Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 75

'Lucien, I am out for a while.'

What followed was the sound of the door closing.

Lucien turned his head toward the door when he heard Ronan's voice via Mind Link.

"Ronan?" he called, but his mate gave no answer.

There was no one at the door. When Lucien opened the door and peeked outside, the corridor was empty.

Lucien did not have time to wonder where Ronan went off to, because the babies had started to cry again. In the past four weeks, they were used to seeing either Ronan or Lucien around, so when none of them was visible, they quickly became distressed. "I am coming," Lucien shouted before he closed the door. "Don't cry, my little sweethearts..."

Ronan and Dane walked side-by-side in silence. They exited the building and walked in the direction of the thick forest that surrounded the pack house.

Once they were far enough and pretty sure that no one was listening in on their conversation, they stopped walking and faced each other.

"If you have anything to say about my daughter, say it now and be done with it," Ronan narrowed his eyes at his father. "I don't want Lucien or my precious daughter to hear the slightest critic from your mouth."

.....

Even if Aria was clearly too young to understand.

She did not deserve any form of unkindness. Especially not from those who were supposed to love her unconditionally.

Right now, Dane was not one of those people.

Dane Silverback, on the other side, stared at his son.

Who knew that the beloved little boy that he once held in his arms would grow up to be such a fierce father? The former Alpha wondered if he would have acted the same had Ronan turned out to be less than an alpha pup.

"It is shocking," he said. "Throughout the past five generations of the Silverback family, only alpha pups had been born."

"This child is going to have a difficult life."

Dane was by no means a seer, but his words sounded like a bad prophecy.

Ronan gritted his teeth and scowled at his father, "I will ensure that she will have a smooth and uneventful life. I swear that by my own life."

Dane shook his head at his son's ignorance. He jabbed a finger into Ronan's chest. "What do you know about being and growing up as a regular werewolf? Do you even know what it means? Your little princess will never have a chance to become a Luna. An Alpha's daughter she might be, but she will lead the life of common she-wolves."

"It is unavoidable," Ronan said. "Still, she has me and Lucien. We will always stand behind her no matter what."

But would that be enough?

Was there going to be a day when Aria came to her father, tearful, and asked why she was not an alpha she-wolf? What answer could Ronan give her?

"That's not all," Dane continued. "Alphas don't have experience in raising non-alphas. Babies have yet to exhibit any differences, but you will see it as she grows up. She will be weaker. Prone to injuries. She will be an outcast in her own family."

...

Ronan raked his fingers through his dark hair.

"Are you done?"

"Pretty much," Dane replied calmly.

"Ronan, the life of a werewolf is a journey, be it for an alpha or a non-alpha werewolf."

Dane took out a tattered booklet from the folds of his suit and pushed it against Ronan's chest.

"Your job is to ensure that she maximizes her potential, whatever it is."

Ronan lowered his head and looked at the booklet that Dane just gave him.

It seemed to be a record.

When he pored through the yellowed pages, he saw that it was a personal record written by a non-alpha werewolf, a female who married into the Silverback family a long time ago.

The werewolf she married was the werewolf who then brought the Alpha position to the Silverback family for the first time.

She was the first non-alpha she-wolf who rose to the position of a Luna.

"I hope it helps you and your Luna with your twin babies," Dane said gruffly. He started to walk away, leaving his son with the record that he painstakingly dug out of the Silverback family archives.

His son was hot-headed. He was careless, and he did not think things through.

But one thing Dane knew for sure was that he was going to be a good father.

Besides, he had Lucien Clearwater by his side. As much as Dane disapproved of their relationship when they first started dating, he acknowledged the merit of having Lucien by Ronan's side.

Lucien's personality was the exact opposite of Ronan's. He was a careful and sensible alpha. Above all, he was both reasonable and endlessly compassionate.

If Ronan was the fire that engulfed everything, Lucien was like summer rain that extinguished

the fire and granted the survivors relief.

Now that Dane already stepped away from the ranks of power within the pack, he had no say in the important pack decisions.

But he knew that he left the pack in good hands.

With Ronan as the Alpha and Lucien as the Luna, everything would be just fine.

"Dad, wait."

Immersed in his deep thoughts, Dane did not realize that Ronan already caught up to him.

"Aria," the Alpha said.

"... Excuse me?"

"Her name is Aria," Ronan repeated.

Dane gaped at his son.

"It is?" he asked dumbly.

Ronan nodded.

"We name the boy Rayden. I want you to be the first person to know."

Aria... and Rayden.

