Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 4

After they hit the age of eighteen years old, the alpha children were sent to a special summer camp that was located at North Ridge Forest, right where the Werewolf Council Headquarters was. It was widely known as Alpha Camp.

There were a few reasons to support this yearly gathering. One was to foster bonds between future pack alphas against the external world. The second one was to replace worthy mates to maintain the purity of the alpha bloodline. Although there was no guarantee that a union between two alphas would result in alpha pups, the probability was still quite high.

Back then, they were all innocent children. Youngsters who were drunk on the concept of fated mates and bonding romance. They did not know about the struggles that came later once they reached adulthood. In a war between packs, they might end up killing each other or each other's family members.

As Lucien Clearwater sat inside Kinnon Youngshaper's car, he could not help but feel like a prisoner. His pack had been utterly defeated in a senseless fight. If only the Alpha picked reason over pride.

But then if he did, he might as well hand over the Alpha position to someone else in the pack. Pride was a huge part of a werewolf's world. Maybe that's why Lucien was not destined to be an Alpha.

Even without his strange afflictions and Landon's abandonment, he was not fit to be an Alpha. He was a disgrace. Not only to his family but to his own pack.

.....

And now Kinnon was taking him back to Blue Hill City. Back to the Silent Walkers Pack. Lucien had both his hands on his lap, rubbing his fingers against each other in hope that his uneasiness would dissipate. A large hand reached out and landed on top of his hands. Lucien looked up and his eyes met with Kinnon's warm, dark eyes.

"Worried?"

Lucien's automatic response was to shake his head, but mid-way that headshake turned into a curt nod. He was no longer in line for the Alpha position. He was not even considered an alpha anymore so why bother sticking to the alpha pride? Kinnon squeezed at Lucien's hands. "Don't worry, I am not trying to make things difficult. I have a proposal to make to the Silent Walkers Pack, and I hope that you will agree."

Lucien stared at Kinnon. "You give me too much power. Whatever proposal you have shall be discussed with the Luna after the Alpha's demise. Or maybe the Beta," Lucien added thoughtfully.

If he was not mistaken, the Luna was rather timid in nature. Also, her mate just died. She might not be capable of dealing with political talks as of now.

Kinnon flashed Lucien a mysterious smile that contained a lot of unsaid words. "You will understand why your presence is necessary later on."

He patted Lucien's head fondly. "Rest a little. It takes a while before we reach Blue Hill City."

Lucien leaned back against the upholstered seat and closed his eyes. He was unable to sleep well the previous night, so he fell asleep not long after. He only opened his eyes again when he heard Kinnon's whisper in his ear. "Lucien, we are here."

Lucien opened his eyes. The car door at his side was open, revealing the Pack House he was born and raised in. It was early morning. No one had risen from their bed yet.

Lucien gingerly stepped out of the car and stared at the dilapidated stone gate that was in a half-destroyed state, presumably due to lack of maintenance, or maybe it was done by the Night Prowler Pack? Lucien cast a side glance at Kinnon, who immediately put up his hands in defense.

"It is not us, I swear."

Lucien stepped into the huge front yard. The surrounding was very quiet. Lucien faintly remembered that it was the same as it was seven years ago. It only felt foreign because he had not visited even once after he left the pack.

A series of banging sounds were heard, and a moment later a woman with a face that was very similar to Lucien appeared behind the Pack House's entrance door. She clasped both hands across her mouth and started to cry. "Lulu...! Lulu...!!!"

Annalynne was not usually a crybaby. As an Alpha's daughter, she had been told that she must be strong. For her pack.

For her brother, who might one day become an Alpha. Her brother never became an Alpha and the pressure on Annalynne only grew after that. She never again shed a tear in front of others. Seeing Lucien stepping a foot into the Silent Walkers Pack House was all it took to turn Annalynne into her childish self. The siblings ran toward each other and fell into a tight embrace.

"Anna, I am here," Lucien whispered while pressing a kiss on the top of Annalynne's head.

Annalynne put her arms around Lucien and cried loudly. A soft groan escaped Lucien's lips when Annalynne's touched one of his wounds. The woman froze on spot. Other than her brother's scent, she also smelled blood on him. "Lulu, you are hurt...?"

Lucien was not in the mood to explain. "Long story. Let's talk about what happened here first."

Annalynne cast a worried look at Kinnon, who stood some distance away, watching the exchange between the two siblings.

