Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 52

The wait outside the temple was torturous, no matter how long or short it was. Since it was in the middle of the night, a lot of mosquitos were out to feast themselves on hot-blooded living beings. Including the alpha werewolves who were not able to gain the "Mr. Dane, why don't you sit in the car?" Jake asked the elder man after he killed the tenth mosquito in a row.

amount of respect they deserved from said mosquitos.

Dane shook his head gently. "No need. If you don't want to get bitten anymore, you can go sit in the car."

Jake too shook his head.

"I want to wait here."

Even if Dane Silverback personally stuffed him inside the car, he still would not let his elder stand outside alone and be bitten by a bunch of hungry mosquitos.

Other than this short strip of conversation, the previous Alpha and the current Beta had nothing to talk about. The rotten relationship between Ronan and Dane certainly contributed to the awkwardness between Jake and Dane.

How many times must Jake stand between Ronan and Dane and be forced to pick one side while earning the wrath of the other side?

More than he cared to count.

.....

For once, Jake felt grateful that Dane dragged Ronan and Lucien out of St. Clarence hospital. Otherwise, Ronan might go crazy from sorrow.

The reigning Alpha of the Infinite Eclipse Pack was known for his debauched adventure from one bed to another, but Jake had never seen him fall in love before.

Lucien was his first, and probably also his last love in this life.

That was both good news and bad news.

The good news was that Ronan finally stopped hopping from one bed partner to another and ruining his and with that his pack's reputation.

The bad news was that he was unable to extricate himself from grief when something happened to Lucien.

Lucien better survived. Jake did not dare to think about what would happen if he did not.

After waiting for almost an hour, the temple gates opened again.

The creaking sound caused both Jake and Dane to look up at the same time. Their expressions carried a mix of anxiety and terror.

From beyond the heavy rocky gates, Ronan Silverback stepped out.

Jake sucked in a deep breath.

He was alone. Lucien was not with him.

The temple gates shut behind Ronan with a loud thud.

"A-Alpha, what happened to the Luna?" Jake asked right away.

Ronan did not immediately answer. He lifted his head and looked at Jake for some time, puzzling his Beta. His gaze then drifted to his father, who was staring at him continuously. Ronan then broke into a smile.

"Lulu is doing well. The High Seer has agreed to heal him."

"Oh, Goddess! What wonderful news!" Jake cried in delight.

Dane narrowed his eyes at Ronan but he said nothing in reply.

"Indeed," Ronan said, beaming with a smile. To his father, he had something else to add, "Father, thank you for the help."

Dane merely humphed in response.

Ronan was not stupid.

Not everyone could be granted an audience with the High Seer. Dane Silverback must have used every connection that he had, every bit of good reputation in werewolf society that was connected to his name to get Ronan this chance.

For the first time in years, Ronan was truly grateful to his father. He was still embittered about how Dane treated his mother, but the fact that he gave Ronan one last strand of hope to save Lucien meant a lot. Especially because Dane was known to be against the relationship between Ronan and Lucien since the beginning.

"We should not keep the good news to ourselves," Ronan said to Jake, tapping his shoulder lightly. "We should hold a ceremony to thank the Moon Goddess for the abundant blessings that She bestowed over our pack."

Jake's smile was frozen on his face. He did not expect to hear that from Ronan at all.

"Uh, why?" The Beta asked dumbly.

Ronan gave Jake a quizzical look. "Why not? Are you against it?"

"What? No! It's just that... Should we not wait until Lucien recovers before we uh, move on with the ceremony?"

For such pack events, naturally both the Alpha and the Luna must be present.

"In contrary. We need to hold the ceremony to show the Moon Goddess our appreciation. Only then can Lucien come back to us."

Jake did not quite understand, but he did not wish to defy Ronan. As long as Ronan was not overwhelmed by grief, it was already very good. One or two ceremonies did not matter. They could hold them just fine. "Father, will you also attend the ceremony?" Ronan asked. "I would love to have you back at our Infinite Eclipse Pack House at least for one night."

Dane Silverback raised an eyebrow.

"And when is this ceremony supposed to take place?"

"Three days from now, during the full moon," Ronan said. "As long as the ceremony is done to the Moon Goddess' pleasure, Lucien will be revived." Jake swallowed hard.

Did it mean that Lucien's life depended on this impromptu ceremony?

"I-I will arrange for it right away," Jake stammered.

After Ronan was done sharing the good news, they stepped into the car. Jake rode the car to the Werewolf Council first to drop Dane Silverback off.

