Pursuing My Rejected Alpha
Chapter 9

Lucien took long strides toward the two werewolves on the bed and yanked Annalynne to her feet. He shot Kinnon a murderous glare. "What did you do to my sister???"

If an Alpha was considered a king, then an Alpha's daughter was nothing less than a princess. An Alpha's son was the pride of the Alpha, but an Alpha's daughter was the dignity of the whole pack. Although the Silent Walkers Pack had fallen to such a state after losing the war with the Night Prowler Pack, no one in the pack would ever let Annalynne be toyed with!

All thoughts of peaceful discussion to negotiate deals regarding the Silent Walkers Pack fell off the table as soon as Annalynne came into the picture. Lucien would rather kill Kinnon on spot. He did not expect Annalynne to clutch at his arm and said hastily, "Big Brother, it is not what you think."

Annalynne was trembling next to him. She was shaking like a leaf. It was not how an innocent person would behave.

Lucien turned to Annalynne with bewilderment.

"Can you explain why you are even here if no one took you here? Don't tell me that you..."

Lucien was unable to finish his words.

"Don't tell me that you came here of your own volition" was what he wanted to say originally.

.....

Tears started to build in Annalynne's beautiful eyes. She started to sob uncontrollably in front of her brother. "Anna..."

Lucien was not an impulsive person. His instinct told him that there was more to the story than what appeared on the surface.

Lucien pulled his crying sister into a hug. He pressed a kiss against her soft hair and inhaled her scent. His sister smelled like gardenia flowers with a light trace of mint. There was no other scent that stuck to her. Annalynne was still pure.

Relief flooded Lucien's heart like a dam of water breaking and sending waves and waves of water to extinguish a forest fire within an instant.

It was natural for family members to smell each other upon meeting. So Annalynne too inhaled her brother's scent while she was pressed against her brother's neck. Her eyes flew open in surprise. There was someone else's smell on Lucien.

Annalynne was shocked. She wanted to ask but she was not dumb enough to expose her brother in front of Kinnon Youngshaper. Especially when considering the marriage proposal and the well-being of her own pack.

The woman simply looked at Lucien in a daze. Lucien knew the meaning behind Annalynne's looks. Shame crept up his throat, turning into a lump of sticky something that refused to go away.

"Ahem," Lucien cleared his throat.

He disentangled himself from his sister and pushed Annalynne behind him.

"Can you tell me what is happening here?" Lucien demanded from Kinnon.

The handsome Alpha of the Night Prowler Pack gave him a faint smile but did not answer. Lucien probed parts of the man that were not hidden under the blanket. His white shirt was unbuttoned. Underneath, layers of bandages covered Kinnon's torso and abdomen. "Kinnon, how did you get hurt?" Lucien asked in disbelief.

An Alpha was always heavily guarded. It was thus sheer impossible to catch an Alpha off-guard. The Alphas were usually hurt or killed only during wars.

Was the Night Prowler Pack engaged in a war with another pack so soon after winning over the Silent Walkers Pack?

Kinnon pulled his shirt close as if to hide the wounds underneath. He chuckled to himself as if Lucien just said something funny.

"Ah, it was nothing. Just a sudden ambush."

A sudden ambush?

How dumb did Kinnon take Lucien for?

The latter approached Kinnon and stood by Kinnon's bedside. Kinnon calmly looked up at Lucien, wondering what the man planned to do.

Lucien boldly pulled Kinnon's shirt apart and stared at Kinnon's heavily bandaged upper body.

"It was a frontal attack," he remarked.

"It was nothing," Kinnon said. "I was careless."

Lucien raised an eyebrow. Careless? Could an Alpha who was seasoned in wars be injured like that due to carelessness?

"Big... Big Brother, the truth is..."

Lucien shut his eyes in reluctance.

No.

Annalynne was better not involved in a homicide attempt of Kinnon Youngshaper.

"Anna, can you excuse us for a while?" Kinnon asked, cutting through Annalynne's attempt to explain rather abruptly.

The woman still wanted to say something, but she then decided not to.

"Then, I... I will be in the south garden."

"Sure. Lucien will come in a while."

The door shut close behind Annalynne, leaving only Kinnon and Lucien in the vast bed-chamber.

"Tell me the truth," Lucien demanded. "What happened?"

"I have only that one explanation for my injuries. It is inappropriate for me to elaborate on the rest."

Which meant that the rest of the story should come out of Annalynne's mouth. Lucien gritted his teeth in displeasure. He was not sure how to even begin the talk.

