Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 42

When Lucien opened his eyes the next morning, he was tortured by an excruciating pain that seemed to inhabit the inside part of his skull and pierce through it with a thousand needles. It took him a while to remember what brought about this horrible headache.

Once he recalled everything, he groaned and closed his eyes again.

In the kitchen, his phone kept ringing incessantly.

How annoying.

Lucien buried his head under a second pillow.

He did not want to hear from anyone.

He was tired.

He wanted to sleep and do nothing else for five days.

.....

And then someone banged at the front door.

Lucien peeked from under the pillow and stared in the direction of the front door. Unfortunately, being a werewolf did not grant him the ability to see through walls.

"

Thinking that it might be someone who was acquainted with Mrs. Wilson, Lucien dragged his sorry a*s from the bed and stumbled toward the front door. Unexpectedly, the person at the door was Alice Clearwater.

"... Mom."

"Oh, Lucien, my baby," the woman heaved a deep and theatrical sigh.

Alice swept her son into her arms. "I heard that you moved here temporarily."

Lucien rolled with his eyes. His mother sure was up-to-date with the latest news.

He did not need to ask his mother where she heard it from.

"Mom, I am fine," he said, trying his best to belittle the pain in his heart. "I just need to breathe some fresh air somewhere else."

Away from Ronan's pheromones that kept trying to cloud his mind.

"Of course," Alice patted Lucien's cheek and gave her son an understanding smile.

Without waiting for her son to invite her inside, she then walked past Lucien and stepped into the cozy living room.

"Oooh, look at the nice rug! The owner must be quite a classy lady!"

Beaming at Lucien, Alice then continued, "This is my first time in South Bedford City. Can I stay with you for a while?"

"Um... Yes Mom, of course. Make yourself at home."

Lucien rubbed at the painful spot between his brows. His mother acted as if visiting South Bedford City was her lifelong dream. "Goodness, Lucien Clearwater! What's with this pile of junk food that you bought???"

Lucien swallowed.

"Get your coat!!! We are buying groceries, NOW!"

Lacking another option, Lucien put on his coat and followed his mother out of the house. He threw a glance at the phone that was neglected on the kitchen counter, untouched since yesterday night. He still did not want to look at it, so he left it behind.

Alice dragged Lucien from shop to shop, buying all sorts of vegetables and meat that was more than enough to feed a family of four for two whole weeks.

Lucien later found out why, and it did not make him any happier.

While Lucien was helping Alice to prepare food, more and more people came to knock at the door to visit Lucien.

The first one was the dean of South Bedford City Art College. And then his ex-colleagues. And then some of his students back when he was still teaching art.

The funniest thing about them was that they came with the same excuse, saying that they were there to visit him after hearing the news that he planned to stay in the city for a few days. Just where did they hear the news from?

Did Ronan Silverback announce his arrival on television?

Alice did not mind at all. She even urged them to stay longer and offered every single person a seat at the dinner table.

That was how Alice's visit turned into a dinner party.

""

Lucien was speechless.

He was also furious.

With so many people around, even though Lucien wanted to think, he was unable to.

The last people who appeared just before dinner and then of course also stayed for dinner were the curator and designer of Clearwater Contemporary Art Gallery.

The designer just happened to be one of Maya Greenwood's cousins. He was in charge of designing the set for all of Lucien's paintings, including the last one which he was working on.

"Absolutely exquisite," he praised with eyes full of admiration. "I am so happy to be able to see the last painting in your masterpiece series."

""

Lucien wondered how much Ronan paid them all to be here, to coax and cajole him like some high school girl.

"Will Mr. Clearwater be interested in working with me on the last set?" A bright, hopeful smile spread across the designer's face. "It is always nice to get some input from the artist himself. Your interpretation must be deeper than mine. We can do that for all the others too."

Well.

Lucien did not want to complain, but he did have some constructive feedbacks that he was dying to give.

The offer was so attractive that he could not refuse it at all.

"Alright," he said. "When can we start?"

At the Infinite Eclipse Pack House, Ronan Silverback was tapping impatiently at his desk.

He had a lot of work to do, but all he cared about was getting some news about Lucien. Sometime before dinner, he finally got a message from Maya Greenwood's cousin, the designer Alistair Greenwood.