"Don't mind me," he said with a smile. "I shall come back tomorrow morning to discuss my proposal. Until then, enjoy your reunion with your family, Lucien."

Kinnon Youngshaper left right after. Lucien furrowed his brows. "I thought he was staying in our Pack House?"

Annalynne shook her head. Her thick red-blonde hair, similar to Lucien's, swayed around her gracefully. "No, the Night Prowler Pack set a camp nearby. They come in the morning, do some stuff, and then they go back to their camp." "Do what, for example?"

Annalynne wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Getting data about our pack and then checking our storage house..."

Lucien pulled his lips into a tight smile. They lost the war after all.

"How is Mom?"

"Mom is still at the mourning hall. Deacon has been buried yesterday in the pack cemetery."

Deacon Clearwater, the deceased Alpha of Silent Walkers Pack, was Lucien's cousin.

Seven years ago, the Alpha position of the Silent Walkers Pack was filled by Gordon Clearwater, Lucien's father. He had an alpha brother, Marcus, who acted as his Beta. Marcus' wife was always dissatisfied with her children's prospects because Lucien was there to inherit the Alpha position after his father retired.

Aunt Catherine, as Lucien and Annalynne used to call her, was very critical of her son Deacon. She demanded Deacon to be smarter, faster, and generally better than Lucien, in hope that Gordon would pa*s the Alpha position to Deacon instead.

Lucien never begrudged Aunt Catherine's glee when the latter's eyes practically shone with excitement upon hearing that Landon left Lucien. If Lucien's recurring disease turned him into a cripple that was not fit for an Alpha position, his wolf's disappearance cut him off from the pack within an instant. He sincerely wished Deacon the best, all the while believing that Deacon was too immature, too hot-headed to be an Alpha.

It thus came as a surprise when Aunt Catherine lashed out at Lucien upon seeing him at the entrance of the mourning hall.

"You...!!" she shouted like a hysterical harpy as she lunged toward Lucien. Lucien pushed Annalynne behind her to protect her. Aunt Catherine only managed to leave one scratch mark on Lucien's cheek before Annalynne and her mother unitedly attacked her. Soon afterward, everyone in the mourning hall helped out to calm the grieving widow and mother.

Lucien's heart trembled when he saw his mother again after so many years had passed. "Mama?" he softly called.

Lucien's mother, Alice, burst into tears. "Lulu, my baby."

.....

Alice pulled Lucien into an embrace. "Oh, how I missed you. You have lost weight. And how are you injured this badly?"

"I had a confrontation with a wolf," Lucien answered dismissively. "I am alright, Mama. What is happening here?"

There was not much to tell as Annalynne had done her best to keep her brother updated about the situation in the pack. Although Lucien never asked, he always listened to Annalynne attentively. The dispute between the Silent Walkers Pack and the Night Prowler Pack started with personal dislike between their two Alphas from centuries ago.

When Gordon Clearwater held the Alpha position, he tried very hard to make Lucien and Kinnon get along, in hope that these two youngsters could iron out all the creases between the two packs. Lucien and Kinnon got along tremendously. Kinnon and Deacon on the other side were like fire and ice. It was hate at the first sight for both of them.

When both packs were determined to go for a war, both Alphas were summoned by the Werewolf Council in a last attempt to prevent the war. Neither Deacon nor Kinnon was willing to back down. And thus the war happened and the Silent Walkers Pack lost their Alpha. A lot of pack members were wounded, but all of them survived.

Initially, the Silent Walkers Pack members were thankful that the Night Prowler Pack had enough civility to spare them. This gratitude turned into a big question mark when Kinnon demanded Lucien to step forward to represent the Silent Walkers Pack in the meeting to decide the fate of said pack.

Lucien was after all excluded from the pack a long time ago. In her delusion, Aunt Catherine started imagining things. And this she spat at Lucien's face without a single shred of self-restraint.

"You traitor!" she shouted while struggling to free herself from those who held her back. "You must have cooperated with Kinnon Youngshaper behind Deacon's back! You fed the enemy information about the pack! About Deacon!"

It was an outrageous accusation that Lucien heard for the first time, but Alice and Annalynne heard for the n-th time since the theory first manifested out of nowhere.

"Shut up, Kat!" Alice exclaimed. "Don't you dare blame Lucien for your son's death! Lucien left the pack years ago! How is he supposed to know anything about the pack's dynamic??"