Kinnon pulled Lucien closer to him. His eyes wandered from Lucien's eyes down to his nose, his mouth, and finally settled on the side of his neck.

"I am more interested in this," Kinnon slowly said, his hand flew to Lucien's nape without warning and pinched the mark wound that had yet to heal from his last encounter with Ronan. Lucien winced from the stinging pain but he did not resist.

When Kinnon took his hand off Lucien's nape, there was some blood pinched between his thumb and index finger. He rubbed it between the two fingers and showed it to Lucien.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kinnon demanded, his eyes looked fierce. Despite being wounded, he looked ready for another fight with Ronan Silverback if needed.

"You slept with Ronan."

His grip around Lucien's arm tightened.

It was no longer a question but a statement. Ronan's smell on Lucien said it all. There was no use denying it. The scent that stuck to someone after s****l intercourse did not go away quickly. Married couples who did it again and again were eventually stuck with their partners' scents.

Lucien looked Kinnon in the eyes and confirmed his discovery. "Yes, I slept with him."

Kinnon took a deep breath. He then released his grip on Lucien and leaned back on the bed.

"I should be grateful that you are not denying it," he said, his anger subsiding slowly. "I was worried that you would lie to my face."

"Why should I?" Lucien asked.

Kinnon shot him a smile. "Because I am not such a saint to let my Luna be taken advantage of before our upcoming wedding." Speaking about that.

The lump in Lucien's throat seemed to grow larger.

How should he even breach the topic now that Annalynne was involved?

"You rejected Ronan's proposal but then you slept with him, is that right? Or is it the other way around?"

Kinnon seemed to be more interested to continue talking about the relationship between Lucien and Ronan.

.....

Any start was a good start.

"It was after I rejected him."

Kinnon narrowed his eyes at Lucien. "Why? Did you change your mind? Are you here to tell me that you are rejecting me because you choose him over me?"

Lucien exhaled. He straightened his collar to hide the wound. "Not quite. I was hoping that we can make things work somehow."

The part where Lucien did not wish to marry Kinnon was implied.

The two men looked at each other for some time. And then the door burst open and a loud, childlike voice was heard along with the pata pata sound of small footsteps approaching. "Daddy...!!!"

It was a toddler with a pair of big, gray-blue eyes and curly blonde hair. His little mouth dropped open in amazement when he caught sight of Lucien.

The little boy stopped running and stood there, unsure what to do. Kinnon smiled and extended his hand to his son. "Ralphy, come here."

Ralph Youngshaper lit up with joy. He rushed to his father's arms happily. Lucien tactfully stepped away so that Ralph could climb into Kinnon's bed. Kinnon kissed the little boy on the cheek. Then he looked up and smiled at Lucien. "Lucien, meet my son Ralph. Ralphy, this is Lucien, my..." Kinnon pursed his lips. Lucien was also silent.

But Ralph did not care what Lucien was. His gaze was full of admiration when he shouted happily, "Orange!!!"

Lucien was baffled.

"Excuse me?"

"Uncle is a giant orange!"

"

Kinnon coughed lightly.

"Ralphy, don't be rude. Lucien is not an orange."

Although he did smell like oranges. And he kinda looked like an orange too, with the red-blonde hair and a pair of bright caramel-brown eyes.

Ralph crawled away from Kinnon and stood on the bed in front of Lucien. He scrutinized this giant orange that was not an orange for quite some time. Lucien was not sure what to do.

The little boy suddenly grabbed the front side of his clothes and slipped from the bed. Lucien instinctively grabbed him and held him in his arms. Ralph happily sniffed at Lucien's neck. "Orange. I love orange."

Kinnon shook his head but he could barely contain his smile.

"Silly boy, he is not your orange. He is..."

Lucien shot Kinnon a look. They should not talk about it in front of a little boy.

At any rate, Lucien still had to talk to his twin sister. He approached Kinnon and patted his shoulder.

"Why don't you rest for a while? Let's talk later."

Kinnon took Lucien's hand and kissed the knuckles.

"Okay. It is time for Ralph's nap. Please hand him over to the nanny. She must be outside, waiting for him to come out."

"Sure. Rest well."

"Bye-bye Daddy!" Ralph shouted, waving at his father as Lucien carried him outside.

The nanny was indeed waiting outside. She was horrified when she saw Lucien with Ralph in his arms. She did not expect the Alpha to be having a guest inside his private bed-chamber at all! "I... I am so sorry," she apologized profusely. "I thought that..."