The elder man did not immediately go inside the Werewolf Council Headquarters. He instead watched as the car that carried Jake and Ronan slowly disappear into the distance.

For someone who was so grief-stricken, so desperate for his mate's life, Ronan did not at all look pleased with the prospect of having his mate back in his life.

Other than the fake smiles that he displayed when he informed Jake and Dane of Lucien's supposed recovery, he had been maintaining the grim look inside the car.

One thing was for sure, Ronan was up to something. The determination in his eyes spoke volumes.

Lucrethia Woodland had always known that Lillian's pretentious front hid a weak-willed, indecisive little girl. Which was no wonder if one considered her weak sire. An apple supposedly fell not far from the tree. Of all her children, only Katreena inherited her strong personality.

Silly Lillian might think that her grandmother was easy to fool with the useless social media campaigns that she used to gain supporters and flaunt her good relationship with Ronan to her grandmother's face. Lucrethia scoffed at all the meaningless glitters.

Her granddaughter did not understand Lucrethia at all.

The real support that Lucrethia wished to gain was the werewolf society's. Who cared about all the negligible human beings?

Poisoning Lucien Clearwater was Lucrethia's goal all along. Forget about using the baby as leverage. Lucrethia knew that it would not work. As long as Lucien Clearwater was still alive, Ronan Silverback would never give Lillian even a side glance. Why?

Because he was mated with Lucien. The mating bond was sacred and protected by the Moon Goddess. As long as it still existed, Ronan's heart was tied to Lucien's.

.....

It existed only when both parties were alive.

Lucien had to die.

After Lucien's demise, Ronan was free to mate with another.

And who would it be if not the woman who was carrying his baby? Even if Ronan did not want to, he would be forced by society to do it.

Lucrethia's plan was perfect.

The day of Lillian's baby shower finally arrived.

It had been a long time since the Infinite Eclipse Pack opened its gates for a visit from other packs.

Almost all Alphas and Lunas came by to offer their congratulations.

Pale-faced Conrad stood around clumsily and harvested the result of Lucrethia's hard work, thanking guests left and right for their attendance and well wishes.

Almost everyone showered Lillian with praises about her glowing look, how motherhood suit her, and so on.

Although both men and women attended the baby shower, the men knew that it was mainly an event for mothers or future mothers.

While the women thus gathered around Lillian for some baby talk, the men spread around the hall and chatted with each other. All but of course Ronan Silverback, the father of the baby.

It delighted the women to have Ronan at the focal point of the baby shower. The dashingly handsome Alpha sat next to Lillian, exchanging loving looks with the latter, and entertained the guest with charming smiles and witty jokes. Lucrethia could almost laugh out loud. The fated mate connection was a scam. A big lie.

Look at what happened as soon as Ronan was free from it.

He was a lot happier.

It turned out that he preferred Lillian over Lucien after all.

In the end, he might understand that he was better off with a woman than a man.

Lillian was apparently not as useless as Lucrethia thought.

"Oh, by the way, Alpha Ronan, where is your mate, Lucien Clearwater?" nosy Aunt Barbara Woodland asked Ronan.

She pretended to look left and right for the red-blonde man's shadow and genuinely looked as if she missed him a lot.

Lucrethia Woodland narrowed her eyes at Ronan, trying to pick up on any involuntary reaction that this question might invoke in the Alpha.

Ronan looked perplexed by the question for a split second, but then his face melted into a gentle smile.

"My mate is not feeling too well. Unfortunately, despite his effort to plan this baby shower, he is unable to attend."

Ronan then reached out and caressed Lillian's belly. "Nevertheless, we are all praying for the safe delivery of the baby."

All the women went "Awwwwww" in unison.

Lillian put her hand on top of Ronan's and laced their fingers together.

"I can't wait to hold our baby in my arms," she cooed.

"So sweet," Aunt Vera said while wiping the ends of her eyes. "We were so worried that Lillian would not replace a place in the Infinite Eclipse Pack, what with the unideal circumstances..." Ronan shook his head and smiled.

"Of course not. Lucien is very understanding. How can we not accept Lillian? She is after all giving birth to my son."

Lucrethia smiled along with the other women.

Understanding?

Dying men were often understanding, yes. Lucrethia knew that for sure.

"We sure hope for a speedy recovery!" Aunt Barbara chirped. "Poor man. How is he doing?"

"He is receiving treatment at the Holy Temple of Moon Goddess. The temple priests and priestesses are doing their best to help him recover."

