himself. The three amazing paintings had been recreated so beautifully. What else could he ask for?

Lucien turned his head and gave Ronan a peck on the lips.

"Thank you for putting so much effort into the art gallery. It is amazing!"

Ronan replied with another kiss, albeit longer.

"Now that you have seen my extensive effort, I need you to contribute as well."

What do you need me to contribute with?" Lucien asked in confusion.

"You will see," Ronan replied mysteriously.

While the other visitors were still marveling at the recreated third painting, Ronan led Lucien out of the exhibition room and went into a narrow corridor at the other end of the floor. There was a private elevator at the end of the corridor. Ronan took out a card from his pocket and swiped it against the card reader in front of the elevator.

The door opened with a soft ding sound, announcing, "Welcome, Mr. Ronan Silverback."

Lucien stared at Ronan.

When they got inside the elevator, Lucien saw that there were four floors altogether, not counting the ground floor.

"So mysterious," Lucien commented. "Where are you taking me to?"

Ronan adorably tilted his head. "You will see."

After a short trip with the elevator, they arrived at the fourth floor.

The elevator door opened up with a soft ding sound and led them to a pitch-black room. While Lucien fumbled at the walls, trying to replace some buttons to switch the light on, Ronan clapped twice and the room lit up almost instantly. Impressed, Lucien whistled. "Fancy."

It was largely empty, but Lucien could see what the room was. It was an art studio.

An easel stood tall and mighty in the middle of the room, covered by a cloth. Shelves containing art-related books stood on one side of the wall. Behind the easel was a desk with some sketchbooks stacked on top of it. Opposite the wall with the shelves were huge windows that could be opened at different angles. Long purple curtains that extended to the floor were tied at each side neatly.

At the backside of the room was a small bathroom that also functioned as a washing area.

Ronan walked ahead of Lucien and stood next to the easel. He then pulled the cloth off the easel, exposing the fourth painting in the "The Place Where Our Time Stopped" series.

So Ronan also got his hands on his fourth painting after all, Lucien thought.

The man gave Ronan a quizzical look.

"If you have the fourth painting in your possession, why don't you display it along with the others?"

Ronan pulled his lips into a thin line. "Because this painting is incorrect," he said, sounding a lot like a client who had been wronged by the artist.

How could a painting even be incorrect?

Lucien stepped closer to the painting and examined it. He did not see any glaring flaws at all.

Seeing that Lucien did not understand the reason for his utter dissatisfaction with the painting, Ronan pointed at the two brown-red wolves that were playing with each other in the grass field.

He then asked with a tone full of grievances, "Why did you replace me with Annalynne???"

Lucien gaped at Ronan for a while before he broke into laughter.

"Hahahahahaha...!!!"

The impatient Alpha pulled a long face and jabbed at Lucien's torso viciously.

"Are you laughing at my expense? Hmm?"

"No, not at all... Hahaha, stop it," Lucien begged, protecting his soft spots when Ronan started tickling him.

"Well? Are you not going to correct the painting? Hmm?"

Lucien raised his arms and hooked them around Ronan's neck. He then leaned forward, shifting his weight onto the taller man.

His gaze was brimming with endless amusement.

"Really, Ronan? You already starred in three paintings. You cannot even spare the fourth and let Anna take your place?"

"No," Ronan said, loud and clear. "Now fix the painting so I can put it out there."

Lucien giggled. Ronan Silverback must be the first art collector ever to demand the artist to alter a finished painting.

"Oh, Ronan," he whispered. "You are such a jealous man. What should I do with you?"

Ronan pulled at Lucien's neck and kissed the breath out of his lover before giving Lucien the answer

"You must love me and only me. You are not allowed to even look at another man. Or woman," he added meaningfully.

Lucien bit into Ronan's lower lip for fun.

"Do you really want me to fix the painting?"

"Yes."

"Fine, I will do it later."

"No, do it now."

""

Lucien slumped forward. What a demanding customer.

"Alright," he said in exasperation.

