ã€ŠThe 5-time Rejected Gamma &amp; the Lycan Kingã€‹


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1

    ¡°Would you like to do it, your Highness, or should I?¡± She looked at the Lycan King indifferently, whose

    lc eyes of affection were suddenly intruded by confusion.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± He asked as he tried to concentrate on the beautiful voice of the woman in

    front of him, his mate. He was here for a meet-and-greet session that he dreaded. The worst thing was

    that this session among Alphas, Lunas and their Gammas from every pack in existence was tost for

    the entire night! ¡®Why couldn¡¯t they just skip this night and officially start the one-month coboration

    tomorrow?¡¯, the King thought to himself every year.

    She raised her eyebrows as she studied his expression, ¡°Huh. You do look genuinely confused.¡±

    His eyebrows furrowed, confused and irritated now, ¡°Again, what do you mean? And what is your

    name?¡±

    The Alphas, Lunas and the best warrior of each pack, called Gammas, just arrived and he, as their

    benevolent King, was here to greet them. Although, if he were given a choice, this King would have

    rather been going through the reports of rogue attacks that were steadily piling up on his desk. He

    couldn¡¯t wait to get the night over with. If he made his rounds quickly enough, he would still reach home

    on time to get through three or four files before bed. But when he walked through the doors of the

    gathering hall, his impatience, reluctance and pure hate for the meet-and-greet vaporized in an instant.

    ¡°My name is Lucianne Freesia Paw, your Highness. I take it that you¡¯re going to do it, then?¡± She said

    simply. To the King, her name felt like the first spring breeze after many long months of harsh winter,

    the soft light prating through the grey clouds, the breath of life in a cold, dark world.

    ¡°Do what?¡± His confusion couldn¡¯t be masked even if he tried. He felt like his mate was already ten feet

    away when he had only taken the first step.

    When he entered the hall, every wolf and Lycan present looked in his direction and they either nodded

    or bowed but he merely nced over them. The animal in him was following a scent that has never

    graced his nostrils. Butterfly pea and jasmine. ¡®What a uniquebination¡¯, he thought to himself. His

    footsteps gained speed as the scent got stronger.

    Then, he stopped right behind a five-foot-one brte. Her back was small, half of it covered with dark,

    luscious curls falling effortlessly from her head. There was only one word in his mind ¡ª mate. The

    figure started turning around to face him, and his heart stopped. She was surprised by his sudden

    presence and took a step back. The animal in his head growled, ¡®Mine¡¯.

    Lucianne turned around because she noticed the stunned faces of her Alpha and Luna, who both

    bowed in her direction. Upon turning, she came face-to-face with a white suit covered with a ck

    tuxedo, and a strong scent of acacia wood and forest trees graced her nostrils. Shocked at the

    proximity, she took a step back to see who it was. Realizing that the dark-haired man with slightly

    tanned skin and lc eyes was the King himself, she understood her pack leaders¡¯ action. She, too,

    bent her knees and lowered her head as a form of respect to the highest ruler of all werewolves and

    Lycans.

    A warm feeling crept up her shoulders before she felt the sparks where his hands made contact with

    her skin. To her dread, she realised that the man in front of her was her mate who spoke in his clear,

    deep voice, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. Please stand. Don¡¯t bow to me.¡± He said with visible pain and

    disapproval in his eyes.

    Although surprised by the King¡¯s response, Lucianne couldn¡¯t escape her reality of how the bond was

    going to end. ¡®Here we go again¡¯, she thought, before proceeding to ask whether he wanted her to do it,

    or that he wanted to do it himself ¨C to reject her.

    ¡°Do what, Lucianne? Talk to me.¡± His voice was soft but demanding. His eyes were desperate and lost.

    She exined calmly, ¡°Reject me, your Highness. Do you prefer it if I did it or would you like to do it

    yourself?¡± The hope and life she gave him earlier seemed like it was about to be snatched away from

    him almost as soon as he found them.

    The King¡¯s lc eyes turned onyx as he growled thunderously, scaring everyone who was there. The

    room fell into dead silence. After he exploded in anger at what he had just heard, the King asked in a

    low, frightening tone, ¡°Why the f*ck would either one of us reject the other?¡±

    Lucianne was surprised again but she remained calm. She shrugged and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s

    because I¡¯m not your type, not good enough for you, not pretty enough, you may already have a

    chosen mate to be engaged to¡­¡± before she could finish, her Luna hissed, ¡°Stop it, Lucy!¡±

    The King¡¯s eyes met the Luna¡¯s as he growled, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to speak.¡±

    The Luna and her Alpha mate lowered their heads in unison as a sign of apology. No right-minded wolf

    would challenge a Lycan, let alone the King of Lycans.

    The King faced his mate again. His eyes softened a little by how dainty and beautiful she looked. Why

    did she want to take herself away from him? He asked in a murderous tone, ¡°Who told you those

    things?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes turned wide abruptly, ¡°Oh no, your Highness. That¡¯s not what I meant. It¡¯s just¡­ that¡¯s

    what my previous mates told me before or after they rejected me so I was just giving you an idea on

    what I¡¯m talking about.¡±

    His angered eyes bore into her unperturbed ones as he asked in a dangerously low tone, ¡°Do you want

    to reject me?¡±

    She took a moment to think. No one had ever asked her this question. ¡°That¡¯s a very difficult question

    to answer, your Highness. I don¡¯t even know you. I admit that there is the mate bond for now, and I do

    acknowledge that I feel the sparks but whether I want the rejection¡­ hm, I honestly don¡¯t know. But

    then again, what I wanted never really mattered. My previous mates pretty much decided it for me.

    That, or they made my decision easy. I do prefer an earlier rejection when there are no memories made

    as of yet because it would hurt much less. Does that make sense, your Highness?¡±

    Xandar responded firmly, ¡°No. And stop calling me ¡®your Highness¡¯. You are my mate and I am yours.

    The mate bond is there for now and forever. The sparks will get stronger. And neither of us are

    rejecting the other.¡± There was fury in his voice but also desperation. Desperation to not lose his mate

    when he had just found her. Desperation for her to ept him and stay with him forever.

    She nodded grudgingly once and bit her bottom lip as she dove into her own thoughts.

    He sighed. His eyes were gaining back their lc shades as his fingers reached for her chin and lifted it

    up gently for their eyes to lock, ¡°What are you thinking about, Lucianne?¡± His voice no longer held

    anger, only gentleness and guilt.

    She opened her mouth to say something but closed it after a second thought. She smiled meekly and

    shook her head slightly before she said, ¡°I was just thinking about the ceremony tomorrow. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Lucianne,¡± he reached for her cheek this time as he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I yelled at you. But don¡¯t lie to me,

    please. Tell me. What were you thinking about?¡±

    Her eyes dimmed as she looked at the ground, and Xandar felt his heart clenching by her saddened

    look. Sheposed herself and muttered, ¡°I can¡¯t understand why you won¡¯t reject me.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re my mate!¡± He whisper-yelled, not that it helped. In a room filled with Lycans and

    werewolves known for their sharp hearing, it was without a doubt that everyone heard their King.

    ¡°Okay.¡± She said meekly and forced a smile. No one had to tell him that she was unconvinced by how

    he felt about her. But why would she doubt him? The mate bond was supposed to automatically signify

    love andmitment. Why didn¡¯t she believe him? His hand suddenly had a mind of its own as it

    began tracing her right arm in hopes of soothing her and chasing away her doubts. When he felt the

    unevenness of her skin, he wasted no time taking a step to her side to examine the cause.

    There was a 5-inch scar. Injuries and wounds could heal but for some brutal attacks and idents, a

    scar would remain. The King¡¯s eyes darkened again, and he growled so loudly that the werewolves

    around them took a step back as they held their heads low.

    ¡°What? What is it?¡± Lucianne frantically asked, equally rmed. She felt the scar on her arm with her

    left hand but she wasn¡¯t sure what the fuss was about so she looked at the King in confusion, whose

    onyx eyes were still glued there.

    He pushed her left hand away gently and started tracing the scar with his fingers. Lucianne fought

    through the pleasurable sparks erupting from that area. With his eyes still fixed there, he asked in a

    low, homicidal tone, ¡°Who did this?¡±

    Lucianne shrugged, ¡°It was just the rogues. Five, maybe six years ago. It¡¯s just a dried-up part of the

    skin, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    His dark eyes never left the part of her flesh that was once torn so badly that its appearance never

    healed. He then locked eyes with Lucianne as he asked in dismay, ¡°How are you okay with this?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m¡­¡±

    ¡°Xandar.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me by my title or my full name. It¡¯s just Xandar to you, Lucianne.¡± He insisted.

    She hesitated, ¡°Xandar,¡± she began, clearly not used with this manner of addressing the King, ¡°A scar

    is normal among warriors, more so among Gammas. If you check the bodies of the other Gammas

    here today, you¡¯ll find that many of them have scars as well. Some may be worse than mine. I know a

    few Alphas and a handful of Lunas who have such scars from fighting alongside their pack. This really

    isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±

    He listened to her words, and his eyes softened at how she shoved her own ordeal aside to put other

    warriors and pack leaders under the spotlight of bravery. No one knew that, at that time, whatever

    Lucianne said only made their King more certain that there was no one more qualified to lead alongside

    him as his Queen.

    His heart ached when his gaze returned to the scar on his beautiful mate. When he bent down and was

    close to kissing it, Lucianne abruptly retracted her arm as she uttered, ¡°Perhaps that is not the most

    appropriate thing to do, given this setting.¡±

    He hadpletely forgotten about the people around them. He only saw her. With those words, he

    was pulled back into reality. He smiled, making the Lycans in the room stunned. The King never smiled.

    Never.

    He then said, ¡°You¡¯re right. I would like to meet your pack leaders, Lucianne. Introduce us?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± She smiled, and waved her Alpha and Luna over. They walked towards the King and

    bowed, their heads still facing the ground as Lucianne said, ¡°These are Alpha Juan and Luna Hale of

    the Blue Crescent Pack, your High¡ª- Xandar.¡± She abruptly decided against addressing Xandar by his

    title when she saw, from the corner of her eye, that he was about to make a fuss.

    ¡°Heads up, leaders of the Blue Crescent Pack.¡± Xandar said with a smile. When their heads were

    raised, Xandar thrusted out his hand in Alpha Juan¡¯s direction, ¡°I want to personally thank you for

    leading the rogue attack up Northst year. The rogues would¡¯ve continued to wreak havoc if it weren¡¯t

    for your pack¡¯s leadership and contribution.¡±

    The King remembered reading a report on the sessful annihtion of one of the strongest rogue

    packs in the previous year, and had long known the Blue Crescent Pack was at the forefront of the

    victory. It was said that this pack held the trust of the other packs, and was respected for the leadership

    disyed. There were many testimonials from other pack warriors who thanked the Blue Crescent

    Pack, saying that they ¡®had learnt a lot¡¯ in terms of strategy andbat.

    Alpha Juan and Luna Hale were both stunned by the King¡¯s graciousness. It was no secret that one

    should just be grateful to not get killed. It was not customary for the King to hand out praises.

    Juan took the King¡¯s hand and shook it once before he admitted sheepishly, ¡°As your subjects, we are

    more than grateful to assist in your endeavors, your Highness. But my Luna and I cannot take credit for

    the sessst year. We may be thergest in size in our pack, but our Gamma, Lucy,¡± Juan motioned

    in Lucianne¡¯s direction, before continuing, ¡°was the strategist, the best trainer and warrior, be it on the

    battlefieldst year or within our own pack. I¡¯m her subordinate when ites to training. She was the

    one who led us to victory.¡±

    Lucianne was biting her bottom lip. When she knew what Juan was going to say, she tried to stop him

    through their mind-link but he didn¡¯t bother listening to her. Her eyes were fixed on the ground as she

    prayed for the moment to be over. She couldn¡¯t see it but Xandar¡¯s eyes beamed with admiration for

    her. When he noticed that her eyes were pinned to the ground, he frowned and asked in concern,

    ¡°Lucianne, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    She shook her head slightly and responded meekly, ¡°Nothing. Just tired.¡±

    He nodded in understanding. Most wolves had to travel a long way to Lycan territory so it was a given

    that they would be drained when they arrived. He turned to face everyone as he announced, ¡°My fellow

    subjects, I thank you for making the trip here. Let this night be the beginning of a worthwhile

    coboration between packs and species. Please have some food if you haven¡¯t already. I would like to

    meet every one of you. Give me a few minutes. I will be right back to thank every pack who has

    assisted me these past few years. Enjoy the evening.¡±

    The speech left everyone surprised. The King was never this weing. It was no secret that he hated

    this night every year. But now he was not only weing them with open arms, he promised to thank

    the helpful packs personally!

    Disregarding the stares, he turned to Lucianne and said, ¡°Lucianne, you should get some rest. Let me

    walk you back.¡±

    She looked at her pack leaders in panic but Juan said, ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, Lucy. Go. You hardly sleptst

    night.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s heart clenched again with Juan¡¯s words but he chose to say nothing. When his hand fell on

    Lucianne¡¯s small waist, she gasped and stiffened but made no move to push it away. So, he left his

    hand there as he led her out of the hall.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2

    As soon as they were out of the building, Xandar asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sleepst night?¡±

    ¡°Border duty.¡± She answered simply.

    ¡°How is it that you had border duty the night before you were bound to travel?¡±

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    ¡°The avable members were either sick or had a family to look after. I didn¡¯t want to flip anyone¡¯s

    schedules upside down over this so I stood in ce.¡± She shrugged. Her selfless answer exuded the

    nobility of a Queen, his Queen.

    But something still bothered him. ¡°Lucianne, why were you ufortable when your Alpha gave you

    credit forst year¡¯s sess? Why didn¡¯t you just thank him and ept the praise?¡±

    She snorted, and looked him dead in the eye as she dered, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it for the praise, your Hig¡­

    Xandar. When Alpha Juan got the request, I made it a point to my warriors that the ultimate aim of the

    battles was to keep innocent wolves safe. I drilled this thought into their heads day-in and day-out.

    They were to fight to protect, to fight with honour and nobility, not for the sake of pleasing anyone of a

    superior position.¡±

    He listened to the strength of her voice, and his lips curled up as she continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t ept the

    praise because I didn¡¯t do it for that. I didn¡¯t do it for you either, Xandar. I respect you as my King but I

    didn¡¯t fight the rogues for you. I fought for those who couldn¡¯t fight. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t ept the praise.

    I never will, so don¡¯t try to get me to do it.¡±

    His animal howled internally with immense joy and pride. He and the Lycan in him could not thank their

    Goddess enough. They werepletely over the moon that the Moon Goddess bonded them to¡­ a

    goddess. Noble. Selfless. Brave. Beautiful. What pique his interest most was her confident admission

    that she prioritized the lives of innocent wolves that she had never met over her ruler who everyone

    was obliged to please.

    But somehow, she still seemed unreachable. He felt that she didn¡¯t allow herself to get as close to him

    as he wanted her to. Then, there was that confusion about her willingness to reject him, or have him

    reject her. What was that about? Why would she ask for something like that?

    He then recalled that she mentioned her ¡®previous mates¡¯. Mates. So, she was rejected more than once

    before. But why would she think that he was like the rest of them? He was not a wolf. Surely, Lycans

    were more known for their unwillingness to deny the mate bond, weren¡¯t they?

    He admired her side profile in silence, taking in the most beautiful creature he had everid his eyes

    on. He hoped to learn everything about her one day, but for better or worse, he was dead certain that

    he would never let his mate go.

    When they reached the hotel where they housed a portion of wolves, Lucianne was surprised that

    Xandar still insisted on following her until they reached her room. He stared at her scar with a frown as

    she unlocked the door. ¡°Thank you for walking me back. Have a good night, Xandar.¡± Her sweet voice

    brought his gaze up to hers.

    She took only one step into her room when Xandar grabbed her by her wrist and lifted her hand to his

    lips. She stiffened in shock as he nted a deep kiss on the back of her hand, sending a strong wave

    of sparks through her arm and then her entire body. He was still holding her hand when he locked eyes

    with her and uttered, ¡°Goodnight, Lucianne.¡±

    She retracted her hand, and entered her room before shutting the door behind her. Xandar stood in his

    spot, where he heard her sigh after she closed the door. He then heard cupboard doors opening and

    closing before her footsteps moved across the room, where he heard a second door being shut.

    After some shuffling sounds, he heard the water from the shower, and the Lycan part of him was

    aroused by the thought of his mate naked in the bathroom. He walked away from her door in quick

    steps before his self-control evaporated. He could easily break the hinges and knock down the door if

    he wanted to. Ignoring his whimpering animal who would rather skip the meet-and-greet and spend the

    night with their mate, he returned to the hall and started making his rounds.

    He found it amusing when pack leaders and warriors disyed their surprise after he expressed his

    gratitude to them. There were several self-entitled Alphas and snobbish Lunas who tried and failed

    The warrior from the Blood Eclipse Pack, Gamma Raden, had a scar on his face tracing down to his

    neck. If the scar went a little higher, he would¡¯ve been rendered blind on one side. ¡°How did it happen?¡±

    The King asked in concern as he gestured to the scar.

    The warrior smiled graciously as he exined, ¡°A rogue attack five years ago, your Highness. Our pack

    was attacked and we formed alliances with Blue Crescent and White Blood to eradicate the rogues.¡±

    ¡°Were many injured?¡± The King asked.

    ¡°We lost two wolves in the final attack, sadly, but the death toll was higher before our alliance. Although

    it¡¯s displeasing to the eye, I must admit that this scar only brings me joy.¡± He said with a smile.

    The King¡¯s curiosity was pique. ¡°What do you mean by that, Gamma Raden?¡±

    Raden nced at his pack leaders before he exined, ¡°When the rogues attacked, some of us who

    had an above average strength took on more than one rogue at a time. When I kept taking on two at a

    time, the rogues took notice. All of a sudden, I found myself surrounded by five of them. One held me

    by my tail and its member shed me from the side and gave me this scar.¡± He gestured to his face

    before continuing, ¡°When the blood from my face was oozing, the Gammas from our ally packs

    pounced in and tore the rogues apart, leaving the rogue who shed me for me to chase before I tore

    its throat.¡±

    Raden smiled. ¡°The scar brings me joy because it has been a long time since I knew I could count on

    someone from another pack to watch my back. I¡¯m not an Alpha, and I¡¯m not a member of their pack.

    They had no obligation to save me but they did.¡±

    The King listened attentively before he confirmed, ¡°Blue Crescent and White Blood, you say?¡±

    ¡°Yes, your Highness.¡± Raden said with a slight bow, and added, ¡°The warrior from White Blood is

    Gamma Tobias Tristan. And you¡¯ve already met the warrior from Blue Crescent, Gamma Lucianne

    Paw.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± the King nodded.

    Gamma Raden then nced at his leaders again, who both have doubtful expressions. He cleared his

    throat, and with visible fear in his eyes, he began, ¡°Your Highness?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Gamma Raden?¡± The King obliged with an encouraging smile.

    The Gamma said cautiously, ¡°I wasn¡¯t standing very near where you were when you met Gamma

    Lucianne, so I¡¯m not sure if what I heard was¡­what I heard.¡± He hesitated. ¡°You mentioned that Lucy is

    your mate?¡±

    ¡°I did, and she is.¡± The King responded with a smile, despite the tint of jealousy he felt from the way this

    warrior called his mate ¡®Lucy¡¯ with such affection.

    Gamma Raden nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re going to kill me for what I¡¯m about to say, your

    Highness. But as I said, I owe her my life, so I think this is going to be a fair trade.¡± He chuckled once,

    before saying seriously, ¡°Your Highness, I beg you, don¡¯t hurt her. She is a good person who, for some

    unknown reason, was forced to go through with more than most.¡±

    The King¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed. He felt insulted. Why would this Gamma think that he, as

    Lucianne¡¯s mate, couldn¡¯t take care of her? Who the hell did this wolf think he was?! The King tried his

    best to keep hisposure and dered in a serious tone, ¡°I would never even think of hurting her.

    She¡¯s my mate. I would start a war before I let her get hurt.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to know. It¡¯s been an honour to meet you, your Highness.¡± Gamma Raden bowed.

    The King smiled tly and said, ¡°Likewise, members of Blood Eclipse. Do enjoy the rest of the

    evening.¡± He walked away in quick steps as he felt the jealousy overtaking his body when Raden

    expressed so much concern for Lucianne. If he stayed any longer, he might have killed Raden.

    When he was speaking to a Luna who was running her pack after the death of her husband the

    previous month, Xandar felt a hand run down his arm seductively, making him turn his sights to re at

    the creature.

    He asked in a dangerously-low tone, ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±

    It was the daughter of his Defence Minister, Sasha Cummings, who smiled coyly at the King, making

    Xandar angrier.

    ¡°Sasha,¡± her father called out as he approached them.

    The King growled again. ¡°Should your daughter interfere in one of my conversations again, we¡¯ll have

    to discuss your future and hers, Cummings.¡±

    Sasha was left stunned but opted to say nothing, and held her head low as her father bowed and

    apologized, ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, your Highness. I should¡¯ve been more alert. We¡¯ll excuse ourselves

    now.¡±

    The King¡¯s re remained on them until they were far enough for hisfort. He thought about

    Lucianne to calm himself before turning back to the Luna whom he was speaking to and said, ¡°I

    apologize for the interruption, Luna Lyssa. We were talking about the construction works for a training

    ground in your pack if I¡¯m not mistaken?¡±

    Luna Lyssa didn¡¯t expect an apology from the King, and was quite surprised by the sincerity from his

    words. When the King remembered where they left off in their conversation, she was more encouraged

    to show her enthusiasm when she spoke about her ns to mandate every able pack member to fight.

    The King supported her, and encouraged her to submit an application should she need help in terms of

    finances or trainers. She thanked him, and promised to keep his offer in mind.

    When he left Luna Lyssa, Alpha Juan and Luna Hale approached him hastily and nervously. They

    stood before him and bowed. ¡°Heads up, pack leaders of Blue Crescent. To what do I owe this

    pleasure?¡±

    Their raised heads were met with the King¡¯s smiling eyes. No King in history was known to find meeting

    werewolves a ¡®pleasure¡¯, and no Lycan would bother offering a smile to their species, let alone the King

    himself.

    Alpha Juan nced at his mate, who nodded encouragingly. The Alpha looked at the King and spoke

    doubtfully, ¡°My Gamma is your mate, your Highness?¡±

    Now, he was getting pissed-off. His eyebrows furrowed as he said, ¡°She is. Is there a problem?¡±

    Alpha Juan muttered a ¡®wow¡¯ under his breath before speaking, ¡°Your Highness, please understand I

    mean no disrespect for whateveres out from my mouth next.¡± He cleared his throat and continued,

    ¡°If you¡¯re not¡­ serious about¡­ having her,¡± he swallowed a lump in his throat before proceeding, ¡°¡­

    please let her go. I don¡¯t want to see her hurt by the mate bond again. I¡¯ve known her since we were

    kids. She¡¯s like a sister to me. It pains me and my Luna to see her hurt.¡±

    If Alpha Juan didn¡¯t have a mate, Xandar was dead certain that he would have ripped the Alpha¡¯s throat

    right then and there out of pure jealousy. Gamma Raden had already emptied his patience reservoir,

    and Xandar was clinging on to the thread of patience he had left for the night.

    ¡°Why would you think that I¡¯m not serious about Lucianne, Alpha Juan?¡± He asked, taking some

    comfort in saying her name.

    Alpha Juan said, ¡°My King, I admit that I don¡¯t know your intention with Lucy. Having just met you today,

    I have to say that I don¡¯t know you at all so I cannot tell how this¡­ mate bond is going to¡­ progress.

    All I wanted to say is that¡­¡± he sighed like he was going to make one of the biggest mistakes of his

    life, ¡°¡­she has gone through too much in one lifetime. Please, don¡¯t hurt her.¡±

    Alpha Juan looked like a man ready to receive his punishment after he finished speaking. Xandar was

    impressed with what Lucianne was capable of doing with her very existence. In one night, two wolves

    were ready to be punished just to tell him not to hurt her, and one was an Alpha.

    He chuckled at his own thought before meeting Alpha Juan¡¯s confused look as he dered, ¡°Alpha

    Juan, my intention with Lucianne is to court her, mate and mark her and only her, have her mark me,

    and make her my Queen. I don¡¯t know what I did to have you and Gamma Raden think that I will hurt

    my mate, but I can assure you that I can never bear to see Lucianne hurt, let alone hurt her.¡± He

    chuckled darkly before muttering, ¡°If anything, she hurt me with what she said tonight.¡±

    Luna Hale then stepped forward cautiously and exined, ¡°Your Highness, p-please forgive her. It¡¯s not

    in our position to speak about her past. But if she decides to tell you one day, you¡¯ll understand why

    she said the things she did.¡±

    Xandar nodded in understanding as he listened to her speak nervously. He then added with a smile,

    ¡°You both need not be so afraid of me. I wouldn¡¯t punish or kill without a proper basis. Logic and legality

    aside, I wouldn¡¯t dream of killing my mate¡¯s pack leaders who are just trying to look out for her.¡±

    There was a moment of surprise before they bowed to disy their gratitude. Xandar moved on to the

    next pack and two more after before he took his leave.

    When Xandar arrived home, he made himself go through one file in the rogue stack before turning in

    for the night. He looked to the side of his bed, and he imagined Lucianne lying next to him. His hand

    subconsciously reached for the empty pillow and felt the coldness on its surface. His animal

    whimpered, missing their mate. He thought about being able to see her the next day and fell asleep

    with a smile.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3

    Lucianne got out of bed at 4 a.m., brushed her teeth, dressed up and grabbed a bag with a water bottle

    before making her way to the ground floor and exited the building through the backdoor. She jogged to

    the nearby forest behind the hotel and stripped behind a tree. After cing her clothes in her bag, she

    shifted.

    Her white wolf with sapphire eyes had an unusual feature ¨C a striped tail of white and grey. She never

    knew why. She scoured through any book she could find on the oddities of werewolves but there was

    nothing on striped tails. Those who had seen her form always pointed out this peculiarity of hers. Some

    said she had an unknown gift; others said she was cursed. It never bothered her in terms of

    functionality so she just shrugged off thesements.

    When her paws hit the grassy ground, she held onto her bag in her mouth and ran into the forest. The

    cool breeze was invigorating. The gentle rustling of the wind was a sound she loved, and the endless

    rows of trees drew her deeper and deeper into the forest. She only stopped when she heard the

    gushing sound of water from a river.

    There, she sat by the riverbank and looked at her reflection. Lucianne then stared at the sky, and took

    a deep, satisfying breath of freedom. She did this every morning back in her pack. The stillness gave

    her the space to clear her head. The quietness offered her some peace.

    The first ray of light was her cue to dash back. She ran through the forest from the path she came from,

    shifted back to her human form, dressed and entered the building before taking the elevator up to the

    seventh floor. As soon as she walked out of the elevator and turned around the corner of the corridor,

    she heard the sound of heavy footstepsing to a halt. Lucianne was scrolling through her phone as

    she walked, so she didn¡¯t see who it was.

    Suddenly, her body was tugged forward, and she slumped into something hard. ¡°Oof!¡±

    ¡°Goddess, I was so worried! Where were you?!¡± The person who had his head buried in her hair

    eximed.

    Lucianne pressed her hands on the hard surface of his chest to part their bodies, and when she felt the

    sparks and registered the scent of acacia wood and forest trees, she realised that it was the King.

    When their gaze locked, she saw worry, relief and some anger in his eyes. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. Good morning,

    your¡­ I mean, Xandar.¡±

    He gently tugged a stray hair behind her ear as he asked, ¡°Where did you go this morning, Lucianne?¡±

    ¡°I went for a run in the forest at the back. Why? Did something happen?¡± She asked.

    Xandar pressed their bodies together once more, and the sparks intensified. He then buried his head in

    her neck as he whispered, ¡°I couldn¡¯t hear anyone in your room, and your scent in the corridor was

    faint. I thought something bad happened to you. Don¡¯t do that to me again, Lucianne, please. I can¡¯t

    afford to lose you.¡±

    The sincerity in his voice pulled at her heartstrings but she reminded herself of her previous mates and

    remained calm as she uttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I worried you. But there aren¡¯t any attacks around here,

    are they?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He whispered into her ear, and his warm breath tickled her skin as he continued, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t

    mean I would be any less worried if I didn¡¯t know where you were.¡±

    She tried to keep herselfposed as she uttered, ¡°You could¡¯ve asked Ethan. He saw me leave.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s body stiffened, and his grip on her shoulders tightened as he pulled away to look at her face.

    His eyes were fierce, and his tone wasced with jealousy as he asked, ¡°Who is Ethan?¡±

    With furrowed eyebrows, Lucianne answered simply, ¡°The guard at the backdoor. Six feet. Dark. Short

    hair. He is a guard of this ce, isn¡¯t he? Or you could¡¯ve asked his partner, Benjamin. He guards the

    front but I think he saw me leave from the back this morning.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s body rxed, and he smiled in bliss as his thumb traced her cheek. He thought about how

    amazing his mate was to learn the names of the hotel guards. The King chuckled lightly for no reason

    other than how happy he felt when he was with her.

    Lucianne¡¯s phone beeped, pulling her gaze to the screen. She then looked back at the King, and

    asked, ¡°Was there anything you need? I have to get ready for breakfast. I should get there before my

    Alpha and Luna.¡±

    He took a nce at her phone when she held it up, and saw that it was a reminder for her to get ready.

    He was so worried that he hadn¡¯t noticed she was in a tracksuit. He reluctantly released her as he said,

    ¡°I won¡¯t keep you. I should go get ready as well. I can¡¯t wait to see you at breakfast, Lucianne.¡±

    She managed a polite smile and walked past him. He watched her unlock her door and disappear from

    view when the door closed behind her. Xandar was rooted at his spot for another five whole seconds

    before he entered the elevator and left the building like a grinning monkey.

    For once, he contemted what he would wear for the day. He never really cared about clothes. When

    one is in a position of power, subordinates will bow to you regardless of what one wears. But now, he

    wanted to look his best for his mate. After putting on a teal green shirt and finishing the look with a

    ck tuxedo, he ran his fingers through his dark, thick hair a few times until he was satisfied with the

    way it looked in the mirror before leaving his room and driving to the dining hall.

    The moment he stepped into the hall, everyone who was present bowed his way, and the initial chatter

    died down instantly. He caught sight of the person he was looking for, and felt a pang in his heart when

    she, too, had her head down and knees slightly bent.

    The King forced a smile as he announced, ¡°Heads up, everyone. Please help yourself to food and

    drink. Wolves, you need not wait for the other Lycans to arrive. As far as I¡¯m concerned, both species

    are of equal importance. Please start.¡±

    Some older Lycans were particrly displeased by what their King just said but most of the younger

    ones were pleasantly surprised. Many whom the King had spoken to the night before walked up to him

    with the sole purpose of greeting him. ¡®It feels different¡¯, he thought. In previous years, wolves and

    Lycans would approach and greet him but it always looked obligatory. This year, he felt their sincerity

    oozing when his subjects wished him ¡®good morning¡¯.

    He made a beeline to his mate, who had her back against him when he was approaching her. She was

    speaking to Luna Lyssa, who was listening attentively until the Luna noticed his presence and bowed in

    greeting. ¡°My King. Good morning.¡±

    Lucianne turned ever so gracefully in her turquoise dress. The sleeves reached her elbows and

    covered her scar. There was a ss of water in her hand. Her head was beginning to tilt downwards

    when Xandar held her shoulder and lifted her chin up as he pleaded in a whisper, ¡°Lucianne, you don¡¯t

    need to bow to me, please. It really hurts me when you do that.¡±

    Lucianne was shocked to hear that the King was hurt to see her bow to him but she stubbornly

    muttered, ¡°It would be rather odd if I don¡¯t though, especially when everyone else¡¯s heads are down.¡±

    He smiled and reached for her cheek as he said firmly, ¡°It won¡¯t be odd because you¡¯re my mate. I will

    not have you bow to me.¡± With that, he took her hand and lifted it up to his lips before pecking a sweet

    kiss on the back, and said, ¡°You look beautiful.¡±

    He had offered her the same gesture the night before but that didn¡¯t mean Lucianne was any less

    shocked. She tried to say something, ¡°Uh¡­ thank you, Xandar.¡± He never knew his name could sound

    so good until it came out from his mate¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Sit with me for breakfast?¡± He asked with hopeful eyes.

    She hesitated, and nced at Luna Lyssa before she asked, ¡°Can I have a few more minutes with

    Luna Lyssa? We were just finishing up our discussion.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± He grinned, once again feeling proud of her selfless nature.

    ¡°Apologies, your Highness.¡± Luna Lyssa said.

    He waved his hand in the air with a smile and said, ¡°No need. It brings me great joy to see a fruitful

    exchange.¡± His graciousness and understanding earned him a smile from Luna Lyssa and Lucianne.

    He got lost in his mate¡¯s smile and moved closer to her before slipping his arm around her waist.

    Lucianne gasped softly, and tried to ignore the sparks and warm sensation from his arm and hand. She

    then cleared her throat, and spoke to Luna Lyssa about her training n. ¡°Luna Lyssa, you need not

    worry about the Blood Eclipse Pack, I can assure you that they are nothing like the rumours being

    spread about them. They are fierce, yes. But that¡¯s only because they have to be when the rogues

    attack. We¡¯re all like that when we fight. Their Alpha is understanding and generous. He will help you.¡±

    ¡°Would it be possible for you to introduce us at teater? I was hoping that, since he knows you, he¡¯ll

    be more willing to offer his warriors to train our pack.¡± Luna Lyssa suggested.

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all, Luna Lyssa. I should also introduce you to Luna Lovce from the

    Midnight Pack. Their warriors are very well-trained as well, and their pack isn¡¯t very far from yours so

    perhaps you would want to consider coborating with them in the future.¡± Lucianne smiled and uttered

    in response.

    ¡°That would be wonderful! Thank you, Lucianne. It¡¯s so wonderful to finally make your acquaintance

    after hearing so much about you. I won¡¯t keep you now.¡±

    ¡°Likewise, Luna Lyssa.¡±

    Luna Lyssa bowed to Xandar once more before taking her leave. When she was far away enough,

    Xandar whispered into Lucianne¡¯s ear, ¡°It¡¯s so difficult to not fall in love with you after seeing you do

    that.¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.

    She shrugged and muttered, ¡°I was just helping.¡±

    ¡°Helpful and humble.¡± He uttered and smiled, offering her his hand as he said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s get

    something to eat.¡±

    She nodded and, hand-in-hand, they made their way to the buffet table. The wolves and Lycans

    stepped aside when they saw their King approaching but His Royal Highness insisted that his subjects

    took their food first as he happily waited in line. Lucianne sighed with relief when he did this. He knew.

    He didn¡¯t want her to feel ufortable about being a royal. More importantly, he didn¡¯t want her to

    feel ufortable being with him.

    Seating was free but there was an unspoken rule that wolves could not sit at a table if a Lycan was

    already sitting there. So, both species sat among their own. When Lucy ced her te on an empty

    table, Xandar pulled out the chair for her and uttered, ¡°If you like, you could have your pack leaders sit

    with us.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Her eyes sparkled, sending an electric spark through his being.

    ¡°Of course.¡± His lips curled up as he chuckled lightly.

    Her eyes zed over when she mind-linked Alpha Juan and Luna Hale. Within moments, they arrived

    at the table, and bowed to the King before taking their seats. Conversation with the King started out

    careful and polite but when Xandar took an interest in Alpha Juan¡¯s efforts to challenge ruthless Alphas

    to take their packs and give better care to the pack members, the atmosphere around the table eased

    considerably.

    Cold as he may seem, the King felt touched when Luna Hale talked about how the pack, under her

    supervision, took care of the new pups from the packs they took over, especially if they had lost their

    parents. She personally adopted five of them, and said that she would¡¯ve continued to take in more had

    it not been for Alpha Juan¡¯s firm objection.

    ¡°I can¡¯t allow her to do it, your Highness. I really can¡¯t. We already have three of our own, and I love the

    five we have taken in but any more than that and we may have to build a hotel for a pack house.¡± Alpha

    Juan said, earning a yful p on his arm from his mate.

    Lucianne giggled, capturing Xandar¡¯s attention. He thought her voice was the most beautiful thing he

    had ever heard but herughter sounded even better! He wanted to hear more of it.

    Xandar looked at Alpha Juan with a smile and said, ¡°Should Luna Hale decide to take in any more pups

    in future, Alpha Juan, do let me know. I¡¯ll happily contribute financially to building the hotel.¡±

    Both Luna Hale and Lucianneughed at Alpha Juan¡¯s terrified look. He looked nothing like the stern,

    scary Alpha that many packs described him as at that moment. Alpha Juan cleared his throat before

    suggesting, ¡°Your Highness, perhaps we should strike a deal. For every pup we take in, you should,

    too.¡±

    It was the King¡¯s turn to look terrified, and he looked at Luna Hale and jokingly said, ¡°Please forgive

    me, Luna Hale. I¡¯m afraid I must take your Alpha¡¯s side on this. You should stop at the number of pups

    you already have.¡±

    Alpha Juan smirked victoriously in his mate¡¯s direction, and Luna Hale said in mock anger, ¡°You

    spineless traitor, your Highness!¡± Lucianne and Xandar were about tough when a low growl came

    from behind them, ¡°How dare you speak to our King like that, you wolf!¡±

    Alpha Juan and Luna Hale flinched visibly in their seats. Lucianne froze. But Xandar was furious. Who

    dared speak to them like that?! His head turned. His murderous eyes saw that it was Cummings, his

    Defence Minister. His daughter, Sasha was right behind him with a man next to her.

    ¡°Is there a problem, Cummings?¡± Xandar growled.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Cummings bowed. ¡°Should I send security to deal with this she-wolf?¡± As if on

    purpose, he said it so loudly that half the hall turned in their direction. Alpha Juan stood, his body

    shielding his mate as his dark eyes bore into Cummings¡¯.

    Xandar growled furiously, obliging Cummings and the two behind him to bow. He said in a clear tone,

    ¡°These people are my guests. I will deal with you before you have a chance to deal with anyone without

    basis.¡±

    ¡°But your Highness, she used you of being a traitor!¡± He argued, and Sasha gasped in mock

    surprise from behind.

    ¡°Did you partake in our conversation? DID YOU HEAR WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT?¡±

    Everyone finched at the King¡¯s outburst.

    ¡°N-no, your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Then how would you know the context in which we were speaking?¡±

    Cummings shook visibly as Xandar announced, ¡°For rification¡¯s sake, our conversation trailed

    around humour. What your Defence Minister just heard was simply a joke. If he didn¡¯t manage to

    decipher that, I must say that I¡¯m worried about allowing him to continue being the one to protect my

    people.¡±

    Murmurs filled the room as everyone started throwing disapproving looks at the minister. Cummings

    bowed lower and uttered, ¡°A thousand apologies, your Highness. It won¡¯t happen again. I

    misunderstood. I apologize for my mistake.¡±

    Xandar nced at Lucianne, whose eyes of displeasure were fixed on Cummings before he looked

    back at his minister and said loudly, ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me. Apologize to Luna Hale, the wolf you¡¯ve

    wronged.¡±

    There were audible gasps, even Sasha¡¯s, which was genuine this time but their King was unperturbed.

    Since Lycans were the more superior species, it waspletely unheard of for a Lycan to respect a

    wolf, let alone apologize to one. Cummings raised his head only slightly. He was about to say

    something but when he saw the King¡¯s murderous eyes, he faced Luna Hale and gritted his teeth as he

    uttered, ¡°Please forgive me, Luna Gale.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Hale¡¯, minister.¡± Lucianne¡¯s irritated voice echoed in the space between them as she remained

    seated.

    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Cummings asked, surprised by the remark from a tiny wolf whom he did not recall ever

    meeting. He arrivedte the previous night so he didn¡¯t know who she was.

    Alpha Juan then said darkly, ¡°It¡¯s Hale, with an ¡®H¡¯.¡±

    Cummings was getting agitated until Xandar¡¯s cold voice rang through his ears, ¡°How can you call

    yourself a Lycan if you can¡¯t even hear a name correctly, Cummings?¡±

    Cummings aborted his n to retort the wolves, and bowed in their direction as he said, ¡°My apologies,

    Luna Hale. I misunderstood and misspoke. I hope you¡¯ll forgive me.¡±

    Luna Hale nced over Cummings with disdain before she locked eyes with Xandar, and stood up with

    poise and grace as she said in her Luna voice, ¡°Thank you for rifying the situation, your Highness.

    Otherwise, there would be a severe misunderstanding among our species that may take too much time

    to mend.¡±

    ¡°I can assure you that that won¡¯t happen on my watch, Luna Hale.¡± he smiled, and he looked around

    the hall as he said, ¡°Everyone else, as you were.¡±

    Cummings and the two behind him turned and walked away, towards the buffet table. Alpha Juan, who

    was still standing, thrusted out his hand and thanked Xandar for resolving the confrontation. Xandar

    shook his hand graciously as he said, ¡°You need not thank me. Right now, I¡¯m embarrassed to even

    admit that he is one of my ministers.¡±

    When they both resumed their seats, Lucianne turned to him with her bright eyes and whispered,

    ¡°Thank you, Xandar. Really.¡±

    The shine in her eyes and her adorable smile ignited a fire in Xandar¡¯s heart. He leaned over to

    whisper in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, Lucianne. It was the right thing to do.¡± He took advantage of their

    proximity and pecked a kiss on her cheek, sending a visible blush to it, and he chuckled at how her

    body responded to his gesture.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4

    They continued their meal. Then, Cummings came around the table with the two who followed him.

    Xandar was speaking to Alpha Juan but when he noticed Lucianne¡¯s eyes wandered to the side, he

    turned to see the minister standing before them sheepishly. ¡°Forgive our intrusion, your Highness. May

    we sit with you? Perhaps we¡¯ll take this opportunity to make amends for my poor behavior earlier.¡±

    The King smirked. ¡°That¡¯s not for me to decide, I¡¯m afraid.¡± He looked at Alpha Juan and said, ¡°Alpha

    Juan, the discretion is yours and your Luna¡¯s. I have no qualms even if the minister¡¯s presence is

    refused.¡±

    Alpha Juan¡¯s gaze turned gentle when he asked his Luna, ¡°What do you think, baby?¡±

    Xandar envied how sweet the couple before him was. He could only hope that he¡¯ll be allowed to call

    Lucianne his ¡®baby¡¯ soon. He hadn¡¯t even begun calling her ¡®Lucy¡¯ yet. He didn¡¯t mind taking it slow, so

    long as she wasfortable.

    They were clearly mind-linking until Luna Hale smiled meekly and said, ¡°Perhaps we should take this

    opportunity to make amends.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Luna Hale.¡± Cummings said, and dropped into the seat next to Alpha Juan.

    ¡°Lucianne?¡± A deep voice came from behind her.

    Lucianne turned around, and when she saw who it was, she stood without a smile and greeted the

    Lycan, ¡°Sebastian Cummings, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you again.¡±

    Sebastian looked uneasy as he trembled over his words, ¡°Uhh¡­ it¡¯s good to see you, too. H¡ªHow

    have you been? You look beautiful, by the way.¡±

    Xandar was practically shooting daggers with his eyes at the man who was talking to his mate with

    such yearning. He only managed to control himself because he saw how uninterested Lucianne was.

    She responded in a t tone, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing well, thank you. If you can excuse me, I would like to

    finish my meal now.¡±

    Before she could turn back around to sit and resume eating, Sebastian eximed, ¡°No! Lucianne,

    wait!¡± He was about to reach for her arm but her agility enabled her to step back before he caught hold

    of it.

    Xandar leaped out of his seat, and growled as he stood in front of Lucianne, shielding her from

    Sebastian. The word ¡®mine¡¯ was at the tip of Xandar¡¯s tongue but he didn¡¯t want to take that choice

    from Lucianne. He remembered the previous night when she was reluctant to consider being with him

    for the rest of her life. He didn¡¯t want her to feel like she was coerced to give in to the mate bond.

    ¡°Your Highness, I¡ª¡± Sebastian looked startled. He peeped at the indifferent Lucianne before bowing to

    the King and said, ¡°I apologize.¡±

    He then moved to sit in between his sister, Sasha, and his father. Sasha was sitting right next to

    Xandar. She wore a backless bright red dress showing a lot of cleavage. In Lucianne¡¯s head, she was

    rolling her eyes. ¡®What some females would do to get the attention of the opposite sex¡¯, she thought.

    ¡°So, Lucianne, what have you been up to sincest year?¡± Sebastian asked as he poked into the food

    on his te, breaking the awkward silence at the table.

    Xandar tensed up but next to him, Lucianne shrugged as she avoided Sebastian¡¯s soft gaze and

    responded, ¡°The usual. Training. Fighting. Teaching.¡±

    Sasha started speaking animatedly, ¡°Oh, it must be awful to have to learn all of that! It takes away so

    much energy and time!¡±

    Lucianne blinked at Sasha¡¯sment, and cocked her head to one side as she said, ¡°I can¡¯t think of a

    better way to spend my time and energy but I do acknowledge that everyone has a different set of

    priorities.¡± Xandar smiled at his mate¡¯s diplomatic response.

    ¡°Oh yeah. I know about that. Being the daughter of the Defense Minister, I can¡¯t really escape the

    importance ofbat. But given the choice, I¡¯d rather settle down with a mate and have his babies, not

    having to worry about safety and all of those things.¡±

    Lucianne smiled tly in her way. ¡°Not having to worry about safety is a viable priority, I suppose.¡±

    Alpha Juan covered his mouth to hide his smile. He and his mate had known Lucianne for so long that

    they could recognise her sarcasm from a mile away.

    In fact, Sasha was the only one at the table who seemed oblivious about it as she continued, ¡°I know,

    right? And I must say, you are so brave to sit next to our King! I mean, most wolves I know would shun

    away from Lycans, and for what? I don¡¯t know. But here you are, next to the strongest Lycan. Don¡¯t you

    feel small?¡±

    Before Lucianne could speak, Xandar asked coldly, ¡°Why should she feel that way?¡±

    Her eyes brightened when she met Xandar¡¯s cold ones as she chuckled lightly before exining, ¡°Well,

    your Highness. Not to brag but we are a superior species so¡­¡±

    ¡°Superiority in size and strength is no match for a superiority in character.¡± Xandar said.

    ¡°Oh, such wise words from our King.¡± Sheughed coquettishly. Lucianne sipped her water as she

    wondered whether she could escape this unwanted exchange. In the end, she only hoped that her

    Alpha and Luna would not leave her alone with the Lycans.

    Luna Hale seemed to have read her mind as she mind-linked, ¡®Don¡¯t worry, Lucy. We¡¯ll be here as long

    as you need us.¡¯

    ¡®Thank you, Luna.¡¯

    Sasha then leaned in a way to show her cleavage as she asked ¡°So, what have you been up to, your

    Highness?¡±

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Work.¡± He replied tly as he looked at the wall ahead and sipped his drink.

    ¡°Oh, you work so hard for us. It almost makes me feel bad as one of your subjects. What do you do for

    rest?¡±

    ¡°Sleep.¡± He said equally uninterestedly, and Lucianne almost snorted at his emotionless response.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sasha then whispered, ¡°Want somepany for tonight?¡±

    Lucianne bit her lip and intertwined her fingers as she hid her hands on herp, under the table to cope

    with the familiar feelings of rejection before Xandar said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t. And even if I do, it won¡¯t be with

    you.¡± Despite his firm tone, Lucianne still felt ufortable. Xandar noticed this, and it made his

    animal whimper to see their mate sad.

    With pain in his eyes, he leaned towards her, and was about to say something when Sebastian asked

    Lucianne, ¡°Would you like to take a stroll in the parkter, Lucianne? The Irrelises are in full bloom this

    time of year. It¡¯s a beautiful scene.¡±

    ¡°No, thank you, Mr Cummings. I¡¯ve seen them.¡±

    He seemed defeated but persisted to speak to Lucianne, ¡°Would you like to sit with us during the

    ceremonyter this morning?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯ll be sitting with Alpha Juan and Luna Hale.¡±

    ¡°We can make room for a few more. Our seats are nearer to the front so you would all have a better

    view of the stage.¡± Sebastian offered with a small smile.

    Xandar then said, ¡°You need not worry about their view. I have invited Lucianne and her pack leaders

    to sit with me at the front row. They were about to respond to my invitation before your father showed

    up at our table.¡± Of course, this was a lie.

    Disregarding the three Cummings¡¯ stunned looks, Xandar¡¯s eyes softened with tenderness when he

    turned to Lucianne and asked with a charming smile, ¡°What do you say, Lucianne? Would you join me

    at the ceremony?¡±

    She managed a small smile and nodded slightly as she uttered, ¡°Sure, Xandar.¡±

    ¡°What did you just call his Highness?!¡± Sasha hissed in anger.

    Xandar red at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s my name. Do we have a problem, Ms Cummings?¡±

    ¡°Since when were we allowed to address royals by their name so casually? Especially a King! As one

    of your closer associates, your Highness, it is my duty to advise you¡­¡±

    ¡°You are in no position to advise me.¡± Xandar¡¯s cold voice cut Sasha off before she finished speaking.

    Ignoring Sasha, Xandar turned to Alpha Juan and said, ¡°I hope you and Luna Hale can join us?¡±

    ¡°It would be our honour, your Highness.¡± Alpha Juan epted graciously.

    Minister Alfred Cummings then started looking at Lucianne with interest. ¡°Youngdy, I don¡¯t believe

    we¡¯ve met.¡±

    Lucianne responded without missing a beat, ¡°We have met, minister. We met three years ago at the

    defense meeting in New York when we revised thews to mediate with the hunters. Two years ago, I

    asked you about the rumours circting among packs about rogue Lycans, to which you responded by

    asking me to worry about my own species instead. Andst year, I was introduced to you again by

    Sebastian Cummings at this event. When I asked which packs were the most vulnerable to rogue

    attacks at that time, you asked me to go around the hall on my own to find out which of them may need

    our help.¡±

    Alfred Cummings nced uneasily at Xandar, whose face was getting darker with each of Lucianne¡¯s

    statements. He cleared his throat before he said, ¡°Perhaps you have mistaken me for someone else,

    miss. I don¡¯t think¡­¡±

    ¡°My Gamma is not mistaken, minister. I was in attendance as well.¡± Alpha Juan confirmed Lucianne¡¯s

    ount of the events with confidence.

    Alfred Cummings opened his mouth but he could argue further, his son spoke meekly from his side,

    ¡°Dad, you have met her. She¡¯s not mistaken.¡±

    Alfred¡¯s displeasure was evident with his son¡¯s express statement. His son could¡¯ve just mind-linked

    him but he chose to embarrass his father before the King and some pesky wolves instead. Alfred

    forced a smile and addressed Lucianne, ¡°Well then, I must apologize for not remembering you. Old age

    does not serve the memory, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed with disgust as he spoke, ¡°How could you give such an answer to

    our people?¡±

    Seemingly unperturbed, Alfred said, ¡°Your Highness, in my defense, I meet many people daily so¡­¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant.¡± Xandar spat, ¡°Excuse mynguage but why the he*l did you ask our

    subjects to worry about their own species? Do you think they would be safe if Lycans went rogue? Do

    you think they were just asking to bad-mouth Lycans, and not because they are concerned for their

    packs¡¯ safety? And the thing about asking them to find out which packs needed help by themselves!¡±

    He shook his head, ¡°Honestly, Cummings. Why would we need you?¡±

    The King sighed in frustration as he ran his fingers through his hair. His animal wanted to be released

    to tear the old man into pieces. His bright purple eyes were turning onyx. He was on the verge of losing

    his cool. Then, a small hand reached for his clenched fist that was on hisp under the table. It sent a

    trail of sparks into his body, and when his onyx eyes met Lucianne¡¯sforting ck orbs, she

    mouthed ¡®calm down¡¯. She started stroking his fist with her thumb to soothe his animal and him.

    His animal purred under her touch, and he let his fist loosen and unfold. Their mate bond calmed his

    simmering anger. Holding onto Lucianne¡¯s hand gently, he pondered in silence for a moment before his

    low voice rang around the table, ¡°Cummings, I¡¯m giving you one more chance in the name of myte

    father, who trusted you to the bone when he was alive. Take your job seriously or you can forget about

    holding this position any longer than you already have.¡±

    ¡°I will do my best to make amends and serve our people, your Highness.¡± Alfred said as he restrained

    himself from ring at the members of the Blue Crescent Pack.

    Lucianne retracted her hand and stood. Xandar¡¯s eyes shot up at her retreating figure, feeling the loss

    of skin contact with his mate. His animal was already whimpering inside his head. Before he could say

    anything, she looked at him and said, ¡°The ceremony starts in fifteen minutes. I need to use the

    restroom first. Hope you don¡¯t mind that I excuse myself now?¡±

    Luna Hale eximed, ¡°Oh gosh! I didn¡¯t realise the time! I need to use it as well!¡± Alpha Juan stood

    from his seat after checking his watch.

    Xandar followed suit, and gazed dreamily at Lucianne as he said softly, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the front row.

    Don¡¯t take too long.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± She returned his smile, and turned to the Cummings family as she said, ¡°It has been¡­

    interesting to speak to three of you. Please allow us to excuse ourselves.¡± She left with her pack

    leaders before any of the Cummings could speak.

    Xandar wouldn¡¯t have minded if she had left without a word to the three of them. In fact, he would have

    been quite happy if she had ignored them after the ipetence Alfred Cummings showed. But her

    sarcasm when she used the word ¡®interesting¡¯ made his lips curl upward. ¡®Thank you, Moon Goddess¡¯,

    he thought.

    He didn¡¯t spare any of the Cummings a nce as he walked out from the other way, and entered the

    auditorium at the end of the hall. He greeted his ministers on the way to his seat, and the King sat right

    in the middle of the front row. As he waited for Lucianne to return, he reminisced the pleasure he felt

    when her hand touched his. He didn¡¯t expect her to make a move. But he was close to instability at that

    moment and if she hadn¡¯t calmed him down, he may have shifted in the middle of the dining hall.

    When Lucianne exited the restroom, she came face-to-face with Sebastian Cummings.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5

    Sebastian¡¯s eyes were filled with regret and longing as he looked at her. She wanted to ignore him and

    continue walking but he grabbed her wrist as he pleaded, ¡°Lucy, please let me

    exin.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡± Lucianne¡¯s eyes burned with rage as she took her hand back with force.

    ¡°Lucianne,¡± he pleaded again, his eyes glistening as she called out her name.

    ¡°Lucy, is there a problem?¡± Alpha Juan just exited the restroom, and Luna Ile was only two steps

    behind him.

    Lucianne assured, ¡°Juan, I can handle this. You and Ile go on in. I¡¯ll be there in a bit.¡± Alpha Juan

    looked hard at Sebastian, and his Luna felt uncertain about leaving her alone with him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be okay, I promise. I¡¯ll mind-link you if I need help.¡± She assured her leaders once more.

    Alpha Juan seemed more at ease with this response but Luna Hale was still sceptical. Lucy was like

    family to them. She had been Juan¡¯s childhood rival and friend, and she was the first

    to wee Hale to their pack when the majority of pack members initially showed disdain of having an

    Omega from a small pack as their Luna. ¡®

    They walked away in slow steps, still wondering whether they were making the right decision. When they

    disappeared from sight, Lucianne said, ¡®You don¡¯t have to exin anything, Sebastian. There¡¯s nothing

    between us.¡±

    Sebastian¡¯s eyes were filled with pain as he said, ¡°No, don¡¯t say that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± She said simply.

    ¡°No,¡± he shook his head and said, ¡°The biggest mistake I¡¯ve ever made is to ept your rejection.

    Please, give me a chance to redeem myself. Give me a chance to take care of you.¡± i

    ¡°No, thanks. I can take care of myself.¡± She wanted to walk past him but he stood in her way t 0 stop her

    from leaving.

    ¡°Lucianne, I wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind. What you saw wasn¡¯t what¡¯s real.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± When Lucianne said this, a spark of hope glimmered in Sebastian¡¯s eyes until Lucianne

    continued, ¡°What¡¯s real is the fact that you defended your father when I asked about the rogue attacks.

    What¡¯s real is that you lied to me when I asked you about rogue Lycans. You told me that they didn¡¯t exist

    but then I catch you having the very same topic of

    conversation with your colleague two dayster, dering proudly that you heard rumours of their

    existence months before the wolves. You want to talk about what¡¯s real?¡±

    He took in Lucianne¡¯s words, and every single one felt like a stab to his heart. The lump in his thmat

    5t¡ãDped him from speaking as Lucianne continued, ¡°What¡¯s real is you told me that

    your father wanted to discuss about the country¡¯s affairs with you on the night I found you

    scanned with Cams nnnn er naked in bed f*cking a female Lycan.¡±

    Sebastian seemed to have found his voice again as he hastily exined, ¡°Lucy, I was drunk and¡­and

    Sasha said telling you that I was going to the bar with some old friends would only

    make you unnecessarily suspicious about my loyalty to you. I didn¡¯t want you to think that¡­

    ¡°Unnecessarily suspicious?! Do you hear yourself right now?!¡± Lucianne hissed. ¡°And you let your sister

    talk you into lying to me before sleeping with another female?!¡±

    ¡°Lucy, please.¡± His voice broke, Sebastian was close to tears as he reached for her wrists. Lucianne was

    taking steps back when arge figure appeared between her and Sebastian.

    Xandar growled at Sebastian before warning ferociously, ¡°Stay away from her.¡±

    They were both surprised by Xandar¡¯s sudden appearance. Lucianne¡¯s view was blocked by hisrge

    frame so she stepped to the side to watch the exchange. Sebastian cleared his throat before speaking in

    a steady voice, ¡°Apologies, your Highness. I meant no harm. I was just

    speaking to Lucianne.¡±

    Xandar stepped forward, and looked Sebastian dead in the eye and growled louder, ¡°If you so much as

    try to touch her again, I¡¯ll rip your body part by part.¡±

    ¡°With much respect, your Highness, it would amount to murder if you did that.¡± Sebastian retorted with a

    smirk. Unlike his father, his career was not dependent on the King liking him.

    Lucianne¡¯s voice then filled the hallway, ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s funny how you know thew when it

    drunk driving.¡±

    Sebastian¡¯s eyes softened with distress as he looked to the King¡¯s side and called out, ¡°

    Lucianne, please¡­¡±

    Xandar growled again, and pinned Sebastian¡¯s neck to the wall with only one hand. Cautiously, Lucianne

    reached for Xandar¡¯s free hand and started stroking it in slow motions

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    with her little thumb as she said softly, ¡°Xandar, leave him. We should go inside. They won¡¯t

    start without you. Let¡¯s not keep everyone waiting.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s onyx eyes lightened bit by bit as he took in the beautiful voice of his mate. He released

    Sebastian, and punched him in the gut with his free hand, making Sebastian slump t o the side of the

    corridor. Before turning away, Xandar dered tly, ¡°That was for harassing

    my mate.¡± 3

    On the ground, Sebastian groaned at the impact and his eyes widened in distress as he asked

    between breaths, ¡°Your what?¡±

    Lucianne pulled Xandar away before the two started another fight but she released his hand

    before they stepped into the hall. All eyes were on them when they entered, and Lucianne couldn¡¯t help

    but feel guilty that the ceremony was halted because of her encounter with Sebastian. Xandar¡¯s hand

    was glued to her waist as they strode to their seats. 1

    The Master of Ceremony started his speech when Xandar was seated. But Xandar couldn¡¯t care less

    about the same scripted words being said by different people every year. He stole a look at Lucianne,

    and his mate¡¯s saddened look worried him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lucianne?¡±

    She shook her head and muttered, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let everyone wait.¡±

    He smiled and took her hand before kissing it. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault, Lucianne. Don¡¯t me yourself. This

    is a very minor issue, if it amounts to an issue at all. Don¡¯t worry about it, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± She managed a small smile, and tried to concentrate on the speech being given. She felt more at

    ease knowing that her Alpha and Luna were right next to her. It was better than sitting with a group of

    Lycans who looked down on werewolves.

    When the new Alphas and Lunas of certain packs were about to be announced and presented on stage,

    Sebastian walked in. His longing gaze fixed on Lucianne but she returned her sights

    to the stage, wilfully disregarding his stare. Xandar, on the other hand, continued to re at Sebastian

    until he was seated next to his father and sister.

    After the new pack leaders were introduced, Alfred Cummings gave a speech about how they fared in

    the attacks the previous year. He mentioned pack alliances briefly without naming the packs involved,

    which made one wonder if he even knew about the packs which coborated as allies at all. He thanked

    his deputy for assisting him in protecting the Lycans and werewolves, whatever that meant. As far as

    anyone could remember, Alfred and his deputy were never seen on anybattlefields. None. They were

    only in ministerial positions to hand out orders. Even then, they were all vague orders. He never knew

    the precise or estimated number of rogues in each attack; he didn¡¯t know their origins; and he didn¡¯t

    know when they may attack. He didn¡¯t know anything!

    As all these thoughts ran through Lucianne¡¯s mind, she tried to cope with watching the disgusting

    hypocrisy of the minister by biting her lower lip. She didn¡¯t think that Xandar would catch her doing it. He

    stroked the back of her hand which he held on hisp as he asked in concern, ¡°Everything okay?¡± 1

    ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded amicably and smiled meekly.

    After Alfred¡¯s speech, the Lycan officials pped loudly but the werewolves pped grudgingly.

    Next, Gamma Tobias Tristan, as this year¡¯s Gamma representative took the stage. ¡°Good morning, your

    Highness, ministers and families, Alphas, Lunas and fellow Gammas. My name is Tobias Tristan, and I

    am the Gamma of the White Blood Pack. It is my pleasure to stand before you as the first Gamma

    representative of this annual meeting. Last year was undoubtedly one of the most difficult years to

    endure as we fought one rogue attack after

    another. We lost friends. Some of us lost families. In worst case scenarios, some lost their mates to the

    ruthless creatures.¡±

    I-Ie paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°Needless to say, most of us wouldn¡¯t be here

    Scanned with Cams nnnn er today had we not relied on our ally packs. Together we form trust; together

    we trained and improved; and together we won.¡± There was a loud apuse from the werewolves, and

    even Xandar let go of his grip on Lucianne¡¯s hand to p.

    Tobias waited for the apuse to die down before he continued speaking, ¡°It would be misleading to say

    that our alliances started out swimmingly. If anything, we just wanted to show the other pack our

    purported superiority.¡± he smirked, andughter spread through the

    hall, mostly from werewolves who could rte to what he just said.

    ¡°Many alliances started with nothing more than rivalry. I, myself, was not a saint. But it took me one

    experience working with a verymendable Gamma to make me question my motives when I was

    ordered to join an alliance. This Gamma couldn¡¯t care less about the strength of an individual wolf, and

    she didn¡¯t see the point in fighting to impress our superiors. What was important, as she drilled into our

    heads, was the fact that we were strong as a pack. Even if we were made up of three alliance packs, the

    point was to train as one, to

    fight as one and to win as one.¡± There was another round of apuse.

    When it died down, he continued, ¡°Most of you have heard of her. Many of you have met her. Many of

    our packs owe her. She changed the way we coborated, and she changed the motivation we have

    when we trained. I once asked her, ¡®Who do you have at the back of your mind when you¡¯re on the

    battlefield?¡¯. Without hesitation, she told me ¡®Those who cannot fight on the battlefield¡¯.¡± Xandar shot

    Lucianne a look of admiration but her eyes were fixed 0 n the ground as she blushed. ¡®It has to be her¡¯,

    he thought, as he recalled her words from the

    previous night. 1

    Tobias¡¯s voice continued to ring through the speakers, ¡°Her nobility is something many of us had never

    seen. I¡¯m sure you would love to hear from her. I¡¯m ecstatically proud to call upon in y mentor, my rival,

    my good friend, and my sister on the battleground, Gamma Lucianne Paw

    from the Blue Crescent Pack. Lucy, get up here!¡±

    Lucianne stood and nced at Xandar, who was getting up from his seat as he pped with the rest of

    the audience, obliging all the other Lycans to stand with their King. He didn¡¯t know she was giving a

    speech, and suddenly felt irresponsible as a mate. But he and his animal were prouder than anything

    since their mate was chosen among hundreds to speak. The

    werewolves behind the Lycans were already up on their feet before the King himself.

    Lucianne walked in graceful steps to the stage, where Tobias grinned widely as he pped with the

    audience. They embraced briefly before she stood before the microphone. ¡°Thank

    you for that ttering introduction, Gamma Tobias. It is my greatest pleasure to speak in this annual

    meeting. And it is my greatest honour to be selected by my fellow werewolves to speak this year.¡± A

    resounding apuse from the werewolves before she continued, ¡°As Gamma Tobias has said,st year

    has not been easy. In fact, statistically speaking,st year

    was the worst we have ever fared as a species in werewolf history.¡± The hall was silent as

    everyone waited for her to continue.

    I-Ier expression turned serious. ¡°All packsbined, we lost a total of 2,316 lives. Amongst

    Scanned with Cams nnnn er them were 52 children who had never lived past the age of ten. We lost 15

    packs when their Alphas and Lunas were killed during an attack. Beforest year, the worst we had seen

    was 203 years ago in the battle between vampires and werewolves. Even then, the death toll was only

    1,857, and the packs lost were 12.¡±

    She covered the microphone with her hand, and sighed in despair before her voice continued to ring

    through the speakers, ¡°In our pack-to-pack post-mortem, we discovered that the deaths were due to a

    constraint in time and an insufficient number of trained warriors in a pack. Help was sought, but many

    who needed our help were hours or days away from where we were, and when we got there, we saw

    bodies, blood and demolished homes.¡±

    Her fist was clenched on the podium as she held back her tears. ¡°I will never forget the moment when I

    held a 6~year-old girl from the ck Night Pack in my arms as she whimpered, calling out for her

    mother. The medical team told me that the girl was crushed by the building we found her under for too

    many hours, and there was no way to revive her. Gamma Tobias was there, and we both tried our best to

    comfort her until she closed her eyes t 0 wee death. Her mother, whom we identified a few hours

    later, had her corpse slumped

    on a tree with dried blood surrounding her neck, undoubtedly oozed from her throat a few hours earlier.¡±

    She stood back and took another breath. ¡°We¡¯ve all heard stories. Most of us lost friends. We can¡¯t let

    our distance destroy our own. We must stop hoping that help wille on time when we need it because

    last year clearly showed that it may not. It¡¯s time to stop wishful thinking. It¡¯s time to step up. It¡¯s time that

    every able pack member learned to fight. I¡¯ve spoken to my Alpha, and he has agreed to offer training

    sessions to Gammas and warriors from any pack who are interested. It is better to have sufficient

    defenders in your own pack to buy your allies time toe help you.¡±

    ¡°With that being said, the Blue Crescent Pack is not the only one blessed with trained warriors. Many of

    you in this room have the necessary skills. You know who you are. Please, offer your grounds and your

    time. The rogues are getting stronger. The rumours about rogue Lycans have not died down. This is no

    time for pack rivalry. We are all the children of the Moon Goddess. In effect, we are siblings, whether we

    like it or not. We don¡¯t have to wait for any official to help us. We can help ourselves and each other.

    Let¡¯s stand together, for the sake of your people and mine. Thank you.¡± 2

    When she stood back from the microphone, the Lycans pped politely, Xandar¡¯s p being the loudest.