"It's fine," Lucien said, handing Ralph over to the nanny.

Unfortunately, Ralph was not willing to part from his giant orange. He pouted and grabbed Lucien's clothes.

"Noo, orange...!!!"

Lucien smiled.

"We can play together later. It is time for your nap, okay?"

"Oh, but... Daddy has not kissed me yet!"

""

"Daddy always kisses me! I don't want to nap without a kiss!"

The nanny looked as if Ralph just asked her to please throw herself into a sea full of sharks.

It was one thing when the Alpha was not injured. Who dared to disturb the Alpha when he was resting???

"I want a kiss I want a kiss I want a kiss!!!"

The little boy did not understand the situation. He was simply unhappy that he was not getting his usual kiss before his nap.

Lucien grabbed Ralph's tiny face with both hands and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

The nanny gaped.

The little boy was dumbfounded.

"There, will that do?" Lucien asked.

Ralph lightly touched the spot on his forehead and blinked. Then his little face melted into a huge grin.

"Un! Thank you, Uncle Orange!"

The nanny bowed at Lucien and hastily took Ralph away before he started making more demands from the esteemed guest.

Ralph giggled and waved Lucien goodbye.

"Bye-bye Uncle Orange, bye-bye!!!"

Lucien waved back.

After Ralph and his nanny disappeared, Lucien went along the corridor. In front of the elevator, a man in a black suit was already waiting for him. It was one of the two men who picked him up from the train station. When he saw Lucien, he pressed the elevator button and it opened immediately with a ding sound.

"Mr. Clearwater, please."

Lucien entered the elevator wordlessly.

"Our Beta has arranged a guest room for you, Sir. Would you like to rest a while after a long trip?"

It was indeed a long and exhausting trip. Lucien could feel his body aching for a soft mattress, but his mind had never been clearer.

It was not the time to rest.

"I wish to talk to my sister," he declared.

"Very well, Sir. Miss Annalynne Clearwater is currently relaxing in the south garden."

Back when they were still babies, Annalynne and Lucien were completely indistinguishable from each other. The same eyes, the same hair, the same face. The bigger they grow, the more attractive they became. The alpha twins of the Silent Walkers Pack was the talk of the whole werewolf community back then.

Alice Clearwater was especially delighted to have one alpha boy and one alpha girl who were so good-looking. Her two children were her biggest pride, her everything.

Lucien and Annalynne were inseparable as babies. Once the babies grew up, though, they started to drift apart. They developed different personalities, different hobbies, and befriended different people.

That was just natural, many people thought. Boys would be boys and girls would be girls. Even if both were alphas.

And then Lucien lost his wolf and his position in the Silent Walkers Pack. Everything changed within an instant. Lucien left and Annalynne stayed behind.

They still loved each other dearly, of course, but Lucien had always thought that his twin sister gradually developed some reservation around him. As if she were afraid of offending him. As if she were afraid of hurting him.

As if Lucien were made of glass and could shatter any moment.

Lucien hated it.

He could take it from anyone, even from his own mother, but not from his twin sister. He wanted to be treated normally. Not like some broken werewolf. Not like someone who needed to be protected the whole time.

.....

It was suffocating.

Their pity was killing him slowly and they didn't even know it.

The south garden had five ponds with extraordinarily unique designs. If someone were looking at the ponds from the sky, they would see that the ponds formed a wolf's paw print. Around the ponds, colorful flowers were planted. One-meter hedges were placed around the ponds to give an illusion of a labyrinth.

Then again only small children like Ralph would get lost in the labyrinth. Adults could easily replace their way to the center of the labyrinth.

Annalynne was sitting on one of the wooden benches at the center of the garden with her legs drawn to her chest. She was too busy plucking petals off a pitiful flower that she did not notice Lucien approaching at all.

The petals rained on the ground as Annalynne softly murmured, "He's mad at me. He's not. He's mad at me... Hey!!!"

Annalynne's voice quieted down once she saw the person who grabbed the flower off her hand.

"B-big Brother..."

Lucien plopped down next to Annalynne and turned to look at her.

"Tell me what happened. I want to hear it from your own mouth."

Annalynne did not dare to look at her brother at all.

"I... I came here of free will. No one forced me. I came to..."

Annalynne bit her lower lip. Lucien knew what she was there for, but he wanted Annalynne to say it.

"I... I came to offer myself to Kinnon."

Lucien sighed and rubbed at the spot between his brows.

