Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 65

On the second week of June, the Abermagne Port at the farthest end of the continent was full with people who dressed like they just came straight from the ongoing Summer Dream Fashion Week. Strutting around like proud peacocks, men and women held each other's hands, or draped their arms around each other's bodies.

Those who maintained low profiles were often found in not-so-private corners, enraptured by hot kisses and embraces.

All of them were waiting for the luxurious cruise ship by the name "Seven Layers Of Heaven" to be open for boarding.

The massive vessel, with a gross tonage of almost 300,000, boasted almost 3000 cabins to provide accommodation for almost 7500 people. The passengers had thirty different choices of cabins to pick from, with prices ranging from lowest to highest depending on the cabin view, the cabin location, and also the extra amenities and services.

Whichever cabin the passengers picked, they were still going on the same romantic cruise. It was all they needed to take their breaths away, to transport them into a parallel universe where all their problems were momentarily forgotten and they just had to enjoy the upcoming trip.

Not that these people struggled a lot in their lives.

They were all filthy rich.

Or at least half of them were.

.....

Some children looked as if they had golden towels to wipe their b**t since infancy.

A red-blonde woman with her hair tied up into a bun and a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses sat at a small white table. She was protected from the sun by a huge maroon-colored umbrella that was attached to the table.

The red tank top and a pair of beige pants accentuated her slim body. Her fair and shapely legs stood naked to the eyes, and her feet were wrapped in a pair of white strap sandals.

She looked lovely and enchanting.

But there was something about her that made prospective lovers decide not to approach her.

It was possibly the blinding confidence that she exuded.

Or maybe it was her arrogant posture, with one gorgeous leg draped over another.

Or maybe it was the mask of fury that she wore across her face.

Annalynne Clearwater was very unhappy.

In five minutes, they were going to be able to board but her brother was still not in sight.

"Anna, here's your drink," Lowell came back with two tall cups of iced caramel latte.

Annalynne slurped loudly while she cast a menacing look at the crowd.

Her mood worsened visibly when the time arrived and everyone started boarding the ship.

"Where is Lulu???" she asked loudly. "If that perverted Alpha thinks that I will board the ship without Lulu, he is sorely mistaken!"

Lowell's lips parted in disappointment.

This was the first birthday that they spent together. Did Annalynne like her brother more than her boyfriend?

He didn't want to say it out loud, but maybe, just maybe, Annalynne was a little too obsessed with her twin brother.

"Yo."

Both Annalynne and Lowell turned around when they heard the familiar voice.

Ronan and Lucien stood behind them, Ronan scowling and Lucien smiling. "Hi Lowell," he greeted Annalynne's boyfriend.

The man quickly blushed when he saw Lucien. He stammered a "H-Hello."

In his whole life, Lowell had always been attracted to women. But whenever he caught sight of Lucien, he understood why some men, just like the Alpha of the Infinite Eclipse Pack, preferred him over the most beautiful Alpha's daughters. Ronan Silverback pursed his lips in jealousy.

He hated it when men and women fawned over Lucien. Did they not know that Lucien was his mate? They should refrain from looking at him.

Particularly Lucien's twin sister!

Annalynne bounced off her feet and ran toward Lucien happily.

She put her arms around Lucien's neck and pulled him into a hug.

Laughing, Lucien hugged her back and spun her around.

They looked like a couple in love.

Lowell stood there with an uneasy smile.

Ronan's face was as dark as the pot bottom.

His mood worsened even more when the woman wrinkled her nose after sniffing Lucien's scent.

"Bleah," she said, sticking her tongue out and making a disgusted face. "Lulu, your scent has deteriorated. You used to smell so good." Ronan rolled with his eyes.

Opposite Lucien, Annalynne sure had a thick face. And she always knew what to say to aggravate Ronan.

"Okay, let's board the ship!" she shouted cheerfully.

Thankfully, this time she grabbed Lowell and dragged him instead of her brother toward the ship.

"Ronan, don't be mad," Lucien said once his sister was out of earshot.

He reached out to caress Ronan's cheek. "Anna is still a child."

"Hm."

Ronan took Lucien's hand and kissed the middle of his palm.

His words carried a hidden message. If Ronan fought with his sister, then Ronan was also a child.

Wordlessly, Ronan put an arm around Lucien's waist and led him into the ship. All of their luggage were already taken care of by a bunch of cabin attendants.