    The werewolves were looking at one another, and Tobias¡¯s eyes zed over as he received a mind-link

    from his Alpha. When his eyes cleared, he shot Lucianne a cheeky grin from the side but she looked at

    him in confusion. He then stood closer to her, and faced the audience as he howled into the air. Every

    other werewolf in the room got on their feet and

    howled with him. When the Lycans saw Xandar stood and howled with the werewolves, they too, howled

    along. 1

    Howling instead of pping after a speech was the highest honor for any werewolf or Lycan t 0 receive.

    It was so rarely practiced that some thought it was a dead myth. Tonight, Tobia s,

    Scanned with Cams nnnn er upon being ordered by his Alpha, who had received support from the other

    wolves around him, revived the practice. If memory served Lucianne right, thest howl after a speech

    was about 200 years ago when the vampires and werewolves dered truce. She was moved. Tobias

    held her in a brief embrace the second time before she got off the stage.

    Alpha Juan and Luna Hale couldn¡¯t be prouder. Xandar walked towards her even before she

    reached her seat, and held her in a tight embrace as he whispered into her ear, ¡®You are beyond

    amazing.¡±

    She blushed as she uttered, ¡°I only do what I can, Xandar.¡±

    He nted a deep kiss on her hand and said, ¡°If only you could see how much that really is.¡±

    Her cheeks flustered, and Xandar grinned as he cheekily traced the warmth forming there with his

    thumb. A few rows to theback, Sasha Cummings scowled at the affection Xandar was publicly disying

    to the little wolf who, up untilst night, was a nameless creature under his reign. Next to her, Sebastian¡¯s

    lc eyes were turning onyx as he tried his best to restrain the animal in him, clearly angered and jealous

    at how Lucianne was looking at and interacting with their King.

    @ Stina¡¯s Pen Author

    ¡° Will the brother¡ªsister duo team up to break up the King and the Gamma? 2 What do you think they¡¯ll

    do?

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6

    At tea, Lucianne, with Xandar by her side, introduced Luna Lyssa to Alpha Zeke from the Blood Eclipse

    Pack, and subsequently Luna Lovce from the Midnight Pack. When Xandar left the room to answer a

    phone call, Lucianne chattedically with Gamma I-den before

    she moved on to the refreshments table to get a drink.

    Just as she was about to take a sip, Sasha appeared with a cocky smirk right in front of her. ¡®¡¯8 o, you¡¯re

    the King¡¯s mate.¡± She spat with immense distaste. Sasha made sure that the King was not in the room

    before she walked up to the in, irksome-looking little Gamma.

    Lucianne shrugged and said, ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Sasha¡¯s eyes scanned her from head to toe before she showed a disgusted expression. ¡°A five- time

    rejected Gamma from a little wolf pack is bonded to the Lycan King. This clearly is the joke of the

    century, or millennia. I mean, look at you! You¡¯re not even a Lycan! I look more like a Queen than you do!

    You just look like a dying rogue picked from the streets and given some new clothes. You don¡¯t even

    know how to dress and put on make¡ªup like a real female, let alone a Queen. How is it that you think

    that you are qualified to take on that position

    anyway?¡± 1

    Lucianne startedughing hysterically, and many were turning in her direction. Xandar heard everything

    from a distance, his hearing being the sharpest because he was the King of both species. He dashed to

    Lucianne¡¯s side, and held her protectively around her waist as his cold eyes red at Sasha, his lc

    orbs turning onyx. His animal demanded to be released to defend their mate. Around them, the noisy

    room was turning silent.

    Lucianne was the only one who seemed unperturbed. When she stopped her hystericalughter, a

    sarcastic smile spread wide across her face. Her voice radiated strength and confidence when she

    spoke, ¡°Ms Cummings, you are absolutely hrious. Uh¡­¡± she chuckled once before she continued,

    ¡°First of all, I¡¯ve never asked to be his mate. Ever.¡± She pointed at Xandar on her right without looking at

    him. ¡°After being rejected five times, I can tell you that a mate was thest thing I wanted. I would¡¯ve

    rather spent the rest of my years alone than

    H1

    risk being rejected after falling in love again.

    ¡®Second, if I looked like a dying rogue who was just picked off the streets, then you look like a self-

    entitled doll on disy who never had to work a day in her life. You may think that that¡¯s a good thing but

    I personally feel very, very sorry for you that you¡¯re living in your perfect little world, ignorant of what most

    of us have to fight through. And third,¡±

    She lifted her forefinger, asking Sasha to wait as she sipped from her ss before continuing, ¡°Third, I

    never said or even think that I am qualified to be a Queen. I am very well aware that I¡¯m not. And frankly,

    neither are you. You may think you look like a Queen but holding that

    position is not just about putting on make¡ªup and looking pretty. It¡¯s about finding problems-

    and solutions, something I don¡¯t think you¡¯re very familiar with. I¡¯m not saying that I am but

    scanned with Cams nnnn er just by hearing you speak, I know that you¡¯re not. Honestly, if you want him,¡±

    she waved in Xandar¡¯s direction and continued, ¡°I¡¯m not the one stopping you. I don¡¯t want someone who

    would want another anyway.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s pained eyes were wide as he looked at Lucianne¡¯s side profile and eximed in panic,

    ¡°Lucianne, what are you saying? Don¡¯t be ridiculous! I don¡¯t want another! I only want

    you!¡±

    Avoiding his hurt expression, Lucianne nced at the ground and hit her inner lip before she met

    Sasha¡¯s gaze and said numbly, ¡°If you really listened to what he just said, Ms Cumming s, the one

    stopping you is him, not me. My time and energy is focused on protecting the innocent, not throwing

    myself on powerful Lycans.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s yearning and desperate gaze fixed on Lucianne made Sasha even more infuriated. Her eyes

    glistened. She gritted her teeth and whispered in rage, ¡°The Lycans will never ept you as their

    Queen.¡±

    Xandar growled furiously at her, sending fear throughout the room. By his side, Lucianne merely retorted,

    ¡±Their eptance was never my priority. I¡¯ve long stopped trying to please

    those who only want to bring me down anyway.¡±

    1!

    Before Sasha could say anything further, Xandar growled at her and said in a homicidal tone, Get the

    hell out of this room. NEVER appear in front of Lucianne again. You¡¯re not even worthy to say her name.¡±

    Xandar growled again. With tears trickling down her cheeks, Sasha squirmed and left the room in hurried

    steps with her eyes fixed to the floor.

    The room was still in pin¡ªdrop silence as everyone either looked in the direction in which Sasha had just

    left, or at their King who was still fuming like a boiling kettle. Gamma Tobias was the first to be able to

    physically move from his spot. He made slow, cautious steps to the refreshments table before looking at

    Lucianne in concern. But then he smirked and

    eximed in excitement, ¡°Lucy, that was epic!¡±

    The atmosphere rxed considerably among the werewolves after he said that, and Gamma Baden

    came over and high-fived Gamma Tobias as the former shouted, ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s our girl right there!¡± And

    he pointed at Lucianne. Lucianne managed a wide grin and a shortugh. Xandar seemed to have

    rxed a little, and his animal calmed down when they saw her smile. Xandar pecked a kiss on

    Lucianne¡¯s temple, sending a visible red tinge to appear on her cheeks. 2

    Many older Lycans were not pleased because they knew that Sasha was Alfred Cummings¡¯s daughter,

    and they had been friends with Alfred from before Xandar ascended the throne eighteen years ago. This

    older generation was of the view that no matter how terrible a mistake is, a Lycan should never be

    punished over a wolf. To them, the worst Lycan should still always be treated better than even the best

    werewolf. All of this changed when Xandar

    rose as King. He was equally critical of Lycans and werewolves alike, not seeing why one species should

    be favored over the other.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7

    Everyone adjourned to their rooms for a short rest before dinner. The Lycan in Xandar was

    already whimpering at the thought of parting with Lucianne.

    ¡®Do you mind if I kept you until dinner, Lucianne?¡± He asked nervously. He couldn¡¯t remember thest

    time he was this nervous, if there was such a time in his past at all. He was a King, and before that he

    was the Crowned Prince. There was never really an asion that h

    e had to feel nervous about. Overwhelmed, yes, with rogue attacks. Fearful, perhaps, like

    when he was about to witness the death of his father. But never was he nervous.

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°That depends on what you want.¡±

    He smiled. It was a sad smile as he exined, ¡°I want to talk to you more. I want to know you, really

    know you. I don¡¯t want you to feel like you have to keep things from me.¡± He took her hand and kissed

    the back of it briefly before cing her palm on his chest, over his heart as h e whispered, ¡°And

    hopefully, I can convince you that I can love you. I¡¯m not like the rest, Lucianne. I only want you. You¡¯re

    the only mate and Queen that I will ever be willing to

    ept. Please,¡± he took her other hand and kissed her fingers. ¡°Please, let me get to know you.

    Lucianne was touched by what she just heard. His words went straight into her heart. She wondered if it

    was the effect of the mate bond. She cleared her throat before nodding her

    head gently and uttered, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Xandar looked relieved and ecstatic. He took Lucianne¡¯s hand and led her out of the dining hall. He

    drove them to his vi and ushered her into the living room. After making coffee,

    Xandar passed Lucianne her mug and sat next to her.

    When their eyes locked, Lucianne shrugged and asked, ¡°So, what do you want to know?¡±

    His eyebrows furrowed as he thought about what to ask first. What he really wanted to know was no

    doubt a very painful topic to touch on at this early stage in their rtionship, if they are in a rtionship

    at all. He was contemting on the second thing he wanted to know

    about her. ¡°Who are your parents? What do they do? Any siblings?¡±

    Her lips curled up, and she had a cheeky glint in her eye as she said, ¡°That¡¯s definitely not what you

    really wanted to ask first but I¡¯ll dly oblige if it makes you feelfortable. So¡­¡±

    Before she responded, Xandar asked with a smile, ¡°How are you so sure that¡¯s not the thing at

    the top of my head?¡±

    Lucianne simply exined, ¡°Well, for one, you took a little too longing up with the question. We

    travelled from the dining hall to your home so you would¡¯ve had your first QUESUOH 10119 before now.¡±

    She chuckled. ¡°And two, you have a look when you¡¯re trying to lie.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± He smirked as he moved closer to 1-19;

    She chuckled and nodded, ¡°You might be a good liar when you¡¯re prepared but taken off- guard, you look

    very uneasy, like you¡¯reing up with an excuse after being caught stealing a candy bar from the

    fridge.¡±

    ¡°Well, you have to admit, if it¡¯s my fridge then I¡¯m technically not stealing.¡± He said with a

    charming smile.

    ¡°You would be if it belonged to someone else in the house.¡± She said, and Xandarughed. When his

    laughter died down, she looked at the marble floor as she spoke, ¡°You want to know about the five

    rejections, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Her smile was subsiding, and she was avoiding his gaze. He took her hand carefully into his own as he

    said in seriousness, ¡°We ¡®don¡¯t have to talk about that today, Lucianne. There are a million other things I

    want to know about you.¡±

    She smiled meekly as she met his concerned gaze. ¡°Yeah, butyour mind won¡¯t be at ease until you

    know.¡± His expression said it all. He wanted to know. Not because he wanted to judge her worth or

    question her past. He just¡­wanted to know. He didn¡¯t want there to be any secrets between them. As

    her mate, he wanted to know about the pain from her past, and just

    hoped that by listening, he could take some of the pain from her.

    ¡°You seem a little lost for words.¡± She said with a sad smile, and chuckled once depressingly before she

    started, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just say whateveres to my mind. So uh, the first mate

    I!

    WES¡­

    ¡°Lucianne, before you tell me about that. I want you to know something.¡± Xandar held her

    hands tightly as he sat upright, locking his eyes with hers. ¡°I¡¯m not asking because I want to judge. I just

    want to know everything about you. And if something made you upset or has hurt you, I want to know

    that even more. I don¡¯t want you to think that you have to bear those emotions alone. I acknowledge that

    I can never fullyprehend what you went through, and there¡¯s no way to transfer those feelings to me

    or to someone else but I was hoping¡­¡± he sighed in frustration before shaking his head and uttering to

    himself, ¡°Goddess, this isme¡­¡± 1

    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± She said with glistening eyes. ¡°It really isn¡¯t.¡± Her thumb started stroking his palm a s two stray

    tears trickled down her cheeks, and she looked away. Xandar held her hands tighter when she tried to

    retract them to wipe away the tears. He leaned in closer and kissed

    away the tears from her cheeks, tasting the saltiness in them.

    Xandar looked deep into her eyes as he whispered, ¡°I¡¯m not like them, I promise. Give me a

    chance to show you, okay?¡±

    Lucianne nodded when she seemed to have lost her voice for a moment. The reluctance in

    her eyes squeezed his heart but he ignored it. At that moment, he was grateful that she was

    giving him a chance.

    When Lucianne got hold of herself again, she cleared her throat and started, ¡°So, uh¡­my previous

    mates, all five of them weren¡¯t from my pack. That¡¯s the good news. At least things

    Scanned with Cams nnnn er didn¡¯t get awkward and ufortable back home after each rejection. The

    first was a Beta from an ally pack. He didn¡¯t think I had the build to be a Beta¡¯s mate and rejected me. As

    you

    can already tell, I¡¯m really small, even for a wolf. The second was a warrior, not a Gamma, just a warrior

    in training. We met at a training coboration hosted by Blood Eclipse. What he told me was that the

    mate bond was messing with his head and objectively speaking, I wasn¡¯t pretty by his ¡®uninfluenced¡¯

    standards. He also didn¡¯t want his mate to be a warrior. He preferred a female who had a ¡®less

    aggressive job¡¯, in his words. I never bothered asking what that meant.¡±

    She took a sip of her coffee. ¡°The third and fourth were Alphas. The third was already engaged to be

    married to a chosen mate, and he felt that he owed it to his pack to choose her, who had Alpha blood,

    over me, who is not from that bloodline. That was definitely the most amicable severance. Consensual

    and amicable. The fourth mate wasn¡¯t the type to settle for one female so it was a no brainer to sever

    that bond. However, he made it clear that he

    wouldn¡¯t have wanted me even in his next life before epting my rejection.¡± She chuckled depressingly.

    ¡°And then,¡± Lucianne stopped to take a breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know what was going through the Moon

    Goddess¡¯s mind but she paired me with a Lycan for my fifth¡ªchance mate. You already

    know this one. He¡¯s Sebastian Cummings.¡±

    She shrugged, ¡°We met at this meetingst year. He took me seriously at first but then all these lies and

    inconsistencies started popping up. When it came down to another Lycan and me, he never chose to

    defend me, even if I had the facts and they didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t think much of it because I just thought that was

    how most Lycans are brought up ¡ª spare the Lycans, punish the wolves. But thest straw was walking

    in on him sleeping with another Lycan when he told me that he was going to be with his father discussing

    state affairs.¡±

    She swallowed a lump in her throat before she continued in a softer voice, ¡°After that

    experience, I went home and prayed to the Moon Goddess every night to stop giving me a mate. I told

    her that I would do anything¡­but I didn¡¯t want to experience another mate bond. I

    didn¡¯t want to meet or see another person being bound to me like that.¡± She took a breath before

    uttering, ¡°I have never prayed or even asked for a mate in my life. And after mate number five, I decided

    that I¡¯ve had enough of the emotional roller coaster, and begged our Goddess to spare me.¡±

    She pressed her lips together in difort before she said in almost a whisper, ¡°When we metst

    night, all I could think about was what could I have possibly done to garner so much

    hate from the Moon Goddess that she could not even grant me my only wish. But from the start, you

    were different.¡±

    Their eyes locked. His eyes were already glistening as he imagined the pain she felt over and over

    again. Despite the tears, his expression was hard as he thought about the injustice that

    had befallen Lucianne, who had done nothing but serve the werewolf poption with nobility and

    selflessness.

    She continued, ¡°When you looked at me at the meet¡ªand¡ªgreet, I couldn¡¯t see any hesitation or

    disappointment in your eyes. Even now, I still can¡¯t find it. You seem so sure, so certain that the mate

    bond is not a mistake. And when Ibrought up the matter about rejection, you seemed genuinely hurt and

    confused, not contemtive or relieved like the mates from my past. I thought, as a Lycan, you¡¯ll feel

    disappointed about being bonded to a werewolf, like Sebastian was. But you aren¡¯t like him. It¡¯s almost

    24 hours since we met, and I haven¡¯t seen you upset over being with me yet. Sebastian¡¯s happiness only

    lasted two minutes before

    disappointment crept into his eyes. He just seemed like he was epting me after that. He was never

    really truly interested in what I am.¡±

    She chuckled and shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m bonded to you, of all people and species. I

    don¡¯t even understand why I¡¯m being bonded again. Sometimes, I feel that the Moon

    Goddess gave me my life just to use me as a joke over and over and ov¡­¡± 1

    Xandar cut her off, and said in a gentle tone, ¡°No, don¡¯t think that.¡± He lifted her body

    effortlessly, cing her sideways on hisp and kissed her deeply on her forehead before holding her

    close to his chest. ¡°The Moon Goddess knows you are meant for great things. She

    knew before any of us that you have the makings of a true leader, a Queen. Just being a Luna of a pack

    would¡¯ve been a waste of your potential.¡±

    He kissed her hairline as he stroked her arm slowly and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the way you interact with

    pack leaders and warriors. You stand apart on a whole different level. They love you. Every

    commendable werewolf loves you and respects you. Our Goddess sees this too. Before meeting you, I

    wasn¡¯t even doing half of the things at this meeting that I¡¯ve already

    done sincest night. I was never one to be approachable, or one to get to know my people on a deeper

    level. But meeting you changed that. Somehow, your existence made me feel that the people deserved a

    better King, one who saw them, heard them and felt them. You gave me that, Lucianne. It¡¯s only been

    less than a day but I¡¯ve never taken my subjects more seriously

    for the past eighteen years untilst night.¡±

    He pecked a kiss on her forehead and nose before he said, ¡°There¡¯s no one more qualified to b e a

    Queen than you, Lucianne. You¡¯ve already done so much more for the people than I have, than any

    Lycan or werewolf have. You¡¯re already our Queen, even if you don¡¯t see it yet.¡±

    She smiled meekly as she held back her tears. ¡°It was really nice of you to say all of that,

    Xandar.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t being nice.¡± He said in a serious tone, ¡°I was speaking the truth. You are a Queen, our

    Queen. It radiates from the way you speak and the way you carry yourself, which probably exins why I

    don¡¯t feelfortable when I see you bow to me. From the start, it just felt¡­

    wrong. I thought it was the mate bond at first but now that I think of it¡­it¡¯s more likely because I¡¯m not

    worthy to have you bow to me. If anything, I should be the one bowing to you.¡±

    ¡°Oh Goddess, please don¡¯t do that. It¡¯ll be so awkward.¡± She pleaded, her eyes widened in horror.

    Le scoffed. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be for you. But I guess now you can feel a little bit of what I feltst

    ight and this morning.¡±

    hey were silent for a while, just enjoying each other¡¯spany until Lucianne asked softly a

    her fingers trailed gently across Xandar¡¯s chest, ¡°Is there anything else you want to know bout my

    previous mates? Any holes in my story that you need an exnation for?¡±

    [is animal was aroused under Lucianne¡¯s touch, and Xandar was relieved that her fingers topped as soon

    as she finished speaking. He pondered for a moment. Jealousy wasced in iis voice as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t

    quite understand the one with Cummings. From the way he¡¯s

    een behaving, it¡¯s like he¡¯s under the illusion that the mate bond is still there. And why did .una Hale

    agree to let the Cummings sit with us? Didn¡¯t she know who he was?¡±

    Oh, that.¡± She sat up and exined, ¡°Luna Hale told me that she wanted to watch Sebastian iuffer in

    regret now that I¡¯m bonded to someone else.¡± Lucianne rolled her eyes and shook her

    lead in disapproval. ¡°She¡¯s not normally like this. That was probably her only unprofessional ict as a

    Luna. And as for Sebastian¡¯s behaviour,¡±

    She cleared her throat, ¡°After I caught him with his¡­bed warmer, he promised that he would (I ) anything

    to make me feel better. After making him swear that he will give in to anything :hat I was about to ask for,

    I rejected him, and demanded that he ept the rejection. He Nanted to argue his way out of it but I held

    him by his promise. And he, not being fully sober after all the alcohol he had with his buddies at a bar,

    epted the rejection. I will admit that I

    was being kind of maniptive to sever that bond but¡­¡±

    ¡°But thank goddess you were.¡± Xandar smirked. She rolled her eyes. ¡°I was going to say that it was

    maniptive but I don¡¯t regret what I did.¡±

    ¡°Good. You shouldn¡¯t.¡± Xandar smirked wider and kissed her cheek, enjoying the sight of his mate

    blushing as he held her on hisp.

    Lucianne tried to cool her warm cheeks by pressing the back of her hands on them but Xandar promptly

    took away her hands and held them firmly in his. He then nted another kiss on her cheek, sending

    another wave of red tinge in that area. ¡°1 thanked herst night,

    you know?¡± He uttered as he looked at her in bliss. I ¡°Who?¡± Lucianne asked in confusion.

    He smiled and uttered, ¡°The Moon Goddess, sweetheart. I thanked her for this mate bond

    when we were walking back to your roomst night.¡±

    His fingers reached for the hair falling on her side profile, and very gently, he tugged it behind her ear

    and traced the curls in her hair. ¡°You are so much more than I deserve, and nothing I could ever imagine

    asking for. I never thought someone like you even existed. I don¡¯t remember doing anything exceptional

    to be bonded to someone so amazing but I know that I¡¯m never letting you go.¡± He pecked a sweet kiss

    on her nose and for the next few moments, they simply looked into each other¡¯s eyes. His lc orbs met

    her ck ones, andante had never felt happier. He had never felt more at peace.

    Lucy¡¯s phone vibrated, and she took it from the side table before they both saw that it was a reminder for

    Lucy to get ready for dinner.

    ¡°Do you have a reminder for everything?¡± Xandar teased.

    ¡°Only scheduled programmes. 1 don¡¯t want to bete for something because I was distracted.¡± She said

    matter¡ªof-factly.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± I-Iis nose started trailing down her scar as he said coquettishly, ¡°A little distraction may be good

    though, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, but not the type of distraction you¡¯re implying.¡± 1

    He looked at her and asked coyly, ¡°And what type of distraction am I implying, my dear?¡± He then closed

    his eyes and started taking her scent at her neck.

    Lucianne gasped. With her hands on both sides of Xandar¡¯s face, she detached him from her neck. His

    yearning gaze met her serious one as she said, ¡°You know exactly what I¡¯m talking about, your

    Highness. I need to use the restroom and after that, we should get going.¡± Ignoring his fake pout, she

    climbed off hisp, and disappeared into the washroom.

    Even after hearing the door closed, he still cou1dn¡¯twipe the smile off his face. He was getting a chance

    with his mate, and she seemed to be warming up to him. Everything made sense after she exined.

    Her inability to ept praise was because of past mates who have deemed her unworthy. She may have

    not realised it but their words affected not just her heart but also how she saw herself. Her reluctance to

    ept the mate bond with him, and her indifference when she spoke about rejection the previous night

    was just an understandable side-effect from her past, from being bonded to useless mates. Thank

    goddess they were useless, otherwise he would¡¯ve lost her even before he had met her.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Then again, he could¡¯ve always challenged and killed the one she was bonded to, thereafter iming her

    as his. Being the Lycan King, he would¡¯ve easily won. But would Lucianne be happy being with him if he

    killed her bonded mate? Shoving these thoughts aside, he

    thanked the Moon Goddess for notplicating the situation to the point where he had to kill a mate to

    be her mate. 1

    He grinned like a person who was madly in love when he looked into the mirror he had in the living room.

    He stood up, brushed off the faint creases and put his coat back on. When

    Lucianne joined him in the living room, he beamed and pecked a kiss on her forehead before they left for

    the dining hall in his car.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8

    Chapter 8

    In the car, Xandar suddenly had a question. ¡°Hey, Lucianne?¡±

    llHm? H

    ¡°You mentioned that the third and fourth were Alphas.¡± He asked uneasily, ¡°Are they here? In

    this coboration?¡±

    ¡°The third, yes. Alpha Brandon from Red Night. The fourth, no. He and his Luna were killed in one of the

    rogue attacksst year. Alpha Zeke from Blood Eclipse took half of his pack, and the other half went to

    Luna Lovce from Midnight.¡± She answered simply.

    Xandar looked even more uneasy. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it get awkward with Alpha Brandon?¡±

    Lucianne thenughed. ¡°No. Like I said, our severance was consensual and amicable. It was awkward at

    first but then we warmed up to each other as allies and as friends. His Luna did take a little more time to

    offer me a smile. But we eventually hit on, mainly because we both had an interest in burning down the

    patriarchy.¡± She chuckled and continued, ¡°I mean, it would¡¯ve been awkward if the fourth mate survived.

    He uh¡­he¡¯s very pinned on the fact that h e rejected me because I wasn¡¯t good enough so he may have

    caused a scene at the

    coboration. But I would¡¯ve stayed away if I saw him there anyway.¡± ¡°Did he cause a scenest year?¡±

    Xandar asked in concern.

    ¡°He almost did, on the very first night too. But Alpha Juan threatened to challenge him for his pack if he

    ever bothered me again so he never tried to do anything after that.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s heart was heavy with guilt. Why didn¡¯t he know this? If he had paid more attention a t the meet-

    and-greetst year, he could¡¯ve defended Lucianne. He uttered in remorse, ¡°I can¡¯t believe that

    happened and I wasn¡¯t there to defend you. No one should even think of causing

    a scene at this coboration.¡± She shrugged. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, you weren¡¯t my mate yet.¡±

    ¡°That,¡± one hand stayed on the steering wheel as the other reached for Lucianne¡¯s hand, lifting it to his

    lips to nt a kiss before he continued, ¡°Does NOT make me feel any better. Knowing that someone else

    was more deserving of you than I was is just a stab in the heart.¡± He parked his car in his reserved lot

    before he locked eyes with Lucianne. 1

    ¡°Nothing like that should¡¯ve happened on my watch. Not to you or to anyone else. I¡¯ll be better. I¡¯ll pay

    more attention, I promise.¡± He pecked another kiss on her hand.

    Lucianne tried to ignore the sparks as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself, Xandar. You were on the

    other side of the room, upied with Lycan ministers. It would¡¯ve been

    impossible for you to know what was happening at our end.¡±

    Xandar was almost too afraid to ask but he had to, ¡°Did we- Did we meetst year?¡±

    ¡®No, we didn¡¯t.¡± She shook her head. ¡®After you spoke to the ministers, you left the room. We didn¡¯t meet

    for the rest of the month either. As a Gamma, I only had business with the

    Defense Ministers so I never saw the point toe up to you. You did seem rather busy, and n o wolf in

    their right mind would think of interrupting.¡± 1

    Xandar mmed his head onto the headrest, frustrated. ¡®I am beyond ipetent.¡± ¡®What?¡± Lucianne

    asked in confusion. What did she say that made him feel like that?

    He took both of Lucianne¡¯s hands, and with guilt and embarrassment in his eyes, he said, ¡± Sweetheart,

    I¡¯m going to be honest with you. Up until I met you, I hated the annual meet¡ªand- greets.¡±

    She pressed her lips together and nodded as she recalled his demeanor the previous year before she

    said, ¡°That much was clear.¡± Xandar closed his eyes tightly in embarrassment for a second before

    Lucianne said apologetically, ¡°I think I¡¯ll just let you finish talking first.¡±

    He then smiled at her sincerity, and kissed her cheek before he said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to hold back. I

    deserved it. You only gave me the facts. So uh¡­ I¡¯ve long hated the meet-and-greets, and I always

    found a way to leave as early as possible. I¡¯m not my father. He would¡¯ve happily stayed and socialized

    with his ministerste into the night. Personally, I find it to be aplete waste of time. I would¡¯ve rather

    locked myself in my office and gone through a few files. At least then, I¡¯ll be able to be at ease when I go

    to bed, knowing that I¡¯ve done¡­

    something.¡± 1

    Lucianne was listening attentively in silence. Xandar then stroked her hand as he prompted, ¡±

    Lucianne, say something.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m not following.¡± She admitted. ¡°How are you ¡®beyond ipetent¡±?¡±

    He began, ¡°IfI had taken an initiative to speak to anyone other than the ministers, I would¡¯ve been more

    aware of how the werewolves had been faring. After hearing yours and Gamma Tobias¡¯s speeches, I

    can¡¯t help but feel that I¡¯m no better than Alfred Cummings.¡± He stared deep into her eyes. ¡°As officials,

    we had the power to send help but we didn¡¯t. And I didn¡¯t even seem approachable enough for Gammas

    toe up to me with their concerns.¡± He shook his head, and scoffed as he stared nkly ahead,

    ¡°What have I even aplished

    these years as King?¡±

    Lucianne was biting her bottom lip, stopping herself from speaking. Xandar caught this, and

    his thumb reached out to smoothen her lip as he whispered, ¡°What is it? Tell me.¡± 1

    Lucianne hesitated before she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if what I¡¯m about to say is going to make

    you feel any better.¡± ¡°1 don¡¯t care. I want to know.¡± Xandar stubbornly insisted.

    She took a deep breath. ¡°You are doing better than your father.¡± She gauged his reaction before

    continuing, ¡°King Lucas, he¡­ he never thought about us when it came to legition.

    scanned Wllh cams nnnn er

    Hunters could kill us as they pleased. Packs were not allowed to apply for financial relief after a rogue

    attack. We never had medical help beyond our ally packs during his reign.¡±

    Lucianne was looking nervously at Xandar, whose eyes showed that she had his undivided attention as

    he waited for her to continue, so she did. ¡°It almost felt like we didn¡¯t exist. There was even a time when I

    wondered why we called him our King. Of course, Iter learned that i

    t was purely fear that forced wolves to obey without question. But when you ascended the throne, things

    started changing.¡±

    She looked at him gratefully. ¡°When we first received word that wolves were entitled to seek relief after

    an attack, we thought it was a joke or a scam. It took a lot of discussion among pack leaders before one

    Alpha was appointed to ask about the validity of the relief offered.¡± She chuckled at the memory. ¡°We just

    didn¡¯t think that it was possible for there to be a Lycan who would bother to take care of us wolves, let

    alone the Lycan King. For as long as my kind can remember, we were just happy to not get killed.¡± 1

    She chuckled again before she continued, ¡°Then thews started to change, bit by bit. A few yearster,

    Alphas were invited to meet and submit their concerns at conferences for the first time in history. Then

    three years ago, these meetings started to include Gammas. Gammas are even given the chance to

    share the stage with Lycans this year, which has never been

    done.¡±

    Lucianne reached for Xandar¡¯s face, and started tracing his eyebrows. His expression softened under

    her touch as he purred and leaned into her small hand. She uttered, ¡°You don¡¯t know how grateful we are

    to have an opportunity to be included in discussions, a chance to speak, and a way to seek help. The

    systems aren¡¯t perfect yet but at least it was

    I! I

    better than what we had during King Lucas¡¯s reign.

    He reached for her hand on his face, cing it over his mouth as he nted a deep kiss on her palm.

    Xandar inched closer to Lucianne and pecked a second kiss on her forehead before

    whispering, ¡°That did make me feel better. Thank you.¡± He was leaning into her neck but

    Lucianne held his face and said, ¡°We should go in. We¡¯ve been in here long enough.¡±

    He pouted and muttered, ¡°This won¡¯t take very long.¡±

    She smirked. ¡°Well then, I guess I¡¯ll meet you inside.¡± After saying that, she unbuckled her

    seatbelt, and Xandar groaned yfully. She ignored his protest and got out of the car. He followed

    quickly behind. His arm went around her waist as soon as he caught up to her.

    ¡°Decided toe down so soon?¡± She teased.

    Xandarined, ¡°Don¡¯t even start.¡± And she giggled in response. His animal was wagging

    its tail in his head, unable to control how happy it was to hear Lucianneugh.

    They entered the hall, and everyone present bowed in their presence. Lucy froze on the spot, feeling

    difort with the scene. Xandar¡¯s voice rang through the hall, ¡°Good evening, everyone. I hope this

    day has gone well for all of you so far. If you have any suggestions on

    how we can improve, be it the ceremony this morning or the food being served, do not

    esitate to let me know. Please enjoy the rest of the day.¡±

    then everyone stopped looking their way, Lucianne¡¯s difort eased. As they were alking to the buffet

    table, Xandar asked casually, ¡°Do you think you can get some pack

    eaders to open up to me about their problems? I¡¯ve spoken to a few of them but they seem eluctant to

    tell me the full extent of what they need.¡±

    here was a cheeky glint in Lucianne¡¯s eyes when she said, ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re the big, zary Lycan

    King.¡±

    e smirked, and gently squeezed the flesh on her waist. She giggled and asked, ¡°So, who do J11 want to

    meet first? Those who need help in terms of finances, pack training, )I¡¯1StI1.1Ctl0I¡¯1, or something else?¡±

    e froze in his spot. He didn¡¯t think¡® the problems could be categorized so clearly. It was as if s many

    packs had these problems that the categories existed. Sensing that Xandar could not ecide, she smiled

    and asked, ¡°Which do you prioritize more, Xandar? Safety, or expansion ad development?¡±

    e smiled in return, appreciating that she understood his predicament, and responded ithout hesitation,

    ¡°Safety.¡±

    tlright.¡±

    fter taking their food and cing it on a random table, Lucianne said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit. on¡¯t wait for me

    to start.¡± She motioned to his te.

    wasn¡¯t like Xandar¡¯s animal would allow him to eat when their mate hadn¡¯t started yet so h merely waited.

    After a short moment, Lucianne returned with three people walking closely ahind her. Xandar was

    already up on his feet, ready to greet his guests.

    Iandar, let me introduce you to Alpha Wainwright, Luna Wi and Gamma Sylvia of the rirnson Pack.¡± As

    soon as she said that, the three of them bowed and greeted Xandar in

    tiison, ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    t¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, members of the Crimson Pack. Please have a seat. I would love to

    ear from you.¡± Xandar said amicably.

    hey all took their seats nearer to Lucianne. The empty seats next to Xandar made him feel rat he had a

    lot of work to do before the werewolves were willing to open up to him.

    ucianne then looked to her left at Alpha Wainwright and said, ¡°Alpha, please tell our King bout the rogue

    attackst month, the way you told me at tea earlier.¡± 2

    he nodded encouragingly at the hesitant Alpha, who cleared his throat before he looked at andar and

    said, ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s an honor to speak to you. As Gamma Lucianne

    ientioned, the Crimson Pack was attackedst month. Although we managed to eradicate ie threat, our

    borders have been destroyed when the rogues tried to tear their way through. Iur finances have dried up

    when we used it to rebuild a quarter of pack homes after a fire

    iree months ago. And we had to resort to cing more warriors to protect our borders now.

    The uh¡­¡± he looked at Lucianne, who smiled and nodded, encouraging him to go on.

    ¡°The problem, your Highness, is that we wa nted to submit a im for financial relief after the fire but

    since there wasn¡¯t a designated category for this, we couldn¡¯t proceed with the application. We submitted

    an enquiry regarding the matter to the Defense Ministry but we haven¡¯t heard from them. And after the

    rogue attackst month, we applied to Minister

    Cummings but it seems that our application hasn¡¯t been reviewed as of yet.¡±

    Luna Wi then spoke in a calm and careful voice, ¡°We were hoping, your Highness, that we could have

    a small loan to speed up rebuilding the border. Our warriors are strained from having to stand guard daily

    instead of taking shifts. And perhaps we could discuss the terms of repayment. If possible, we hope that

    you¡¯ll give us time to return the funds.¡±

    Lucianne looked at Xandar, who was holding her hand the whole time. His expression was hard, and he

    contemted in silence before he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the cost of rebuilding the

    border withoutpromising the quality of the materials?¡± ¨C

    The Alpha said, ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± he looked at Lucianne again, who nodded with a small smile yet again,

    prompting him to continue. He then met Xandar¡¯s eye and said affirmatively, ¡°My

    contractor has quoted the price at $100,000, your Highness. But we¡¯d appreciate even a loan that covers

    10% of the amount. We¡¯ve already borrowed $70,000 from all our alliesbined s

    0 we¡¯d be very grateful if¡­¡±

    Before he could finish, Xandar said, ¡°You can return the borrowed funds to your allies. I¡¯ll speak to the

    Finance Minister, and get her to have the $100,000 transferred to your pack ount by the end of the

    week. This isn¡¯t a loan so there¡¯s no need for a discussion on

    repayment.¡±

    The three of them gasped in shock. Luna Wi was the first to recover when she said, ¡°Your Highness,

    that¡¯s a very generous gesture b-but we can¡¯t just ept that. It¡¯s a lofty amount. W e insist on repaying

    with interest.¡±

    Xandar smiled and waved his hand in refusal. ¡°No, Luna Wi. As the governing body, it¡¯s our

    job to ensure that the welfare of our people is being looked after. This is not a generous gesture, it¡¯s a

    duty that we must fulfill. I hope you understand, and will ept the money.¡±

    The pack leaders were still lost for words, clearly in shock. Lucianne then prompted Alpha

    Wainwright, ¡°Alpha?¡±

    He seemed to have finally snapped out of it as he tilted his head to bow to the King and said, ¡± Thank

    you, your Highness. On behalf of my people, I thank you for the aid. It will help us to

    recover quickly from the mishaps of the past few months.¡± 1

    Xandar smiled in response, and asked in curiosity and concern, ¡°May I know what caused the

    fire?¡±

    Alpha Wainwright sighed sadly, ¡°There was a wiring defect in one of the older electric generators. After

    that incident, we¡¯ve gotten foremen and electricians to check on the

    scanned with Cams nnnn er remaining generators. Thank goddess we did! There were three more at risk

    of

    malfunctioning.¡±

    Xandar nodded in understanding, and was contemting on providing relief for that as well but he

    recalled Alpha Wainwright saying that a quarter of homes had to be rebuilt. He had to check the

    finances, and hear out the other packs before providing relief for the fire. He hoped that the money they

    had would be enough to cover everyone¡¯s losses but realistically

    speaking, he might only be able to contribute a percentage of losses that didn¡¯t result from a

    rogue attack.

    From his side, he saw Lucianne¡¯s serious eyes light up, and he turned to see Alpha Juan and Luna Hale

    approaching them with tes in their hands. Xandar offered a smile and waved them over. ¡°Your

    Highness, it¡¯s good to see you again.¡± Alpha Juan said, then he and Luna

    Hale bowed to Xandar.

    ¡°A handshake will do, Alpha Juan, Luna Hale. Please, join us.¡±~Xandar said as he patted Juan¡¯s

    shoulder like they were brothers.

    The members of the Crimson Pack suffered another round of shock at how the King just greeted the

    pack leaders of the Blue Crescent Pack. Juan then thrusted a hand in

    Wainwright¡¯s direction with a smile and said, ¡®Always nice to see you, Wainwright.¡±

    ¡°Juan. Good to see you too, old friend.¡± Wainwright snapped out of his shock before he shook

    Juan¡¯s hand.

    Luna Hale set her te down before walking over to Wi, who had already gotten up as they embraced,

    ¡°We didn¡¯t see youst night. We thought you both weren¡¯t attending this year.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, we could never miss this.¡± Wi said in all smiles. ¡°Lucy has been lovely, as always.¡±

    She shot Lucy a grateful nce.

    Wainwright snorted and said, ¡°Yeah. Until you put her on the battlefield.¡±

    Gamma Sylvia then joined in with a giggle, ¡°Then, she¡¯ll turn into a monster.¡±

    Seeing Lucianne embarrassed with her hands covering her eyes, Juan added, ¡®Let¡¯s give Lucy

    more credit. She won¡¯t turn into a monster. Lucy has been a monster since we were kids.¡±

    Laughter spread around the table, and Lucianne¡¯s fierce eyes bore into Juan¡¯s cheeky ones as

    she warned, ¡°I¡¯m getting you for this, Juan.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah? When?¡± He challenged.

    ¡°Tomorrow. At training.¡± Lucianne smirked.

    His grin fell, and he looked terrified as his eyes went to his mate before he cursed, ¡°Shit!¡±

    Another round ofughter followed. When Xandarughed with them, he came to realize that he had

    never felt more weed in his life. People always obliged him but there was never

    any encouragement to speak freely, or for the people around him to be themselves. The

    scanned with cams nnnn er atmosphere with the werewolves felt different. He liked it. He didn¡¯t want it to

    end. I

    In between the conversations and the jokes, Xandar unceremoniously kissed Lucianne on her ear lobe

    and whispered, ¡°Thank you, for getting them to talk to me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± she whispered with a shy smile. There was something about Xandar that made her

    question her preconceptions about rnates. Whenever he spoke to her, she felt like she was free to say

    whatever she deemed fit. It was never like that with her previous mates She had to watch her tongue to a

    certain extent around them just as she would anyone else

    Juan and Hale were, by far, the most understanding and open with her. They always made sure that she

    was heard. Even then, she never feltfortable pouring out everything. She voiced out her thoughts,

    yes. But they were thoughts that have been filtered to be as inoffensive as possible. Sometimes, her

    response may still be offensive to the listener even after her thought¡ªfi1tration processes.

    Xandar was different though. He seemed to be encouragingher to be herself, herplete self. He

    wanted to know everything that bothered her and made her feel sad Even after she told him about her

    past mates, she was moved when he showed her no sympathy, only anger at what she had to go

    through. His hardened expression in the living room only showed that Ii e was working hard to

    understand the pain she had to endure. She hated being felt sorry for s 0 when Xandar didn¡¯t, even

    without her asking, she felt a sense of belonging, so much so that

    she even forgot that she was speaking to their King when they were alone in his vi

    ¡°Your Highness?¡± A voice came from behind Xandar Everyone at the table stopped speaking Xandar

    stood grudgingly as he turned to meet Alfred Cummings ¡®Yes, Cummings?¡±

    Sebastian, who was behind his father and also bowed, albeit very grudgingly Alfred continued to hold his

    head down as he exined, ¡®I wanted to apologize for Sasha¡¯s behavior

    earlier. She got emotional, and meant no harm to the Gamma. She wishes to apologize for tier error if

    she¡¯s allowed back into the meeting. May she be given a chance to make amends,

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    your Highness?¡± 1 ¡°No.¡± Xandar responded firmly, his eyes dark.

    Alfred lifted his head in surprise as he said, ¡®I beg your pardon, my King? Your Highness, I

    can assure you that she did not intend to upset the Gamma. She was simply¡­¡±

    Xandar didn¡¯t even let the old man finish. ¡°The Gamma she insulted is my mate. Tell Ms Cummings to

    count herself lucky that I didn¡¯t initiate court proceedings for her behavior

    towards the future Queen. She was already warnedst night when I was speaking to Luna

    Lyssa. I will NOT have her around here again.¡±

    Alfred was lost for words. He nced at Lucianne, who had an indifferent look as the minister yed his

    last card. ¡°Could she at least be present at the training sessions starting tomorrow, your Highness? We

    haven¡¯t found out the truth behind the rogue Lycans yet, and I

    wouldn¡¯t want her to be defenseless should we ever have to face the threat.¡±

    scanned with cams nnnn er

    Xandar¡¯s eyes turned a darker shade of onyx, his voice was raised as he was close to exploding with

    Cummings¡¯s relentless pestering. ¡°Cummings, I SAID N¡ª¡­¡±

    ¡®Xandar, that would be fine.¡± Lucianne was by his side in an instant. She held his arm affectionately, and

    took his hand in one of hers, using the mate bond to calm him as she said, ¡®Just training will be fine.

    Everyone will be fighting with a partner, so she won¡¯t have the chance to bother me or anyone else. It¡¯ll

    be fine.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes softened as his eyebrows furrowed in concern when he asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡± She gave

    him a small smile of assurance and nodded gently.

    Hesitantly, Xandar looked back at Cummings and said, ¡°You and your reckless daughter better realize

    how lucky she is right now. Training only. She¡¯s not weed in anything else.¡±

    ¡®Yes, I understand, your Highness. Thank you.¡± Alfred said, and turned to Lucianne. ¡°Thank you, Gamma

    Lucianne. I¡¯m most grateful. I¡¯m sure my daughter will fully appreciate your kind

    gesture as well.¡±

    Lucianne scoffed before speaking bluntly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on that, minister. But her appreciation is not

    my concern. I only persuaded our King to allow it to make sure no innocent Lycan or wolf would die

    having to protect Ms Cummings. I was considering the people tasked to protect her, not her. But thank

    you for expressing your gratitude.¡±

    The minister was shocked at the manner he was being spoken to by probably the smallest

    sheewolf he had ever seen, and she wasn¡¯t even a Luna!

    Xandar¡¯s cold voice then rang through the air, ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything else, Cummings, you may close

    your mouth and go now.¡± It was only then Alfred realized his shock caused his mouth to hang open. He

    closed his mouth, bowed and excused himself without another word.

    Next to him, Sebastian¡¯s angered eyes were fixed on Lucianne¡¯s hand around Xandar¡¯s arm. H e looked

    at Lucianne longingly for a little while more before following his father.

    Xandar was still contemting on whether he should have allowed Sasha to train. He was still mad at

    how she spoke to Lucianne. As he thought about it, Lucianne stroked the back of

    his hand as she asked, ¡°You okay?¡±

    His anger evaporated, and he kissed the back of her hand as he uttered, ¡°I am now.¡±

    She rolled her eyes but her pink cheeks showed that she wasn¡¯t immune to his romantic gesture. They

    returned to their seats at the table, and chatted some more with the other werewolves before deciding to

    turn in for the night. Xandar walked Lucianne back to her room. It was then he found out that Lucianne

    helped in the Crimson Pack¡¯s rogue attack not just in the previous month but also in the past few years.

    Her pack was their trusted ally, and

    she was a trusted warrior and friend.

    After kissing her goodnight, Xandar wrestled with his whimpering animal, which wanted to- stay with

    Lucianne. When he had reached home, Xandar went through two rogue files before

    scanned Wlih Cams nnnn er he turned in for the night.

    In his bed, he started to wonder why he was going through the files in the first ce. They were all

    reports from the first rogue attack in a pack. Procedure was so tedious and slow that by the time the file

    reaches him, the rogues would have either been eliminated or have destroyed the pack. It felt like these

    reports were just done for the sake of taking up a space i n their archive. It didn¡¯t feel like he was helping

    to alleviate the risk of attacks. What was odd was the fact that none of the packs ever ask for Lycan

    warriors. Why was that? He wondered. They askedlfor medical aid, finances to rebuild but never

    protectors, even though it was a designated option.

    Seeing that it was past midnight, he made himself stop thinking about the country¡¯s affairs before turning

    to the side to face the empty pillow. He imagined Lucianne sleeping next to him with her eyelids closed

    until he finally dozed off-

    6 Stina¡¯s Pen Author

    H Letting Sasha train: yay or nay?)

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9

    The next morning, he wore a grey shirt and a ck tuxedo. At breakfast, he beamed at his subjects

    when he saw that Lucianne¡¯s head remained up when the rest of them were bowing. After greeting the

    attendees, he made his way to her, and kissed her on her forehead as he said, ¡°Thank you, for not

    bowing.¡±

    ¡°It felt very awkward.¡± Sheined with blushing cheeks.

    He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡± He took in her stunning figure hugged by a dark purple ruffled top and

    ck skirt before he said, ¡°You look beautiful.¡±

    She smirked and said, ¡°You look great too, Xandar. Are you going to say that every morning?¡±

    ¡°Mmm. Maybe.¡± He was looking at her flirtatiously, and started closing the distance between them.

    With her hand on his hard chest, Lucianne kept their remaining distance as she said, ¡°Behave

    now, your Highness. There are people you should meet.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± He groaned.

    With his hand on her waist, Lucianne introduced him to the pack members of Lunar Eclipse, Night Howl

    and Glimmer Moon. It took a lot of encouragement and prompting on Lucianne¡¯s part before the

    members felt like they could speak up about their concerns without sugar-

    coating anything.

    When it came to damaged borders, Xandar promised to contribute financially without hesitation.

    However, things like hospital supplies, rusting pipes and a seasonal shortage of

    clean water were trickier.

    He had to call for a meeting with his ministers to address these issues. He made mental notes on what

    they needed, and promised to get back to them on the aid that his government can

    provide.

    Alpha Juan and Luna Hale walked up to them with wide smiles as Juan called out, ¡°Lucy!

    Your Highness! Busy morning, I see.¡±

    Some Lycans were ring at him for speaking so casually to the King but Juan and Hale couldn¡¯t care

    less. Xandar shook Juan¡¯s hand with a smile and said, ¡°Yeah, well. I guess that¡¯s

    what happens when I get an over-responsible mate.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t I know it.¡± Juan rolled his eyes in Hale¡¯s direction, earning a p on his arm from his

    Luna before she lovingly slipped her arm into his.

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes at her mate and said, ¡°Xandar, you asked for this.¡±

    Hale then chirped in, ¡°Lucy, forgive them. Men don¡¯t always know what they want.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Xandar agreed without hesitation, and locked eyes with Lucianne before he proceeded to

    say, ¡°But there are certain things that I can never be more sure of.¡± He kissed her on her cheek, and

    watched as she blushed. She pressed her lips together to force back tier smile, internally frustrated that

    she could never control the warmth that would creep up her cheeks whenever Xandar kissed her.

    They got breakfast and sat together as they ate. Lucianne invited the members of White Blood over, who

    gave suggestions on how they think the government could facilitate their efforts in providing training to

    untrained packs.

    Xandar tried his best to control the jealousy he felt whenever he caught Lucianne and Gamma Tobias

    throwing each other knowing nces and cheeky smirks as Alpha Tate

    spoke. Even the Alpha was stealingnces at her whenever Lucianne wasn¡¯t looking. ¡®

    Xandar held onto Lucianne¡¯s hand, and pecked kisses on it from time to time to remind her that his

    feelings for her are real, and to make an implied statement to the Gamma and the

    Alpha that Lucianne was HIS mate.

    About half an hour before training was bound to start, everyone left the dining hall to change into their

    training attire. They then gathered at the royal training ground.

    Unlike during meals, there were fewer present since many Lycans didn¡¯t feelfortable sharing the

    ground with wolves. They used their old age as an excuse to escape the need to train. The Lycans who

    were there were more open. although hesitantly open, to the werewolf

    Everyone was to pair up and spar with their partner on a mat beneath their feet For the first two weeks,

    the training was non-shiftedbat. The following two weeks would be shiftedbat.

    As the Defense Minister, Alfred Cummings spoke a few words with his deputy. Plerre Whiw, by his

    side. Lucianne and Xander stood side~by-side. She changed into a sleeveless

    top and her yoga pants hugged her figure. Her hair was tied up into a tight bun. Xandar was also in a

    sleeveless shirt and shorts as he red at any male who was looking at his mate¡¯s

    body.

    At the end of Cummings¡®s speech, Xandar received a brotherly pat on the shoulder before a

    voice called out, ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    Xandar saw who it was, and pulled the man into a friendly hug as he said, ¡°Goddess, it¡¯s you! It¡¯s great

    that you could make it, Christian. How¡¯s Annie?¡±

    The man smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Good. The trip away did get rid of the stress she had been

    enduring for months at work.¡±

    Xandar then pulled Lucianne to his side and said, ¡®Lucianne, this is my cousin from my mother¡¯s side and

    my second-inmand, Christian ckfur. We grew up together, and he

    worked for hours into the night with me when I first ascended the throne. He was the one

    Scanned with Cams nnnn er who suggested that we start scrutinizing ourws.¡±

    Lucianne bowed politely and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, your Grace. Thank you for all you¡¯ve

    done to help the werewolves.¡±

    To her shock, Christian took her hand and knelt on one knee before lightly kissing the back 0 f her hand

    and letting it go as he stood. ¡°My Queen, you shouldn¡¯t have to bow to me. It is an honor to finally meet

    you. I¡¯ve read many great things about the Blue Crescent Pack.¡±

    Embarrassed, Lucianne said, ¡°Your Grace, please don¡¯t do that again. And I¡¯m not your Queen.¡±

    ¡®Yet.¡± He chuckled as his eyes fixed on Xandar, who was looking at Lucianne with nothing but love and

    adoration.

    ¡°I should¡­¡± Lucianne said, and started pointing in the direction where most of the werewolves were, ¡°¡­

    go help them train.¡±

    Christian¡¯s voice stopped her when he said, ¡°My Queen, if you¡®don¡¯t mind. I would love to

    watch you spar our strongest Lycan here. Wolves take training more seriously than Lycans d 0. Your

    pack is so strong that Xandar and I have a theory: one day, even a wolf can go against a Lycan. And

    from what I¡¯ve been hearing in between the gossip of the crowd, you¡¯re the best 0

    f your kind.¡±

    Lucianne was a little lost for words. Xandar thought she was hesitant and saidfortingly, ¡±

    You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to, Lucianne.¡±

    Cheekiness sparked in Lucianne, and she smirked at Xandar as she said, ¡°You¡¯re not scared o f being

    beaten by a little wolf now, are you, your Highness?¡±

    ¡°Now we¡¯re talking!¡± Chirstian eximed in excitement. 2

    Xandar¡¯s look of concern was quickly reced with a short stint of surprise before he took on Lucianne¡¯s

    challenge with a cocky smirk. ¡°You asked for this, sweetheart.¡±

    They took their positions on the mat, and the Lycans and wolves training closer to them started to lose

    focus when they saw that there was going to be a spar between their species.

    They slowed down but kept working on their techniques.

    Lucianne had a serious look on her face as she assessed Xandar¡¯s built. He was tall so leaping over him

    will definitely be a challenge. If she¡¯s lucky, she can dodge his attack by slipping

    under his legs.

    Xandar had a cocky grin as he sprinted in her direction. She let hime at her, and let him throw his

    punches. She had years to train her speed and was dodging his punches in swift motions until she saw

    her chance, and used all the force in her leg to knock Xandar off his

    feet.

    He fell on his back with a thud but got up quickly enough to pull her towards him, mming her back into

    his chest. I-Ie held her by her neck and she struggled for a second before her legs lifted into the air and

    mmed his t*sticles. He howled in pain, and Chirstianughed hysterically from the side. 3

    Xandar¡¯s grip on Lucianne¡¯s neck loosened, and she threw a punch to his jaw before swiftly flipping over

    his head and grip his neck as she reigned him in a manner as to get him to turn

    his body before pressing her weight on his back.

    Her arm around his neck lifted his face off the ground, and her weight in his upper body made it

    impossible for him to get up. As he lost air, he also lost strength. When his fingers stopped scratching her

    arms to beg for release, and she felt his body give in to gravity, she

    released her hold on him and got off his back.

    Everyone around them had already stopped training, and some had their arms crossed and eyebrows

    furrowed with focus as they watched the spar between Xandar and Lucianne.

    Lucianne squatted beside Xandar¡¯s head, and with one hand on his shoulder she asked, ¡°Hey,

    you okay?¡±

    His eyes looked drained, and Lucianne felt a little remorseful. Perhaps she went too far. ¡°Can

    you talk?¡± She asked. Even Christian wasing over to check on his cousin.

    Taking advantage of her worry, Xandar grabbed her hand from his shoulder and swiftly turned his body

    while pulling Lucianne¡¯s body to slump onto his chest, making her groan, ¡± Oof!¡± Before she could get off

    him, he pinned her wrist to the ground on his side and pressed

    her waist to his chest.

    Lucianne¡¯s surprise was reced with narrowed eyes. ¡°So, you are okay. C¡¯mon. Let me go.¡±

    She then tried to get off of him.

    He held her tighter, and asked in a husky voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell me what I did wrong?¡±

    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t going to release her, she said tly, ¡°You should¡¯ve pinned me to the

    ground with your weight when you had me by the neck.¡± ¡°Really?¡± He asked, as if he was contemting.

    ¡°Mm¡ªhm.¡± She nodded.

    With a cheeky glint, he turned their bodies over, and Lucianne¡¯s back was pinned to the ground. Xandar

    ced a part of his weight on Lucianne¡¯s body, supporting himself only with his hands pressed on the

    ground on both sides of his mate¡¯s head. His eyes bore into hers as h

    e smirked coquettishly, ¡°Like this?¡±

    Lucianne tried her best to ignore Xandar¡¯s hardened manhood pressing against her abdomen, and

    simply said, ¡°You very well know that if you pinned me when you had my neck, it would b

    e my chest being pressed to the ground, not my back.¡± He looked at her coyly and muttered, ¡°Mmm, but I

    prefer us in this position.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you do.¡± She smirked. ¡°Let me go now, Xandar. I promised a few friends that I¡¯ll

    help train them.¡±

    scanned with Cams nnnn er

    She greeted him with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m here, Toby.¡± She then turned to the pack leaders and

    greeted, ¡°Alpha Wainwright. Luna Lyssa.¡± And they nodded with a smile in acknowledgment.

    ¡°What are we looking at?¡± She asked Tobias.

    He exined, ¡°I¡¯m getting Alpha Wainwright to gain speed, and Luna Lyssa to make use of

    her elbows and knees to escape her opponent¡¯s grasp.¡±

    ¡°Great, let¡¯s?see it.¡± When she gave the green light for them to start, she and Toby took a step back to

    watch. The Gammas watch them attack and defend. After punches were thrown and

    bodies fell and rose, Luna Lyssa came out victorious.

    ¡°Oh, goddess. That was a good fight, Luna Lyssa.¡± Wainwright said sportingly as he shook her hand. ¡®

    They then waited for the Gammas¡¯ remarks. Toby exined how Luna Lyssa should not pass the

    opportunity to aim for her opponent¡¯s kneecap when she notices an instability, and he advised

    Wainwright to find a pattern in the way his opponent punches. For Lyssa, it was almost always two

    punches with her right fist, followed by one with her left. He then told Lyssa to be less predictable in the

    way she threw her punches.

    When Toby was done, the three of them looked at Lucianne.

    In a serious tone, she said, ¡°More often than not, a male¡¯s chest is the most difficult spot to find a weak

    point, especially if they¡¯re well built. Focus on their abdomen, testicals, neck and nose, if you can get

    close enough. If it¡¯s a female you¡¯re fighting, aim for her abdomen, face and feet. If her hair is long and

    within reach, try to catch hold of it and use it against her. Also, be wary of your opponent¡¯s height. If

    you¡¯re about the same, then there¡¯s a good chance that you would be able to flip yourself over his

    shoulders and push him to the ground after

    attacking his vulnerable areas. And in battle,¡± she looked directly at Wainwright before she

    said, ¡°Show no mercy, especially if your opponent is a woman.¡±

    Toby snorted and added, ¡°More so if she¡¯s only about five feet.¡± He shuddered mockingly after

    ncing at Lucianne and added, ¡°Dangerous creatures.¡± Everyone knew he meant Lucianne.

    Instinctively, Lucianne punched Toby in the arm, and his body tilted slightly to the side as he continued

    laughing with Wainwright and Lyssa. From a distance, Xandar saw this, and he harnessed the sudden

    jealousy and anger to pin Christian to the ground before choking him b

    y the throat with murderous eyes.

    When Xandar released his cousin and helped him up, Christian took a moment to recover before he

    said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s a tie. Just give me a few minutes, cuz.¡± He took another few breaths before he said,

    ¡°There was a sudden change in your ferocity. How did you do that?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes went to Lucianne, who was still next to Toby as they both watched another pair of fighters.

    Christian followed his gaze and chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not jealous, are you?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t me me for being a little insecure. The werewolves love her but I suspect some of

    Scaririedwith Cams nnnn er the mateless Gammas and Alphas want more than just her skills and

    friendship. They could very well be in love with her.¡± Xandar said.

    ¡°Xandar, listen to me.¡± Christian¡¯s serious tone made Xandar pay attention, ¡°Don¡¯t make something out of

    nothing. So what if there are others in love with her? You¡¯re her mate. She¡¯ll only have eyes for you. If

    you try to control her circle, you¡¯ll only push her away. From whatever little I can tell,¡± Christian looked at

    Lucianne who was demonstrating a technique t

    o the two wolves who justpleted sparring each other, ¡°She just sees them as friends.¡±

    Christian then got up, and approached his cousin, ¡°She¡¯s the best one they have, so she¡¯s bound to be

    interacting with a lot of fighters, which happens to include the male poption. You¡¯re her mate. You

    have to find a way to be okay with that. I¡¯ll go as far as saying that she

    expects you to be okay with that.¡±

    Xandar listened to Christian¡¯s reasoning and promised himself that he would not interfere with Lucianne¡¯s

    circle. His cousin was right. It didn¡¯t matter who or how many males were

    after her. If he won her heart, there was nothing that coulde between them.

    Stina¡¯s Pen Author

    ¡° Let¡¯s get real here. Will Xandar really NOT control L ucianne 3 circle? He ¡®5 the fiercest and most

    powerful creature in the Kingdom!

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    But does ferocity and power have anything to do with possessiveness?

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    After showering and cleaning up, everyone made their way to the dining hall for lunch. Lucianne wore the

    same purple top and ck skirt she wore in the morning. For once, she entered the dining hall after

    Xandar. When she saw him speaking to someone she didn¡¯t know, she decided against interrupting and

    went up to Christian, who was speaking to Juan and Hale.

    ¡®Ah! My Queen.¡± Christian beamed and bowed. ¡®Please, don¡¯t do that.¡± Lucianne said as she covered her

    eyes, embarrassed. ¡®It¡¯s just etiquette, my Queen. You don¡¯t have to be so shy about it.¡± Christian

    chuckled.

    Juan then uttered to himself, ¡°Queen Lucianne Freesia Paw does sound nice. Very regal.¡±

    ¡®Juan, stop it!¡± Lucianne whisper-yelled as more people were looking their way.

    Christian¡¯s forefinger and thumb were at his chin, like he was thinking. He then turned to Juan and said,

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to keep calling her that until she gets used to it, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    Not wanting to hang around and garner more stares from the people already eavesdropping o n their

    conversation, Lucianne then said, ¡°I think I should just go over there to speak to the other Gammas.¡±

    ¡®Toote.¡± Christian said and chuckled again.

    Lucianne looked confused when she asked, ¡°What do you m¡ª¡± she gasped when a warm hand pressed

    her abdomen before it slid to the side of her waist. Sparks erupted in those areas as Juan, Hale and

    Christian bowed and greeted in unison, ¡°My King.¡±

    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.

    He smiled at them, and gave them the cue to lift their heads. Xandar¡¯s eyes locked with Lucianne¡¯s as he

    asked in his husky voice, ¡°How did it go with Juan?¡±

    Lucianne shot Juan a cheeky grin and said, ¡°It went well.¡±

    Hale then added enthusiastically, ¡°So well that he came back with bruises that were still healing.¡±

    Juan slid an arm around his mate¡¯s waist and uttered in embarrassment, ¡°Baby, you¡¯re supposed to be

    on my side. And the bruises were supposed to be a secret.¡±

    Hale then turned to Juan and smirked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my dear. I thought I was promised the

    fiercest fighter in the pack but since Lucy beat you today, I¡¯m choosing her now.¡± The Lycan cousins and

    Lucianneughed at Hale¡¯s response and Juan¡¯s fake pouting.

    As Lucianne looked back at Xandar, she asked, ¡°So, did you kick your cousin¡¯s ass or did he kick yours?¡±

    Christian was already chuckling. Xandar then said, ¡°A 2-1. I almost lost because you didn¡¯t

    scanned with Cams nnnn er wish me luck when you left me.¡± ¡°Luck was never going to save you.¡±

    Lucianne retorted.

    ¡°But you wished him luck.¡± Heined like a toddler as he gestured at Christian.

    ¡°And did it save him?¡± She asked rhetorically.

    Knowing that he had lost the argument, Xandar resorted to squeezing the flesh at her waist yfully

    before kissing her briefly on her temple. They then moved to the buffet table and got

    their food before sitting down.

    ¡°So uh¡­cuz.¡± Christian sat next to Xandar. His expression grew worried as he asked, ¡°What brings Greg

    here? I didn¡¯t think he was interested in these things.¡± Their eyes went to where Christian motioned with

    his gaze. Lucianne recognized that that was the very person Xandar was speaking to when she walked

    in. Greg was now mingling with the female Lycans, who

    were all daughters of ministers.

    Lucianne looked up at Xandar, who was worried as well. Lucianne then asked, ¡°Do you two need a

    moment?¡± She didn¡¯t want them to feel like they couldn¡¯t speak freely.

    Xandar said, ¡°No, no.¡± He took her hand on the table and started stroking it, ¡°You¡¯re bound to find out

    sooner orter.¡± He then addressed the pack leaders, ¡°Juan. Hale. Christian and I

    won¡¯t mind you both listening to this. It¡¯s not really a secret to begin with. It¡¯s just a¡­¡± Xandar groped for

    the right form of description and settled with, ¡°An embarrassing part of the royal

    family history.¡±

    Christian¡¯s carefree expression turned serious as he started exining, ¡°Greg is Xandar¡¯s cousin, from

    his father¡¯s side. When King Lucas died, Greg tried to get ministerial support to have Xandar abdicate

    the throne to him. Greg¡¯s reason was simple: he was older and had more experience in state affairs.¡±

    Christian then chose his next words carefully, ¡°He was not

    exactly wrong but the thing about him is that he has a very questionable character.¡±

    ¡°Meaning?¡± Lucianne asked.

    Christian hesitated, and nced at Xandar, who nodded before Christian continued, ¡°He doesn¡¯t always

    have the people¡¯s best interest at heart. He goes where the profits are. Xandar told me about how you

    described King Lucas, how he didn¡¯t care about werewolves. Just take

    Greg as a younger King Lucas, only worse.¡±

    ¡°Worse how?¡± Juan asked in concern.

    Xandar exined in a low, serious tone, ¡°There were rumours circting that when he held office, funds

    went missing. They never found the culprit but we suspected he took it because

    he could suddenly afford a new car and a woman every night.¡±

    Hale then said, ¡°Forgive me for suggesting this but wouldn¡¯t a person like him get women for free given

    that he is technically a Duke?¡±

    Christian exined, ¡°Yeah but he can make more demands, and more inappropriate

    scanned with Cams nnnn er demands, when ites to paid intercourse than free ones.¡± ¡°Disgusting!¡±

    Juan hissed. ¡°Does he have no mate?¡± Hale asked.

    ¡°No.¡± Christian shook his head, and Xandar added, ¡°It¡®s a good thing, too. Imagine the pain she¡¯d have to

    endure every night.¡±

    Lucianne muttered to herself, ¡°A younger King Lucas.¡± She then asked Xandar, ¡°Were they close? and

    your father?¡±

    ¡°Extremely.¡± Xandar and Christian said in unison.

    She nodded in understanding and uttered, ¡°That exins a lot. So after he didn¡¯t get ministerial support,

    he just left?¡± \

    Christian nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, pretty much. They took their supporters with them and that was it. He

    then founded his ownpany, doing some kind of export business. And his

    supporters became his employees. I don¡¯t know what the hell he is exporting but it seems to b e keeping

    him and them afloat. We haven¡¯t seen him in years. How long has it been, cuz? Fifteen, sixteen years?¡± !

    ¡°Sixteen.¡± Xandar nodded ominously. ¡°So, he¡¯s back.¡± Lucianne digested and said, ¡°He came back for

    something. What is it?¡±

    All eyes were on Xandar, who said, ¡°He told me that he realised his mistakes, and he wants to reunite

    with the family, making it clear that he didn¡¯te back for the throne which he has epted was mine

    to take.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe him?¡± Lucianne asked doubtfully.

    Xandar shook his head. ¡°Nah. You can never believe Greg. There¡¯s always something up his sleeve.¡±

    ¡°Cuz, why do I get the feeling he came back because you found our Queen?¡± Christian asked a

    s he motioned at Lucianne.