"Aria and Rayden Silverback," Ronan repeated with boundless pride in his eyes.

His grandchildren.

"Can I..." his voice was hoarse from emotion so he cleared his throat a few times, but it stuck to

him stubbornly as he continued speaking up, "Can I come again to hold them in my arms?"

Today, Adele monopolized the babies and did not let Dane hold even a baby.

A bright smile spread on Ronan's elated face.

"Of course. Come and visit as often as you can. Lucien and I will be waiting for you."

Kinnon Youngshaper received a call from Lucien Clearwater a day after his babies were born.

"I don't want you and Ralph to replace out from other people," Lucien had said. "The Moon Goddess has blessed Ronan and me with a pair of pups."

""

If Kinnon did not know better, he would think that Lucien had gone nuts. Since when was an alpha male able to conceive?

But it was Lucien who told him this news in such a serious manner, so it had to be the truth.

"Congratulations," the Alpha said.

"Thank you," Lucien said. "Then, I will hang up first."

"Hmm."

Kinnon bumped the back of his head against the headrest a few times after the call ended.

.....

He quickly arranged for his scouts to replace out about the birth of the Alpha heirs of the rival

pack.

Unexpectedly, his scouts already knew about it. They just did not tell Kinnon to spare his feelings, and it did not make Kinnon any happier.

A scout gave his Alpha a commiserating look when he showed him a rare photograph that one

of Lucien's fans snapped when he came out of the fertility clinic with a baby in his arms. The

other baby was snugly cuddled against Ronan's chest.

Kinnon stared at the photograph for a long time.

Lucien held the baby like a precious treasure. His lips were slightly parted, and his eyelashes

were lowered. He smiled at the baby in his arms the way he smiled at Ralph.

It was the gentle motherly smile, the loving gaze that Ralph greatly cherished.

From now on, all of those would be taken from Ralph and given to the babies instead.

"F**k," Kinnon muttered under his breath.

Lucien, aren't you being too ruthless?

How am I supposed to tell Ralph that his Mommy is no longer his?

And because Kinnon did not know how, he did not tell Ralph at all. Thankfully, his whole pack

knew how to keep their mouths shut.

Until a month passed and Lucien made another phone call.

For the first time ever, Kinnon loathed to hear news from Lucien's side. Nevertheless, he still

had to maintain an amicable relationship between the two packs, so he picked up the call.

"Kinnon, can you bring Ralph over?" Lucien asked. "I want to introduce him to Aria and

Rayden."

Aria and Rayden Silverback, the twins that were born miraculously to the Alpha and Luna of

the Infinite Eclipse Pack.

Kinnon cleared his throat to expel the sour feeling in his heart.

"Lucien, that is not a good idea. In fact, you should..."

"I want to see him," Lucien interrupted Kinnon mid-sentence. "Unless he doesn't want to see

me anymore."

And so, Kinnon summoned his son that night after dinner.

Ralph was five years old now. He had grown considerably taller in the past year. No matter how

big he became, he still missed his Mommy terribly.

"Ralphy, your Mommy wants to meet you," Kinnon said. "Do you want to go?"

Ralph's eyes turned round from excitement.

"Yes!" he exclaimed in delight. "Yes, Daddy! When???"

The five-year-old boy jumped around like a rabbit.

Oh, Goddess.

Kinnon's face turned ashen.

"Tomorrow. Before we go, Daddy needs to tell you something..."

Ralph stopped jumping around and looked at his father with big eyes.

"What is it, Daddy?"

A sour smile crept toward Kinnon's lips.

This was his fault, really.

He should have predicted that Ronan would not just stay put when his fated mate was

betrothed to someone else.

He should have stopped Ralph from falling for Lucien the way he did.

Both of them fell for Lucien, and were fated to have their hearts broken by the man they could

not get.

"Ralphy..."

Kinnon patted the seat next to him. "Come here."

Ralph obediently sat next to Kinnon. Before the Alpha knew it, his son was able to climb onto

the couch without his help anymore. He merely hoped that his son was ready for a heartbreak

so early in his young age.

"You know that your Mommy is married to Alpha Ronan, right?"

Upon hearing the two words "Alpha Ronan", Ralph's face darkened.

"Yes."

"Well. When two people marry, they have children. Your Mommy had twin babies."

Ralph's mouth dropped open in amazement.

"Did Mommy give birth?"

The talk of a new, breakthrough technology in reproductive medicine was too advanced for

Ralph, so Kinnon settled with the easy answer.

"Yes."

"... Oh."