Ha.

Lucrethia was barely able to conceal a sneer from spreading across her face.

Lucien Clearwater was going to die soon enough. The fools at the temple could not do anything. They were not even healers! Thanks to the rarity of fated mates, this was one potent poison that had not been researched enough. Not many people knew about it, except for a select few who had been looking for it specifically.

Someone like for example Lucrethia Woodland.

"The Infinite Eclipse Pack is going to hold a ceremony tomorrow to pray for Lucien's recovery," Ronan announced to the round of ladies. "We hope to appeal to the Moon Goddess' mercy."

"Oh? It is quite unusual. I never thought that Alpha Ronan is such a devout believer."

"I am but a sinner. I am lucky enough to receive counsel from the High Seer that says that if the ceremony is a success, then Lucien will be saved."

An "oooooh" went through the ladies.

"Is that so? Well, that surely makes sense. Best of luck, Alpha Ronan. When is this ceremony supposed to take place?"

"Tomorrow, during the full moon."

Lucrethia sipped on her cup of tea.

Fools. Why would the Moon Goddess care about someone insignificant as Lucien Clearwater? Even if she did care, what's with this "coaxing ceremony" that they needed to hold? Ridiculous!!! On the other side, this sounded like a great opportunity to finish the job.

Busy with her own thoughts, Lucrethia failed to notice the briefest glance that Ronan threw her.

"There was this... elder lady in St. Clarence who I met while Anna was still in surgery. We talked, and... she said that I was selfish."

Ronan balled his hands into fists.

"She has the same eyes. The same beautiful eyes as yours."

For a split second, a murderous glint passed across Ronan's eyes. It went away as fast as it came, masked perfectly by the good-mooded and light conversation about the upcoming birth of the baby. Having achieved what he meant to do, Ronan Silverback excused himself from the round of ladies. He went into the bathroom and splashed a handful of water on his face.

That was all he could do in order to not jump across the tea table and attack Lucrethia Woodland in front of so many people.

How he would love to snap the elderly's neck on spot for all the suffering that she caused his mate.

But no, not like that.

Death was too merciful.

It was not even a punishment. Not for someone who was already that old, anyway.

"What the f**k do you think you are doing, Ronan Silverback?"

Ronan lifted his head and gazed at the mirror in front of him.

Kinnon Youngshaper stood behind him, his face grotesque from burning rage.

.....

Ronan wiped at his face using a moist towelette before throwing it into the waste bin.

"Alpha Kinnon Youngshaper. Long time no see."

Kinnon pulled at Ronan's shoulder to turn him around. He then grabbed Ronan's collar and pulled him close.

"Seriously? What kind of show are you pulling out there?"

Ronan freed himself and pinned Kinnon with a glare.

"I don't know what you are talking about. What show?"

"Ronan Silverback, you!"

In the next second, Kinnon already punched Ronan's face. The latter was thrown to the bathroom floor.

Ronan chuckled.

He wiped the trace of blood from his lips and rose to his feet.

"If you are referring to Lillian, what exactly did I do wrong? Was I not devoted enough?"

Kinnon's mouth dropped open. A vein popped up at his temple and started twitching.

"Ronan, what the hell? What the f**k? Is this what you are supposed to do when your mate is sick? Hanging around Lillian Woodland, carefreely celebrating the birth of your baby???" Ronan averted his eyes and clicked his tongue.

"Lucien is not going to make it. We both know about that. He gave me the blessing to be with Lillian."

"RONAN, YOU!!!"

Kinnon lunged at Ronan.

Ronan gritted his teeth. He pulled his fist back and then landed a strong punch into his rival's stomach. Dissatisfied that his rival was still standing, Ronan kicked him hard in the same spot. Roaring in fury, Kinnon swiftly reached for Ronan's neck and slammed his head against the wall several times.

"You a*****e!" He spat at Ronan when he was done. "You do not deserve Lucien! If I knew that this would happen... I would have taken Lucien for myself!"

Pressed against the bathroom wall, Ronan hissed, "Lucien loves me. You have no chance!"

Kinnon flung Ronan against the sink counter. The Alpha gave a loud yelp when his hips slammed against the rocky surface.

Blinded by the pain, he slid to the floor while holding his left waist.

"Lillian and the baby are all I have now," Ronan said, the tails of his eyes red from sorrow. "Leave me alone, Alpha Kinnon." "Like hell, I will!!!"