    Xandar sighed as his hand protectively slipped across Lucianne¡¯s shoulders before he said, ¡°If you¡¯re

    asking me whether you¡¯re being paranoid, Christian, I wouldn¡¯t say that you are. I thought the same

    thing. The timing is too coincidental.¡±

    ¡°Did he mention her?¡± Christian whispered, his eyebrows furrowed with worry.

    Xandar said, ¡°Not explicitly, no. But he was trying to get me to admit that I¡¯ve found her.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so bad about him knowing that I exist?¡± Lucianne asked innocently.

    Christian then exined, ¡°He will do everything in his power to make you feel ufortable and

    unworthy, manipting you to reject your mate, just like he did with my mate, Annie. Thankfully, I found

    out what was happening before Annie did anything rash.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Lucianne frowned. Christian then added, ¡°I would keep my guard up with him if I were you.¡± ¡°After

    hearing everything the two of you just said, I definitely will.¡± Lucianne agreed.

    Xandar eyebrows furrowed with concern, not knowing what Greg¡¯s ulterior motive was for returning.

    Lucianne tried to use the mate bond to ease his anxiety by stroking his hand but the crease on his

    forehead didn¡¯t smoothen all the way. She got up and left the table to refill her drink. Just as her cup was

    full, someone abruptly stood before her and blocked her way. She took a step back to see that it was

    Greg, who had a cocky smirk as his lustful eyes scanned her from head to toe.

    Lucianne was unperturbed. She tried to leave from the side but Greg moved to block her way. What¡¯s the

    rush?¡± He asked.

    Xandar saw this from the other end of the hall, and he was striding over in quick paces. Lucianne kept

    herposure as she said, ¡°1 didn¡¯t think you wanted to speak to me. Can I

    help you?¡± He scoffed. ¡°So you¡¯re the King¡¯s mate.¡±

    Xandar reached Lucianne¡¯s side, and his face was hard when his arm went protectively

    around her waist. Lucianne then asked Greg, ¡®Did youe to me with an actual question,

    sir?¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Greg said in surprise as he spoke to Xandar, ¡°I can see you haven¡¯t told your mate much

    about your cousin.¡± Greg gestured at himself.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really see the point in telling.¡± Xandar lied.

    ¡°And I see you didn¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve already found your mate.¡± Greg stated, still holding onto the fake

    smile. ¡°I¡¯ve had to ask those Duchess wannabes over there to get the news.¡± He

    motioned to the ministers¡¯ daughters whom he was seen mingling with earlier.

    ¡°Well, if you have nothing to ask, I shall take my leave now.¡± Lucianne said, and took only one

    step before Greg stopped her again.

    He then asked unnecessarily loudly in a taunting tone, ¡°I heard that you were rejected five

    times before him?¡± ¡°Shut up, Greg.¡± Xandar growled.

    Lucianne remainedposed. He wasn¡¯t the first to use this against her. She smiled tly, and

    responded in an equally loud voice to match his, ¡°I was, yes. I handled five mate bond snaps, and here I

    stand before you, alive and well. What about you, your Grace? How many have you handled?¡± 1

    He seemed to have been taken off guard, and tried to divert the attack back to Lucianne by asking, ¡°Five,

    huh?¡±

    ¡°Avoiding the question, huh?¡± Lucianne retorted. Some of the wolves were already forcing

    back their smiles when they heard Lucianne¡¯s retort.

    Greg seemed to be losing his stamina as he tried desperately to defend himself by announcing, ¡°Wolf, I

    can get a different woman every night. Why would I want a mate?¡±

    She took a step forward as she said, ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of wanting. It¡¯s a well-known fact that mates are

    given to anyone who is even slightly deserving of one. So I simply want to know, since you¡¯re still

    mateless at your age, how many mates have you had in your past?¡± The strength and eloquence in her

    voice demanded respect.

    ¡°That¡¯s a personal question.¡± Greg muttered, already squirming on the inside.

    It was Lucianne¡¯s turn to smirk cockily. ¡°Funny how you found it appropriate to ask me, isn¡¯t i t?¡± He was

    gritting his teeth until Lucianne asked in a clear voice, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    He smiled tly and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to meet my future cousin-inw.¡± ¡°Suddenly interested in who joins

    the family, I see.¡± Lucianne noted.

    His eyes widened for a moment before he chuckled depressingly and said, ¡°So, you have heard about

    me.¡±

    Lucianne looked him dead in the eye and dropped her fake smile as she said, ¡°You¡¯ve clearly not heard

    about me.¡± She took another step forward and spoke in a low, homicidal tone, ¡°If you think you can waltz

    in here and break me, then you clearly don¡¯t know who you¡¯re dealing with, your Grace. I would suggest

    that you drop the attitude before I MAKE you drop i

    tlfl 2

    Lucianne was walking away with Xandar before they heard Gregmented, ¡°Bold words from the

    smallest wolf in the room to one of the strongest Lycans.¡± He spoke louder to garner the attention of all

    the Lycans and werewolves in the room.

    Xandar growled angrily at Greg, and some Lycans flinched at his ferocity. By his side, Lucianne merely

    turned to face Greg with another fake smile as she uttered, ¡°Ignorance is blissful, your Grace, until it gets

    you killed.¡± Greg seemed taken aback again.

    Xandar then warned in a low voice, ¡°Greg, if you want to stay, behave. Don¡¯t make me kick

    you out for being disrespectful, too.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Greg walked the other way, clearly unhappy with how things yed out. Sasha was right, this

    one was different from the other cousin¡¯s mate. She mentioned that this pesky wolf beat the King in

    combat this morning but Sasha was certain that he let her win. ¡®Ignorance is blissful¡¯, he thought about

    what she said. He wasn¡¯t ignorant that she beat the King but was Sasha even right that the King held

    back? 1

    The distasteful looks that the werewolves were shooting his way despite his esteem position among the

    Lycans was making him doubt the pesky wolf¡¯s position among hermunity. She was a Gamma, so

    she was the best warrior in her pack. Her pack. Why were the other

    scanned with Cams nnnner packs so agitated? Now that he had pissed-off all the werewolves, they

    wouldn¡¯t give him anything more than a fake smile and a one¡ªsentence answer. Some of them even

    faked ignorance. Did they have any idea who he was?! He was one of the only two Dukes in the

    Kingdom! How dare they behave like that around him!

    As he left the room in humiliation, he thought about his cousin¡¯s mate. This small she¡ªwolf was the first

    creature to be able to direct his verbal attack back to himself. Oddly enough, he

    started developing an interest for this creature.

    3 Stina¡¯s Pen . Author

    ll Greg: a regr pain in the as* or something more dangerous?

    -I

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    To Xandar¡¯s and Christian¡¯s relief, Greg didn¡¯t show up for tea or dinner. Lucianne continued t o introduce

    pack members to the King and his second-inmand as they both took note of what each pack was

    asking for. The wolves were surprised and grateful for the chance to be heard. Whenever Lucianne stood

    to take some food or drink alone, pack members she had never met would walk up to her with a problem

    that their pack is facing. They felt more at ease to meet her alone first before being introduced to the

    King himself.

    She felt honored to bridge the packs with their King. The part she minded was having to risk meeting

    conceited pack leaders. In these situations, she will ask them a simple ¡®so, can you tell me the kind of aid

    that your pack requires?¡¯ before deciding whether she wanted to continue the conversation. Some

    Alphas and Gammas whom she had never met introduced themselves simply because they wanted to

    meet her. The conversations were appropriate so she took an interest in getting to know those she had

    yet to meet.

    Somewhere in the middle of dinner, Xandar and Christian were discussing the aid the Moonhowl Pack

    was asking for after rogues destroyed their borders. Seeing that the pack members no longer needed

    encouragement to speak to Xandar, Lucianne got up for a second refill of wine. After filling her ss, she

    leaned against the refreshments table for a momentt o take a sip, taking a quiet moment to herself.

    Suddenly, a warm breath graced her ear with a hushed, ¡°Hey.¡±

    She jumped to the side because she recognized that voice. Some of the wine from her ss sshed

    on the floor but thankfully the floor was dark-colored carpet so it didn¡¯t make much of a mess.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Are you okay, Lucianne?¡± Sebastian asked guiltily.

    ¡°Excuse me, there are people I need to speak to.¡± Lucianne said tly, and tried to turn to leave.

    Sebastian dashed to block her way. ¡°I just want to talk.¡±

    ¡°You have no right to make demands.¡± Lucianne spat.

    Sebastian looked ufortably at the floor as he muttered, ¡°I know. There¡¯s not a day that goes by that I

    wish I did differently, that I wish I did better by you. You were a gift, and I was a fool not to see that.¡±

    Lucianne listened and said indifferently, ¡°Noted, thank you.¡±

    She tried to walk around him but he stopped her again. He said, ¡°I know that I don¡¯t deserve your

    forgiveness. I was a scum.¡± He chuckled sadly, ¡°I¡¯m a Lycan but what I did was low for any species, and

    I¡¯m going to keep apologizing until you forgive me. I don¡¯t care how long it¡¯ll take.¡±

    She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Save your breath, Cummings. I¡¯ve already forgiven you. I forgave you for

    myself so that I could move on. If you think I did it for you or that I would ever do it for you, you¡¯re dead

    wrong.¡±

    She only took one step to her side when he blocked her again, hurt evident in his eyes when h e said,

    ¡°Just¡­ here.¡± He lifted up a book she didn¡¯t see him holding and continued, ¡°I got you this. I remember

    you mentioning your interest in learning about the psychology behind bing a better warrior. I

    thought of you when I saw this. Just think of it as a gift from a friend.¡±

    She looked at the book. If they were still mates, and if he hadn¡¯t cheated on her or lied to her, this gift

    would¡¯ve made her heart melt. Now, she didn¡¯t feel anything. She took note of the title and the author¡¯s

    name so that she could order it by herselfter on and said, ¡°We¡¯re not friends. Now, step aside.¡±

    ¡°Just take it, Lucianne. You don¡¯t even have to think that it was from me, please.¡± Sebastian pleaded.

    From her peripheral vision, she saw Xandar¡¯s figure approaching in quick steps. From the way he was

    pacing, it was clear that he was angry. Lucianne spoke in a low voice, ¡°Sebastian Cummings, if you have

    the slightest shred of intelligence and wisdom left, you will step aside now. You don¡¯t want to get hurt.¡±

    He clearly didn¡¯t know that Xandar wasing, which made him say, ¡°I was already hurt when you

    rejected me, Lucianne.¡±

    ¡°Interesting choice of words.¡± Xandar¡¯s voice came from the side as he slid an arm around Lucianne¡¯s

    waist and held her close to his body. ¡°Given that you were the one who gave Lucianne more than

    enough reason to do what she did.¡±

    Sebastian was gritting his teeth after hearing Xandar¡¯s words. Before either of them could say anything

    to each other, Lucianne prompted Sebastian, ¡°You should go.¡±

    Sebastian smiled meekly and longingly at Lucianne as he nodded before walking away. Xandar kissed

    her temple and asked in concern, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t I be? So, is the Moonhowl Pack going to be alright?¡± Lucianne asked.

    Xandar smiled. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine, sweetheart. I¡¯m more concerned about you. You don¡¯t have to shove your

    troubles aside just to take care of people all the time, you know.¡±

    She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°I have seen and felt pack problems. Compared to what they have to go

    through, my troubles are nothing.¡±

    ¡°No. I will not let you think that. It¡¯s my job to make sure that you don¡¯t have to bear with your troubles

    alone.¡± Xandar said firmly as he held her by her arms.

    Despite being moved by his words, Lucianne was in the mood to be cheeky. She cocked her head to one

    side and asked with a small smile, ¡°That¡¯s in the King¡¯s job description along with

    his long list of royal duties? Wow. Sounds very taxing.¡± Xandar smiled and yed along, ¡°It is taxing.

    Why do you think I need you as my Queen?¡± Lucianne showed a mock look of realization and went on,

    ¡°Ah, so you just needed another helper to do the work. And to think I was something special to you.

    Gosh, this is quite embarrassing, your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Xandar was still in a mood to y. ¡°Looks like I¡®ve misled you.¡±

    ¡°That, you did.¡±

    He smirked and uttered in his husky voice by her ear, ¡°Maybe you should consider punishing me, my

    love. What will you have me do?¡± His warm breath tickled her ear, and that was when she smelled his

    arousal. Her cheeky mood was gone.

    She gasped in shock at how far they went with their charade. Xandar¡¯s lips were still by her ear, where

    she felt him smirk as he asked cockily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my dear? Still embarrassed?¡± He started inhaling

    deeply, taking her scent from her neck.

    Mass

    Not wanting to allow this to go any further in the eyes of so many people in the hall, she took his head

    into her hands, and gently pushed it back as she took a step back herself. His eyes were still looking at

    her coyly. The smell of his arousal was getting stronger, and Lucianne knew she had to do something

    before everyone in the dining hall looked their way.

    Lucianne smirked and said, ¡°Embarrassed? Oh please, your Highness. I was just thinking about your

    punishment.¡± She let go of his head after saying that and crossed her arms. Perhaps theck of skin

    contact between them would stop his arousing thoughts, she thought

    ¡°Mm.. Is that so?¡± He reached for both sides of her waist and pulled her closer to him, still smirking as he

    was doing it. ¡°And what have you decided, my Queen?¡±

    Lucianne tried to ignore her difort in being called a Queen when she clearly wasn¡¯t one, then said,

    ¡°Perhaps staying away from each other for a day would do us some good.¡±

    All humor was drained from his eyes. His arousal was put to a sudden stop. He looked like a child who

    had a toy snatched away from him as he abruptly pressed her body into his, and pleaded desperately

    into her ear, ¡°No, don¡¯t go. I¡¯ll be good, I promise. Don¡¯t keep us apart, Lucianne, please.¡±

    She pulled away and didn¡¯t say another word as she led him in the direction of their table by his hand. He

    asked in worry, ¡°You¡¯re not really going to stay away from me tomorrow, are

    you?¡±

    She snorted at how seriously he took her. ¡°No, Xandar. But you really need to control your arousal. We¡¯re

    around your subjects, for goodness sake. I just hope that I was the only one who smelled it.¡±

    Xandar nced behind them before he said apologetically, ¡°From the grins the werewolves

    are throwing our way, I would say they smelled it too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Goddess.¡± Lucianne covered her face with both hands in embarrassment.

    ¡°To be fair, this was your fault. You were the one who started to y ignorant.¡± Xandar

    used.

    ¡°Me?!¡± Lucianne stopped in her steps and whisper-yelled, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who couldn¡¯t control my

    arousal.¡±

    Xandar, with both hands raised to chest-level like he was shielding himself, then said, ¡°In my defense, it¡¯s

    very hard to not be aroused by you.¡±

    ¡°How is that even a defense?!¡± Lucianne asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and disbelief,

    ¡°When you looked at me like that and spoke like that, it just¡­ turned me on.¡± Xandar exined

    innocently.

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes. ¡°I was speaking to you in directnguage. You were the one who twisted

    the conversation when you started having inappropriate thoughts. How I spoke to you was perfectly

    normal¡±

    Xandar couldn¡¯t stop his lips from curling upwards. He kissed Lucianne on her forehead briefly before he

    whispered with a slight shake of his head, ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t ¡± He took her hand and said sweetly, ¡°I¡¯ll control

    it. I can¡¯t make any promises but I¡¯ll try to control it.¡±

    Lucianne groaned in frustration, and shook her head in disapproval before moving towards the table to

    take her seat. The members of Moonhowl had already left, so it was just Xandar, Christian and Lucianne.

    Before Xandar sat, Christian looked at Lucianne and exined, ¡°Don¡¯t me him, my Queen Just as

    Alphas have a heightened level of sexual drivepared to the ordinary wolf, a Lycan King experiences

    the same thingpared to the ordinary Lycan. It¡¯smon knowledge. I¡¯m sure you know it. I don¡¯t

    even know why I¡¯m exining it to you. And uh, cuz ¡­¡± he looked at Xandar who had just sat and said,

    ¡°It was your fault. Unlike Alphas, Lycan Kings are supposed to be able to exercise better control over

    their arousal.¡±

    Xandar red yfully at Christian. ¡°Did you even want to be on my side when you asked the Queen not

    to me me?¡±

    am 0

    Dramatically, Christian ced a hand on Xandar¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°I am on the side of truth and

    justice, your Highness.¡± And ended his act with a bow.

    Lucianne chuckled from the side. Xandar gazed at her profile, and gently pushed her hair over her

    shoulder to the back to see her full face as he asked, ¡°Nothing to say, my dear?¡±

    OT

    She smirked, ¡°I¡¯m not taking that risk again, my King.¡± He smiled in a daze as his fingers traced her hair

    down her back lovingly.

    ¡°That¡¯s probably the wise thing to do for tonight, my Queen.¡± He smirked.

    ¡°Xandar, please stop calling me that. I¡¯m not your Queen. I¡¯m a Gamma. If you don¡¯t stop, the others are

    going to think that they¡¯re obligated to follow.¡± She pleaded in annoyance as she checked her phone,

    failing to see how her words hurt Xandar to his core His animal was whimpering, and it wanted him to put

    their mate on hisp, hold her close, and keep telling her what an amazing Queen she would make until

    she believed him. After his uncontrolled arousal tonight, he didn¡¯t dare try anything funny to upset her

    further. So, he continued to run his fingers through her hair while enduring the pain in his heart

    Lucianne sat upright all of a sudden. She looked up from her phone and turned to the back of the dining

    hall, where Tobias was waving her over. She gave him a hand-signal to wait, and turned back to the

    cousins as she said, ¡°Some wolves want to speak to me. I have to go.¡±

    Without waiting for their response, she got up and took quick steps to where Tobias was with the other

    wolves. Xandar looked at her retreating figure in longing. The thought that she didn¡¯t see herself as his

    Queen still pained him.

    ¡°Am I allowed to ask why she¡¯s like that?¡± Christian whispered in Xandar¡¯s direction.

    OV

    Xandar raised his eyebrows, asking for an exnation. Christian rolled his eyes and said,¡± Cuz, you

    know what I¡¯m talking about. Why does she think she can¡¯t be our Queen? I mean, look at her.¡± They

    both looked at where Lucianne was. She was nodding and listening attentively to the pack members in

    front of her. Even from afar, they could see her focused eyes as she concentrated.

    ¡°No one else can do what she¡¯s doing.¡± Christian emptied his wine ss and added, ¡°Without her, I doubt

    we¡¯ll know half of the werewolves¡¯ hardships at the end of this coboration.¡±

    Xandar smiled blissfully as he watched his mate, until Christian prompted, ¡°I take it that I¡¯m not allowed

    to know?¡±

    Xandar then looked back at his cousin and childhood friend as he muttered, ¡°I can¡¯t give you the details.

    That¡¯s for her to share. But I can tell you what is already general knowledge: she went through five

    rejections before we met. I¡¯m her sixth-chance mate.¡±

    Christian¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m a Lycan but I¡¯m currently questioning my hearing.

    You said she went through five rejections?¡±

    Xandar nodded ominously. Christian still couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Five?¡±

    Xandar then narrowed his eyes. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just¡­wow.¡± Heposed himself before questioning aloud, ¡°How is she still

    alive, let alone helping her people survive? From her energy and grace, I didn¡¯t think she was bonded to

    anyone before you. But I guess it exins her strong sense of self-control.¡±

    Xandar was confused. ¡°What do you mean? What self-control?¡±

    ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± Christian muttered in regret.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s toote now. What did you mean?¡± Xandar pressed.

    Christian¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed when he asked, ¡°Have you touched or smelled her

    ¡°Yes.¡± Xandar nodded as he recalled smelling her neck when they were in his vi, and he tried to do it

    again in the car and back at the refreshments table before she stopped him.

    ¡°Were you aroused when you did?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The incident near the refreshments table just minutes ago proved it.

    ¡°When you pinned her body to the ground at training this morning, were you aroused?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± He recalled his erection between his and Lucianne¡¯s bodies.

    Christian inhaled before he asked, ¡°Did you smell her arousal in any of these situations?¡±

    wa

    Ansv

    Then it hit Xandar. Christian got his answer from his cousin¡¯s distraught expression, but it wasn¡¯t the

    answer they both wanted. She wasn¡¯t as attracted to him as he was to her. Her body was not responding

    at the intensity that his body already was just by smelling her. The thought pained Xandar. Would she

    always be out of his reach? What could he do to be more sexually desirable to his mate?

    Christian then cautiously said, ¡°Cuz, it¡¯s not that she will never be aroused by you. But given her past, it

    may take time.¡±

    Xandar inhaled deeply and nodded in agreement, ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± He ran his fingers through his hair in

    frustration. ¡°She¡¯s been through a lot. It¡¯s understandable that she¡¯ll take more time to warm up to me.¡±

    Christian cocked his head slightly and said, ¡°She seems quite warmed up to you though. And you¡®ve only

    met when? Two nights ago?¡± Xandar smiled at the memory of the first time he caught her scent andid

    eyes on her. It was like living in a dream but he had never felt more alive before that night.

    Taking in Xandar¡¯s smile, Christian patted him on his shoulder and said, ¡°Rx, cuz. You¡¯ll get her. The

    pace is already quicker than I can expect for a sixth mate bond.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s concerned eyes shot to Christian¡¯s, ¡°You think we¡¯re going too fast? I don¡¯t want to make her

    ufortable.¡±

    Christian shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s your mate. You should know best.¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡± Lucianne just skipped back to the table and sat back down, ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡±

    The cousins looked at each other awkwardly, and Lucianne asked in concern, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Christian took his ss and got up. ¡°I¡¯m going to get a refill.¡±

    Lucianne watched Christian leave, and took in Xandar¡¯s conflicted look before asking, ¡°What did I do?¡±

    ¡°What? Nothing. Why would you think that?¡± Xandar asked as he took her hands affectionately into his,

    afraid that she would leave his side again if he didn¡¯t hold onto her.

    Unperturbed by the sparks, Lucianne said, ¡°You two looked like you¡¯ve been caught off guard talking

    about something that you didn¡¯t want me to hear. When I asked, Christian left the table like he wanted to

    give us some privacy. I assume that the topic was about me. If you both were talking about someone

    else, one of you would have told me, and Christian wouldn¡¯t have seen the need to leave. I could be

    wrong though.¡± she shrugged.

    When she stood and tried to retract her hands, Xandar¡¯s grip tightened, refusing to let her go.¡± Where are

    you going?¡± He asked, worried that he may have upsetted her.

    ¡°My room. I¡¯m sleepy. And there¡¯s still training tomorrow so I should hit the hay. Say goodnight to

    Christian for me, okay?¡± She said casually, and tried to retract her hands again.

    Still clinging firmly to her hands, Xandar then stood and pleaded, ¡°Let me walk you back,

    Lucianne looked confused and didn¡¯t understand his need to plead. ¡°Uh¡­sure¡­Is everything alright?

    You look like you just witnessed an entire pack being burned to the ground.¡±

    es

    He chuckled softly and pulled her into an embrace, kissing her hair as he said, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. I just¡­

    love you, so much.¡± 1

    Lucianne stiffened when he said that, and he held her tighter, somehow hoping that the intensified

    sparks that they were feeling could convince her that what he just said was true. Her hands pressed on

    his chest, and she parted their bodies slightly before their eyes locked.

    She looked uneasy as she whispered, ¡°I¡¯m n-not ready to say it back yet. We just met t-two nights ago.¡±

    Xandar smiled encouragingly. ¡°I understand.¡± He kissed her forehead and said, ¡°We¡¯ll take this slow, I

    promise. I won¡¯t force you into doing anything, Lucianne, I hope you know that.¡±

    She smiled gratefully and uttered, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get you back.¡± He kissed her hands before leading her out of the hall.

    As they walked hand-in-hand under the night sky, Xandar recalled Lucianne meeting the people at the

    back of the dining hall. ¡°So, uh¡­who were they, Lucianne? The ones Gamma Tobias asked you to speak

    to.¡±

    ¡°Oh, them.¡± Her voice returned to normal, sending a wave of relief through Xandar¡¯s body.¡± Those were

    members of the Jewel Pack. They were interested in taking up on Alpha Juan¡¯s offer to train warriors.

    Basically, they wanted the details like when it could start, how many could we take at a time, those kinds

    of things. They told me about their neighboring packs¡¯

    attacks, and said that they were worried that their pack would be next. So their leaders thought it was

    wise to start training. Their Gamma was humble enough, and admitted that he had a lot to learn before

    the pack¡¯s safety could be secured.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s thumb started stroking the back of Lucianne¡¯s small hand, and he uttered, ¡°You¡¯re s o amazing.

    I just hope that you can see it one day.¡±

    ¡°I only do what I can, Xandar.¡± She stubbornly insisted like she did thest time he praised her.

    He shook his head gently as he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s ironic how the only one who can¡¯t see the

    She shrugged. ¡°I guess it¡¯s because the magnitude was never my concern.¡±

    Xandar reminisced the first time he heard something like that from her. ¡°Yeah, I remember. Your concern

    has always been protecting the ones who can¡¯t fight. You help anyone you can, whenever you can with

    whatever you have.¡±

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    She then said sheepishly, ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true. I¡¯m merciless with anyone with ill intentions.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s be fair. They don¡¯t deserve to be helped.¡±

    ¡°Unless their vulnerabilities put the innocent at risk.¡± Lucianne reminded him.

    Xandar nodded dotingly by her side and repeated after her with a smile, ¡°Unless their vulnerabilities put

    the innocent at risk.¡±

    After they reached her room and he kissed Lucianne on her hand before wishing her goodnight, he drove

    home and shifted to his Lycan before running into the forest behind his vi. He sat at the edge of the cliff

    and gazed at the full moon with love and gratitude as he thought, ¡®Thank you, Moon Goddess. She¡¯s

    more than I deserve. I won¡¯t let you down. I love her ¡­so much. And I swear on my life that I will protect

    her, take care of her and make her happy.¡¯

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12

    ¡®Lucy!¡¯ Luna Hale¡¯s mind-link woke Lucianne from deep sleep.

    ¡®What? What happened, Luna? What?¡¯ Lucianne mind-linked back in a daze as she reached for her

    phone to check the time.

    2:32 a.m. ¡®You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. What the he*l is happening at this hour?!¡¯, Lucianne thought to

    herself.

    ¡®Lucy, sorry to wake you but we need you toe over now!

    ¡®What happened? Where¡¯s Juan? Is he okay?¡¯ Lucianne bolted out of bed before putting a tank

    top over the sports bra she was sleeping in. Her shorts will have to do. Hale¡¯s mind-links

    ¡®He¡¯s fine. He¡¯s speaking to Alpha Frederick from the Jewel Pack. Pleasee quick. You need to hear

    them out.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ming!

    Lucianne didn¡¯t even bother checking her appearance or tying up her hair as she dashed out o f the

    room with her phone and took the emergency stairs to the floor above and ran down corridor before she

    reached her leaders¡¯ room and knocked on it three times.

    Juan opened the door and said, ¡°Come.¡±

    He was worried. That, in itself, was not a good sign. Apart from Juan and Hale, Lucianne recognized

    Alpha Frederick, Luna Felicity and Gamma Brighton from the Jewel Pack, all of whom she just met hours

    ago at dinner. Luna Felicity looked like she was holding back her tears but the puffiness under her

    glistening eyes showed that she had already cried a lot before Lucianne¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Lucianne asked, dropping all formalities despite being in the presence of the leaders

    from another pack.

    Juan exined in a serious tone, ¡°Lucy, there¡¯s been an attack. The Jewel Pack lost eleven out of fifteen

    warriors.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened. Then, she calmed herself before asking in an equally serious tone,¡±

    The Beta?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s one of the four who survived, and the one who delivered the news to Alpha Frederick.¡±

    Juan exined

    ¡°How many rogues?¡±

    ¡°At least ten, maybe more.¡±

    ¡°When did the attack start?¡±

    ¡°A little after midnight.¡±

    Lucianne nodded emotionlessly and said, ¡°Then we need to leave now. They¡¯ll attack again before

    dawn.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we know, Lucy. Who do you need? I can mind-link the Alphas or Lunas.¡± Juan asked. This wasn¡¯t

    the first time he left the discretion of choosing warriors for battle to Lucianne. She was the best person

    for the job since she knew everyone¡¯s capabilities by heart.

    Lucianne looked at the wall in front of her like she was going through an invisible list of names as she

    spoke, ¡°Gamma Tobias, Alpha Tate, Alpha Zeke, Luna Zelena, Gamma Raden, Luna Lovce and

    Gamma Sylvia. Most of us will be able to take on two at a time. That should be enough.¡±

    ¡°I apologize for this, Gamma Lucianne.¡± Alpha Frederick said abruptly.

    Lucianne tore off her serious expression, and smiled amicably at the guilty-looking man and said, ¡°No,

    Alpha. Don¡¯t apologize. You did the right thing to seek help.¡± 1

    She then set her sights on their Gamma, and her confident voice rang in the room, ¡°Gamma Brighton,

    you¡¯reing along. There¡¯s no better practice than one to save your pack. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t let

    anything happen to you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for letting mee along, Gamma Lucianne.¡± He dly epted even before asking for his

    Alpha¡¯s permission. There was something in Lucianne¡¯s voice that no one wanted to argue with because

    there was assurance of their safety and confidence in a good

    SUTan

    ¡°May Ie along?¡± Alpha Frederick asked. Lucianne thought he was directing the question t o Juan but

    realized that it was her he was asking since Juan was in the bathroom trying to concentrate on mind-

    linking the people that they were bringing with them.

    Lucianne nced a worried look at Luna Felicity before she told the Alpha, ¡°Only if your Luna allows it,

    Alpha Frederick.¡± With so many warriors dead, it was no doubt that there was a risk of the rogues killing

    the Alpha if he were there. The Luna had just lost so many. It was

    r she could endure further worry and heartache should things go sideways

    Before her mate could ask, she bravely held back the tears and said in a muffled voice, ¡°Go, Fred. You

    must. It¡¯s a duty.¡±

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay with Luna Felicity until you¡¯ve all returned.¡± Luna Hale assured Alpha Frederick.

    ¡°Thank you, Luna Hale.¡± He said gratefully.

    When Juan exited the bathroom atst, he looked at Lucianne and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Lucy! Here!¡± Hale threw her a scrunchie when she noticed Lucianne didn¡¯t even have time to fix her

    hair before she came.

    Lucianne caught it with ease. ¡°Thanks, Hale. C¡¯mon, Brighton, Alpha Frederick.¡±

    Juan mmed the elevator button and when a door opened, they hopped into it and reached the ground

    floor within seconds. The people Lucianne had asked for were already in the lobby, all looking like they

    hopped out of bed and dashed to there without changing clothes. Lucianne tied her hair into a tight bun

    as Tobias scanned her from head to toe.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Toby. It¡¯s not the first time you¡¯ve seen me like this.¡± Lucianne said.

    He scratched the back of his head uneasily and said, ¡°Yeah, well. I¡¯m still not used to it.¡±

    Juan asked, ¡°ne tickets?¡±

    Alpha Zeke said, ¡°Done. Take-off in 25 minutes. It¡¯s 15 minutes to the airport from here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already got us the taxis. They should be here in 2 minutes.¡± Gamma Sylvia said.

    ¡°We¡¯re not driving?¡± Alpha Frederick asked.

    ¡°Parking is a waste of time.¡± Juan exined simply.

    ¡°Taxis are here!¡± Sylvia eximed, and everyone dashed out.

    Lucianne then told Benjamin guarding the front door, ¡°Benjamin, if anyone asks, tell them we went to the

    Jewel Pack. There¡¯s going to be a rogue attack.¡±

    His eyes widened and he said, ¡°You should really tell the King, your H-¡±

    Before he could finish, Lucianne said, ¡°Yeah, I will when I get in the car. Thanks, Ben!¡±

    called Xandar. It rang but he didn¡¯t pick up. She then sent him a message to tell him where they were

    going and promised to give him the detailster.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13

    On the ne, Lucianne sat with Tobias like she always did when they traveled by ne. And he was

    always nice enough to offer her the window seat.

    ¡°How is he to you?¡±

    ¡°Hm? What?¡± Lucianne asked. Toby chuckled and asked, ¡°Your mate. Does he treat you well?¡± She

    smiled shyly and said, ¡°Yeah, he does. He tries really hard.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Toby said with a smile. ¡°You know Raden almostmitted suicide when he told the King

    not to hurt you? And on the very first night, I might add.¡±

    Lucianne couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard. ¡°He did WHAT?¡±

    Toby rolled his eyes at Lucianne¡¯s exaggerated reaction. ¡°Calm down, Lucy. You¡¯re like our sister. He just

    didn¡¯t want to see you get hurt.¡± He then looked at Lucianne¡¯s hands on herp for a moment before

    muttering seriously, ¡°None of us do.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyebrows furrowed with worry. ¡°I¡¯m almost too afraid to ask. Did Xandar do anything after

    Raden said that?¡±

    Toby seemed to have lightened up and chuckled. ¡°ording to Alpha Zeke and Raden himself, the King

    looked pissed. But Raden survived. Unlike before, I¡¯m quite confident in our chances of survival with His

    Royal Highness. He seems very careful not to upset you.¡±

    OUT

    Lucianne smiled at how true Toby¡¯s words were. ¡°Yeah, he is.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get emotional but uh¡­I¡¯m really going to miss you after you¡¯ve be our Queen.

    Battles are gonna be different without you.¡±

    Lucianne bolted up from her rxed position in surprise. She never thought about that. Perhaps it was

    because she had always stubbornly insisted that she was not a Queen, she also dismissed what she had

    to give up should she decide to ept Xandar as her mate.

    ¡°Why do you look like I¡¯ve just told you something you didn¡¯t already know?¡± Toby asked in confusion.

    Lucianne muttered sheepishly, ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that.¡±

    ¡°Really? Everyone¡¯s already thinking about it.¡± He said, not that it made her feel any better.¡± Some Lunas

    were almost in tears when we talked about it.¡±

    Lucianne was close to tearing up, too. This was her life. Fighting and coborating with ally packs were

    the things that kept her alive. ¡°Do I really have to give it up?¡± She didn¡¯t trust herself to not break down so

    she averted her eyes from Toby when she asked.

    Toby was shocked at Lucianne¡¯s glistening eyes. If he knew she would be this upset, he wouldn¡¯t have

    brought it up, especially not before a battle with the rogues. ¡°Uh.. I don¡¯t know. I guess? I mean, you¡¯ll

    turn into a Lycan after you¡¯ve mated and marked our King to be our Queen. And uh¡­I¡¯ve never heard

    about a Lycan Queen being on a battlefield.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be like them.¡± Lucianne spat in despair. For all their lives, werewolves knew that the

    Lycans had it easier in life. Conspicuously easier. Being the species superior in size and strength, they

    never had to work or train as hard as werewolves to keep their species alive. It wasn¡¯t fair. Before Xandar

    ascended the throne, werewolves would oblige any Lycan i n front of them. But on the inside, there

    wasn¡¯t a werewolf who didn¡¯t hate them. They were conceited, self-entitled, inconsiderate and, in some

    cases, petty and ignorant. In extreme cases, some Lycans have never even heard of a rogue attack.

    Apart from the governing body, i t almost seemed like the majority of the Lycans didn¡¯t live in the real

    world.

    ¡°Woah woah woah. Lucy, slow down. What do you mean? What are you saying?¡± Toby asked,

    Lucianne shook her head and dered firmly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be like them. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to

    give up this part of my life.¡±

    ¡°Lucy, calm down. Don¡¯t say anything rash.¡± Toby was pleading now. He knew that Lucianne was

    considering rejecting Xandar to avoid turning into a Lycan and having to give up fighting alongside the

    werewolves.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing rash about it, Toby. I¡¯ve been doing this forever. And I love it. I¡¯m not giving it up over a

    mate bond.¡± She said confidently.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about a mate bond, Lucy! The most sacred gift from our Goddess.¡± Toby argued.

    Lucianne smirked sadly, ¡°I never asked for this. If anything, I asked for the opposite. Besides, I survived

    five, what¡¯s one more?¡±

    ¡°Goddess, he¡¯s gonna kill me.¡± Toby muttered ominously to himself.

    Lucianne said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Toby. Xandar will have to go through me before he gets to you.¡±

    Toby whisper-yelled, ¡°I was talking about my own Alpha, Goddess dammit! The King is YOUR problem!¡±

    ¡°Gee, thanks.¡± Lucianne said sarcastically.

    Toby took a moment to calm down before he said, ¡°Lucy, listen. I¡¯m not in a position to decide for you

    but¡­¡± he sighed and added, ¡°You might want to give that a little more thought. He seems to be good to

    you. We all see it, and you just said so yourself. I¡¯m not saying this to avoid a war with the Lycans or for

    Alpha Tate not to kill me. As a friend who¡¯s known you for¡­ arguably long enough, I really think you

    should really think about it. You won¡¯t lose us, notpletely.¡±

    Lucianne sighed. Toby was right. Xandar was good to her. But she had only known him for

    two days. Was she expected to throw her entire life away just because he was her mate? It sounded so

    unfair. He got to keep his life if she chose to be with him. No, she won¡¯t give in! She didn¡¯t care if she lost

    him. She was a wolf before she was a mate or a Queen. She could fight. She could protect packs and

    save lives. She was not going to give all these up for some stupid mate bond that she explicitly asked not

    to have.

    But there was a part of her choice that made her sad too. She had grown fond of Xandar. If she were

    being honest with herself, she would admit that she started falling in love with him when they talked in his

    vi. He made her feelfortable to speak freely about the most painful parts of her life. In the past,

    she never allowed herself to tear up or cry when she talked about her rejections with her friends, not

    even with Juan and Hale. She always tried to speak about it lightly and quickly, not wanting to make

    them feel ufortable. They already knew she was hurt, so she didn¡¯t see why she had to show them

    any more than they already knew

    With Xandar, it felt different. He made her feel safe to express her emotions, even if she herself found it

    ufortable. He made her feel valued and worthy, not just as a warrior but a sa person, with or without

    her fighting skills. On hisp, she didn¡¯t feel the need to keep her guard up. The way he touched her and

    held her made her feel loved and wanted in a way that she had never experienced. His kisses were as

    electrifying as they were soothing. Then there were those things he said to her which made her heart

    skip a beat.

    But she also knew that since they met, she had been holding back. She had been cautious with him for

    fear that her heart could not take another rejection. Seeing that he was the Lycan King, she was certain,

    dead certain, that he would reject her for a whole litany of reasons. She wasn¡¯t a Lycan, she didn¡¯t have

    Alpha blood; she wasn¡¯t very beautiful even for a wolf. And then, there was that mouth of hers which

    tends to speak whatever she felt and thought, regardless of how it affected the listeners. She didn¡¯t care

    what people think of her, which was why she dared speak to all three Cummings and to Greg the way

    she did. She wouldn¡¯t intentionally walk up to a Lycan and pick a fight. She wasn¡¯t stupid or reckless. But

    i f they brought the fight to her, she would not hesitate to defend herself. 1

    Lucianne chuckled darkly as she thought about how the mate bond had sessfully possessed the

    King, the most powerful creature of both species. ¡®Oh, Moon Goddess. You¡¯ve

    probably because she had enough practice resisting the mate bond from the five mates before Xandar.

    Her heart felt heavy at the thought of losing him to keep the part of her life she didn¡¯t want to give up.

    When she recalled Xandar telling her that he loved her the night before, she could no longer stop the

    tears from streaming down her cheeks. She wiped them away hastily, and turned her thoughts to the

    Jewel Pack. She had to focus on the fight. The whole pack was counting on them.

    ¡®Lucy, what¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Juan mind-linked.

    She looked in his direction, and saw that he and Alpha Tate next to him were looking at her i n concern.

    She smiled meekly and linked back, ¡®It¡¯s nothing, Alpha Juan. I was just thinking about the warriors that

    the Jewel Pack just lost.¡¯

    ¡®Nothing else?¡¯

    ¡®No.¡¯ she lied.

    Juan sighed out loud before he and Alpha Tate came to sit facing her and Toby. Toby looked a little

    surprised. But when he nced at Lucianne and saw that she was unperturbed, he knew she had

    something to do with their Alphas¡¯ presence.

    ¡°Lucy,¡± Alpha Juan¡¯s tone demanded her to look at him. ¡°Talk to us. Tate knows what he saw.¡± 1

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes in Alpha Tate¡¯s direction, and Tate said, ¡°You can¡¯t expect us to not ask,

    Lucy. We¡®re a family. You said it yourself. Like it or not we¡¯re all children of the Moon Goddess. We¡¯re

    siblings.¡±

    ¡°Really? You¡¯re using my own words against me, Tate?¡±

    Tate shrugged and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know a better way to win an argument against you.¡±

    She sighed, and assured the Alphas, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I promise. It won¡¯t affect the fight.¡±

    ¡°Toby,¡± Tate turned to his Gamma and asked sternly, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Before Toby could speak, Lucianne said, ¡°Leave him out of this, Tate. It¡¯s just me. I just¡­need t o think

    about what I want to do with the mate bond.¡±

    Juan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Meaning?¡±

    She red at him and said, ¡°You know what I mean. After five rejections, Juan, you know exactly what I

    mean.¡±

    ¡°Does she mean¡­¡± Tate suddenly looked rmed as he took in Juan¡¯s reaction. Juan pressed the

    bridge of his nose before sighing in frustration.

    Tate then asked Toby, ¡°Did you have anything to do with this?¡± The Alpha¡¯s eyes were already boiling

    with anger.

    Toby opened his mouth but before he managed to say anything, Lucianne said firmly, ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.

    Toby only told me what was already circting among the wolves. Nothing more. Leave him out of this.¡±

    Tate then said, more gently than he did with Toby, ¡°What has been circting among us are not even

    bad things. Why are you so upset?¡±

    wolf.¡± He looked at his childhood friend and his closest confidant. Lucianne¡¯s glistening eyes

    confirmed his suspicions.

    Her voice was shaky when she whispered, ¡°It¡¯s not fair, Juan.¡± She swallowed a sob before she added,

    ¡°Why would I have to give up.. my whole life¡­to be with him but he gets to keep his whole life¡­and me

    if I chose to ept him?¡± 1

    Juan then squatted in front of her and looked at her seriously as he said, ¡°Lucy, talk to him. See if you

    can find a middle ground. Don¡¯t do anything rash. You seem to like him, and we can all see that he is

    already deeply in love with you. Don¡¯t end this if you don¡¯t have to.¡±

    Lucy nodded ominously before Juan hugged her. Lucy pushed him back after a few seconds, and asked

    Juan sadly, ¡°What if he just sees me the way he does because of the mate bond?¡±

    ¡°If you think that¡¯s true that you¡¯re just being naive. You have five previous mates topare him with.

    Which one of them has ever looked at you the way the King now looks at you, or treated you the way he

    is treating you?¡± Juan questioned without hesitation. He was right. As far as Lucianne could remember,

    none of them showed her a level of affection that Xandar had shown her in the past two days, not even

    close.

    She pressed her lips and averted her eyes from Juan before muttering under her breath, ¡°I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m

    not a Queen.¡±

    Juan then scoffed softly, bringing her attention back to him. ¡°Lucy, I¡¯ve always told Hale that i f I ever had

    to give someone else in our pack my Alpha title, it would be you. You¡¯ve been a leader long before you

    want to admit. I was pissed and hurt when you didn¡¯t ept my offert o be my Beta but that never

    stopped us from giving you as much discretion as you were willing to take.¡±

    ¡°Gammas are cooler. Why would I want to be a Beta?¡± Lucianne retorted like a little girl.

    Tate chuckled from the side, and Juan smiled at her response. Juan added, ¡°Talk to him, Lucy. He really

    wants to make this work with you. As much as your past gives you a reason to do what you¡¯re thinking of

    doing, bear in mind that the King may be different. We can all see that. You need to see it too, okay?¡±

    She nodded obediently. ¡°Thanks, Juan.¡±

    He smiled and ruffled her hair. ¡°Anything for my little sister.¡±

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Lucianneined. Now she had to retie her hair as Juan and Tate chuckled. Toby let out an

    audible sigh of relief when it was all over.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14

    ¡®CUZ! WAKE UP, NOW!¡¯ Christian¡¯s mind-link woke Xandar in an instant. He checked the time on his

    rm clock. It was only 2:58 a.m.

    ¡°This better be good, Christian.¡¯ He groaned.

    ¡®Get your ass out of bed and get to the Jewel Pack RIGHT THIS SECOND! I¡¯ll meet you there. I¡¯ve just

    told Annie. And where the f*ck was your phone?!¡¯

    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ He searched for his phone, and realized that it wasn¡¯t in his room.

    ¡®Our Queen and some wolves have gone to the Jewel Pack. She told the guard at the hotel that there

    was going to be a rogue attack.¡¯

    ¡®WHAT?! WHY DIDN¡¯T SHE TELL ME?!¡¯

    ¡®Check your phone before you start ming the Queen, your Highness. Do you know how many times

    the guard himself tried to reach you? We were lucky that I fell asleep with my phone in my hand.¡¯

    Christian linked as he addressed his cousin with his title in pure sarcasm.

    Xandar finally found his phone in the living room. When he saw the number of missed calls from an

    unknown number and one from Lucianne along with a message, he linked, ¡®F*CK! I¡¯ll meet you there!

    ¡®Should I link Cummings and Whiw, cuz?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, ask them to get there as soon as they can. Where are you now?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ve just sprinted out of the house. Getting into the car to get to the jet. Will probably beat you t

    o the pack by a few minutes.¡¯

    ¡®Take care of her for me until I get there.¡¯Xandar demanded as he got into his car.

    ¡®You know I will. This is probably not the best time but I still want to rub it in your face so I¡¯m just going to

    ask: Our Queen already tried to call you, didn¡¯t she?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, alright?! But that doesn¡¯t make me any less mad! How could she just leave me here like

    that?!

    ¡®You better not say those things to her when you get there, cuz. You very well know why she went.¡¯

    Christian said and ended the mind-link.

    Yeah, Xandar knew why she went. She was a Gamma. To top it off, she was the Gamma of Gammas,

    the best of her kind. She was so skillful that she was the only Gamma known to be able to take on an

    Alpha. But did she forget that he was her mate? Sure, he didn¡¯t answer his phone but why didn¡¯t she just

    come banging on his door before she left? His home wasn¡¯t even that far from the hotel.

    Thank goddess he, Christian and the other ministers had private jets. Getting a ne ticket

    and waiting for take-off would have wasted more time that he didn¡¯t have. Xandar hopped on and asked

    the pilot to step on it, hoping to catch up with Christian. He looked out of the window and thought about

    Lucianne.

    He and his Lycan were furious that their mate left them just like that. Yes, she had to fight but why didn¡¯t

    she at least have the decency to drag him along with her?! It¡¯s not like he wouldn¡¯t have followed. He

    growled ferociously to himself as these thoughts went through his mind.

    The Jewel Pack was two hours away, and the wait was pure torture.

    ***

    The wolves reached the pack at 4:56 a.m. They spoke to the Beta, who had gotten the pack to lock their

    doors and hide in their basements. The rogues who came earlier were targeting the

    already been evacuated.

    The Beta, apanied by the other three surviving warriors then asked, ¡°So, what do you need us to

    do?¡±

    Their eyes moved from one pack leader to another, wondering which of them was the one leading the

    alliance. When every pack leaders¡¯ and Gammas¡¯ eyes fell on Lucianne, one of the warriors behind the

    Beta couldn¡¯t mask his surprise. Hisrades were also taken aback

    that everyone was awaiting orders from the smallest wolf amongst them, and she wasn¡¯t even a Luna!

    Lucianne¡¯s voice rang in the dark, speaking to the Beta, ¡°Two of your warriors are to protect Alpha

    Frederick. I¡¯m not allowing your Alpha to take on a rogue yet. One should stay five feet outside the

    emergency underground cer and the other by his side inside the cer. Then¡­¡±

    been cleaned in months!¡±

    ¡°But is it safe?¡± Lucianne asked.

    ¡°Yes but¡­¡±

    ¡°Then there isn¡¯t an issue. Comfort is not our concern right now. Take your Alpha there, and stand at your

    positions. Toby and Lovce, follow them but hide yourselves. The two of you shouldn¡¯t be seen.¡±

    Lucianne instructed. Alpha Frederick nodded to his warriors, and the two of them apanied him and

    left without further questions, with Toby and Lovce following closely behind.

    Lucianne continued, ¡°Sylvia, Tate, and Jewel Pack Beta and warriors, stand around the packhouse and

    act like you¡¯re guarding it. Let¡¯s see if we can mislead the rogues and divert their attention long enough

    away from the cer to kill them.¡± She then looked at Sylvia and Tate, ¡°Don¡¯t let anything happen to the

    Jewel Pack members.¡± They nodded and took their positions

    Lucianne continued, ¡°The rest of us are to hide and keep watch for now. Zeke, you take the

    back. Zelena, five feet to the right of the packhouse. Raden, five feet to the left. Juan, you and I take the

    front.¡± Everyone nodded and dispersed, taking their positions.

    ¡®They¡¯re most likelying from the front, Lucy. We should shift.¡¯ Juan linked.

    Couldn¡¯t agree more.¡¯ She went behind a tree, stripped and shifted. Her white fur and striped tail shone

    beneath the moonlight. Juan already shifted into his ck wolf, waiting for her. They took their positions

    and waited.

    In less than two minutes, they heard the light thuds of paws hitting the ground, moving quickly and

    stealthily towards them.

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    ¡®The others are not hearing anything. Looks like the attack is onlying from the front.¡¯

    Juan linked Lucy.

    ¡®I¡¯m only counting eight though. Didn¡¯t the Beta mention that there were at least ten of them?¡¯

    ¡®Maybe the others were too injured toe back.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m not buying it. Get Zeke and Tate here, please.¡¯

    ¡®On it.¡¯

    Within moments, a ck wolf, about the same size as Juan¡¯s, showed up next to them. Looking at the

    brown eyes and getting the scent, they knew that it was Zeke. A dark brown wolf came shortly after. It

    was Tate. The Alphas are known to be able to take on two,

    sometimes three, rogues at a time. Lucianne, after years of fighting, could do the same. 1

    ¡®The others are still not getting anything?¡¯ Lucianne linked Juan.

    ¡®Nothing.¡¯

    ¡°This is too easy to be true. We better be on our guard, even after we¡¯ve killed all eight.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯ll warn the rest.¡¯

    Only the Alphas could link other Alphas and Lunas so pack members would have to rely on their pack

    leaders to get the linked messages.

    The thuds on the ground slowed down as the rogues got nearer to the packhouse. Zeke and Juan bent

    their forelimbs, ready to pounce at any moment. The rogues came into view, all eight of them. The one

    with light brown fur in the middle standing a few feet away from Lucianne was thergest, clearly the

    leader of the rogues. Lucianne and the Alphas waited for them to make a move.

    The rogue leader studied the white wolf in front of him and smirked. ¡®A small female and a non-Luna?

    The pack¡¯s resources must be running out, he thought cockily. With a loud howl from its leader, the

    rogues ran towards them inrge strides as they growled. Lucianne and the Alphas ran towards them

    and growled with equal ferocity.

    Having underestimated Lucianne¡¯s skills, only one rogue came head-to-head with her. The

    best part was that this rogue was the smallest among them. She dodged his attack easily before biting its

    tail and throwing him with force to the ground, and the rogue howled in pain at the impact. In the middle

    of his howling, Lucianne had already reached his neck and broken it, cutting off his voice.

    Lucianne dashed to Zeke, who was taking on three at a time. Catching them off guard, Lucianne

    pounced on the one nearest to her despite it being thergest among the three. The rogue was thrown

    off bnce but he got up quickly to aim at Lucianne¡¯s neck which she dodged with ease

    Lucianne then tripped the rogue at his hindlimbs with her tail, where he was already showing instability.

    The rogue fell again, and Lucianne broke both his knees with her weight. He howled in anguish, and she

    instantly climbed on him and broke his neck before he could even heal. The rogue leader and another

    rogue wolf that was surrounding Juan looked at Lucianne and their deadrade in shock. Juan took

    advantage of the situation and pounced on the leader, going for his throat.

    Lucianne ran towards the other one, who was retreating. ¡®What a coward¡¯, Lucianne thought. She

    followed him as fast as she could and after a while, they came to a river. There was no escape. The

    rogue then looked at her with a smirk and howled into the sky. Not giving it much thought, she charged

    towards him and kicked him into the river. The rogue¡¯s back collided with a boulder in the river and he

    howled in pain before being swept away by the strong current, hitting a second boulder, which killed him.

    Lucianne was still panting. She must go and help the others, she thought. When she turned, something

    didn¡¯t feel right. She smelled a presence that wasn¡¯t on the battleground. Rogues, but not wolves. She

    linked Alpha Juan.

    ¡®Juan, I¡¯m by the river. Just got rid of the rogue but I smell something else. Also rogues, but not our kind.

    I don¡¯t recognize the scent¡¯

    ¡®How many?¡® Juan asked in between pouncing.

    ¡®Three, I think.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m sending Raden and Tate.¡¯ As Juan was linking Lucianne with that message, she saw three tall

    figures emerge from the shadows at the north side of the river. They werergely built. 1 ¡®Juan, get them

    toe quick. These three are rogue Lycans!¡¯

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15

    ¡®Hang in there, Lucy! They¡¯reing!¡¯ Juan¡¯s panicked link was evident. He himself tried to speed up his

    ughter to get to Lucianne.

    At the riverbank, Lucianne finally realized that this was a trap set up for her. The rogue she knocked into

    the river wasn¡¯t retreating, he was leading her to the river far away from the Alphas and the other

    warriors. The Lycans surrounded her, eyes zing over as they linked each other. Lucianne put a brave

    front but she knew the position she was in. Her chances of survival were slim. She may be able to

    handle one Lycan but not three at a time.

    She waited for them to make a move while praying for Raden and Tate toe soon. One Lycan stood

    close to the riverbank, too close. And he was the first to charge towards Lucianne. Lucianne pounced

    just low enough to dodge his ws and held one of his legs with her canines as she flipped him with

    force at the boulder in the river.

    A loud thud was heard, and the Lycan was definitely dead upon the impact because its friends howled in

    anger, and the one in the river didn¡¯t even have the strength to scream. Like the rogue wolf before, he

    was swept by the strong current before hitting the same second boulder. The remaining two Lycans were

    growling furiously now, not that it surprised Lucianne.

    ¡®Hang on, Lucy! They¡¯reing! I¡¯m right behind them now! Hang in there!¡¯ Juan linked in panic.

    Both Lycans pounced at her at the same time, and Lucianne swiftly rolled to the side. As soon as she

    was up on her feet, they pounced again and she rolled away from the river, not wanting to die the same

    way as the two creatures she killed. The Lycans seemed to be getting impatient. Lucianne knew better

    than to run and waste her energy in doing so. Lycans were faster and stronger than werewolves. She

    came to learn that the only way to beat a Lycan was with a wolf¡¯s agility.

    Her friends wereing so she just had to hold on a little while longer.

    Then, the Lycans pounced again but not directly at her. They were pouncing to her sides to surround her.

    Just before theynded, Lucianne leaped away but she wasn¡¯t fast enough. One of the Lycans grabbed

    her by her tail and threw her against a tree. She groaned at the impact and fell onto the ground. When

    she was getting up, she was grabbed by her neck and tossed forcefully to the ground. She felt her bones

    breaking but before they had time to recover, she was once again tossed against another tree with even

    more force than thest.

    Even with the pain, she refused to whimper. She would not give these rogues the satisfaction of hearing

    her cry out in anguish, even if she couldn¡¯t stand up. Her head was leaning against the tree bark, and the

    Lycans wereughing menacingly as they strode towards her. When they were two steps away, they

    heard infuriated growlsing from the trees.

    Tate and Raden pounced on them, catching them off guard. The Lycans were surprised but not for long.

    One of them grabbed Tate¡¯s leg and tossed him away aimlessly. That was his mistake, tossing aimlessly.

    Tate fell to the ground with no injury and got up swiftly, charging towards the Lycan running towards

    Lucianne again. Before the Lycan reached her, Juan knocked him out of the way. Tate then continued

    pouncing on the Lycan and scratching him with his ws.

    Juan¡¯s ck wolf looked at Lucianne¡¯s white one with worry, concern and guilt. She couldn¡¯t even stand

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    ¡®I¡¯ll be okay. Help them! She linked.

    The ck wolf nodded, and charged at the Lycan attacking Raden. Lucianne¡¯s bones were healing but

    not quickly enough for her to stand back up anytime soon. The pain was unbearable but she gritted her

    teeth and fought through it.

    Lucianne watched the fight helplessly from the ground. She hated it when something like this happened

    to her. Then, she noticed the Lycan attacking Tate taking something from the ground as he stood up from

    a fall. A knife! Along with it, a familiar scent was lingering in the air ¨C the dreaded scent of silver.

    Juan, get to Tate! Knife! She linked and panic coursed through her as Juan quickly ran towards Tate,

    confident that Raden could handle the Lycan on his own now that it was weakened.

    A in knife is not much of a concern. A stab from a clean knife would create a wound that would heal

    easily. It is a knife coated with silver that would be fatal to werewolves. The higher the concentration of

    silver, the quicker the death. If it enters the system, it must be filtered out if a werewolf wanted any

    chance in surviving.

    Juan pounced on the Lycan, and the knife flew, dropping on the ground near to where the other Lycan

    was with Raden. Swiftly, the Lycan threw Raden right at Tate and Juan who was charging towards him.

    The three wolves fell to the ground and the Lycan who initially had the knife blocked the three wolves

    from getting to the other Lycan who now had the knife and was dashing towards Lucianne.

    Lucianne¡¯s heart raced but externally, she showed no fear. She still couldn¡¯t get up. The Lycan stabbed

    the knife in through her side and plunged it mercilessly into her rib cage, destroying the slow progress of

    her bones that were healing. Lucianne gritted her teeth and showed nothing on her face. But she couldn¡¯t

    help yelling in pain through her mind-link with Juan.

    Juan growled furiously and ferociously as he kicked the Lycan stopping the three of them in the head,

    and was running towards Lucianne. But the Lycan caught hold of Juan¡¯s tail and pulled him back towards

    him.

    Lucianne breathed heavily to cope with the pain and locked her murderous eyes with the

    rogue Lycan, who was smirking with victory. He just stood there, like he wanted to watch her die. He held

    onto the knife in her body, not giving her a chance to pull it out. She started to feel weaker than she

    already was. If the knife wasn¡¯t out, there was no way she could survive. But she didn¡¯t have the strength

    to push away the beast in front of her right now.

    I am

    When she started getting dizzy, the loudest and most ferocious growl she ever heard came from a mere

    few feet in front of her. The Lycans looked at each other like they just heard the unexpected. The Alphas

    pounced on the distracted Lycan at the same time to push him to the ground. Raden kicked the Lycan

    next to Lucianne away.

    To everyone¡¯s surprise, the owner of the loud growl they heard entered the battlefield, along with his

    second-inmand.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16

    Xandar and Christian both appeared bare-chest, only in shorts. They only took a microsecond to take in

    the scene before them, and without shifting, Christian went after the Lycan attacking the Alphas, and

    Xandar charged at the one near Raden and Lucianne before knocking him further away from his mate.

    Raden stood in front of Lucianne¡¯s lying body, shielding her from any possible attack. With the rogue

    Lycan gone, Lucianne gathered the little strength she had left and pulled the knife out of her body with

    her canines, and threw it on the ground next to her. Her eyes started tearing from the pain but the

    dizziness subsided. ¡®Good¡¯, she thought. There wasn¡¯t enough silver in her body to kill her.

    Xandar and Christian made breaking the rogue Lycans¡¯ limbs look so easy. For the next few moments,

    the rogues¡¯ whimpering and the sound of bone-cracking filled the air.

    Xandar had already broken the limbs of the rogue he had over and over again, not giving it any time to

    heal or recoverpletely. Just killing the rogue would¡¯ve been too merciful. The idea was to torture

    them for as long as possible before offering them a ticket to their death bed. Xandar tossed the rogue at

    a tree once, twice, three times.

    Lucianne linked Juan as she endured the pain, ¡®Get¡­Xandar. Keep¡­rogue¡­alive. Interrogate¡­ Ask

    who sent¡­¡¯

    Juan shifted into his human form in an instant, and went to kneel by Xandar¡¯s side before telling him

    Lucianne¡¯s request. Xandar¡¯s angered eyes locked with Lucianne¡¯s pleading ones. He growled furiously

    before knocking the rogue Lycan¡¯s head against a tree to make it lose consciousness. He made sure he

    broke another few more bones before he was satisfied.

    Then, everyone heard a high-pitched whimpering which stopped at the distinct sound of a crack. The

    other rogue Lycan fell lifelessly from Christian¡¯s hands. Xandar strode towards his mate, and Raden

    stepped aside. The King knelt next to Lucianne¡¯s wolf. His eyes were

    glistening but he was still boiling with anger as he looked at the blood stained white fur Lucianne¡¯s paw

    was covering. Everyone heard quick footsteps approaching but they were not worried because it was just

    the other members of their alliance.

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    ¡°Here,¡± Sylvia appeared with arge towel, covering Lucianne¡¯s body so that she could shift back.

    Everyone else was shifting back into their human forms as well.

    Beneath the towel, Lucianne gritted her teeth and shifted back, enduring the pain. This was, b y far, the

    most painful shift she had to endure. When she was fully human again, she let out a sigh of relief before

    continuing to grit her teeth to fight the pain. Watching his mate¡¯s gritted teeth and cold sweat made

    Xandar feel angry and helpless. ¡®I was supposed to protect her¡¯, he thought to himself.

    ¡°Lucianne?¡± Xandar called out in a low voice, worry radiating from his eyes. Juan and Tate

    were right behind him.

    ¡°Fine¡­need¡­minute¡­.to¡­recover.¡± She responded as she fought through the pain.

    Xandar held her hand, and she gripped his tightly as she coped with the pain. The sparks erupted from

    her hand and flowed through the rest of her body. She felt her bones recovering much quicker. The silver

    which was disappearing slowly before suddenly sped up in vanishing from her bloodstream. When she

    was fully recovered, she let out an exhausted breath and uttered, ¡®Clothes.¡¯

    Xandar noticed that she was trying to get up and helped her, being as gentle as he could. Sylvia came

    with Lucianne¡¯s clothes. Luna Lovce then demanded, ¡°Gentleman, turn.¡±

    All the males turned instantly without argument. Xandar looked at Lucianne for one more second before

    turning around with the rest. Sylvia and Lovce helped Lucianne with her inner wear, tank top and

    shorts. Lucianne moved her limbs slowly and cautiously, not wanting to risk breaking anything. Sylvia re-

    tied Lucianne¡¯s hair, twisting it into a bun.

    Luna Lovce checked her one more time before dering, ¡°Alright. You can all look this way now.¡±

    Lucianne was still weak but she managed to stand on her own and looked at the Alphas, Christian and

    Xandar as she said, ¡°Thank you for saving me. All of you.¡±

    ¡°Any pain?¡± Xandar asked as he hovered over the part where Lucianne was stabbed earlier, not sure

    whether touching it would instigate the anguish for her. 1

    ¡°No. I¡¯m just weak now. The mate bond sped up the healing. Thank you.¡± She said gratefully.

    The worry in Xandar¡¯s eyes was quickly reced with anger, ¡°What the he*l were you thinking when you

    left without telling me?!¡±

    Lucianne was taken aback. ¡°I called you and left you a text. And I told Benjamin.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s voice got louder, ¡°Why the he*1 didn¡¯t youe and bang on my door?! You know where I live!

    And what was telling the guard going to do, huh?! He wasn¡¯t going toe defend you!¡±

    ¡°Cuz, cool it.¡± Christian said cautiously from the side but Xandar growled at his cousin, obliging him to

    stay silent before Xandar turned back to Lucianne

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes were glistening, not with gratitude or sadness but with hurt and anger. Her voice was

    significantly softer and weaker when she spoke, ¡°You¡¯re ming me for not telling you? You expected

    me to go find you before I came here? Do you have any idea the damage they could¡¯ve done to this pack

    if we were just two minutes behind?! Did you know that they¡¯ve already lost eleven warriors in the first

    attack just hours ago?!¡±

    When he saw her tears, his heart felt like it was getting stabbed painfully slowly. It was then h e realized

    that he wasn¡¯t angry at her. From the moment Christian told him where she was going, he was beyond

    furious but it was only after making his mate tear-up in front of him did

    he realize that his infuriation was towards himself for failing to protect her. It was him that h

    e was angry at, not her.

    Ignoring her blurred vision from her tears, Lucianne continued to speak in her weakened voice angrily, ¡°I

    did everything I could to tell you where I was going. me yourself for not getting the memo on time. If

    you think that I should not have left without making sure you know first, you are a selfish, inconsiderate,

    self-entitled animal! We took our positions for less than two minutes and the rogue attack started. Now

    you want to make me apologize for not pleasing you? Do you even think that I will feel bad about this?!¡±

    Xandar¡¯s animal was already whimpering in his head, filled with remorse at how they yelled a t Lucianne

    when they should have been yelling at themselves. His animal just wanted to hold her, apologize and

    beg for her forgiveness. But the human part of him froze on his spot, unable to digest and ept what

    he just said to her, shocked that those words could evene out of his mouth in that inhumane tone.

    This was his mate, the most precious person in his life! How could he have said those things to her?

    Taking advantage of his silence, Lucianne stood closer to him and looked him dead in the eye, ¡°I don¡¯t

    care what you do to me. I will NEVER regret what I did.¡± She panted after exerting herself at the word

    ¡®never¡¯. She then turned around slowly, wiping away her tears with the back of her hands before

    swallowing a sniffle and looking up to face the wolves.

    Ignoring Xandar, Lucianne asked in a t tone, ¡°How are Alpha Frederick and the warriors with him?¡±

    Juan answered softly, ¡°I told them it was safe toe out of the cer a minute ago.¡±

    Lucianne nodded meekly. ¡°Okay. Good. Any casualties?¡±

    The Beta stepped forward and said with a smile, ¡°None, Gamma Lucianne.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s¡­good news.¡± She said between breaths, still weak.

    ¡°Thank you, Gamma Lucianne. The Jewel Pack owes you.¡± The Beta said with gratitude, and offered a

    slight bow.

    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head gently and managed a smile. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done it without everyone else

    here. As children of our Goddess, it¡¯s our duty to protect each other.¡± She nced at Tate after she said

    that, and he was smiling broadly as they both recalled their conversation on the ne.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Xandar¡¯s deep, remorseful voice came from behind her as he ced his

    hand gently on her.waist where she was stabbed, making her body stiffened in response. 1

    no

    She turned reluctantly, and their eyes locked. The anger that was there before had vanished, now there¡¯s

    just guilt in his glistening eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She responded tly. He looked at the wolves and his

    expression turned serious, like he was contemting on

    something. Lucianne moved to block his line of vision. She growled, albeit weakly, ¡°Leave them out of

    this. They¡¯re only here because I asked them toe.¡± 1

    Behind her, Juan said in a clear voice, ¡°That¡¯s not true, your Highness. If I hadn¡¯t mind-linked the Alphas

    and Lunas, and given out the order, none of us would be here. This isn¡¯t Lucy¡¯s fault. It¡¯s mine.¡± And Juan

    fell on one knee before the King.

    Lucianne hissed, ¡°Juan, shut up and get up. You still have Hale AND a pack. Let me deal with this.¡± She

    turned back to face Xandar, and said in her weak voice firmly, ¡°I asked for the wolves. Juan was just the

    messenger. Do not touch him or the others.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not letting you leave us out of this, Lucy.¡± Tate¡¯s voice came next as he knelt next to Juan. One by

    one the wolves knelt side-by-side.