There was a photo of Lucien during dinner with the caption "Reporting to the Alpha, Mr. Clearwater has agreed to work on the set for the fourth painting."

Ronan leaned against the headrest and shut his eyes.

He needed Lucien to be busy.

Busy enough to not pay attention to the latest news in media.

Ronan stared at his computer screen. Featured on the cover of an e-magazine for famous rich heiresses and madams, Glamvision, was Lillian Woodland.

She was photographed with a sleeveless, cordless, light-blue and grey satin maternity gown that showed off her naked shoulders and arms.

On the first page of the main article, the beautiful blond woman posed with both hands cupping her round belly, looking as radiant as the sun.

The title of the article was "Pregnant With The Silverback Corporation CEO's Child - Secret No More"

Just like every other large-scale business out there, the Silverback Corporation was equipped with an amazing Public Relations Team that had been trained very well to manage crisis situations.

While Ronan lay restless at night thinking about the mate who was miles away from him, his PR team assembled that very night to discuss the best way to fight the heinous article that was published the same night.

After they came up with a few solutions, the PR Head, Mara Keenthorne, asked to meet with Ronan just after Ronan had his first morning coffee.

She brought with her the printed-out magazine cover and the article, which she politely shoved toward Ronan just in case Ronan wished to pore over it.

Ronan merely threw a glance at it.

"I read it yesterday night."

The PR Head pushed the gold-rimmed glasses up her nose and gave the Alpha a report.

"Yesterday night, our team already contacted Glamvision and asked them to take off the whole e-magazine temporarily. They did after much persuasion. We have until noon to come up with a proper response, otherwise the e-magazine will be back online." "Very well. What do you suggest?"

.....

Mara took out another file that contained the proposal that the whole team worked on for the entire night.

"We have prepared three different responses: most aggressive, mildly aggressive, and least aggressive.

The most aggressive response entails a PR statement from our company to call out Woodland Enterprise for its shameless lies.

The mildly aggressive response requires us to release a non-committal statement about the article.

The least aggressive response would be approaching the Woodland Enterprise for direct communication purpose."

Ronan left his desk, straightened his suit, and walked toward the huge window behind his desk.

"I do not wish to go against Lillian Woodland," he said, crossing his arms before his chest.

Despite her lack of understanding, Mara Keenthorne knew not to question her Alpha.

"Of course. Then, shall we go with the least aggressive path?"

"No," Ronan said. "I wish to make no comment. Wrap that in whatever package that you deem necessary."

"Very well, Alpha. Then, allow me to excuse myself."

Mara collected her proposal from Ronan's desk but left the Glamvision cover and article behind.

After Mara left, Milroy walked in with his notebook and stylus.

"Yes, Mr. Silverback?"

Ronan turned to look at him with his hands clasped behind his back.

"I wish to meet with Miss Lillian Woodland alone today. Be discreet about the time and place."

Milroy bowed, "Right away, Alpha."

Ronan put an arm against the window and pressed his forehead against his arm.

Lucien...

Lucien, I miss you.

I need you.

My mate...

After half a day had passed, Milroy managed to set a lunch appointment between Ronan and Lillian.

The meeting was to take place in a private chamber, away from unwanted glances and whispers.

Dashing as always, Lillian Woodland wore a minx fur coat on top of a high-end maternity gown.

Ronan gallantly pulled the chair for her to sit on.

After exchanging small talks and ordering some refreshments, they proceeded to talk about the matter at hand.

"I reckon that you saw the article," Lillian remarked.

"Yes," Ronan confirmed.

"My family believes that you are indifferent about the fact that I am carrying 'your' baby, hence they feel the need to make a public statement. Besides..." Lillian rubbed her belly affectionately. "The pup is growing bigger. It is getting more and more difficult to conceal it."

"What do you need me to do?" Ronan asked, raising an eyebrow at the woman before him. "I am a mated man. There are limits that I cannot cross."

Lillian chuckled.

"Honestly, when I first met you, I thought that you copied your father's mannerisms. Did he not have children before he married your mother? Should you not consult him about what to do?" Ronan scoffed.

"Those were low-born rogue she-wolves. Would you like to be treated similarly?"

A sour smile spread on Lillian's face.

"I don't think so. So, how did it go with Lucien Clearwater?"