Kinnon threw himself at Ronan, but then someone pushed him to the floor. And then another. And then another.

"Help!!!" One of them shouted.

"Help! Alpha Kinnon Youngshaper is attacking Alpha Ronan Silverback in the bathroom!"

"Good Goddess!" Conrad Woodland shouted when he arrived at the grisly scene.

He immediately rushed to Ronan's side and checked the latter's wounds.

"Alpha Ronan, are you alright? Can you stand???"

"Sure," Ronan answered nonchalantly.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Alpha Kinnon."

Kinnon Youngshaper hurled a bunch of curses at Ronan as he was being dragged outside.

Conrad Woodland shook his head in disbelief.

"Such violence. My, my. Apparently, the rumor about Alpha Kinnon being in love with Mr. Lucien Clearwater is not wrong...

"Well, he has always been," Ronan said. "After all, he tried to take Lucien away from me."

Conrad lowered his voice and whispered with a conspiratorial tone, "The attack just now practically happened in public. Alpha Ronan, this is a good time to bring down the Night Prowler Pack. If you need the Ironclad Claws Pack to help..."

"I will consider that," Ronan said. "Please go back, Alpha Conrad. Today is Lillian's day. We should not ruin it by talking about war and other... gloomy topics."

Ronan gave Conrad a pat on the shoulder before he straightened his clothes and walked out.

Conrad Woodland was amazed.

Did he mishear?

How could Ronan Silverback be so uncaring about his dying mate? It was as if he no longer cared about his mate. One would think that Kinnon Youngshaper instead of Ronan Silverback was Lucien's mate.

Where did the loving, possessive Alpha Ronan go?

The Alpha swallowed hard.

That was one effective poison, he thought.

It could break the fated mate connection and eliminate the affection between two people just like that.

Ronan excused himself to change his clothes and treat his wounds.

"I am going to send a Healer to your room," Quinn said after checking Ronan's wounds. She was about to yell for a Healer to come, but Ronan stopped her.

"No need," the Alpha replied. "I will take care of it myself."

"Alright, Alpha."

On his way to his apartment, one of his lead warriors ensured him that Kinnon Youngshaper had been thrown out of the pack house.

"Good job," Ronan said with a smile. Once he got inside his apartment, the battered Kinnon Youngshaper already waited inside.

"Damn it, Ronan. Must you

Ronan raised an eyebrow.

me so hard?" Kinnon growled.

"I can say the same. I almost fainted then and there when you slammed my head to the wall."

"Heh."

Kinnon lowered his voice. "Did they buy it?"

"I sure hope so," Ronan whispered. "I don't know what else to do."

Kinnon sighed.

"I can hardly believe this is all happening. Lucien..."

Ronan gazed at the dispirited Kinnon. He then patted his back and said, "Right now, there are only a few people I can trust to help me. If someone tells me months ago that one of them is you, I would have sent that person to St. Clarence's psychiatric section." Kinnon scoffed.

"Technically, I am doing this for Lucien, not you."

"Same thing," Ronan said with a smile. "Come on, let's take care of our wounds."

The stage had been set. The only remaining thing to do was wait until the players came to play.

Truthfully, Lucrethia did not take Ronan's words seriously when he said that Lucien was being treated at the Holy Temple of The Moon Goddess.

She was thus rather surprised when it turned out to be true.

Sitting on the patio while watching the setting sun, Lucrethia leaned against her cushioned seat while she conversed in a low voice with a hooded figure who was hiding behind the bushes.

"It's true, Madam Woodland. I saw him myself," so her informant told her.

Lucrethia hummed while rubbing against her lips.

"And where is he, exactly?"

"He is lying inside the Cleansing Pond, Madam," came the answer in a hurry.

"Cleansing Pond?"

"According to widespread rumors, the Cleansing Pond's water is brimming with pure lunar energy. It absorbs the moonlight night after night, year after year, until it turns into a fountain of healing."

.....

A fountain of healing?

Lucrethia's face darkened. She did not like the sound of it at all.

"So that with the ceremony to beg the Moon Goddess to heal Lucien is not a hoax?"

"I don't know, Madam. I just know that the Cleansing Pond is very powerful and Lucien Clearwater has been lying inside for a day and a night!"

A day and a night inside a so-called Cleansing Pond with miraculous healing properties?

Lucien might just make it.

Lucrethia snapped a twig furiously.

After everything that she had done, she could no longer go back. She refused to admit defeat. Lucien Clearwater must die, if that was the last thing she got to do in this life!

