Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 8

One could interpret the sentence in two ways.

One, Ronan was politely telling Lillian to leave because he was preparing to rest for the night.

Two, Ronan was inviting Lillian to join him for the night.

Whichever way Lillian decided to interpret it, Ronan was sure that Lillian would either politely excuse herself or be so disgusted with him that she left right away. He forgot that Lillian Woodland was unlike any other blind dates that he met before. The Alpha's daughter flashed Ronan a bright smile and pointed to Ronan's left side. There was a suitcase standing at the corner of the room.

"I have taken some liberty to go shopping for some clothes for Mr. Silverback. I hope they suit your taste."

Ronan rubbed his face and sighed before he shot Lillian an uncomfortable look.

"Why are you doing this?"

.....

"Doing what?" Lillian asked sweetly. "Did I do anything wrong?"

Ronan raised an eyebrow at Lillian. She was too smart to play dumb and both of them knew that.

An unmarried goody-two-shoes Alpha's daughter should never replace herself alone with another man at midnight in a hotel room.

Nothing good could come out of it, whether or not something happened between them.

Lillian gracefully rose to her feet and approached Ronan. She stopped just a few centimeters apart from him, enough for Ronan to smell her scent: a mix of rose and lavender.

Lillian took a card from her designer handbag and showed it to Ronan. It was an employee ID card for his company, the Silverback Corporation.

"I have accepted a position as your secretary this afternoon, starting immediately."

Ronan squinted at the employee card. Most employees wore their most professional, rigid expressions when HR took their photos to make the ID card. Then came Lillian Woodland with her shiny supermodel-like smile, not even wearing the employee uniform. It was clear that the secretary position was nothing but a facade.

"I did not request for a secretary," Ronan said with a chuckle.

Lillian beamed with a smile. "I trust you will replace me quite useful."

Ronan scoffed. What could an elite Alpha's daughter like Lillian even do? Women like her were fed with silver spoons from birth. They were born to be pampered. Education was probably the most arduous part of their lives. Naturally, these spoiled misses were not expected to work. Not even a single day in their glorious, cozy lives.

"Your Beta, Jake, has been trying to reach you to no avail. Your phone is either off or missing," Lillian reported smoothly. "I took the liberty to buy you a new phone just in case you need a new one."

She took out a brand new android phone that had already been unboxed and handed it to Ronan.

"I have entered all the contacts from your address book and connected all your accounts. The phone is ready to use."

"

He was not sure where his phone was. He possibly dropped it somewhere in the South Bedford Art College.

"Thanks," Ronan said dryly, taking the phone from Lillian.

"Anything else?"

"Do you want me to read your agenda for tomorrow?"

Talking about work late at night was the last thing on Ronan's to-do list that night.

"Thanks," Ronan said, rubbing at his aching forehead. "It is late at night. I would like to rest for the night. Please leave."

"Okay," Lillian smiled. "Good night, Mr. Silverback."

"I will get my chauffeur to drive you home," Ronan said. Dane would never forgive him if he let such a prestigious Alpha's daughter go home alone.

"No need," Lillian said, tossing her long hair backward. "I already reserved the next-door suite."

"

"For how long?"

"For as long as you decide to stay in this city, of course. I am here to help."

Ronan balled his fingers into fists. A layer of ice descended over his eyes and coldness spread in his chest.

Help?

Ronan did not think so.

After Lillian left, Ronan activated his Mind Link. He had kept it deactivated for the whole day because he did not want to be disturbed when he confronted Lucien. Who would have guessed that one thing led to another and he ended up missing for more than twelve hours straight?

'Jake.'

'RONAN!!!!'

'I mean... cough... Alpha, where have you been?'

'Where else? South Bedford City!

'Are you already at Carlton Bay?'

'Yes. What is with this new secretary that I did not ask for?'

Jake was silent for a few seconds before he came up with an answer.

'Mr. Silverback Sr. has decided that it is beneficial to foster a deeper relationship with the Ironclad Claws Pack. The Alpha and Ms. Woodland also agree.'

Ronan scoffed.

He would love to ask Jake who he was actually loyal to. His Alpha or Mr. Silverback Sr.. Then again it was unfair to Jake. Ronan knew it too.

How was a secretary position befitting such a prestigious young lady? Should she not be at least a member of the board of directors?