"Anna, why?"

Tears started to flow across Annalynne's cheeks again.

"Do you know that a thousand things could have gone wrong just by you coming here?

What if something happens to you while you are here?

Where is your pride as an Alpha's daughter??? How could you do that???"

Annalynne started to sob.

Lucien looked away in exasperation. His fingers were shaking with fury as they raked through his own hair.

The proverb said, no wolf would refuse a willing prey. If Kinnon were a complete a*****e, he would have taken advantage of Annalynne and never made her his Luna. Annalynne's reputation would be thoroughly destroyed, and so would the Silent Walkers Pack's reputation.

"I need you to stop doing it," Lucien said, his voice trembling from suppressed rage. "Stop trying to protect me all the time! I am still your elder brother, damn it!"

"Why are you crying like that? Stop crying already. I forgive you."

Annalynne was unable to say anything. She merely cried and cried. Lucien furrowed his brows.

Annalynne looked beyond pitiful. She hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed softly to herself.

"Anna, you... I messed up, alright? I lost my wolf. It doesn't mean that you have to pay for everything that I fail to deliver.

Marrying Kinnon is the least I can do for the pack. You don't have to play my substitute. You are worth more than that. Do you hear me?"

Annalynne closed her eyes and bit her lip.

"Anna, do you hear me?"

The woman nodded. "Big Brother, I..."

She exchanged one look with Lucien and suddenly she lost her motivation to speak up.

"What is it?" Lucien demanded. "What do you want to say?"

"I... Uhm, I..."

Annalynne's hesitation drained Lucien's patience. Seeing his sister in that state, Lucien suddenly remembered a certain afternoon in the Alpha Camp seven years ago.

The sky was bright red, so red that it seemed to be burning. Eighteen-year-old Annalynne sat alone by the lake, her back facing the beautiful sunset as she plucked petals off a big flower. That was how Lucien found his sister.

Annalynne rarely cried, so Lucien thought that it must be serious. He pestered her for days to tell him what happened, but Annalynne's lips were sealed tightly.

Even after seven years had passed, Lucien never found out what it was that drove his sister to tears. Annalynne never wanted to speak of it.

The Alpha Camp...

Lucien's eyes widened when he thought about a possibility. But it was unlikely. Or was it not?

Maybe he was too busy with Ronan to notice anything else, including his own sister.

Lucien gently put his hands on Annalynne's shoulders. The twin siblings looked at each other.

"Anna, tell me the truth. Do you have feelings for Kinnon?"

A choking sound escaped Annalynne's throat. She stared at her big brother with a pair of big eyes that were so similar to Lucien's. The astonishment in the eyes quickly dimmed and was replaced with heartbreak.

Annalynne lowered her head in shame.

"Yes..."

Lucien held his breath unintentionally.

Looking at the shocked expression on her brother's face, Annalynne's beautiful face crumpled into a heap of mess. She felt like a huge failure. An embarrassment to her family if not her whole pack.

What would her father say? And her mother? Her mother might beat her up for her shamelessness.

"Big Brother..."

Annalynne threw her arms around Lucien's neck and leaned against the latter's body. Lucien in turn put his arms around Annalynne's waist and pulled her into a hug. It was one of the rare moments in the siblings' adult life. Moments when Annalynne was vulnerable and sought her brother's warmth and protection.

"Lulu, it is so unfair," she lamented.

"We are born identical, but he only has eyes for you. It is ironic. He loves you so much, but you don't even like him," she added with a hint of resentment.

Annalynne sniffled in her brother's arms and whined like a little girl from years ago, "I am so ugly."

.....

Lucien pinched at Annalynne's earlobe playfully.

"Hey, did you just say that I am ugly?"

"No, I said I am the ugly one," Annalynne mumbled. "Lulu, you need to clean your ears."

Her brother scoffed and pinched at her cheek. Annalynne screamed from the pain.

"Didn't you just say that we were identical? If you are ugly, then so am I."

A displeased growl escaped Annalynne's mouth. Back to leaning on Lucien's body, she rubbed at her reddened cheek and muttered darkly, "That's not what I meant and you know that very well."

Lucien said nothing. He merely caressed Annalynne's hair repeatedly. If Kinnon had bullied Annalynne somehow, Lucien would have stood up to her defense and fought Kinnon. Beat him black and blue. But an unrequited love was something else. Lucien could not blame Kinnon for something like that.

Especially not after Kinnon confessed to him and he simply started dating Ronan without properly rejecting him.