The four werewolves went into the most luxurious suite on board. Located at the highest deck in the middle of the cruise ship with a whopping area of almost 3000 square feet and a balcony that overlooked the ocean, it was practically a penthouse. As soon as they entered the penthouse, a butler approached them with a tray of drinks.

"Champagne, Sirs and Madam?"

"Oooh," Annalynne quickly grabbed herself a glass. "Fancy!"

"No, thanks," Lucien refused with a smile. "I am no good with alcohol."

"What about a hibiscus tea? Maybe with warm milk and honey to enrich the flavor? The milk was stocked this morning from a nearby town and the honey was harvested from the cruise line's private, sustainable forest." "That sounds lovely, I would like that."

"Right away, Sir."

The luxurious dwelling had a master bedroom and two smaller bedrooms for children. Eager to grab the biggest room for himself and Lucien, Ronan personally dragged his and Lucien's luggage into the master bedroom. As soon as he got in, he jumped on the queen-sized bed.

With a victorious smile hanging on his lips, he lay on the bed like a male model in a porn magazine.

The smile quickly disappeared when Lucien came in and proceeded to take his luggage out.

"No!" Ronan shouted, aghast.

He launched himself from the bed and grabbed Lucien's wrist to stop him.

"What are you doing, Lulu???"

Lucien raised an eyebrow and gave him a look.

"Didn't we agree that I stay with Anna for the duration of the trip?"

They did, and Ronan did not forget, but he was too unwilling. That's why he made sure that they had one master bedroom and two smaller children's bedrooms.

The Alpha peeled his mate's fingers off the luggage handle and hug him from behind like an overgrown bear.

"Lulu-... I don't feel so good. I didn't sleep well last night. Stay with me, I need you to rub my back to sleep."

"

.....

And why exactly didn't he sleep well the previous night? Maybe because he fooled around with Lucien too much???

And then he had the face to complain to Lucien?

Disgruntled, the Luna squeezed the Alpha's face in response.

"Shameless!" he hissed.

Ronan was still not willing to let his Luna go to Annalynne. He could not believe that he won against Kinnon but had to lose against Annalynne.

What's with these Alphas and their vexation on his fated mate???

"Lulu~"

Ronan pressed a kiss along Lucien's jawline.

"If you are worried about Anna and Lowell, you can rest your mind. Look, I arranged for two smaller bedrooms. Anna and Lowell did not have to sleep together."

Implied was "So you and I can sleep together in the big master bedroom."

Lucien rolled with his eyes.

The Alpha was cunning, but he overlooked something.

"I already promised Anna to stay with her," he said. "Don't worry, the bed is big enough for us two to squeeze together..."

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Ronan howled.

He cursed his ingenuity. Or better said his stupidity.

How could he forget his mate's righteous behavior? Since he already promised to stay with his sister, he would keep the promise even if they only had a broom chamber to sleep in! Ronan sighed heavily.

He slumped against Lucien's body and with the smallest voice said, "You can take the master bedroom. I will take the small bedroom."

44"

Lucien's lips curled up into a smile.

So Ronan preferred to sleep in a small bed than having Lucien share a small bed with Annalynne?

The man wanted to laugh, but Ronan looked so sorrowful.

"Alright," he patted the side of the sullen man's head. "I will tell Anna the good news then."

" "

Good news for Annalynne indeed.

She did not even spare Ronan a glance when she dragged her luggage into the master bedroom, shutting the door at the poor Alpha's face.

Ronan was so dismayed in his smaller bedroom that he started to concoct evil plans in his mind. Something that involved leaving Annalynne and Lowell alone in the next port, for example...

The ship started sailing one hour after all passengers went into their cabins. Annalynne dragged everyone to go out to their lavish, private deck to enjoy the fresh air outside.

There was a swimming pool outside with six lounge chairs, three on one side and three on the other side.

While serving a round of fruit punch to refresh everyone, the butler informed them that "Massage therapy is part of the package."

Four women were thus called to undo every knot in their tense muscles and help ease the blood circulation in their bodies.

For once, Annalynne did not kick a fuss when Ronan wanted to lie next to Lucien during the massage.

Dripping with cold sweat thanks to the Alpha's sharp glares, the masseuse who massaged Lucien could barely do her work. She did not need to ask to know that they were a couple.

Every slight moan and every hum that escaped Lucien was reason enough for Ronan to boil with jealousy.

"Does it feel good, Lulu?" he asked through gritted teeth. His smile was so terrifying that the masseuse started to tremble violently.

She only dared to touch Lucien's shoulders and arms. Anything lower and she might lose her hands.