Ronan heaved a sigh.

"I hope you didn't tell him anything. Otherwise, the plan might as well crash and burn."

"No," Ronan said. "Of course not."

Lillian exhaled with relief. "Alright. Right now, the fact that I am pregnant with 'your' baby is widely circulated while your relationship with Lucien is not known by many.

I need you to respond properly to the article."

"What kind of proper response do you want?"

"Do you need me to teach you? What would you do if the woman you love is pregnant with your baby?"

Ronan chuckled.

"The one I love is Lucien and he cannot become pregnant."

To Ronan's greatest chagrin.

Lillian rolled with her eyes. She pinned the Alpha in front of her with two lines of scorching glare.

"Just imagine what you would do if I were Lucien. In a weird alternate universe."

Ronan shook his head.

"I can't teach you what to do," Lillian said. "It needs to be something that bears your seal of approval."

"Basically, you need me to court you."

"Yes, because the end goal is to have me marry into your pack."

Three knocking sounds were heard at the door before two waiters rolled in with a trolley. On top of it were a plate of finger foods and a jug of Honey Rosemary Iced Tea. Ronan poured himself and Lillian two glasses of iced tea.

"We need to pretend to have a romantic relationship for five months," Lillian remarked. "I need you to take initiative as well, don't just wait for me to make my moves."

"Ah. Sure, but don't you think you can share your replaceing every time we meet up?"

"No problem," Lillian agreed. "I do not intend to keep you in the dark anyway."

Ronan picked a truffle cheese baby potato and bit into it.

"Why don't you start telling me about what happened to Shayla Plainheart?" He asked without losing Lillian out of his gaze.

The woman's lips curled up into a smile.

"That one is quite easy. She died about two weeks ago."

Time passed quickly when one was having fun, people said. No one spoke about it happening when one was trying to distract himself.

In an attempt to stop thinking about Ronan and Lillian, Lucien worked hard at the art gallery. He not only gave precious feedback to the gallery staff but was also actively involved in doing some of the work himself. Every day he found new things to do. He also gained solace from interacting with visitors and art critics that came from time to time to admire the fascinating display.

The young artist was also greatly admired by the gallery interns, particularly the female ones. They often came to him to discuss their own projects, seeking precious constructive critics to enhance their skills.

After three days had passed, Alice Clearwater had to go back home. She extracted a promise from Lucien to always reply to her messages and phone calls. Otherwise, so she threatened, she would come to pester him again.

On the fourth day, lacking the motivation to cook for himself, Lucien decided to eat lunch at the gallery bistro. It was managed by the gallery directly, serving fresh sandwiches and baked goods every day.

Lucien grabbed himself a cup of milk tea and a plate of ham and cheese sandwiches. He had just taken a seat at a table next to the small garden when three female interns with bright, expectant eyes came with their trays to join him. They were Lily Brenston, Neena Evans, and Helene Bradford. These three young women were the best of friends. They were rarely seen without the company of the others.

"Mr. Clearwater, can we join you for lunch???" Lily asked excitedly.

"Sure," Lucien answered with a smile. "Do take a seat."

.....

All three of them shrieked with joy.

While they were in the middle of enjoying their lunch, Lily took out a magazine and put it in the middle of the table.

"Look, look! I managed to snatch the limited Christmas edition of Glamvision!" The young woman proudly announced.

It was still wrapped in a thin plastic bag, fresh from the stall.

A round of oohs and aahs went around the table.

"Ooh, isn't this the posh magazine for rich people?"

Helene rubbed at the glossy cover and exclaimed, "I so want to know what rich people eat on Christmas!"

But when Lucien looked at the magazine, what piqued his attention was not the "Latest Christmas Cookies Recipe From All Over The World" but Lillian Woodland's smiling face across the cover along with the words "Pregnant With The Silverback Corporation CEO's Child - Secret No More".

The girls fawned over the magazine. As they pored through the pages, naturally they also landed on the article with Lillian Woodland as the main character.

"Wow," Neena gushed. "Look at her. So gorgeous."

"I don't like her, she's a snob," Lily wrinkled her nose.

"Snobbish she might be, but she is so so lucky to win the love of a prince charming!!!" Helene exclaimed.

"What prince charming? This CEO might be an old, baldy guy. It must be why he isn't featured next to her."