Lucien pursed his lips, ashamed of his younger self.

Really, he could have just said thank you and told Kinnon that he already fell for someone else.

"Anna," he softly called, kissing the top of her head. "Do you remember that time at Alpha Camp when you were crying by the lake?"

The body in Lucien's arms froze up almost immediately. "Yes...?"

"Did you confess to Kinnon and he rejected you?"

Annalynne sat straight next to Lucien and shook her head.

"I overheard his confession to you."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," Annalynne pursed her lips because Lucien did not buy her statement. "I followed him and listened in on your conversation."

That was more like it.

Kinnon had asked Lucien to come to the running track in the evening. The track and field team already finished their training for the day. Other than the two young men, no one was around.

"You knew, and you still offered yourself to him?"

Lucien narrowed his eyes at his foolish little sister. Before Lucien started again with his lecture about the pride and dignity of an Alpha's daughter, Annalynne decided to come forward with the truth.

"Lulu, you rejected Ronan within two days of receiving his proposal but you took your sweet time to answer Kinnon's proposal. Everyone who has two functioning eyes can see that you are stalling, trying to buy your time."

"So what if I am?"

"So I thought... You will never be dedicated enough to be his Luna. We look so alike, and I... I can even give birth to his children."

As opposed to Lucien. Annalynne turned red when she stammered out the last sentence.

"I didn't mean that I was better than you!" she quickly followed up. "I am just saying that I will not be that bad of a substitute!"

Lucien

groaned.

"Anna, listen to me. You are you. You are not my substitute or anyone else's substitute. Do you hear me?"

Annalynne nodded. She heard him, but she did not necessarily agree with him. Oh, the curse of love...

"Did he reject you?"

Annalynne's tears dropped again. "He did! He said that he was not after your face. We might look alike, but we are different in his eyes!"

44"

"Anna, maybe he just... Maybe he just likes men. Have you ever thought about it?"

A miserable look spread on Annalynne's face. "Lulu, he had girlfriends after his wife died! He never had boyfriends!"

Lucien was speechless. If someone had told him months ago that his only sister had been actively stalking Kinnon Youngshaper's private life, he might have written the person off as a lunatic.

This was his sister. His very own sister.

So in love with Kinnon Youngshaper and the latter proposed and confirmed his love to Lucien instead. Things could not get messier. The mere thought was enough to give Lucien a week-long migraine.

"Anna, go back," Lucien decided. "Let me handle this matter."

Annalynne pulled a grimace. "I can't."

Lucien turned to her and gave her a puzzled look. "Don't tell me that you still don't want to give up."

"No, that's not why I can't go back. You see, Kinnon got injured because of me. I asked him to come with me to a remote spot to talk, and then we got attacked by a bunch of werewolves."

Lucien widened his eyes in horror. The Alpha of the Night Prowler Pack was injured in Annalynne's presence??? While both packs were in the middle of post-war negotiation???

Before Lucien had time to assume the worst, his sister told him the news in a straightforward manner.

"Lulu, the Night Prowler Pack assumes that this attack is orchestrated by the Silent Walkers Pack. I am technically a prisoner in here."

"How do I not know about this?" Lucien demanded angrily.

"Well, the attack happened yesterday night. You were heading here anyway so Kinnon strictly demanded his whole pack to not pass any judgment or contact the Silent Walkers Pack until you arrive," Annalynne explained. She was more sorry than ever.

"So you see, Lulu, you also can't leave here. Not until the Silent Walkers Pack is cleared from all charges."

Great. Wonderful. Magnificent. More and more good news are coming, Lucien thought to himself sarcastically.

Werewolves, no matter how civil, would always have that beastly side that was hidden beneath their subconsciousness, deep in their heart, engraved in their skull. This beastly side was necessary to survive, to thrive in the wilderness when killing was often the only other option after getting killed.

Werewolf packs of ancient times used to engage in ferocious battles over territories and food. It was not rare for one mighty werewolf pack to completely destroy another pack and take over its territory.

Along with the progress of civilization and the decreasing number of werewolves, packs were discouraged from engaging in wars. Even if such wars were to happen, the winning pack must minimize casualties. Unnecessary deaths must be avoided to preserve the precious werewolf bloodline.

Unfortunately, beasts were still beasts after all. They often failed to control their urges and fall victim to their own bloodlust. The younger werewolves especially lacked self-restraint.