    Luna Zelena knelt alongside the others and said confidently, ¡°We stand with her.¡± 3

    Lucianne was angrily lecturing the leaders and Gammas of how irrational and reckless they were being

    for wanting to be punished to keep Xandar from doing anything to her. She kept giving them reasons to

    let her take the me. They had packs to lead and protect, and mates and pups to take care of and live

    for. They all just looked at the King emotionlessly. They were taking in Lucianne¡¯s words but were firm in

    their collective decision to forbid the King from punishing her for leading the alliance without punishing

    them first. Lucianne¡¯s voice was getting even softer, weaker and more strained as she went on.

    For once, Xandar couldn¡¯t hear a single thing Lucianne was saying. He had to move his line of vision to

    the ground because the sight before him was too painful to look at. He felt like a ruthless dictator with all

    these pack leaders and Gammas kneeling before him when they did nothing wrong. In a low and pained

    voice, hemanded, ¡°Please stand up, all of you. Don¡¯t ever kneel to me like that again.¡±

    They looked unsure until Lucianne hissed in an angry whisper, ¡°Up! All of you! Now!¡± They then got up

    and stood in the spot where they knelt.

    When Lucianne was still facing them, Xandar took one of her hands gently and pushed away any small

    dirt on her right palm before lifting it up to lick it lovingly.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Lucianne whispered angrily but she didn¡¯t have the strength to retract her hand

    so Xandar held onto it with ease.

    He smiled sadly but said nothing. Then, he lifted up his own arm, and with his canines, tore his skin there

    with force. Blood started trickling from his self-inflicted wound. The sight made Lucianne flinch a little.

    Furrowing his eyebrows in concern, Xandar nced at Lucianne before he extended one of his ws,

    and scratched a fine line on her palm. Blood started trickling from that area, and Xandar ced her

    bleeding palm on his already-healing bleeding arm. Both Lycans and werewolves have quick healing

    abilities, with Lycans normally healing faster than wolves.

    In a low but sure voice, Xandar uttered the words, ¡°I, Alexandar Thomas w, offer you,

    Lucianne Fressia Paw, a link to my mind.¡± 1

    Despite her fatigue, Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Mind-links were only possible between members

    of the same pack, unless you¡¯re an Alpha or Luna, which would enable you to link other pack leaders.

    Even mates of different packs couldn¡¯t mind-link each other until they were mated and marked.

    Government officials also had the privilege of mind-linking each other since their jobs may sometimes

    concern national security which required their immediate attention. A mind-link outside pack

    rtionships, mate ties and government functions was rare.

    ¡°Anytime now, sweetheart.¡± Xandar said as their blood started drying up and their wounds started

    closing. The only way he could make sure that she could reach him at any time and ce is through a

    mind-?ink. There was no other way. But why was she hesitating? Did she not want to link him? Was she

    already trying to cut ties with him for what he said? Would she reject him?

    These thoughts ran through Xandar¡¯s mind until Lucianne, who still had a look of confusion, stammered,

    ¡°I-I, Lucianne Freesia Paw, ept your offer.¡± There was visible relief on Xandar¡¯s face right after she

    said that.

    Xandar, disregarding his own wound, then licked away the excess blood from Lucianne¡¯s palm. When

    her wound was clean, his own wound had finished healing. After her wound closed without a trace of the

    scratch he made mere moments ago, he kissed her palm deeply before pulling her body into his chest

    and holding her tightly. Lucianne had no idea what was going through his mind. And she was still weak,

    so she couldn¡¯t push apart their bodies t o ask.

    Xandar¡¯s voiceced with regret pleaded into her ear, ¡°I am so sorry, Lucianne. This was my fault. I

    should¡¯ve been more alert. I should have never yelled at you. I am so, so sorry.¡± He held her tighter, and

    Lucianne was finding it more difficult to breathe. He was a Lycan, so his strength could suffocate her if he

    exerted enough force.

    ¡°Xandar, let¡­me go.¡±¡®She muttered in a weak voice. ¡®No no no! She wants me to let her go! She wants

    to leave me. epting the mind-link didn¡¯t mean epting me. I¡¯m going to lose her¡¯, h e thought.

    ¡°No!¡± He whimpered in fear and squeezed her even tighter. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Lucianne, please. Don¡¯t leave

    me. D-Don¡¯t reject me, I¡¯m begging you. I¡¯ll be better, please.¡± He didn¡¯t care if he was begging before an

    audience. He didn¡¯t care how humiliating it looked. He just didn¡¯t want to lose her. 1

    ¡°Can¡¯t¡­breathe¡± Lucianne managed to cough out.

    Xandar realized he misunderstood her, and loosened his grip immediately. Lucianne took a few deep

    breaths as Xandar supported her by her waist and arm. He felt even guiltier than he already was. He

    almost suffocated his mate. What was he thinking?!?

    When Lucianne could stabilize herself, she looked at the unconscious rogue Lycan and said,

    We should head back now.¡±

    Xandar smiled meekly and nodded. Christian, upon hearing what she said and getting his

    cousin¡¯s nod, carried the body over his shoulder voluntarily, and that was when Alfred Cummings and

    Pierre Whiw showed up, along with Sebastian Cummings. 3)

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17

    ¡°Bad air traffic, ministers?¡± Christian asked sarcastically.

    Alfred spoke nonchntly, ¡°Apologies for our tardiness, your Grace. The order dide on very short

    notice.¡±

    ¡°Lucy! What happened to you? Are you okay?¡± Sebastian cried out in concern as he took a step forward

    but stopped abruptly when Xandar growled at him and took Lucianne protectively by her shoulders.

    Lucianne looked at Sebastian indifferently as she spat weakly, ¡°Fine.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s worried voice then rang through her ears as he cupped her cheeks and stared deep into her

    eyes, practically begging her, ¡°Baby, please don¡¯t speak. Save your strength. Use the mind-link if you

    need to say something, okay?¡±

    Disregarding whatever Xandar just said, Sebastianmented frantically, ¡°You don¡¯t seem fine. Why do

    you look so pale and sound so weak? Lucy, what¡¯s going on? What hap¡ª¡±

    Xandar growled at him again, louder and fiercer this time. He then said in a low, menacing voice, ¡°Our

    Queen is recovering from fighting off rogue Lycans, which your father and his deputy havementably

    failed to track down.¡± Everyone, including the wolves, threw berating res at the ministers.

    Sebastian remained stubborn. He was opening his mouth when Christian stood in front of him to block

    his view of Lucianne and said in an authoritative tone, ¡°Stop trying to get the Queen to speak. She needs

    to rest. But since the three of you are now here, you should make yourselves useful.¡± He looked at his

    cousin and they mind-linked each other for a moment. When they were done, Xandar nodded and

    Christian bowed slightly in his cousin¡¯s direction

    with a smile.

    Christian looked at Alpha Frederick and his Beta as he said, ¡°Pack leaders, please give these ministers

    the quotation for border restoration and the other form of damages caused by the rogues. After that, take

    them to where the sacrificed warriors are to be buried. These three men will help with the burial. And tell

    them how many family members are now affected by the loss.¡± He took a deep breath before saying,

    ¡°And the King and I are deeply sorry for the eleven warriors lost in battle this morning. Do let us know if

    we can do anything else to help.¡± The leaders were shocked at how aid was offered without having to go

    through the tedious application processes so they just stared at Christian in shock.

    Christian then red at the ministers who already had their heads down and Christian barked, ¡°I will

    personally be questioning you two about what you¡¯ve learned. One mistake and you¡®re both out. Is that

    understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes, your Grace.¡± The two uttered.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell them.¡± Xandar¡¯s soft and gentle voice came from the side. Christian turned to see his

    cousin looking into Lucianne¡¯s eyes as he kissed her fingers tenderly before turning t o face him.

    Christian awaited his instructions. Xandar said, ¡°Lucianne says Gammas Brighton and Sylvia should stay

    with them. It does help with fact-checking.¡±

    Christian threw a smile in Lucianne¡¯s way and bowed inpliance, ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡±

    Lucianne looked towards Brighton who said, ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to stay, Lucianne.¡± And then at Sylvia

    who smiled and assured her, ¡°No issue at all, Lucy.¡± Lucianne smiled in return t o signify her thanks. She

    was getting weaker. She needed to sleep. She was exhausted. Whatever little strength she had, she

    used arge portion of it to argue with Xandar.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Cuz, I¡¯m taking this one with me.¡± Christian pointed at the rogue Lycan he was carrying, still

    unconscious. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s safer for everyone else to return in your jet, just in case this rogue wakes up.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes instantly widened in fear. Christian caught this, but he smiled as he tried to assure her,

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my Queen. I will break his limbs and throw his head against a wall again before I board the

    ne. It¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯re just taking some precautions.¡±

    Lucianne nodded slowly with uncertainty, and Xandar cooed, ¡°Hey, hey. It¡¯ll be alright. He won¡¯t wake up

    until we want him to. It¡¯ll be alright. Don¡¯t worry, okay?¡± She nodded again with a small smile, feeling

    more assured this time.

    When everyone was leaving, Lucianne realized she couldn¡¯t even walk on her own. Her legs wobbled in

    fatigue. Without hesitation, Xandar lifted her up by her legs and carried her horizontally, bridal-style, and

    held her close to his chest. She leaned into him, taking in his scent.

    When they were seated in Xandar¡¯s jet, Lucianne was still in his arms. He had no intention of letting her

    go. After nting a kiss on her forehead, he looked affectionately into her eyes with an assuring smile

    and said, ¡°Sleep, baby. You¡¯ll be safe now.¡± 1

    She shook her head stubbornly, and mind-linked Xandar, ¡®I¡¯m¡­okay.¡¯

    ¡®She can¡¯t even form a coherent mind-link. How is she okay? Does she not feel safe with me?¡¯, he

    thought to himself.

    Gently, he asked, ¡°Lucianne, what¡¯s wrong? Why don¡¯t you want to sleep?¡±

    She averted her eyes and yed with her fingers for a moment before she mind-linked him again, ¡®What

    are you¡­going¡­to do¡­to them?¡® When she finished, she bit her inner lip and her neck stiffened as she

    anxiously waited for his response.

    Xandar felt a pang in his heart. Did he really seem so heartless and ruthless to her? The thought that she

    would sacrifice her own well-being just to make sure none of the members  of the alliance were harmed

    by him was excruciatingly painful.

    He lifted her chin with his forefinger to lock gaze with his beautiful mate, whose eyes were

    filled with anxiety. But in his eyes, there was only hurt and pain, pain of being misunderstood. He then

    said in a clear, soothing voice, ¡°I am not going to do anything to anyone. None of you did anything wrong.

    I told you that it was my fault, and I mean it. Please, don¡¯t worry.¡± He kissed her nose before he pressed

    their foreheads together and locked eyes with her as he pleaded, ¡°Please, Lucianne, let yourself rest. I

    won¡¯t hurt you or anyone else here. Just sleep, okay?¡±

    She nodded twice before leaning into his chest and snuggling into him. Her breathing slowed, and she

    fell into deep sleep as Xandar stroked her forearm throughout the flight back. The trip was quiet despite

    the many people on board. Everyone was still worried about Lucianne. They fought alongside her tonnes

    of times but never did shee out this drained or this injured. Then again, none of their previous

    battles involved rogue Lycans.

    Juan was still ming himself for letting her follow that rogue wolf alone. If he had followed her, or had

    someone else followed her, she wouldn¡¯t have had to face the Lycans all by herself when they appeared.

    But Lucianne mentioned that there were three of them. When he, Tate and Raden got there, there were

    only two, which meant that Lucianne killed one on her own. ncing at his Gamma from time to time

    who was fast asleep in the arms of her mate, he knew he wouldn¡¯t feel at ease until she woke up. And

    judging from the looks on everyone¡¯s faces, it was clear that their minds won¡¯t be at ease until their

    leader of the alliance was okay

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18

    Xandar insisted on getting his personal doctor to examine Lucianne. Not wanting to risk upsetting her

    when she woke up, he decided against bringing her to his vi and instead got the doctor toe to

    Lucianne¡¯s room in the hotel. The guard she mentioned, Benjamin, was there. He looked at the sleeping

    Lucianne in Xandar¡¯s arms in dismay. He knelt on one knee and bowed even before they reached the

    front door.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not informing you sooner, your Highness.¡± Benjamin said in remorse.

    ¡°Stand, Benjamin. Our Queen is fine. She just needs rest. You did everything within your reach to inform

    me about where she went. Thank you.¡± The guard stared at the King in shock at the gratitude he

    expressed. He took a moment to digest what he just heard before slowly standing back up.

    Lucianne didn¡¯t even wake up from her deep slumber when Lunas Hale and Felicity came to clean her

    up and change her clothes. After they were done, Xandar stayed by her side while h e waited for his

    doctor to arrive.

    The doctor, Dr Yeil, arrived shortly after to examine Lucianne. When he was done, he told Xandar that

    she was alright, and that she just needed a few more hours of deep sleep. When Xandar asked about

    the silver in her bloodstream, the doctor looked at him in bewilderment.¡± Your Highness, I can assure

    you, there¡¯s no silver in the Queen¡¯s system. In fact, it doesn¡¯t seem like any silver had entered her

    system at all.¡±

    Xandar argued in a hushed tone, ¡°That¡¯s not possible. I saw the knife myself. It was clearly coated with

    silver, and the knife was extracted from the side of her body.¡±

    Dr Yeil¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked at Lucianne on the bed. He muttered under his

    breath, ¡°Strange. Hmm¡­¡± He then turn back to Xandar and suggested, ¡°If you allow i t, your Highness,

    I¡¯ll extract a syringe of her blood to have it further analyzed.¡±

    ¡°Please, do.¡± Xandar approved without hesitation. He needed her to be okay.

    After Dr Yeil took the blood and left, Xandar went to the bathroom to call Alpha Juan to give him an

    update.

    ¡°I should mention something, your Highness.¡± Juan¡¯s voice rang through cautiously.

    ¡°Please.¡± Xandar said encouragingly.

    ¡°Lucy has always been more¡­ tolerant to silver. When we were kids and didn¡¯t know any better, we

    yed a game with some other children our age which involved silver. The game was to see which one

    of ussted the longest as we ingested silver paint we found in human territory drop by drop. When we

    all fainted, Lucy was the one who went to get our parents, thinking that she had won the game. When the

    adults found out what we did, they rushed us t o the hospital to get the silver out of our systems. And we

    were all hospitalized for a week. All

    of us were, except Lucy The doctors couldn¡¯t find any silver in her system. Her parents were s o worned

    that they had her blood screened three times but the results were no different.¡±

    Xandar was pinching the bridge of his nose. He was trying to hold back the urge to recite the long list of

    judgments and criticisms he had for their childhood game and finally asked, ¡°Are her parents like this?¡±

    ¡°No. They were both killed by hunters with a silver de.¡± It was only then that Xandar found out that his

    mate had already lost her parents. He imed to love her but he didn¡¯t even know such a basic fact

    about her. 1

    Xandar then asked in embarrassment, ¡°Does she have any siblings?¡±

    ¡°No, which is why we¡¯ve always been close. Neither of us have siblings. After her parents were killed, my

    parents decided to take Lucy in since the two of us have always been inseparable.¡±

    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll let you know when she wakes up, Juan. You should get some rest.¡±

    Juan chuckled sadly, ¡°She has been my sister for as long as I can remember but I didn¡¯t protect her, your

    Highness. She never failed to look out for me, my Luna and our pack as a friend and as our Gamma.

    This was the one time she needed me, and I let her down. I won¡¯t be able to sleep until she wakes up.¡±

    Xandar nodded in understanding from his end and said, ¡°I know I¡¯ve only known her for two days but¡­¡±

    he sighed in frustration as he continued, ¡°I¡¯ve let her down just as badly, if not worse. I can¡¯t believe I said

    those things to her back there.¡± His voice shook as he fought back the tears when he recalled what

    Lucianne called him after he yelled at her. Selfish. Inconsiderate. Self-entitled. He swallowed a lump in

    his throat before telling Juan in a cracked voice, ¡°I have to make it up to her.¡±

    ¡°Your actions after that showed that you were just worried about your mate, your Highness. She¡¯lle

    around to see that, too.¡± Juan¡¯s sincere voice rang through the line.

    Xandar sighed again. ¡°Did you know that she refused to sleep because she thought I was going to do

    something to the members of the alliance? I mean¡­¡± he punched the wall in front of him and said, ¡°She

    must think that I¡¯m a monster.¡±

    Juan chuckled. ¡°With much respect, your Highness. Lucy wouldn¡¯t have slept so well in your arms if she

    thought you were a monster. She was mad at you, yes. But none of us would say that she hates you. We

    know her. She wouldn¡¯t have let you hold her or touch her if she thought you were, in your words, a

    monster.¡±

    Xandar rified, ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything to any of you, by the way. If anything, I owe everyone in

    the alliance an unquantifiable gratitude for the sacrifice you¡¯ve all made.¡±

    Juan replied casually, ¡°Yeah, we pretty much heard everything on the ne when you spoket o her. Luna

    Zelena was very pissed-off when she heard that Lucy refused to rest because she was worried about us.

    She used every curse word within her vocabry in our pack leaders¡¯

    group-link. Even Alpha Zeke was too afraid of her anger to stop her, despite being her mate.¡±

    Xandar chuckled as he pictured the incident. ¡°Well, at least someone was sharing the frustration with

    me.¡±

    Juan then said, ¡°And I share your guilt, your Highness. So you¡¯re not alone either way.¡± He chuckled

    again before saying in a serious tone, ¡°Thank you for staying with her and offering t o take care of her,

    your Highness.¡±

    ¡°There really is no need to thank me, Juan. I¡¯m here for purely selfish reasons. I just wanted to be with

    her.¡± Xandar admitted shamelessly.

    Juan then responded, ¡°I won¡¯t keep you now. And I¡¯ll wait for your call.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make that call as soon as she¡¯s up. Take care, Juan.¡± Xandar answered and hung up. He then went

    to sit on a stool at the side of Lucianne¡¯s bed. He kissed her deeply on her forehead before whispering,

    ¡°Please be okay.¡± Then, his fingersced with hers before he linked Christian.

    Christian already ced the rogue Lycan in a prison cell. And the rogue was, thankfully, still

    unconscious. The medical team said he wasn¡¯t dead, and should regain consciousness by tomorrow

    afternoon so there was nothing to worry about until then. Christian must have caused quite the damage

    he promised he would before boarding his flight. ¡®Not that the roque didn¡¯t deserve it¡¯, Xandar thought to

    himself. Christian then asked about Lucianne¡¯s condition, and he was notfortable with the fact that

    she was still asleep.

    ¡®What happened to her was just¡­unfair. It wasn¡¯t even a fair fight.¡¯ Christianined.

    ¡®Yeah, well. Now we have one of them. It¡¯s time to give him back ten times what he and his friends did to

    Lucianne.¡¯ 1

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡®That, we will definitely do with great pleasure. I should go tell Annie about it now. Link me if you or the

    Queen need anything, cuz.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, okay. Thank¡¯s, Christian. And say ¡°hi¡± to Annie for me.¡¯

    ¡®Will do.¡¯

    He stared at his mate. She was so beautiful even when she was asleep. Her breathing was like the

    sound of a warm summer breeze on the shore. He continued to hold her hand as he whispered into her

    ear, ¡°I love you.¡±

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19

    Three hourster, Lucianne¡¯s sleepiness started subsiding, and her senses slowly brought her back to

    reality. She could gather that she was lying t on a bed and the quilt covered her body to chest-level.

    When she slowly opened her eyes, she realized that her right hand wasced with something rough and

    warm. She gasped and her body shot up in panic.

    ¡°Hey, hey. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xandar asked softly when he heard his mate¡¯s gasp and felt the tugging of her

    small, smooth hand in hisrger, rougher one.

    Lucianne let out a sigh of relief when she saw him. ¡°It¡¯s just you. I¡¯m okay. Sorry about that.¡±

    He shook his head as he uttered, ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡± He then cautiously sat on the bed right next to her and

    caressed her arms to soothe his mate as he said, ¡°It¡¯s so good to hear your voice.¡± He then pecked a

    kiss on her cheek.

    Lucianne looked at herself under the quilt, and instantly noticed that her clothes were not the ones she

    wore after the battle in the Jewel Pack. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to meet Xandar¡¯s gaze, thinking that he

    may have been the one who changed her clothes.

    Xandar seemed to have read her mind when he exined, ¡°Lunas Hale and Felicity helped clean you up

    and change.¡±(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    Lucianne¡¯s relief washed away the anxiety that was there before. She smiled and nodded to signify that

    she heard him. She then started recollecting the events before she slept. All of a sudden, she looked left

    and right while asking almost inaudibly, ¡°What time is it? How long was I out? And where¡¯s my phone?¡±

    She lifted the covers and looked for it, and wanted to get out of bed to continue her hunt.

    Xandar held both her hands to stop her from leaving the bed as he said in a soft, gentle voice,¡± Hey, slow

    down. You¡¯ve just woken up. Let me get it for you.¡± He positioned her back into the bed before walking to

    the dressing table to get her phone.

    As he was striding towards her, he said, ¡°It¡¯s almost one in the afternoon. You slept for about six hours.

    Here.¡± He handed her her phone, sat back on the bed and kissed her forehead as he asked, ¡°How are

    you feeling?¡±

    ¡°Better. Thanks for asking, and for staying with me.¡± Her voice was stronger, much to Xandar¡¯s relief.

    He smiled and kissed her cheek again. ¡°Baby, I¡¯m your mate. You don¡¯t have to thank me for showing

    concern.¡± When a blush started appearing on her still-pale face, she tried to get out o fbed for the second

    time. 2

    Xandar asked frantically, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Was she avoiding him?

    ¡°I slept for six hours. I need to pee.¡± She said matter-of-factly.

    Having understood that he was overthinking, Xandar chuckled softly before helping her get out of bed.

    Lucianne went straight to the bathroom before closing the door behind her. Xandar called Juan, who was

    beyond relieved. Juan then said that he would tell the others. The Alpha could finally get some sleep

    without worrying.

    When Lucianne came out, Xandar took huge strides towards her and hugged her as he greedily took in

    the scent of her hair. For a while, they just stood there in silence.

    Then, Lucianne¡¯s palms pressed on Xandar¡¯s hard chest, and she parted their bodies. Xandar only

    pulled away enough for their eyes to meet. When she noticed the dark circles under his eyes, she noted,

    (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡°Now, you look tired. You should get some sleep.

    I¡¯m okay now. You should head back.¡±

    Xandar smiled despite the pain he felt from her words so he asked, ¡°Are you trying to get rid o fme, my

    love?¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes. ¡°Xandar, if I wanted to get rid of you, I would¡¯ve used a more direct set of

    words. You can sleep here too, if you want. I can be quiet, or I can leave the room if you prefer to¡­¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He said even before she finished speaking, and pressed their bodies back together as he muttered,

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave.¡± He then kissed her again on her hair.

    When she released herself from his grip, she said, ¡°Okay. Then, take the bed. I¡¯ll be quiet on the couch.¡±

    He then had a thought and smirked. ¡°I have a request.¡±

    ¡°Which is?¡± Lucianne cocked her head to one side with curiosity. 1

    His smile widened as he took her hands into his. ¡°I stayed by your side when you slept. Stay b y mine

    while I sleep?¡±

    She shrugged like it was no big deal. ¡°Sure, why not? I can be quiet. Just¡­let me get a book first. Uh..¡±

    He chuckled as he released her hands.

    ¡°What¡¯s the joke?¡± She asked as she strode to the couch, where there were three books stacked on the

    armrest.

    He didn¡¯t respond but just stared at her moving figure in a daze, admiring her body. And when she chose

    a book and was walking to the stool Xandar sat on when he watched her sleep, he slipped his arm

    around her waist and pulled her into him. She gasped in surprise when their bodies made contact. He

    looked deep into her eyes and said in a husky voice, ¡°There isn¡¯t a joke. You¡¯re just adorable.¡±

    Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and she looked at the in T-shirt and loose sweat pants she was

    wearing before meeting his affectionate gaze again. He was still smiling. She then said, ¡°You really need

    to sleep, Xandar. You¡¯re probably hallucinating already.¡±

    Before he could say anything further, she walked to the bed and threw the covers over and motioned him

    to climb into bed. ¡°C¡¯mon.¡±

    He obliged with a smile. He climbed into her bed and set his body a little further to the other end of the

    bed. Lucianne found it odd but she didn¡¯t say anything. When she was about to put the covers over him,

    he leaned over and grabbed her hands to stop her.

    ¡°Can you stay by my side on the bed with me?¡± He asked as he stroked her hands.

    ¡°But¡­¡± she pointed to the stool and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you sit there while I slept?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to make you feel ufortable while you slept, and I didn¡¯t want to scare you when you

    woke up to find me on the bed with you.¡± He then pouted. ¡°But I feel morefortable having you on the

    bed with me. Please?¡± 2(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    She was surprised to hear what just came out of her mate¡¯s mouth, so she could merely nod. Xandar

    smiled radiantly as he positioned her pillow to lean against the headrest, and Lucianne sat there before

    covering Xandar¡¯s body and her own legs with the covers. He was still gazing at her so she asked,

    ¡°Better?¡±

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± He pecked a kiss on her forearm which was right next to him.

    ¡°Good. Sleep before the hallucinations get worse.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you believe me when I said you¡¯re adorable, baby?¡±

    Lucianne sighed. ¡°Xandar, you need to sleep. Let¡¯s keep the questions for after you wake up.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just this one question, I promise.¡±

    She looked uneasy as she averted her gaze from him and said in a small voice, ¡°All I did was agree to

    stay with you while you slept and that I¡¯ll get a book. I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s adorable.¡± 1

    He kissed her forearm again as he exined, ¡°You are a lot of things, Lucianne. What you are at a given

    moment depends on what you¡¯re doing. You¡¯re fierce, strong, noble, courageous, beautiful, and a whole

    list of other things, one of them being adorable. When you said that the way you did, you were being

    adorable.¡± He took her hand and kissed her fingers, ¡°You can¡¯t see it but I can.¡±

    She blinked and digested his words before she said softly, ¡°Sleep now, my King. Let¡¯s see if you can

    make sense of your own words after you wake up.¡± She stroked Xandar¡¯s hair, and his animal purred in

    bliss.

    He was definitely not hallucinating. She just didn¡¯t see herself as how he saw her. She didn¡¯t see how the

    way she did certain things made her look so innocently cute. That cluelessness o f hers, in itself, was

    another adorable thing about her. He didn¡¯t want to argue with her any further, knowing that she would

    just dismiss hispliments and affection for her as him being sleep deprived.

    Xandar leaned closer to her and his arms went around her thighs, hugging them tightly.

    Lucianne gasped at his action but made no move to move away. His eyelids dropped, and he kissed the

    side of her thigh on her pants once before he snuggled as near to it as possible.(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)

    When Lucianne¡¯s hand left his hair, he groaned in frustration at the loss. With his eyes still closed, his

    hand reached to look for Lucianne¡¯s hand before cing it back on the back of his head. Satisfied that

    her fingers were now buried in his hair, he smiled as he drifted off. Lucianne smiled, and was chuckling

    internally. ¡®He¡¯s acting like a child¡¯, She thought to herself as she continued stroking his hair again.

    Xandar fell asleep with ease and woke up four hourster. His arm was still around her thighs.

    Lucianne¡¯s thumb was still stroking his hair slowly and lovingly. His animal had never felt happier. It even

    wanted to pretend to be asleep for a little while longer to enjoy their mate¡¯sforting touch. As much as

    the human part of him craved her touch, he wanted to see her even more.

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20

    Xandar opened his eyes and tried not to make a sound as he looked up at Lucianne, who was holding

    her book in one hand. She was already halfway through it. He peeked at the cover, and realized that it

    was a book on the neuroscience behind wolf-behavior.

    Her hand left his hair when she wanted to flip the page. His animal whimpered but, externally, Xandar

    remained silent. After flipping the page, she continued stroking his thick, brown locks, and he was

    brought back to bliss. He kept his eyelids low to enjoy the moment.

    OV

    After a few minutes, Lucianne spoke while she was still reading, ¡°It¡¯s amazing how you don¡¯t have to use

    the washroom after sleeping for four hours. How do you even hold the pee in?¡°(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)

    His eyes shot wide open, and he looked up at her, ¡°You knew I was awake this whole time?¡±

    Still reading, she said, ¡°Of course. Breathing patterns are different when one¡¯s asleep or awake.¡±

    He chuckled and hugged her thighs even tighter as he thought about how she had already caught him

    even before he knew he was caught. He wondered if he had read some neuroscience book behind

    Lycan behavior before this.

    ¡°So, do you really have no need to pee?¡± She asked, still in disbelief.

    Xandar groaned and snuggled into her thighs as heined, ¡°Can¡¯t you just let me hold you a little

    longer? The toilet break can wait.¡±

    She looked up from her book and said sternly, ¡°If you pee in my bed, Xandar, I¡¯m requesting for a room

    change.¡±

    Ica

    CUL

    His eyes lit up. ¡°Great! Then you cane live with me!¡±

    She narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°Nice try, your Highness. If you don¡¯t need a toilet break, let m e go,

    because I do.¡±

    He pouted and snuggled deeper into her. ¡°Just a little while longer. You feel so cozy.¡±

    ¡°Xandar, for the past four hours, I¡¯ve been putting water into my system but I haven¡¯t gotten out of here.

    Let me go. I need to pee.¡±

    Xandar groaned and turned toy on his back to let her go. After seeing her retreat to the bathroom and

    hearing the door close, he suddenly felt the urge to empty his own dder. (This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)It was then he hoped that she woulde out of the bathroom soon so he

    could use it next. When he heard the sound of the toilet being flushed, he sighed in relief and waited for

    her to

    When she emerged from behind the closed door, Xandar dashed in. ¡°My turn. Thanks, babe.¡± And he

    hopped into the bathroom without even closing the door behind him. Not wanting itt o get awkward,

    Lucianne closed it for him from the outside and took the book she was

    reading to the couch, continuing from where she left off.

    When Xandar came out, he admired his mate¡¯s serious look when she read, her elbow supporting her

    head on the armrest. Xandar smiled to himself at the sight. He then dropped down on the couch right

    next to her. Their eyes locked and she asked, ¡°Better?¡± 1

    He pecked a kiss on her nose before dering in a deep voice, ¡°I am now.¡± He lifted her up and ced

    her on his thighs. His arm went across her shoulders and guided her head to lean against his body. After

    pecking a kiss on her hair, he inhaled her scent as Lucianne continued to flip the pages.

    They enjoyed the silence for a moment before Lucianne asked, ¡°Is Christian okay?¡±

    Xandar took another whiff of her scent before he responded, ¡°Yeah. He must¡¯ve done quite a lot of

    damage. The doctors said that the rogue would only wake up tomorrow afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Mm. That¡¯s good. We¡¯ll be safe for now.¡±

    Xandar stiffened at the words ¡®for now¡¯. ¡®For now¡¯ is never good enough when it came to Lucianne¡¯s

    safety. He gently lifted up her chin to get her attention. Lucianne¡¯s eyes were torn away from the page as

    she met Xandar¡¯s lc orbs. With assuring eyes, he uttered, ¡°You¡¯ll be safe for now and for all your life,

    Lucianne. I won¡¯t let anything hurt you, I promise.¡±

    ¡°Xandar, it¡¯s sweet of you to say that but, one way or another, there¡¯ll always be a lurking danger. And I¡¯m

    not defenseless. I can protect myself most of the time. You don¡¯t have to promise me that.¡±

    She was about to return to her book when Xandar held her chin up as he whispered in despair, ¡°Let me.¡±

    He begged in desperation, ¡°Let me protect you. Let me take care of you. Please, Lucianne. Just let me.¡±

    His sincere gaze made her heart melt. She was familiar with the feelings of belonging and of having a

    family but it still felt different with Xandar. The emotions she felt when he said those things ran deeper,

    sending a pleasurable warmth into the darkest and most dormant parts of her being. She was touched,

    and her lips curled upward before she leaned in to peck a kiss on his cheek as she whispered, ¡°Thank

    you.¡± 4

    The shock on his face was evident. He had been hoping for a kiss from her since the moment they met

    but he didn¡¯t expect to get one so soon. Even his animal was stunned for a moment before it howled in

    joy in his head.(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    When he recovered, he realized that he anted to feel more of the sensation that her lips gave him. His

    hand reached for her cheek, stroking the smooth skin there in slow motions. And he was gazing

    longingly at her small, pink lips.

    Xandar started closing the distance between them. When his lips were merely an inch away from hers,

    she whispered, ¡°Xandar, before you do this, I need to talk to you about something.¡±

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    He moved away from her face only enough to study her expression. She looked guilty and

    sad, but why? He whispered back in concern, ¡°What is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Lucianne hesitated, and looked down as she asked, ¡°If I agreed to¡­be Queen, what do I have t o¡­give

    up?¡±

    Give up? Xandar was walking on eggshells as he tried to guess what his mate was afraid of losing

    before saying very cautiously, ¡°Well, I hope that you would be able toe live with m e so¡­you may

    have to give up your room in the pack house.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± She said, and was waiting for him to continue.

    He scratched the back of his head as he continued in obvious struggle, ¡°Uh¡­ You might not be able to

    travel back-and-forth daily from here to Blue Crescent so you might have to¡­not be their Gamma

    anymore.¡±

    She bit her lip as she whispered, ¡°Okay.¡±(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    Xandar was running out of things to say. He took her hands into his as he asked, ¡°Baby, help me out

    here. What is it that you¡¯re really concerned about losing?¡±

    She was still avoiding his gaze. Reluctantly, she took back her hands and muttered, ¡°Um¡­¡± Lucianne

    swallowed a lump in her throat before her voice came in a despairing whisper, ¡°Do I have to give up

    fighting with the wolves in rogue attacks?¡± Her neck stiffened as she waited for him to respond.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21

    Xandar¡¯s eyes narrowed as he asked, ¡°Seriously, babe? That was it?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes shot up at his response in surprise. Xandar was heartbroken that her ck orbs were

    already glistening. He took her hands and said, ¡°Baby, you¡¯re scaring me. Talk to m e. Is that all? Or is

    there more? I¡¯m all ears even if you have a list. We can go through the whole thing tonight or until

    tomorrow if we have to.¡±

    She was already considering being his Queen. That was a good sign. It was progress. He was not going

    to ruin it.

    Lucianne blinked a few times to bring herself out from her shock. ¡°Uh¡­I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s more yet

    but continuing to fight with them is my main concern right now.¡± 1

    Xandar furrowed his eyebrows and asked in annoyance, ¡°Why would you have to give that u p? That¡¯s a

    large part of who you are. Who even gave you this idea anyway?¡±

    The size of her eyes amplified in fear until Xandar gave her hands a gentle squeeze of assurance before

    he said, ¡°No, Lucianne. No one¡¯s going to get hurt. I just want to know how you came about getting this

    idea in your head.¡±(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    She felt uneasy when she said, ¡°Um, well¡­most of the werewolves have already been talking about me

    no longer fighting with them once L¡­if I¡­be Queen.¡±

    ¡°What?! Why would they think that?¡± Xandar asked in dismay.

    She bit her lip before she exined, ¡°Because we¡¯ve never heard of a Lycan Queen being on a

    battlefield.¡±

    Xandar retorted in annoyance, ¡°So what?! Can¡¯t you be the first? You¡¯re already the first wolft o bridge

    our species and get pack leaders to open up to us; the first Gamma to be able to take down indisputably

    strong Alphas; the first to suggest offering warrior training to other packs; the first wolf to take on a rogue

    Lycan¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if thest one¡¯s a good thing.¡± Lucianne thought aloud.

    ¡°Sweetheart, you get the point.¡± Xandar ran his fingers through his hair and sighed in frustration as he

    gazed at the wall in front of him while muttering under his breath, ¡°Goddess, our Lycan ancestors must

    have screwed up monumentally badly for werewolves to think that we would take everything from them,

    even their best warrior.¡±

    Lucianne bit her bottom lip so Xandar asked, ¡°Something¡¯s still bothering you. Tell me. What i sit?¡±

    She sounded guiltier than she did before when she began, ¡°I thought that I would have to give it up

    and¡­ I was so sure that I didn¡¯t want to give up¡­that part of my life t-that¡­I was¡­ that I almost severed

    the mate bond. I am so sorry.¡± She started sobbing into her hands.

    ¡°Oh, baby.¡± He pulled her into his chest and let his shirt absorb her tears. He kissed her forehead as he

    uttered, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have med you if you did. I would have deserved it. No one can ask you to give up

    who you are, Lucianne. Not even me.¡± He kissed her forehead again before saying, ¡°Thank you for

    talking to me first.¡± 2(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    She said between sobs, ¡°I wa-wasn¡¯t going to b-but.. Juan¡­ Tate¡­and Toby¡­ stopped me from ¡­I-

    rejecting¡­you¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­I¡¯m so¡­so sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, Lucianne. Don¡¯t apologize. There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. It¡¯s okay. Shh¡­it¡¯s okay.¡± Xandar

    cooed and tried to calm her down as he stroked her hair.

    His heart ached. But it wasn¡¯t from the thought that she was going to reject him. Even he would be

    furious at himself for asking her to give up something she loved so much. His heart hurt because she

    was crying. She was still sad. He couldn¡¯t imagine how difficult it must have been for her to hold on to

    that thought and all the emotions that came along with it until she spoke to him.

    And she let him sleep before talking to him about it?! This made Xandar feel more useless and guilty.

    ¡®Moon Goddess, I already know that I don¡¯t deserve her. But must you rub it in my face like this? I

    would¡¯ve felt a lot better if she had asked me about this before I slept. Now, I just feel utterly useless that

    I let my mate hang on to¡­well, all of that while I was happily sleeping next to her¡¯, he thought in his

    head.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Shh¡­it¡¯s okay.¡± He kept cooing into her ear and kissing her forehead from time to time. After a

    few minutes, Lucianne¡¯s sobbing finally lessened. Her breathing steadied. But Xandar was not taking any

    chances. He was still rubbing circles on her back shoulder and kissing her forehead, somehow hoping

    that it would miraculously soothe her.

    When she finally stopped, she asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you mad at me?¡±(This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    ¡°How can I be mad at you for choosing to keep doing what you love? And what you love is not even a

    bad thing. It¡¯s the most selfless and noble thing to love to do. If I were mad at you, you should reject me.

    No one in their right mind would me you for that.¡±

    Her voice was a whisper when she uttered, ¡°I should have talked to you first, instead of assuming that

    you wouldn¡¯t have allowed it.¡±

    Xandar kissed her forehead. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you just did, Lucianne. I understand that you were

    asked to do it but the fact that you listened to them and actually talked to me about i tis already enough.¡±

    After a few quiet moments, she whispered, ¡°Thank you, for understanding.¡± She ran his fingers across

    his chest gently, like she did thest time. But this time, instead of feeling aroused, Xandar and his

    animal felt relieved. Lucianne then pecked a kiss on his jaw. Now, he and his animal were aroused. 1

    Xandar¡¯s hand reached for her face and cupped one of her cheeks. His thumb caressed it slowly and

    gently. Although her face was tear-stained, a red tinge still appeared on her cheeks. He looked at her lips

    in great yearn, and his heartbeat quickened by the second.(This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)

    Xandar closed their distance, and when his lips touched hers, he closed his eyes and enjoyed her warm,

    plump lips against his. When Lucianne¡¯s lips began responding, Xandar deepened the kiss. In between

    his efforts, Lucianne¡¯s lips parted slightly to release a soft moan. It was the cutest thing that Xandar had

    ever heard.

    Seeming to have lost his self-control, Xandar¡¯s tongue plunged into her mouth and started exploring the

    space within. His hand supported the back of her head as his tongue continued to plunge deeper and

    deeper into her mouth, reaching for her throat. Lucianne¡¯s hands moved from his hard chest to his neck

    before reaching his thick locks, and her fingers clutched on his soft hair with each brush of their lips,

    making Xandar growl in approval.

    When Lucianne¡¯s hands cupped his cheeks and she broke away from the kiss, they were taking inrge

    volumes of air like they¡¯ve justpleted a marathon. Their eyes were fixed o n each other¡¯s swollen

    lips.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Xandar¡¯s concerned whisper rang through the little space between them as h e traced

    her jaw with his thumb.

    Lucianne smiled and, without a word, pressed her lips on his. Xandar was stunned for a second before

    his own lips and tongue moved in response. The smell of Xandar¡¯s arousal filled the room but Lucianne

    made no move to put a stop to it this time. The sparks they were feeling intensified with each brush of

    their lips. They only pulled away from each other when Lucianne needed air.

    When they caught their breaths, Xandar looked deep into Lucianne¡¯s eyes and uttered,¡± Thank you.¡±

    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.

    Lucianne looked at him in confusion. He then exined, ¡°For giving us a chance. For giving me a

    chance. To love you.¡±

    Lucianne felt her heart melt, and she was too lost for words that she could only offer him a shy smile. He

    pecked a kiss on her nose and forehead before guiding her head to lean against his chest where he held

    her.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22

    After a long while of enjoying each other¡¯spany in silence, Lucianne said, ¡°I wonder if the others

    have had enough rest. We haven¡¯t eaten so we should probably attend dinner.¡±

    Xandar then said, ¡°Lucianne, we can always call room service. You should rest. After what you¡¯ve been

    through today, I will personally break the necks of anyone who think of questioning your absence.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Xandar, really. I can go. But I need to change first.¡± She then looked at him and said,¡± So do

    you if you¡¯re going.¡±

    He smirked and kissed her cheek. ¡°As if I would leave you there with all mypetitors trying to win your

    heart.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes and dered bluntly, ¡°I am not interested in Sebastian Cummings.¡±

    He hugged her tightly. ¡°Oh, I know. He¡¯s not the one I¡¯m worried about, sweetheart. There are s o many

    others who want you the way I do. I feel like the Moon Goddess is taunting me by giving me a mate who

    comes with a whole army of admirers to fight through. Not that I shouldin. At least she bothered

    to give me a mate who¡¯s smart, noble, selfless¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overreacting, Xandar. There isn¡¯t anyone else who looks at me or wants me that way. There

    never has been. And if there were, it would only be because they¡¯re interested in whoever the King is

    interested in. It¡¯s not because they¡¯re interested in me per se.¡±

    Xandar sighed. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong again, Lucianne. Just by looking at the way they look at you

    and hear them talk about you or to you¡­I just know they had intentions to be intimate with you even

    before we met. And those intentions are still very much alive. Not just the mateless Gammas but also the

    Alphas, I might add.¡±(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    Lucianne stared at her knees and pondered hard on what she had just heard before throwing her hands

    in the air to signify that she had given up. ¡°No. I¡¯m not getting anything. My mind i s going nk. The only

    one I¡¯m aware of showing me a shameless amount of affection when h e looks at me is you. So, I have

    no idea who you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    Xandar scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m quite relieved that you didn¡¯t include Cummings in that list.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes. ¡°He shows me a shameless amount of guilt and remorse. None of those

    feelings are even close to affection. And, my King, do spend your time on something other than thinking

    that someone else may want me. You¡¯re really wasting your energy in that department. It¡¯spletely

    non-existent.¡±

    Xandar then chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s funny how little you see when ites to how people are attracted

    to you. I¡¯m not sure whether to feel frustrated or happy.¡±

    She kissed him on his chin and said, ¡°Choose positive feelings, my dear.¡±

    He kissed her nose in return as he uttered, ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡± She flinched slightly at being

    called his Queen but she chose not to argue about it this time. Only this time. She had put him through

    enough for the day with her sleeping for hours and almost severing their

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    bond.

    With Lucianne¡¯s constant pestering, Xandar finally gave in to leave so that he could return home for a

    change of clothes before dinner. When he was three steps from her door, he turned around, held her

    hands, and said in glee, ¡°I have a question.¡±

    Lucianne smirked andmented, ¡°Why do your questions todaye right before you¡¯re supposed to

    do something? Let¡¯s hear it.¡±

    His eyes shone with hope as he asked in anticipation, ¡°Can I start calling you ¡®Lucy¡¯?¡±

    She looked at him in total confusion. ¡°That was your question? You¡¯re asking me whether you can call

    me by my name? Haven¡¯t you been doing that already, Xandar?¡±

    He pouted. ¡°No, I¡¯ve been calling you ¡®Lucianne¡¯ like a stranger. I didn¡¯t have the permission to call you

    like how so many of the others have been calling you. I¡¯ve had you called me by my shortened name

    since we met. It¡¯s not fair.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes. ¡°Your logic perplexes me, your Highness. You needed my permission to

    call me by my name but you started calling me your baby, your love, your sweetheart, without ever

    having the need to ask for permission for those.¡±(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    He smiled cheekily. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to refuse.¡±

    She shook her head as she smiled. ¡°Like I said, Xandar. Your logic perplexes me.¡±

    When she tried to break free to chase him out, he held on to her and asked with a grin, ¡°So is that a

    ¡®yes¡¯?¡±

    She smirked in response to his insistence, ¡°Yes. Now, go. You¡¯ve already disappeared from your subjects

    for the entire day. Don¡¯t bete for dinner as well.¡±

    ¡°Goddess, this is one responsible Queen.¡± He muttered, and kissed her fingers before he was pushed

    out of her door. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see youter, Lucy.¡±(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    For once, his animal didn¡¯t whimper as he left Lucianne¡¯s room. He couldn¡¯t wait to see her again in less

    than an hour. Xandar drove home with a smile on his face which didn¡¯t falter even when he entered the

    house or when was showering.

    As he was getting dressed, an idea came to him so he called Juan. Juan, who had only woken up fifteen

    minutes before his call, was requested by the King to be ready at the dining hall with the other members

    of the alliance.

    The Alpha wasn¡¯t told the details but he dly obliged. Xandar then linked Christian to tell him about the

    n he had in mind, and his cousin was all for it. After checking himself in the mirror, Xandar drove to

    the dining hall.

    As soon as he stepped in, everyone bowed but the person he was looking for wasn¡¯t there. Where was

    she? After motioning his subjects to stand, Xandar continued to scan the room.(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)

    Then, someone came up from his peripheral vision and bowed to him. In his menacing tone, Xandar

    asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23

    Xandar¡¯s lc eyes were turning onyx, furious that he was being disobeyed.

    Sasha Cummings¡¯s head remained low as she said, ¡°Your Highness, I apologize for whatever I¡¯ve said to

    the wolf. I promise that it won¡¯t happen again. It was a slip of the tongue, and I am deeply sorry for the

    distress that I¡¯ve caused you.¡±

    Xandar was holding back a growl as he said in a low voice, ¡°You insulted my mate and your future

    Queen. After showing you mercy by letting you train, you¡¯re now trying to push your boundaries by

    entering this hall?¡±

    Sasha¡¯s head tilted lower as she exined, ¡°If memory serves me well, your Highness, which I¡¯m sure it

    does,(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    I was told not to appear in front of the Gamma. She¡¯s not here, so I¡¯m technically not disobeying your

    order.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Xandar.¡± Lucianne appeared by his side all of a sudden in a dark blue dress with a high ponytail.

    Sasha flinched visibly when she heard Lucianne¡¯s voice. Lucianne noticed Sasha with her head held low,

    so she addressed her monotonously, ¡°Oh. Hello again, Ms Cummings. Xandar, I¡¯ll be right over there with

    Juan and the others when you¡¯re don¡ª¡±

    ¡°Baby, don¡¯t be ridiculous. You¡¯re not the one who has to leave.¡±Xandar pulled Lucianne to his side, and

    nted a kiss on her forehead in front of everyone before insisting affectionately, ¡°Stay, Lucy.¡±

    He then turned back to Sasha and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know what to do if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡±

    The moment he finished saying that, Sasha scurried out of the room with her head down. The other

    female Lycans in the room exhibited two types of emotions. The first was being cynically happy that

    Sasha was kicked out by the very person she had been trying to seduce for years; the second was being

    jealous of how the King waspletely smitten with the tiny, dull-looking werewolf. The younger male

    Lycans were throwing flirtatious smirks in Lucianne¡¯s way, taking in her whole figure with lustful gazes.

    But they averted their eyes when they inadvertently met Xandar¡¯s death re. 2

    Xandar looked at his mate and asked, ¡°Lucy, I thought you woulde with Juan and Hale. Did you walk

    here alone?¡±

    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.

    She exined simply, ¡°I dide with them but there was a strong breeze on our way here, and my hair

    flew out of ce so I stopped at the restroom to fix it before I came in. That¡¯s why I came in a littleter.¡±

    He smiled and nodded in understanding before looking in Juan¡¯s direction and motioning him toe

    over with the rest of the alliance. Before Lucianne could ask what he was doing, Christian appeared next

    to her and asked his cousin, ¡°I¡¯m notte, am I?¡±

    Lucianne looked puzzled. ¡°What do you mean te¡¯? Dinnersts for the next five hours.¡±

    Ignoring her, Xandar said, ¡°No. You¡¯re right on time, in fact.¡±

    Christian caught Lucianne¡¯s confused look, and he grinned cheekily as he exined, ¡°You¡¯ll know soon,

    my Queen. And it¡¯s great to see you up and energized again.¡±

    Lucy looked at Juan, who was walking over with the rest of the alliance, and she asked in confusion

    through their mind-link, ¡®What is going on?¡¯

    He shrugged his shoulders and linked back, ¡®Your guess is as good as mine, Lucy. I have no

    idea.¡¯

    Seeing their eyes ze over and Juan¡¯s shoulders shrugged as he looked at Lucy, Xandar caressed his

    mate¡¯s shoulders before whispering, ¡°Rx, beautiful. It¡¯ll be fun.¡±

    caress

    Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at her mate and questioned in disbelief, ¡°Fun?¡±

    Christian then chimed in with a mischievous smile, ¡°Yes, fun.¡±

    The Duke moved to his cousin¡¯s side, and the alliance took their ce beside Lucianne.(This novel will

    be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Xandar then took one more look at his confused mate before he

    smiled at his subjects and started speaking, ¡°My loyal subjects, may I have your attention please?¡±

    The room fell silent and all eyes were on them.

    ¡°Many of you may have heard, but some of you have yet to know, that the Jewel Pack had to face two

    rounds of rogue attacks earlier today. The first started after midnight, which cost the pack eleven

    warriors. Needless to say, their sacrifice to protect their people will not be forgotten.¡± All the werewolves

    had distressed looks as they empathized with one of their own. Lucianne¡¯s gaze met the floor as she too

    mourned for the loss.

    Catching Lucianne¡¯s expression, Xandarced their fingers together before he continued,¡± The second

    attack came at dawn. Eleven rogues invaded, three of whom¡­were Lycans.¡± There were audible gasps

    from everyone in attendance, particrly the Lycans who hadn¡¯t had to face a single threat in their lives.

    ¡°The people standing by my side here are members of the alliance who have put an end to the threat at

    the Jewel Pack. It is because of their own initiative that there were, thankfully, no further casualties. It is

    because of their nobility that the Jewel Pack can now honour their fallen warriors in peace. It is because

    of their bravery and sacrifice that the pack remains in existence. But their victory came with a price.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s expression turned hard, and his grip around Lucianne¡¯s hand tightened as he said,¡± The leader

    of the alliance came out badly injured. In efforts to follow a runaway rogue wolf, she came head-to-head

    with three rogue Lycans.¡± Juan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he recalled the incident, and he ced his hand

    on Lucianne¡¯s shoulder in remorse. She gave him an encouraging smile, signifying that it was okay, not

    that it made her brother-like figure feel any better.

    Xandar continued, ¡°She was alone and surrounded. Even so, she managed to kill one of them before

    help arrived.¡± The werewolves¡¯ ps and cheers obliged Xandar to pause. Some, if not most of them,

    already knew who he was talking about. Lucianne wondered how Xandar knew what happened in such

    detail, and gathered that Juan must have told him somehow.

    When the apuse died down, Xandar proceeded with his speech, ¡°Sadly, that was where things took a

    turn. They attacked her. She was wounded so badly that she bled. She was weakened so much that she

    couldn¡¯t even stand. Andter, her energy was so drained that she couldn¡¯t even speak. Three members

    of the alliance came to help her but the rogue Lycans were not faltering. Thankfully, the Duke and I

    managed to get there on time to help out before the unthinkable happened.¡± He patted his cousin on the

    shoulder and threw him a grateful nce.

    ¡°The people before you knew the likelihood of losing their lives. They were fully aware of the risks. Even

    when a new threat arose, none of them showed signs of wavering. They stood to protect, to fight and to

    be ready to die trying. Never in my years as Prince and as King have I witnessed what I saw this

    morning. Lycans, we have been living in the dark for far too long. Our cousin species have been facing

    this all on their own. It¡¯s time that changed. I doubt that the three rogue Lycans we met today are the only

    ones in existence. The stakes have never been higher. It¡¯s time to take training seriously, regardless of

    whether you were ever taught to fight.¡±

    ¡°That being said, I expressed my highest gratitude to the members of the alliance for what they did. But,

    it would be arrogant of me to think that they protected the pack for their ruler. Their intention was clearly

    to protect their ally. As King, I feel ashamed,¡± then he looked at Cummings and Whiw, and said

    condescendingly, ¡°that my own governing body could not handle what my people had so willingly taken

    into their own hands.¡± All eyes fell on the minister and his deputy, whose heads faced the ground.

    Lucianne started stroking Xandar¡¯s hand to calm him down before he continued,(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)

    ¡°Members of the alliance, it was an utmost pleasure to have fought alongside you but the Duke and I

    apologize for arrivingte on the battlefield.¡± The alliance and the other werewolves in the hall started

    laughing at this point.

    Xandar¡¯s eyes then met Lucianne¡¯s, and his loud voice continued to ring loud and clear through the hall,

    ¡°And it is my greatest honor to be bonded by our Goddess to the noble leader of the alliance, Lucianne

    Freesia Paw.¡± Lucianne¡¯s smile fell, and shock reced her features. Christian was grinning at her

    cheekily from the side as she waited for what was about to happen next.

    Xandar¡¯s smile broadened as he went on, ¡°Lucy is known to put the lives of others before her own. And

    today, I personally witnessed her doing so. She held off the Lycans alone until help arrived. She suffered

    the highest degree of anguish from the attack yet she forced herself to stay awake until she was certain

    that the threat had been neutralized. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    And throughout the entire ordeal, never did she resort toining or ming. Her actions have been

    far more

    selfless than any ruler I¡¯ve heard of. Her contribution as a warrior, a friend and an ally are far more

    significant than anyone I know. Her grace and humility is something one can only wish to replicate. But

    her noblest act didn¡¯te from the battlefield.¡± Everyone in the room was left in suspense, even

    Lucianne herself.

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24

    Xandar¡¯s smile increased in its radiance as he continued, ¡°In our history, no Queen was known to have

    fought alongside her people. It¡¯s because of that that Lucianne was ready to sever our mate bond to

    continue to fight for those who couldn¡¯t.¡± There were gasps of shock and despair that didn¡¯t even bother

    to be subtle, mostly from the werewolfmunity. Juan, Tate and Toby started feeling uneasy. 2

    Xandar smiled as he continued to speak, ¡°And to be honest, she would have been doing the right thing.¡±

    This garnered noughter or support, only silence and confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t see why she must give up

    protecting our people when the whole point of being a Queen is to protect the people. (This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    Her name will go down in history for many great things. But arguably, the most significant thing that Lucy

    will be known for is being the first Queen to grace the battlefields with her presence, and fight alongside

    our people. I would be an idiot of a King if I forbade her from continuing what she does. Werewolves, you

    will not lose her. Lycans, you have no idea how fortunate we are to have her.¡± 1

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes were already glistening, touched by Xandar¡¯s words. He kissed the back of her hand

    before saying, ¡°Our Goddess could not have blessed our Kingdom with a more qualified Queen. And I

    can only hope to be a King worthy enough to rule alongside you, my dear.¡±

    As Xandar held onto her hand, he knelt on one knee and tilted his head down to bow in her direction

    before addressing Lucianne in a thunderous voice, ¡°My Queen.¡± 1

    Lucianne¡¯s posture straightened in shock. Behind Xandar, Christian knelt and bowed in the same manner

    as his cousin, and addressed her equally loudly, ¡°My Queen.¡±

    One by one, everyone in the hall, including the members of the alliance, knelt, bowed and uttered ¡®My

    Queen¡¯ in the way that their King and Duke were doing. Lucianne was so stunned that, for a moment,

    she could not find her voice.

    When she found it, she took a deep breath and said, ¡°Rise. All of you.¡± Even she was surprised by the

    power which exuded from her vocal chords. It was so different from how she normally spoke that she

    wondered whether it was really her who said it.

    Xandar and Christian were the first to stand, their grins wide. She turned to face everyone, and when the

    last person stood up, her voice rang through the hall in a way she had never heard before, ¡°Long ago, I

    made a promise to myself that as long as I live, I will do everything i n my power to protect the innocent

    and defend the vulnerable. Tonight, I am making that same promise to everyone in this Kingdom. It is an

    honor to have fought alongside so many brave and noble warriors and leaders over the years, all of

    whom I¡¯m proud to call my brothers and sisters. And it is with esteemed pleasure that I continue to serve

    to the best of m y abilities.¡±

    She bent her knees slightly, and her head tilted to bow back to the crowd before she regained

    her standing position and continued, ¡°You can be assured that I will not stop until everyst threat has

    been neutralized. I will not give up even when I¡¯m weakened. I will fight alongside you, and together, we

    will win.¡±

    A deafening round of apuse and cheers filled the air in the dining hall. Her voice radiated

    thority and nobility. Everyone who wasn¡¯t jealous of her looked at her i nawe. Even some of the Lycans

    started looking at her with some form of respect and

    admiration. Xandar was the proudest man in the room and the happiest Lycan alive.(This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar) Between the cheers, Lucianne brought herself to his ear and said,

    ¡°You and your cousin have a strange definition for the word ¡®fun¡¯, dearest.¡±

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    She felt his lips curled into a smirk by her ear when he said, ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me, my

    love. Herees the fun part.¡±

    He pulled back from her only to lift her chin up before smashing his lips onto hers. Lucianne was caught

    off guard. She didn¡¯t think Xandar would kiss her on her lips in front of his subjects. When she regained

    her senses and pulled away, she pecked Xandar on his lips before shaking her head slightly in

    disapproval with a shy smile.

    Xandar noted his mate¡¯s beautifully-blushed cheeks, and kissed her sweetly on her forehead before they

    turned back to the even more enthusiastic crowd. Christian was patting his cousin on the shoulder like he

    was congratting him.

    ¡®That¡¯s a very huge progress sincest night, cuz. Look at this room. There¡¯s no way she can¡¯t rule as our

    Queen.¡¯

    Xandar smiled as he gazed at Lucianne, ¡®I have no doubt she¡¯ll do better than any of the Queens from

    the past.¡¯

    Juan pulled Lucianne into a hug and linked, ¡®We¡®re so happy for you, Lucy. Hale and I. You¡¯ve deserved

    this for years now. It¡¯s about time you got it.¡¯

    ¡®The mate or the praise?¡¯

    Juan chuckled through the mind link. ¡®Both, Lucy. Both.¡¯ 1

    ¡®Thank you, Juan. For everything.¡¯

    They pulled apart, and he looked at the Gamma whom he had been calling his sister for as long as they

    both could remember. ¡°Lucy, it¡¯s more appropriate for me to thank you. For everything you¡¯ve done for

    us.¡±

    Tate¡¯s voice came from the side, ¡°Why are you guys getting so sentimental?(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)

    The King just said that we are not going to lose her!¡± He held Lucianne for only a short moment and

    patted her o n the back. ¡°d that¡¯s cleared up eh, Lucy?¡±

    ¡°You have no idea. Thanks, Tate. For making me talk.¡± Lucianne smirked.

    Dinner carried on after that. Lucianne introduced Xandar and Christian to a few more pack members who

    had concerns regarding rogue attacks and financial hardship. Many

    werewolves walked up to Lucianne to express their concern before thanking her for her contribution and

    her sacrifices. She was flustered, and kept emphasizing that she couldn¡¯t have done it without the

    warriors and leaders who fought with her. 1

    Every time someone thanked Lucianne, Xandar¡¯s heart swelled with pride. Even some Lycans walked up

    to her to introduce themselves. They were proper and polite, clearly not used to speaking to a werewolf.

    Lucianne didn¡¯t press for their conversation to be natural. She knew that it would take time. It was

    astonishing enough that they were trying.

    After Xandar walked her to her room, he pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss before letting her go. He

    looked at her dreamily with a smile stered on his face until she closed the door behind her. His animal

    was not whimpering as loudly as it normally would. That night, he had no trouble falling asleep.

    In a luxurious bar at the far end of the city, Sasha Cummings was on her eight ss of wine i n her

    private lounge but she was nowhere near being calm or drunk. She emptied the wine ss, threw it at

    the wall and the broken pieces of ss joined the previously broken wine sses. (This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    The minister¡¯s daughter scorned her guest seated in front of her, who had a serious expression on his

    face.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25

    ¡°You said you could get rid of her.¡± Sasha glowered.

    ¡°As I have already exined the past five times, there wereplications. Who knew that the King and

    that pesky other-cousin of his would get there in time?¡± Greg retorted.

    ¡°Hmph! After getting rid of almost all the warriors to draw that little Gamma there, she still couldn¡¯t die.¡±

    Sasha barked, ¡°How is it that not even one of the three of them could stick a simple knife into the body of

    a wolf who, from what I¡¯ve been hearing from the people who heard the King¡¯s speech, COULDN¡¯T

    EVEN STAND?!! Are these people you got for the job even qualified?!¡± 1

    Greg red at her and challenged, ¡°Do you have any alternative resources to do it, besides mine?¡±

    Sasha crossed her arms and averted her re to the wall, remaining silent. Greg smug. ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t

    think so.¡±

    ¡°Besides,¡±Greg began, ¡°Why want to kill her? Why not just feed her something to drive her insane?¡± He

    said emotionlessly but only he knew that he had an ulterior motive for keeping Lucianne alive.

    Sasha¡¯s death re came back to lock with his eyes. ¡°If you think the King would leave her when we

    drive her insane, you¡¯ve been living under a boulder for longer than any Lycan in existence.¡± She

    slouched back into her armchair, and red at the wall with glistening eyes o frage and jealousy(This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    . ¡°The way he looks at her is just sickening. That speech tonight to make her feel good about herself and

    her ugly-looking friends is all a joke¡­¡±

    ¡°If you think that was a joke, you clearly don¡¯t know what my contacts have always been capable of doing

    without a trace, until this morning. As much as I hate them, I¡¯m not blind. Those friends of hers really did

    the impossible today before the two cousins showed up.¡±Greg retorted. Unbeknownst to him, one of the

    people he hired remained alive, and was locked up i n prison.

    Sasha then sat back up and spat, ¡°I want her dead. She does not deserve to be Queen. I DO!¡± She

    mmed the table between them with both hands to release part of her seething anger and in a

    murderous voice she uttered, ¡°Get rid of her by all means necessary. She got lucky this time. Her friends

    were there to buy her time. Kill her friends if that¡¯s what it takes to get

    rid of her.¡± 1

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Greg snorted. ¡°Hah! You really think we can eliminate everyst wolf willing to protect the

    little Gamma before we get caught ourselves? Wow. You¡¯re definitely dumber than I remembered. Did

    you even feel the influence she has among her kind before you were kicked out?¡± He chuckled darkly at

    Sasha¡¯s naivety.

    Greg pondered for a moment before suggesting, ¡°We could always sedate and abduct her, sell

    her on some underground ck market.¡±

    ¡°No. I want her DEAD! DEAD!¡± Sasha breathed heavily. Then, a waitress opened the door to ce the

    ninth wine ss on the table and left. Sasha then hissed, ¡°Why are you so pinned o n keeping her

    alive?!¡± Greg tried his best to mask his difort but Sasha caught him before he could put on his

    emotionless mask.

    ¡°Oh, my goddess.¡± Sasha¡¯s voice was the lightest and the most taunting for the first time that night. ¡°You

    like her. You like the Gamma.¡±

    When Greg didn¡¯t deny her assertion and continued to avert his eyes as he sipped on his drink, (This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Sasha snorted in jealousy. Jealousy of so many people

    going after a dull-looking¡­ thing. She sneered, ¡°Even without the mate bond, that good-for-nothing

    brother of mine wants her so badly that he would humiliate himself to win her back.¡±

    ¡°Seb lost his chance.¡± Greg stated simply, and sipped from his ss again.

    Sasha cocked her head and asked sarcastically, ¡°Oh, and you haven¡¯t? Is that what you¡¯re trying to say?

    What do you want with that thing anyway? Just because the King wants it?¡±

    Greg¡¯s nostrils red in anger as he dered, ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less what my cousin wants.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± Sasha was wiping away her tears from all the anger and continued, ¡°Oh, Goddess. The infamous

    rake of a Duke wants to f*ck a wolf. Running out of Lycans to sleep with?¡±

    Greg growled, making Sasha flinch. His low voice was menacing when he said, ¡°Watch your mouth.¡±

    Sasha wasn¡¯t about to give up. ¡°Funny how you couldn¡¯t say that to the piece of dirt when she made fun

    of you.¡± :

    ¡°The only piece of dirt I see right now is you. And unlike you, the wolf made an indisputable point.¡± He

    continued to speak in a low voice as he recalled how he tried to insult Lucianne without knowing what

    she was capable of saying in return. ¡®Ignorance is blissful, your Grace, until it gets you killed.(This novel

    will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) ¡® He reyed her words in his head, and took another sip

    from his ss before muttering, ¡°She¡¯s different.¡±

    Sasha emptied the winess at one-go, and threw it at the wall again. ¡°Lycan men are going blind. Of so

    many beautiful creatures around them, they choose to have eyes for a stunted, bad -mouthed,

    disrespectful piece of sh*t. Hmph!¡± She then smiled schemingly and said, ¡°The most selfless thing I¡¯ve

    ever done was to get her to walk in on my brother with a friend after drugging him. A wolf has no ce

    with the esteemed Cummings family.¡±

    Greg chuckled darkly, and made noment until Sasha prompted, ¡°Something to say, your Grace?¡±

    ¡°You said I¡¯ve been living under a boulder. I¡¯m thinking of an even bigger rock for you but I¡¯m not getting

    anything. So, I¡¯ll just say that you¡¯re living in a cave.¡± His stern eyes locked with Sasha¡¯s infuriated ones

    as he said, ¡°Did you not notice that Alfred Cummings and Pierre

    Whiw have been in deep sh*t since my cousins discovered the rogue Lycans we sent? And didn¡¯t I

    hear that your father had to beg the King for forgiveness after you humiliated the wolf? Also, if I recall

    correctly, you told me yourself that your father had to apologize to a Luna, a wolf, in front of

    everyone.¡±Greg chuckled again and continued, ¡°If anything, the Cummings are probably the worst name

    to be associated with this year.¡±

    Sasha was gritting her teeth and boiling in anger. How can that little wolf cause so many problems for her

    family even when she was no longer bonded to her brother?! Sasha made sure she got rid of Lucianne

    to be rid of anything dirty that would tarnish the family¡¯s name! How could this happen?!

    ¡°Killing her by fighting her won¡¯t do.¡±, Greg said ¡°She¡¯s too strong. She has too many allies. And she

    clearly won¡¯t break with any verbal assault, even if we were in a public setting. This isn¡¯t like my distant

    cousin¡¯s mate. That one was easy and useless. This one¡­she¡¯s different.¡± His voice softened when he

    said thest part.

    ¡°So, what do you suggest? Poison her? Didn¡¯t you say that it would be too traceable from your

    experience?¡± Sasha got to thinking.