"No, no, no," Helene wagged her finger at Lily. "Check out his latest picture on the web. This is the CEO of the Silverback Corporation, Mr. Ronan Silverback."

The three women stuck their heads together and peered into Helene's phone screen.

"So handsome."

"Oh, God."

"I want to marry him!!!"

Lucien sipped at his cup of tea and listened quietly to their chatter.

The article began with an introduction of Lillian Woodland as the daughter of the tycoon Conrad Woodland. Her twenty-five years of life were summarized in a succinct and precise manner, flaunting her status as a wealthy heiress who wanted for nothing. Rich girls like Lillian Woodland were fated to marry rich men and be pampered in luxury until death. She carried her baby like some sort of a trophy, a proof that she fulfilled the expectation of every other girl who was not fortunate enough to walk the same path. Following the summary was an interview between Glamvision and the aforementioned Alpha's daughter.

Lillian narrated a cute story about how the two of them met after being introduced by their families. A rich young woman and a rich young entrepreneur. They allegedly hit it off right away, falling in love with each other inevitably after only a few weeks of dating. Although both families supported their relationship, they were asked to keep it a secret for the time being.

Alas, consumed by their burning passion for each other, they were unable to wait for the wedding to happen. Thus the baby in her belly.

When asked about their future plans, Lillian said that she was not in a rush. She wanted to focus on their child first. Marriage could come later. It was up to Ronan to decide their wedding date.

By the end of the article, all three young women already fell for Lillian Woodland and her amazing love life.

"Why can't I get such a handsome hunk too???" Lily wailed in distress.

"Maybe you still have a chance," Neena teased her. "Don't you know? This art gallery was built by the Silverback Corporation."

Both Lily and Helene made big eyes after hearing Neena's words.

"No way!"

"Really???"

"Yes, I heard from Mr. Greenwood yesterday. He met Mr. Ronan Silverback personally during the opening. He was so, so, so handsome."

A soft ding sound on Helene's phone notified her of the latest hot news in the celebrity world. Once she saw what it was, she could not help but

"What is it???" Lily and Neena asked at the same time.

Helene flashed them all the content on her phone screen.

riek loudly.

Lillian just posted a photo on her social media account. The beautiful woman was sniffing into a bouquet of a hundred red roses.

The photo bore the caption "Thank you, my sweetheart for the roses. They are as beautiful as your love for me."

Ronan kept a timer that counted down 120 hours shortly after Lucien left.

As soon as the timer hit Oh, Om, and Os, the Alpha sent his mate a message on the phone.

"Lucien, the five days are over."

He half-expected to get a reply right away, but the message remained unread even after ten minutes had passed.

When Lucien still had not read the message after 30 minutes, Ronan gave him a call.

Lucien did not pick up the phone.

The dark-haired man sighed. He predicted as much.

It did not matter. He planned to go straight to South Bedford City to pick Lucien up anyway.

Inside his car, a bouquet of hundred white roses lay on the passenger seat. They were plucked just an hour ago, fresh droplets of dew still hanging on the petals. The roses were bundled together with a bright red ribbon. A heart-shaped card was slipped among the

roses.

Ronan was infinitely nervous.

He had received the ominous news that Lucien saw not only the article in Glamvision but also the picture that Lillian had to post on her social media account to brag about the bouquet that she received from Ronan.

The Alpha had hoped to keep the news hidden until after he came to pick Lucien up personally. Which was of course not feasible because even if Lucien lived under a rock, the people around him did not.

Shortly before Ronan arrived at the Clearwater Contemporary Art Gallery, he received one more message from Maya's cousin.

"Reporting to Alpha, Mr. Lucien Clearwater is currently supervising the completion of the set for the fourth painting."

Ronan swallowed hard once he brought his car to a halt at the special parking spot that was reserved only for him.

What was Lucien going to tell him after five days had passed?

Was he still upset?

Was he going to insist on leaving him?

Ronan sighed.

'I thought you trusted him,' Beowulf sneered at the Alpha.

'Don't mock me,' Ronan said in response. 'I trust him more than I trust myself. The problem is that I would not be able to accept this if I were in his place.

And yet, he still selfishly required Lucien to stay with him no matter what.