To ensure that all existing werewolf packs were able to co-exist peacefully, the Werewolf Council was established. It had representatives from all packs, particularly ex-Alphas or esteemed Elders. Packs with grievances were allowed to lodge a complaint against other packs and the Werewolf Council would then investigate and make a decision for the greater good.

It was said that only the Werewolf Council had the power to completely obliterate a whole pack. This was typically done when said pack crossed a certain taboo line. An assassination attempt toward another pack's Alpha mid-negotiation, for example, was one of the despicable things that could drag the Silent Walkers Pack in front of the Werewolf Council.

Lucien was desperate to straighten the facts before the Night Prowler Pack started to develop more suspicion toward the Silent Walkers Pack.

He wanted to meet Kinnon again after speaking to Annalynne. Unfortunately, the Alpha was still recuperating from his injuries and was thus not available for an audience.

Lucien tried again the next morning but again, Kinnon was not accepting any guests. Lucien had no other option but to wait with a nervous Annalynne, who felt as if the sky above their heads was doomed to fall any second. Three days later, there still was no progress. Kinnon still refused to meet up with Lucien and Anna became quite desperate.

.....

"Lulu, I am so sorry," she kept apologizing over and over again. "I did not think my actions through. If the Night Prowler Pack insists that the attack is planned, then let me take the blame. You and the pack must not suffer... Owww!"

Lucien flicked hard at Annalynne's forehead, causing the latter's eyes to become misty from pain. She rubbed at the spot on her forehead and protested, "What was that for???"

"You are my only sister. The Night Prowler Pack must kill me first before they get through to you."

Lucien furrowed his brows and squinted at Annalynne. "Remember that."

"... Oh, Lulu!"

Annalynne jumped at Lucien and hugged him tightly. Lucien put his arms around Annalynne and sighed into her thick wavy hair.

He wanted to settle the misunderstanding but what could he do if the Alpha refused to see him?

Find the next most powerful pack member in line, of course.

It just so happened that Bjorn was expecting him and was thus well-prepared. When Lucien and Annalynne were looking to speak with him, they were told that Bjorn would spare some time for them in the evening. When the time came, the two siblings were led to

the audience hall where Bjorn was sitting together with all Night Prowler Pack's Elders.

The temperature inside the room seemed to drop a few degrees as Lucien and Annalynne found themselves surrounded by a bunch of high-ranking werewolves from the Night Prowler Pack.

Bjorn cleared his throat and gestured for Lucien and Annalynne to take a seat.

"Please have a seat, Lucien and Anna."

Lucien and Annalynne sat side by side, holding hands while they were struggling to maintain their composure under the many judgmental pairs of eyes that were looking at them from all directions. "Anna, why don't you tell everyone what happened? I am sure this will help Lucien to understand what is happening."

Annalynne swallowed hard and then began retelling the story from her point of view.

Annalynne contacted kinnon prior to her departure from Blue Hill City, telling him that she had something personal to discuss with him about.

Kinnon had initially refused. He was after all courting Lucien to be his Luna. Meeting up with Annalynne, his future in-law was not appropriate.

And yet, Annalynne insisted. She left without waiting for Kinnon to agree. By the time Annalynne arrived at the Central Train Station, she was greeted by the two same men in black suits who picked Lucien up.

Annalynne was led to Kinnon, who had been waiting for her to arrive.

Once they met up with each other, Annalynne asked for them to go somewhere quiet with no one to listen to their conversation. Kinnon led her into the forest to talk privately.

"I refuse to inform the nature of my conversation with Kinnon," Annalynne said with burning cheeks. Thankfully, no one pressed her in that regard.

While they were speaking to each other, five werewolves appeared out of nowhere in their wolf forms. Although Annalynne was with Kinnon at that time, they were focused on attacking Kinnon.

Annalynne testified to fighting alongside Kinnon in her wolf form. Biting and tearing at the other werewolves to chase them away. Kinnon also landed a few strikes. Together, they managed to kill the five werewolves, but Kinnon was heavily injured. Annalynne was

the one who dragged him back into the Pack House and got some help.

Bjorn nodded in appreciation. "Thank you for telling us what happened, Anna."

"Anna already told the story from her point of view. May I know what the Beta and the Elders think about it?"

An elder cleared his throat to draw everyone's attention toward him.

"Elder Luke, would you like to say anything?" Bjorn asked politely.

"Miss Clearwater, we are very thankful that you brought our heavily wounded Alpha back to the Pack House that day. You yourself did not sustain a single scratch. I am interested to know why."