"Mommy invites you to come and take a look at the babies. Do you still want to go?"

This time, Ralph's answer was less enthusiastic. He sounded a little confused. Kinnon knew that in Ralph's little brain, he must have realized that something had changed.

The loving relationship that he shared with the Luna of the rival pack had ended.

"Ralphy..." Kinnon patted his son's head lovingly, prompting the little boy to look up at him. "Ralphy, you know that Lucien is not your Mommy... Right?"

Ralph's lips quivered from heartbreak.

"Lucien has his own children now. Besides, he did not marry your Daddy after all."

Silent, beautiful tears slowly fell across the tender cheeks.

Kinnon reached out to wipe them off.

He knew that his son was hurting, but he still had to say it.

"You need to stop calling him 'Mommy'. You understand why, don't you Ralph?"

"... Yes, Daddy."

Kinnon heaved a sigh.

"You are a good boy," he praised his son. "Are we still going to visit Lucien tomorrow?"

Ralph did not immediately answer. He looked down at his tiny feet for a long time before he slowly came up with a "Yes".

"Alright," Kinnon took a deep breath. "Let's go and visit Lucien tomorrow."

"Mmm."

Kinnon pulled his son into an embrace and cuddled him to his chest.

"I am so sorry, my son."

Tomorrow, he and Ralph both must cut off their lingering attachment to Lucien.

Lucien was already married to Ronan, and now he was busy with their children.

......

There was no place in Lucien's heart for anyone else. Not even for Ralph.

"Oh, there you are, Little Youngshaper," Ronan greeted Ralph when he and Kinnon showed up

the next day. "Lucien is waiting for you on the balcony."

Ralph said nothing. He merely gave a little nod before he stepped into Ronan's and Lucien's

living

space.

When Kinnon followed after his son, Ronan grabbed his arm and dragged him outside. "What are you doing, Alpha Ronan?" Kinnon demanded to know.

"You and I have business matters to settle. Lucien wishes to meet with your son alone."

Ralph's mind was akin to a wasteland at the moment. He understood what his father told him

last night, but he was unable to accept it. Why must he?

Why couldn't Lucien remain his Mommy?

.....

He loved this Mommy dearly.

Did Mommy not love him anymore?

Did Mommy only love his own children now?

Then, what about Ralph?

Who was going to love Ralph?

The more the little boy thought about it, the more miserable he became.

Then again, he had no more tears to shed. He cried the whole night until his eyes became

puffy.

Although Mommy was not Mommy anymore, Ralph still wanted to meet him. Love, as it turned

out, did not go away that easily.

"Ralphy."

The little boy looked up when his name was called.

There stood Lucien, beaming at him with a smile as bright as the sun itself. It was the smile

that Ralph had become accustomed to. It was as if nothing had changed.

But everything had changed.

Ralph could no longer run to his arms and hug him.

"I... Um..."

Ralph fought hard against the tears that he thought would never come.

"Lu... Luna, hello."

Lucien's smile faded visibly.

He knelt on the floor and beckoned for the little boy to come closer.

Ralph approached Lucien carefully. He took off his bunny hat and held it in front of his chest

like some sort of a shield.

A shield to protect his fragile little heart from Lucien's cruel kindness.

"Oh, Ralphy..."

Lucien pulled Ralph into his arms and hugged him.

Ralph started to sob.

He knew that he did not deserve this hug.

This hug belonged to the newborn babies. They were Lucien's biological children, so they

should be the ones to receive Lucien's love and attention.

But at the same time, the little boy was also greedy. He was unwilling to let go of the Mommy

that he had come to love.

Lucien pressed a kiss against the side of Ralph's head.

"Ralphy, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

The little boy cried louder when Lucien popped the question. Should Lucien not know why

Ralph cried? He was the person who made Ralph cry! "Waaaaaaaahhhhhh...!!! Waaaaaahhhhh...!!!"

And because Ralph cried, the babies inside the huge basket on the balcony also started to cry.

Soon, Lucien was left with one crying little boy and two crying babies.

A babysitter quickly emerged from the kitchen and took the babies away from the balcony.

Lucien could not be more thankful.

He redirected his focus back to Ralph, who cried as if he would never be happy again. "Ralph... Ssssh... Sshhhh... Don't cry. Tell Mommy what's wrong, alright?" When he heard Lucien refer to himself as "Mommy", Ralph's cries grew louder.

"My baby," Lucien cradled the cheerless boy in his arms. "What's wrong? If you don't tell me,

how can I help you?"