Aunt Catherine burst into maniacal laughter. "He was groomed to be an Alpha since birth! Are you trying to tell me that he has no idea about how the pack works??"

Lucien gently pushed his mother aside. He pinned Aunt Catherine with an icy look. "Aunt Catherine, I have not colluded with Kinnon Youngshaper. Deacon's death has nothing to do with me."

"Then tell me," Aunt Catherine's eyes burned with bloodlust. "Why is Kinnon demanding to see you right after we lost? Tell me!"

"I don't know," Lucien answered as a matter of factly.

Annalynne jumped to Lucien's defense. "Lulu and Kinnon are good friends since childhood. Maybe Kinnon just feels comfortable to speak with Lulu!"

Aunt Catherine started to laugh hysterically again. The women decided to drag her to the Healer so she could be sedated to calm down her nerves. Lucien sighed in his heart.

"How is Kendra?"

Kendra was Deacon's Luna.

Annalynne shook her head in sadness. "Kendra lost her baby. She didn't even know she was pregnant until she miscarried. She is not doing too well." It was Deacon's first child. So Deacon died without leaving an heir. Not that the heir would be able to take over all the responsibilities as Alpha.

Lucien did not know what the next morning brought. He simply wished that Annalynne was right about Kinnon feeling comfortable to negotiate with Lucien.

It was not until the next morning that they all found out the extent of Kinnon's comfort level with Lucien. In the proposal that the Night Prowler Pack laid before the Silent Walkers Pack, Kinnon offered the members of the Silent Walkers Pack to merge into the Night Prowler Pack, but those who wished to stay in the Blue Hill City were still allowed to keep their territory and their pack name.

A Beta will be assigned to become the head of the Silent Walkers Pack, and he would report directly to Kinnon.

Kinnon only had one condition.

Lucien Clearwater must marry Kinnon Youngshaper and become his Luna.

Kinnon Youngshaper wished to take Lucien Clearwater as his Luna.

That was his only condition, and none other. The Silent Walkers Pack had practically raised Lucien since birth. Although the latter suffered from a tragic misfortune that caused him to live as an outcast far away, a lot of the pack members still held a deep affection for the alpha man. They saw it as a huge insult. Aunt Catherine on the other side saw it as a good trade-off.

"Wonderful proposal," she praised wholeheartedly. "Let's replace an auspicious date to conduct the wedding ceremony at the Holy Temple of Moon Goddess."

The Holy Temple of Moon Goddess was the official site to hold wedding ceremonies between werewolves, particularly the Alpha weddings. The wedding took place under the full moon at midnight at a sacred cliff in front of the Moon Gate.

All she-wolves dreamed about climbing up the steps to reach the cliff with a handsome and powerful Alpha by their sides.

Lucien did not. Lucien was not a she-wolf. The sheer image of him letting Kinnon take his hand as they both headed to the cliff filled him with nothing but trepidation. It was nothing short of a humiliation.

Kinnon flashed the eager Aunt Catherine a charming smile, but then he fixed his gaze on Lucien, who looked so pale as if he was about to vomit soon.

.....

"Lucien? Do you have something to say?"

Lucien had nothing to say. He merely pinned Kinnon with a glare. The Alpha was not surprised. He expected that much.

Aunt Catherine cackled. "What else is there to say but 'yes'?"

Alice shot Catherine a sharp look. "Shut up, Kat. Why must Lucien sacrifice himself just so you can live in your stinky hole???"

Aunt Catherine's laughter echoed throughout the room. "Me??? His willingness to marry into the Night Prowler Pack will allow EVERYONE in the Silent Walkers Pack to remain in the pack. And we will be affiliated with one of the strongest packs on the continent. How is that a bad deal???" With a cruel smile on her face, Aunt Catherine added, "Besides, it's not like..."

She did not get to finish because Alice hissed and launched an attack at her. The room quickly turned chaotic as werewolves jumped in to prevent the two she-wolves from clawing at each other's throats.

"DON'T YOU DARE OPEN YOUR FILTHY MOUTH AND SAY A THING ABOUT MY SON!!!" Alice roared, tears falling down her cheeks like two streams of waterfall. "DON'T YOU DARE!"

Aunt Catherine had three long scars on her cheek, caused by Alice's sudden attack. One end was very close to her right eye. Shaken from the ferocity of Lucien's mother, Aunt Catherine finally quieted down and said nothing else.