Lucien opened his eyes and turned his head to the side to look at his ridiculously possessive mate.

"Mhm. Why? Do you not feel good?"

Ronan's face crumpled like one of the waste paper balls in the trash can.

"No," he replied angrily.

"You can stop," he barked at his own masseuse. The elder woman was perplexed. In her long years of working as a masseuse, she rarely met such a picky client.

What a pity because he was such a handsome man with powerful upper half and impressively muscular lower half, too.

Ronan put his bathrobe on and walked back into the suite without looking back.

Lucien chuckled at his mate's childish attitude.

Then again, looking at Ronan's frame from behind, he really looked too good.

Their nightly exercise might contribute to the Alpha's sexy body.

"Thank you," Lucien told her masseuse, who was just thanking the gods for Ronan's departure. "I don't need more massage. On the other side, can I get a bottle of massage oil?"

The two masseuses exchanged confused glances. The butler was the one who answered Lucien, "I will handle it, Mr. Clearwater. What kind of massage oil do you want?" "Hmm, what do you recommend?"

"I will bring you a list to pick from. Each massage oil has its own healing properties."

"Alright."

Ronan sulked in his room for the entire day. He even refused to join the other three for lunch. He asked to have his lunch brought into his bedroom instead, citing the necessity to do some work on his notebook. The truth was that he was not working at all.

He kept glancing at the clock and counted the minutes until Lucien came into his bedroom to accompany him.

Minutes turned into an hour.

An hour turned into a few hours.

The sun was setting outside, and Lucien still did not come!

Angrily, the Alpha shut his notebook with a loud clack and marched outside to replace Lucien.

To his greatest dismay, the living room was empty.

Even the butler was gone!!!

Ronan stared at the empty room in shock.

How could they leave him alone like that???

Ronan did not know if he should cry or laugh at the situation.

He was the one who paid for the whole trip but everyone was having fun without him. Never in his life had he encountered such blatant betrayal.

Whether it was by fellow pack members or by his peers or other werewolves, he had always been treated with the utmost respect.

And now this new Alpha who was still green behind the ears dared to ruin things for him! And why, why must Lucien go with them???

Did he not care for Ronan anymore???

Was Annalynne going to take the first place in Lucien's heart forever???

Arrrrghhghhhhh!!!

The Alpha wanted to do something drastic such as jumping into the ocean and scaring fishes away or something.

But no, that was not a good idea.

.....

He needed to vent his frustration in a different way.

Ronan took off his bathrobe. He decided to walk outside to cool his head inside the swimming pool.

The orange color of the setting sun was reflected in the gently rippling water surface. It almost looked like it was on fire.

When Ronan looked further, he could see the vast ocean that the cruise ship was sailing across.

Its wavy surface also reflected the same color.

The night air was indescribably fresh and it carried a salty scent.

Ronan sucked in a lungful of fresh air.

His sour mood was soothed by the serene surroundings. A swim would indeed be great.

Once Ronan approached the pool, he noticed that some things had changed.

There were a few scented candles on the deck floor with rose petals scattered around them.

The scented candles led him to a decked table for two, located just next to the balcony with the amazing ocean view in the late afternoon.

Two tall candles were lit in the middle of two big plates complete with cutleries next to them.

""

What was this?

A candlelight dinner setup?

Ronan's throat went dry.

"You are out."

Startled by the sudden voice behind him, Ronan almost cracked his neck when he turned around.

His mate stood at the opposite side of the pool with a bright smile lacing his lips. He already changed into a simple T-shirt and a pair of short jeans for the evening.

"Are you done with your work?"

Ronan did not know what to respond with.

What work?

All he did inside was play online games while waiting for Lucien to come and coax him!

When Lucien didn't come soon enough, he was busy googling for ways to get rid of Annalynne and Lowell during the trip.

"Ahem. Yes," the Alpha shamelessly lied.

Lucien chuckled.

The Alpha was only wearing tight pants that underlined his shapely butts and thighs. His torso was engraved with mermaid lines. The muscles in his stomach formed a six-pack that invited Lucien to come and feel it. The two deep trenches that extended from his waist and disappeared into his pants made Lucien swallow hard.

He closed the distance between them and put his hands along Ronan's toned, sexy body. The man was radiating the kind of warmth that threatened to melt everyone who dared to come close and have a taste.

Lucien had fallen victim so many times, but he always came back for more.

And his scent...

Lucien's hands slid to Ronan's back. He leaned against his mate's shoulder and closed his eyes while taking a deep breath.