If Lillian Woodland had a higher position in the Silverback Corporation, naturally she would stop being Ronan's second shadow. A smirk spread on Ronan's face. He should bring it up to Ms. Woodland and see what she had to say.

The next morning, they sat opposite each other as they enjoyed breakfast from Carlton Bay Hotel's renowned breakfast selection.

"I have thought about it, Ms. Woodland. You are certainly a smart lady who is overqualified for a mere secretary position. I happen to need someone of your caliber to fill an important executive position in my company. Why don't I accompany you to the office to settle the formalities?" Lillian put down the knife and fork and dabbed at the corners of her mouth gracefully.

"Mr. Silverback seems to misunderstand something. I am not trying to build a career at the Silverback Corporation."

"Ah."

Ronan raised an eyebrow. He cocked his head to the side and observed the beautiful woman in front of him with great interest. Was Lillian Woodland that desperate that she was going to tell him that she intended to stick to him for all eternities until she was made a Luna? Ronan was not one to shy from imparting cold, hard truth to women.

"I share my father's opinion that it is time for me to learn how to be a good Luna."

Lucien Clearwater had a thin face. After he cleaned himself up, he went back to his office just to clean the mess that he and Ronan left behind. He also found his and Ronan's phones, both out of battery. After locking up, Lucien went home and charged his phone. There were a few missed calls from Hayley and some messages from his colleagues and students. Most of them were fretting about the upcoming art exhibition. It was the first step to getting recognition for their talents. Who had not heard about the glorious stories of past graduates who managed to attract visitors' attention with their masterpieces and proceeded to thrive in the world of art wonderfully? That was all these students heard from day one! Lucien did not have the heart to tell them that success depended on a lot of factors. Talent, unfortunately, was not enough to be famous and successful.

Nevertheless, as their teacher, Lucien was determined to motivate and not demotivate his students. The future was uncertain. Who would be able to say for sure that none of his students would grow into, say, a Picasso or a Da Vinci or a Michelangelo? Lucien's spirit plummeted slightly when he saw Ronan again in his class the next day. He almost forgot about this insolent werewolf who smuggled himself into a pack of lambs that were his students. Not only that, he even brought one of his girlfriends with him. A layer of ice covered Lucien's eyes when he saw Ronan and the blonde woman getting comfortable with each other. The woman was exceedingly pretty in her white dress, even without any accessories or brand items on her. The kind of woman that Ronan had the privilege to surround himself with.

A sour taste rose up Lucien's throat, making him want to spit at Ronan. He would not have slept with Ronan if not because of the sudden arrival of his rut. Ronan on the other side did not have the slightest bit of decency. Jumping from one bed partner to another like switching pants. To think that he ever fell for this kind of man made Lucien sick.

Thankfully, his desperate students were willing accomplices to distract him from looking at Ronan and his girlfriend.

"Mr. Clearwater! I wanted to draw a waterfall but it looks like a giant, blue dog!"

.....

"Mr. Clearwater! I accidentally chopped the nose off my statue! What should I do!"

"Mr. Clearwater! This is over! I cannot do this anymore! I want to quit!!!"

The art teacher/counselor went around to help his students one by one. Lucien now understood why Hayley took the day off. The poor woman must be suffering a lot on her own yesterday afternoon while Lucien skipped the class. Lucien reminded himself to treat Hayley to lunch in the near future.

After going around the class and visiting each student at least twice, Lucien couldn't continue ignoring Ronan and his girlfriend. Stiff like a stone statue, he thus came by to take a look at what the two people were doing.

One closer look at Ronan's companion sufficed to tell Lucien that she was not an ordinary woman. She was a werewolf and not any random she-wolf of obscure background. It must be one of Ronan's mate candidates. A very strong one.

The white dress that she wore was splattered with paint, but she seemed to not care at all. She was instead having a heated discussion with Ronan about the best color to use in their paintings. Lucien looked at the two people thoughtfully. They looked like a match made in heaven.

Such a captivating woman indeed.

Lillian Woodland turned to Lucien with a smile as soon as Lucien came close.

"Mr. Clearwater, you finally have time to check on our progress!"

Lucien returned her smile with a polite, albeit slightly cold one.

"Yes. Miss, I have not seen you around here. Are you new?"

"Oh, yes. Lillian Woodland. I just registered yesterday. I have heard a lot about you even before I join your class. I cannot wait to participate in the art exhibition!"