"How do you want me to fix the painting? I don't have any ready painting materials in here."

"Oh, fret not..."

Ronan pointed at a huge cupboard in the other corner of the room.

"You will replace whatever you need in there."

Lucien threw Ronan a quizzical look before he approached the cupboard and inspected its content.

Stacked neatly on multiple levels was everything that Lucien had in his studio back at the South Bedford City Art College.

""

Lucien went to grab one of the sketchbooks on top of the desk. As he flipped through it, he discovered that they were full of his sketches. The sketches that he drew back in the art college. "Were you in my art studio again? When?"

"When you went missing, I searched for you everywhere," Ronan confessed. "I went to your house, then the art college. I needed to replace some clues about your whereabouts."

A soft sigh escaped Lucien's lips. He clapped the sketchbook shut and approached Ronan.

Caressing Ronan's cheek lovingly with the back of his hand, Lucien sincerely apologized. "I am sorry. It must have been hard for you."

Lucien did not want to talk too much about the painful interaction between them in the past. After all, the actions could not be undone, the words could not be retracted. All he could do was apologize, and hope that Ronan would forgive him for his stubbornness and foolishness back then.

Fortunately, the Alpha shared the same sentiment.

"It was worth it," Ronan replied with a smile. "I don't regret it."

In fact, searching for Lucien allowed Ronan to discover the truth about Lucien's feelings toward him.

He was glad that he found the four paintings.

He was glad that he found Lucien.

He was glad that he did not give up.

He was glad that they managed to arrive to this day.

The painting originally depicted Landon and Beowulf. Out of spite, Lucien painted Seara over Beowulf and turned it into a painting of him and his twin sister.

After working on it for half an hour, the original painting was restored. Once Lucien was done, he put his brush aside and observed his work.

"How is it?" he asked the demanding customer in the room. "Satisfied?"

Ronan beamed at the altered painting. Now the fourth painting in the series no longer depicted Seara but Beowulf next to Landon, just how it was supposed to be. "Yes," he confirmed. "More than satisfied."

"Now you can go and display this painting out there," Lucien teased.

"Oh, I will," Ronan said with determination.

Lucien shook his head with a chuckle.

Ronan swallowed hard when he watched Lucien tidy up his painting materials and put them back into the cupboard.

.....

"Oh, excuse me for a little bit," Lucien said when he noticed some paint on his fingers.

Lucien went to the bathroom to clean his fingers and Ronan waited outside restlessly.

The man in the white sweater was clueless about the turmoil in Ronan's heart.

They had finally come to this point. There was no more turning back. Not that Ronan wanted to. He had worked so hard and relentlessly to come to this point.

Out of the bathroom, Lucien slid Ronan's hand into his, beaming at the Alpha with a gaze filled with warmth and adoration.

"Is that it? Let's go then, I want to take a round on the travelator again..."

"Umm... Lulu, wait."

"Hmm?"

"There is one more thing," Ronan said helplessly.

Lucien stared at Ronan.

"I only drew four paintings with this theme, Ronan Silverback," he said with a frown.

"You cannot possibly have found some random black and red wolf paintings and assumed that I painted them? I am not going to correct other people's paintings for you."

"No, not at all," Ronan hastily muttered. "I just want to show you something else."

Ronan led him back to the elevator.

"What? There is another floor???" Lucien exclaimed in surprise.

"No, not quite," Ronan said, pressing an "R" button on the floor selection panel.

It turned out that "R" stood for "Roof".

The elevator door did not open up to a fifth floor but to the open roof instead.

The open space was utilized as a little garden. There were beds of flowers and also some potted plants that surrounded a sitting bench for two in the middle of the floor. Two tall lamps stood solemnly at each side of the sitting bench to provide adequate lighting. The little garden looked especially enchanting at night.

"Wow," Lucien said with a chuckle. "I can't believe this. You have a roof full of plants and flowers!"

Ronan smiled.

"Do you like it?"

"Of course! It's amazing, I have to say," Lucien admitted.