He smelled so good.

Ronan enjoyed the attention immensely. He ran his hands around Lucien's body before locking him in a tight embrace. The Alpha then tilted his head to the side and kissed his mate on the lips. "Hmm..."

"I thought you left me alone," Ronan said in a childish protest.

He should have known better. His Lulu loved him the most. He would never pick Annalynne over him. Right? Right???

Lucien broke into a smile.

He hooked his arms around Ronan's neck and pulled him in for another kiss.

"Shut up and kiss me, Alpha," he commanded.

"Yes, Luna."

They fell into another round of kissing.

Ronan was an only child. He was easy to handle.

He didn't know what sibling rivalry looked like.

Lucien and Annalynne had always been close, but that didn't mean that they willingly and openly shared everything.

Since they were children, Annalynne had always been selfish. Maybe because she was the girl, so she thought that she must get all the attention.

Or maybe because as they grew up, people often paid more attention to Lucien. Lucien was the next Alpha, Lucien was the precious heir, blah blah blah. Annalynne did love her brother, but she hated having to stand in the background while Lucien received all the praises and head pats that she too longed to have. When Lucien took the role to be the elder brother among them and coddled Annalynne more than everyone else, it naturally made the twin sister very happy. The whole world could love Lucien, but Lucien loved her and her alone. That was an idea that Annalynne could live with.

And that was why she disliked Ronan.

Ronan was a nuisance.

Besides, Ronan hurt Lucien so many times.

By right, Lucien should leave Ronan.

What Annalynne didn't think of was that even if it weren't Ronan, there would be someone else.

She herself finally found love, so why couldn't Lucien do the same?

Lucien promised to always be her big brother, but he also wanted to fulfill other roles. Such as becoming Ronan's mate and the Luna of his pack among others.

This was something that Annalynne had to come to terms with.

After all, Lucien was going to leave the Silent Walkers Pack soon. Their interactions would diminish further. One was a Luna and the other was an Alpha.

"So, where are they?" Ronan asked, pulling Lucien out of his deep thoughts.

He naturally referred to the two people that had been intruding into their romantic vacation.

"I sent them away to have dinner in the fancy restaurant."

"Oh. Then this setup..."

The Alpha dumbly pointed at the decked table. He knew the answer to his incomplete question, but he was too insecure to assume that it was true.

Lucien squeezed Ronan's jaw lovingly.

"I am inviting you to dinner, Alpha."

The night descended around them quickly.

Ronan sat obediently opposite Lucien, admiring his mate's beautiful features.

Between them, the candle flames cast a soft light over their faces, bathing everything in a soothing golden color.

The Alpha lifted his empty glass, a gesture that did not escape the butler's keen observation.

He quickly approached the table with a bottle of chilled red wine.

"Should we toast?" A corner of Lucien's lips was tugged up in a smile.

"Sure."

Ronan nodded at the butler, who then poured wine into their glasses.

"To my beautiful Lulu," Ronan said while raising his glass.

"To our marriage," Lucien said with a chuckle.

The glasses made a beautiful clinking sound when they met.

Ronan held his gla*s to his nose and took a deep breath.

It had a pleasant and fruity aroma. Sweet but strong.

Ronan slid a hand across the table and put it on top of Lucien's.

Lucien squeezed Ronan's hand gently.

"One more month until we are officially married," he said. "Time sure flies fast."

"Not fast enough," Ronan disagreed.

Fast would be eight years ago, about a week after they left the Alpha Camp.

Ronan tilted his head while looking at his mate with a dreamy smile lacing his lips.

"Where did you spend your birthday last year?"

"Hmmm..."

Lucien leaned back in his seat and stared off into the distance in an effort to remember.

"Ah, yes. Anna and I went to climb a mountain and then spent a week at a rented cottage in the middle of a forest."

"... Okay?"

"Our birthday falls when summer arrives, so we do summer activities every year."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Swimming, fishing, cooking in the wild."

The word "cooking" reminded Ronan of the Sundays he spent with Lucien at the Alpha Camp.

"So why did you s**k so much in gutting fishes and roasting them on fire?"

Chuckling, Lucien took another sip from his glass.

"Hey, speak for yourself. I didn't remember that you were such an expert yourself."

"I, of course, was not an expert. I never handled a raw fish in my life."

Or raw chicken.

Or raw beef.

Or raw anything, really.

"By the time something arrives in front of me, it is already cooked to perfection and garnished properly."

Lucien shook his head and then scowled while taking another sip from his wine glass.