"That is wonderful. On the other side, the registration will conclude by the end of this week. Not sure if Miss Woodland can make it."

Ronan leaned in with a conspiratorial smile. "Mr. Clearwater, can you not make an exception? Miss Woodland is very talented."

Lucien gave Ronan a super-sweet, poisonous smile. "Unfortunately, I do not own the South Bedford Art Exhibition Center. Forgive me but I cannot help."

Lillian gasped. She pressed her slender fingers against her red lips in surprise.

"Oh, then I am exceedingly lucky! My father just recently bought the whole building!"

44"

Exceedingly lucky?

South Bedford City was only a small city compared to the many larger, more prosperous cities that werewolves lived in. In fact, Lucien was pretty sure that he was the only werewolf who lived in the city until Maya came along. So why was Lillian acting as if South Bedford City has been one of the most prominent werewolf dwellings for ages?

Ronan flashed Lucien a victorious smile. Lucien raised an eyebrow at him. If Ronan thought that he could aggravate Lucien that easily, he was sorely mistaken.

"Then I am so sorry to inform Miss Woodland that art exhibition participants must not have any relationship with the center to prevent unfair judgment. This is a serious event for up-and-coming artists where they can get their first public opinions about their works. I am sure Miss Woodland will understand."

The disappointment did not linger for long on Lillian's face. She instead grabbed Ronan's arm and hugged it against her ample bosoms.

"It is fine. I will support Ronan instead then."

Lucien almost burst into laughter. Ronan Silverback's artwork would not gain public recognition even if all artists suddenly got diarrhea and could not finish their works.

The little smile on Lucien's lips betrayed his thoughts. Ronan raised an eyebrow. He was more than ready to take Lucien up on the challenge.

It turned out that Ronan did not have to try so hard to become a proficient artist before the annual art exhibition began.

An excited girl raised her hand in hesitation after listening to their conversation.

"I... I am willing to help Ronan with his artwork!"

" "

Ronan's sexy lips curled up in victory. He flashed an excessively sweet smile at the girl and said "Thanks" with a wink. The girl practically melted into a puddle of water on the floor.

Lucien barely held himself back from rolling with his eyes.

Encouraged and maybe blinded by Ronan's single-word gratitude, the other students started to chime in.

"Of course, we all want to help!"

"Ronan, don't be shy. I can even help you with sketching!"

.....

"And I can help you with coloring! Mr. Clearwater always praises me for my good eyes in balancing colors!"

Shy?

Sketching?

Coloring?

Then what exactly was Ronan Silverback going to contribute to this so-called artwork?

Later on, his girlfriend might just pay and then drag art critics over to appraise his painting. How was that going to be fair for everyone?

Lucien glared at Ronan. The latter was here not only to mess up with his life but also his students' life. To top it up, the students were all victims of Ronan's charm. The focus of the annual art exhibition had shifted from getting public opinion for the first time to pleasing Ronan Silverback. You must be kidding me.

Lucien praised himself in his heart for the extraordinary self-restraint that he exercised at that very moment.

"Let's just continue," he said with repressed anger.

The rest of the period went without a hitch. Lucien did not even have to go over to Ronan's and Lillian's anymore because they kept getting frequented by female and male students alike who kept offering their help.

Never mind that Ronan and Lillian looked like a couple of lovers. As long as they did not confirm their relationship, they apparently were still on the market.

Lucien could feel a headache coming up. He was thus more than glad when the class was finally over.

"Please tidy your workplace up before leaving," Lucien clapped his hands to get the attention of students who were preparing to leave.

"Yes, Mr. Clearwater!!!" came the reply of the students. After the students put away their masterpieces, they practically stuffed everything into their bags and rushed out of the classroom.

"Bye, Mr. Clearwater!!!" they said one by one while waving at Lucien. Lucien waved back with a smile.

A group of students were teasing each other on the way out. One of them accidentally bumped against Lucien's easel and sent a bunch of painting materials crashing onto the floor. "Oh, no..."

"Man, how clumsy you are."

The students bent down and started collecting the items from the floor, but Lucien stopped them.

"You have another class after this. Go, I will handle them."

They looked immensely guilty.

"So sorry, Mr. Clearwater."

"No worries," Lucien said with a smile.