    Greg then spoke in a business-like manner, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too risky. (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)

    We won¡¯t be doing that. It¡¯s not worth it. I¡¯ve only managed to get away with it once. Even then, I was

    almost caught. The man I sent was called in as a suspect. I had to eliminate him myself and make his

    death look like a suicide before they traced the trail back to me.¡±

    ¡°Once? How? When?¡± Sasha asked.

    Greg grinned in a despicable way. ¡°Have you ever wondered why my distant cousin never had any

    children?¡±

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26

    The arrogant Duke took in Sasha¡¯s look of anticipation as he continued to exin, ¡°Those two never had

    any children because I got someone to pose as a barista, and got my distant cousin¡¯s mate to drink the

    coffee that wasced with some very powerful, very effective anti pregnancy drug.¡±

    Sasha narrowed her eyes as she asked in annoyance, ¡°Contraceptives, you mean?¡±

    Greg rolled his eyes, ¡°Stop insulting me, Cummings. The effects of the ones I ordered for her are

    permanent, even in small doses. And it¡¯s illegal, so don¡¯t expect to find it in your regr drugstore. The

    best part? There is no remedy and no cure for anyone who ingests it.¡±

    Sasha was confused. ¡°Why would you want to do that? I thought your beef was just with the King. What

    do you have against the ckfurs?¡±

    ¡°The ckfurs have been a pain in the as* since thete King Lucas married thete Queen Vera. That

    is probably the only thing I hated about my uncle.(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    I loved the old man like a father but Vera ckfur¡¯s family are¡­how do I put this¡­a n of useless,

    empty-headed goody-two shoes. They never saw the benefits of profits and money. It was all about the

    people, the people and the people. Idiots.¡± Greg shook his head in disgust and disapproval.

    ¡°That¡¯s a problem because?¡± Sasha was not following.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    was

    Greg sighed audibly, like he was getting frustrated of having to exin something so simple and obvious.

    He sipped on his drink to calm himself before saying, ¡°That¡¯s a problem because that King cousin of mine

    chose to be a goody-two-shoes with the ckfurs, and made that ckfur cousin of his second-in-

    command.¡± Greg drowned his drink before mming the ss back on the table with force. It was a

    miracle that the ss didn¡¯t break. 1

    With onyx eyes and red nostrils, the Duke then shouted, ¡°I held office longer! That position should¡¯ve

    been MINE! First, I can¡¯t be a King. Then, I can¡¯t even be SECOND to the King?! To hell with it! And that

    ckfur had the gall to rub it in my face, saying that I was ¡®never fit¡¯ to hold office. Hmph.¡± He chuckled

    darkly and shook his head before he muttered in all cockiness, ¡°So, I got his mate sterilized. I guess that

    makes us even now.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Makes sense.¡± Sasha uttered in agreement as she digested what Greg did to the other Duke. Like

    him, she did not have a single shred of sympathy for the couple who fell victim to the Duke¡¯s actions.

    Sasha pushed the ckfur sterilisation issue aside, and cleared her throat before she locked a taunting

    re at Greg as she said, ¡°So, what do you suggest for our next step? I still want that piece of dirt dead.

    If you don¡¯t have it in you to give me the proper contacts I need to kill her, I¡¯ll ask someone else.¡±

    Greg¡¯s eyes darkened, and he growled ferociously at Sasha. His voice threw her back into her seat. The

    angered Duke then threw a warning in her way, ¡°Recklessness¡­ will get us nowhere

    with Lucianne. We should observe her a little longer before we decide our next move.¡±

    Sasha¡¯s eyes widened in surprise before hatred reced them as she scorned, ¡°Did you just refer to her

    by her n-¡±

    ¡°So what if I did?¡± He challenged and leaned forward. His onyx eyes never left Sasha¡¯s as he warned her

    for the second time in a low voice, ¡°In the name of our business rtionship, let m e offer you some

    advice, Cummings. Do NOT do anything before understanding the full extent of the consequences. It

    won¡¯t end well for you. I have to leave now. Enjoy your drink.¡±

    Greg then stood and left without sparing his host another nce. Two seconds after he closed the door

    behind him, Sasha threw thetest emptied wine ss at the wall as she screamed i n infuriation.

    Frustration, anger and jealousy consumed her being.

    First, her brother didn¡¯t want to let the wolf go. Then, the King she wanted for herself became bonded to

    that thing. Now, the very person she asked to help get rid of the pest is having second-thoughts about

    cooperating with her. Sasha knew that she had to find a way to take matters into her own hands if she

    wanted the job to be done soon. 2 har

    She ignored the messages sent by the daughters of the other ministers. These women were clearly more

    interested in gossiping about her than expressing their concern for her. Sasha left the bar and went

    home. As soon as she got out of her car, she saw Sebastian standing in their garden watching the

    flowerbed of Irrelises alone in silence, just like he did every night before he slept and every morning after

    he woke up.

    Sasha rolled her eyes and didn¡¯t bother to acknowledge him, knowing that he was just reminiscing about

    his time with the very person she was trying to get rid of. It was such a bummer. He could have been her

    aplice if he hated her too. Honestly, what did he see in that little thing?(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)

    He was a Cummings, a minister¡¯s son! With their father¡¯s position, wealth, influence and power,

    Sebastian could easily get any female he wanted so couldn¡¯t he at least develop better taste when

    choosing to fall in love? Sasha sighed when she didn¡¯t see the point in bringing up the subject with her

    brother again. ¡®He¡¯s a lost cause¡¯, she thought to herself while making her way to her room. 2

    In the bathroom, she reyed the events with the Duke while brushing her teeth. When she recalled how

    Greg called Lucianne¡¯s name, in softness and gentleness, Sasha screamed out the wrath that had been

    bottling-up from the entire night. She threw her toothbrush with force at the mirror as she continued to

    scream. The toothbrush bounced off the mirror and fell onto the floor, causing no damage to the piece of

    ss reflecting Sasha¡¯s mascara smudged eyes and her angered-induced flustered face. 2

    Her breathing was heavy and rapid as she continued to curse Lucianne in her head. When she was

    done, she med the Moon Goddess for the stupid mistake of bonding something like that to the King.

    The moment she could finally calm down, Sasha looked at her face in the mirror, and a wide, sinister grin

    reflected in the ss as she uttered to herself in all

    confidence, ¡°Sasha Sarafina Cummings, one way or another, you will be crowned Queen.¡±

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27

    The next morning, Lucianne walked in with Juan and Hale for breakfast. As soon as she stepped into the

    dining hall, the Lycans and werewolves in the room bent their knees by a few inches and lowered their

    heads in their direction. Juan, Hale and Lucianne stopped in their tracks and turned around. They looked

    at each other in confusion when Xandar was nowhere to be seen. Xandar was the only person who

    could make the whole room bow like that but he wasn¡¯t in the room yet so why was everyone bowing?

    ¡°Uhh¡­I think it¡¯s for you, Lucy.¡± Juan whispered. His suggestion made Lucianne flinch internally. Some

    of the people were already looking her way from the corner of their eyes, wondering if she was going to

    allow them to stand anytime soon.

    She bowed at the crowd in return before resuming her standing position, and said in the same powerful

    voice she used the previous night, ¡°Please, stand when I stand, to signify that we stand through every

    prosperity and hardship together.¡± Everyone lifted their heads and stood upright in admiration of what

    they had just heard. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)There were surprised oohs

    and aahs at Lucianne¡¯s words that breathed humility and regality. No one they bowed to had ever offered

    a bow in return. Lucianne was the first.

    ¡°Wow!¡± Christian¡¯s voice came from behind Lucianne. ¡°If my cousin weren¡¯t bonded to you, I would¡¯ve

    been the first to suggest he abdicated the throne for you to take it.¡± She turned around to see him

    approach her with a cheeky smile. And Christian, with an arm stretched diagonally across his chest, tilted

    his head slightly as he greeted her, ¡°My Queen.¡±

    aron

    Lucianne smirked, ¡°Good morning to you too, Christian.¡±

    She got back to talking to the wolves, and was relieved that they still spoke like they normally would as

    allies and friends. Zeke, Tate and Juan then asked her if there were any updates on the rogue that was

    being held captive. They were less worried knowing that he was still unconscious untilter in the

    afternoon.

    Suddenly, everyone in the hall bowed a second time. Lucianne turned to see Xandar takingrge strides

    towards her with smiling eyes and a visible upward curl of his lips. He slid his hand into hers before he

    faced the room and¡­bowed in return?? When he stood, his loud voice rang loud in the hall, ¡°As our

    Queen has said, stand when we stand because we all stand together, through everything.¡± There was

    admiration when Lucianne said those words. But there was only shock and confusion when Xandar

    replicated them. Still, they obliged while throwing each other doubtful nces. Did the King really say

    that?

    He gazed at his mate lovingly before uttering in his husky voice, ¡°Good morning, beautiful.¡±

    ¡°In a good mood this morning, I see.¡± She teased.

    ¡°Mm.¡± He kissed her on her forehead before stating, ¡°It got better when I heard about the new formality

    you¡¯ve started. Another first.¡±

    It was clear that he was talking about her idea of bowing back to the people. Seemingly unperturbed,

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes and asked, ¡°Christian told you, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Queen. I definitely did.¡± Christian then joined their conversation, (This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)¡°As much as I love and respect you, my Queen, I didn¡¯t trust you to tell the

    King. Knowing your level of humility, you would downy what really happened. And uh cuz¡­¡± he

    looked at Xandar, ¡°I meant it when I said you should consider abdicating your throne to her.¡±

    ¡°Christian,¡± Lucianne started, ¡°Why do I get the feeling you¡¯ve exaggerated what really happened?¡±

    Before his cousin could respond, Xandar chuckled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think so, babe. After I said what you

    did earlier, I could¡¯ve sworn I heard at least twenty different voices in this room asking each other

    whether I just copied my Queen.¡±

    Lucianne then asked in difort, ¡°Xandar, is it even appropriate to ask everyone to address me as

    that? I¡¯m technically not a Queen.¡±

    Christian then told Xandar, ¡°I can have her coronation arranged by tomorrow, cuz. Just say the word.¡±

    ¡°No! That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± Lucianne frantically eximed.

    Christian then chuckled, ¡°Rx, my Queen. I was only joking. There really is no hurry.¡±

    Xandar took Lucianne¡¯s hands and his lc eyes looked affectionately into her worried ck orbs, ¡°Lucy,

    the title doesn¡¯t indicate that we have to rush into anything. We¡¯re taking this slow. Before wanting to

    refuse being called our Queen, at least consider the fact that you¡¯ve already spoken andmanded

    like a Queenst night and this morning. So you backing out is going to disappoint a lot of people, not

    just me and Christian.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes, ¡°You two set me up. That was the n. You two are devious! You put me in

    a position where I couldn¡¯t refuse.¡±

    Xandar then kissed her forehead, finding her look of realization absolutely adorable, ¡°You could have

    refused. You could have run away or broken down in fear. But you didn¡¯t, you spoke like a true leader,

    andmanded like a noble ruler.¡±

    Lucianne then retorted, ¡°First of all, you know me well enough to know that I wouldn¡¯t run or cry in front of

    everyone. And if I wanted to run, your tight grip on my handst night would¡¯ve destroyed my ns in

    doing so. Two, we got lucky that I was able to speak like thatst night. For a whole minute, (This novel

    will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)I couldn¡¯t move or speak. I was petrified.¡±

    Christian then muttered to himself, ¡°Hm¡­ didn¡¯t seem like that though.¡±

    Xandar continued to smile as he persuaded, ¡°Come on, sweetheart. You were great! You did it this

    morning, too. I¡¯m sorry I missed it but I¡¯m sure it was equally, if not more, phenomenal.¡±

    Before Lucianne could speak, Christian butted in, ¡°It was definitely more phenomenal. And it

    was better than any speech you gave in thest eighteen years, cuz.¡± 1

    Xandar then eximed enthusiastically, ¡°See! Christian thinks so!¡± Lucianne was about to retort again

    but Xandar pouted, ¡°Baby, it¡¯s not that bad. Just think of it as someone calling your name.¡±

    Lucianne said sarcastically, ¡°Right, why didn¡¯t I think of it? The title of a Queen sounds just like my

    name.¡±

    Christian deliberately ignored her sarcasm, ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s the spirit, my Queen!¡±

    Lucianne threw him a frustrated re but Xandar brought her attention back to him as he said seriously,

    ¡°Lucy, you are more than worthy to be our Queen. Didn¡¯t you see how many people you inspiredst

    night? How many spirits were lit up? Forget about the Lycans if you want to for now but didn¡¯t you feel

    the renewed sense of hope from the wolves when you spoke the way you did?¡±

    Lucianne silently recalled the audience the previous night. The wolves definitely looked thrilled and

    happy when she spoke, and the cheers from them were deafening after she finished. As she reminisced

    about the many happy and excited faces in the crowd the previous night, a smile subconsciously graced

    her features.

    Xandar then said softly and sincerely, ¡°You¡¯re giving us hope, Lucy. More importantly, you¡¯re giving them

    hope, the werewolves. You don¡¯t need me to tell you that your kind has been overlooked for far too long,

    so much so that many had given up hoping for any help from us. (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)But you¡¯re changing that for them. Don¡¯t think of being called a Queen as being

    addressed by a royal title. Just think of it as being a beacon of hope and symbol of change for all of us,

    but more so for them. How about that?¡±

    Lucianne took a moment to look at the wolves in the room before she looked back at Xandar

    and uttered, ¡°Okay.¡± Xandar smiled radiantly and pecked a kiss on her lips as he said assuringly, ¡°You¡¯ll

    do great, Lucy. You¡¯ll see.¡±

    Despite being moved by his words of encouragement, Lucianne looked at the cousins in mock sternness

    before she dered, ¡°But this does not mean I¡¯m letting you two off the hook

    for what you both did to mest night.¡±

    Christian then raised his hands in front of his chest and said in mock fear, ¡°It was all Xandar¡¯s idea, my

    Queen. I had no choice but to oblige.¡±

    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.

    Xandar put on his mock look of hurt, ¡°Really? We get caught and you throw me under the bus? Where¡¯s

    your sense of loyalty to your best friend, cousin?¡±

    Christian responded without hesitation, ¡°Did you even hear herst night? She will not stop until every

    last threat is neutralized. I don¡¯t want to be on the receiving end of her wrath with you, cuz. You¡¯re on

    your own.¡± 3

    Lucianne couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the cousins¡¯ harmless bickering. The atmosphere between the

    three of them eased considerably. Suddenly, her eyes zed over as she received

    a mind-link from Juan, ¡®Lucy, could you ask the King and the Duke to spare five minutes with us? It¡¯s

    about the rogue Lycan from the Jewel pack.¡¯

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28

    Xandar and Christian noticed Lucianne¡¯s eyes ze over so they waited for her to speak. Her tone

    turned serious, ¡°A few members of the alliance want to speak with you both about the rogue Lycan. They

    were hoping that the two of you could spare five minutes.¡±

    ¡°Juan!¡± Xandar called out like a brother with a smile and walked towards him with Lucianne. Christian

    followed closely behind.

    Juan was with Zeke, Zelena and Tate, and they greeted them, ¡°My King. Your Grace.¡± (This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar)Xandar and Christian both bowed back, and the wolves lifted their

    heads as soon as Xandar and Christian lifted theirs. 1

    Juan began, ¡°Your Highness, Your Grace. Lucy mentioned that the rogue is due to regain consciousness

    this afternoon?¡±

    ¡°He is.¡± Christian confirmed with a smile.

    Juan then asked doubtfully, ¡°Would it be possible if one of us attended the interrogation process? We

    don¡¯t mean to intrude but we would very much appreciate a chance to listen in o

    n¡­¡±

    ¡°I was expecting all of you to attend it actually.¡± Xandar uttered with confusion of why the rest of the

    alliance didn¡¯t want to be involved. The b*stard attacked one of their own! They attacked Lucy!

    ¡°Really?¡± Luna Zelena asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Really?¡± Alpha Tate asked right after her.

    Xandar then said, ¡°Of course. Why not? We¡¯ll be questioning him in a room with a one-way mirror. You

    can all watch and listen in from the next room. I don¡¯t see why anyone would think that the presence of

    the whole alliance would be an issue.¡±

    Alpha Zeke was still in disbelief, ¡°Really?¡±

    Xandar turned to Lucianne helplessly and said, ¡°Sweetheart, help us please.¡±

    Lucianne then looked at her friends and said, ¡°Guys, just take it.¡±

    They seemed to have finallye out of their shock, ¡°Thank you, your Highness.¡±

    Luna Zelena added, ¡°We really appreciate it, and um¡­some of us had a thought that¡­¡± she looked at

    Alpha Zeke, who nodded hesitantly, before Zelena continued, ¡°We think they may have been targeting

    Lucy in particr so we are all very concerned. We normally wouldn¡¯t interfere in matters unrted to

    our pack but, for this particr case, we had to ask. Thank you for granting us our wish.¡±

    Christian then said, ¡°We¡¯re on the same page, Luna Zelena. Xandar and I feel that our Queen

    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.

    was the one they were really after, too. We need everyone involved to be on board to see if we can

    connect the dots together.¡± He then chuckled and patted his cousin on the shoulder before dering, ¡°My

    cousin and I would be very concerned if the alliance didn¡¯t want to be involved in the investigation,(This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) to be honest. We haven¡¯t reached out to any of you yet

    because we have to monitor the rogue¡¯s condition today to see when the questioning can start.¡±

    Juan thrusted out his hand to Christian, ¡°Thank you, your Grace.¡± And he did the same thing t o Xandar,

    ¡°And you, your Highness.¡±

    Xandar took Juan¡¯s hand and smiled, ¡°Like I said, Juan. It is I who owe the alliance. I should b e the one

    expressing my thanks. We¡¯ll update you when we get any news.¡±

    After they¡¯ve gotten their food and sat down, Lucianne was pressing back a cheeky smile when a thought

    came to her. Xandar caught this, ¡°Lucy, do share the joke.¡±

    The others weren¡¯t at the table yet so she said, ¡°I was just thinking about how helpless you looked back

    there when Zeke still couldn¡¯t believe what you said.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± He prompted, taking her hands into his.

    Her eyes were flooded with humour, ¡°And you looked like the big, scary Lycan King who was desperately

    trying to be a softy. And it was funny.¡± Lucianne started giggling.

    Her choice of words and the sound of her giggles had somehow turned on a switch in Xandar, who then

    said in a husky voice, ¡°Careful, my love. If you keep teasing me like that, whatever i s soft in me would

    turn very, very hard.¡± 1

    Lucianne looked at him in confusion before she caught his lustful gaze. (This novel will be daily updtaed

    at .noveljar)Her smile dropped and she warned, ¡°The moment I smell your arousal, Xandar, I¡¯ll

    be sitting at a different table for the next three meals.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that fair? You¡¯re technically the one who started this.¡± Heined.

    ¡°You asked me about the joke!¡± She retorted in a whisper. He then said innocently, ¡°How should I know

    the joke could be¡­¡± ¡°Could be interpreted so inappropriately by your horny mind?¡± Lucianne smirked.

    Christian came with his te, ¡°You¡¯re doing it again, cuz? Take an online course on controlling your dirty

    thoughts. Maybe it¡¯ll help. Maybe it won¡¯t, in which case, you¡¯ll be sitting alone.¡±

    Xandar then looked at his cousin with a mock look of betrayal, ¡°You¡¯re ditching your childhood friend for

    your Queen?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I am.¡± Christian said without hesitation before offering a slight bow to the giggling Lucianne to

    signify his loyalty to her over his cousin.

    Xandar leaned into his mate and pecked a kiss on her cheek as he whispered into her ear in his deep,

    alluring voice, ¡°First, you steal my heart. Then, you beat me inbat. Now, you¡¯re

    even taking my best friend. Is there a limit to what you can take from me, my love?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s cheeks got warmer, and she felt Xandar¡¯s lips curling into a smirk at how her body responded

    to his voice, his words. Then, the very scent she was afraid of smelling in a public setting started filling

    the space between them. Her shyness diminished, taken over by annoyance.

    Her stern eyes fixed on Xandar¡¯s flirtatious ones as she demanded in a hushed voice, (This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡±Control it, your Highness.¡±

    He knew exactly what she was talking about. Xandar chuckled lightly at her seriousness and allowed

    himself a brief peck on her nose before he muttered, ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡± Disregarding his animal¡¯s

    protest, Xandar pulled away from his sexually attractive mate and the scent of his arousal disappeared,

    much to Lucianne¡¯s relief. But from Christian¡¯s suppressed smile, it was clear that the Duke knew exactly

    what just went on

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29

    At training, Lucianne had just finished demonstrating a technique to dodge the opponent¡¯s punch from

    the side without losing bnce. When she and Toby were moving on to the next pair of fighters.

    Someone yelled out, ¡°My Queen.¡±

    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Toby said in surprise when he saw two Lycans approaching them. Both young. One dark-

    haired and one light-haired.

    Lucianne turned to face them as they bowed and their heads lifted when Lucianne¡¯s head was lifted after

    bowing in return. ¡°Good morning, ministers. Toby, this is Sir Weaver, the Minister of Environment. And

    this is his mate, Lord Yarrington, the Minister of Education. Ministers, this is one of my closest brothers

    on the battlefield, Gamma Tobias Tristan.¡±

    *Pleasure.¡± The Ministers took turns thrusting out their hands to shake Toby¡¯s who managed t o stutter a

    surprise ¡°L-Likewise.¡±

    ¡°What can I do for you both?¡± Lucianne asked the ministers.

    They looked at each other before the light-haired Lycan, Sir Weaver, spoke, ¡°My Queen, we were

    wondering if you have any time in your schedule to watch us fight? The Lycan warriors have been

    showing us the same moves every year, and we feel like we¡¯ve hit a teau. (This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)And, t o be fair, those guys never fought in a real battle before. So, we

    were hoping to get some pointers from you since you have fought, and won, on a battleground. And

    maybe you could teach us some new techniques?¡±

    Toby held back a smile and muttered, ¡°Oh, wow.¡±

    Lucianne smiled, ¡°We will be happy to help but uh¡­¡± she looked around and was mentally counting the

    number of pairs that she and Toby would have to watch before she could slot the ministers in, ¡°Give us

    an hour?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be great! Thank you, my Queen.¡± They bowed and left.

    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Toby said for the third time.

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes, ¡°Really, Toby?¡±

    His cheeky smile appeared as they strolled towards Wainwright and Lyssa, ¡°I apologize for not living up

    to the Queen¡¯s expectations.¡± Lucianne smacked him mercilessly on his arm and he chuckled.

    Wainwright and Lyssa were both improving. Their sparringsted longer but Lyssa came out victorious

    again.

    ¡°Lucy,¡± Wainwright started, ¡°It really isn¡¯t easy to show no mercy to a woman fighter. I mean, I love my

    daughter and I see someone else¡¯s daughter when my opponent is a female.¡±

    e SOM

    ¡°Then the solution is simple, Alpha Wainwright.¡± Lucy said, ¡°Imagine that the woman you are fighting

    wants to harm your daughter.(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡± The Alpha¡¯s eyes

    turned dark for a moment before he

    nodded in understanding and said, ¡°That would work very well. Painful, but it works.¡±

    Lucianne then offered an alternative, ¡°A less painful method would be to imagine protecting your

    daughter from your opponent. But in my experience, it still makes one hesitate.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± Wainwright said with a smile.

    ¡°LUCY! LOOK OUT!¡± Juan¡¯s voice came from a short distance away. Zeke dashed from his mat near

    where they were, and pulled Lucy and Toby out of the way. Lyssa and Wainwright managed to take a few

    steps back from a Lycan which was punched from a few mats away and onto the mat where Lovce

    and Wainwright were sparring.

    ¡®What the hell!¡± Zeke spat in the Lycan¡¯s direction.

    TITIS

    The Lycan whichy on the mat was partially-shifted, its light brown fur on his arms and face showing but

    not to its full length and thickness. There was a growl, and his opponent, also partially-shifted with dark

    brown fur, ran through the crowd and pounced on the lying Lycan before extending its sharp ws.

    Lucianne recognised the scent of the Lycan who was attacking, and she yelled, ¡°SEBASTIAN

    CUMMINGS, STOP!¡±

    The attacking Lycan halted in its position. His ws hanging in the air. (This novel will be daily updtaed

    at .noveljar)Juan, Zelena and a few others were quickly by Lucianne¡¯s side. Xandar and

    Christian were running as fast as they could towards them. The cousins¡¯ adrenaline for sparring was put

    to a sudden halt when they heard Juan scream Lucianne¡¯s name.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Lucianne took a step towards the partially-shifted Lycans, her voice still strong as she demanded,

    ¡°RETRACT YOUR CLAWS, NOW!¡± Slowly, Sebastian retracted his ws.

    Lucianne then ordered in a slow, stern voice, ¡°Get off your opponent, and take five steps back.¡± And

    Sebastian did just that.

    Xandar reached where they were when Lucianne was approaching the Lycan lying on the ground. He

    pulled her by her hand and asked in panic, ¡°Baby, what happened? Are you hurt?¡± He started lifting her

    arms to look for wounds and bruises.

    ¡°Xandar, I¡¯m fine. Zeke pulled me out of the way.¡± Lucianne said, and took back her arms to continue

    walking towards the mat. She gave Sebastian a hard look and said slowly and clearly, ¡°Shift back. Now.¡±

    He bowed and obeyed, shifting back.

    She then looked at the Lycan on the mat and said, ¡°You too, your Grace. Shift back.¡± There were

    surprised and judgmental looks being thrown at Greg w and Sebastian Cummings

    from both the werewolf and Lycanmunities.

    Greg shifted back but remained t on the mat as he continued panting. (This novel will be daily updtaed

    at .noveljar)His chest rose and fell. Lucianne squatted next to his head to examine his features.

    His face and lips were not pale so he had enough air. His eyes looked normal so he wasn¡¯t injured there

    either. Any internal damage to his body caused by a punch of the fist would have been recovered already

    since Lycans recover faster from minor injuriespared to werewolves. There was nothing wrong with

    him. He could have gotten up even before Sebastian pounced on him. Lucianne suddenly regretted

    stopping Sebastian from plunging his ws into Greg¡¯s hypocritical being.

    She then stood up emotionlessly and dered, ¡°You can stop pretending now, your Grace. Get up.¡±

    He smirked coyly, ¡°How do you know that I¡¯m not really injured?¡±

    Her eyes burned down at his without a trace of humour, and she warned, ¡°Don¡¯t test me.¡±

    ¡°O-kay.¡± He stood up with ease.

    Xandar started, ¡°Greg, I warned you.¡± Greg retorted, ¡°Your Highness, that was in the dining hall about an

    issue of courtesy. This was a fight that went out of control.¡±

    Alfred Cummings and Pierre Whiw arrived by their side. And Alfred was stunned when he saw his

    son¡¯s remorseful face a few steps away from the incident.

    Xandar then said, ¡°If you want to train, Greg, you¡¯re wee to join. But stop causing trouble.¡±

    ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed, your Highness, I was the one who got flung all the way from over there.¡± Greg

    comined.

    Xandar studied Sebastian for a moment before looking back at Greg, ¡°I doubt this was all Cummings¡¯s

    doing.¡±

    Greg then challenged with a smirk, ¡°And what proof do you have of that, cousin?¡±

    Alfred then asked his son, ¡°Seb, what happened? Why did you hit him like that?¡±

    He looked at his father, then at Lucianne longingly for a mere second before he said, ¡°It¡¯s private¡­and

    personal.¡± 1

    Xandar turned back to his cousin and said sternly, ¡°Well, Greg. That was all the proof we needed. I¡¯m

    warning you, this is yourst chance. Next time, don¡¯t think of attending any meetings or coborations

    concerning the countries¡¯ affairs. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a Duke.¡±

    Greg gritted his teeth to reign in his anger at how much control Xandar had over him and everything else.

    From the corner of his eye, Greg noticed Lucianne was walking away from Xandar¡¯s side so he yelled

    out, ¡°I apologize, my Queen. I will do everything I can to ensure that it won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    Lucianne stopped in her tracks, turned, and her hardened look was still on when she said, (This novel

    will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡°I will believe it when I see it, your Grace.¡±

    ¡°And how can I show it to you, my Queen?¡± Greg asked with a sincere smile that he had never thought of

    showing before. He was beginning to learn that being flirtatious with her would only piss her off even

    more, which was another thing that made her¡­different.

    Lucianne snapped matter-of-factly, ¡°Watch your words. Just because you don¡¯t feel worthy, it doesn¡¯t give

    you the right to question the worth of others. If you don¡¯t know what to say, then train with your mouth

    SHUT!¡±

    Her words made Greg feel ufortable, which was strange. No one had ever made him feel like that

    before. He bowed and uttered with a guilty smile, ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡± Lucianne turned to

    Sebastian, whose eyes were on the ground, ¡°Sebastian Cummings.¡± He looked up at her in an instant,

    and she said, ¡°If your partner offends you, request for a partner swap. Don¡¯t shift when you¡¯re not

    supposed to.¡± ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡± He uttered guiltily.

    ¡°Excuse me, Gamma Lucianne.¡± Pierre Whiw came over to her, ¡°Procedurally speaking, you should¡¯ve

    sought mine or Minister Cummings¡¯s permission before you decided to resolve the sparring dispute¡­.¡±

    Xandar growled, ¡°How dare you speak to her like that?¡±

    Whiw was one of those from his father¡¯s reign, so he was one of the few who were less afraid of

    Xandar, ¡°Well, your Highness. I¡¯m merely doing your job. You see¡­¡±

    ¡°I needed to seek your permission?¡± Lucianne snorted with a murderous glint in her eye. Xandar knew

    that this minister was going to be dead soon. Christian was already waiting in anticipation a few steps

    away. So were the other wolves who knew her.

    Pierre Whiw was still unfamiliar with Lucianne¡¯s ways, so he said, (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)¡°Why, yes! What would a minister exist if it weren¡¯t for that, then?¡± A few steps behind

    Whiw, Alfred Cummings was already hiding his face in his hands at what his deputy just did. They

    were both going to get i t, he just knew

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30

    Lucianne took a step forward and look dead in Whiw¡¯s eye as she said, ¡°I know why a minister should

    exist. But I cannot fathom why you and Alfred Cummings exist, Minister Whiw. You both don¡¯t even

    know the packs which need help in rogue attacks. You both couldn¡¯t even tell me why we had to pay a

    ¡®to-be-confirmed¡¯ amount for Lycan warriors to help in a rogue attack. And, I distinctly remember that it

    was you Pierre Whiw, who told me to give up being a Gamma because I was asking too many

    questions.¡±

    Pierre¡¯s face was turning white but Lucianne didn¡¯t waver. ¡°You want to talk about procedure? It was your

    procedures that made packs resort to borrowing funds from each other to support their pack members. It

    is because of procedures that relief applications almost never reach the final stage for monies to be

    disbursed. And you want to speak about permission?¡± Lucianne scoffed, ¡°I didn¡¯t see youining

    about ack of permission when we fought off the rogues in the Jewel Pack, or any of the battles we

    fought before that. Why are youining about ack of permission to resolve a sparring dispute? Is

    your job scope only here, on this training ground?¡±

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He was already shaking. Lucianne¡¯s face burned into his

    eyes as she said, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡°Be grateful that we are doing

    your job while you hold your position, Whiw. Otherwise, give up being a Minister because you¡¯ve been

    answering too few questions.¡± 4

    ¡®I-I apologize, my Queen. Excuse me.¡± Whiw said and scurried away and Alfred followed suit.

    Lucianne finally took in the scene around her. Everyone had stopped fighting to watch the incident. They

    were all looking at her. Some smiled while others resistedughing at the retreating ministers. Lucianne

    took a breath to calm down. She then pped her hands once before yelling out, ¡°Alright, everyone.

    Show¡®s over. Get back to training.¡±

    She expected only retreating figures and turned-away heads after she said that. To her surprise, there

    were slight bows and muffled voices uttering, ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡± And everyone returned to their

    respective mats to continue training.

    Xandar was looking at her in pure awe and admiration. ¡°You¡¯re just¡­amazing.¡±

    She smirked. ¡°ttery is not going to get you out of training, dearest. Go on now, my King.¡±

    He pecked a kiss on her lips before he said in a husky voice, ¡°I want to talk to youter about what you

    just told Whiw. But for now, I must obey my Queen¡¯smand.¡± He pecked another kiss on her

    forehead before joining his cousin.

    Christian didn¡¯t even wait to get back on their mat before he mind-linked,(This novel will be daily updtaed

    at .noveljar) ¡®Xandar, what was the Queen talking about? What ¡®to-be-confirmed¡¯ amount for

    Lycan warriors? And wasn¡¯t close to 80% of the relief applications approvedst year?¡®

    ¡®I am as shocked as you are to hear what she said. We need to talk to her about this at lunch. For once,

    we¡¯ll not take any pack members. It¡¯s time we spoke to Lucy. She may know more than we do about

    what¡¯s really going on within our own ministries.¡¯

    ¡®Cuz¡­I¡¯m very embarrassed to not know this.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, me too. I feel like I¡¯ve let them down somehow, the wolves that is.¡¯

    Well, it¡¯s definitely worse for you. I¡¯m only second to you, after all.¡¯ 1

    ¡®I am so going to kick your ass for that!

    ¡®Bring it on, cuz!

    ***

    At lunch, Lucianne was speaking to Sir Weaver and Lord Yarrington, both of whom she and Toby had

    given pointers to at training earlier. They were interested in hearing about how werewolves were faring in

    environmental issues and education.

    Lucianne happily introduced Sir Weaver to pack members who had been having a water supply shortage

    for years. Weaver, although a Lycan, had a less daunting presence than Xandar. He was weing and

    attentive, allowing the werewolves to speak freely as they raised their concerns. So Lucianne only had to

    stay with them for the first few minutes.

    She then got a few other wolves who always had strong opinions about changing the education system

    to Lord Yarrington. He looked more stern in his demeanor so Lucianne was not confident to leave the

    wolves alone with him. But as the minutes went by, she noticed that the wolves who were speaking to

    him were quitefortable in the way they spoke. Perhaps all those bottled-up dissatisfactions are

    finally being released.

    A hand from behind pressed gently on Lucianne¡¯s abdomen, and she gasped in surprise as the sparks

    confirmed that the person behind her was Xandar. ¡°My King.¡± The Lycan minister and the wolves bowed.

    Xandar bowed back and they stood when he did. He looked at Lucianne and asked softly, (This novel will

    be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡°Can I borrow you for the rest of lunch hour?¡±

    ¡°Uh..¡± she looked at the wolves and asked, ¡°Will you all be alright without me here?¡± One of them said,

    ¡°Yes, of course, Lucy! Thank you for telling us about this!¡± Lucianne smiled graciously and said, ¡°Oh,

    don¡¯t thank me, Benedict. Lord Yarrington himself wanted to know. The credit is his to take. Thank you,

    minister.¡±

    Lord Yarrington smiled graciously and said, ¡°It is an honour to serve alongside you, my Queen.¡± 2

    She turned back to Xandar, who led her to the buffet table. They got their food and sat with Christian.

    Christian smiled but it was clear that he had something on his mind. Lucianne noticed that they were

    mind-linking with their eyes zing over so she didn¡¯t interrupt them. They all ate in silence. Even after

    the cousins were done, they were still mind-linking each

    other. This went on until Lucianne herself finished her food and started sipping on her water.

    ¡®So, Lucy.¡± Xandar began.

    ¡°Mm. Yes?¡± She asked after swallowing the water in her mouth.

    Xandar asked, ¡°When you told Whiw about a ¡®to-be-confirmed amount for Lycan warriors¡¯, w-what did

    you mean?¡±

    She looked at the two cousins who were both looking very serious as they waited for her answer. She

    then casually exined, ¡°What do you mean what do I mean? It¡¯s exactly that. I didn¡¯t know why the

    amount packs had to pay for Lycan warriors to help in rogue attacks were a to-be-quantified amount. I

    still don¡¯t know, to be honest. Among ourselves, we werewolves just decided to rely on our own warriors

    and allies who do it for free. I asked Whiw about it after Cummings shooed me away. Whiw told me

    that the ministry had full discretion to quantify the charges. I asked what the factors in the calction

    were. Was it the number of hours of the attack, or the number of hours they were in the pack itself, (This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)or whether there would be different rates depending on

    the level of skill of the Lycans they were sending, um¡­he just said I was a typical woman who

    overthought everything and shooed me off after that too. Juan was there. He almost lost his temper so I

    had to pull him away.¡±

    Lucianne chuckled at thest part but the cousins looked at each other uneasily before Christian

    prompted, ¡°My Queen, you also mentioned most of the relief applications never make it to the stage of

    fund disbursement?¡±

    After taking another sip from her cup and swallowing it hastily, she said, ¡°Oh, that. Well¡­¡± she chuckled

    again but she looked at the confused cousins and she was thinking about her next best move, ¡°Give me

    a minute. I need to make this as cordial as possible.¡±

    ¡°No, Lucy. Don¡¯t water down anything. We don¡¯t care how badly it hurts.¡± Xandar insisted.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lucianne asked with uncertainty. Xandar looked at her encouragingly, and Christian

    offered a small smile and uttered, ¡°Go on, my Queen, please.¡± Lucianne then said, ¡°This is going to hurt

    pretty badly.¡±

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31

    Lucianne took a deep breath before she began spilling the beans. ¡°So you both already know the

    number of rogue attacksst year was, by far, the worst. And applications for relief following those

    attacks were undoubtedly a lot as well. But less than 10% of the submitted applications ever made it past

    the phase of being reviewed. And out of our own 132 allies who were attackedst year, we found that

    only twenty of them got their relief applications approved. But only four out of those had the funds

    disbursed to their pack. The rest still have¡® funds disbursement pending¡¯ on their status. Herees the

    part that really hurts.¡±

    She took another deep breath, and said, ¡°We call the relief a gamble, like a Wheel of Fortune. And

    getting funds is like hitting the jackpot. So, packs who have sessfully received funds are obliged to

    throw a pack party, just among their own pack members, to celebrate their good luck. And they have to

    send pictures as proof of the celebration. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)There

    was this one party that even had their own Wheel of Fortune booth for pack members to y with and

    im all sorts of second-hand belongings as prizes. That was probably the most¡­creative pack party

    thrownst year.¡±

    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.

    1. MT)

    The two cousins had a mixture of hurt and anger. Lucianne then added sheepishly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Iughed.

    You both work really hard. I¡¯m sure it was just a glitch in the system or something.¡±

    as

    ¡°Oh, it was a glitch alright.¡± Christian¡¯s voice was never so menacing until now as he looked a ta table

    further down the hall, where most of the ministers sat. Lucianne turned but she was not sure where his

    sights were set on so she turned back to them and uttered, ¡°Again, I¡¯m sorry. I should¡¯ve¡­¡±

    ¡°Sweetheart, don¡¯t apologize.¡± Xandar¡¯s face was still serious when he took her hand and kissed it before

    cing it on hisp as he stroked it lovingly.

    Very cautiously, Lucianne said, ¡°If it makes either of you feel any better, you both have practically been

    approving relief applications these past few days when you spoke to pack members, so the process has

    sped up for many of them. It¡¯s just the issue of disbursement now.¡±

    After another moment of awkward silence, she asked, ¡°So, is there anything else you would like to

    know? I¡¯ll be more considerate and empathetic when I break the news this time.¡±

    Christian looked at Xandar in frustration and groaned. ¡°Cuz, just tell her. She thinks she offended us. You

    didn¡¯t, by the way, my Queen.¡± Lucianne asked in confusion, ¡°Then why do the both of you look like

    you¡¯re about to burn someone into ashes for wronging you?¡±

    Xandar now held her hand in both of his to kiss it and began exining, ¡°Lucy, the Lycan warriors are

    avable free-of-charge.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as she eximed, ¡°Oh, it has changed already? That¡¯s great!¡±

    Xandar frowned and said, ¡°No, Lucy. It has always been free. At least, it was supposed to be.¡±

    Lucianne seemed taken aback. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be right. It says so right on the application form that

    charges will be imposed. Here, let me show you.¡± She took out her phone and logged-in to the website

    for the application, and opened up a P*F document. She swiped down until she saw the options, and

    passed her phone to Xandar, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡°Here, in fine print,

    next to the option for Lycan warriors. ¡®Charges are within the full discretion of the Ministry, to be

    confirmed after provision of aid¡¯. It¡¯s small but it¡¯s in red so none of us missed it.¡±

    Christian was leaning in to see the words on the erged screen and, like he was being possessed, took

    the phone from Xandar¡¯s hand without a word and started scrolling through the entire document with a

    serious expression.

    When she finally realized what was going on, Lucianne said softly and meekly, ¡°You both didn¡¯t know.

    That¡¯s why you asked.¡± She then nodded to herself as she processed this information and continued, ¡°So

    the pack relief was more than a glitch of theputer system.¡±

    ¡°We have corrupted ministers in our midst, absorbing funds that were supposed to be given to packs.¡±

    Xandar exined, and sighed before he continued, ¡°I¡¯m going to get the financial details of all the

    ministers by tomorrow night, and call for a meeting the day after. It¡¯s time to find out who¡¯s behind it.

    Someone has been siphoningrge sums of money. If they were confident that they weren¡¯t going to get

    caught because of how distant our species were, then I would say that tracing the money wouldn¡¯t be too

    hard.¡±

    Lucianne then suggested, ¡°Then, you might want to speed up that process.¡±

    ¡°Wh¨CWhat do you mean by that, my Queen?¡± Christian came out from his daze but still held her phone in

    his hand.

    Lucianne then shrugged and said, ¡°Well, I blurted it at training today. Maybe Whiw and Cummings ran

    away not because they were afraid of my lecture but because they didn¡¯t want me to blurt more

    inconsistencies with what they know and what they want you both to know.¡±

    Xandar then turned to his cousin and said, ¡°She¡¯s right. We¡¯re both going to the audit department now,

    Christian.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Christian said monotonously and stood up.

    Lucianne stopped him abruptly. ¡°Uh, Christian. I would like my phone back, please.¡±

    He looked at his hand. ¡°Oh, Goddess. I¡¯m so sorry, my Queen. I didn¡¯t notice.(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)¡± His voice was returning to normal at this point.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯ve had a lot to think about.¡± Lucianne said as she was taking it back from him.

    She then asked Xandar, ¡°If anyone asked where you both went, what do you want me to say?¡± Xandar

    then smiled and said, ¡°Tell you what,e with us.¡±

    Lucianne seemed unsure. ¡°Are you sure? Is that even okay? I mean, I¡¯m not officially the Queen though.¡±

    Xandar kissed her forehead because he found her demeanor absolutely adorable at that moment, ¡°It¡¯ll be

    alright. It looks less suspicious if we leave together as mates than with only Christian and I walking out of

    the hall. If we left you here, some of them would suspect we¡®ll b e dealing with state affairs. I don¡¯t want

    them to do anything until we¡¯ve gotten all the information we need.¡±

    She took one nce at the werewolfmunity, and told Xandar, ¡°Okay, then.¡± Xandar¡¯s smile

    broadened and he nted a second kiss on her forehead. They walked out hand-in hand. Christian left

    first to stave off suspicions.

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32

    It was a short drive to the department. When the three of them entered the building, the receptionists, all

    three of them, were clearly in shock. They weren¡¯t expecting anyone beyond thepany personnel to

    enter the office building that day, let alone the King and the Duke.

    When they pulled themselves together, they bowed and uttered, ¡°Your Highness. Your Grace.¡± The King

    and Duke bowed in return, sending over a second wave of shock among them so their heads were

    partially lifted with their mouths gaped at the scene and their knees were still bent, even after the cousins

    stood.

    Xandar then smiled, ¡°Please, stand when we stand, my people, because we stand through every

    prosperity and hardship together, as our Queen has taught me.¡± With his arm around Lucianne¡¯s waist,

    he looked at her on his side with overflowing love and affection.

    Lucianne smiled at the receptionists, and bowed before standing again, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to make your

    acquaintance.(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡± Their mouths were still gaped until

    Lucianne said encouragingly,¡± It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s not a trick. You can stand when we do.¡±

    Seeming to have finally snapped out of it, the three stood but their mouths were taking time t o close.

    One of them, with the name tagbeled as ¡®Edward¡¯ stammered, ¡°W-Well, uh¡­to what do we owe the

    pleasure, your Highnesses and your Grace?¡±

    Xandar spoke, ¡°I need a detailed audit on all financial transactions of every minister for the past 18

    years, who should I see for this matter?¡±

    Edward¡¯s eyebrows shot up but heposed himself before saying, ¡°That would be Ellia Morgan, my

    King. I can make a call to tell her about your request and send all of you to her thereafter?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Please.¡± Xandar nodded with a smile.

    After a short call, Edward came out from behind his desk and with a low hand gesture, he smiled and

    said, ¡°Right this way, your Highnesses, your Grace.¡± They took the elevator to the seventh floor and

    when the doors opened, Edward led them to a woman dressed in a white blouse and ck cks who

    had juste out of her personal office. Around them, everyone in cubicles dropped whatever they were

    doing and stood. When Ellia Morgan stood before the three of them, the whole office bowed and said in

    unison, ¡°Your Highness. Your Grace.¡±

    Edward, on Ellia¡¯s side, muttered, ¡°And the Queen.¡±

    Ellia looked up in shock with her knees still bent, and lowered her head once more, ¡°My Queen.¡± There

    were gasps in the office. They heard rumours circting about the King finding his mate at the Lycan-

    werewolf coboration but they didn¡¯t know how much of it was true. Ellia herself knew it to be true but

    she didn¡¯t expect to meet the Queen so soon. She thought the woman next to the King was a soon-to-

    be-sworn-in minister or deputy ministero fa new government branch.

    The three of them bowed in return, and Xandar asked everyone to stand, just like he had exined to

    the receptionists before. Like the receptionists, they were still shocked. Lucianne offered a small smile in

    Ellia¡¯s way, ¡°Ellia, it¡¯s alright. Please stand.¡± Lucianne reached for her shoulder from the side and lifted

    her to prompt her to stand.

    She blinked a few times to get herself out of the daze and stood upright, ¡°Of course. Of course. Umm¡­

    your request. Right this way, your Highnesses, your Grace.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Edward.¡± Lucianne said in his way, and he offered a slight bow and a smile before leaving.

    When they entered Ellia¡¯s office, they heard the sound of printing in the corner of her office. Ellia then

    said,(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) ¡°I hope that you could give it a while, your

    Highness. I found the archives when I received the call and I¡¯m printing them now. Seeing that it¡¯s every

    minister and for

    eighteen years, this may take some time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We can wait.¡± Xandar said.

    She gestured to the two chairs in front of her and at the office couch at the back. ¡°Please have a seat,

    your Highnesses, your Grace.¡±

    The cousins said in unison, ¡°Thank you.¡± And Christian fell on the couch and sighed, diving into his

    thoughts.

    Lucianne was drawn to the floor-to-ceiling window. She stood there in silence as she took in the view of

    the city from Ellia¡¯s office. Xandar ced his hands on her shoulders as he muttered, ¡°A penny for your

    thoughts?¡±

    She offered a small smile, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve just never had a view of the city from anywhere beyond

    the airport and the hotel room so this is¡­new.¡±Xandar smiled at her innocent response and kissed her

    on her temple.

    At that moment, Ellia¡¯s door opened without a knock and in walked a man with two kids, a girl and a boy.

    Everyone turned, and Lucianne¡¯s smile turned into a surprised grin.

    Lucianne¡¯s cheerful voice filled the space in Ellia¡¯s office as she eximed, ¡°Ben! What are you doing

    here?¡±

    Christian linked Xandar, ¡®Ben?¡¯

    ¡®Hotel guard. The one who called yesterday.¡¯

    ¡®Ah.¡¯

    The hotel guard, Benjamin, was surprised to see the three of them and nced at his wife before he

    bowed and greeted, ¡°Your Highnesses, your Grace. I didn¡¯t realize¡­I apologize for interrupting.¡± He was

    about to usher his kids out of the door.

    Lucianne continued to smile as she said, ¡°Ben, you don¡¯t have to reschedule your appointment. We¡¯re

    just waiting for the printed documents. You can have Ellia.¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡± he was looking at Ellia hesitantly so Lucianne looked at Ellia and said, ¡°Really, Ellia. (This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)We don¡¯t mind waiting for you toplete your

    discussion with him. The printing would no doubt take longer than that.¡±

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Ellia began awkwardly, ¡°This is actually my mate and husband.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, ¡°Oh! So, you¡¯re Ellie?! Oh, my goddess. It¡¯s such a pleasure to

    finally meet you. Benjamin has told me a lot about you. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you so soon!¡±

    Ellia was a little embarrassed that her mate called her name so intimately before the Queen, and she

    blushed while she said, ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you to say, my Queen. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you this soon

    either. I¡¯ve heard about you, from Ben, but I never expected you to be this¡­

    different, in a good way, that is.¡±

    Lucianne looked at the children who were by Ben¡¯s side, clinging onto his legs, ¡°And these must be Rita

    and Russell.¡± Ellia was shocked that the future Queen knew her kids¡¯ names but Ben was moved that

    she remembered. He brought his kids closer to Lucianne, and Lucianne bent down to meet the dark-

    haired girl with sparkling eyes, ¡°Hello, Rita.¡±

    ¡°H-hello, pwettydy.¡± She muttered nervously.

    ¡°Oh, darling. It¡¯s just Aunt Lucy, okay?¡± Lucianne said encouragingly.

    She then looked at the boy, whose hair and eyes matched his sister¡¯s and Lucianne smiled and said,

    ¡°Hello, Russell. Is your knee better?¡± Ben and Ellia were surprised and touched that their Queen

    remembered their son¡¯s injury and asked about it.

    ¡°Y-yes. A-Aunt Lucy.¡± Russell stuttered shyly.

    ¡°Can you show Aunt Lucy?¡± Lucianne smiled and asked the little boy.

    He looked up at his father who muttered with a nod, ¡°Go on, Russell. It¡¯s okay.¡± The little boy let go of his

    father¡¯s leg and bent down to pull up his pants, showing her a slightly scratched knee. Lucianne looked

    at it for a moment before lifting the little boy¡¯s chin up gently with her hand as she whispered, ¡°You¡¯re

    such a brave and strong little boy. You¡¯re healing so quickly.¡± He smiled, showing his dimples and small

    teeth.

    Lucianne then said, ¡°Russell, your dad says you like to build toys.¡± He nodded with a smile and, to

    Lucianne¡¯s surprise, took her by her hand and walked her in his adorable little legs to the couch where

    Christian sat at the other end. Like Xandar, Christian was silently observing Lucianne mingle with the

    child.

    Russell patted on a seat twice to motion Lucianne to sit and after Lucianne sat down, he tried t o climb

    onto the high cushion himself. But he only made it when Lucianne lifted him up by his armpits and ced

    him right next to her. He unstrapped his backpack and pulled it to his side before unzipping it and taking

    out a slightly deformed toy car. He then sat cross-legged and put the car in front of him, pressed a button

    on top before the car started moving slowly on the couch.

    Christian¡¯s eyes widened in shock and he mind-linked Xandar, ¡®Cuz, they teach this in kindergarten?! I

    don¡¯t remember making a car.¡¯

    ¡®I don¡¯t remember either.¡®

    ¡®Can I go back to make one?¡¯ 1

    ¡®Sure. Give me a copy of your notes after you¡¯ve taken the ss.¡¯ 1

    Lucianne gasped at the little boy, ¡°You made this at school?¡±

    Russell shook his little head and said, ¡°I-I make it at ytime¡­at home.¡± Christian¡¯s n was crushed. 2

    Lucianne then gaped in shock, ¡°You built this all by yourself?¡±

    Russell nodded proudly and smiled. Lucianne then said excitedly, ¡°You¡¯re such a smart boy! Did you

    show this to your friends at school?¡±

    Russell¡¯s smile faltered and he looked at his car sadly while he said, ¡°My friends say it¡¯s stupid. They

    laughed at me. They threw my car when I showed them. My teacher told me to stop making it. She said

    studying was more important.¡± 2

    Lucianne was heartbroken. She took Russell and ced him on herp facing her.(This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar)She then looked at the sad little boy and said with a soothing voice,

    ¡°Russell, don¡¯t listen to your teacher. You have to be very special to know how to make this. Your teacher

    is just jealous. H

    m?¡±

    The little boy looked up at her and sadness was disappearing from his eyes and Lucianne continued,

    ¡°And you can always make new friends. A lot of little boys and girls will love to y with your car. Okay?¡±

    His dimples showed and the sadness was gone. He threw his arms around Lucianne¡¯s chest, taking her

    by surprise. Xandar stiffened as he stood next to where she sat.

    ¡®Cuz, you¡¯re not jealous of a five-year-old right now, are you?¡¯ Christian linked him. 1

    ¡®Shut up, Christian.¡¯ 3

    Christian chuckled to himself as he continued to watch. The little boy released her from their embrace

    when his fingers felt Lucianne¡¯s scar on her arm. He looked at it with his furrowed eyebrows and asked

    innocently, ¡°What is this, Aunt Lucy?¡±

    Lucianne said, ¡°Oh, this. Aunt Lucy was fighting bad guys one day. And one bad guy gave Aunt Lucy this

    scar.¡± The little boy¡¯s eyes were glistening, which made Lucianne panic so she cooed, ¡°There there,

    Russell. Shh¡­No bad guys are going toe for you. Aunt Lucy killed them, okay? You¡¯re safe. You¡¯re

    safe.¡±

    He then hugged Lucianne again before he said, ¡°I want to kill bad guys for Aunt Lucy.¡± Lucianne¡¯s heart

    melted. She thought the little boy was about to cry earlier because he was

    afraid that he would be hurt the same way she was. But he was crying because she got hurt.

    Lucianne smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s very sweet of you, Russell. You¡¯re a brave little boy.¡± She then pecked

    a kiss on his forehead, making him smile again.

    Xandar then mind-linked Christian, ¡®Fine. I¡¯m jealous of the five-year-old. Who does he think he is?! And

    how is he going to protect her? Roll on the battleground and trip the rogues over?¡¯

    Christian burst intoughter, garnering everyone¡¯s attention. Lucianne¡¯s voice turned back into the way

    she normally spoke to him, ¡°Christian, what¡¯s the joke?¡±

    He lifted up a finger, asking for a minute while he continuedughing at his cousin¡¯s mind link. When he

    was done, he said, ¡°Apologies, my Queen. I uh¡­just thought of something funny and couldn¡¯t help

    myself.¡±

    ¡°Do share.¡±

    ¡°Uh, no. Maybeter.¡± He chuckled again.

    Lucianne was still confused, oblivious about how Xandar was reacting by her side when she interacted

    with the child in her hands, ¡°Okay, if you say so.¡±

    It was when she was about to turn back to Russell that she noticed Ellia and Ben mind linking each other

    with worried and fearful looks. She assumed that it was family affairs so she did not intrude. When she

    opened her mouth and was about to speak to Russell again, she heard the sound of window blinds being

    pulled down. Her head lifted, and she saw that it was Ben doing it. When it was done, Ben went to Ellia¡¯s

    side and nodded once in encouragement before Ellia lifted her head up to the three of them.

    Ellia swallowed a lump in her throat before saying, ¡°Your Highnesses, your Grace. There¡¯s something

    you should know.¡±

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33

    Ellia had a guilty expression and looked like she was about to breakdown in tears. Lucianne asked,

    ¡°Ellia, what¡¯s wrong? Are some of the archives missing?¡±

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    She shook her head, ¡°No. It¡¯s..Goddess, I¡¯m so sorry. Uh¡­a while ago, shortly after you ascended the

    throne, my King, a few of us were ordered to¡­manipte the finances for¡­a few of the governing

    members. We were warned that¡­if the real information was leaked, they will target our families¡­our

    kids, when wee to have kids.¡± She then looked at Russell on Lucianne¡¯sp as Ben held their

    daughter in his arms. 1

    The three of them were stunned. Lucianne was the first to recover, ¡°Ellia, what are you saying? (This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Does it mean what you¡¯re printing now has been

    manipted?¡±

    She nodded and tears started flowing uncontrobly from her eyes to her cheeks as she knelt on both

    knees on the floor and kept saying ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡® over and over again. Lucianne got up hurriedly from the

    couch, and gave Russell to Xandar to hold as she went to kneel before

    Ellia. With her hands on Ellia¡¯s shoulders, Lucianne said in a calm, soothing voice, ¡°Ellia, it¡¯s okay.

    You didn¡¯t have a choice. It¡¯s not your fault. Please, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Christian mind-linked Xandar, ¡®Cuz, if I didn¡¯t just hear what I just heard, I would beughing that you

    have to hold that boy right now. This fund-mishandling has been going on for years?!¡± 1

    ¡®When we find out who¡¯s been doing this. They¡¯ll wish they were dead.¡¯

    Lucianne got Ellia to stand. After a few more sobs, Ellia can now form coherent sentences. Her eyes

    were still fixed on the ground as she uttered, ¡°These have been manipted but uh ¡­¡± she sobbed once

    before continuing, ¡°I have the hard copies of the originals before the maniption was done.(This novel

    will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) We were told to get rid of it outside office premises. Because

    I¡¯m the most senior here, they let me take it. I tried to get rid of them but I never managed to go through

    with it. I was always afraid that the recycling personnel would understand what was on the papers so I

    just kept them in my home office locked up in a few safes. I am so sorry.¡±

    Lucianne then asked, ¡°You mentioned there are others who have been ckmailed. Who?¡±

    ¡°Uh, Brigetta Reese a-and Oscar Wildrow, my assistants. I am so sorry, my Queen. I am so, so sorry.¡±

    Lucianne pulled the remorseful woman into a surprising hug and as she locked eyes with Ben, who

    looked equally guilty. In her firm voice, Lucianne said, ¡°Ellia, this is not your fault. You and your assistants

    have been pushed to a corner. You had to protect your family. You had no choice. Don¡¯t feel bad about it.

    You can still help us.¡±

    She sobbed and released the Queen as she said, ¡°Yes, I can get them for you. I just brought back the

    latest auditsst night. I¡¯ll hand them over¡­and I¡¯ll just throw these out.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lucianne¡¯s firm voice rang through the room like amand. Even Xandar¡¯s head snapped up to

    await her orders. Lucianne then motioned to the printed documents and told Ellia, ¡°We¡¯ll take these as

    well. Your boss would hear from the other employees by now that we¡¯re here. So if we left with those, it

    would get them to believe that any dirty hands remain clean, at least for a few more hours. But you and

    your family must relocate by tonight.¡±

    She then turned to Xandar and Christian, who both had hard looks on their faces. ¡°We need a location

    where no one, other than the two of you, have ess to, to house the three families who have been

    ckmailed.¡±

    They both pondered for a moment before Xandar said, ¡°Our homes should do. No one sane would think

    of walking through our doors uninvited.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, your Highness! We couldn¡¯t intrude.¡± Benjamin eximed in shock.

    Lucianne then exined, ¡°It¡¯s not an intrusion, Ben. Those corrupted ministers intruded when they

    started siphoning money from government funds. You and Ellia helped us. Now, w e must protect you

    and your family.¡±

    -¡°Where do you live?¡± Christian asked.

    Benjamin said, ¡°Well, uh¡­up east, near 57th Street.¡±

    Christian nodded, ¡°That¡¯s not very far from where my wife and I live. And the two assistants, Mrs

    Morgan?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re my neighbors. We¡¯ve been friends even before working here. They know about me.. (This novel

    will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)still keeping the records.¡±

    ¡°Perfect.¡± Christian said with a smile, ¡°My wife and I can look after all of you and your families while we

    clean up this mess. You should tell them soon and pack quickly. You¡¯ll all b e sleeping in my guest rooms

    tonight.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, your Grace.¡± Benjamin bowed and said with gratitude. His wife followed after.

    Xandar then added, ¡°I¡¯ll ring up a few private guards to watch over your kids when they¡¯re in school to

    make sure nothing happens them. They¡¯ll be safe. And Benjamin, I¡¯ll personally notify the hotel regarding

    your absence. You¡¯ll still get your paycheck but we¡¯ll have one of your colleagues take your ce for a

    while.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, your Highness.¡± Benjamin said in relief.

    ¡°No,¡±Xandar said with a smile, ¡°Thank you, Mr and Mrs Morgan. For choosing to help us, despite the

    risks.¡±

    Ellia looked at the ground, still utterly guilty about almost lying to the rulers of the Kingdom. I n a soft

    voice, she said, ¡°I thought I could do it. Handing you the wrong audits, that is. There were nights when I

    would picture myself doing it. Just to rehearse in case this day came. I¡¯ve always feared that this day

    woulde. But when it came to this moment, I couldn¡¯t do it. I

    just couldn¡¯t.¡±

    She looked at Lucianne, ¡°My Queen, Ben has told me about you. You are whatever he said and more.

    Your demeanor, my Queen, only exudes good intentions. So when I was about to misuse the trust all of

    you have put in me, it felt¡­too much to bear. It felt too wrong for me to g o through it. I am so ashamed

    of myself for thinking of going against the very people who are there to protect us. But thank you, my

    Queen, for being so understanding.¡±

    Without another word, Ellia grabbed a notepad from her desk and started scribbling something on the

    small sheet of white paper. She then handed the paper to Lucianne and said, ¡°These are the names of

    the five people we were told to¡­not keep a correct record of. (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)The proof is all at home but I thought the three of you would like to know first.¡±

    Xandar then suggested, ¡°Lucy, sweetheart, you should hold on to that first. Don¡¯t let Christian or I see it

    until we have the three families safely relocated. We might not be able to control our expressions or

    temper among these culprits if we see themter this evening. And if they see through us, the families

    won¡¯t be safe.¡±

    Lucianne turned to her mate and asked, ¡°You trust me to control my expression and temper?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± He said firmly with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve had years of practice controlling what you feel about some of

    the ministers that you and the other werewolves loathe. This should be nothing to you. I trust you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± She said as she scanned the names on the sheet of paper without emotion. She then folded it

    before slipping the note in between the cash she had in her purse. Xandar was right. Her face showed

    nothing. She didn¡¯t look like she learned anything new at all. 3

    Ellia was getting the printed papers from the machine when Lucianne suggested, ¡°Maybe we

    ull up the blinds for the employees to see that Ellia is handing over these printed documents to us, in

    case the boss has any favorites with prying eyes. It will seem more suspicious if we ept the

    information in an enclosed scene.¡± Lucianne was walking over to the windows but Benjamin eximed,

    (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡°No! Your Highness, please. Let me.¡± Benjamin

    was quicker and pulled up the blinds.

    Xandar and Christian noticed that Lucianne was right. No one looked at first. But as Ellia was checking

    whether the audits were in order on her desk, and stacked them up one after another, there were a few

    peeping Toms ncing through her office window. She then made a call on her office phone, ¡°Hi,

    Edward. It¡¯s Ellia. Can you and Time up here to get these documents for the Highnesses and his

    Grace, please?¡­alright, see you in a bit. Thank you.¡±

    She then looked at the three of them and said, ¡°They¡¯lle help you carry these. Thank you again,

    your Highnesses, your Grace.¡±

    ¡°Mrs Morgan,¡± Christian began, ¡°What time do you clock-out?¡± ¡°Six, your Grace.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Listen, I¡¯m sending a car. The number te is BLK 201. It¡¯ll arrive at six. It¡¯ll take you

    and your family back home to pack. The driver will wait outside and a bodyguard will escort you all in to

    stand guard. Tell your assistants to pack and meet at your house. We¡¯ll transport all of you to my home.

    I¡¯ll let my wife know. She would have the rooms ready by then. Okay?¡±

    Ellia nodded, ¡°Thank you, your Grace.¡±

    Christian offered a small smile, ¡°No need. It¡¯s the least we can do.¡± Knock. Knock

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34

    ¡°Yeah,e in!¡± Ellia called out.

    Edward and Tim entered her office, and bowed. When they stood with the royals, they went over to carry

    the two stacks waiting for them on Ellia¡¯s desk. Xandar put Russell on the floor, and the little boy ran

    straight for Lucianne¡¯s leg and hugged it while tugging her dress to get her attention.

    When Lucianne felt a warmth wrap around her leg, she looked down and saw Russell. She bent down

    with a smile and the little boy said in a sad voice, ¡°Are you leaving, Aunt Lucy?¡±

    ¡®I am, Russell. It was so nice to meet you. I hope we¡¯ll see each other again.(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)¡± Lucianne said in the same gentle tone she used with him earlier as she

    caressed his cheek with her thumb.

    The little boy threw his small arms around Lucianne¡¯s neck, ¡°Be careful of bad guys, okay, Aunt Lucy?¡±

    Lucianne was so touched by this child. She hugged him back before releasing him and said,(This novel

    will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) ¡°I will, Russell. You be good, okay? Be strong.¡±He nodded

    and managed a meek smile. She then got back up and looked at the Morgans as she said lightly, ¡°Well, it

    was nice to see you, Ben. Ellia, thank you again for getting us the audits. You both have such beautiful

    children.¡± She took one more look at the little boy and girl and said, ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave now.¡±

    Christian mind-linked Xandar, ¡°Damn, the Queen¡¯s good.¡¯

    Xandar was equally impressed as he linked back, ¡®I knew she could control her emotions but I didn¡¯t

    know she could act so well!

    ¡®I am not sure how I¡¯m going to act after everything that just happened but here goes.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m right behind you.¡¯

    Christian thrusted his hand and Ellia shook it awkwardly, ¡°Thank you, Mrs Morgan.¡± He then did the same

    for Ben, ¡°Pleasure to have met you, Mr Morgan.¡± Xandar went next, copying his cousin. Lucianne held

    the door open and said, ¡°Edward, Tim, here. You both go first. Those look heavy.¡±

    se

    ¡°T-Thank you, my Queen.¡± Tim said in slight shock and they both walked through the door before the

    three of them left as well but not before Lucianne gave a small wave to little Russell, who was waving

    back sadly. When Xandar noticed a few men stopped their work to look at Lucianne as they walked past,

    he secured his arm around her waist. Judging by her expression, she didn¡¯t know how many eyes were

    skimming her body.

    They waited for an elevator. When a door opened and Edward said, (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)¡°Your Highnesses, your Grace, please take this one down. We¡¯ll wait for the next one.

    We won¡¯t be far behind.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Edward.¡± Lucianne said firmly as her hand blocked her side of the

    elevator door and her head gestured to them, ¡°Get in. There¡¯s enough room to fit fifteen people. We¡¯ll go

    down together.¡±

    They looked at each other before Tim stuttered again, ¡°T-Thank you, your Highness.¡± Lucianne smiled in

    return. They let the receptionists enter before the three of them followed behind. Xandar couldn¡¯t help but

    kiss her temple at her down-to-earth gesture for the two men carrying the papers. When they reached

    the ground floor and exited through the entrance, Christian motioned to them, ¡°Tim and Edward, follow

    me. The documents are going into my car.¡±

    ¡°Yes, your Grace.¡±

    Lucianne then said, ¡°Christian, Xandar is taking a stack. You can¡¯t expect to go through all of that by

    yourself.¡± 1

    Christian seemed to have suddenly recalled that they had to act like they were taking the actual audits.

    When in reality, he was going to dump all of this in the recycling pile outside his house as soon as he got

    home. When he snapped out of it, he managed to say, ¡°R-right, of course.¡± 3

    Before he fumbled over any more words, Lucianne looked at Edward and said, ¡°Edward, right this way.