"You are not my Mommy!" Ralph shouted in-between sobs while pushing at Lucien's chest.

"You are not my Mommy anymore, waaaaaahhhhhhh...!!!" Pain flashed through Lucien's eyes when he heard Ralph's words.

"Do you hate me, Ralph?" he asked with a genuinely hurt expression. "Do you not want me to

be your Mommy anymore...?"

"I do!" Ralph blubbered. "B-but... Daddy said that you now have your own children. I should... I

should not call you 'Mommy' anymore, waaaaaaaahhhhhh...!!!"

"Oh, Ralph..."

Lucien pulled Ralph into a hug again. "I will be your Mommy for as long as you want me."

"B-but..."

Ralph was confused.

Wait, did Lucien just say that Ralph could still call him "Mommy"?

"But what about the babies?" he asked in confusion.

Did his Mommy not want the babies anymore?

Lucien wiped the tears away from Ralph's cheeks.

"Well, they will be your little brother and sister, right?"

Huh? What?

Ralph's little mouth dropped open in awe.

What little brother and sister?

"You silly boy," Lucien chastised him. "You are my child, so if I have more children, of course

they will be your little siblings. Right...?"

Ralph was stupefied.

He came into the Infinite Eclipse Pack House to say goodbye to his Mommy. For some reason,

he not only did not lose his Mommy, he even gained new siblings!

The confused little boy was all numb when he sat on Lucien's lap and watched the babysitter

return with the big basket that contained the twin babies.

They were so tiny.

When Lucien extended his hand to rub at their tummies, they wriggled cutely in the basket.

"This is Rayden, your little brother," Lucien introduced the little boy to Ralph.

"And this is Aria, your little sister."

Ralph's eyes turned as round as the moon.

Little brother and little sister.

Ralph gingerly extended his little hands at the babies to touch them.

Little Rayden blinked at him and grabbed one of his fingers, making Ralph yelp from surprise.

When Ralph tried to pull his finger away, Rayden started to whimper.

Lucien snickered.

The little boy was as spoiled as his father. Once he had his hands around something, he

refused to let go.

In this sense, Aria was a lot more agreeable.

And so, Ralph sat on Lucien's lap with one of his fingers trapped by Rayden, who then started

to nibble on it.

"Aahhhhhhh! He is eating me!" Ralph shrieked.

Laughing, Lucien pulled Ralph's finger free and gave Rayden a pat on his head.

Holding his finger against his chest and watching Lucien calm down the little baby boy, Ralph

fell into a daze.

He had a little brother and a little sister.

Ralph looked up and stared at Lucien's smiling face.

He still could not believe it.

"Mommy?" he mumbled full of hesitation.

"Yes, Ralph?"

"Mommy..."

Ralph hugged Lucien tight.

He called his Mommy over and over again, and Lucien answered him every time.

When Kinnon Youngshaper returned with Ronan Silverback to the apartment, his son had, for

some inconceivable reason, become extremely attached to the babies.

Laughing happily, he spoke and played with them while Lucien and the babysitter watched by

their side.

Lucien's smile disappeared as soon as he caught sight of Kinnon.

The sudden change was rather bone-chilling, coming from Lucien.

The man bent forward to give Ralph a kiss on the cheek. He whispered something to the little

boy, who then nodded fervently and even waved at his father cheerfully, unaware that said

father was about to face his Mommy's wrath. As soon as Lucien closed the balcony door behind him, he scowled at Kinnon.

"Alpha Kinnon Youngshaper, kindly explain why you must put that kind of nonsense into your

son's head."

Ronan smirked.

Although he would love to watch Kinnon being butchered by Lucien, his Luna did not grant him

this pleasure.

.....

"Ronan, leave us please," Lucien said, ending the show prematurely for Ronan. The Alpha knew that if he wished to sleep on the bed tonight, he better not go against his

Luna. Ronan thus walked over, gave Lucien a loving kiss on the lips, and then walked into the

kitchen to get himself something to eat.

"Good luck," he whispered to Kinnon when he walked past his former rival in love.

Kinnon took a deep breath and tried to explain. "Look, Lucien. Isn't it quite obvious? Ralphy is my son. You are not my Luna, so he should not

think of you as his mother. It's just wrong. Besides..."

Kinnon heaved a sigh before he continued.

"Don't you have your own children? What do you want Ralph for?"

Lucien crossed his arms in front of his chest and shot icy daggers at Kinnon.

"What exactly did I want Ralph for, then?"

""

"Did I need him to do anything for me?" "... I didn't say that."