He bent his knees at a group of potted plants, wanting to see what kind of plants they were, but Ronan pulled him up instead.

"?"

"Do that later," Ronan said, his voice trembling a little. "Let's go over there first."

The Alpha pointed toward the end of the floor. The edge of the roof was equipped with a sturdy circular railing. Looking down from the railing, Lucien could see the visitors in the yard. They were chatting animatedly in groups while sharing glasses of wine. Meanwhile, a group of drones hovered over them, casting colorful lights at them.

It was even more magical when seen from above, because then Lucien could see how the colors mingled together to form a beautiful, dynamic mosaic that flowed smoothly from one pattern to another.

"I like the drones a lot," Lucien commented. "How do you make sure that they move in sync like that? One false move and they will crash against each other."

"Indeed," Ronan said. "Our drone team worked very hard to ensure no incidents. They went through rigorous training just for the sake of today."

Lucien gave Ronan an amused look.

"Training? Sounds interesting. What other things can the drones do?"

Ronan smiled.

"Let me show you what they can do."

The Alpha took out his phone and typed a message to someone. As if on cue, all the drones flew up to the sky, hovering above Ronan's and Lucien's heads.

Ronan pulled Lucien to sit on the bench while they watched the drone performance.

The drones formed a pair of ducks that were kissing in the sky, then a group of doves that flew in circles.

"Wow," Lucien whispered when the drones arranged themselves to a pounding heart formation, its color changing subtly from pink to red. "I have to say, you need to give them a raise."

"Sure," Ronan said.

The pounding heart up in the sky might as well be his own.

After a few more tricks, the drones formed letters.

LULU

Lucien gaped at the sparkling letters in the sky.

"Hey, that's my..."

The word dissolved and another was formed.

WILL

YOU

MARRY ME?

Lucien parted his lips from surprise. He turned to look at Ronan, who was no longer sitting next to him, but was kneeling in front of him instead.

The Alpha had a small velvety box open in his hand. Inside the box was the most beautiful diamond ring that Lucien had ever seen.

Lucien heard himself gasping when he caught sight of the ring. He could feel his blood draining from his head, going to his heart. It was beating so fast that it might burst any second.

Other than the sound of blood rushing past his ears, all he could hear was Ronan's gentle plea.

"Lucien Clearwater, the love of my life.

I love you more than words can express.

Will you do me the honor to marry me and become the Luna of my pack?"

Lips trembling from overwhelming emotions, Lucien was unable to speak. He merely looked at Ronan as tears slowly trickled down his cheeks.

Ronan felt his chest squeezing with pain.

"Lulu? Say something," he begged.

Lucien nodded a few times before he found his words.

"Yes," he said, choking with sobs. "Yes, I will marry you."

It was 10.30 PM at night, and Annalynne kept staring at the clock.

"Anna," Alice Clearwater showed up in the living room in her sleeping attire. "Should you not go to sleep? You planned to have an important meeting with all elders tomorrow."

"Hmm, I will sleep in a bit," Annalynne said while stealing surreptitious glances at the clock again.

Alice groaned and took a seat in front of Annalynne.

"Don't think that I don't know about this silly arrangement that you have with Lucien."

Annalynne widened her eyes for a second before she quickly averted her eyes in avoidance.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Mom."

Alice pinned her daughter with a glare.

"I know that you and Lucien have this ridiculous agreement to remain pure until marriage."

.....

Annalynne sulked.

"Mom, it is not ridiculous. Besides, did you not also want him to stop fooling around with Alpha Ronan?"

Alice sighed. She leaned on the couch and stared at the ceiling above her head.

"I did. But now they are happy together as a couple. They are both adults. They should know what's good for them and what's not."

"Really? Then why are you two against my and Lowell's wedding?"

Alice lowered her head and pursed her lips at her silly daughter.

"Anna, how many days do you know Lowell altogether? Can you two even compare with what Lulu and Alpha Ronan went through?"