"You pampered brat."

That was not all.

As a child, Ronan might not even be required to cut his own fish. Maybe a servant always stood aside to help him cut and debone his fish, lest the tender, young alpha choke on fish bones.

Ronan sneered at his mate.

"And yet, you are in love with me."

"I do."

Ronan leaned closer and rubbed at Lucien's jaw.

"Come and kiss me, you flirt."

Lucien giggled. He acquiesced and leaned forward to share a kiss with his pampered Alpha.

Once they finished kissing, the butler reappeared from inside the suite and announced, "The appetizer is ready."

He then placed a tray full of baked mini pastries on the table between Ronan and Lucien.

"Brie pastries with creme mushroom and asparagus filling, a special appetizer to commemorate a special occasion, courtesy of 'Seven Layers Of Heaven"."

Lucien scooped one pastry and held it against Ronan's lips.

The latter opened up right away to take the pastry, scraping Lucien's fingers with his tongue in the process.

"Delicious," he commented before grabbing Lucien's wrist and biting his fingers for fun.

"What is delicious, the pastry or my hand?" Lucien teased.

"Nothing is more delicious than my Lulu."

Ronan picked up a pastry and held it in front of Lucien. "But do taste it, it tastes quite heavenly."

Lucien chuckled.

"I must thank Alpha Ronan for his kind recommendation."

They continued feeding each other the appetizers while chatting.

After the appetizer, came the seafood soup with coriander bits sprinkled on top of each bowl. The wisps of fragrant smoke that rose from the soup were enticing to the nose, but the rich flavor of the clear broth made them both sigh in satisfaction.

As soon as the bowls were empty, they were replaced with two plates of sirloin steak, with tiny baked potatoes and fresh salad at the side.

Next to each plate stood a silver gravy boat containing mild spicy barbeque sauce.

"It

is really good," the Alpha praised after he took a bite.

"I am glad to hear that."

Ronan could not help but let a smirk hush across his handsome features when he glanced at his mate.

"My Luna has learned to serve me something better than macaroni and cheese. I am eternally grateful," he teased.

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

He knew that Ronan still held a grudge over the many times he was forced to eat food below his standard, thanks to Lucien's allegedly poor taste.

"You don't like sweet meals but you also don't like macaroni and cheese. Alpha Ronan, you are so difficult to please."

Ronan laughed.

"Alright, alright. I promise to eat everything from your hand if you feed me personally!"

"Heh."

While they were dining in peace, Lucien suddenly realized something else.

He lowered his steak knife and mused, "I just realized that the five months were over a while ago."

Slightly stunned, Ronan too lowered his steak knife and fork.

"To be precise, it was over three weeks ago."

"Mhm... it felt like forever, and then it passed just like that."

Together, they had gone through so many harrowing episodes. Ronan could still feel the physical pain stabbing his chest whenever the painful images flashes through his brain.

"I still get nightmares from that night in the Holy Temple," the Alpha confessed.

"Even now?"

"Even now," Ronan confirmed. "I still cannot believe that we made it. A part of me refuses to believe that we are that blessed. This is more than what I deserve."

Lucien leaned forward and cupped Ronan's face with both hands.

.....

"And what about me? Don't I deserve it?"

Ronan chuckled.

"My dear Lulu, you deserve the whole world," he whispered before giving his mate another kiss on the lips.

At the end of the glamorous candlelight dinner, the butler brought them two servings of blueberry cheesecake with a scoop of blueberry and vanilla ice cream swirl each, complete with sprinkled nut topping.

The cheese layer was so tender that it practically melted in the mouth.

The combined flavor of blueberry and vanilla ice cream was so sweet, but it did not stick to the throat. It was like eating a scoop of cloud.

The entire dinner was so fulfilling that for once Ronan did not utter a single word of complaint.

Good-mooded and a little tipsy from the wine, he decided to talk about some stuff in the past.

"Say, Lulu," Ronan spoke to his mate. "Did you really think that Lillian's baby was mine?"

Lucien hummed.

"Well, judging from the rate of how you went from bed to bed, it was not unlikely, was it?"

Ronan cleared his throat.

.....

An inexplicable chill suddenly crept up his spine. The same kind of chill one experienced when danger was imminent. It was his fight-or-flight response.

'You idiot, Beowulf suddenly spoke up in his head. 'Ronan, you are digging your own grave!

The wolf could not believe how stupid Ronan could be sometimes.

"

Beowulf turned out to be right.