It was clear to everyone what she wanted to say. It was not as if Lucien never rolled around another male werewolf before. His past romance might be short-lived, but the witnesses were aplenty. Lucien raised a hand to rub at the aching spot between his brows. "Please give us a few days to think about this."

Kinnon gave Lucien a look full of understanding. He nodded in assent. "Of course. One week from now?"

"Ten days."

"Alright, ten days it is."

"Also, I need to talk to you now."

""

...

Lucien led Kinnon to his childhood bedroom. Although he vacated it seven years ago, Alice had been keeping everything clean. When Lucien came the previous day, the bedsheet was replaced every month, the carpeted floor was vacuumed, and all surface was dust- free. Even the window panes were clean. It was as if Lucien never left. The framed photographs at the walls and on the desk showed pictures of a bright alpha boy from childhood to teenagehood. And then it stopped there. Kinnon looked around. He rubbed his finger against teenage Lucien in a particular group photo. "You still keep a picture from that year's Alpha Camp."

"My mom did," Lucien corrected him.

Alice was ecstatic when she sent her son to the Alpha Camp. All alpha moms were. There was no telling how disappointed she was when Lucien only went one time, and then never again because of his recurring sickness.

Kinnon looked at the group photo thoughtfully. His eyes darted between one corner where his younger self stood with a sullen face, and the middle of the first row where young Ronan and young Lucien stood next to each other, their hands linked intimately. It was a negligible thing, but maybe it was all Lucien had from his brief romance with Ronan. The mere fact that Lucien kept this one photo hanging at his bedroom wall while he was lying sick on his bed irked Kinnon tremendously. Just what was he thinking? Kinnon's line of thought ended there when he felt something pressed against his neck. It was the dull edge of a blade. The Alpha slowly turned around to face Lucien, who slowly flipped the blade so that the sharp edge was pointing at Kinnon directly. "What were you thinking?" Lucien asked, narrowing his eyes at the childhood friend in front of him. "Is this payback? Do you wish to humiliate me?"

Kinnon chuckled. "Is that what you think?"

Lucien raised an eyebrow at him. "Or else?"

Kinnon grabbed Lucien's hand and pulled him close. "Was Ronan all that you can remember from the Alpha Camp that year?"

Lucien furrowed his brows. He glared at Kinnon while trying to free himself, but Kinnon was not giving in at all. He was sick of waiting for Lucien to change his mind. He was sick of waiting for Lucien to finally look at him.

Kinnon held Lucien so close that their faces were only centimeters away from each other. He could see the anxiety pooling in Lucien's eyes, the irregular breath that blew at his own face. The soft lips that spoke harsh words, a shield of words to hide the real Lucien Clearwater beneath all the pretense.

"I confessed my love to you, do you remember?"

Lucien averted his eyes. His long eyelashes fluttered in distress when he heard Kinnon's words. Of course he remembered. It was on the first day of Alpha Camp. Young Kinnon Youngshaper invited Lucien for a "talk" and ended up confessing his love to him. Back then, both Lucien and Ronan were still struggling with their feelings and their position as Alpha heirs. Lucien never openly rejected Kinnon. He merely started dating Ronan, choosing him on account of their fated mate connection, only to break up with him on the last day of the Alpha Camp.

The blade left Kinnon's neck. Lucien's grip turned slack. The dagger fell off his hand and landed on the floor.

Suddenly Lucien felt so tired. A wave of dizziness passed through his head. He pulled his arm away from Kinnon's grip and went toward the window to open it. He needed fresh air desperately. To breathe and to cool off.

Once enough amount of oxygen flooded his brain, he was able to think again.

"Kinnon, it has been years," he said after the emotional high ebbed away. "You got married. You even have a child!"

The corners of Kinnon's lips ticked upward. He crossed his arms and approached Lucien. Once he stood next to him in front of the open window, he turned to look at the man next to him. "You are well-informed."

Lucien cut a sardonic smile. "The most promising Alpha heir from the Night Prowler Pack got married. It literally made headlines in the newspaper."

.....

Kinnon Youngshaper married a very beautiful Alpha's daughter from a pack that was allied to his own. The reason why their wedding was publicized even in human news was that said Alpha's daughter was also a renowned celebrity in the human world.

"My deepest condolences to her passing," Lucien found himself saying. His pack sent an official letter to convey their heartfelt sympathy over the passing of Kinnon's Luna. She died during childbirth three years ago. Lucien at that time had already left his pack and cut off all connection to the werewolf world, save for occasional phone calls and messages with his sister and his mother.