Ronan hated himself for his hypocrisy, but what else could he do? He knew very well that the moment he let Lucien go, Kinnon would come swooping down like a vulture. His son was already calling Lucien mommy! The staircase that led to the fourth exhibition floor had already been built. While Ronan slowly walked from one floor to another, he noticed that the exhibition sets had been altered to some degree.

The paintings were still the same, but the wolf sculptures had been repainted. The background was more lively and colorful. The fake grass and trees had been replaced with the real ones. Even the water was real.

""

"..."

Who would have known that Lucien was very particular in recreating his artworks?

Once Ronan got to the fourth floor, the sight almost knocked the air out of his lungs.

For a split second, he believed that he was transported back to years ago, back to the day when he confessed his feelings to Lucien.

The memories were as vivid as if it happened just a day ago.

He could almost see Lucien's younger self before him, just a short distance away from him. Beautiful and radiant as he sparkled under the sun.

The youth was startled to hear Ronan's love confession, but he eventually replied in a shy tone that made the butterflies in Ronan's stomach flutter like crazy, "I like you too."

The youth had meanwhile grown up to be a man.

Said man stood among the tall spread of summer grass, one of his hands held a color palette while the other hand held a brush that danced around the pair of wolf sculptures in the middle.

His deft movements breathed new life into the sculptures.

Ronan's eyes were inadvertently drawn to Lucien's slender fingers.

The muscles on his cheeks tensed when he saw that Lucien's right hand was empty.

His beloved Lucien was not wearing his engagement ring.

Ronan's mouth turned dry.

He suddenly lost all his confidence.

The bouquet of white roses that he brought hung limply at his side, his head lowered in dejection.

There were other people in the room, including Lily, Neena, and Helene. When they saw who it was who came to their workplace unannounced, they almost fainted from shock.

Alistair Greenwood showed up in time behind Ronan. He gestured at the three women to leave and then closed the door behind them.

Lucien looked up when the three women left without a single word of goodbye. He turned around and saw Ronan at the entrance.

"Lulu..." Ronan called out to his mate.

Lucien stared at Ronan. His gaze was undecipherable.

Ronan wanted to tell Lucien that he loved him and that he missed him greatly. But then when he saw that Lucien's ring finger was empty, he was unable to utter even a single word.

He was afraid that whatever he said would only push his mate further away from him.

In the end, he said nothing else and just looked down at the floor.

Lucien's eyelashes fluttered slightly, betraying the owner's heart for just a split second.

Seeing that Ronan did not plan to say anything, Lucien put aside the palette and brush in his hands on a table. He looked down at his hands which were stained with paint blotches. There were more of them on the apron that he was wearing.

"I need to go to the bathroom to clean myself," Lucien announced as he walked past Ronan, heading out of the set.

The Alpha could not take the cold treatment anymore. The beautiful bouquet fell on the floor unceremoniously when he grabbed Lucien's wrist and pulled the man into his arms. The latter gasped lightly when he was pressed against Ronan's body. "Lulu, I miss you so much," he lamented. "You can curse me, hit me all you want, but please don't ignore me, alright?"

The man in his arms sighed heavily.

"Ronan."

Putting his arms around the Alpha, Lucien whispered against his mate's shoulder, "What took you so long?"

Ronan tightened his arms around Lucien and buried his nose in Lucien's neck. His mate's sweet scent instantly flooded his lungs, its calming effect was a thousand times stronger after they abstained from intimacy for five days and five nights. "Sorry," he choked out, breathing against Lucien's collarbone. "Have you been waiting?"

"Mm."

Lucien reciprocated the hug, but the Alpha could feel that the anguish in Lucien's heart was far from being extinguished.

"Lulu..."

Luckily, Lucien never liked to beat around the bush. The time off that he requested had passed, so it was time to talk about the huge elephant in the room.

"When you bit me again that night, I was very upset."

The hands that pressed against Ronan's back turned into claws.

"What you did was despicable."

.....

The jut at Ronan's throat bobbed up and down nervously.

"I thought, you must have done something terribly wrong if you were so afraid of me leaving you."

Ronan clenched his teeth together.

I didn't!

Lulu, I didn't!!!

Please, please, please just trust me!

"And I wondered if you were going to be insecure for your whole life. It is very disconcerting."

Lucien

sighed.