From the back of the classroom, Lillian Woodland tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear and walked toward Lucien with a smile.

"Mr. Clearwater, let me help," she offered.

Without waiting for Lucien to answer, Lillian picked up the color tubes from the ground and lined them up on the teacher's desk neatly.

"No need," Lucien said. "It is not much."

Lillian turned deaf ears to Lucien. She continued tidying up Lucien's desk. Of course, that was not what she was there for. And Lucien also knew it.

Lucien swept the classroom with a gaze. Ronan was not there. Lucien and Lillian were the only ones who were left.

"Ronan had to take a long call," Lillian answered Lucien's silent question with a smile. "I thus decide to get to know Mr. Clearwater better. Or maybe, since we are all close in age, can I call you Lucien instead?" "What do you really want to tell me?" Lucien asked directly while looking into Lillian's eyes.

Lillian's lips curled up in amusement.

"I am the eldest daughter of the Ironclad Claws Pack," she explained. "Our two packs have a marriage arrangement. I am supposed to be the Infinite Eclipse Pack's future Luna."

Lucien had nothing to say but "Ah". It was not surprising, really. "Congratulations then."

"Thank you, Lucien. I wonder if you can help me."

Help her?

"Help you with what, exactly?"

Lillian's eyes wandered from Lucien's eyes to his nape. Lucien's hand automatically moved to straighten his collar and hide the hideous mark on his neck. Not that it was necessary. Lillian smelled Lucien's scent on Ronan when the latter came back the previous night. There was no need for an explanation. Lillian chuckled.

Lillian took some tissue papers from the desk and rubbed the red and blue paint off her fingers.

"Mr. Dane Silverback spoke highly of you, Lucien. He said that you were very... reasonable."

The beautiful she-wolf emphasized the word "reasonable".

Lucien knew what she meant. He also knew why Dane Silverback's name fell into the conversation. Lucien curled up his fingers into fists behind his back.

"Please relay my thanks to Mr. Dane Silverback for the undeserved praise. I shall continue being... reasonable."

Lillian flashed Lucian her most charming smile.

"That is great."

But Lucien was not done with what he wanted to say. "On the other side, I want to emphasize that me being reasonable has nothing to do with you becoming the future Luna of the Infinite Eclipse Pack."

Lillian's smile drained from her face. She unwittingly ended up glaring at Lucien, who had a wide grin plastered all over his face.

"If I were you, Ms. Woodland, I will pay more attention to my future husband. Maybe you too should become more... reasonable."

Lucien did not have the chance to see whether Lillian had anything to say to him. Just at that moment, the door to the classroom creaked open and Ronan Silverback showed up again. His eyes shifted from Lucien to Lillian and then settled on Lucien. Lillian, on the other side, burst into tears and drew both men's attention to her immediately.

"I am sorry, Lucien. I didn't mean to be condescending or anything. I had no hidden agenda, really... Please forgive me if I said anything insensitive..."

A layer of ice formed over Lucien's eyes as he watched Lillian's convincing performance. This was the second time someone tried to make him up to be the villain in front of Ronan.

Lucien folded his arms in front of his chest in defiance and turned to look at Ronan with a raised eyebrow, indirectly challenging him. Ronan gave him an annoyed look. "What is going on in here?" the Alpha demanded to know.

"I... It's just... I accidentally offended Lucien." Lillian put a hand on Ronan's arm. Coupled with the teary eyes, she looked very pitiful. "Please help me apologize to him, Ronan...

Ronan looked at Lillian's tear-streaked face. The tears were real, but was she acting or was she not? Oh, but did it matter? Could it be that Lucien was jealous of Lillian and thus attacked her? A victorious smile spread on Ronan's face.

If that's the case why not douse more oil to the fire? At the same time, he could show Lillian Woodland his goodwill, so that his insufferable father would stop bothering him for a while.

A smart werewolf should grab every opportunity that was presented to him.

Ronan grabbed Lillian's shoulder in a loving gesture and pulled the sobbing woman close to his chest.

"There, there, stop crying," he comforted the sobbing woman with a gentle tone like a good boyfriend that he was not. Then he lifted his eyes and smiled at Lucien.

.....

"Lucien, look at her. Don't you think you went too far? Be reasonable and stop making a fuss, will you?"

A giant, sour lump of something formed in Lucien's throat. Lucien was beyond disgusted.