"She is in a better place now."

Lucien turned to look at Kinnon's side profile. His strong jawline framed a handsome face that was stern by nature. Kinnon also turned his head to face Lucien. His dark eyes were as deep as the night. One could easily lose himself in the unknown depth. "Did you love her?" Lucien heard himself asking.

Kinnon smiled at him. "You think?"

"I don't know."

"Maria had a lover before me. She cried on our wedding day and refused me on our wedding night. In a way, we were similar. We were both unable to stay with the ones we loved."

It was a political marriage.

"My son is three years old this year, and he needs a mother more than ever. The Elders from my pack have been pushing me to get a new Luna. So I thought... why not go for the person who I wanted all along?"

A bitter taste passed through Lucien's throat. He feared the answer but he still had to ask. "So did you kill Deacon because you want me to marry you?"

"God, no."

Kinnon leaned his back against the window frame and scoffed. "Sorry to say but your late cousin was an arrogant idiot. Under his reign, the Silent Walkers Pack was doomed to perish. You have always been the better choice. Lucien, don't you see? If you marry me, I will give you the power to rule over the Silent Walkers Pack. You can ensure your pack members' well-being."

Lucien's chest felt stuffy. Kinnon denied it, but it really sounded as if Kinnon killed Deacon so that Lucien could regain the Alpha position. Only that he wouldn't be the Alpha. He would be the Luna. A Luna was still higher in the hierarchy than a Beta. The Silent Walkers Pack will be left at his mercy, to build or to destroy. Aunt Catherine's nonsensical accusation might not be too nonsensical after all.

"Be my Luna, Lucien. Let's build our both packs together. Help me raise my son to be the Night Prowler Pack's next Alpha."

Lucien tightened his grip against the window sill. Kinnon's eyes were drawn to Lucien's neck. There was something there. A wound. Kinnon reached out and pulled at Lucien's collar to expose the mark that Ronan made on his nape. Kinnon's gaze turned icy upon the discovery.

"Did you sleep with Ronan?"

"No." The answer came right away. Kinnon exhaled out of relief. "Did you mark him?"

Another "No" left Lucien's lips.

"So this is only half a bond."

Kinnon's hand wandered to Lucien's cheek and moved to the latter's chin. He leaned closer toward the man to kiss him, but Lucien pulled away at the last second when their lips were just a hairbreadth away from each other.

"No," he said again, hugging himself from the sudden discomfort. A cold shiver ran down his spine and he was overwhelmed by immense guilt.

Although it was only half a bond, some temporary changes took place in his body. His body rejected the advances of werewolves other than Ronan. Accepting the affection of other werewolves constituted a cheating act and Lucien would pay a lot for that. The Alpha from Night Prowler Pack heaved a sigh. He did not bother to hide his disappointment, but he still had enough grace to say "It's alright."

Kinnon rubbed against the deep red mark on Lucien's nape. "You asked for ten days. I will give you ten days to think about my proposal. Until then this mark should disappear. Then I will leave my mark on you, so everyone will know that you belong to me." Kinnon said "everyone", but he was referring to Ronan in particular.

Lucien turned around and leaned against the window frame as well. "Kinnon, do you still love me?"

Kinnon took one of Lucien's hands and kissed his knuckles in a revering manner.

"I have never stopped."

Jake was confused. When Gavin escaped, he called Ronan to share the news and then went on to carry out his duty as a good Beta, which was to handle the matter appropriately so that Ronan did not have to move a finger.

Ronan did not come back to the Pack House that night. He only came back the next morning, and he had bloody gashes and cuts all over his body. One would have thought that he found and beat Gavin up. Only that Gavin was found the very same day he escaped and was now chained inside his own bedroom that was found to be hole-proof.

Ronan returned in good mood. Jake assumed that he spent the night with another rogue she-wolf. Ronan did "take care of" a few of them financially, and they gladly repaid him with their bodies. Not that Ronan ever had to force them. If any of them managed to catch Ronan's seed, then the she-wolf would become the Luna at once. Who would not want to be the Luna of the Infinite Eclipse Pack?

Then again, Ronan would not make any rogue his Luna. If he planned to make anyone his Luna at all. Jake was not privy to what was going on between Ronan Silverback and Lucien Clearwater, but if he believed everything that Robin found out about the past romance between these two ex-fated mates, then Lucien was supposedly Ronan's one and only true love.