    Xandar parked on this side. Tim, you go with the Duke.¡±

    They nodded and uttered, ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡±

    Lucianne thanked him after he had unloaded the stack in Xandar¡¯s car. Edward then bowed and said,

    ¡°It¡¯s an honour to be of service, my Queen.¡±

    When the cardoors were mmed shut, Lucianne let out a sigh of exhaustion as she kicked off her heels

    and slumped into the seat. But when she noticed Xandar started the engine without making a move to

    start driving, she looked over to him in confusion. He was looking a ther with a huge smile stered on

    his face.

    She sat up and asked, ¡°What? Is there something on my face?¡± She was reaching for the mirror on the

    sun visor but Xandar caught her cheek and pulled her into a kiss. When he felt her lips move in response

    to his, he deepened the kiss and leaned in closer to her. When his lips released hers,(This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar) he looked deep into her beautiful ck orbs and said, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Traces of difort started entering her eyes as Lucianne tried to look away and whispered,¡± I know,

    Xandar. B-but I mmph¡­¡± He stopped her with another short kiss and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to

    say it now. I just want you to know that I love you, more than anything.¡± He pecked her on her lips again

    before he brought back his body to the driver¡¯s seat. Lucianne reached for his hand before he started

    driving and they locked their gaze as she said, ¡°Thank

    you.¡±

    He smiled and kissed her hand before she retracted it when he started driving. He then started their

    conversation, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could act so well. That moment when Tim and Edward came in. You

    thanked Benjamin and Ellia like nothing happened.¡±

    Lucianne looked at him with narrowed eyes, ¡°Really, Xandar? After everything that happened there with

    the fake audits, and how I was not acting up until that point, you chose to start this conversation with the

    what¡­seven minutes that I did put on an act?¡±

    Xandar chuckled, ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I mean, it was so natural even I started to doubt if you were acting.¡±

    She shrugged as she looked out the window to enjoy the scenery, ¡°It just takes practice. Anyone can do

    it.¡± He chuckled at her humility,¡±And how did I do?¡±

    ¡°Not well.¡± Lucianne said without hesitation.

    ¡°Wait, seriously?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hm.¡±

    ¡®I was just copying Christian though.¡±

    ¡°He was just as bad.¡±

    Xandar burst intoughter before asking, ¡°Okay, my dear. How would you have done it?¡±

    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.

    She turned to him with a smirk, ¡°You should have spoken first, not Christian. On any asion I¡¯ve seen

    you both in, it was always you to thank your guests before Christian followed suit, not the other way

    around. And the handshake was too much. Think about it, your style is only to end the conversation with

    a handshake when you started the conversation with a handshake. Christian¡¯s style is like that, too.

    Neither of you shook Ellia or Benjamin¡¯s hands when you first met them. It was unlikely that the

    exchange would end with it. And what you both said to Ben was ¡®Pleasure to have met you, Mr Morgan¡¯.¡±

    Lucianne shook her head with a teasing smile, ¡°Tell me, my King. When have you ever said that in a

    normal acquaintance-like exchange, or any exchange?¡±

    Xandar burst into a second round ofughter, ¡°So uh..¡± he chuckled, ¡°How was it supposed to g

    o?¡±

    She shrugged simply, ¡°Just say what you normally would say to an actual acquaintance, Xandar. Yours

    could be ¡®Morgan, it¡¯s been a pleasure¡¯, or a in ¡®Morgan¡¯ with a slight head nod, or just ¡®Pleasure¡¯ and

    a slight head nod. Christian should just stick to a simple smile and a in nod. He normally doesn¡¯t say

    anything to an acquaintance after you. When you both used the words ¡®pleasure to have met you¡¯, a

    sharper listener would have been able to catch that something deeper went on. But I don¡¯t think Edward

    and Tim suspected anything.¡±

    He stole a nce at his beautiful mate and said, ¡°You¡¯re really good at this. How did you even learn all of

    that?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you pick it up as you go along.¡± She flipped her hand in the air in front of her like it was n o big deal.

    ¡°Go along what?¡±

    ¡°Life. You meet people. You speak to them. If you pay enough attention, you can easily see how their

    intonations change with what they¡¯re saying, how their eyes shift when they want t o avoid something,

    how their demeanor alters when they¡¯re starting to lie.¡± She shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. You¡¯ll pick these

    up.¡± They came to a stop at a traffic light that just turned red. Xandar grabbed the opportunity to pull

    Lucianne into another kiss before uttering in awe,¡° You¡¯re amazing.¡±

    She had a small smile but her eyes showed disapproval as she said, ¡°You are too, Xandar. Now eyes on

    the road.¡± She pushed his shoulder back and he took her hand and kissed it again before letting her take

    it back.

    After they reached the dining hall in time for tea, Xandar got a call from his doctor about Lucianne¡¯s

    blood test results. He insisted that there were no traces of silver ever entering her system but he would

    be interested to ask her a few questions if they could make the time. Lucianne agreed to meet with the

    doctor. So they decided to skip tea and head to the doctor¡¯s office instead.

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35

    When Dr Yeil asked if she herself knew about her own peculiarity, Xandar asked Lucianne to tell him

    about the childhood game she yed with Juan and a few others. The doctor noted it and asked whether

    she had any other peculiarities, apart from her abnormal resistance to silver.

    ¡°I have a striped tail, does that count?¡± Lucianne asked curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my Queen. A what?¡± The doctor asked in total confusion.

    Lucianne exined how her white wolf had grey stripes only on her tail. Xandar listened attentively but

    embarrassment soon crept into his being. How can he proudly dere that he loved her when he didn¡¯t

    even know that distinct part of Lucianne¡¯s wolf? (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)He

    knew that it had white fur with blue eyes because he saw her like that in the Jewel Pack the other day.

    But he must have missed her tail because he was focused on the blood from the wound. 1

    As if to make himself feel better, he started caressing Lucianne¡¯s shoulders in soothing strokes while she

    exined to Dr Yeil that she had gone through every book she could find o n irregr wolf features but

    nothing came up.

    ¡°I must say that I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing either, your Highnesses. But uh, my Queen, perhaps

    consider that the striped tail may not be a peculiarity exhibited only by wolves.¡±

    Lucianne pondered before responding, ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that I may have a peculiarity of another

    species, like a human, a vampire, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Or a Lycan.¡± The doctor suggested. ¡°Lycans are known to be generally more resistant to silver.¡±

    Lucianne thought for a moment, and shook her head as she said, ¡°That¡¯s not possible. There are no

    Lycans in my bloodline. And if there were, I¡¯d be a Lycan right now, not a werewolf.¡±

    Dr Yeil then offered his opinion, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that you have Lycan blood per se. But perhaps the Moon

    Goddess gave you different peculiarities from different species. You¡¯re not a hybrid, more like¡­a

    werewolf with a few bonus attributes.¡±

    ¡°So¡­my tail is supposed to be able to do something?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, maybe not. And until you¡¯ve tested the limits of your peculiarities, I doubt you¡¯d know the full

    extent of them.¡±

    Lucianne was confused, ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± the doctor began exining, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡°You told me

    that you swallowed merely drops of silver a sa child but the silver on the knife that was in your body

    would be more than a few drops, don¡¯t you think?¡± .

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And silver harms werewolf children just as they would adults. An adult werewolf can be killed by the

    same amount of silver as the amount given to a child. They don¡¯t be more resistant to silver, even

    with age.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Well, then. That would mean that not only are you more resistant to silver, your resistance strengthens

    with each encounter your body has with that substance.¡±

    ¡°I be more resistant to silver each time it enters my body. That¡­ might be true.¡± The doctor waited

    in anticipation so Lucianne exined, ¡°In a few battles I fought in before the one in the Jewel Pack, there

    were rogues and hunters who scratched my skin or stabbed me with a silver de. It hurt very badly the

    first few times but, even then, I was never hospitalized like the others. Later, bearing with the pain just

    got¡­more doable, as long as I took the de out quickly. I thought I was just getting used to the pain.¡±

    The doctor then looked at her and asked, ¡°I need to ask, my Queen, do you smell silver before you see

    it?¡±

    ¡°Of course, doesn¡¯t everyone?¡± Lucianne said without hesitation.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    The doctor and Xandar nced at one another before Xandar said, ¡°Lucy, I don¡¯t get any scent from

    silver. Neither does Christian or any other Lycan I know.¡±

    The doctor exined, ¡°That¡¯s because silver is scientifically proven to have no distinct scent.¡±

    Lucianne furrowed her eyebrows, ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right. Silver smells like the grass after the rain

    combined with mercury and a faint whiff of tar. Nothing metallic.¡±

    The doctor frowned, ¡°My Queen, mercury has no distinct smell either.¡± 1

    She looked at the doctor, and then at Xandar who looked like he was thinking hard. She then dove into

    her own thoughts. Why was she the only one smelling these things? What was wrong with her? If there

    was nothing wrong, then what were these peculiarities going to do? Why was she never taught how to

    harness what she was given by the Moon Goddess? It felt like their Goddess treated her like an

    experiment, throwing in random things and sending her into the world to see how she¡¯ll fare.

    ¡®Five mate bond severances and now this? Seriously? Moon Goddess, what have I ever done to

    you?''(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Lucianne thought to herself.

    She then asked in despair, ¡°Why me? Why did the Moon Goddess choose me to test this¡­ peculiarity

    combination? I¡¯m just¡­a wolf, a normal wolf.¡±

    The doctor scoffed, ¡°Are you really just that, my Queen?¡± The emphasis on her future title made

    Lucianne drop silent. The doctor smiled, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about any of it. It¡¯s just interesting to know. I

    personally can¡¯t wait to see what your tail is capable of doing.¡±

    Lucianne then asked, ¡°Are there Lycans with stripes on their bodies?¡±

    The doctor then shook his head, ¡°Not that I¡¯ve heard of. But who knows? You may be the first.¡±

    When they got back into the car, Xandar pecked a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s cheek and said,¡± Another first. And

    just to be clear, babe, you¡¯re anything but a normal wolf.¡±

    Her cheeks blushed at his kiss and his praise. That flustered sight of Lucianne never fails to make

    Xandar and his animal happy.

    After giving his n some thought, Xandar nced at Lucianne as he drove and said, ¡°Hey, baby?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Can I take you out? Like on an actual date? I feel like I don¡¯t really know you yet.¡±

    She was in a mood to be cheeky again, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a good idea, my King. You may not like me

    if you get too close. I¡¯m too blunt. I may say something that you won¡¯t like. Plus, you¡¯ve seen my acting.

    How would you know that I¡¯m not just going after whoever sits on the throne?¡±

    Xandar scoffed. Then, he took one hand off the steering wheel and reached for her hand beforecing

    his fingers with hers. ¡°My darling, you wanted to get rid of me the first moment we met despite knowing

    that I am King. I highly doubt you care about the throne.¡±

    ¡°Shoot! You¡¯re no fun.¡± Sheined in a teasing manner.

    He smiled wider and then continued, ¡°And if you think that being blunt is going to drive me away, you

    would be very wrong. If you haven¡¯t noticed, your words do two things to me: make me look at you like

    you¡¯re the Goddess herself, or get me aroused.¡± She bit her lip before she said softly, ¡°There¡¯s a third

    thing, too. I hurt you with my words. I hurt you that first night and also in the Jewel Pack with what I said.¡±

    She then sighed, ¡°I may have gone a little overboard with what I said at the Jewel Pack and that first

    night was¡­ uncalled for. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Xandar kept stroking her hand as he said, ¡°That first night. You had a reason. I don¡¯t me you. I didn¡¯t

    understand it at that time but after you told me about your past, I understood why you said the things you

    did. And uh¡­the Jewel Pack.¡±

    He sighed before saying, ¡°It really was my fault. I didn¡¯t realize until after I¡¯d finished¡­yelling at you that I

    actually really wanted to yell at myself. I made a promise to our Goddess the night before that I would

    protect you and make you happy. When I saw you there, wounded, drained and exhausted after the

    battle, I just¡­ I felt like I had let you down.¡±

    Lucianne insisted firmly, ¡°You didn¡¯t, Xandar! Why would you even think that? It was all the rogues doing.

    You saved me. If you and Christian didn¡¯te, everyone in that space that day wouldn¡¯t have survived.

    I thought you knew this. You said so yourself in your speech.¡±

    His voice exuded regret, ¡°I know but¡­¡± he sighed, ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel that I should have done

    more, that I should¡¯ve just¡­been better.¡± Lucianne didn¡¯t know he was still ming himself for what

    happened the other day. But she understood where he wasing from. When she had to watch her

    friends die on the battlefield, she felt helpless. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)She

    would mourn their deaths and wonder why she couldn¡¯t be there for them, why she couldn¡¯t¡­be better.

    None of them spoke for a moment, then Lucianne lifted his hand up to her lips before pecking a kiss at

    the back of Xandar¡¯s hand like he always did for her. Xandar thanked Goddess that he had just parked

    the car outside the dining hall when she did that. His shock a t her initiative would have taken all his

    attention away from the road. Then again, knowing his mate, she would¡¯ve taken their situation into

    ount before she decided to kiss his hand.

    His shocked lc eyes locked with her affectionate ck ones as she said clearly and firmly,¡± You¡¯re

    more than what you think of yourself, Alexandar, believe me.¡± Xandar felt his eyes glistening and his

    heart melting. Her voice was so beautiful, so sincere. Her words reached the deepest parts of his heart,

    giving birth to a sense of warmth that he thought he wouldn¡¯t experience again after the passing of his

    mother and aunt.

    ¡°You¡¯re more, really.¡± She repeated sincerely, firmly and convincingly.

    He kissed her deeply with all the love he could channel from his lips to hers, and whispered,¡± Thank you,

    baby.¡± Xandar then buried his face in her neck and took in her scent. For once, she didn¡¯t stop him. Her

    scent soothed the anxiety he had. After a while, Lucianne whispered softly, ¡°Xandar, we should go in

    now.¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­okay.¡± He took in another deep breath from her neck and kissed it deeply, making Lucianne let

    out an audible moan, which in turn got Xandar aroused. ¡®That is the sexiest thing I have ever heard,¡¯ he

    thought to himself. Apart from his own arousal, he caught another scent.

    The new scent was mixed with Lucianne¡¯s normal scent of jasmine and butterfly pea. Xandar had a

    guess but he had to do something to confirm his suspicions. Without warning, he pressed his lips against

    hers and licked them in lust to seek ess to her mouth. (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)When Lucianne let out a second moan, the new scent got stronger, confirming

    Xandar¡¯s suspicions that it was the scent of her arousal. His self-control was vanishing with her moans

    and the new scent. His tongue plunged into the depths of her mouth as he savored her taste. His animal

    was ecstatic that they finally got their mate aroused. 2 Lucianne pushed his shoulders away gently and

    said with dazed eyes, ¡°W-We should g-go in¡­ w-while we¡¯re still in control.¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­losing control isn¡¯t all bad, baby.¡± He started kissing her jaw as the smell of his arousal continued

    to fill the space in the car.

    With both her hands, Lucianne held on the sides of his head to push it away from her face,¡± Xandar,

    please.¡±

    ¡°Say yes.¡± He said in a husky voice as he took her hand from the side of his face to press it over his lips,

    kissing her small palm.

    Still trying toe out of a daze, Lucianne stuttered, ¡°T-To what?¡±

    ¡°A date, Lucy.¡± 1

    After averting gaze and blinking her eyes a few times to bring herself out of the daze, she scoffed and

    her lips curled into a smile before she said, ¡°I was already going to say yes when you first asked

    anyway.¡±

    Lucianne let go of his face and opened the door to get out, leaving Xandar in the car smiling like he had

    just won the lottery, and maybe he did. Her arousal AND her saying yes to a date, that was two lotteries

    in one day.

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36

    In the dining hall, after having dinner, Lucianne and Xandar were speaking to Juan and the others when

    Xandar got confirmation that the rogue Lycan was up but rather light-headed because ofck of food and

    water. He wouldn¡¯t be fit enough to be interrogated yet so they had to wait for the medical team to give

    the okay.

    Lord Yarrington came up to Lucianne, and asked if there were anymore werewolves who had an opinion

    in education because he found his previous discussion with the three wolves she introduced to him very

    useful. 1

    Lucianne knew of two more, and she told the education minister that there are many who would want a

    say in the matter but are, sadly, not Alphas, Lunas or Gammas so they weren¡¯t a t that particr

    coboration. She got him to take down the contact details of a few others she knew of, and promised to

    get in touch with them first to give them a heads-up on the minister¡¯s call. (This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)Xandarter told Lucianne that he had never seen Yarrington so excited

    about

    government affairs. 1

    ¡°Excuse me, your Highness.¡± Pierre Whiw¡¯s voice came from the side when Lucianne had just finished

    speaking to Yarrington.

    Xandar and Lucianne turned to see him with another minister, who looked about the same age as him.

    Xandar¡¯s voice was stern as he addressed the deputy minister, ¡°Yes, Whiw?¡±

    The old man looked at Xandar and said, ¡°Oh, I was referring to the Queen, my King. Apologies for the

    mimunication.¡±

    Lucianne put on an emotionless face, ¡°What is it, minister?¡±

    He faked a smile, ¡°I wanted to apologize. If the Queen is willing, I¡¯ll do my best to make amends.¡±

    Lucianne started pressing him, ¡°For what?¡±

    Whiw¡¯s fake smile fell, reced by genuine surprise, ¡°Pardon?¡±

    Lucianne exined simply, ¡°You mentioned you would make amends, but for what in particr, minister?

    Is it for not doing your job, for what you said to me as a Gamma for the past few years, or merely for

    what you said to me as the King¡¯s mate this morning?¡±

    Whiw began to feel uneasy, ¡°Uhh..well¡­¡±

    Lucianne was not backing down, ¡°So the apology is for the King. It¡¯s not really for me, is it? Or i s it not

    for the King either. It¡¯s just for whoever sits on the throne?¡± 1

    Whiw was still lost for words. Lucianne faked a small smile and said, ¡°You seem a bit

    confused, minister. Tell you what, I¡¯ll tell you the same thing I told Greg w ¨C I will believe i t when I see

    it. Until you act like an actual minister and look after the people you¡¯re supposed

    to, don¡¯t expect me to believe that you are making amends.¡±

    His confidante, the other old man suddenly bowed and spoke cautiously, ¡°Forgive my intrusion, your

    Highnesses. But the deputy minister was going to express his concern for you, my Queen.¡± He then

    smiled and said, ¡°My Queen, allow me to introduce myself, I am¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Lord Caunterberg, the Minister of Health and Welfare, I know.¡± Lucianne responded nonchntly.

    He seemed encouraged, ¡°Well, it¡¯s an honour to be known by the Queen herself before an introduction.¡±

    Lucianne remained unperturbed, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it an honour if I were you, minister. (This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar)I will exin how I came about knowing you. But seeing that you

    were so supportive of Whiw expressing his concern, I shall let you speak first.¡±

    The two ministers nced at one another before Lord Caunterberg spoke, ¡°We didn¡¯t see your

    Highnesses at tea. Was anything the matter?¡±

    Xandar wondered if the two ministers knew something about their visit to the audit department but when

    he saw his unperturbed mate, he decided to appear equally emotionless.

    Lucianne gave a faint nod and said, ¡°Yes, there was. I had to attend a doctor¡¯s appointment to have my

    condition checked after the incident at the Jewel Pack. Thankfully, everything is fine.¡±

    The two of them nced at each other. Both tried to hide their surprise with her answer but were too

    slow to mask their true expressions. Lucianne smirked and asked, ¡°Ministers, is there a problem? You

    two seem like I¡¯ve just said something unexpected, though I can¡¯t fathom why. Everyone knows that I

    was in the alliance, and that I was the most injured. A doctor¡¯s appointment would be anything but

    unexpected.¡±

    ¡°N-No, my Queen. We¡­we just expected you to say that you were spending time with the King,

    perhaps.¡± Lord Caunterberg tried to make up a viable excuse but even Xandar could see through his

    terrible attempt to act.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Lucianne gave a small smile, ¡°Well then, I¡¯m sorry to have disappointed you. But the King was with me

    during the check-up so I suppose you¡¯re notpletely wrong. Now, let me tell you how I know you, Lord

    Caunterberg.¡±

    ¡°Well, if the Queen insists.¡± Caunterberg smiled graciously but Whiw was already having a bad feeling

    about what was about to happen next.

    Lucianne smiled with a murderous glint in her eye and said, ¡°You came up to mest year when I

    attended this very coboration as a Gamma. Do you remember what you asked me at that time?¡±

    Caunterberg¡¯s eyes widened in shock, his face turned white but his feet couldn¡¯t move.

    Whiw observed his friend freeze in fear, and could only pray that he himself would be spared from

    Lucianne¡¯s wrath.

    Lucianne observed the old man and said, ¡°Your silence is quite worrying, Lord Caunterberg. Let me

    refresh your memory. You asked me how much I charged for, in your words, ¡®a night of action¡¯.¡± Xandar¡¯s

    lc eyes turned onyx almost immediately, ring straight at Caunterberg. Lucianne pressed her hand

    over his that was secured at her waist, hoping to calm him down for a few more moments. 1

    She then continued, ¡°And, I just want your Lordship to know that I don¡¯t take it personally.¡± She waited for

    that glimmer of hope to appear in the old man¡¯s eyes before she crushed that hope by saying, ¡°Because

    you¡¯ve said it to more werewolves than I can count. There were even numerous times where you asked

    a Luna! But despite the sexual harassmentints we submitted, you¡¯re still here, alive and well,

    standing as our Minister of Health and Welfare. Well, (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)I guess you can¡¯t really expect welfareints made against the Welfare Minister

    to be taken seriously by the Welfare Minister himself.¡± 7

    Caunterberg looked like he was going to faint, while Whiw had already gone to the side to seek refuge

    with Cummings, leaving Caunterberg all by himself.

    Lucianne felt Xandar¡¯s radiating anger. He was about to lose it. As that thought came to her, Xandar

    growled louder and fiercer than he ever had before. The room fell silent. Some of those in attendance

    dropped their sses that they were holding, shuddering from fear and shock at the sight of their King

    starting to shift. The wolves were especially petrified, knowing full well that once a Lycan shifts, their

    species have little chance of surviving an attack.

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37

    Lucianne moved to position her small body right in front of Xandar¡¯srge frame as soon as h e growled.

    His ck fur was starting to show on the visible parts of his skin, and he was still throwing a murderous

    re at Caunterberg.

    Lucianne then took Xandar¡¯s slightly furry face in her hands, and she stroked his face slowly and

    soothingly. ¡°Xandar. Xandar, look at me, please.¡± His fists were clenched tightly by his sides, both

    covered in ck fur.

    Lucianne then pulled his face towards her to make his angered eyes lock with her soft ones,(This novel

    will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡± Xandar, darling. Listen to me, okay? It¡¯s just you and me.

    Nothing else is important. Okay? Breathe. It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re both okay. Breathe. We¡¯re okay. We¡¯re okay.

    Breathe. Breathe.¡±

    The rapid rise and fall of his chest was slowing down. Lucianne continued to stroke his cheeks and

    cooed, ¡°Shh¡­I¡¯m here, Xandar. I¡¯m here. It¡¯s just you and me. Shh¡­¡±

    The fur on his face and hands were starting to shorten bit by bit. As Lucianne¡¯s soothing voice and gentle

    touch continued to enter Xandar¡¯s being. His fur shortened until it disappeared from sight. But his eyes

    were still onyx as they looked into her ck orbs.

    His fists loosened from the tight clenches. And a few momentster, his hands found their way to

    Lucianne¡¯s waist. Xandar held on to Lucianne¡¯s small waist a little too tightly but Lucianne knew that this

    was not the time toment on his grip. She uttered softly, slowly and clearly, ¡°Xandar, it¡¯s okay. There

    is hope. We can still fix it, okay?¡±

    When she started seeing the faint traces of lc shades returning to his eyes, she was internally relieved.

    She then whispered to him in a hushed tone, ¡°There is a right way of doing this. You are better,

    Alexandar. You are more. Let¡¯s resolve this the right way. What do you say?¡±

    Xandar was silent for a moment as he continued to stare into her eyes. Lucianne let him take his time to

    process her words as she continued to look into his onyx orbs with a soft gaze. Then, one of his hands

    left her waist and reached for one of her hands on his face.

    He gently took her hand by her wrist and moved it over his mouth. He closed his eyes and nted a

    deep kiss on her palm before cing it back on his cheek as he uttered, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lucianne smiled, and pulled herself up to peck a kiss on his jaw, (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)and half his eyes had returned to their original lc colour. The onyx shades were still

    very much visible but Lucianne knew this would be enough for Xandar to restrain himself from shifting.

    He pulled her into an embrace which was a bit too tight but Lucianne decided to bear with it for this time.

    He needed this. He needed the mate bond to calm himself. He held her for a moment in the silent dining

    hall before pecking a kiss on her forehead and whispering,¡±

    Thank you, baby.¡±

    Lucianne smiled wider and pecked another kiss on his jaw before saying, ¡°Xandar, I¡¯m your mate. You

    don¡¯t have to thank me for this.¡±

    He returned her smile. But his expression turned hard again as he turned to the pale-looking minister

    who was still rooted to his spot. Lucianne thought to herself, ¡®Seriously? He¡¯s still here? He could¡¯ve just

    fled from the hall when Xandar lost control.¡¯

    Xandar¡¯s hand remained on Lucianne¡¯s waist. He turned and looked hard at Caunterberg as h e barked,

    ¡°Yarrington!¡±

    The education minister standing on the side flinched for a moment. After exchanging a fearful nce

    with his mate, Yarrington made his way over in quick steps. When he came before Xandar and Lucianne,

    he averted his eyes and fell on one knee as he greeted Xandar,¡° My King.¡± Xandar¡¯s eyes were still fixed

    on Caunterberg when he sternly ordered, ¡°Stand, Yarrington.¡± The minister on the ground looked up in

    fear and hesitation. He didn¡¯t recall doing anything wrong. He looked at Lucianne, and she gave him a

    small smile and an encouraging nod. So, h e slowly picked himself up from the ground and stood before

    them, trying not to show how daunted he was.

    Xandar then made an announcement while still fixing his re on Caunterberg, ¡°With immediate effect,

    Lord Yarrington will temporarily stand in as Minister of Health and Welfare until a suitable recement for

    the position can be found. No ministers or families of ministers are permitted to leave the country while

    we assess everyone¡¯s ethical behaviour. If anyints are made against any one of you, we will

    investigate the matter very, very thoroughly.¡± His emphasis on the words ¡®very¡¯ had a homicidal edge,

    (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) sending a shiver down the spines of many.

    Caunterberg himself was already wobbling at his legs. 1

    Xandar pecked a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s temple before he turned to face the rest of his subjects, ¡°T o any

    wolf or Lycan who has been mistreated or harassed by any government official in the past, I am urging

    you to submit aint to Lord Yarrington¡¯s office in the next seven days. Your King urges you to

    speak up. Our Queen¡­¡± he then looked at Lucianne with soft eyes and she mind-linked him with a small

    smile, ¡®I¡¯ll submit mine tonight, Xandar¡¯. Xandar continued, ¡°¡­will be submitting her ownint

    tonight.¡±

    There were gasps and murmurs. Before Xandar said that, only a few werewolves knew about what

    Caunterberg said to Lucianne in the past because they were either her friends, or were victims to the

    same form of harassment. But after Xandar made the announcement, everyone knew.

    ¡®Can I say something?¡¯ Lucianne mind-linked Xandar as she looked up at him with a smile.

    Xandar¡¯s lips curled upward just slightly, and kissed her temple before saying, ¡°Of course.¡± 1

    She took a step forward and turned to face the room. Lucianne dropped her smile and put on a serious

    face. All eyes were on her when everyone fell silent.

    She mustered her voice of authority and grace, and began, ¡°For quite some time now, many of us have

    been subjected to the words and attitudes of some very powerful individuals in this room. The very

    people who were supposed to protect us have been the danger instead. Our King is now offering us a

    way to seek the justice that we deserve. If you have been mistreated or harassed, I urge you not to be

    afraid, ashamed or embarrassed. None of what happened was your fault. Be empowered. You are now

    given a voice and a route to punish your assant for what he said or did to you. Friends, urge the ones

    you know to submit aint. Mates, insist that aint is submitted if your mate fell victim to any

    form of mistreatment. We¡¯re doing this properly, so we might as well do it together.¡±

    When Lucianne stood back and joined Xandar, he was smiling as he looked at her with love and

    admiration. Then, they both noticed that the wolves on the left side of the hall were all having zed-

    over eyes. They were all mind-linking, but why? Xandar saw that Lucianne¡¯s eyes were clear and she

    looked confused herself, so she wouldn¡¯t know what they were saying among themselves. When the

    wolves¡¯ eyes cleared, Luna Hale touched Alpha Juan¡¯s arm affectionately before unclinging her arm from

    his and taking three steps out. She looked at Lucianne and Xandar with a grateful smile, and said a very

    loud and clear ¡®thank you, your Highnesses¡¯ as she offered a bow. Right after her, all the werewolves

    uttered the same words and bowed with Luna Hale. Xandar and Lucianne bowed in return before

    standing with the wolves. 2

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    The Lycans tried to copy their cousin species but because it was not properly nned among

    themselves, their thanks came out with a less-than-perfect synchronicity. 1

    Xandar walked Lucianne out and back to the hotel right after. In her room, (This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)she got herptop out and sat at the dressing table. Xandar ced a chair

    right next to her. That¡¯s when she said, ¡°Xandar, it¡¯ll be easier for me to do this if I sat here alone. Could

    you wait on the couch? I¡¯ll show it to you before submitting.¡±

    He was hesitant. He wanted to see theint she was about to type, while she typed it. She then

    looked at him with those innocent doe-eyes of hers as she asked softly, ¡°Please?¡±

    He sighed in frustration, and kissed her on her forehead before dropping onto her couch. He just couldn¡¯t

    say no to her when she looked at him like that. For the next few minutes, the only sound in the room was

    the tapping ofptop keys. Then, Xandar received a phone call. He swiped to answer, ¡°Yarrington, what

    is it?¡±

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38

    The minister¡¯s voice was nervous and apologetic, ¡°I apologize for bothering you right now, your

    Highness. But a lot of wolves are asking me whether theint can be made against the sons of

    government officials who¡¯ve attended the coboration with their parents. Should I tell them that those

    would be a separateint since the sons are technically not government officials, or can we just

    include them with what we¡¯re doing now?¡±

    ¡°Include them.¡±Xandar said without hesitation but he was pinching the bridge of his nose. Those good-

    for-nothing idiots actually used their coborations to hit on females?! This is a government function, not

    a nightclub for goodness sake!

    ¡°Alright. Thank you, your Highness. I¡¯ll let them know. Have a goodnight.¡±

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡®You too, Yarrington. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.¡±

    The minister was undoubtedly shocked that the King was expressing his gratitude when he literally

    exploded less than thirty minutes ago. So Yarrington uttered, ¡°Well, it¡¯s always a pleasure to serve, my

    King. And give my best to the Queen.¡±

    ¡®Will do. Goodnight, Yarrington.¡± He hung up.

    Lucianne had stopped typing but her eyes were still focused on the screen. Xandar got up and walked to

    her. He stood behind her and started caressing her shoulders as she scrutinized her written work with a

    serious look.

    Xandar then bent down and kissed her cheek from the side before whispering into her ear,¡° Yarrington

    sends his regards. We¡¯re now expanding the to include the sons of ministers.¡±

    Her focused eyes suddenly blinked, and she looked at Xandar and eximed, ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡±

    She then turned back to her screen and muttered, ¡°Let me just add those in.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s hands stopped moving on her shoulders and his grip tightened as his body stiffened. His mate

    was harassed by more than one male Lycan?! Goddess, no wonder the wolves hated them! Even he

    hated his own species after knowing about this.

    As he continued thinking about it, his grip on Lucianne¡¯s shoulders tightened more and more. Lucianne

    had to stop typing, and her hands reached out to stroke his hands as she said, ¡°Xandar, darling, breathe.

    Just breathe, okay? Breathe.¡±

    It was only when Xandar loosened his hold on her did he realize he was applying too much pressure on

    her shoulders. When Lucianne began typing again, he bent down to peck a kiss o n both her shoulders

    before returning to the couch to wait. It felt like an eternityter when she said, ¡°Here, have a read. You

    can submit it after you¡¯re done.¡±

    He was at her side even before Lucianne got out of her chairpletely. She stood next to him, and

    Xandar held her close to his body as he read the words on the screen. Lucianne stroked his shoulder

    gently, trying to keep him as calm as possible.

    When he read until the end, he asked, ¡°You sure that¡¯s everyone? Is there anyone else?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s just three of them. I¡¯m sure.¡± She then pecked a kiss on his cheek, and Xandar swiftly put her on

    hisp before skimming through the document one more time and clicking¡¯ Submit¡¯. Lucianne then

    turned off herptop and snuggled into Xandar¡¯s chest. She listened t o his heartbeat, and was relieved

    that it wasn¡¯t as rapid as how it was when he lost control in the dining hall.

    She then asked, ¡°Have Ellia and the others settled in yet? Did Christian say anything?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes widened. Hepletely forgot about that! He kissed her forehead before saying, ¡°Hold

    on, baby. Just give me a minute. Let me ask him.¡±

    He then mind-linked his cousin, ¡®Christian, how are the families? Have they moved in yet?¡¯

    ¡®Cuz¡­h-how did you do that?! The car literally just entered through the gates! Seriously, how did you

    time that?

    Xandar sheepishly said, ¡®I actually¡­forgot. Lucy got me to ask.¡¯

    There was a pause at Christian¡¯s end before his voice of disbelief came through the mind link, ¡®You

    forgot? How is that possible? Did something happen over dinner?¡¯

    ¡®You have no idea.¡¯

    ¡®Wait, seriously? How is the Queen? Is she okay? Are you?¡¯

    ¡®She¡¯s handling it way better than I am, as she always does, despite being the one subjected to another

    round of injustice.¡¯

    Christian sighed in despair, ¡®Why do these things keep finding their way to her? What is it this time?¡®

    Xandar¡¯s pissed-off voice was loud and clear, ¡®Did you know we have ministers and their sons using

    these coborations to hit on females like it was a brothel? I almost exploded¡­no, scratch that. I

    completely exploded in the dining hall when I found out!

    ¡°WHAT?! WHO ARE THEY?!¡¯

    ¡®Lucy named three: Caunterberg, and the twin sons of Marie Martin from Finance. That¡¯s only Lucy!

    Imagine who we¡¯ll be getting when we receiveints from all the other werewolves and Lycans.¡¯

    Christian groaned through the mind-link, ¡®WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?! Wait,

    Caunterberg¡­ welfare¡­uh cuz, if she named him¡­who¡¯s in charge now?¡®

    ¡®I put Yarrington on it. I was hoping to rope you in as well. We haven¡¯t received all theints yet so I

    honestly don¡¯t know who else to trust with the job other than the three of u s. Weaver has enough on his

    te so I didn¡¯t include him.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll do it. You didn¡¯t even have to ask, cuz. So, uh¡­the Queen, has she submitted

    herint yet?¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, just did. So I take it that the families all arrived safely?¡¯

    ¡®I did a headcount. It seems everyone¡¯s here. And they looked fine. A little shaken but safe. My men are

    still unloading the audits from the car. And Annie is settling them in now so I better g o help her.¡¯

    ¡®Okay, thanks, Christian. Thank Annie for me as well.¡¯

    Will do. Night, cuz.¡¯

    When Xandar ended the mind-link, Lucianne was looking at him in anticipation. He smiled and pecked

    her on her lips as he said, ¡°They¡¯re all there. They¡¯re safe.¡±

    She let out a sigh of relief before muttering, ¡°Thank Goddess.¡± Then she reached out to grab her purse

    from the table and looked for the folded note of names Ellia gave her before handing it over to Xandar.

    This was another thing he forgot. Lucianne leaned back into Xandar¡¯s chest as he unfolded the paper

    with his other hand to read the contents.

    Marie Martin

    Alfred Cummings.

    Piere Whiw.

    Patrick Dupont

    Helena Tanner. 1

    ¡°Helena Tanner.¡± Xandar muttered. He didn¡¯t know anyone by that name in his government.

    Lucianne suggested in a whisper, ¡°She¡¯s probably Ellia¡¯s boss.¡±

    Xandar took his phone and looked her up online and Lucianne was right. As he looked at the woman¡¯s

    face on the screen to imprint it into his memory, he asked his mate, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    She answered in an equal whisper, ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to collude with a person who has the most power in

    the ce you are targeting. And besides, Ellia said ¡®five names¡¯ not ¡®five ministers¡¯. One of those names

    had to be her boss, the one who ckmailed her and her

    assistants.¡±

    He smiled. Beautiful. Smart Composed in the midst of anger. His anger. His eyebrows furrowed in guilt

    as he said, ¡°Lucy, I¡¯m sorry for exploding like that tonight. I didn¡¯t mean to cause so much fear.¡±

    She was getting drowsy in his warm chest, ¡°Hm, it happened with a good reason. Besides, it ended with

    hope, not fear. You gave us a way to do this. It doesn¡¯t matter if you exploded. What matters is you¡¯ve

    found a good way to go about the..¡± she let out a cute yawn before she continued, ¡°¡­the problem.¡±

    Xandar chuckled at the sound. ¡®Adorable¡¯, he thought to himself as he watched his mate snuggled

    comfortably in his arms.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you into bed.¡± he whispered.

    She got out from hisp before he could carry her, and stretched a little before saying sleepily, ¡°No. I

    have to change first. Let Christian know about the names, and¡­¡± Another yawn.¡±¡­and remember to tell

    Ben¡¯s boss about his absence.¡± The third thing Xandar forgot. Thank goddess he had already arranged

    bodyguards for the families while they were waiting t o see the doctor earlier, or he would have forgotten

    that as well.

    He pecked a kiss on her forehead and said, ¡°You¡¯re amazing, you know that?¡±

    ¡°I know you keep telling me that does that count?¡±

    He chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t care how long it takes. I will make you believe it one day. Goodnight, baby. I¡¯ll go

    see the hotel manager about Ben¡¯s issue now. Mind-link me if you need anything, okay?¡±

    She nodded with a smile. Her eyelids were getting heavy as she closed the door after he left. After

    speaking to the manager, Xandar mind-linked Christian the five names, and went home to sleep with no

    difficulty.

    Somewhere in the city, there was a mansion with three sports cars, two limousines and two other luxury

    cars, and a family of four lived infort without a care in the world, until tonight.

    ¡°What do you mean there¡¯s no one there?!¡± Helena Tanner yelled through the receiver from thendline

    telephone on her desk. After listening to the caller on the other end from her home office, she barked, ¡°Of

    course this is the right address! If you think I¡¯m an idiot then you¡¯re the idiot! There are three of them and

    you can¡¯t even find a single one? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I¡¯M

    PAYIN-¡±

    Her iPhone screen on her desk lit up, and she froze when she saw the caller ID. She then told her first

    caller, ¡°I have to call you back.¡± After putting down the receiver, she took a deep breath before swiping

    across the screen, and muster as much calmness as she could when she said ¡°Your Grace?¡±

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39

    ¡°Were you even going to tell me?¡± The menacing voice rang into Helena¡¯s ear, sending a shiver down

    her spine.

    Still, she tried to remain calm, ¡°W-Well, your Grace. The audits have already been¡­adjusted to what we

    want it to reflect so I didn¡¯t see a need to worry you about something like this.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Greg contemted, ¡°Your people are sure that my cousins bought it? That the figures are real?¡±

    Helena frantically answered, ¡°Yes! I spoke to the three of them in charge when I got to the office. They

    practically knelt and pleaded, swearing that they did what we asked them to do. And the receptionists

    said one stack went with the King and one with the Duke¡­the other Duke. I mean, if they didn¡¯t believe

    it, why bother splitting the documents between themselves?¡±

    There was a pause before Greg asked, ¡°And the Queen?¡± He tried to sound normal and not soft.

    ¡°The Queen? The woman with them? She just seemed like an essory from what I gathered from my

    people. Just nodded and greeted and you know¡­followed them around.¡±

    ¡°An essory? Hmph. Oh, Goddess. I wonder whether your people are idiots or you¡¯re the idiot leading

    them.¡± Greg taunted mercilessly.

    Helena was stunned. From whatever she was told, the Queen was just some wolf following the two men

    around. She gave no orders or instructions. She didn¡¯t even make any requests. The onlymon detail

    everyone seemed to have mentioned was that the Queen was ¡®nice¡¯. What did that even mean?! ¡°My

    people did mention that she was nice.¡±

    Greg chuckled darkly, ¡°Yeah. Until you piss her off.¡±

    ¡°So you know her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve met her. Twice.¡±

    ¡°And you think she may be a threat?¡±

    ¡°She could be if she wanted to. This one¡¯s smart. And very dauntless. Doesn¡¯t give a sh*t about

    hierarchy. As beautiful as the creature is, she is definitely not an essory.¡± He smiled to himself at his

    end in his own dark home office while picturing Lucianne in his head.

    ¡°So¡­we have to eliminate her, is that what you¡¯re trying to say?¡± Helena was already in panic. I f the real

    audits still existed, even if it was only from the past two months, her career, life and reputation would be

    done for. Her mate would never forgive her.

    ¡°I tried that. Didn¡¯t exactly go as nned. That was the first time my n actually didn¡¯t work out.¡± He

    furrowed his eyebrows at what happened to Lucianne, what he did to her. He felt ufortable, maybe

    even guilty.

    Greg swallowed a lump in his throat before he said, ¡°Like I said, this one¡¯s smart.¡± He didn¡¯t trust himself

    to use the word ¡®different without sounding smitten and soft.

    It was Helena¡¯s turn to sound menacing, ¡°Your Grace, intelligence will never save one from being

    poisoned. All we need is¡­¡±

    Greg growled, ¡°If you think poisoning is going to kill her and save us, you¡¯ve been out of this game for too

    long, Tanner. That is, by far, the most stupid way to eliminate a person. In our world, with our sense of

    smell and tracking abilities, poison is too traceable.¡±

    However, the truth was that Greg could never do that to Lucianne. Not again. Even if it were risk-free for

    them. Some part of him was relieved that his men didn¡¯t manage to stab her with the silver de. What

    he didn¡¯t know was that the de had been plunged into her body. She just didn¡¯t die. Greg didn¡¯t know

    this because Xandar didn¡¯t mention it in his speech.

    ¡®We can¡¯t just do nothing!¡± Helena cried out.

    ¡°Why not? You told me they believed the figures your people gave them, didn¡¯t you?¡± Greg questioned.

    ¡°Yes, but if the Queen is a threat, don¡¯t you think she¡¯ll find out what we¡¯ve been doing? What we are still

    doing?¡± Helena said.

    ¡°Until we know her next move, we won¡¯t know ours. It¡¯s better to do nothing for now. Recklessness won¡¯t

    get us anywhere with her.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re supposed to just live the rest of our lives in fear while she lives on fine?¡± Helena asked

    sarcastically.

    ¡°Watch your tone, Tanner.¡± Greg warned. ¡°The more you provoke the Queen, the quicker she will catch

    on. She sees through ulterior motives and hidden intentions, and then uses them against you to kill your

    n at its inception. Do nothing. That¡¯s our safest option. And if I were you, I would cut back on the

    spending spree for the next few months.¡± Greg hung up before Helena could respond.

    In his chair, he thought about what could have really happened in the audit department. It did seem like

    his cousins believed the audits for now, seeing that they bothered waiting for the hard copies and then

    taking it with them. But something still seemed off.

    Lucianne normally took a proactive role in anything she was involved in. There was no way she would

    just show up to look pretty next to his cousin. That wasn¡¯t her. ¡®Nice¡¯. Greg chuckled to himself. She was

    definitely sweet and charming. Her presence in the department must have been for something. He just

    didn¡¯t know what it was yet.

    There was a double knock and the door opened, letting in the light from the corridor into his dark room. A

    female Lycan dressed in some very revealing lingerie stood seductively by his doorframe. She threw the

    Duke a coquettish smile and asked, ¡°Youing, your Grace?¡±

    ¡°Not tonight, Livia. Get out.¡± He snapped, annoyed that Livia interrupted him when he was

    thinking about Lucianne.

    Livia faked a pout, ¡°But I didn¡¯t see anyone else here to keep youpany tonight. Won¡¯t you feel

    lonely?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my business. Now get out before I throw you out myself.¡± Greg warned.

    Unperturbed, Livia kept her smile on and sashayed to his desk before standing in front of him. Her

    arousal filled the air in his room. She was in heat and wanted Greg to be the vessel for her release. Greg

    was getting angrier by the second, ¡°Last chance, Livia. Get. Out.¡±

    She sat on his desk and whispered, ¡°Seven minutes. How about that? After seven minutes of¡­ fun, I¡¯ll

    leave.¡±

    Greg chuckled darkly, ¡°Like you were ever capable of that.¡±

    He was getting out of his seat and leaving Livia behind when her voice stopped him,¡± Sebastian

    Cummings was having the best seven minutes of his life with me before his mate came to spoil the fun.¡±

    Greg stiffened. He turned to Livia, who had a smug look on her face before he asked in

    disbelief, ¡°Seb gave up a lifetime with Lucianne for seven minutes¡­with you?¡± He looked at her in

    disgust from head to toe before muttering, ¡°He must¡¯ve been drugged blind that night.¡±

    She disregarded his insults and proudly dered, ¡°I can give quite the experience.¡±

    Greg still looked disgusted when he dered, ¡°No. That guy is just dumb, like his sister. Maybe worse, in

    fact. Get out now, Livia. Don¡¯t make me tell you again.¡±

    He turned to leave again. Just when he stepped out of the door, Livia pounced on his back and he

    would¡¯ve lost his bnce had it not been for the cab he held on for support by the side. His eyes

    turned onyx. He flicked her off his back and she fell on the floor.

    Disregarding her seductive gaze, he carried her over his shoulder and sheughed hysterically. But

    when Livia realized that Greg wasn¡¯t heading for his bedroom, it was toote. He opened the front door

    and dumped Livia on hiswn in the cold night. He then threw her purse and coat that was left on the

    front door cab right next to her on thewn.

    Before disappearing into his home, Greg uttered, ¡°The night air ought to cool you off.¡± Livia was so

    stunned at what just happened that she only came back to her senses after hearing Greg m the door

    behind him.

    She was never rejected by any male before, not even by Greg thest two times. What happened?

    Livia called Sasha toe get her. Embarrassed. Unwanted. But most of all, FURIOUS! How dare he

    reject her advances?! And what was that look he gave her when she told him about Sebastian

    Cummings? What the hell did that even mean?!

    Sasha snapped, ¡°You¡¯ve wasted your time going there to get him to scratch your itch. I think he is starting

    to have a soft spot for Seb¡¯s ex-mate.¡±

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Livia was enraged and bewildered, ¡°That¡¯s not possible! The Duke doesn¡¯t have a soft spot for anyone!

    And if he did, where is the wolf now?! Why isn¡¯t she with him?!¡±

    Sasha¡¯s eyes turned dark, ¡°For some stupid reason, the Moon Goddess decided to bond the wolf with

    the King.¡±

    Livia eximed, ¡°So the King is epting second-hand goods?¡±

    Sasha smirked, ¡°Sixth-hand actually.¡±

    Livia blinked in surprise and spat, ¡°But she isn¡¯t even that good-looking. From the back, she just looks

    like a child! She doesn¡¯t deserve to have men flock around her like that! We do!¡± 1

    Sasha¡¯s lips curled upward. Looks like she just found herself an aplice. If the useless rake of a

    Duke.wouldn¡¯t help her get what she wanted, she would just do it with someone else. And who better to

    recruit than Livia right now?

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40

    ¡°Weaver, watch your left foot. And remember to keep your core in.¡± Lucianne reminded him a s she and

    Toby watched Weaver spar with Yarrington.

    Toby was as serious as Lucianne was when he said, ¡°Yarrington, don¡¯t overdo those punches. Get to his

    nose, there have been two openings already. Don¡¯t miss a third.¡±

    After another few minutes of hitting and dodging, Weaver came out as the winner.(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar) He helped his mate up.

    That was when General Langford of the Lycan warriors came to where they were, bringing along one of

    his own warriors. He bowed without a smile, and Lucianne returned the bow with an equally straight face.

    ¡°How can I help you, General?¡±

    He looked offended as he said, ¡°As much as we acknowledge that you are one of the best of your kind,

    your Highness. I must tell you that you have no jurisdiction to train the Lycans. We would appreciate it if

    you do not overstep the authority that you¡¯ve been given. If you want to train the wolves, then do so. But

    we can very well take care of our kind.¡±

    Lord Yarrington scowled at the General, ¡°How dare you speak to our Queen in that manner! Weaver and

    I were the ones who asked her to train us.¡±

    Langford seemed even more offended, ¡°And why would you both do that, my lord?¡±

    Weaver responded on behalf of his mate, ¡°We wanted to advance our skills.(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar) This is what the coboration is for anyway! What is your problem,

    Langford?¡±

    Langford looked at Lucianne from head to toe and chuckled as he asked the ministers, ¡°You think that a

    wolf¡¯s skills are superior to those of a Lycan?¡±

    ¡°You certainly don¡¯t think so.¡± Lucianne¡¯s stern voice suddenly rang between everyone¡¯s ears. Some of

    those around them had already slowed down or pretended to be taking a short break, ncing in

    Lucianne¡¯s direction to see what was about to go down.

    Langford said with zero sincerity, ¡°I mean no disrespect, your Highness.¡± It was conspicuously clear that

    the General had every intention to offend her. He just didn¡¯t do it directly.

    Toby then countered, ¡°Then why are you questioning us being here? We¡¯re just helping!¡±

    Langford red down at Toby but Toby stood his ground and matched his re. Lucianne then came

    between them and pushed Toby away from Langford¡¯s view, taking his ce in front of the General.

    She smirked darkly and said, ¡°Tell you what, General. You, me and your right-hand man over here spar.

    If I win, you keep your mouth shut about who I train. If you win, I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut, and when you

    ask me to leave, I¡¯ll leave.¡±

    Weaver panicked, ¡°What?! My Queen, you can¡¯t just leave us.¡±

    Yarrington squeezed his shoulder as he uttered, ¡°Have a little faith in her, dear.¡±

    ¡°Well?¡± Lucianne asked Langford. The General smirked as he mind-linked his warrior behind him, and

    the warrior too smirked in response. They took their positions on the mat Weaver and Yarrington were

    using. Lucianne was at one end, and the General and his warrior was at the other end. (This novel will

    be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Many around them, mostly Lycans, had started taking their so-

    called breaks to watch.

    Lucianne studied their build and waited for them to start. The warrior charged at her first. Throwing a

    punch with his entire arm. Lucianne dodged sideways and grabbed his arm before twisting it

    emotionlessly. She kicked his kneecaps to make him kneel. When his second punch came, she flipped

    her body over his neck and the punch went into the air. Her weight on his neck was too much, and the

    warrior fell on the ground with a loud thud. That was when Langford came from behind, as Lucianne

    expected. He attempted to pounce on her but she rolled away right before he did. So he ended up

    putting his weight on the warrior. Since Langford was heavier, the warrior howled in agony when the

    General¡¯s weight fell on him.

    Lucianne didn¡¯t even give the General a chance to recover from his shock before she threw a punch at

    his throat and broke his nose with no remorse. Lycans heal quickly so that damage wasn¡¯t worrying.

    One of Lucianne¡¯s hands reached for the back of his head and the other reached for his shoulder before

    she turned his head forcefully to the left. If Lucianne turned his neck a few inches more, his neck would

    have snapped, and the General would have been dead.

    Lucianne cocked her head to one side to meet Langford¡¯s shocked and somewhat fearful eyes. She then

    pushed his body harshly to the back and turned the warrior¡¯s body over so that thetter could breathe.

    Seemingly out of nowhere, Xandar appeared on the sidelines, where Toby and many of the Lycans had

    gathered to watch. He was looking at Lucianne with so much love and pride. By his side, Christian was

    already chuckling mercilessly at the men she defeated seconds ago. Toby smirked as he fist-bumped

    Lucianne. ¡°That was awesome, Lucy.¡± ¡°Thanks, Toby.¡±

    Xandar walked over to her when Langford and his warrior were getting up. Lucianne asked thetter,

    ¡°What¡¯s your name, warrior?¡±

    ¡°Ph-Phelton, my Queen¡± He bowed.

    Xandar reached her side when Lucianne bowed in return and offered a genuine smile as she thrusted

    out her hand, ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Phelton. Hope to see you beat me next time.¡±

    He looked at her in confusion. But Lucianne continued to smile as she said, ¡°I mean it,

    Phelton. You have the built and the strength. You only need to work on your speed and agility. (This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Those skills can be taught. You¡¯ll improve in no time.¡±

    His eyes began glistening. He took Lucianne¡¯s hand and shook it once before pecking a formal kiss on it

    and falling on one knee as he said, ¡°Forgive me, my Queen. I have offended

    you.¡±

    Lucianne said firmly, ¡°Stand, Phelton.¡± He stood, guilty as ever. She smiled graciously and said sincerely,

    ¡°I hold no grudge against you. But I do hope that you will forgive yourself. This was just a mistake. Don¡¯t

    repeat it and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Queen. Thank you for your graciousness. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± He pledged. Lucianne nodded

    with a gentle smile.

    Then, she moved around him toe face-to-face with General Langford. He stood still but his face

    emitted embarrassment. A General, a supposed best Lycan warrior after the King himself was beaten by

    a five-foot-one werewolf in such a short time. And it happened in front of so many people. That really did

    not look good.

    Xandar was right behind Lucianne as she called out, ¡°General Langford.¡±

    He looked up at her gaze hesitantly. But his mouth was sealed shut. Lucianne waited but nothing came

    out. Lucianne then said, ¡°General, do you really have nothing to say?¡±

    He opened his mouth and his teeth gritted as he said his next words in utmost difficulty, ¡°I will not

    interfere with who you train, your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Lucianne said simply and was about to leave but Xandar stopped her tracks by holding her

    waist in ce. The King red at Langford before he asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t there something else you would like to

    tell the Queen, General?¡±

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Lucianne knew that Xandar was forcing the old man to ask for her forgiveness but she couldn¡¯t care less

    about whether Langford apologized so she turned herself around to face her mate and said, ¡°Darling, I

    don¡¯t need an apology. I got what I wanted. Let¡¯s just get back to training now, okay?¡±

    He looked her in the eye and firmly said, ¡°No. No one can disrespect you and expect to get away with it.¡±

    He turned her body back to face Langford in one swift movement but the old man remained reluctant to

    speak.

    Lucianne then groaned, ¡°Xandar, I don¡¯t want a fake apology. Just let me go. We have to train! We¡®re

    wasting time!¡± She tried to wriggle her way out but Xandar¡¯s grip on her waist was too strong. ¡®Stupid

    Lycan strength¡¯, she thought to herself.

    Xandar¡¯s tone was condescending when he spoke to Langford, ¡°Stop wasting our Queen¡¯s time,

    Langford. You should be grateful that she and herrade wanted to train the Lycans. After what she

    just did to you, you would be a fool to not beg her to train our army. It¡¯s a good thing none of the packs

    applied for our warriors.(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Their chances of survival

    would¡¯ve been too low. The wolves themselves may even have to carry our weight.¡±

    Toby was pressing back a smile at Xandar¡¯spliment. On the inside, he couldn¡¯t wait to run back to

    tell all the werewolves he knew about what the King just said.

    Christian then patted Toby on his shoulder and uttered, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Gamma Tobias. You canugh. I do it

    all the time.¡± 3

    Toby was surprised by the Duke¡¯s carefree demeanor in such a tense situation but Toby managed to say,

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve reached that level offort to do that yet, your Grace.¡± Christian chuckled at his well-

    articted, formal response.

    ¡°Well?!¡± Xandar yelled. The old man¡¯s will was definitely strong.

    Lucianne had had it with having to stand where she was. She then addressed Xandar in a serious tone,

    ¡°Dearest, if you don¡¯t let me go in the next ten seconds, I¡¯m going to beat you up t o break free.¡±

    Christian, without hesitation, dered excitedly, ¡°Cuz, you¡¯re going to die!¡± Toby was finding i t more and

    more difficult to hold in theughter. They both knew she could beat him. Everyone else knew she did it

    once, but they weren¡¯t sure whether that was because Xandar let her win. 1

    Weaver and Yarrington nced at each other with worry, wondering if the Queen would really beat up

    the King just to break free.

    When the ten seconds were up, Lucianne sighed as she muttered, ¡°I am so sorry for this, darling.¡±

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41

    Lucianne kicked backwards, aiming at his testicles and Xandar groaned in anguish. His gripo n her waist

    loosened and she elbowed his chest, pushing him backwards by a few steps. She turned around to face

    him, pain and guilt filled her eyes as she stood where she was to watch her mate¡¯s reaction.

    When Xandar regained his bearing, he looked at his mate with only humour and yfulness a s he

    teased out loud, ¡°Why the anguished look, my love? I haven¡¯t evennded any blows on you yet.¡±

    The guilt in Lucianne¡¯s eyes was gone. She watched him get into a position ready to spar her, and she

    asked, ¡°Do you really want to do this, Xandar?¡±

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid to lose now, are you, sweetheart?¡± Xandar challenged, and enthusiastic murmurs soon

    came from the Lycans around them.

    Lucianne smiled as she shook her head while she looked at the ground before lifting her head back up to

    say, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know which one of us is going to regret this more once i tends.¡± She then took her

    position, ignoring Christian who was saying, ¡°Goddess, I should¡¯ve brought popcorn.¡± 2

    Xandar seemed to have learned to wait for the opponent¡¯s attack, something she did the first time they

    fought against each other. He waited for her to attack this time. She charged for him and his punch came

    but Lucianne knew that this was his style so she dodged it with ease, and Xandar punched the air.

    Lucianne slid through the gap between his legs which he left too wide open, making it a perfect escape

    route for small opponents like her.

    Although Lucianne managed to climb on Xandar¡¯s neck, she couldn¡¯t pin him down since he expected

    her to do just that after watching her fight Phelton. He grabbed on to one of her legs and brought her

    entire body in front of him. She hung by her leg for only less than a second before she grabbed onto his

    arm like it was a pole and pulled herself back up, her foot turned and was forcing Xandar¡¯s fingers to

    twist to the point that they couldn¡¯t.

    Before she could escape, Xandar pinned her body on the ground with her back down, and pressed her

    elbows firmly on the ground. His face hovered over hers with a cocky smirk,¡° This position seems very

    familiar, my dear. Last I remember, you couldn¡¯t break free from me when we were like this.¡±

    Lucianne mirrored his smirk, and there was a glint in her eye before her knees bent and kicked in full

    force at his testicals, harder than the first time. Some of the Lycans cringed visibly at Lucianne¡¯s attack

    but Christian was alreadyughing in tears and holding Toby¡¯s shoulder for support. Xandar¡¯s grip on

    Lucianne loosened, and she elbowed his body to the side before climbing onto him in an instant, her legs

    spread across his chest. Without allowing Xandar to recover, her hands reached for his head and neck,

    twisting it slightly like she did with Langford.

    Xandar took a moment to digest what just happened. When Lucianne loosened her grip on him, he let

    out a chuckle as he took both her hands and kissed them affectionately. With nothing but pride and awe,

    he said, ¡°You¡¯re amazing.¡±

    A shy smile graced her features and she rolled her eyes before trying to get up. But Xandar held her

    firmly by her thighs, pinning her to his chest. Lucianne smirked, ¡°Want a round two already, my King?¡±

    He scoffed, ¡°Not until my Queen enlightens me on my mistakes from round one.¡±

    ¡°Let me go, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± She said simply. He smirked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the position we¡¯re in? I kind

    of like it actually.¡± His subjects around him were already grinning and smirking at his coy response.

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes turned stern, ¡°Behave, my King.¡± 1

    Xandar let go of one of her thighs and took her hand before pecking a kiss on her wrist. ¡°As you wish, my

    Queen.¡±

    She got up and so did Xandar. Lucianne told him about watching the space between his legs and his

    failure to pin her calves when he pinned her elbows enabled her tounch her attack to escape his grip.

    She also mentioned that he should¡¯ve quickly pin her to the ground when h e held her by her leg.

    Although she was just speaking to Xandar, the Lycans around them were all listening attentively. Weaver

    and Yarrington looked like they were taking mental notes.

    When Lucianne was going to walk away, Xandar pulled her into his chest as he asked, ¡°The first time I

    caged you in that position with your back on the ground. You weren¡¯t really trapped, were you? You could

    escape but you didn¡¯t. Why?¡±

    She shrugged, ¡°Because our spar already ended by that time. It wouldn¡¯t be a fair fight if I beat you up

    then.¡± Christian startedughing again. O

    Xandar ignored his cousin and asked Lucianne, ¡°You let me think that I could trap you?¡±

    With an innocent smile, Lucianne said, ¡°No. I never said anything. You came up with that thought

    yourself.¡±

    Xandar squeezed the flesh on her waist, and Lucianne tried her best to swallow the giggle but Xandar

    and his animal were happy enough to see her shy smile widened and her red-tinged cheeks after he did

    that

    Christian came over and patted his cousin on his back, ¡°Cuz.¡± he turned around to let out another stream

    of chuckles before he continued, ¡°Oh, Goddess! That was precious! I should¡¯ve made a recording.¡±

    The Duke really didn¡¯t make it easy for the rest of the audience to hold back theirughter. Like Toby,

    many didn¡¯t feelfortableughing at their King who just lost to their Queen, at

    least not yet.

    ¡°You should go next, Christian.¡±Xandar suggested.

    Christian¡¯s humour died down, ¡°Hah. Nah-ah. No way. I¡¯m not that stupid. My most heartfelt

    congrattions to you, my Queen. But no, not today. Maybe not even in this lifetime.¡± A few people

    around them startedughing subtly at the Duke¡¯s refusal to go up against the Queen.

    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Langford¡¯s voice came from behind. Lucianne turned to see the General stand before

    her. He swallowed a lump in his throat before gritting his teeth and saying, ¡° Forgive me¡­and sh-should

    you have any suggestions on how we can improve, I¨CI hope you can share it with us.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s lips curled upward and her eyes sparkled as she nced at the confused Toby before she

    looked back at Langford and said, ¡°Since you mentioned it, General. We do have a suggestion.¡± She

    waved Toby over.

    He came in slow, bewildered steps. Lucianne then said, ¡°Since the rogue Lycans attacked the Jewel

    Pack, many of us wolves have an idea of how we should alter our training to adapt to future threats.

    Toby, tell the General about our discussion with Raden and the others fromst night.¡±

    Toby¡¯s mind clicked and he eximed, ¡°Ah, that!¡± Now he knew exactly what she was talking about. He

    and a few other warriors, including Lucianne herself, talked about the issue. Lucianne was supposed to

    ask Xandar about it the night before but it slipped her mind after what happened with Caunterberg.

    Langford looked at Toby with less hostility than he did before. Toby then began, ¡°We were hoping to have

    spars between species for training.¡± There were shocked gasps from some of

    the Lycans around them. But half of them were contemtive, and Weaver and Yarrington looked at

    each other in excitement at the idea.

    Toby continued to exin, ¡°Since we¡¯re now dealing with rogue Lycans, many of us would like to train

    with an actual Lycan, especially in wolf form with a Lycan form. And in return, our wolves can help your

    Lycans gain speed in human form. Lucy and I have seen a lot of well -built Lycans here, and we say this

    with no disrespect, but most of you are too sl At least in human form. And as wolves, we are still no

    match for a Lycan¡¯s build and strength once we shift so we want to practice with your animals to find a

    few new techniques to defend ourselves.¡±

    Langford was pondering seriously, and Xandar¡¯s thumb was stroking Lucianne¡¯s waist in slow motions as

    he digested Toby¡¯s words. Toby then added, ¡°And just to be clear, General and my King, we won¡¯t force

    every Lycan to pair with a wolf,¡± he then looked at Lucianne and she gave him an encouraging nod to go

    on. So he continued, ¡°We will only train with Lycans who will be willing to learn and train with us. We¡¯re

    not asking for a mandatory inter-species training session.¡±

    Langford looked at the Lycans around them, then he told Xandar, ¡°I have no issue with that,

    your Highness. If there¡¯s room for improvement, then our species should be open to it.¡±

    Xandar then added, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s best for there to be mandatory inter-species training sessions. The

    rogues are a threat to all of us. Two of the wolves¡¯ best warriors have already been generous enough to

    give us their opinions on how we fare. It¡¯s foolish to refuse their offer to help.¡±

    Weaver spoke up enthusiastically, ¡°I¡¯m all for it! But with much respect and admiration for you, my

    Queen, I do not want to pair with you. I¡¯ll take anyone else. Just not you.¡± His mate and the others,

    including Xandar,ughed at the environment minister. Christian¡¯sughter was the loudest, as usual.

    Xandar looked at his beautiful mate and said in a husky voice, ¡°Well, Lucy. It¡¯s time to get the wolves

    over here.¡± She looked at Toby and said, ¡°Let¡¯s send the message, then.¡± In an instant, hers and Toby¡¯s

    eyes zed over as they linked their respective Alphas.

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42

    Alphas Juan and Tate were shocked but soon after that, excited. They wasted no time linking the other

    Alphas and Lunas through their pack leaders group-link. And the leaders, in turn, informed their

    Gammas.

    The wolves came over and started pairing up with the Lycans. Some Lycans followed Weaver and

    Yarrington, and went to where the wolves were to pair up with them. After watching Lucianne, most of the

    Lycans kept their guard up. Many didn¡¯t underestimate the smaller sized opponent in front of them seeing

    that even the smallest wolf was able to take down thergest and strongest Lycan, right after taking

    down their General and his best warrior.

    Xandar paired with Toby, and Christian paired with Juan. Most Gammas stood on the sides to watch two

    pairs at a time. Within the first few minutes, it was clear that more Lycans were falling on their mats

    compared to wolves.

    After Lucianne watched a few matches around her, her voice rang loud in the air, ¡°Lycans, your strength

    will only be of use if you actually manage to catch your wolf counterpart. If you don¡¯t have them in your

    hands yet, don¡¯t bet on your strength to win. When an attackes a t you, grab that part of their body

    they are using tounch their attack, and hold on to it. Only after that should you utilise your strength.

    Wolves, our speed and agility are our greatest advantage. Use the techniques we¡¯ve learned to have the

    Lycans use their own strength against themselves. If and when you get caught, think fast. Escape first,

    continue your attackter. Slip your way out in any possible way, and never underestimate the power of

    surprise. Everyone, take note of your opponent¡¯s stability. Ask yourselves whether it¡¯s a good time to trip

    them. See if your partner has a pattern of attack. Use it to n your counterattack.¡±

    She noticed Wainwright from the corner of her eye sparring a female Lycan, which made her add, ¡°And

    remember, in battle, show no mercy.¡±

    Juan managed to beat Christian. Raden, who was watching, gave them pointers on how they could both

    improve. The spar between Xandar and Tobysted a few minutes longer, with Tobying out

    victorious, which was a surprise even for the wolf himself. If the King was not his closest friend¡¯s mate,

    he would¡¯ve boasted about his victory to every Lyc n the field that day, regardless of whether he knew

    them.