"We also went through the war," Annalynne quipped. "Other than that, Lowell did not go whoring around and break my heart. In that sense, our relationship is a lot healthier than theirs."

Unfortunately, when Anna was right, she was right.

Alice was out of excuses to support Lucien's relationship with Ronan. She thus stopped arguing with her daughter.

"Anyway, don't make things difficult for your brother. He suffered enough. Let him be happy with someone who he loves."

Alice rose to her feet, gave Annalynne a kiss on the cheek, and then left to go to sleep.

Annalynne stubbornly stayed behind. She gnawed at an edge of a pillow out of spite while she was waiting for her brother.

10.50 PM.

Only ten minutes left until the time was up. Annalynne started rocking back and forth on her seat restlessly.

Five minutes later, Annalynne started walking in circles in the living room. A lot of things went through her head. Maybe something happened to Lucien.

She should give him a call. She should.

Annalynne went to grab her phone from her bedroom.

The screen showed that it was 10.58 PM.

Annalynne groaned in frustration and put her phone on the tea table.

She must be a fool to expect Lucien to keep his word. Obviously, he was entangled with Ronan again. He was never able to resist the horndog that he was dating.

Lucien was not going to come home. Not tonight. If Annalynne was lucky, he might come home the night after!

Annalynne threw the pillow that she had been gnawing back on the couch and marched toward her bedroom.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

Annalynne looked at the screen and saw that it was Lucien who called.

"Well? Where are you? Are you calling to tell me that you are going to spend the night with Ronan?" Annalynne snapped as soon as she picked up the call.

A long sigh came from the other end of the call.

"Lulu? What's wrong with you?"

"Come up here."

"...? Up? Up

where?"

"I am

on

the roof."

Lucien was too lazy to explain further.

"Just get up here. You will understand."

If any other man but her beloved brother asked her to climb the roof in the middle of the night, Annalynne might tell him to go to hell.

Since it was Lucien, Annalynne found herself scaling the steep slope of the pack house's concrete tile roof a while later.

Lucien sat on top of the roof, his silhouette looked impressive against the moon as a backdrop. All alone, he looked as if he was lost in thought.

Anna poked her head and shouted, "Lulu!"

Lucien turned his head in Annalynne's direction.

"Help me!"

Lucien rose to his feet and pulled his sister up to the roof.

The first thing that Annalynne saw once she was standing on top of the roof was the huge piece of curious-looking cloth that looked a lot like an overlarge blanket.

"Come and sit," Lucien said, patting the spot next to him.

"What's that?" Annalynne asked as soon as she took a seat.

"Parachute."

"... Oh."

And then, an awkward silence fell around them.

Annalynne peeked at Lucien's face. Her brother seemed somewhat pensive. He did not look like someone who just came home from a first date with his lover.

Unless...

Annalynne's heart went cold.

Ronan Silverback, that bastard.

Did he do something against Lucien's wish? Was that why Lucien was so depressed?

Or, good Goddess, did he break up with Lucien because Lucien refused to sleep with him???

What a belligerent a*****e!

Annalynne threw herself at Lucien and hugged him tight around the shoulders.

Leaning her head against Lucien's neck, Annalynne sorrowfully mumbled, "Lulu, don't be sad. I am here for you."

Lucien furrowed his brows, unsure about what his sister was referring to.

"Wha...?"

Annalynne loosened her hug and grabbed Lucien's hands.

"You will never be alone. I will always be there for you. I promise," she said with a serious face and tone.

Lucien could not help but chuckle.

"Oh, Anna," Lucien sighed. "It's not what you are thinking about at all."

Lucien rubbed at his forehead. The wool gloves felt rough when he tried to massage the aching spot between his brows.

"Then... What happened?" Annalynne asked carefully.

"It's just..."

Lucien opened his mouth a few times but ended up closing it again and again. For some reason, he was unable to replace his words. In the end, he simply took off his left glove and showed Annalynne the sparkling diamond ring on his ring finger.

"Ronan proposed. I accepted."