After that one rejection that ended their fated romance, the then eighteen-year-old Ronan threw himself into the arms of basically anyone just to numb out the pain in his heart.

It took seven years to erase Lucien Clearwater's shadow from Ronan's heart.

And only seven seconds to let him back in.

.....

A few days later, Jake stood at the side and watched as the Healer checked the progress of Ronan's wounds. Most of them already healed.

"Barely anything left, Alpha," the Healer confirmed with a smile.

"Thanks, Jane." Ronan put on his shirt and buttoned it up. "Let's go," he nodded at his Beta.

Jake followed Ronan out of the bed-chamber. They got a report that Maya's emotional state finally stabilized, and she was ready to speak. After they finished drawing conclusion from all the statements that Maya, Lucien, and Gavin made, Gavin would be punished accordingly.

Maya lived with her parents and a little brother in an apartment on the ground floor.

There was a little flower garden just in front of the apartment.

It used to be an empty patch of soil, but now all kinds of flowers were blooming in there. The flowers did not magically grow within a night.

The neighbors bought them in pots and planted them in the empty patch of soil to comfort Maya. Taking care of the garden proved to be therapeutic for the young woman.

Ronan recalled that Maya was also taking care of Lucien's garden back when she stayed at his house.

Lucien...

Ronan felt a pang of regret in his heart. Should he have dragged Lucien to his Pack House instead of letting him leave with Kinnon? He could have locked him inside his bed-chamber, waiting patiently until Lucien's rejection turned into acceptance. Beowulf would have consented to it.

The clinking sound of the cup of tea that was served in front of him snapped Ronan out of his daydreams. He regarded the young woman who was slightly trembling at his sight.

She looked terrified of having the Alpha and Beta visit her. Her whole family was.

Jake tried his best to loosen the tension. "Maya, how are you doing?"

"Good..." came the hesitant answer, as if doing good bordered on doing something wrong.

"Can you tell us what happened? With... Gavin?"

Maya flinched. It took a few minutes of persuasion before she finally started talking. Her explanation was no different from Lucien's, other than the additional information that Gavin had tried to approach her numerous times while they were both staying at the Pack

House.

Considering that they were surrounded by a bunch of werewolves, Gavin never dared to do anything reckless. He expressed his interest in a childish way. A love letter, a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolate.

All the things that teenagers gave to each other as tokens of love, only to have the love disappear into thin air one day for no reason at all.

When Maya went to South Bedford City to further her education, she did not expect Gavin to follow her. She initially thought that it was a good thing to have someone from her pack close by, but then it became a nightmare.

Maya buried his face in her mother's arms. She refused to continue describing her traumatic experience, and neither Jake nor Ronan pushed her to do so.

"I heard you are a student at Lucien... I mean Mr. Clearwater's class?"

Maya nodded. Her expression brightened upon hearing Lucien's name. There was even a slight smile that formed on her lips.

"Mr. Clearwater found me... and saved me."

"Well, I guess the story is all clear now. Have you properly relayed our thanks to Lucien Clearwater?" Jake asked once they left Maya's apartment behind. Ronan gave him a nonchalant grunt. It was neither a yes nor a no.

"Speaking about Lucien Clearwater, there are some updates about the war between the Silent Walkers Pack and the Night Prowler Pack."

Ronan stopped in his track. He knew about the war, of course. He just did not care much because Lucien was no longer in the Silent Walkers Pack. But then why did Kinnon Youngshaper, the Alpha of the Night Prowler Pack look for Lucien?

Jake cleared his throat before he answered the question that Ronan did not ask at all.

"Alpha Kinnon Youngshaper has formally asked for Lucien Clearwater's hand in marriage in exchange for the Silent Walkers Pack's autonomy."

Jake watched with a face full of concern as blood drained from Ronan's face, only to come back and turn his face almost purple from rage. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Did Lucien accept?"

"Not yet," Jake confirmed. "He asked to think for several days, but the Werewolf Council..."

"Write me a proposal with similar terms to the Silent Walkers Pack," Ronan cut Jake mid-sentence.

Jake thought that he misheard. "Sorry, what?"

"I also would like to ask for Lucien's hand in marriage. I will provide everything that the Night Prowler Pack promised the Silent Walkers Pack. I am also willing to negotiate for more."

Jake was speechless. His jaw dropped open in disbelief.