    Xandar smiled and shook his hand as he said sportingly, ¡°Looks like my mate isn¡¯t the only one who can

    beat me. It was a good fight, Gamma Tobias. Points of improvement, please?¡± 2

    Toby was humbled that the King didn¡¯t take the fall too hard, ¡°Well, your Highness. Your punching pattern

    was very predictable. And you tend to think that your opponent¡¯s intention of charging towards you is to

    attack you.¡±

    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Toby shook his head with a smile, ¡°Take the spar you had with Lucy. She charged at you. But

    she wasn¡¯t going to attack you yet. Her intention was to escape from you and to surprise you when she

    escaped. And the punch you wanted tond on her went to the air, wasting your strength. For our spar, I

    charged at you only to be close enough so you started throwing as many punches as possible at me,

    distracting you while I watched your stability weaken enough for me to make my move. And your

    Highness, do you ever wonder why Lucy looks at her opponents from head to toe before a fight?¡±

    Xandar was pondering like a student who had been questioned by a teacher, ¡°To gauge her best forms of

    attack and defence?¡±

    Toby nodded then exined, ¡°She studies her opponents. All of them. Even you and me. Height, to see

    whether it¡¯s possible to flip over her opponent. Build, to gauge the best techniques to divert your strength

    back to you. The tip is, your Highness, if your opponent is smaller than you, which Lucy and I both are,

    don¡¯t expect us to start with a direct attack, not unless we¡¯re inexperienced in fighting. We¡¯ll always find a

    way to reach the more tender areas of your body, and those are not easily essible by direct attacks.¡± .

    Xandar listened and then asked, trying to not sound jealous, ¡°How do you know all this? Like how she

    thinks before she fights?¡±

    Toby smiled graciously and exined, ¡°Well, when Lucy recruited me and a few other Gammas to give

    pointers to our own warriors, she taught us how she assesses them before giving her feedback. Most of

    what I told you was what she told us years ago. If you look around, your Highness, all of those watching

    spars and giving feedback now are Gammas. And most, if not all of us, were trained and taught by Lucy

    herself.¡±

    Xandar was taking in the scene of the training ground and his heart was filled with immense gratitude

    and honour that he was bonded to Lucianne, the very best of her kind. Suddenly,

    e¡¯s loud voice came from a distance, ¡°Lycans, the intention of most wolves is to escape before they

    attack, not attack first. Don¡¯t pin on the fact that they¡¯ll attack you when they charge at you.¡±

    Xandar looked at her figure in yful annoyance as heined to Toby louder than necessary, ¡°Oh,

    now she tells us!¡± Toby was chuckling. Lucianne turned and locked eyes with her mate as she smirked

    and mind-linked him, ¡®I heard that, Xandar.¡¯

    He linked her back, ¡®Good. Then hear this, my love. You look like the Goddess herself, maybe even more

    beautiful.¡¯

    She shook her head in disapproval and tried to suppress a smile. She covered her face with her hands in

    embarrassment for a moment before turning around to avert his gaze and continued to focus on the

    spars around her.

    ¡°She heard you, didn¡¯t she?¡± Toby asked as he chuckled. Xandar nodded with a smile.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Not far away, Sasha¡¯s seething anger was doing her no favors as Luna Lyssa tripped her and knocked

    her off over and over again. First, she was kicked out of the coboration. Then, her father made her

    continue training even though he knew she hated it. Now, she had to train

    with an olddy wolf while every Lycan and wolf were under the irksome-looking Gamma¡¯smand.

    ¡°Perhaps we should take five minutes of rest, Ms Cummings.¡± Luna Lyssa suggested diplomatically and

    Sasha red at her before barging to the side to get a drink from her bottle.

    Also not far away, Greg took a peek at Lucianne whenever he could. He already lost to Alpha Tate twice

    and was not happy about it. When Greg heard Lucianne shouting out advice to Lycans and werewolves

    as he took a break, he felt his bad mood alleviating with the sound of her voice. He turned to look at her

    as subtly as he could when she had stopped shouting. Lucianne was covering her face, trying but failing

    to suppress a shy smile. ¡®Beautiful,¡¯ Greg thought to himself, and was surprised by how much emotion

    was generated into his being by that one word.

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43

    Lucianne, Xandar and Christian skipped lunch in the dining hall for lunch at Christian¡¯s home. Annie had

    wanted to meet Lucianne ever since Xandar first told Christian about finding his mate at the annual

    meet-and-greet.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    The cousins and Lucianne herself really wanted to start digging into the audits, the real ones, so it

    sounded like lunch at the residence of the Duke and Duchess was the perfect n. Lucianne was also

    concerned with how Ellia, Ben and the other two families were holding up,

    so when Xandar asked if she wanted to go, she didn¡¯t hesitate to say yes.

    Christian¡¯s vi was about the same size as Xandar¡¯s but the interior had more portraits: Xandar

    exined that Christian had been fascinated with art for as long as he could remember. His wife, Annie,

    loved flowers, which exined the colourful flower beds around the house, and the many, many tall

    vases and small pots at every corner of the rooms in their home.

    Lucianne was quite nervous about meeting Annie. Xandar told her that Annie was nice but Lucianne

    wasn¡¯t sure if they would click as friends. Things would get rather awkward if they had nomon

    interest to hold a simple conversation. That was the reason why Lucianne could never get close to

    females who only talked about make-up,test fashion trends or celebrity news. She never kept up with

    those things. She mentally nned to just get Anniet o talk about flowers as ast resort to avoid any

    awkwardness.

    Christian strode quicker than usual after he entered through the front doors of his home, making his way

    to the guest lounge where Annie was waiting. It was the first time Lucianne

    saw Christian walking ahead of Xandar. The Duke didn¡¯t look back as he made speedy steps t o his wife

    of seventeen years. 2

    Xandar and Lucianne made it to the lounge just in time to see Annie in Christian¡¯s embrace a s the Duke

    pecked a sweet kiss on the Duchess¡¯s cheek before muttering an affectionate ¡®Hey¡¯ to his wife, looking

    deeply into her eyes. Her eyes matched his affection as she pecked a kiss on his jaw.

    Lucianne took in the lounge with light-colored walls against the marble-tiled floor. A chandelier hung from

    the ceiling in the middle of the room, and its lights brought out the colors of the posh velvet sofas and

    bocote wood furniture. Exquisite was the only way to describe the lounge.

    Xandar was only looking at Lucianne the entire time her eyes studied their surroundings, and he couldn¡¯t

    help but peck a kiss on her temple because of how cute she looked when she was being a curious cat.

    Lucianne was so caught up with the sophisticated lounge that she merely offered her mate a shy smile

    as her hand reached out to touch his arm in tenderness. Her small hand on his hulking muscles was

    enough to make Xandar¡¯s animal howl internally with pride and ecstasy.

    Christian interrupted his animal¡¯s happy moment when he brought Annie to his cousin and the new-found

    Queen. Annie was only a little shorter than Christian. Her lc eyes shone beautifully against her tanned

    skin. Her shoulder-length hair was straight and brown. She wore a in pink shirt and white shorts. Even

    so, she was anything but in-looking because her facial features made everything she wore stand out

    in her own way. With a warm smile, she reached out to give Xandar a brief hug before she turned to look

    at Lucianne who had a friendly smile on.

    Annie smiled graciously as she offered a bow and said, ¡°My Queen, it¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you.¡±

    Lucianne bowed back and Annie stood with Lucianne. The Duchess had clearly been briefed b y

    Christian about the new bowing formality. When their eyes met again, the first thing Lucianne said to the

    Duchess was, ¡°Can we not do that the next time we meet, Annie?¡±

    Annie chuckled lightly, and to Lucianne¡¯s surprise, pulled Lucianne into a brief hug like she did with

    Xandar. After letting her go, Annie said, ¡°Christian did say you weren¡¯t veryfortable with formalities.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still not actually.¡± Lucianne admitted sheepishly. ¡°And I prefer if you could just call me Lucy.¡±

    ¡°What?! That¡¯s not fair!¡± Xandar eximed. ¡°Babe, you only let me call you ¡®Lucy¡¯ days after we met! You

    met Annie less than a minute ago.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes at her sometimes-childish mate, ¡°Xandar, I let you call me your sweetheart

    in less than 24 hours after we first met. Don¡¯t you think that beats calling my shortened name?¡±

    Xandar thought hard about it for a moment before he said, ¡°It¡¯s debatable.¡± Christian chuckled from the

    side at his cousin¡¯s seriousness.

    ¡°Lucy it is then.¡± Annie dly obliged.

    ¡°Thank you. Do you think you could convince Christian to do the same?¡± Lucianne asked, despite

    knowing that the Duke was right there in front of her.

    Annie groaned yfully and said, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a stubborn one. I have to tell you. Do you know h e called

    me ¡®My Duchess¡¯ for the entire first year and a half after our marriage, and even before we were

    engaged? I mean, seriously, what is it with this man and his love for addressing people by their titles?¡±

    sed

    It was Xandar¡¯s turn to chuckle at his cousin. Christian¡¯s smile was broadening by the second, and he

    walked to his mate before holding her close to the side of his body and pecking a kiss on her cheek as

    he muttered, ¡°My Duchess¡± into her ear. Annie¡¯s mock look of annoyance was quickly reced with a

    beautiful shy demeanor. Her pink blushes made her look more beautiful than she already was. No one

    could guess that this couple had been married for seventeen years. They behave like newlyweds!

    ¡°Aww, you guys are so sweet. This is a whole new side of Christian that I¡¯ve never seen before and it

    looks really good on him.¡± Lucianne said like an excited little girl. By her side, Xandar¡¯s thumb started

    stroking her waist, and he kissed her on her temple again because she looked absolutely adorable

    saying what she just did.

    Lucianne then looked at Xandar, whose eyes were soft with affection until she asked, ¡°Should we start

    analyzing the audits? There¡¯s probably a lot to go through. We don¡¯t want to be here for too long if we

    want to keep suspicions at bay.¡±

    Xandar groaned as everyone felt the romantic atmosphere around them break with Lucianne¡¯s words.

    The King then mocked annoyance andined, ¡°Lucy, first you let a person you met for less than a

    minute call you how I wanted to call you since the first night w e met. Now, you can¡¯t even give me a

    moment to revel in your being without you talking about Queen duties! Do I even matter to you?!¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s cheeky mood was turned on, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry for upsetting you, your Highness. But if I

    remember correctly, you said you merely needed me as your Queen to help you with your very taxing job

    as King. So I naturally obliged and asked about the issue I came to help with.¡±

    Xandar suppressed a grin as his hands started caressing her shoulders. After a brief kiss on her hairline,

    he said in a husky voice, ¡°Careful now, my love. We both know how that conversation endedst time.¡±

    Annie then asked Christian out loud, ¡°This was the one with Xandar¡¯s arousal spiraling out of control

    among the wolves in the dining hall, right?¡± Christian tried to suppress augh and nodded in response

    to his mate¡¯s question.

    Despite the strong wave of sparks Lucianne felt from Xandar¡¯s hands on her shoulder, she looked at the

    Duchess in as much irritation as she could muster as she said, ¡°Annie, you heard me. Did any part of

    what I just said sound horny to you?¡±.

    Christian couldn¡¯t help it this time, and was chuckling uncontrobly by Annie¡¯s side. Xandar himself was

    still trying his best to suppress a grin, and he continued to caress his mate¡¯s shoulders in adoration as he

    pecked a sweet kiss on her temple again while waiting for his cousin-inw¡¯s answer.

    Annie narrowed her eyes at Xandar and began, ¡°My King, you should be ashamed of yourself. Your

    thoughts are as inappropriate as they are unprofessional. It¡¯s no wonder the Queen showed you no

    mercy inbat this morning.¡±

    Lucianne burst intoughter, and Christianughed even louder. The sound of his chuckles

    She was already holding Xandar¡¯s shoulder for support, and it did not help that Xandar was squeezing

    the flesh on her waist yfully to make herugh even more. When herughter subsided, Xandar

    pecked butterfly kisses on her cheek, sending a visible blush to her features as he took a whiff of her

    hair.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44

    Annie dropped her humour and reciprocated Lucianne¡¯s serious demeanor, ¡°They¡¯re alright. But it¡¯s

    always a worry when the kids are in school. Waiting for the time to pass, and just hoping that they¡¯lle

    home safely is pure torture.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope the case can be closed soon.¡± Lucianne said with furrowed brows.

    Suddenly, Lucianne felt her dress being gently tugged. She looked at the source, and her voice turned

    soft as she bent down to greet the little boy, ¡°Hello, Russell. How was school today?¡±

    ¡°Hello, Aunt Lucy.¡± He wrapped his little arms around Lucianne¡¯s neck right after he said that. It didn¡¯t

    matter how many times Russell hugged her, her heart would melt every single time. When he let her go,

    he asked, ¡°Aunt Lucy, can youe y with me?¡±

    Lucianne already looked guilty that she had to disappoint him, ¡°Well.no, sweetheart. Aunt Lucy has some

    work to do. But I promise to y with you one day, okay?¡±

    His alreadyrge eyes widened as he asked innocently, ¡°Is Aunt Lucy catching bad guys?¡± Lucianne

    smiled, ¡°Yes, Russell. And we have to catch them fast so everyone will be safe. Hm?¡±

    Russell hugged her again as he whimpered into her ear, ¡°Be careful of bad guys, Aunt Lucy. When I

    grow up, I¡¯ll protect Aunt Lucy from bad guys.¡± Lucianne was holding back her tears a s she held Russell

    before releasing him.

    She pecked a kiss on Russell¡¯s head and said, ¡°You¡¯re a brave boy, Russell. Go y with Rita now,

    okay?¡± He nodded dotingly with an adorable smile, and showed those cute dimples before disappearing

    from the living room.

    Annie¡¯s surprised voice than rang through the room, ¡°Wow! You¡¯re really good with kids!¡±

    Lucianne stood up after Russell disappeared. She then spoke in her normal voice, ¡°Well, they¡¯re easy to

    be with. No ulterior motives. No ill-intentions. Easy to read. Just pure, little creatures.¡±

    Annie then asked curiously, ¡°Were the kids from your pack like this around you?¡±

    Lucianne said, ¡°Yeah, pretty much. It¡¯s most likely because I¡¯m the smallest werewolf everywhere I go.

    So the kids kinda see me as almost being one of them. The most daring ones even interrupt the training

    sessions with my warriors just to make me promise that I would y with them on the weekends.¡±

    Annie then smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s your size, Lucy. There¡¯s this warmth you bring that amplifies

    when you see a child. It feels weing and assuring. I think that¡¯s why Russell was drawn to you, so

    much so that it made your mate jealous.¡± 2

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± Lucianne asked in disbelief. Christian startedughing again. Lucianne

    then looked at Xandar who was suppressing a guilty smile as he held her closer to the side of his body.

    His reaction in itself confirmed Annie¡¯s observation.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Lucianne asked in annoyance, ¡°You were jealous of a four-year-old, Xandar?¡±

    Christian then said, ¡°Oh, we thought he was five.¡± 1

    Lucianne shook her head slightly, ¡°No, Ben said Russell is four. Rita is five.¡±

    Xandar thenined, ¡°Like that matters. He¡¯s a male who¡¯s getting smiles and kisses from you

    without having to put in any effort. And he gets to call you ¡®Lucy!¡± Annie and Christian were chuckling

    from the side at Xandar¡¯s childish remark.

    Lucianne couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. But she decided to give in this time. So she pulled

    herself up and pecked a kiss on his cheek before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my darling. Russell is cute but

    you¡¯re more of my type for a mate.¡±

    The smile which graced Xandar¡¯s features showed that he was satisfied with the answer, or the kiss.

    Xandar kissed Lucianne¡¯s forehead before whispering, ¡°You¡¯re my only type, Lucy.¡± 2

    Lucianne waspletely lost for words. He made her feel special, yearned and loved. She pecked

    another kiss on his cheek, making his smile spread wider across his face.

    Annie¡¯s voice suddenly came from the side, ¡°I see it.¡± She nced at Christian before she continued, ¡°I

    mean, I already felt the difference in Xandar¡¯s energy when he stepped through our door. But now that

    he¡¯s right in front of me with his mate, I can really see and feel the difference in his being.¡±

    Christian then looked at Xandar as he exined, ¡°I told Annie that you¡¯ve been less menacing and more

    weing with the people around us since you met our Queen.¡±

    Xandar then said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m bonded to an overly-responsible mate whose priority is knowing our people

    and protecting them. I have to try my best to keep up with her.¡± Lucianne was pressing back a shy smile,

    averting Xandar¡¯s tender loving gaze as his thumb continued to stroke her waist.

    Not wanting her cheeks to get redder and warmer than they already were, Lucianne then turned to the

    Duke and Duchess and asked, ¡°Shall we start?¡±

    Christian then said, ¡°Start lunch? Yes. Start work? No, my Queen. Neither of us are telling you where the

    audits are in this house until you¡¯ve eaten with us.¡±

    ¡°Oh right, I forgot that we haven¡¯t eaten.¡± Lucianne admitted.

    Xandar then said, ¡°That¡¯s hardly surprising. It¡¯s always about taking care of others first for you.¡± After

    pecking a kiss on the back of her hand, he said, ¡°Come, my love. Let¡¯s eat. It¡¯ll give u sa chance to meet

    the other two families too.¡±

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45

    They sat at a huge dining table that the servants had to take out from the basement when the three

    families moved in. Ellia and Ben were happy to see Lucianne again. And Ellia introduced Lucianne to her

    assistants and their families. Brigetta Reese and her mate, Barton Reese were newlyweds, and had a

    six-month-old child named Beatrice. Oscar Wildrow was mateless for now, and lived with his sister, Olivia

    Wildrow

    They all sat at the same table and ate the same food as the Duke and Duchess. Russell insisted that he

    sat with Lucianne. After knowing about Xandar¡¯s jealousy, Lucianne made sure she stroked Xandar¡¯s

    arm affectionately after she had given Russell any form of attention. Xandar¡¯s animal beamed in pride

    whenever Lucianne touched him in front of so many people.

    When Lucianne asked the families whether they had received any threats, everyone was relieved that

    they all uttered a resounding ¡®no¡¯ Then again, the three colleagues did leave their phones in their homes

    after deleting almost all the information inside so that they couldn¡¯t be tracked. So technically, there

    wasn¡¯t a way to threaten them.

    Oscar then asked between mouthfuls, ¡°Apologies, my Queen. But may I ask what happened?¡± He

    gestured to her 5-inch scar on her arm.

    Lucianne nced at her scar and said simply, ¡°Oh, it was from a rogue attack on one of our ally packs

    five or six years ago. Many warriors have something like this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a warrior?¡± Oscar asked in astonishment.

    1

    W

    ¡°I am.¡± Lucianne answered humbly with a polite smile. Christian then added, ¡°Oscar, if you want to know

    about our Queen, you can¡¯t ask her personally. Her humility doesn¡¯t permit her to give you the full

    information. She¡¯s the Gamma of Blue Crescent, one of the strongest packs in existence. And she is the

    fiercest of her kind, like a Gamma of the Gammas. Inbat this morning, she beat the best Lycan

    warrior and our General in the same match all on her own. Less than ten minutester, she beat our King

    here within eight minutes.¡±.

    There were shocked gasps from all the adults in the room as their sights turned to fix on the Lucianne.

    Lucianne was already covering her face with her hands, embarrassed. Xandar did not help when he

    gently peeled her hands off her flustered face. He was proud to show off his beautiful mate who had just

    kicked his ast in the morning.

    Ellia was the first to snap out of her shock as she asked, ¡°My Queen, is that true?¡±

    Lucianne was still flustered when she said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m only better inbat with Lycans in our human

    form. My wolf form is still no match for a Lycan¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Yet.¡±Xandar smirked encouragingly as he kissed her temple.

    Oscar then told Olivia, ¡°I must say, I feel very safe knowing that the throne is not only sat by the strongest

    Lycan but also the strongest werewolf.¡±

    Lucianne then exined, ¡°Oh no, Oscar. I¡¯m not the strongest werewolf. Those are Alphas. Being small,

    I¡¯m just¡­quicker than most. That¡¯s how I beat my opponents.¡±

    Annie¡¯s voice rang around the table next, ¡°Lucy, does your humility reservoir ever run dry?¡± Xandar and

    Christian both chuckled at Annie¡¯s blunt remark.

    ¡°I¡¯m not being humble, Annie. It¡¯s the truth.¡± Lucianne said.

    Annie rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Lucy, strength is not merely a physical attribute. Your strength in

    enduring whatever life throws at you and still managing to stand and help those i n need is much more

    valuable than having hard muscles and knowing how to throw a punch.¡± There were murmurs of

    agreement around the table.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Xandar then looked at Lucianne in pure tenderness as he uttered, ¡°She¡¯s right, you know.¡± He pecked a

    kiss on her cheek before saying, ¡°Sweetheart, you are the strongest werewolf.¡± Lucianne smiled shyly

    when his alluring eyes bore into hers.

    Brigetta spoke next, ¡°My King, it¡¯s so nice to know that you¡¯ve finally found your mate after all these

    years. The Queen brought a breath of fresh air to our office the other day. We spoke about what

    happened for hours!¡±

    A thought came to Lucianne¡¯s mind, and she sat upright all of a sudden, ¡°I need to ask. Were any of you

    interrogated by your boss after we left?¡±

    They told her about Helena Tannering back to the officeter in the evening. She questioned the

    three of them and the receptionists. Xandar¡¯s features hardened when they said they had to kneel before

    Tanner just to make it look real because when they were ckmailed, they were made to kneel as well.

    In this Kingdom, no one had the power tomand a person to kneel besides the King and Queen. Who

    did this woman think she was?!

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t be more grateful for all of you to take us in, your Highnesses and your Graces.¡± Brigetta

    said after she finished exining.

    Lucianne¡¯s hand subconsciously went to stroke Russell¡¯s soft hair as the little boy chewed on his food.

    But her mind was somewhere else. She didn¡¯t want to say anything at the dining table to scare the

    families they vowed to protect. So she simply continued eating the food on her te.

    ¡®Baby, what¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Xandar asked in concern through their mind-link. His features carried worry as he

    looked at her.

    She linked back, ¡®I¡¯m worried that we may be dealing with someone we don¡¯t know yet, someone who

    isn¡¯t on Ellia¡¯s list of five names. Someone on the outside.¡¯

    ¡®What makes you say that?¡¯

    ¡®Tanner was trying everything to make sure that her cover wasn¡¯t blown. But now that the very three

    employees she ckmailed are here, with no threats, it just seems rather suspicious.¡¯

    ¡®Babe, I¡¯m not following.¡¯

    ¡®Tanner strikes me as someone very resourceful. With the amount of money she had siphoned over the

    years, I doubt that it would be hard to find a good enough tracker to pick up the scent of these families

    and trace them here to Christian¡¯s house. The fact that there had been no threats at all worries me. She

    could¡¯ve easily sent a threat by normal mail but there hasn¡¯t been anything so far. It¡¯s like Tanner is

    subordinate to someone, and that person has not given the order to make a move.¡®

    ¡®Maybe this person is Cummings, Whiw¡­¡¯

    ¡®No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s them. Those two would have sent an anonymous threat to me personally for blurting

    more than they wanted me to if they were in charge. It wouldn¡¯t be Marie Martin either. She sat there

    without siphoning anything during King Lucas¡¯s reign for years. Someone after that must¡¯ve persuaded

    her to do what she¡¯s doing. And Patrick Dupont¡­if I¡¯mpletely honest with you, darling, Dupont looks

    more like a swayable puppet than a Deputy Finance Minister.¡¯

    Xandar then sighed and took her hand into his, cing it on hisp before he linked, ¡®They¡¯re all going to

    wish they were dead. If there is someone else, we¡¯ll choke it out of them.¡¯

    Her thumb started stroking his as she linked, ¡®We might have to do this very carefully, Xandar. And we

    have to be open with the fact that Ellia and the others don¡¯t know who else exists in this fund-

    mishandling. If there is someone else giving the order, he¡­or she has to be found and arrested before

    these families can be safe. And we can¡¯t touch the five people we know until we know who thest

    person is. If we alert even one of the five, thest one would disappear before we¡¯re able to dig anything

    up.¡¯

    Xandar kissed her hand, his expression was still serious as he linked, ¡®We¡¯ll do this properly and carefully

    to keep them safe. And we¡¯ll do it together, okay?¡¯

    ¡®Okay.¡¯ She nodded meekly and forced a smile as she finished up her food. 1

    ¡°Aunt Lucy, are you okay?¡± Russell¡¯s worried voice rang around the dining room and all eyes fell on

    Lucianne. 2

    Lucianne dropped her worried face immediately, and reced it with a cheerful and assuring expression,

    ¡°Of course, Russell. You¡¯re so sweet to ask.¡±

    ¡°I care about Aunt Lucy.¡± He said matter-of-factly, and Lucianne pecked a kiss on his cheek. The other

    adults in the room enjoyed the sweet exchange as Christian studied his jealous cousin in amusement.

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46

    Ellia and her assistants sorted out the audits in Christian¡¯s study, exining to them how it was arranged.

    And they started going through the stacks together. Russell somehow managed to convince his mother

    and Lucianne that he¡¯ll be a good, quiet little boy doing his homework at a small corner table in the study

    while the adults around him worked. Xandar didn¡¯t mind since he was far away enough from Lucianne. 2

    Since Ellia, Brigetta and Oliver were ckmailed into fabricating the audits without question, they never

    dared to scrutinize how the funds in the five people¡¯s ounts were connected to each other. They were

    just told to change the figures so that the amounts resembled those of other government officials. (This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)In essence, the analysis on the real audits had to now

    start from scratch. Afterparing the audits, they found a pattern in the iing and outgoing

    transactions of the five people in Ellia¡¯s list. 1

    om

    Every month for the past eighteen years,rge sums of money would be deposited into the five people¡¯s

    bank ounts. But the money did note from a government ount. The money that was channeled

    into the five people¡¯s ounts came from twenty different bank ounts. So it would seem that the

    government funds were first deposited into the twenty different bank ounts, then transferred to the

    five people on the list.

    What was odd was this: on a rotation basis, four of the five people in the list would transfer twenty

    percent of the siphoned sums to apany. The fifth person would transfer forty percent to the same

    company. Each person on the list would take turns being this fifth person to transfer forty percent every

    month

    As for thepany they transferred the money to, it changed every five years. For the first five years, it

    was to R¨¦nova & Co. In the subsequent five years, it was to Hanabell Poll & Co. In the following five

    years, it was to a firm called Telli & Associates. And in the final three years and early this year, the

    money was transferred to Wu Bi Corporation. Brigetta and Annie looked up the names of these

    companies. The first three didn¡¯t exist. The most recent one, Wu Bi Corporation, had more than ten

    subsidiarypanies, which in turn had further subsidiaries. The chain was long and seemingly infinite.

    When Annie made everyone pause to take a break while she, Christian and Oliver went to the kitchen to

    get everyone a snack, Lucianne went to stand in front of the huge window in the study and stared into

    space. Xandar approached his mate and joined her at the window. His hand rested on her shoulder, and

    his thumb started drawingforting circles on her skin as he desperately tried to ease her tension.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    He linked in a low, ominous tone, ¡®Looks like you were right. There is someone we don¡¯t know yet.¡¯

    ¡®I prefer to be wrong about this.¡¯

    He kissed her temple before continuing, ¡®We¡¯ll find out who it is¡­or who they are. We¡¯re

    making good progress already. We¡¯ll figure it out.¡¯

    ¡®I know that. I just¡­hope that we¡¯ll figure everything out before anyone gets hurt.¡¯ Lucianne looked at

    Russell, who was concentrating on his homework before she linked, ¡®We promised t o protect them,

    Xandar. I wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive myself if anything happened to any of them.¡¯

    ¡°Hey,e here.¡±Xandar said soothingly and pulled her into a hug as he whispered, ¡°They¡¯ll b e safe

    here. We¡¯ll catch these culprits before anything happens.¡± He kissed her forehead, and when they turned

    back to everyone in the room, Lucianne dropped her worried look, recing it with a calm demeanor.

    Christian, Annie and Oliver re-entered the room carrying trays of cupcakes and pudding.(This novel will

    be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Russell¡¯s eyes snapped up when he saw the food and he looked

    at his mother, as if asking for her permission. Ellia gave him an approving nod, granting him permission.

    And Russell smiled radiantly as he left his homework and ran towards the snacks.

    He took two cupcakes from the tray and ran towards Lucianne. He lifted one of the cupcakes u p in her

    direction. Lucianne smiled and epted the cupcake from Russell before pecking a kiss on his forehead

    and thanking him. The little boy was on cloud nine as he dashed back to his mother¡¯s side to tell her that

    Aunt Lucy gave him another kiss.

    Knowing how Xandar would react, Lucianne pecked a kiss on his cheek after Russell left. Xandar¡¯s

    annoyed face turned soft, and he pecked a kiss on her nose before they joined the others on the couch,

    with Lucianne seated on hisp. 1

    The families seem to be finding it easier to be around the royal family, and they spoke andughed more

    freely than when they first arrived. Lucianne and Xandar helped Annie send the trays back to the kitchen.

    Russell followed closely behind, carrying two emptied cups as h e followed the adults. He refused to

    leave the kitchen until the three adults he followed made their way back to the study.

    They continued looking into Wu Bi Corporation. On the inte, the corporation was registered as being

    a textile manufacturer. However, there is no such brand in the clothing market. They then thought that

    the corporation manufactured fabrics and clothing for other brands andpanies. But to their dismay,

    there was also no such information to confirm their thoughts. The corporation¡¯s business dealings were

    confidential so no one knew who it was doing business with. Xandar and Christian said they had to pull a

    few strings to dig deeper into Wu Bi. That evening, there was nothing more anyone could do.

    After bidding their goodbyes, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Lucianne, Xandar

    and Christian left to attend dinner in the dining hall. When Lucianne wasn¡¯t looking, Christian mind-linked

    Xandar, shooting his cousin and best friend a sad but grateful smile before getting into his car. Xandar

    returned his smile but the King himself was sad too.

    He got into his own car where Lucianne was already waiting for him and started the engine. Xandar

    started pondering on the pes

    lering on the best way to tell his mate what Christian had just told him. It

    wasn¡¯t something that he, Christian or Annie liked to bring up but Lucianne was practically family.well,

    family-to-be if one wants to get technical¡­and optimistic. Even so, she had the right to know.

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47

    In the car, Xandar drove a bit before starting the conversation, ¡°Lucy, Christian asked me to thank you.¡±

    Lucianne blinked in confusion, ¡°For what?¡±

    Xandar exined sadly, ¡°For not asking Annie why they don¡¯t have kids.¡±

    Lucianne then shrugged and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me for something like that. The absence of

    kids is only for two reasons. One is because they don¡¯t want them, in which case, who am I to question

    their decision? Or two, it¡¯s because¡­unfortunately, they can¡¯t have them. If that¡¯s the case, then why

    bring it up to hurt them even more?¡± 15

    Xandarced his fingers with hers and kissed the back of her hand as he uttered, ¡°You¡¯re amazing.¡±

    Xandar drove a bit more before he said, ¡°I was supposed to let you know about the¡­delicate subject of

    kids for Annie before you met her but¡­Christian and I forgot to brief you beforehand. We only

    remembered when Russell came up to you when we arrived. By then, we thought it was toote. But

    when you didn¡¯t ask them about not having their own children at all, even when Annie herself started

    talking about kids, Christian was more assured that you weren¡¯t going to bring it up throughout our stay.

    And he really appreciates it. It¡¯s not something that he and Annie¡­ arefortable talking about. What

    surprised us though is today was the first time in a long time that we saw Annie talk about kids with zero

    strain. She spoke about your interaction with Russell like she was just exining what she saw. There

    wasn¡¯t any sorrow in Annie like there was in the past whenever the subject of children came up. Neither

    Christian nor I know how you encouraged Annie to talk about your interaction with children without her

    breaking down but, sweetheart, keep doing it.¡±

    Lucianne frowned as she whispered, ¡°What happened¡­to Annie?¡±

    Xandar took a breath before he said, ¡°In the first year of their marriage, when they both visited a cafe one

    day, someoneced Annie¡¯s coffee with a drug that suppressed pregnancy indefinitely.¡±

    Lucianne was shocked. She thought that even if it were infertility, the cause would be a natural one.

    Xandar¡¯s exnation had shocked her to the bone.

    Xandar gave her a moment before he continued, ¡°We worked around the CCTV footages and caught the

    culprit but before the interrogation could start, hemitted suicide. It was a dead end from there.

    Christian and Annie visited every doctor and healer we know but they all said there was no cure.¡±

    Lucianne digested the information before she asked cautiously, ¡°Is that why Annie never attends

    government events with Christian?¡±

    Xandar kissed Lucianne¡¯s hand again before he said, ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons.¡± He sighed in despair

    before continuing, ¡°Lucy, you already know that not everyone in that room has good intentions when they

    come up to you. Greg and his supporters, especially, tried to make Annie feel ufortable when we

    weren¡¯t around to defend her. Even with them gone, Annie still doesn¡¯t feel safe being there so Christian

    never tried to persuade her to go to these things with him. If anything, he and I encouraged Annie to

    steer clear of events with those hypocrites.¡±

    When his mate remained silent, he stroked her hand to get her attention, ¡°Baby, you okay?¡±

    Lucianne was holding back her tears. It felt so unfair. Christian and Annie were good people. How could

    something like this happen to them? ¡°Yeah, I just¡­¡± she sighed, ¡°I just feel helpless that I can¡¯t do

    anything to help them.¡±

    Xandar smiled and said, ¡°Sweetheart, by not bringing up the subject, you were already helping them.¡±

    She groaned, ¡°No, I mean really help them.¡±

    He kissed her hand again and whispered, ¡°I know.¡± They stayed silent for the next few minutes before

    Xandar said, ¡°You have no idea how relieved I felt when I witnessed you stand up to Greg. In front of

    everyone, no less. The second time you did that on the training ground, I was just in awe. But the first

    time, I was purely and genuinely relieved. And so was Christian.¡±

    Lucianne shrugged, ¡°The two of you gave me a heads-up. Greg was caught off guard.¡±

    Xandar groaned in frustration, ¡°Stop trying to downy everything you do, Lucy. Greg never slips, even if

    he is caught off guard. You made him ufortable in a way that I¡¯ve never seen before myself. No one

    has ever been able to put Greg in his ce, not even Christian or m e. But you did it. You rendered him

    speechless on your very first encounter with him. It¡¯s like you used his own weapon against him.¡±

    Lucianne replied softly, ¡°Because I knew what he used to put people down. He takes the most painful

    parts of someone¡¯s life and uses it to his advantage. So I just did the same thing to him.¡±

    Xandar got curious, ¡°But how did you know he didn¡¯t feel worthy though? I¡¯ve known him forever but

    even I couldn¡¯t guess that. He walks around with so much arrogance that no one ever mentions or even

    suggests that he felt¡­unworthy.¡±

    Lucianne then exined, ¡°Only those whock something will see the need to make others feel like they

    lack the same thing. Greg saw the need to make Annie and I feel unworthy. It¡¯s only because he doesn¡¯t

    feel worthy himself. He wants to make himself feel better by making us feel worse. He could¡¯ve unted

    his wealth, power or strength to make us feelck in those aspects but he didn¡¯t. Because those aren¡¯t

    his insecurities. It¡¯s his worth. He didn¡¯t get the throne despite his efforts to overthrow you; the Moon

    Goddess never gave him a mate; and truth be told, I don¡¯t think he has someone he can count on. At

    least, I¡¯ve never seen such a

    person with him before.¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Xandar smiled in awe and took a moment to internalize her words and gather his thoughts, before

    asking, ¡°How do you know all this?¡±

    Lucianne scoffed, ¡°Greg wasn¡¯t the first person to use my past rejections against me. After the first few

    people, I saw the pattern. Those who taunted me with that had their own insecurities that they were

    never able to make peace with. Greg is no different¡­ Well, apart from the fact that he¡¯s a Duke, there

    really is no difference.¡± Xandar chuckled.

    He thought about how incredible Lucianne was as a person, about how much she knew just through her

    own observations and experience. The sad thing was that she couldn¡¯t see the full extent of what she

    was. Everyone saw it, except her. And it was frustrating!

    Xandar cleared his throat before saying, ¡°Annie is right, you know.¡± He nced at Lucianne and

    continued, ¡°You are the strongest werewolf. I mean, one only has to listen to the way you speak to know

    that. Most people would be embarrassed to be rejected once, but when you spoke against Greg and

    even Cummings¡¯s daughter the other day, you talked about your rejections with so much grace. You

    were soposed. It¡¯s not that you downyed the severity of it all but you sort of¡­showed everyone

    that rejections¡­do not define you as a person. I cannot imagine the amount of strength you had to

    muster to do that. It¡¯s like you were sending a message saying that no matter what, you won¡¯t merely

    survive, you¡¯ll live¡­to the fullest, even.¡± 1

    Lucianne was touched by how much Xandar noticed in those few minutes she had with Greg and Sasha.

    She smiled and said, ¡°No matter what, all of us can live life to the fullest. It¡¯s not just me. But we have to

    choose to do that. Making that choice¡­ is often the most difficult and painful phase to get through. But

    once you get through it, you¡¯ll be fine. Not instantly, of course. But gradually, you¡¯ll learn to make peace

    with it. I¡¯m grateful to have something to live for and many friends to live with.¡± 1

    Xandar felt a tinge of guilt that he couldn¡¯t be there for her when she went through the worst phases of

    her life. She had Juan, Hale, Toby, Raden and a long list of other people whom he met in the past few

    days. But he wasn¡¯t there for her. He wished he could have been. Now that he had met her, he vowed to

    make sure that she would never have to go through anything painful without him. He kissed her hand

    deeper this time before he uttered sincerely, ¡°You have me, too, Lucy. I hope you know that.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s smile widened, ¡°I know.¡± She stroked his hand with her thumb before saying,¡± Thank you,

    Xandar. And you have me.¡±

    His animal purred in bliss under her touch. He parked outside the dining hall before pulling her into a

    deep kiss, then muttered appreciatively, ¡°Thank you, baby.¡±

    They got out of the car and made their way to the dining hall. As they walked hand-in-hand, Lucianne

    said, ¡°I have a question about the date.¡±

    Xandar smirked, ¡°You¡¯re not going to cancel on me now, are you, sweetheart?¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes and asked, ¡°Is it a human date or a wolf-Lycan date? I just realized I didn¡¯t ask.¡±

    Xandar paused on his spot. He didn¡¯t think of that either. He exined as he thought about it, ¡°When I

    asked you out, I pictured a human date. But now that you mention it¡­I¡¯d really like to see your wolf

    again. And I¡¯ll definitely be paying more attention to your tail this time.¡±

    Lucianne nodded once in agreement before she said, ¡°Okay, then. I do want to see your Lycan, too. So

    which one are we doing first?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s Lycan was jumping in excitement in his head when it heard that Lucianne said she wanted to

    meet it. Xandar smiled and suggested, ¡°You mentioned that you go for a run a little after 4 a.m. everyday.

    How about we have the animal date tomorrow morning? We do have the next two days off since it¡¯s

    already the weekend.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She didn¡¯t expect their date to be only a few hours right after they

    had nned it. Xandar then teased her with a mock look of suspicion, ¡°My love, have you already

    nned a rendezvous with someone else? Am I disrupting your ns with one of mypetitors?¡±

    Lucianneposed herself and smirked before she said, ¡°Yes, you are, in fact. I was supposed to sneak

    out to see Russell tomorrow morning but I guess that would have to be changed.¡±

    Xandar took her hand and continued making slow steps towards the dining hall as he muttered, ¡°I can¡¯t

    believe I¡¯mpeting with a 4-year-old.¡± 5

    Lucianne shook her head slightly with a small smile and said, ¡°Neither can I, Xandar. Neither can I.

    Imagine the number of little boys you have to worry about if and when you meet the kids from my pack¡­

    and also those from our ally packs.¡± He squeezed the flesh on her waist to elicit a giggle from his

    beautiful and cheeky mate.

    After they had entered the dining hall and bowed together with the attendees, an old couple and their

    daughter came up to them, making Xandar freeze in shock and difort. His grip around Lucianne¡¯s

    waist tightened, fearful that she would leave his side.

    Christian came in shortly after, and he stopped abruptly in his tracks when he saw the three people

    before his cousin and the Queen. When he snapped out of it, the Duke made quick steps to stand next to

    Lucianne, sandwiching her between his cousin and himself. ¡®How the f* ck did they get in here?¡¯,

    Christian thought to himself.

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48

    The family of three were wearing fake smiles as they bowed before them and said, ¡°Your Highnesses.

    Your Grace.¡±

    Xandar, Christian and Lucianne bowed in return but the two cousins were trying to hatch an escape n.

    Lucianne felt difort emanating from the two cousins but had no clue why.

    Xandar spoke first, his tone low and troubled, ¡°Lord Kylton. Lady Kylton. To what do we owe the

    pleasure?¡±

    Lord Kylton said, ¡°We received word that you¡¯ve found your mate, and we wanted to convey our

    congrattions.¡± His Lordship spoke a little too loudly, as if to garner the attention of as many people as

    possible. Sure enough, many in the crowd had slowly stopped their conversations to look their way.

    Lady Kylton built up on her husband¡¯s efforts with an equally unreasonably loud voice, ¡°Your parents

    were good friends of ours so, naturally, we had toe and see you¡­¡± She then turned to the stone-

    faced Christian and said, ¡°¡­and your cousin, too, of course.¡±

    Christian retorted mercilessly as he matched their volume, ¡°We haven¡¯t been in touch for more than two

    decades.¡± This was a surprise for Lucianne. ¡®Another ck sheep of the family?¡¯, she wondered.

    Lady Kylton let out a phoney chuckle and said, ¡°Oh, Christian, dear. Still so serious.¡± She then returned

    her sights to Xandar and said, ¡°Xandar is still handsome, as always.¡± Her gaze finally moved to Lucianne

    next and she said, ¡°You have definitely hit the jackpot, dear. A handsome King for a mate! The Moon

    Goddess does have an iprehensible sense of humour at times.¡± She chuckled again before

    continuing, ¡°Oh uh, you haven¡¯t met my daughter¡­¡±

    Xandar and Christian stood impossibly closer to Lucianne when Lady Kylton tugged her daughter¡¯s hand

    in a motherly manner and gently pushed her forward. Lady Kylton then exined, ¡°This is Kelissa. She

    used to be very close to Xandar when they were young. Always stealing him away from Christian,¡± Her

    Ladyship chuckled at the memory, and continued, ¡°It¡¯s probably why Christian had always found it difficult

    to befriend Kelissa. My daughter and the King were so close that thete King Lucas and Queen Vera

    even encouraged them to get engaged! But sadly, that didn¡¯t work out. My most sincere congrattions

    to you, my dear. Kelissa and a long line of other women can tell you, it¡¯s not easy to impress our King.¡±

    Kelissa offered a sweet smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, your Highness. And it¡¯s good to see you

    again, Xandar. It¡¯s been a long time.¡± Her velvet voice was soft and her tone sounded a s if she was

    trying to imitate a delicate and graceful voice. Having met numerous fake people from countless packs in

    her years as a warrior, Lucianne saw right through all of this.

    She looked up at her mate. Xandar¡¯s guilt-filled eyes were fixed on the most important person

    in his life ¨C her. He was tongue-tied. At that moment, he couldn¡¯t articte a proper exnation to

    convince Lucianne that she was the only person he had ever given his heart t o. His silence seemed to

    have confirmed everything Lady Kylton had just said. Lucianne turned her sights to Christian. His face

    was still hard as he remained speechless.

    ¡®So, it¡¯s true. He was to be engaged to this woman¡¯, she thought to herself. Her heart felt like it was

    weakening by the second when the familiar feelings ofck, unworthiness and rejection crept back into

    her being. But, externally, she remainedposed. She was not going to give these three the

    satisfaction of watching her feel ufortable.

    She took in the sight of the blond female Lycan wearing an elegant purple evening gown, and Lucianne

    offered a small smile as she said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s a surprising pleasure to meet you, Kelissa. I must say, I love

    that gown of yours. It really brings out the color of your eyes.¡±

    The five people around Lucianne looked at her in surprise. The Kyltons thought that she would break

    down in tears, or explode in anger and jealousy. Xandar and Christian pinned her so close between

    themselves because they were worried that she may leave Xandar¡¯s side. But her seemingly-kind words

    andpliment made everyone astonished. There wasn¡¯t a trace of sadness in her sparkling ck orbs.

    Whatever turmoil Lucianne was battling in her being, she hid it well. Very, very well. ;

    Lucianne¡¯s smile turned into a taunting one as she turned on her acting switch, ¡°Kelissa, you and your

    parents are looking at me like I¡¯ve just said something unexpected. But I was merely reciprocating your

    family¡¯s polite gesture. So, why are you three looking at me like that, if I may ask?¡±

    Kelissa was so surprised that she took a step back, wondering if she had heard Lucianne right. Her

    father seemed to have found his voice first, ¡°Y-Your Highness, I¡¯m sure that my daughter is simply

    surprised to beplimented by the Queen herself. We can¡¯t think of anyone else who paid such high

    praise to Kelissa so sincerely. Well, apart from the King, of course.¡±

    Xandar and Christian both growled furiously at Lord Kylton, who merely smirked in response. Xandar

    uttered in a low and dangerous tone, ¡°I have NEVER said or done anything like that.¡±

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    Lady Kylton then spoke, ¡°Oh, Xandar. You don¡¯t have to deny the past now that you have a mate. We¡¯re

    merely speaking the tru¨C¡±

    The cousins stopped herdyship with another growl, and they were both stepping towards her.

    Lucianne paused her act and stood between the cousins and the family, her hands on each of their

    chest, preventing them from taking another step forward. Their lc eyes already turned onyx. If this went

    on longer, they might even shift.

    Lucianne locked eyes with Xandar and mind-linked sternly, ¡®Control yourselves, both of you. This is what

    they want. They want to cause a scene. Don¡¯t let them. Don¡¯t give them what they want. You are better,

    Alexandar. You are more.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes softened a little, and he linked Christian what she just told him. Like his cousin, Christian¡¯s

    anger had not vanished but he was now in better control. Lucianne retracted her hands, and Xandar

    hastily took one of them andced his fingers tightly with hers, somehow hoping that the sparks travelling

    through their bodies would convince Lucianne that whatever the Kyltons just said was not what it

    sounded like.

    Lucianne turned to the family and resumed her act, ¡°Looks like you and your husband know exactly

    which buttons to push to elicit a response form the King and the Duke, Lady Kylton. How very

    impressive. I wonder what happened with your n to pair your daughter with Xandar. Must have

    pushed the wrong button, I suppose? Or was it perhaps your daughter wasn¡¯t meant to be with the King

    from the very start?¡±

    Lady Kylton could not put on her own act any longer. Her rage was showing, her voice lost its fake

    innocence and humour, as she shouted, ¡°My daughter is the best match for the King! She is to be

    Queen! She is to rule this entire Kingdom! You filthy wolf! You think you¡¯re better than my daughter?! You

    are just a scum! The Moon Goddess will never pair something like you to anyone of value! My daughter

    was born to be Queen! One way or another, she will be Queen! You will never get to wear the crown of a

    Lycan!¡± When Lady Kylton realized what she said, it was toote to take it back.

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49

    Lady Kylton¡¯s husband and daughter looked at her in dismay and disappointment. The old woman blew

    up their carefully thought-out n within seconds! Everyone in the dining hall looked at the family of

    three in disgust and disapproval.

    Herdyship¡¯s anger seemed to have blinded her from seeing that Lucianne was pushing her buttons,

    setting up a trap for her to walk right into.

    Both the cousins were seething with rage but their feet were rooted because Lucianne¡¯s arms were

    stretched out in front of their bodies, blocking their way. But this didn¡¯t stop them from growling

    murderously at the old woman.

    In the hall, many of the wolves and even some of the Lycans, who have grown to love and respect (This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Lucianne, were also growling under their breaths as

    they threw fierce res at her Ladyship for insulting and challenging their Queen-to-be.

    However, Lucianne remained calm. She was very satisfied with Lady Kylton¡¯s reaction. She thought it

    would take more than a few words to get one of the Kyltons to blurt out something like that.

    Gracefully, she took a step forward and glowered at Lady Kylton. She mustered her voice of authority

    and grace as she spoke in a stern but controlled tone, ¡°Being a filthy wolf is better than having a filthy

    mouth and a disgraceful character. If I¡¯m a scum, then you are lower than a dposed piece of dirt.

    Your daughter may be a Queen in your family¡¯s eyes but it isn¡¯t for your family to decide for this Kingdom.

    The Moon Goddess makes these decisions. You haven o right to speak against her.¡±The wolves and

    Lycans growled in support of their Queen.

    ¡°You were rejected five times, you b*tch!¡± An angered hiss came from the side, and Lucianne followed

    the voice back to Kelissa. ¡®Looks like the feminine voice she used before this was indeed faked¡¯, she

    thought to herself.

    Christian¡¯s and Xandar¡¯s bodies were pushing grudgingly against Lucianne¡¯s outstretched arms, wanting

    permission to be set free. But her arms remained where they were, refusing their implied request. She

    noticed their fur starting to show, and their ws were extending b y the second. She demanded in a low,

    firm voice, ¡°Both of you, retract your ws, now.¡± Reluctantly, the cousins obliged.

    Lucianne could also feel the anger radiating in the room from the rest of the wolves and the Lycans. The

    wolves, especially those who had fought with her as allies, were already taking slow steps in her

    direction. She had to get rid of the Kyltons before the night ended in ughter.

    Lucianne red at Kelissa and spoke loud and clear, ¡°If you wanted to make me feel jealous and

    ufortable, Ms Kylton, then you¡¯ve clearly picked the wrong person and the wrong ce to do it. The

    fact that I was rejected five times should have been enough to tell you that

    I¡¯d be immune to attempts to make me jealous. You and your parents made a mistake to even try. If you

    look around yourself, you¡¯ll see that I¡¯m not the one losing control.¡±

    Lucianne turned to the old couple before speaking in a slow and deathly manner, ¡®If either of you have

    any amount of intelligence in those primitive brains of yours, you will take your daughter and leave before

    your throats are ripped out by the many people growling in this room. I won¡¯t kill you. But I can¡¯t

    guarantee that they won¡¯t.¡±

    (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)The Lord and Lady were so infuriated that they

    hadn¡¯t noticed the people they had angered taking slow steps towards them, like predators approaching

    a prey before they pounced. Lady Kylton suddenly looked fearful and her husband wasn¡¯t any less

    scared. For the first time in their lives, they felt like deer surrounded by lions with no way out.

    ¡°LEAVE NOW!¡± Lucianne¡¯s voice of authority demanded as she continued to try her best to restrain the

    cousins. The old couple snapped out of the scene and pulled along their still furious daughter, leaving the

    hall in haste.

    When they were no longer in sight, Lucianne let out an audible sigh of relief. Her arms restraining the

    men on her sides fell as she faced the room. Many were still angered, male and female alike. Even their

    respective mates didn¡¯t bother trying to constrain their counterparts, as if encouraging their mates¡¯ to go

    along with their homicidal intentions.

    Lucianne took a deep breath before she managed a small smile and spoke, ¡°Everyone, I am deeply

    touched by the support that you¡¯ve just disyed. Please, let us all forget that those three ever set foot in

    this room. People like them are not worth the attention, time or energy. Take a few deep breaths. Go out

    and get some air if you have to. Let¡¯s not allow disgraceful figures like themselves spoil our evening. We

    shall enjoy the rest of the night, alright?¡± Every Lycan and werewolf were surprised by howposed

    Lucianne was when she was in the best position to be the most angered. She even had a smile when

    they were all scowling after what they had just witnessed. Their boiling wrath was subsiding from

    Lucianne¡¯s calm words and demeanor.

    From where he stood, Toby retracted his own ws before he knelt on one knee and tilted his head to

    face the ground. His voice echoed through the hall when he shouted out firmly. ¡°As you wish, my

    Queen.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    Almost immediately, everyone knelt in the same manner and uttered the same words, even Xandar and

    Christian. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Those who were reluctant to offer

    Lucianne this gesture had to oblige i n the end since the King himself was on his knee.

    Lucianne was even more moved. As she battled holding back tears, she also forced herself to keep her

    voice steady and said casually, ¡°Alright, everyone. Enough with the formalities. Stand up now, and

    continue with dinner. Come on, stand.¡±

    Everyone stood, and most were already smiling her way. As soon as Xandar got up, he cupped

    Lucianne¡¯s cheeks and pressed his lips deeply on hers.

    When his lips released hers, the guilt in his eyes had not vanished as he whispered desperately, ¡°I love

    you. Only you. Please believe me. I have only ever and will only ever love you.¡± 3

    Xandar didn¡¯t care that they were surrounded by his subjects. He only cared about whether Lucianne

    believed him. Guilt filled his being. He should have told her about his past before the Kyltons showed up.

    He should have warned her so she wouldn¡¯t be taken by surprise by their presence. But now, it was too

    late to change everything that just happened.

    Lucianne smiled meekly. Her hand reached for his cheek and the other reached for his shoulder. She

    caressed his cheek with her thumb as she uttered, ¡°Breathe, Xandar. It¡¯s okay.¡±

    *Tell me you believe me.¡± He pleaded in despair, his eyes already glistening, ¡°Tell me you believe me

    when I say I love you.¡±

    She continued to stroke his cheek and cooed, ¡°I believe you, Xandar. I believe you. Shh¡­¡±

    From her peripheral vision, she noticed Christian and several wolves and Lycans looking their way. No

    one in the hall moved from where they stood. She didn¡¯t just end a scene only to start another scene so

    she desperately tried to calm her mate down. ¡°Xandar, I believe you. Shh¡­¡±

    *Tell me you know that I have never loved anyone the way Iove you.¡± His voice was just a desperate

    whisper. Lucianne wasn¡¯t sure if she truly knew this, that Xandar has never loved anyone else the way

    he loved her. She thought about Kelissa, who was from high society and who had been around Xandar

    since they were much younger. Lucianne herself was nowhere near high society, and she didn¡¯t meet

    Xandar until a week ago.

    When she couldn¡¯t respond to Xandar¡¯s plea, Xandar panicked even further. In his head, his animal fell

    on its knees and whimpered so hard that its eyes were glistening in devastation and fear, fear of losing

    its mate. The pain they both felt in their chests was excruciating. Even the sparks channeled into their

    bodies from holding Lucianne didn¡¯t make either of them feel any better.

    Tears started trickling down Xandar¡¯s cheek as he spoke in a broken voice,(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar) ¡°Tell me you know th-at, Lucy, pl-ease.¡±

    Lucianne wiped away his tears, and tried not to break down herself. Despite the feelings ofck and

    unworthiness swimming in her own being, she forced herself to swallow the lump i n her throat before

    uttering as convincingly as she could, ¡°I know.¡±

    Xandar, with his animal¡¯s force, pulled her into another deep kiss. When their lips parted, Xandar held

    Lucianne in a tight embrace, and said in a hushed and strained voice, ¡°I love you, Lucy. Only you. I love

    you so much.¡± 1

    When some of those in the dining hall started walking out to get some air, Lucianne let out another sigh

    of relief. They wanted to witness her and Xandar being okay before they felt assured to leave for a while.

    Christian himself joined Toby and a few others as they strode towards the door. When Christian saw

    Greg walking out with them, his mouth opened but Greg spoke first, ¡°Let¡¯s not start another scene,

    distant cousin. Our Queen has handled enough for one night.¡± What surprised Christian was not Greg¡¯s

    initiative or his words but the sincerity which filled them. He had never known this other Duke to be

    anything but troublesome and impolite. Greg didn¡¯t stay the night. He got into his car and drove home,

    determined to find out how the Kyltons had ¡®received word¡¯ that Xandar was bonded to Lucianne. He

    reyed the scene as he took the all too familiar route back to where he lived. ¡°How could she have not

    lost her cool?¡±, he wondered.

    His own ws were partially extended until Lucianne¡¯s smile and voice calmed his animal. But he

    couldn¡¯t deny the jealousy which grew in his chest when his cousin pulled her into those hasty kisses and

    tight embraces. He almost didn¡¯t hold back his growls. He had to leave. If he stayed, he might not have

    been able to control himself from constantly peeking at Lucianne the entire night. And his cousins would

    undoubtedly kick him out if they found out how he felt about their Queen.(This novel will be daily updtaed

    at .noveljar) He didn¡¯t want to be forbidden from looking at her and watching her in the dining

    hall or on the training ground. Everything she did made her so¡­

    different

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50

    Back in the dining hall, Lucianne continued putting on a smile to ensure those around her that she was

    okay. But only Xandar and Juan could see that she was merely putting up a brave front.

    Juan didn¡¯t bring up what he knew. Neither he nor Lucianne werefortable breaking down in public.

    He hoped to mind-link herter that night, away from the crowd, just to make sure that she was okay.

    Lucianne was well aware that her brother-like figure saw right through her. And why wouldn¡¯t he? He had

    known her forever.

    Xandar noticed that his mate was avoiding his gaze, and when he held her hand, her fingers didn¡¯t

    respond as how they normally would. His consistently-whimpering animal wanted his human part to hold

    her and speak to her, to keep assuring her of his love for her. But his human part felt that his uncontrolled

    outbursts tonight had put Lucianne through enough, and he decided against mentioning the matter until

    Xandar had walked her back to her room. 4

    They walked back to the hotel in silence. Xandar was stroking Lucianne¡¯s waist with his thumb in slow

    motions, watching his mate¡¯s tired face as she got lost in her own thoughts. When they reached her door,

    he pulled her into a passionate kiss. Then, he looked deep into her ck orbs and asked, ¡°Can I sleep

    on your couch tonight?¡±

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    The doubt she tried to mask all night surfaced. She averted her eyes from his as she said in a soft and

    exhausted voice, ¡°Xandar, I¡¯m really tired. I just want to be alone tonight.¡±

    His animal whimpered even louder as Xandar felt a pang in his heart, and he abruptly pulled her into his

    chest. He kissed her hair before whispering firmly but sorrowfully, ¡°I knew you didn¡¯t believe me. But I¡¯m

    not leaving. We can both stay here right outside your door all night, or you can let me in. I¡¯m not letting

    you go through this alone, Lucy. I¡¯ll kick down the door if I have to.¡±

    Lucianne pushed him back with the little strength she had left, and wiped away her stray tears before

    Xandar could. Without another word, she unlocked her door with her keycard and Xandar followed her in.

    She still didn¡¯t look at him when she took some clothes from her cupboard and headed for the bathroom,

    locking the door behind her.

    As tempting as it was to cry in the shower, she restrained herself from doing so, knowing full well that

    Xandar¡¯s Lycan hearing would catch her sobs and sniffles. After cleaning herself up, she opened the

    door and Xandar, who was right outside, pulled her into another hug. He kissed her forehead before

    lifting her body off the floor, carrying her to the bed.

    The fact that she was still avoiding his gaze even when he held her in his arms made Xandar¡¯s heart

    re in agonizing anguish, so much so that he would have given in to his weakened legs if he weren¡¯t

    carrying his beautiful mate.

    He ced Lucianne in a sitting position, her back against the headrest and her legs

    underneath the covers. Then, he sat cautiously by her side. His fingers reached for her chin to gently lift

    up her face, making their eyes lock as he uttered, ¡°Lucy, I have never loved anyone the way I love you.

    There¡¯s no need to be jealous, please. I¡¯ve never seen their daughter that way, ever. I swear. The¡­

    engagement never materialized because Christian, my maternal grandfather and I myself fought against

    it. The only time she and I¡­went out was because my parents and hers set it up. I was told that I was

    going to meet my aunt, only to have Kylton¡¯s daughter walk through the door. I left the restaurant as soon

    as I found out what was happening. Nothing ever happened between us, Lucy. Please, you have to

    believe me. You have to know that. There really is nothing to be jealous about, baby, please.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not jealous.¡± Lucianne snapped in a whisper. ¡°Jealousy requires rage. After five mate bonds, I¡¯ve

    practically given up on getting enraged over something like this. I wasn¡¯t lying to the Kyltons back there.

    Jealousy doesn¡¯t affect me anymore. Mate number four was good practice for me. I won¡¯t fight someone

    just to keep someone else, Xandar. I¡¯ve grown tired of doing that a long time ago.¡±

    Her tears were already threatening to flow out. She then pressed her lips together before she sighed

    heavily to steady herself. Only then she continued to speak, ¡°But somehow, I never got used to feeling¡­

    unworthy, and feeling¡­the insecurity thates with it. When the Kyltons mentioned how you were

    almost ¡­engaged, it just¡­triggered those emotions again.¡±

    Xandar kissed her forehead and held her close as he uttered, ¡°The purported engagement was devoid of

    any consent from my part, Lucy. It never happened. I made sure that it didn¡¯t happen.¡± He kissed her hair

    and held her tighter, ¡°And you¡¯re anything but unworthy, Lucy. Through your words and actions, you show

    everyone over and over again how special and priceless you are. You do so much for everyone. You

    touch lives like no one we¡®ve ever seen. You defend the vulnerable, call out the ipetents and

    restrain the reckless. And you do these things with so much grace andposure. Lucy, you¡¯re a living,

    breathing masterpiece of our Goddess. We can¡¯t lose you. I can¡¯t lose you.¡±

    She parted their bodies and forced a meek smile, which made Xandar feel more wounded. She still didn¡¯t

    believe him.

    In her soft voice, she said, ¡°I know I y a role to a certain extent but¡­on my worst days, I just feel

    that¡­I¡¯m not doing enough, that I am not enough. Sometimes, the feelings are self triggered and other

    times something around me happens and I just¡­feelck again. Tonight i s just one of those days.¡±

    She continued to fight her tears as she said incoherently, ¡°I¡¯m¡­not doubting you¡­Xandar. How I¡­

    behaved with you after¡­what happened tonight¡­had nothing to do¡­with you. This is just¡­an

    emotional phase that I have to¡­get through¡­.I¡¯ve done it before. I just need time. I just need to be¡­

    sad¡­by myself¡­for a while. I¡¯ll be fine after that, I promise.¡±

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51

    Xandar¡¯s heart cracked at the words ¡®sad by myself¡¯. When she started pulling up her covers and was

    about to slip the rest of her body under the sheets, he lifted her body up and ced her on hisp. After

    guiding her head to his chest, he muttered, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sad by yourself, Lucy. You can be sad

    with me. We¡¯ll get through this together. I love you, baby. It¡¯s okay for you to break down in front of me.

    Please stop trying to hold everything back. Let it all out. Let it all out with me.¡±

    Lucianne couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. She broke down with an anguished cry, and sobbed and sniffled

    in Xandar¡¯s chest as she let the feelings ofck and unworthiness flow through her. Without allowing

    these emotions to pass through her being, she would never be free. The sensations would just build up

    and make her ufortable and drained.

    sel

    Xandar stroked her hand and shoulder as he continued letting her cry into his chest, drenching a part of

    his shirt. His heart ached at the increasing wetness. Every sniffle and sob felt like a stab to his heart. His

    animal was not helping when it broke down in tears at the scene as well. 1

    Unworthy and insecure. Xandar thought about what she said. After knowing about her past, i t was not

    surprising to learn that she felt that way. And he wasn¡¯t sure whether to be grateful or devastated by the

    fact that she no longer had a tendency to be jealous.

    Life has thrown so many instances her way to trigger that rage within her that she was now able to

    ignore that feeling altogether. She would rather walk away in hurt than allow jealousy to make her fight

    against someone to get someone else. This thought pained Xandar. His beautiful and selfless mate had

    been through so much. Yet it seems that such things never

    stop happening to her. 1

    Even when she had stopped crying, he continued to hold her and stroke her lovingly. None of them said

    a word to each other. Suddenly, Lucianne sat upright on hisp. He was about to ask how she was

    feeling but when he saw her reddened eyes ze over, he fell silent and continued holding her as he

    waited.

    Juan was mind-linking his sister, ¡®Lucy, how are you, really?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m fine now. Xandar¡¯s here. He made me cry everything out with him. I¡¯m okay now. Don¡¯t worry.¡®

    There was a pause before Juan linked a response, ¡®He¡¯s good to you, Lucy. There¡¯s no reason t o

    question his loyalty. There¡¯s no need to feel insecure.¡¯

    He knew her so well. She was quiet for a moment before she linked, ¡®I guess that¡¯s true. I just¡­ get so

    frustrated that I¡¯m never able to not feel this, to not feel¡­ unworthy¡¯

    ¡®You are worthy, Lucy. We all see it. You have no idea the impact you have on the lives of everyone you

    meet. So much so that we would kill for you. You saw everyone tonight. We

    were ready to murder three people just to keep you. All of us would¡¯ve done it without hesitation,

    especially your mate. Those three wouldn¡¯t have left the room alive tonight had you not stopped us, had

    you not stopped him.¡¯

    ¡®What happened tonight with everyone growling was definitely¡­unexpected.¡¯

    Juan scoffed, ¡®For you, maybe. But not for the rest of us. You¡®re worth more than you know, Lucy.¡±

    ¡®Why do I still feel like this sometimes? Why doesn¡¯t it ever go away?¡¯

    ¡°Give yourself time, Lucy. You¡¯ve been through more than anyone we know. Let him be there for you.¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to let me shut him out anyway. He practically forced me to let him

    sleep on my couch tonight when he saw through the front I was putting up.¡¯

    Juan chuckled, ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll bring some clothes over for him in a few minutes.¡¯

    ¡®And Juan¡­thank you for not mentioning anything at dinner. You saw through me, too. But you didn¡¯t say

    anything. Thank you.¡¯

    Juan chuckled again before he linked back, ¡®Anything for my little sister. I¡¯ll see you in a bit.¡¯

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Lucianne ended the mind-link. Xandar¡¯s concerned gaze fell on her when she exined in a much

    steadier voice, ¡°That was just Juan checking up on me. I told him that you were staying the night so he¡¯s

    coming down in a moment with some clothes for you to change.¡±

    When she climbed out of hisp, he held her arms and asked frantically, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Was

    she avoiding him again?

    She simply said, ¡°The bathroom. I want to wash off the tear stains before Juan gets here. I don¡¯t want

    him to worry about me any more than he already is.¡±

    Xandar still refused to release her as he said firmly, ¡°You do know that I¡¯m okay with worrying about you,

    don¡¯t you? You don¡¯t have to mask anything to stop me from worrying about you, Lucy. I hope you know

    that.¡±

    Her lips managed a slight upward curl and she nodded before saying, ¡°I know. Thank you.¡± Xandar was

    relieved to hear those wordsing out of her mouth, and kissed the back of her hands before letting

    her go to the bathroom sink.

    He watched as she sshed cold water on her face. Xandar was only brought out of daze when he

    heard a knock on the door. He got up to open it, and Juan was standing there with a folded set of shirt

    and pants.

    As he was handing over the clothes, Juan asked Xandar in a hushed voice, ¡°How is she?¡±

    Xandar epted the clothes, and pondered for a moment before he frowned and muttered,¡° Just

    because she¡¯s strong it doesn¡¯t mean she deserves to go through these emotional turmoils. Why does

    life give someone like her so much to deal with?¡±

    Juan smiled sadly and whispered, not wanting Lucianne to hear them, ¡°You have no idea how many of

    us want to know the answer to that question, your Highness.¡±

    Lucianne came to the door as soon as Juan finished saying that. He offered her a hug. They held each

    other for only a short moment before bidding each other goodnight.

    Xandar changed in the bathroom, and tucked Lucianne into bed after that. He kissed her on her forehead

    before whispering a firm and clear ¡®I love you¡¯ into her ear. When she muttered a soft ¡®I know¡¯, he smiled

    and pecked a kiss on her cheek.

    Relief washed over him and his Lycan. He went to the couch and fell asleep as soon as he saw

    Lucianne¡¯s own eyelids fall in the dark.

    In a bar, Livia mmed her phone on the counter table after speaking to her aunt. On the high chair next

    to her, Sasha¡¯s hopeful eyes turned dark. Livia didn¡¯t have to say anything. Her reaction pretty much told

    Sasha the gist of what she wanted to know.