"While we are apart, I see some development between you and her." The word "development" sent Ronan into a panic. He hastily interrupted Lucien. "Lulu, if you are talking about the red roses, they mean nothing. It was just for show. Please don't be angry."

"I am not that petty," Lucien loosened his embrace, his gaze sharp and unyielding. "I don't get upset because of some red roses."

"I know that," Ronan made a sharp U-turn shamelessly, taking Lucien's hands and squeezing them to his chest.

Lucien furrowed his brows in displeasure.

"But for once, for a split second, I wished you were in front of me so I could mark you again and kick her out of your mind."

The red-blonde man pulled his hands free from Ronan's grip and wiped the ends of his eyes.

When he sat together with the three interns during lunch, the thought crossed his mind so quickly. It was as if an unknown entity emerged from the depth of his heart and clawed its way out.

The jealousy might have always been there, but Lucien always suppressed it.

Once it came out, it scared him with its intensity.

Ronan reached out to touch Lucien, "Lulu..."

"It's just dust," the man in front of him snapped. "I am not crying."

Quite frankly, Ronan could not care less whether it was dust or not. He welcomed Lucien's tears, whether they existed or not.

"Baby, you can bite me again. No, I beg you, please bite me again."

If Lucien's pheromones could keep Ronan's feet planted on the ground and alleviate Lucien's temper, Ronan gladly exposed his neck to Lucien any time, any place.

"No," Lucien refused. "I don't want to employ an underhanded tactic to keep you around me.

Ronan Silverback, you asked for five months. I will give you five months."

Ronan had not even exhaled out of relief when Lucien held up a hand in front of his face and continued, "But, as your mate, I deserve to know if you have a change of mind. These five days were supposed to be for the both of us to ponder about the continuation of

our relationship."

Ronan shook his head fervently.

"Lucien, I don't need these five days. Not in the past, not in the present, and also not in the future! I am in love with you. You are my one and only. I will never fall for someone else!"

Lucien's gaze softened when he heard another of Ronan's powerful love declarations.

"I know," he said, patting Ronan's cheek with his hand and smearing some paint on it in the process.

"But, if ever you do, I want you to tell me directly," Lucien said. "Promise me that."

Ronan nodded solemnly. "I promise."

Lucien smiled at Ronan. His eyes wandered from the stain on Ronan's cheek down to his soiled front.

"Now, if you will please follow me. We really need to clean up." Ronan did not immediately understand what Lucien said until he saw the colorful stains on Lucien's apron. He then looked down at himself. His expensive suit was covered with blotches of various colors. One look sufficed to know where the stain came from. The

front side of Lucien's apron was full of colors.

"Have you just realized it now?" Lucien could barely conceal his laughter.

"You silly Alpha. Come now," Lucien dragged Ronan toward the glass door.

After passing two doors and a dimly lit corridor, the two men landed in Lucien's studio.

The room was relatively empty when Ronan first took Lucien there, but after five days it looked a lot more like a real studio.

In other words, it became rather messy.

Color tubes and palettes lay on top of the counters. A sketchbook was open on top of a pile of art books that Lucien bought to add to his collection.

There was a half-finished clay sculpture on one side of the room, and an empty easel on the other side.

Lucien was spick and span again after washing his hands and taking off his apron. The Alpha was not that lucky. His suit was soiled and he had no clothes to change into.

Lucien did have some clothes inside the wardrobe, but they were too small for his mate.

"Poor you," Lucien sneered out of schadenfreude as he stood in front of the Alpha. Ronan looked as if a rainbow-colored unicorn just puked all over his suit.

Ronan raised an eyebrow at the man before him. Before Lucien knew it, he was already pulled back into Ronan's arms. Only that this time the Alpha deliberately rubbed off the stains on his suit onto Lucien's white shirt.

"Ronan!!!"

Lucien pushed Ronan away and glared at him.

"This is my favorite shirt!!!"

"Was," Ronan snickered. He wrapped his arms around Lucien from behind and rubbed at him again.

"..."

Lucien was about to smack Ronan for his childish action, but the latter grasped Lucien's jaw with a hand and kissed the back of his neck.

"Can I?" He asked, his lips brushing at the thin skin over Lucien's scent gland.

Lucien closed his eyes.

"Yes," he said.