Lucien inched forward and shoved at Kinnon's chest.

"Do you think that I dote on him only because he is your son?"

"Of course! What other explanation can there be???"

Kinnon grabbed Lucien's wrists and held them up between them.

"Lucien, I understand fully that Ralph was part of your responsibility as my future Luna. But

now that it is no longer the case, you have to stop pretending."

A crisp slap resounded through the room.

Shocked by the sudden slap, Kinnon momentarily went into a daze.

"I think it is ironic," Lucien slowly said. "I only recently become a parent, so I have yet to

understand the full magnitude of raising and nurturing little pups, but there is one thing I can tell you. I will never be able to see my children as something less than they are - two precious

pearls that I would give my life for."

"Unfortunately, all you see in Ralph is nothing more than just a responsibility. Kinnon

Youngshaper, you disappoint me."

Kinnon gritted his teeth.

"What do you know," he said. "What do you know about the hardship of being a single

parent??? Do you think that I am not suffering??? Do you think that I want to be like this???"

Lucien grabbed Kinnon's collar and hissed at him.

"Then if I were you, I would be grateful to have some help. Didn't I say yes when you asked me

to help you raise your son?" Kinnon's lips parted from surprise when he heard Lucien's words.

It had been such a long time ago that he forgot.

Indeed, he did plead for Lucien's help to raise Ralph together to be the next Alpha of the Night

Prowler Pack.

It turned out that Lucien never forgot.

Kinnon closed his eyes in an attempt to suppress the turmoil in his heart.

"Listen to me, Kinnon Youngshaper. I was not the one who gave birth to him and I missed out

on the first three years of his life, but I do want to be part of his life for the next thirty or sixty

years of his life."

He grabbed Kinnon's shoulders and gave them a little shake.

"I love him like he's my own son. Don't take him away from me."

"Did you hear what I just said, Alpha Kinnon...?"

Loud and clear.

Kinnon Youngshaper gave an imperceptible nod, but a nod it was.

Lucien straightened the Alpha's collar afterward.

"My current position prevents me to come and visit your pack without my mate by my side. I

hope that you will allow me to take care of Ralph whenever he wants to come here and visit."

A weak smile appeared on Kinnon's face. "How does it look like if my heir keeps coming to the rival pack to play?"

Lucien raised an eyebrow at the foolish man in front of him. Disapproval was written clearly

across his face.

"You are the Alpha. You tell me."

" "

With that one last sentence leaving his lips, Lucien turned around and headed to the balcony.

Kinnon let himself fall on one of the couches and rubbed at his forehead. The heartache that

plagued him for a month was gone, replaced by a terrible headache.

Ronan came in with baby Rayden in his arms.

He chuckled when he saw the sorry state that Kinnon was in.

"Isn't my Luna fierce?" he asked his former rival in love. "I think that his motherly instincts kick

in as soon as the babies are born. Naturally, he also wants to claim

Kinnon pursed his lips.

the missing son."

"My son, Alpha Ronan," Kinnon felt the need to correct the other Alpha. "Ralph is my son."

"Well, not entirely yours anymore. Hey, it's not as if I want another Alpha's son lounging by my

Luna's side day in and day out. Unfortunately, Lucien will loop my head off if I ever say that out

loud."

"Hmmm."

Kinnon leaned in and observed the little baby in Ronan's arms.

"He is surprisingly good-looking, being your son."

"He is also Lucien's son."

"Hmmm."

Little Rayden did look like a carbon copy of Ronan. Kinnon looked up at Ronan and shot him a

mischievous grin.

"What will it take for me to get some of Lucien's seed?"

With Rayden in his arms, Ronan could not punch the light out of Kinnon.

"Careful there, Alpha Kinnon," Ronan said, flashing the man a scary smile instead. "I cannot

throw your son out, but I very well can throw you out of my pack house."

Having angered Ronan, Kinnon burst into a chuckle. He patted Ronan's shoulder a couple of times to lighten the mood.

"I am kidding. Don't tell that to Lucien. I don't want him to kill me in front of my son."

"Don't worry, if you die, I am willing to adopt Ralph into the family."

Kinnon scoffed.

"How kind. If you die, I am more than willing to adopt your whole family."

The

babysitter watched the two Alpha chatting with each other from a distance when she went

to grab some milk for Aria.

.....

They looked like the best of friends, so why was it that she felt some chilling, murderous aura

emanating

from the both

of them?

Kinnon and Ralph left an hour later. Ralph was hardly separable from his newly gained siblings.