It seemed that Lucien had been brooding over this topic for a while. Since Ronan so freely walked into his arms of judgment, he happily wrapped his claws around him and refused to let go.

"Sooo, tell me. How many men and women were there after we broke up back then?" Lucien asked while he leaned back against his cushioned chair.

His lips were pulled into a smile, but his eyes were not smiling at all.

When Ronan sat there in silence with dread written all over his face, Lucien chuckled and added, "Tell me, I won't get mad."

44"

There was no use avoiding it. Sooner or later, Lucien was going to ask the same thing again. When he found out later, his reactions might be worse.

Ronan coughed into his fist. The knot at his throat rolled up and down nervously.

"Not... Not many."

"How much is not many?"

Ronan rubbed at his face and cursed at himself. He could not regret breaching the topic more. By then, the wine effect was gone, replaced by cold and judicial sobriety.

"Maybe two or three..."

Lucien was about to open his mouth and say, "Liar" when he heard the last word that Ronan said with the lowest voice ever.

"...hundred."

Lucien's dessert fork dropped on the table.

Two or three hundred?

He stared at his mate in disbelief.

"More like two hundred, really," Ronan said in a hurry. "I had orgies some nights..."

Orgies, huh?

Lucien knew that Ronan had an awful reputation as a womanizer, but after knowing the truth, he felt that the word "womanizer" was insufficient to describe Ronan's decadence.

"Wow," Lucien mumbled. "You are way worse than your father."

Ronan was deeply ashamed of his past adventures, but in his defense, he did not know better. What else could he do back then? He had tasted heaven in Alpha Camp a few times but then he was ruthlessly tossed to hell right after.

The only thing that Ronan never ceased to regret was the fact that Lucien got tortured by the rejection backlash every time Ronan indulged himself with various men and women.

"Sorry," Ronan clasped his hands in front of his face and bowed his head. "I didn't know that you would get hurt because I slept around."

Lucien scoffed.

He beckoned the butler to approach for more wine.

"Wow," he repeated. "Just wow."

Ronan

felt like a sinner on the way to the execution platform, but he still had to plead for mercy.

"Lulu, are you upset? I am so sorry."

Lucien took another sip of wine after the butler refilled their glasses.

'Two to three hundred eh? Wow. I knew it was bad but not this bad,' Landon commented.

'Mmh.'

we castrate him?'

'Should

'Maybe next time if he cheats on us again!'

Landon giggled viciously.

Lucien finished his wine and then pinned Ronan with a cold stare.

He was the one who asked the question. Ronan gave him an open and honest answer, so Lucien had no reason to get mad.

"It's fine. We were broken up back then. I just didn't know that you were such a slut."

"I am your slut now," Ronan made pretty eyes at Lucien shamelessly. "I belong to you and no one else."

"You better be. If you cheat on me, Landon is going to castrate you."

"

...

Beowulf whimpered in Ronan's head.

'I am NOT going to cheat!' Ronan growled. 'Have a little trust in me, B!'

"And by the way, how did you manage to not get a single one of them pregnant?"

Another uncomfortable question.

Ronan coughed into his fist again. "I was very careful."

His Luna squinted at him, his eyes full of suspicion.

"No one can be that careful," he said. "Maybe you do have some illegitimate children running around."

"I don't."

"How are you so sure?"

"I am absolutely sure. I covered all the bases."

Ronan rose to his feet and walked leisurely around the table toward Lucien.

He then pulled his mate to his arms and rubbed the latter's stomach.

"My babies will be born through you, my Luna."

Lucien turned red.

It was the wine, he told himself.

The red-blonde man looked away in embarrassment.

"Technically, they will be born through the lab-grown womb."

"It still is your womb, sharing your flesh and blood."

"Mmh."

Ronan ran his hands down and squeezed Lucien's squishy rear ends.

"I love you so much, my Luna."

"I love you too, my debauched Alpha."

Ronan scoffed.

Lucien chuckled, and then he gave his mate a deep kiss on the lips.

Filled with good food and good wine, with his beautiful and forgiving mate to accompany him, the Alpha was so happy that nothing could ruin the night for him.

Not even Annalynne and Lowell, who came back a while later.

.....

Lucien was quickly dragged away by Annalynne to sit together on the pool lounges, while Ronan and Lowell were left to breathe in some fresh air on the balcony.

Lowell was extremely nervous in Ronan's presence.

The first reason was their obvious status difference.

The second reason was Ronan's sharp instincts.

"So," Ronan cocked his head at the man. "When did you start sleeping with Anna?"