Be reasonable? Him?

Was Ronan going to repeat what Lillian said? That Dane Silverback thought of him as reasonable? Did this idiot Ronan even know what "being reasonable" meant???

Lucien drew a deep breath.

He went through a lot of adversities in the past to be able to stand where he was. These two werewolves in front of him were external factors that he could easily purge out of his life. There was no point getting agitated over them. Ronan, the bastard, could go and make Lillian Woodland his Luna for all Lucien cared.

Yes.

That's it.

"I did not mean to make Ms. Woodland cry," Lucien said curtly. "If Mr. Silverback and Ms. Woodland have nothing else to say, do excuse me. I need to go somewhere else." Maybe that was no different from running away, but Lucien could not care less. He went straight to his office studio and locked the door behind him.

He listened to his own heartbeat for a while before sliding down the door to the floor. Ridiculous, he thought. He was an alpha. He should not be acting like some weak-a's woman. To think that Ronan would choose him over Lillian... "Arghh," Lucien growled as he buried his face into his palms.

It was clear seven years ago as it was clear at the very moment that there should be and would never be anything between them. He was just confused because he had s*x with Ronan the previous day. Yes. That was it. It was just a one-night stand to fulfill both of their urges. Nothing more.

Lucien walked toward the easel that stood in the middle of the studio. It was carefully covered in a white cloth. Lucien took the cover off and gazed at what he had been working on.

It was a painting of two wolves treading through a grassy field in summer. A scene from seven years ago, a memory he was unable to forget. A wolf with brown-red coat and a wolf with jet-black coat. The two of them running around, playing around, rolling around in a vast field of yellowing grass. Taking in each other scents and getting to know each other in the short summer period.

Landon and Beowulf, back when Lucien and Ronan were still happy together.

Lucien took the painting from the stand and stared at it. He liked painting wolves. A reminder of what he originally was. The world he was forced to leave.

He submitted similar kinds of paintings to the art exhibition every year. The paintings were good and his skillful usage of brushes made the wolves come alive. Unfortunately, they were not attractive enough.

These days, art critics liked to see paintings with human beings as subjects. Lucien often got some feedback to paint human beings instead. If he did, the result would be great. But Lucien did not want to. He just wanted to paint some wolves.

At the moment, he wanted to erase the black wolf from the picture. But then he would have to make changes on the other wolf too. Landon was looking at Beowulf a little too adoringly. Lucien himself would never show such an expression to Ronan. But Landon would. Landon loved Beowulf.

Lucien grabbed a brush and started painting over Beowulf. A few hours later, Beowulf was replaced by Seara. Seara was Annalynne's wolf. She looked a lot like Landon, albeit smaller and cuter. Twin brother and sister playing around together. That was also good. Lucien set the brush aside and watched his artwork. The more he looked at it, the warmer he felt inside.

That's

right.

Lucien took a deep breath to calm down.

He did not need Ronan to make things perfect.

The afternoon class went a lot more peaceful because both Ronan and Lillian skipped the class. It was Friday, so maybe they already had plans for the evening or the weekend.

So did Lucien.

Tomorrow was the tenth day after he received the proposal from the Night Prowler Pack. It was high time for him to answer Kinnon's proposal. Thanks to advanced technology, he could have submitted his answer in one click through his phone, but Lucien had other things in mind.

He planned to go to East Temple City, the seat of the Night Prowler Pack this very night. It was necessary to speak to Kinnon Youngshaper personally.

Despite making acquaintances and fostering relationships every year at the Alpha Camp, there was no such custom that allowed the alpha children to visit each other.

The reason for that was rather simple. One did not know when a good relationship ended and turned bad. No pack would risk its safety by allowing potential enemies to peek into their pack situation.

That was not all. No Alpha was dumb enough to let their heirs walk into another pack's area of territory just like that. They might just get murdered or maimed.

The Silent Walkers Pack, Alice Clearwater in particular, was heavily opposed to Lucien's idea of going to the East Temple City for a discussion with Kinnon Youngshaper.

"Lulu, can't you just meet him up at a public venue?" Alice asked during a call to persuade his son. "Mother doesn't think that it is safe for you to go there alone."

Lucien smiled while listening to his mother. His mother had grown to be more and more protective of him ever since he lost his wolf. She forgot that he was still an alpha, with or without a wolf. And he was an adult.