No way.

She had to hurry.

If she did not know better, she would sneak into the temple and finish Lucien herself.

No.

No.

She needed to be patient.

She needed to stick to her initial plan.

With or without a magical pond, Lucien was close to death. He would not be revived within one or two days. Otherwise, why bother holding the ritualistic ceremony to beg for the Moon Goddess' mercy?

It all sounded like a huge excuse.

What was the use of reviving Lucien now that Ronan no longer felt anything for him?

Maybe he was just trying to preserve his reputation.

Yes.

Think about it, Lucrethia told herself.

It was Ronan Silverback who she was thinking about. The spawn of Dane Silverback who cheated on his mate and almost drove Adele Fangblade to lunacy.

Of course he would not be better than his father.

The Silverbacks were unable to fall in love. They would only end up hurting their mates. Previously it was Adele Fangblade, and this time it was Lucien Clearwater.

Heh.

In that case, finishing Lucien was practically the best gift she could give to the expecting couple.

Wouldn't it be great?

The heir of the Silverback family would be born far from this mess.

Lillian, no matter how undeserving she was, would become the Luna of the Infinite Eclipse Pack as planned.

"I have one last task for you," Lucrethia said with a wicked grin across her face.

"Y-yes, Madam?"

"I want you to finish Lucien Clearwater for me."

The informant gasped.

"B-But, Madam, I... I am a servant of the temple!"

Lucrethia stared at the trembling man through the bushes.

"You are my servant. Unless you want your son to die miserably like your wife."

A painful whimper escaped the man behind the bushes.

"Please, don't," he begged. "Madam, I have been getting you a lot of information throughout the months... Please... Please release my son. My son is innocent!"

"If you really care about your son, you will fulfill this last task with perfection. Then I will release you and even give you enough money to escape to Europe with your son in tow."

"Y-Yes. Alright, alright. I... I will do it."

Lucrethia humphed in satisfaction.

"H-How does the Madam want him to die?"

"Hmmmmm..."

"You need to kill him tomorrow night, when the full moon is shining above."

"O-Okay. W-With a knife?"

Lucrethia gasped dramatically.

"Good grief, no."

A knife would raise a question. If it was not necessary to act stealthily, she might have stabbed Lucien himself when they met at St. Clarence. Instead, she painstakingly laced the candied plums with poison before coaxing Lucien to eat them.

But of course, this foolish priest knew nothing about Lucrethia's efforts.

The elderly unscrewed the pointy end of her wooden cane and took a tiny vial out. Inside was a translucent, red, and thick liquid with tiny golden crystals swimming at the surface.

Lucrethia held the vial between her thumb and her index finger.

The elderly's lips were curled into a cruel smile.

"This, is the ancient poison called 'A Thousand Flowers Of Separation'. It is extracted from the blood of a poor she-wolf who was betrayed by her fated mate."

"It is said that the woman went insane from the torment. This poison essentially carried the woman's curse. A very strong one, indeed."

The priest in hiding swallowed hard when he saw the vial in Lucrethia's hand.

"Madam... You wish for me to poison Lucien Clearwater...?"

"Why, yes. But first, you need to take him out of the Cleansing Pond. Then, you feed him the poison and wait until he stops breathing. Once the job is done, you can dump his dead body back into the pond."

The priest shivered.

"B-But... But..."

Killing a person was already bad enough, but besmirching the Cleansing Pond with a corpse?

As if guessing his train of thought, Lucrethia chuckled.

"What, are you afraid of the Moon Goddess' punishment?"

The man nodded fervently.

Lucrethia scoffed.

"The Moon Goddess expects us to take what we want with our own hands. That is what I am doing. Trust me, She won't mind. I know women."

Lucrethia leaned closer with the cursed poison in her hand.

"No one is going to know," she whispered, her tone dripping with poison and sending chills down the man's spine. "It is not going to take long. Last time I only used three drops. This time, give him the whole vial. He is going to stop breathing within minutes."

The Holy Temple of The Moon Goddess kept the same amount of priests and priestesses in the temple for decades. Forty-seven priests and fifty-two priestesses, never a number more and never a number less.

The priests and priestesses came from various backgrounds. A lot of them were rogue werewolves and she-wolves who were kicked out from their packs due to one or other things, but never because they committed unforgivable crimes.

Most of them were rogue werewolves by birth.

Children of rogue she-wolves who gave birth without any pack's assistance.