He made Lucien promise to allow him to come to visit every weekend.

Lucien peppered the little boy with kisses. To Ralph's greatest joy, his Mommy told him that he

was welcome anytime.

After putting Rayden and Aria in their crib at night, Lucien went to the balcony for some fresh

night air.

The recent days added a lot of strain to their life as new parents.

One by one, though, they managed to loosen all the knots in their hearts.

Lucien inhaled and exhaled a few times.

From the balcony, he was able to see the entire pack house. At the ground level, illuminated by

several garden lamps that were scattered neatly across the residential area, a few pack

members sat together and watched their pups playing around happily.

The enchanting sight was enough to conjure a smile upon Lucien's lips.

This was his life now.

As the Luna of the Infinite Eclipse Pack, it was his job to take care of the pack and ensure that

they get to lead a peaceful life in the safe

embrace of their family with the full support of the

entire

pack.

"Hello, Luna."

Lucien turned around and leaned against the balcony railing with a smile.

His mate approached him with two glasses of cocktail in his hands.

"What's this?" Lucien asked when he took one glass from Ronan. Chunks of ice swam freely inside the brown, translucent mix of liqueur.

"Honey and pineapple juice mixed into sherry. Give it a taste."

Lucien took a sip and hummed in delight.

"What's the occasion?"

Ronan put an arm around his Luna and tasted the drink from the latter's luscious lips.

"This is to celebrate the rest of our life together, with Aria and Rayden by our sides."

"Ah. To our family, then."

"To our little family," Ronan said with a smile.

Lucien raised his glass in Ronan's direction.

The glasses made a light clinking sound when they met in the air.

The two men looked deep into each other's eyes as they took another sip from their glasses.

Ronan's scorching gaze seemed to drill holes in Lucien's body, causing the fine hairs on his

neck to rise.

"I know what you want to do," Lucien said. "It's still too early for that."

Ronan chuckled.

He slid a hand into Lucien's shirt and squeezed his waist.

"It has been a month."

"It has only been a month," Lucien corrected him.

The Alpha lowered his head and kissed down Lucien's slender neck and beautiful collarbone.

"It has been a month," he insisted.

When the Alpha wanted to claim his Luna's lips, the latter clicked with his tongue and pressed

three fingers against his mate's lips.

"Lulu..."

Ronan took the fingers and worshipped them with his lips and tongue.

"The children will hear us," Lucien pointed out.

And so would the babysitters who slept in the adjacent room.

"We will be quiet," Ronan reasoned.

Easy for him to say, he's not the one who had to endure a huge c**k pistoning in and out of his

depth.

"Ronan, you are a father now. You should be more restrained." "... My children will learn to tolerate me."

Lucien broke into laughter while Ronan burrowed his head into Lucien's chest.

"Look at you," Lucien played with Ronan's dark strands of hair with his hands. "You are the one

who want them so badly, and now you complain about them. Hss..." Lucien tilted his head backward, his eyes closed and his mouth opened slightly. The Alpha had

started to suck and bite at his n****e through his shirt.

"I won't complain much if my Luna cooperates."

"Ah... And... What kind of cooperation are you expecting?"

Ronan shot Lucien a mischievous smile.

He lifted Lucien up, and the latter wrapped his legs around the Alpha's waist automatically.

"I want to make love to you all night, and I want you to be a willing and eager participant."

Lucien giggled. He hooked his arms around Ronan and pressed their foreheads together.

"Haven't I always been a willing and eager participant?" he asked in a seductive whisper that

Ronan could never resist.

Without wasting any more time for flirtatious talk, he carried his Luna to their bedroom.

Ronan fervently prayed in his heart that he could make it this one time.

His heart pounded hard against his ribcage as he carried Lucien past the baby room. They did

not even make a sound, but a baby began to cry.

Lucien knew right away which baby it was.

It was always Aria.

A second later, Rayden joined his sister.

Ronan looked as if his kids had personally kicked him between the legs.

"Put me down," Lucien told the unhappy Alpha and he did as per the former's bidding.

Lucien squeezed at Ronan's chin and grinned.

"No rush, Alpha. We have a lot of time to catch up."

Lucien then took Ronan's hand and pulled the disgruntled Alpha toward the baby room to

inquire about the babies.

Whether it was today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, or the next century, they

would always stay together.

So really, no rush.

Nevertheless, Ronan had one urgent request to their sweet, adorable babies: please, please,

please stop interrupting Daddy when he was trying to make love to Mommy!

T.H.E E.N.D