"Don't worry, Mom. I can handle this. Besides, what is the point of doing anything to me? Unless you think that something else is hidden beyond the marriage proposal."

"But..." Alice still wanted to say something, but she did not know what.

"Mom, I have to go now. I will call you once I arrive at East Temple City."

Alice had no other choice but to let Lucien do what he thought was best.

The trip to East Temple City took a whole night. The bright morning sunlight woke Lucien up from his slumber. The latter rubbed at his eyes and looked out of the window.

A breakfast cart rolled through the corridor and stopped next to Lucien.

"Coffee and croissant, Sir?"

"No, thank you," Lucien answered almost on cue. He did not feel like eating anything.

Although he told his mother not to be worried, truthfully he was.

The Kinnon Youngshaper that he knew seven years ago was not that kind of a person, but what about the Kinnon Youngshaper of the present time?

Lucien sighed.

You are being silly, Lucien...

If he really wished to harm you, he would already do that. There were plenty of times he could have.

Lucien stepped off the train and slung his backpack over a shoulder. As he walked along the railway platform to head for the exit, two men in black suits approached him and bowed respectfully before him.

"Mr. Lucien Clearwater, we are here to pick you up."

Lucien glanced at the two men. He called Kinnon to tell him that he was coming to pay a visit. Kinnon had offered to send a car to pick him up, but Lucien said that he was already inside the train. In the end, another car was still sent to pick him up, albeit for the

last part of the trip.

Kinnon Youngshaper was only a year older than both Lucien and Ronan, but he was already a deeply respected Alpha. Not only in the eyes of his pack members but generally in the eyes of the werewolf society.

It had little to do with strength and more to do with maturity and a sense of responsibility.

Despite the lacking love between him and his dearly departed Luna, they had successfully secured an heir to the Alpha position. This might be the reason why the pack elders were not against his wish to take Lucien as his next Luna. Lucien might even be

considered a reward for Kinnon's years of dedication to his pack.

The car door slid open smoothly.

"Mr. Clearwater, we have arrived."

Lucien snapped back into reality and climbed out of the car.

The scene that he saw was breathtaking. One must admit that the Night Prowler Pack was a rich pack. A huge forest area surrounded the Pack House that looked a lot like a five-star hotel than a Pack House. It was a good disguise in case curious human beings

happened to pass by.

"Mr. Clearwater, our Alpha has been expecting you. Allow me."

The man who opened the door for him took his backpack from his shoulder and carried it up the luxurious staircase made of sparkling white stone. Exquisite. It must have cost a lot.

The Night Prowler Pack's Beta already waited for Lucien at the top of the staircase. He was at least five years older than Kinnon. His name was Bjorn.

"Welcome, Lucien," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," Lucien smiled back at him.

Elder alphas who graduated from the Alpha Camp were still required to participate to help out with the camp activities.

Lucien knew Bjorn as one of the mentors at the training arena.

"Was the trip pleasant?"

"Not too bad. I need to talk to Kinnon."

Bjorn nodded apprehensively. "He is expecting you. Come." Against Lucien's expectations, Bjorn did not lead him to the guest reception hall where Alphas typically welcomed their guests. He was instead led to the highest floor of the luxurious mansion, then passing through carpeted corridors that ended up at Kinnon's private bed-chamber. The two of them stopped before a polished, wooden double door with intricate carvings at the edges.

It was rather awkward. Lucien turned at Bjorn with a slight frown. This was beyond appropriate. Even if, let's say, he had agreed to become the pack's next Luna, he could not just march into his future husband's bed-chamber without any reservation. Unless it was meant as a derogatory gesture?

As if reading Lucien's mind, Bjorn provided an explanation before Lucien's mind wandered further.

"There is no hidden meaning behind this. Kinnon is, unfortunately, unable to leave the bed for the time being. Please take a look for yourself."

Kinnon Youngshaper was injured?

So badly that he was bedridden?

Lucien knocked on the door three times but he received no answer. Encouraged by Bjorn's nod, Lucien pushed the door open and the sight in front of his eyes almost made his heart stop beating.

Kinnon was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard. He was holding hands with a red-headed beauty who sat at his bedside.

When both of them turned to look at Lucien, the woman gasped and quickly withdrew her hand from Kinnon's grasp.

"Lu... Lulu!!!"

It was Annalynne.