As they were innocent, they had the chance to rejoin the werewolf community by applying to any pack. Many times though, they were rejected because of their low birth.

Hoping to reset their poor background, a lot of them decided to join the temple to cleanse their original sins. A few years of service at the temple sufficed to achieve this goal.

No packs would reject a devout werewolf into their midst. It was almost as good as receiving a letter of recommendation from the High Seer herself.

Elijah had served in the temple for four and a half years when tragedy struck his wife and his then ten-year-old son. His wife died tragically in a car accident that was caused by a young, drunk human being whose father just bought him a new car. Elijah's son escaped the same fate by a hairsbreadth, having been pushed to safety by his mother.

.....

When faced with such a tragedy, one had two options: one, to accept the death of one beloved person and focus on the living ones; or two, to pursue the call for justice and demand blood for blood.

As a servant of the Moon Goddess, Elijah was expected to pick the first option. Unfortunately, he was unable to. His eyes were blinded by blood and his mind was poisoned with the lust for vengeance. What followed could be referred to as either bad luck or fate.

Elijah crossed paths with Lucrethia Woodland, who had both the power and the cunning mind to exact revenge without drawing attention or further consequences.

The drunk lad who drove the car died in another car accident, orchestrated by the matriarch of the Woodland family.

Elijah received a photo of the lad's wrecked body as a gift.

After that, as thanks, Lucrethia demanded a little service from Elijah. Bits and pieces of information. Cookie crumbs, really.

Before he knew it, his master was no longer the Moon Goddess but Madam Lucrethia Woodland from the Ironclad Claws Pack.

At first, Elijah didn't mind much. Until what Lucrethia asked of him bore a more and more sinister nature. Once he refused, and he was told that his son had entered the Woodland family as a servant.

The Ironclad Claws pack had accepted Elijah's son as part of the pack. He had returned to the werewolf society, the very thing that Elijah had wanted for him.

The problem was that the son was tightly clutched within Lucrethia's claws with no possibility of escape.

Elijah did not have any other choice.

This time, the Madam gave him one last job. He was to conclude his service by shedding Lucien Clearwater's blood in return for the vengeance that she took for Elijah.

In his whole life, Elijah had never stained his hands with blood. This time, although Lucien's blood was not going to stick to him, Elijah knew that at the end of the night, he would have taken an innocent life from the face of the earth.

Not unlike the irresponsible drunk driver who murdered his wife.

No, even worse.

At least that drunk driver didn't mean to kill his wife.

That night, Elijah crept toward the Cleansing Pond.

Lucien Clearwater was lying inside the cradle beneath the Tree Of Life. His lower body was submerged inside the pond while his upper body remained above the water's surface.

His lips were white, his skin blueish. Only the shallow breathing sound that came from the man testified that he was indeed still alive.

Despite the deathly appearance, the man looked as beautiful as a fallen angel.

Elijah swallowed hard.

Curling

his fingers into fists, he told himself to take action.

Lucrethia's words kept reverberating in his head.

"If you really care about your son, you will fulfill this last task with perfection. Then I will release you and even give you enough money to escape to Europe with your son in tow."

Elijah stepped into the Cleansing Pond as quietly as possible and lifted Lucien out of the pond. For a split second, a chill ran down Elijah's spine. Someone was staring at him.

He thought that Lucien had woken up, but the man's eyes were still tightly shut.

It was all his imagination.

Elijah then lay the man on the grass in the darkest corner. After wiping beads of cold sweat from his forehead, he took the tiny poison vial out from the folds of his robe.

"I am sorry," he whispered sorrowfully before he unscrewed the poison vial and pried Lucien's lips open with his fingers.

Just as he was about to pour the whole content of the vial into Lucien's mouth, a big brown wolf jumped at him.

"AHHHHHHH!!!"

Elijah barely managed to escape the four sets of claws by rolling to the side. He then quickly staggered to his feet and tried to run away. In his trepidation, he blindly ran into a direction and ended up bumping into a sturdy man instead.

When he saw who it was, he almost fainted from fright.

Kinnon Youngshaper wrenched the poison vial from Elijah's hand. Before the latter tried to escape, the big brown wolf pounced at him again and pinned him down to the ground.

"Good stuff," Kinnon commented when he looked at the poison inside the vial. "I hate to say it, Alpha Ronan, but it looks like you are right."

"A stroke of luck and a whole load of the Moon Goddess' blessings," Alpha Ronan said as he stepped into the light.

"Thank you for the help, Kinnon and Jake."