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52

    Livia drowned down some liquor before she mmed the emptied shot ss on the counter table. She

    muttered under her breath lividly, ¡°What the hell is that bitch made of?¡±

    Sasha drank half of the contents from her wine ss before saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Everyone breaks

    over something. We just haven¡¯t found what breaks her yet.¡± ¡°How can Greg even like her?!¡± Livia

    whisper-yelled, still unable to ept that the Duke kicked her out the other night and showed affection

    for Lucianne by how gentle his tone was when he said Lucianne¡¯s name.

    Sasha seemed to have already calmed down from her previous encounter with the Duke.(This novel will

    be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡± Men don¡¯t know what they want, Liv. He¡¯s just blinded for now,

    like the rest of them.¡±

    Livia continued to hiss, ¡°Do you know that even the wolves were ready to attack my rtives? How dare

    they?! We are the superior species! They shouldn¡¯t even have the gall to think of doing something like

    that.¡±

    Sasha took a sip, ¡°It¡¯s because of that wolf. They think that they are on par with us now because our King

    is bonded to one of them.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t let her get away with this!¡± Livia eximed. ¡°The wolves who did that should be punished! That

    bitch should be brought to her knees and apologize for what she¡¯s been doing to all of us!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with you there, Liv. But we need a n B now.¡± Sasha didn¡¯t like Kelissa Kylton, especially when she

    knew that thete King and Queen was trying to matchmake their son with the Lord and Lady¡¯s only

    daughter. Sasha¡¯s own father was not a Lord, so she felt inferior to Kelissa..that was until word spread

    that Xandar refused to marry the daughter of that esteemed family. The Kyltons were so humiliated and

    angry that they moved far away. No one had seen them or heard from them in years, until Livia made the

    call.

    Livia was aware of Sasha¡¯s hate towards her cousin but she couldn¡¯t care less. She was after the Duke.

    There was something about his willful disregard for authority that turned on a

    her being. Livia didn¡¯t tell her rtives that Sasha had a hand in deciding to tell Aunt Kylton about the

    King being bonded to a wolf. Kelissa expressed mutual hate for Sasha when she saw Sasha trying to

    seduce the very person she herself was seducing.

    After a few more drinks, Sasha sent Livia home. Livia walked into the dark house. Her parents were

    visiting some friends and her brother worked overseas so she was alone for now. She entered, and

    threw the keys with the other sets before sighing in exhaustion. She was making her way towards her

    room. But when she walked past the dark living room, her senses caught a presence. With her Lycan

    eyesight, she looked into the dark and saw a figure sitting crossed-legged on an armchair at a dark

    corner. She squinted her eyes, and when her vision finally adjusted fully to the darkness, she saw that it

    was Greg.

    She smirked coyly, ¡°Well, your Grace. It¡¯s good to know you¡¯refortable letting yourself in. Finally in

    the mood to experience what I told you about the other night?¡±

    Greg uncrossed his legs and stood from his seat. He took slow steps towards Livia without uttering a

    single word. Livia assumed that he was epting her offer. Her parents weren¡¯ting home anytime

    soon so they could very well do it in the living room if they wanted to. She, too, approached him in slow,

    seductive steps as she threw her purse waited for him to make his move.

    When he stood before her, his onyx eyes bore into hers and Livia misread them as being lust when, in

    fact, Greg was actually angered. Her arousal started filling the room. That was when Greg pushed her

    mercilessly against the wall. He pinned her neck with one hand and growled menacingly as he asked,

    (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) ¡°Why did you send the Kyltons this evening?¡±

    She was shocked but tried to choke out her words, ¡°G-Greg, what are you talking about? I didn

    _¡±

    Greg released her neck only to m her head harder against the wall. A crack began to form where

    Livia¡¯s head made the impact. If she weren¡¯t a Lycan, the force would have resulted in a concussion or

    an internal hemorrhage. But because of her strength, the impact on her skull just made her feel slightly

    ufortable.

    Greg uttered his next words slowly, one syble at a time, ¡°Don¡¯t. Lie. To. Me.¡±

    His grip was tightening around Livia¡¯s neck. She was losing air so Greg grudgingly released her neck.

    She fell on the floor with a loud thud at his feet. Livia coughed and took inrge volumes of air to

    replenish her lungs. Greg squatted and lifted her chin up roughly as he repeated his question, ¡°Why did

    you send them?¡±

    Livia was still catching her breath as she furrowed her brows in annoyance, ¡°Why is that so important to

    you? They weren¡¯t even there for you. They just went for the King.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Greg scoffed at Livia¡¯s amateur attempt to lie. He glowered at her as he said, ¡°They weren¡¯t

    really just there for my cousin, were they? You sent them there to catch her off guard and to hurt her, to

    hurt Lucianne.¡± Livia¡¯s shocked expression confirmed Greg¡¯s suspicions. At that moment, Livia regretted

    the many years she bragged to everyone about being the Kyltons

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    rtive.

    Greg threw her head towards the floor. Without giving her time to recover, he lifted up her body and

    pinned her against the wall by her shoulders as he said, ¡°Lucky for you, the Queen was neither hurt nor

    broken, or I wouldn¡¯t be leaving without breaking your neck myself tonight. Consider this a warning. If

    you even try to hurt her again, rest assured that I¡¯ll kill you painfully slowly. Is that understood, Livia?¡±

    Livia¡¯s eyes were glistening with tears of rage and jealousy. He was protecting the wolf! How could that

    be?! What the hell did the wolf have that she didn¡¯t?! Livia spat in despair, ¡°Why do you even care about

    her? You are nothing to her!¡±

    Greg threw her body against the cab at the side before he firmly dered, (This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)¡°The Queen doesn¡¯t have to reciprocate my feelings for me to act on them.

    You stay away from her or, I promise you, your end will note without an insane amount of anguish.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a fool to choose her, your Grace.¡± Livia spat in a whisper.

    He cocked his head to one side, and watched Livia pushing herself off the floor before he said, ¡°I¡¯d be

    more worried about your own intelligence if I were you.¡± He left her there and walked out the door.

    Livia¡¯s angry tears were streaming down her face. ¡®The wolf had to die¡¯, she thought. But she had to be

    more careful this time. Greg cannot find out that she was behind whatever she was going to n for the

    ugly, little thing. She and Sasha had to be more discreet with their n B. She only hoped that they

    could hatch a n and execute it before the wolf turned into a Lycan. It was easier to kill their cousin

    species than it was to kill them so they had to act fast!

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53

    Xandar was awakened by Lucianne¡¯s 4 a.m. rm. She turned it off within seconds. And he saw her get

    out of bed in the darkness. His sleepy eyes watched her stretch her perfect body before she walked

    towards the bathroom. When she locked the door behind her, Xandar allowed himself a few more

    seconds before getting out of the couch he slept in. He then remembered they had a date this morning.

    But after everything that happened the night before, he wasn¡¯t sure if Lucianne still wanted t o go with

    their ns. He turned on the lights and stretched out his own body as he waited for Lucianne toe

    out from the bathroom.

    The moment he heard the bathroom door unlocking and saw Lucianne emerge in changed clothes,

    Xandar tookrge strides towards her, and held her in his arms as he pecked a kiss o n her cheek and

    forehead before whispering, ¡°Good morning, beautiful.¡±

    She offered a shy smile, ¡°Good morning, Xandar.¡±

    He then asked in concern, ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    She replied, ¡°I¡¯m okay. That phase was over after I cried it outst night. I¡¯m back to normal now. Thank

    you.¡±

    He smiled and pecked a kiss on her nose before taking a step back to take in the ck tracksuit she was

    wearing before he asked nervously, ¡°C-Can I join you for your run this morning?¡±

    She looked at him in confusion, ¡°Weren¡¯t you already going to do that?¡±

    He chuckled as relief washed over him before he exined, ¡°I just thought after what happenedst

    night, you would want to go run alone.¡±

    She then asked quizzically, ¡°So¡­you expected me to go on our date by myself?¡±

    His eyes widened as he frantically denied, ¡°No! I just¡­¡± He stopped his exnation when he caught the

    cheeky glint in her eye, and he went straight for the flesh on her waist as she giggled and he muttered,

    ¡°You little rascal.¡±

    His animal was absolutely jubnt to hear her giggles so early in the morning. It could not think of a

    better way to start the day, and neither could Xandar. After Xandar had cleaned himself up, they went to

    the ground floor and exited through the back, greeting Ethan who was standing guard before they jogged

    towards the forest.

    Lucianne went behind a tree to strip and shift. She held her bag of clothes between her canines as she

    came out from where she was. And that was when she came face-to-face with a nine-feet Lycan. 1

    Xandar¡¯s animal had ck fur, and unlike werewolves which could only stand and run on all

    fours, Lycans only stand on two feet. Their hands are free to grab their prey and attack their foes. Their

    height itself was already an advantage. Most wolves are either equal in height as their human form, or

    slightly taller in the case of Alphas and Lunas.

    Lucianne knew that Xandar¡¯s animal would berger than his human form but she was still surprised by

    what she saw, and had to take two steps back to get a fuller view. Xandar¡¯s animal whimpered when its

    mate stepped back, thinking that she was avoiding him.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    ¡®Baby, what¡¯s wrong?¡¯ His lc eyes showed concern as he mind-linked her.

    ¡®I think I¡¯m still not used to seeing Lycans.¡¯ She said as she looked at Xandar in awe. His brawny build

    exuded strength, confidence and power. Hisrge hands looked like they could easily uproot a fully-

    grown tree. His lc eyes shone strikingly against his thick ck colored fur. Every part of Xandar¡¯s

    majestic animal screamed dominance and perfection.

    Seeing that Lucianne didn¡¯t say anything further as she continued to stare, Xandar misread her awe for

    fear so he linked sincerely, ¡®I can shift back if you want.¡¯ He, especially his animal, was worried that it

    may have upsetted her, or worse, scared her.

    Cheekiness sparked in Lucianne for the second time that morning when she linked, ¡®Now why would I

    want that? Seeing you like this now gives me more time to strategize on how I¡¯m going to beat your

    animal inbatter on.¡¯

    His worry vanished as he linked in mock realization, ¡®Ah, so that¡¯s why you suggested we had an animal

    date. And here I thought you just wanted our animals to meet. This is quite embarrassing, my Queen.¡¯

    ¡®Looks like I¡¯ve misled you.¡¯ Lucianne smirked as she and Xandar continued to rey their conversation

    at the refreshments table before Xandar¡¯s arousal spiraled out of control the other day, with their roles

    now reversed.

    ¡®Hm..that, you did.¡¯Xandar linked in his husky voice as he took a step towards her. His arousal was

    beginning to fill the space around them as he recalled the first time they spoke like that to each other.

    Lucianne then improvised from their conversation at the refreshments table, ¡®You¡¯re not going to consider

    punishing your mate now, are you, your Highness? This is hardly a fair game. You know I can¡¯t outrun

    you.¡¯

    He took another step towards her and said flirtatiously, ¡®So why bother running? Just let me catch you,

    mate.¡¯

    If Lucianne were in her human form, she would have blushed from the alluring way Xandar said the word

    ¡®

    mate¡¯. Not wanting to be the one to drop their harmless act first, she linked, ¡®M m¡­no. I came for a run

    and I am going to run. You can¡¯t stop me just because you¡¯re a Lycan and a King.¡¯ With that, she took-off

    and could not help but chuckle when she saw Xandar¡¯s shocked expression as soon as she sprinted.

    ¡®Babe, I honestly don¡¯t know which one of us is going to regret this more once it ends.¡¯ Xandar

    said, repeating Lucianne¡¯s exact words to him when he challenged her to spar right after she took down

    the General. His words elicited a chuckle from Lucianne through their link, making his Lycan gain speed

    to catch up to her.

    Her adrenaline was pumping as she ran through the trees against the cool morning air. Within seconds,

    she felt Xandar¡¯s animal catching up to her so she tried to get creative. She ran in zigzags and narrowly

    dodged trees with her agility and small size. The trick was to slow Xandar down, even if it was just by a

    little bit. The unexpected turns she was taking would make catching up to her slightly more difficult than if

    she were just running in a straight line.

    When the river she came to every morning was in view, she took a huge leap toward it when Xandar

    appeared from behind one of the trees and caught her in his arms before his body slumped to the ground

    with Lucianne safely wrapped up in his chest.

    With their bodies lying on the ground, Xandar¡¯s concerned eyes bore into her sapphire orbs as he asked,

    ¡®You okay, Lucy?¡¯

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54

    She snorted before asking, ¡®You caught up to me within sixty seconds from when I took off, didn¡¯t you?

    You just let me think that I was winning.¡¯

    He smirked as turned their bodies gently so that Lucy¡¯s wolf had its back against the ground and his

    Lycan¡¯s body hovered above hers, his hands on either side of her head. There was a glint in his eye

    when he said, ¡®No. I never said anything. You came up with that thought yourself.¡¯

    His nose nuzzled hers and she giggled through their link before he continued, ¡®And if I said that I caught

    up to you within thirty seconds from the moment you left me behind, do I get a reward?¡¯ His arousal

    continued to fill the air.

    The reward your animal is implicitly asking for is quite a demanding one, your Highness.¡¯

    ¡®Hm¡­I wasn¡¯t going to ask for that.¡¯

    ¡®Well, what a gentleman you are.¡¯

    His Lycan¡¯s nose made contact with her neck as it greedily took in her scent. He then linked,¡¯ Careful, my

    love. I¡¯m in control now. But if you keep talking to me like that, I¡¯ll have to wrestle with my animal for

    dominance. And we don¡¯t want that now, do we?¡¯

    Lucianne made herself hold back a moan from the hungry manner Xandar¡¯s animal was taking in her

    scent before she asked, ¡®So, wh-what were you going to ask for, dearest?¡¯

    His Lycan¡¯s tail was wagging in happiness as he asked excitedly, ¡®Can I take a good look at your tail?¡¯

    ¡®Oh, that. Be my guest. If you can tell me if you¡¯ve heard any myths or legends about what it¡¯s supposed

    to be able to do.¡¯

    Now who¡¯s the demanding one?¡¯ Xandar linked rhetorically with a chuckle as he released his cage on

    her. She got up and sat on the ground near the riverbank and lifted her tail upwards for Xandar to have a

    look.

    He studied the white and grey part of his mate. Instinctively, he looked at her body and her paws but

    noticed that they were all white. She seemed to have read his mind, ¡®It¡¯s just the tail. There isn¡¯t a trace of

    grey anywhere else on my body. I don¡¯t know why. No one does.¡¯

    After a short moment, Xandar anxiously linked, ¡®D-Do you mind if ¡­t-touched it?

    ass

    Lucianne was surprised but she shyly whispered, ¡®Okay.¡¯ 1 Hisrge Lycan hands fell cautiously on the

    white and grey fur of her tail, gauging his mate¡¯s reaction. He then gently stroked the entire length, which

    made Lucianne purr softly.¡¯ Adorable¡¯, Xandar thought to himself. As he continued stroking in slow

    motions, he linked, ¡®I wonder why the thickness of each grey stripe is subtly different.¡¯

    ¡®Wait, what? Is it?¡¯ She lifted her tail off the ground and right out of Xandar¡¯s hand, and Xandar was

    surprised by how much strength he felt from her tail. His mate was using the reflection from the water in

    the river to study the stripes.

    As he was recollecting what he felt, she linked, ¡®I guess I never noticed it because I¡¯ve only used water

    reflections to see what my wolf looks like. I¡¯ve never used a mirror. And with the

    ripples and the coursing of streams, I never took a hard enough look at them to notice the difference in

    the thickness of each stripe. Hmm¡­the number of stripes are still the same though. It has only ever

    been five.¡®

    ¡®Sweetheart,¡¯ Xandar began, ¡®How strong is your tail?¡¯

    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ She asked, cocking her head to one side as she looked at him.

    Xandar tried not to get distracted by how adorable her wolf looked when it did that as he exined,

    ¡®When you took your tail from my hand, it felt like it had more strength than it should

    She looked surprised and bewildered. She dove into her thoughts before she asked, ¡®Do

    normal tails have less strength?¡¯

    ¡®I don¡¯t know about wolves but when I catch Christian¡¯s tail or any other Lycan¡¯s tail inbat, I don¡¯t

    normally feel that high degree of force when they pull their tails away from m y grip.¡¯

    ¡®Huh.¡¯ She responded meekly as she continued to ponder.

    He came to sit with her and started stroking her back lovingly with his Lycan paws as he asked gently,

    ¡®Have you ever used your tail when you fight?¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, all the time. It¡¯s easier to trip our opponents with it.¡¯

    ¡®Do the others do that, too?¡¯

    She thought hard before she linked, ¡®Yes, but¡­not many of us can. Very few Alphas and Lunas can do it.

    Juan himself can¡¯t. Neither can Zeke nor Zelena. Tate can but it took him a few years of practice.

    Gammas¡­Hmm¡­I tried to teach Toby, Raden, Sylvia and a few others but they aren¡¯t able to triprger

    rogues yet. The smaller rogues also have to be unstable before they can actually trip them that way.¡®

    Xandar continued stroking her as he helped her ponder deeper on the matter, ¡®Have you ever had

    problems tripping therger rogues?¡¯

    After Lucianne recalled the times she fought with her tail, she uttered, ¡®No, I guess not.¡¯ Her head turned

    to the back to study the mysterious part of her wolf as she said, ¡®I always thought it was because I

    trained it longer. Since there are others who could do it, I didn¡¯t think the strength was anything special.¡¯

    Xandar scoffed, ¡®Darling, every part of you is special. The Moon Goddess is probably

    scratching her face in madness and frustration right now with what you¡¯re saying. She¡¯s already given

    you so many gifts for you to stand out from your species and mine yet you still think that you¡¯re less than

    extraordinary.¡¯

    Lucianne rolled her bright blue eyes and linked sarcastically, ¡®Oh yes, I¡¯m very extraordinary. Who else

    have you heard went through five mate-bond snaps?¡¯

    He pulled her body closer to his as he linked gently and sincerely, ¡®Exactly. No one else could have

    survived them. The pain would have been too much for a normal creature. The fact that you¡¯re alive and

    well now is only further proof that you are anything but normal, Lucy. Christian was shocked when he

    heard it. Many of us were. Not the fact that you were rejected but the fact that you¡¯re still living and

    thriving after the five snaps.¡¯ 1

    Xandar lowered his head to meet hers, and his nose nuzzled against hers, making her giggle a t the

    ticklish contact before he looked deeply into her sapphire eyes and linked, ¡®You keep telling me that I¡¯m

    more than what I think of myself, Lucy. I¡¯m telling you right now, you¡¯re so much more than what you think

    of yourself. He nuzzled her forehead like he was pecking a kiss there before staring back into her eyes

    as he uttered, ¡®You¡¯re amazing, Lucy. Don¡¯t let anyone tell you differently, not even yourself.¡¯ She purred

    at his words, and got up to move into his chest before she snuggled in his core. It was his animal¡¯s turn

    to purr in bliss.

    For the first time, Lucianne didn¡¯t dash back to the hotel when dawn broke. She sat in her mate¡¯s arms

    and his paws gently stroked her back as he held her close to his chest. After a long moment of quietly

    enjoying each other¡¯spany, Lucianne linked, ¡®Xandar, can you tell me more about your family? Who

    you¡¯re close to, who you love, that kind of thing? I mean, I already know about Christian and Annie but I¡¯d

    like to know more.¡¯

    Xandar chuckled, ¡®I¡¯m close to you. And I love you!

    Lucianne argued in an irritated tone, ¡®Xandar, I¡¯m serious!¡¯

    He responded firmly, ¡®So am I, Lucy!¡¯ Lucianne groaned, and was about to leave his arms before he

    strengthened his grip around her body, ¡®Aw, sweetheart, don¡¯t get mad. It¡¯s not like I wasn¡¯t going to tell

    you. But since we don¡¯t have any training today, how about I tell you over breakfast at a nice caf¨¦?

    Lucianne looked into his lc eyes gleaming with anticipation. She smirked, ¡®Well yed, my King. Well-

    yed.

    He held her closer to his chest and pouted, ¡®Oh,e on, baby. Just say yes.¡¯

    ¡®Why do I get the feeling that this date is going to stretch over lunch and dinner as well?

    He gleefully admitted, ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because I was hoping you¡¯d say yes to those, too.¡¯

    She shook her head slightly with a smile, ¡®Like I said, Xandar. That was well-yed.¡¯ She managed to

    wriggle out from his grip and leaped out from his arms. But he caught hold of her body again and lifted

    her off the ground with ease. He looked deep into her eyes as he linked excitedly, ¡®Is that a yes?¡®

    ¡®Put me down, Xandar.¡¯

    ¡®Not until you say yes.¡¯

    Lucianne rolled her eyes and she said, ¡®I was already going to say yes when you first asked anyway.¡¯  This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55

    Xandar walked Lucianne to her room before he drove home for a shower and a change of clothes. He

    picked out a maroon shirt and ck jeans before putting on a leather jacket. After double-checking his

    appearance in the mirror in the living room, Xandar drove back to pick Lucianne up. She emerged from

    the entrance of the hotel in a bright red blouse and a ck knee-length skirt and moderately-high ck

    heels. Wedges, to be precise. Her hair fell over her shoulders and on her back. Coincidentally, a gentle

    morning breeze graced their surroundings, causing Lucianne¡¯s hair to be blown ever so slightly to

    highlight her gorgeous face and luscious curls.

    Xandar had never been struck by anything more wless. He got out of the car to greet her, pecking a

    kiss on her lips as he whispered with a grin, ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful.¡±

    She smirked as the blushes reddened her cheeks, ¡°You look good, too. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m seeing you in

    casual wear.¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­disappointed?¡± He asked coyly as he took her hands in his.

    ¡°No. Just envious.¡± Lucianne replied. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion so she exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t think

    I would be going out for anything but the coboration, so I didn¡¯t pack anything suitable for a date.

    This¡­¡± she gestured at the outfit she had on before dering, ¡°¡­is actually one of the clothings I

    packed for the coboration. It¡¯s too formal for a date.¡±

    He snorted and kissed her on her forehead before he said, ¡°I think you look perfect.¡±

    ¡°Of course you do.¡± Lucianne muttered under her breath before saying, ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go.¡± He kissed her

    hand before they got into the car.

    The caf¨¦ was a fifteen-minute from the hotel. When they arrived and entered, the chatter of the ce

    died down and all eyes were fixed on Xandar, who had a hand around Lucianne¡¯s small waist. As they

    stood, bowed and uttered ¡®My King¡¯, they studied Lucianne from the corner of their eye with great

    interest. Most of them already had zed-over eyes, mind linking their coffeepanion about what

    they were seeing.

    Who was this woman?

    Xandar and Lucianne bowed in return. The King exined the new formality and credited Lucianne for

    the idea, introducing her as the Queen. There were surprised gasps, oohs and ahhs as everyone bowed

    a second time and addressed her as that. Lucianne, too, offered a second bow and smiled graciously at

    everyone before the waiter showed them both to their seats in a corner. They sat facing each other at the

    small, round table, and the customers who were seated slightly closer to the King and Queen squealed

    softly in excitement before

    quieting themselves, hoping that their Lycan hearing could pick up a thing or two from the royal love-

    birds¡¯ conversation. 1

    After the waiter took their orders, Xandar¡¯srge hands reached across the table to take

    Lucianne¡¯s small ones before she could ce them on herp. He looked at her with overflowing love

    and affection, so much so that Lucianne¡¯s cheeks were starting to feel warm just by meeting his alluring

    gaze.

    She then cleared her throat before averting her eyes and saying in a small voice, ¡°Xandar, you really

    don¡¯t have to look at me like that for too long.¡±

    He chuckled and then lifted her hands up to kiss her fingers, ¡°You¡¯re so cute when you¡¯re shy.¡± That

    made Lucianne even more flustered.

    Lucianne wanted to retract her hands to cover her even warmer face but Xandar¡¯s grip tightened as he

    enjoyed the sight of his stunning mate blushing before him. Even his animal was looking at her in pure

    bliss. Xandar was filled with so much happiness when he saw her trying but failing to suppress an

    upward curl of her soft, delicate pink lips.

    After taking a steady breath, Lucianne then suggested, ¡°If you want to keep looking at me like that to

    keep me flustered, Xandar, can you at least talk about your family while you do it?¡±

    He chuckled lightly before he asked while stroking the back of her hand, ¡°What do you want t o know?¡±

    She shrugged and said, ¡°Everything. Who¡¯s your favorite? Who¡¯s your least favorite? Why? Who did you

    look up to? Who do you miss? You know, everything. I don¡¯t keep up with the gossip about celebrities or

    royals, so I can tell you that I know close to nothing about the royal family before I met you.¡±

    Xandar smiled wider and he started, ¡°If those questions are for the time before we met, then m y favorite

    was definitely Aunt Reida, Christian¡¯s mother. My least favorite has always been Greg. That shoulde

    as no surprise. Who do I miss? Hmm¡­Granpa Brock and Aunt Reida from my mother¡¯s side, Uncle

    Conrad from my father¡¯s side, and my own mother, of course. M y father¡­he¡¯s kind of a gray area. I miss

    the father-and-son outings we went on when I was younger but in the years he trained me to ascend the

    throne¡­I saw a different side of him.¡±

    Lucianne held his gaze as Xandar continued, ¡°It was only when I helped out with his duties did I realize

    not everyone had what we had, or lived the way we did. I knew we were the most powerful family but I

    didn¡¯t know the disparity between us and everyone else was sorge. Lycans were handling it well. But

    when I asked about the wolves, my father just gave me a thin folder with a list of pack names and their

    ies. Nothing else. There was no record of welfare, financial support or even the general size and

    poption of each pack.¡±

    Lucianne suddenly muttered to herself, ¡°So that exins the sudden annual headcount in packs since

    eighteen years ago.¡±

    Xandar showed an embarrassed smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to remain as ignorant as how we always were, how

    I always was myself. I can¡¯t im to be King when I don¡¯t even know these foundational aspects about

    my people.¡±

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    He averted his eyes and a look of difort graced his features before he uttered, ¡°My father¡­

    didn¡¯t see a need to give anything of value to the werewolves. The first time he told me that wolves

    should be grateful that we let them live, my whole perception of the man changed. He used to be this

    strong, reliable and caring father. When he was around the ministers and subjects, he exuded this air of

    leadership and confidence. I always tried to emte him, to be him.¡±

    Its

    He scoffed darkly. Lucianne¡¯s own thumb started stroking his hand as Xandar continued his tale, ¡°You¡¯re

    probably going to judge me really harshly for this, sweetheart but¡­¡± his grip on her hands tightened as

    he muttered, ¡°I have never understood the need forbat practice¡­ because I¡®ve never even heard of

    a rogue attack until I was training to ascend the throne.¡±

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56

    He took in his mate¡¯s unperturbed expression and asked, ¡°Why is it that you don¡¯t look surprised?¡±

    Lucianne shrugged and said, ¡°Because it¡¯s not surprising. Rogue Lycans didn¡¯t exist at that time. So how

    would you know about rogue wolves?¡±

    He stroked her hand and smiled sadly, ¡°We should¡¯ve known.¡± .

    Lucianne¡¯s grip tightened and their eyes locked, she said assuringly,(This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar) ¡°You do, now. You were young, Xandar. And you had no ess to that information

    during King Lucas¡¯s reign. But the fact is you chose to notice us as soon as you could. That¡¯s more than

    enough. You and Christian have changed so much for all of us.¡±,

    Xandar scoffed before he said, ¡°Wolves are still terrified of us though.¡± He recalled how the werewolves

    in the coboration didn¡¯t feel safe speaking to him and Christian unless Lucianne was there, bridging

    their species. He wondered if he could ever be half as good as her in terms of connecting with them.

    Lucianne stroked his hand lovingly as she said with an encouraging smile, ¡°Give it time, darling. They¡¯ll

    come around. Besides, many of the wolves here are already warming up to you and Christian, and also

    to Weaver and Yarrington. Word will spread when they return to their packs, and our species will begin to

    see that not all Lycans are menacing.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes widened with Lucianne¡¯s choice of words as he said, ¡°Menacing. Wow. My dear,¡± Xandar

    chuckled. ¡°If I remember correctly, I¡¯ve only ever killed hunters who breach our inter-species agreements

    and Lycan criminals who deserve the death penalty. And also a few rogue wolves who we found trying to

    trespass for illegal intentions. That¡¯s probably around ten kills in thest eighteen years. You and your

    friends, on the other hand, my love, have probably lost count of the number of rogues you had to

    eliminate to save your packs. And we¡¯re the menacing species?¡±

    The waiter came with their food and Xandar reluctantly let go of Lucianne¡¯s hands as the tes were

    ced on the table. His mate thanked the waiter with a polite smile before she turned back to Xandar

    and said, ¡°Menacing in intention was what I meant, my darling.(This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar) It¡¯s like you said, the Lycans never did anything for us but every year they would take

    fifty percent of our pack¡¯s revenue¡­well, until eighteen years ago, that is. Thank you for lowering i t to

    ten percent, by the way.¡±

    He sighed in dismay, ¡°Oh dear, Goddess.¡±

    ¡°I just spoiled your appetite, didn¡¯t I? Maybe we should have talked about your mother or Aunt Reida

    first.¡±

    A wide smile graced his features again and he reached for her hand before he said, ¡°I would say that

    looking at you only increases my appetite but I¡¯m not sure how well I can control my

    arousal if we trailed along that line of conversation so let¡¯s just leave that there.¡± He caught the stern look

    she was throwing his way and he chuckled.

    After his humour subsided, gratefulness reced it when Xandar said, ¡°You have no idea how thankful I

    am to be bonded to you, Lucy. I¡¯ve seen more than past Kings after my father died but I still wasn¡¯t

    seeing enough, feeling enough or doing enough. The Moon Goddess practically gave me a walking

    encyclopedia and gateway to discover the truth behind how wolves are really faring when she bonded

    us.¡±

    Lucianne was trying to press back a cheeky smile. He narrowed his eyes yfully and asked, ¡°What is

    it?¡± She shook her adorable head and continued trying to press back her smile which was getting wider

    by the second.

    He then resorted to mind-linking her, ¡®Baby, if you¡¯re not going to share the joke, I¡¯m going to g o over

    there and tickle it out of you in front of all these people.¡¯

    Her smile faltered and her eyes grew wide with horror, ¡®You wouldn¡¯t.¡¯

    He smirked, ¡®Wanna bet? You know I¡¯m not against pouring out my affection for you in public. I¡¯ve done it

    countless times in the dining hall and on the training ground.¡¯

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare do it here.¡¯

    ¡°Then tell me.¡¯

    Her smile of amusement graced her features once more as she linked, ¡®I was just going to tweak our little

    act at the refreshments table, this time with the mock realization of you just wanting me as an

    encyclopedia and an information-gateway for your very taxing job as King.¡¯ 1

    He was looking tenderly at her small hand before he linked, ¡®You, my dear, have a tendency to venture

    into dangerous waters.¡¯

    ¡®And you, my King, have a tendency to conjure up inappropriate thoughts.¡¯

    He smirked and kissed her hand once before releasing it and saying aloud, ¡°Only when I¡¯m with you,

    sweetheart. But I¡¯m controlling it, Lucy. I promise.¡±

    She offered a grateful smile as she uttered, ¡°I know. Thank you.¡±

    He scoffed, ¡°This is definitely not something you should be thanking me for. (This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar)Goddess, I havet o get someone to teach you to be more self-entitled.¡±

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    After swallowing the food in her mouth, Lucianne said, ¡°Greg¡¯s a good choice, I suppose.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes turned dark for only a second before he returned to his light mood when he saw his

    mate¡¯s cheeky grin so he decided to just y along, ¡°He can¡¯t teach you, Lucy. He already failed the test

    when you made him shut that annoying mouth of his. He¡¯s no longer qualified.¡± 1

    She nodded in agreement and took a sip from her cup before she asked, ¡°So who do you suggest?¡±

    Xandar sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know, sweetheart. You¡¯re really stubborn when ites to not iming your own

    worth. I don¡¯t think the Moon Goddess herself would be able to teach you.¡± She chuckled at hisment

    and the mock look of exhaustion on his face as he chewed the toast in his mouth.

    After a few silent moments of eating, Lucianne started to link her mate as she chewed, (This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡¯So, your mother, what was she like?¡¯

    A soft smile grew on Xandar¡¯s face as he reminisced about the woman who brought him up before he

    linked, ¡®She was my source offort. Whenever I¡¯m upset, she somehow manages to make

    everything¡­better. She and her sister, Aunt Reida.¡¯

    ¡®But you mentioned your favorite person was your aunt, not your mother. Why is that? Thete Queen

    didn¡¯t give you as many sweets as you would like as a kid?¡¯ Lucianne teased through their link. 1 His

    smile turned sad as he muttered under his breath, ¡°I wish it were that simple.¡±

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57

    Lucianne immediately regretted teasing and said, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Xandar. I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡±

    He assured her hastily, ¡°No, baby, don¡¯t apologize.¡±

    She still felt bad, ¡°I think I should just let us finish breakfast before I ask any further

    questions.¡±

    He chuckled lightly before he said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t affect my appetite, Lucy. I just¡­¡± he ran his hand over his

    hair in frustration before saying, ¡°I love my mother but sometimes I just wish she wasn¡¯t so blindly loyal to

    my father.¡±

    Lucianne cocked her head to one side, bewildered.

    Xandar then exined, ¡°My mother, for as long as she was alive, never went against my father¡¯s wishes.

    What¡¯s worse was that she would support everything he did. It felt like she never had an opinion. She

    was well-educated. Surely, she could have contributed in some way. But my father never believed in

    sharing power with his mate so he never let her touch anything concerning the affairs of the Kingdom.

    Aunt Reida would go on for hours about how my mother should insist on doing something as Queen. But

    my mother would just brush off her own sister¡¯s concerns and advice, saying that my aunt didn¡¯t

    understand her position. As a Queen, I don¡¯t recall her doing anything besides standing next to my father

    and waiting to b e greeted and bowed down to. It¡¯s just¡­¡± he sighed again, ¡°I love her, truly. She was a

    good mother. But¡­honestly, why didn¡¯t she do anything with the power she had? Why didn¡¯t she

    question my father from time to time? I mean, not everything he did was good.¡±

    ¡°Do you think she would¡¯ve lived that long if she questioned King Lucas?¡± Lucianne asked.

    Xandar responded in amusement, ¡°You¡¯re actually defending a Queen who did close to nothing, my

    love?¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne pushed her empty te to the side and said, ¡°I¡¯m not defending her. I¡¯m just trying t o

    understand her. She definitely loved him, maybe more than he loved her. You see, Xandar ¡­..¡± She

    gathered her thoughts before uttering, ¡°Some women woul

    please the person they fancy. Some are more than happy to lose it all if it meant that the person they are

    after would choose them.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, ¡°Is it even worth it? Losing yourself for the sake of going after someone

    else?¡±

    Lucianne scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re asking the wrong person, darling. I was this close to rejecting you to keep my

    life. These questions aren¡¯t meant to be answered by a cold-blooded creature like myself.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t satisfied with her response so he continued to press, ¡°But how would you know how these

    women think and what they¡¯re willing to give up? You¡¯re definitely not like that.¡±

    She bit her bottom lip, her uneasy gaze fixed on the table between them as she uttered, ¡°I wasn¡¯t always

    like how I am now, Xandar. I¡¯m not the perfect Queen you keep telling me that I am. There was¡­a time

    in my life when I was one of those women, especially when it came to my first mate.¡±

    She sighed in despair and shook her head in disapproval before continuing, ¡°Looking back, I still can¡¯t

    help but see how na?ve and stupid I was to think that I should try to change myself for him or for anyone

    else. And how I would get upset when I couldn¡¯t be what he wanted met o be.¡± Lucianne then leaned

    towards Xandar and met his gaze before she exined, ¡°The thing is, Xandar, when you¡¯re bonded, you

    want to feel wanted, special and adored. When we don¡¯t get those things, we¡¯ll try to change something

    to get our counterpart¡¯s attention. Your mother probably just wanted your father to be happy. And he was

    happy with her saying and doing nothing so that was what she did.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s expression was hard when he stroked her hand lovingly and asked in concern,¡± What did you

    make yourself change for your first mate?¡±

    She chuckled lightly, and a smile graced her features as she said, ¡°Well, it was a problem of m y size so I

    really couldn¡¯t change anything, darling. I wanted to, desperately. But I couldn¡¯t. I then start looking in

    mirrors and cry myself to sleep more and more often because of my size. Juan¡¯s mother, Luna Janice,

    practically took Juan and I on a one-week vacation away from all the mirrors just to calm me down.

    When we got home, they even removed the full-body mirror I had in my room.¡±

    She chuckled again at the memory but Xandar¡¯s face remained hard as he continued to stroke her small,

    smooth hand in slow motions. So that was why her eyes never sparked with happiness when he

    complimented her beauty.

    Seeing that Xandar was silent and serious, Lucianne added, ¡°That was a long time ago, Xandar. It was

    one of the earlier chapters of my life. I¡¯vee a long way since then.¡±

    He nted a deep kiss on her hand before his sincere lc eyes bore into her ck orbs as he said,

    ¡°Lucy, you are beautiful. And I love you. All of you. You may not see it yet but you are a perfect Queen.

    Your past doesn¡¯t have to be wless, baby. You are wless just by being able to make peace with it

    and grow from it.¡±

    She smiled politely at thepliment, and Xandar knew that it would take some time before she

    believed him. Lucianne was touched by the sincerity oozing from Xandar¡¯s words but she figured it was

    the mate-bond messing with his head, like she was told by mate number two from the past.

    Not wanting to keep the silence between them any longer, she then said casually, ¡°Okay, enough about

    me. Your mother, is that all? Surely, there are some happy experiences you had with her that you still

    hold close to your heart.¡±

    He got lost in thought, wondering which memory to pick. ¡°Well, my favorite memories of her are when

    she brought me along to visit Aunt Reida and Christian. They even yed with us

    until we were five or six. We¡¯d spend hours there, and I remember Christian and I throwing tantrums

    when we had to leave.¡± Lucianne chuckled as she pictured the cousins in the manner he described.

    Xandar then said, ¡°But the best memory I have of her is probably when she assured me that everything

    was going to be okay no matter what. Her smile, her voice. It always calmed the storm in me.¡± He then

    looked at his beautiful mate across the table and said, ¡°Like how you calm the storm in me.¡± He pecked a

    kiss on her hand again before adding matter-of-factly,¡° But you¡¯re better, sweetheart.¡±

    Lucianne looked at him in difort and disapproval as she whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Xandar. You

    shouldn¡¯t even beparing the both of us, we¡­¡±

    ¡°No, baby, just hear me out.¡± He leaned towards her and exined, ¡°She calmed the storm in m e by

    always trying to shield me from the truth. She told me that things would eventually work out in my favor.

    Basically, she told me that I would get what I want even if I remained passive. But you¡­¡± he looked at

    her in awe, ¡°You tell me that everything will be okay by assuring me that there¡¯s a way to solve a

    problem. You remind me that even if things are bad now it doesn¡¯t have to stay that way, telling me and

    showing me that I can do something about it.¡±

    Lucianne looked even more ufortable, ¡°Xandar, it¡¯s natural for mothers to shield their children from

    dangers and negativities. You really don¡¯t have to talk about your mother like that to make me feel good

    about myself. I can tell you that I¡¯m feeling very ufortable right now.¡±

    He pecked another kiss on her hand before exining, ¡°I¡¯m not saying it to make you feel better about

    yourself, sweetheart. I¡¯m telling you that because I wanted to exin how thete Queen¡¯s passivity

    almost cost me my chance with you.¡± Lucianne looked at him and she knew that the subject of the

    Kyltons wasing up. Xandar had to tell her. Afterst night, h e had to make sure everything wasid

    on the table so Lucianne wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard again.

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58

    Xandar made sure he held his mate¡¯s hand tighter to intensify the sparks for this next phase. He cleared

    his throat and began, ¡°The Kyltons are a distinguished family. And they have been a close friend of the

    royal family for generations. But for the longest time, their heir was a male. When the most recent Kylton

    was an heiress, my father had this insane n to¡­pair u

    Lucianne shifted in her seat and averted her gaze. Xandar kissed her fingers while still holding on to her

    hand as he continued, ¡°My mother, being the doting wife that she was, supported it without question.

    When I went up to my father about the¡­issue, he told me that I¡¯ll grow to understand why he was doing

    what he was doing. It was all about saturating as much power as possible for him. When I went up to my

    mother and begged her to persuade m y father to change his mind, she just¡­told me that everything

    was going to be okay. That the¡­ engagement was not going to be a bad thing, that things would

    eventually work itself out.¡±

    Lucianne was biting her bottom lip at this point to cope with the feelings of unworthiness, and Xandar

    stroked her hand tenderly, trying to assure her that his heart had only ever been given to her. ¡°Baby,

    hey.¡± She still couldn¡¯t bring herself to look at him.

    She felt uneasiness tingling in her chest and subconsciously ced her free hand over her heart, like

    she was shielding it from getting hurt. The sight made Xandar¡¯s animal whimper. I t felt like she was

    shielding her heart from him. He felt the helplessness from the previous night all over again.

    Cautiously, he kissed her fingers deeply as he linked, ¡®Lucy, I don¡¯t agree with what they did. I never

    have. It felt wrong from the very start. I¡¯ve never loved anyone the way I love you. Please, baby, look at

    me.¡¯

    Lucianne took a moment, and swallowed the lump in her throat before meeting his pained gaze as she

    whispered, ¡°So what happened next?¡±

    He managed a sad smile when he saw how strong his mate was trying to be. ¡°Grandpa Brock threatened

    to cut all ckfur ties with the ws if my parents kept insisting that I was to marry someone I didn¡¯t

    want. The ckfurs dominate many industries, mainly shipping and

    transportation. So to keep the amount of power and influence that my father already umted, the

    late King grudgingly gave in.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at their hands. ¡°But things were never the same between my

    father and I after that. He never masked his anger and disappointment when we were in the same room.

    Christian and Aunt Reida were the only people I turned to at that time. I even stayed over at their ce

    for a while because my own home became too¡­ hostile. The ckfurs supported me and looked out for

    me when even my own mother couldn¡¯t see, o I didn¡¯t want to see, that what I wanted wasn¡¯t what they

    wanted for me.¡±

    He watched Lucianne and gave her a moment to take it all in before she asked in a small,

    doubtful voice, ¡°So, after that, the Kyltons just¡­left?¡± She recalled Christian saying that the family hadn¡¯t

    been in contact for over two decades.

    Xandar nodded ominously, ¡°But not without throwing a lot of curses at the ckfurs, especially at

    Granpa Brock, saying how much they were going to regret destroying their

    ns.¡±

    Lucianne nodded in response before she whispered in worry, ¡°Did anything bad happen to Granpa Brock

    or Aunt Reida after that?¡±

    Xandar chuckled at how Lucianne was more concerned with the well-being of his cousin¡¯s family than

    her own state. Humour filled his eyes when he said, ¡°Nah. It was an empty threat from the start. Granpa

    Brock died a peaceful death from old age. Aunt Reida passed on from cancer. On Granpa¡¯s most

    boastful days, he would even unt how his threat to my father was the best thing he had ever used his

    power for.¡±

    Lucianne managed a smile, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    He returned her smile and said, ¡°He would¡¯ve loved you. Aunt Reida was his favorite daughter because

    she always spoke her mind, exactly what you do. Well, you do it with more poise and grace. Aunt Reida

    couldn¡¯t care less if she threw remarks like a madwoman.¡± Lucianne chuckled, making Xandar¡¯s animal

    wag its tail in glee. He then added, ¡°Granpa Brock himself was very merciless with his words when he

    was moody, calling my mother ¡®mindless Vera¡¯ even after she became Queen.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s smile faltered and her back shot upright in shock at what she just heard. Xandar chuckled

    lightly and said, ¡°Like I said, babe. He would¡¯ve loved you. I can imagine the grin on his face if he had the

    chance to watch you take down Greg, the Cummings, Whiw, Caunterberg, Langford and even the

    Kyltons, all three of them at once. You would probably be the next thing he¡¯d boast about to the people

    around him.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s posture rxed and her lips curled upwards. She gave a slight shake of her head a s she

    said, ¡°Well, it¡¯sforting to know that I would¡¯ve been epted by one of thete elders of the family.¡±

    Xandar knew exactly what she meant so he firmly insisted, ¡°You really don¡¯t have to think about myte

    parents, Lucy. If you saw what everyone sees in you, you¡¯d realize that thete King and Queen are not

    worthy of your eptance. You¡¯re too good for them. You¡¯ve done more in your years than they have

    done in both their lifetimesbined. I¡¯m rather relieved that you don¡¯t have to meet them, to be honest.

    They wouldn¡¯t have respected you or treated you well. You might have rejected me after you¡¯ve met

    them, and I don¡¯t think I could me you for that.¡±

    Lucianne chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s impressive how well you know me when ites to that.¡± She teased as she

    emptied her cup.

    He grinned, and got up to lean across the table to peck a kiss on her cheek before dering in a deep

    voice, ¡°I love you.¡±

    She looked at him shyly and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, baby. Tell me you know that I love you.¡± He insisted as he pressed their foreheads

    together.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne blushed under his stare as she uttered, ¡°I know.¡±

    His smile widened as he pecked a kiss on her forehead and said, ¡°Good.¡± He then went around the table

    to her side before holding out a hand for her to take. ¡°Come, we should move on to our next stop.¡±

    When he was helping Lucianne up, she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s that?¡±

    There was a glint in his eye and he whispered into her ear, ¡°It¡¯s a surprise.¡±

    At the opposite end of the caf¨¦, a man wearing a cap and sunshades looked up from the newspaper he

    was pretending to read. He watched Xandar and Lucianne as they left through the doors. When they

    were out of sight, he sent out a text message to hisrade, and finished up his coffee before leaving

    five minutester.

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59

    After a twenty minute drive, arge skyscraper came into view. Xandar parked on the lower ground floor

    and they took the elevator up. Xandar¡¯s hand never left Lucianne¡¯s waist as he led her out through the

    elevator doors, and as soon as they turned around the corner, Lucianne halted in her steps at the sight

    before her.

    ¡°Woah.¡± She muttered as her ck orbs sparkled at the sight of therge space filled with endless

    shelves of books. As she adjusted to her surroundings, she took small steps forward t o look around. The

    carpeted floor absorbed any sounds of footsteps, making the ce quiet enough to read. The lights lit up

    the ce enough to give it a sophisticated look. The music ying subtly in the background puts one in

    a mood to rx and dive into whichever book held their interest

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes snapped back to Xandar¡¯s ted lc ones as she eximed in a whisper,¡° This is La

    Librairie, isn¡¯t it? Thergest bookstore in the Kingdom!¡± 1

    Xandar¡¯s eyes were also shining at the sight of Lucianne¡¯s excitement, ¡°It is. You¡®ve clearly heard of it.¡±

    Her eyes continued to scan the ce while she exined, ¡°I¡¯ve read about it and seen pictures of it in

    the news. But the sight is still breathtaking.¡± She looked at the ceiling which was said to contain

    engravings of reputable authors of the past. She then looked at the pirs which had the most famous

    quotes of each century. She then uttered, ¡°The twenty-eight-floor building which holds every book known

    to Lycans, werewolves, vampires and humans. All in one ce. This is amazing!¡± 1

    ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Xandar said from her side. Lucianne turned back to find his sincere and affectionate gaze

    fixed on her. She was moved. She heard about this ce for years but never got toe because it was

    in Lycan territory so she didn¡¯t think it would be wise to enter as a wolf. She didn¡¯t want to be kicked out

    and appear in the news for it. But Xandar brought her here without her having to ask.

    She then asked in curiosity, ¡°How did you even know that I¡¯m crazy about books?¡±

    He chuckled softly before he took her hands in his, ¡°Well, you were reading some very heavy material

    while I slept after the Jewel Pack incident. And if I recall correctly, Cummings once tried to give you a

    book in the dining hall. In your room, there were three 300-page books on the couch, all heavy material.

    I¡¯ve never known a person to pack books for a trip.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Behavioral science is not heavy material.¡±

    Xandar held her close and retorted, ¡°Babe, the name itself feels heavy. Light ones normally have only

    one word for their genre like mystery, romance, humour, adventure¡­¡±

    ¡°What about biographies, history, literature¡­¡± Before Lucianne could list out the one-worded book

    genres which could arguably be considered heavy material, Xandar squeezed the flesh o

    n her waist and made her giggle.

    When he was satisfied with the wide smile and red tinge on his mate¡¯s face, he kissed her forehead and

    said, ¡°Go on, pick your spot to start. We can stay here the whole day if you want. There¡¯s a restaurant on

    the twenty-eighth floor. We¡¯ll just stop for lunch up there, and you cane back down here to continue

    your book hunt.¡± 2

    Lucianne squealed softly in excitement before dashing to a disy rack nearby. ¡®Adorable¡¯, Xandar

    thought to himself. His animal was howling in happiness inside him.

    From the disy rack, Lucianne took out a copy of the map showing the outline of the entire ce.

    ¡®Wow. She even knew that existed.¡¯Xandar thought to himself in awe. It was then he realized that she

    must have wanted toe here for years, probably ever since she heard about the ce. But due to the

    friction between their species, and the store being in Lycan territory, she never could. His heart hurt at

    the thought of how little the werewolves had ess to the things that Lycans always took for granted. 1

    His tension eased when he saw her serious look as she studied the map in her hands. Without looking

    back his way, she walked towards the north wing. Xandar chuckled to himself before following her. He

    made a point to re at any male scanning his mate¡¯s body with lustful eyes.

    Those who didn¡¯t know who he was quickly looked away from his murderous scowl. Those who found

    him familiar were furrowing their brows as they tried to recall where they had seen him before. And those

    who realized who he was flinched in fear before offering an apologetic bow. He nodded curtly in return

    but his eyes remained stern, a warning to never look at his mate like how he caught them to have been

    looking.

    Lucianne finally stopped at the secondst row of shelves. She checked the map in her hands and

    turned right. Xandar read thebel at the top of the shelf. ¡®Species Biology¡¯. He chuckled as he thought

    about their conversation on heavy materials just a moment ago.

    Lucianne ignored him as she skimmed the titles. She then extracted a brown hard-covered book before

    flipping it over to check the contents. Her finger ran down the chapter titles, and then she turned the book

    over to check the price. Xandar then said, ¡°Baby, you can take whatever you want. You don¡¯t have to

    worry about the cost. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±

    She smirked, ¡°You already brought me here, Xandar. I have enough savings to pay for my purchases.¡±

    He then pulled her by her forearms to get her full attention, ¡°No. This is a date. Let me pay for them,

    Lucy. That was the point of bringing you here in the first ce.¡± He then pecked a kiss o n her forehead

    as he uttered, ¡°Let me buy them for you, Lucy. Just let me.¡±

    She looked hesitant as she muttered, ¡°Okay.¡± He pecked a kiss on her cheek. And she uttered a shy

    ¡®thank you¡¯, which made him smile wider. When she continued to hold the brown book, Xandar

    understood that she wanted it so he held it for her. He had a look at the title: ¡®Lycans i n Human and

    Animal Forms: Strengths, Weaknesses, Peculiarities and Blind Spots.¡¯

    Xandar chuckled before he asked as he lifted up the book in one hand, ¡°Sweetheart, should I b e worried

    about this?¡±

    Her perplexed eyes met his amusing ones. When she saw what he was referring to her cheeky smile

    showed. ¡°Well, now that I know what thergest and strongest Lycan looks like, I have to start nning

    my wolf¡¯s best forms of attack and defence. Thank you for bringing m e to thergest source of reference

    to help in my venture to take your animal down.¡±

    It was the first time in a long time Xandar heard his animalughing in joy as it rolled over in pure

    happiness. His Lycan was utterly ecstatic that Lucianne was not only unafraid of it but that she also

    wanted to train and interact with it with her wolf. And she was even confident that she could beat it when

    everyone else would ultimately give up!

    Xandar failed to suppress his radiant smile as he said, ¡°You are¡­¡± he sighed in pure admiration and

    amusement, ¡°¡­ absolutely amazing.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°That¡¯s not something a sane person would say to someone who

    just threatened to beat you up, darling.¡±

    He kissed her temple as he uttered, ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m not a sane person when ites to you. I¡¯m

    undeniably and shamelessly insane about you.¡± She started blushing again, and she pecked a sweet

    kiss on his jawline before returning her sights to the shelf.

    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

    After four hours, Xandar had to make Lucianne stop the book hunt so that they could have lunch. They

    left her books at a ¡®Keep Here and Collect Later¡¯ locker, and made their way to the twenty-eighth floor.

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60

    The floor-to-ceiling walls in the dining area exuded simplicity and ss. The waiter led them to a table by

    the window and Lucianne remained standing to take in the view of the city. Xandar¡¯s hand then came

    from behind her, resting on her abdomen as he whispered into her ear, ¡°Lucy, how about we order first,

    then take in the view?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lucianne whispered back but she didn¡¯t move until Xandar gently tugged her hand towards her

    chair.

    After they had ordered, Lucianne continued taking in the scenery. Xandar was taking in another scenery

    ¨C his mate across the table. She looked absolutely picturesque as her starry eyes absorbed the sight

    before her eyes.

    When she was done, she told Xandar, ¡°I never imagineding here this year or even in this

    lifetime.¡±(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) She reached for his hand across the

    table, and ced hers over it as she uttered a grateful ¡®thank you¡¯.

    He lifted her hand up to kiss it and said, ¡°Anything for you, Lucy.¡± Her flustered look was gorgeous. With

    a shy but affectionate smile, she began their conversation, ¡°So, you¡¯ve already told me about your

    parents and Granpa Brock. I¡¯d like to know more about Aunt Reida. She sounds like a person I would¡¯ve

    liked as a friend, being opinionated and all.¡±

    Xandar snorted, ¡°If she were alive, you¡¯d probably be spending more time with her than you d o with me.¡±

    Lucianne smiled wider in response. Xandar then continued, ¡°Aunt Reida was theplete opposite of

    my mother. She was different from most women. She makes herself heard. And unlike my mother, Aunt

    Reida married her bonded mate.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Lucianne questioned in surprise, ¡°King Lucas and Queen Vera were not bonded by the

    Moon Goddess?¡±

    ¡°I thought you knew that.¡± Xandar¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he said in confusion. Lucianne shook her

    head. So Xandar went on, ¡°My father was all about power and influence so naturally he picked one of the

    ckfur daughters to wed. And knowing how different the two sisters were, it wasn¡¯t a difficult choice to

    make on who he wanted. Not that Aunt Reida would have epted him anyway. She and Granpa

    ckfur never liked him.¡±

    ¡°But if they didn¡¯t like him¡­¡± Lucianne processed what she¡¯d just heard. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they stop your

    mother?¡±

    Xandar smiled sadly, ¡°It¡¯s like you said. She loved him. It was so clear that he never loved her t o the

    intensity that she did him. He was there for what she was. My mother was there for who he was.¡± 1

    Lucianne stared at the flowers on the table before she asked, ¡°If my next question is too

    invasive, just tell me that it¡¯s a private matter and I¡¯ll drop it.¡± She took a breath before asking, ¡°Were any

    of them bonded to someone else?¡±

    Xandar smiled at how hard Lucianne was trying not to offend him. He stroked her hand as he said, ¡°Yes.

    They both rejected their bonded mates. Aunt Reida told me that my mother found her mate two weeks

    before she met my father. But she rejected him as soon as the King asked for her hand within minutes of

    meeting her. Her bonded mate was devastated but epted the rejection nheless because my

    father threatened to challenge him for my mother¡¯s hand if he didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°So, her rejection came before thete King¡¯s threat to challenge her mate?¡± Lucianne asked. Xandar

    nodded simply. ¡°Oh.¡± Lucianne responded meekly and muttered to herself, ¡°That definitely changes how I

    see things.¡±

    He asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Her mouth opened but no words wereing out so she closed it back as she groped for the right

    words. Understanding what she was doing, Xandar said gently, ¡°Baby, you don¡¯t have to filter your words

    with me. I told you that, and I meant it. I still mean it. Just tell me.¡±

    She took another moment before she cautiously said, ¡°I think that Queen Vera may have been after

    power, too.¡± Lucianne paused to gauge Xandar¡¯s reaction.

    There was no defensiveness or hurt in Xandar¡¯s eyes, just curiosity and a genuine want to hear her out,

    so Lucianne continued, ¡°The mate bond¡­it would¡¯ve only grown stronger by the second week. I mean

    look at us, our bond is only a week old and we already feel like this. The fact that thete Queen could

    just sever it within minutes of meeting thete King, without being threatened beforehand¡­¡± she shook

    her head sadly, ¡°Either her bonded mate was abusive, or she was after your father¡¯s position and power.

    If her choice was driven by a want of power, it certainly exins why she didn¡¯t take your side when it

    came to the Kyltons and their daughter.¡±

    Xandar muttered, ¡°He definitely wasn¡¯t abusive. Hm¡­¡±he proceeded to internalize her exnation. They

    were both quiet for a while before Lucianne said, ¡°It¡¯s just a theory, Xandar. I don¡¯t know what really went

    on in her mind. I just¡­¡±

    Xandar was brought out of his train of thought as he uttered, ¡°But you might be right though. I t does fit

    into something she always proudly told me since I was a child.¡±

    Lucianne waited for him to continue. He said, (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)¡°Since I was a boy, she would remind me that our family is loved by all because we

    were the most powerful family in ex because we were great leaders, kind, respectable or anything like

    that. But because we were powerful.¡± Xandar shook his head disapprovingly as he muttered to himself,

    ¡°What a disgrace.¡±

    Lucianne was shocked by his choice of words. So she stroked his handfortingly before suggesting,

    ¡°How about we stop with Queen Vera there, darling. Let¡¯s just go back to Aunt Reida.¡±

    Xandar furrowed his eyebrows, ¡°Why are you even feeling bad about this? You¡¯re not the one making

    thesements.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m the one who led you there.¡± Lucianne admitted in guilt.

    Xandar disagreed, ¡°No, you just helped me see. You shouldn¡¯t feel bad about giving me another

    perspective, Lucy, especially one that makes sense. If Aunt Reida were alive, she would¡¯ve told you to

    own it.¡± Lucianne could not help the upward curl of her lips at what he said.

    He then sighed in surrender and said, ¡°Well then, I guess my parents¡¯ marriage was more perfect than I

    thought. Both were after power and influence.¡±

    Lucianne then began, ¡°She may have really loved him in the end, Xandar.¡± He looked at her in confusion.

    Didn¡¯t she just say histe mother epted a royal proposal in pursuit of influence and power? What did

    she now mean that thete Queen really loved thete King i n the end?

    Lucianne proceeded to exin, ¡°It¡¯s not the most ideal form of love for most of us but some who¡­

    choose their own mate over one given by our Goddess do eventually learn to be okay with the person

    that they are with. It could be driven by a sense of duty, or in your mother¡¯s case, power and status. It

    would start out¡­as a bit of a challenge but eventually, one will find little things to love about the other

    person. And with a child, they would have another thing t o love and live for. The luckiest ones even fall

    in love as the years go by. It just takes time. Your father may have never loved your mother as deeply as

    it was ideal. But your mother¡­she may have liked the power but at the same time she may have fallen in

    love with your father, too.¡±

    Xandar looked at the woman sitting right across from him. He smiled in awe before he asked, ¡°I lost

    count of the number of times I¡¯ve asked you this but I still want to know: how did you know that? I mean it

    makes sense, too. But how did you know without having to meet her?¡±

    Lucianne offered a small smile, ¡°I was rejected five times, Xandar. I have five sources of reference. The

    scenario I gave you was what I learnt from the rejection with Alpha Brandon. H e had a duty as his pack¡¯s

    leader to choose a Luna of an Alpha bloodline. It started out awkward for them but they eventually fell in

    love, and they¡¯re really proud of the two kids they have together. Their love is so strong now that his

    Luna isn¡¯t even worried when I¡¯m around him. I would go so far as saying that she¡¯s one of my favorite

    people to talk to as a. friend.¡±

    Xandar gazed at her with a soft smile before a waitress came with their food. After the waitress asked

    them to enjoy their meal and turned to leave the table, Xandar got up and leaned over the table to peck a

    kiss on Lucianne¡¯s cheek as he whispered, ¡°You¡¯re amazing.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    ¡°You are too, Xandar. Now, sit so we can eat.(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡± Her

    hand gently pushed him back towards his seat as she started blushing again.

    For the next few minutes, the only sound came from their forks and knives cutting at and poking on food.

    Xandar then said, ¡°Oh, right. I almost forgot to mention about my father¡¯s bonded mate. Uncle Conrad

    told me that the woman had already been rejected once. After the second rejection from my father, she

    only lived for another month before taking her own life.¡± Lucianne stopped chewing, and her widened

    eyes were fixed on Xandar¡¯s unperturbed ones.

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61

    Lucianne was shocked to hear that King Lucas¡¯s bonded mate took her life after being rejected. After

    taking in her stunt expression, Xandar said, ¡°Now do you see why all of us keep telling you that you¡¯re

    stronger than you give yourself credit for? Mind you, she was a Lycan. S o she was supposed to be

    biologically stronger than a werewolf to withstand the bond snaps.¡±

    Lucianne started chewing slowly again and shook her head sadly. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­sad.¡± She sipped her drink

    before she continued, ¡°It¡¯s sad that she might havecked the psychological and emotional support that I

    have. Without my friends and Juan¡¯s family, I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d be.

    ¡°Hm¡­ I guess I never thought of it that way.¡± Xandar said.

    ¡°You should.¡± Lucianne insisted, ¡°The snap is painful unlike anything imaginable, especially the first snap

    because of the unfamiliarity with the pain. Before experiencing one, a mere thought of rejection would be

    painful but after feeling an actual snap, the pain from that thought bes bearable. It gets worse when

    the rejectiones after one falls in love with the other person. Because it would feel like having two

    things broken and shattered into pieces at once, the mate bond and your heart.¡±

    Xandarpletely agreed with what she said about the pain from merely thinking about rejection. The

    first night they met, there was an excruciating pain being channeled to his heart when Lucianne raised

    the matter of rejection. He was angry but he was also in great anguish.

    And when he thought that she was going to reject him after he yelled at her at the Jewel Pack, it became

    insanely painful because he had already fallen in love with her by then.

    By far, the worst pain came from the previous night, when he was left hanging on whether Lucianne

    knew that he loved her, only her. He knew that if she didn¡¯t believe him, she would drift away before

    ultimately rejecting him. Not that he would ever ept it. But the mere thought of the possibility that she

    would say those words to sever their bond could bring his entire being to his knees and cause him to

    tear-up.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Lucianne asked in concern after putting a piece of carrot into her mouth.

    Xandar was brought out of his thoughts as he said, ¡°Yeah, I just¡­¡± he looked at Lucianne in awe and

    disbelief when he exined, ¡°It¡¯s amazing how you do it. Get through one rejection after another, I mean.

    I get that you had a whole army of friends and family supporting you but the fact that you chose to listen

    to them, and let them help you move on and continue living is just..it takes so much will and strength on

    your own part as well.¡±

    Lucianne smiled and said humbly, ¡°It does.¡± She got lost in her own thoughts for a brief moment before

    saying, ¡°I have a lot to live for. I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t give up.¡±

    He reached for her hand when she put down her fork to reach for her drink, and pecked a

    sweet kiss on it before saying, ¡°Me too. I love you.¡±

    Her lips curled up and she said what Xandar was waiting to hear, ¡°I know. Thank you.¡± His smile

    broadened at those words, and he let her take back her hand from him.

    They continued eating until their tes were clean. Xandar refilled Lucianne¡¯s ss and admired her

    profile in silence. When Lucianne was done, she told Xandar that she wanted to pay for their meal.

    Xandar looked at her sternly and spoke firmly, ¡°No. This is a date¡­¡±

    Lucianne retorted instantly, ¡°Xandar, it¡¯s my date, too! You can¡¯t just expect me to tag along like an

    essory. I have the means¡­¡±

    ¡°Sweetheart, you¡¯re not an essory¡­¡±

    ¡°Then let me pay for one meal. You¡¯re already paying for my books. You¡¯ve paid for breakfast. I was

    hoping we could split the cost of our dinnerter but knowing you, you¡¯d refuse. Come o n, Xandar. It¡¯s

    just one bill. It¡¯s just one meal.¡± Xandar looked at his mate who¡¯s showing him thoserge doe eyes

    again as she waited for his response.

    He groaned and said, ¡°One meal. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Her eyes lit up as she said, ¡°Great! Thank you. I wonder if I can work my way up to one and a half.¡±

    He took her hand from the table and kissed it before he said, ¡°Don¡¯t push this, sweetheart.¡±

    She narrowed her eyes, ¡°I have the means to pay, Xandar. I¡¯m not going to have you pay for everything

    for our date just because I¡¯m a woman. That¡¯s very old-fashioned.¡±

    He yed with her fingers on the table as he muttered, ¡°I just want to spoil you for a bit. Why can¡¯t you

    just let me?¡±

    Without missing a beat, Lucianne said, ¡°Xandar, you¡¯re paying for my books. Do you have any idea how

    much you have to fork out already? And I¡¯m not even done looking yet.¡±

    Xandar immediately responded, ¡°I take back what I said. I don¡¯t want to spoil you a bit. I want t o spoil

    you a lot, to the extreme, if I were honest.¡±

    ¡°Spoiling me means giving in to what I want. And I want to share the cost of our date. Since you¡¯re giving

    me what I ask for, you are spoiling me.¡± Lucianne reasoned with herrge doe. eyes.

    Xandar sighed in frustration before kissing the back of her hand again, ¡°I have to find someone to teach

    me how to win an argument against you. Any rmendations? There must be someone among the

    wolves who can.¡±

    Lucianne smirked and said, ¡°Like I would tell you.¡±

    After Lucianne settled the bill, she and Xandar left the floor. A bald man with reading sses

    a few tables away looked up from his book. Then, he clicked on his ck pen and noted the time in an

    opened notebook on his table.

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62

    After Lucianne had gone through the sections of her own interest, they still had time so she went over to

    other sections to see if there were books that her friends back home liked. When she realized that there

    were, she also realized that she made a mistake negotiating with Xandar to only let her pay for lunch.

    She gave her n some thought before she turned to her mate and said, ¡°Xandar, I¡¯ve already got what I

    wanted. But I want to get a few titles for some friends back home.¡± Xandar was absorbing her words as

    he tried to decipher why Lucianne looked so ufortable saying that. She bit her lower lip in

    uneasiness before asking, ¡°Can you let me pay for the ones I want to get for them? They¡¯re technically

    not for me.¡±

    Now Xandar understood what she was up to. He firmly insisted, ¡°No. Lucy, we had a deal. One meal.

    You¡¯ve paid for it. I¡¯m covering the ones you¡¯re getting for your friends as well. And didn¡¯t you just say

    that the wolves will eventually warm up to us. What better way to speed up that process than for a Lycan

    to get them gifts?¡±

    Lucianne was thinking through what Xandar just said as she muttered, ¡°Huh. When you put it that way¡­¡±

    ¡°Wow. It¡¯sforting to know that I won¡¯t necessarily lose. I guess the trick is to use your own words

    against you. Maybe I don¡¯t need a teacher after all.¡± Xandar thought aloud with a glint in his eye.

    Lucianne smirked and pecked a kiss on his jawline before she said, ¡°Don¡¯t push this, dearest.¡± Her gaze

    then turned soft and sincere when she said, ¡°And thank you. You really didn¡¯t have t

    0¡­¡±

    Xandar stopped her with a sudden kiss on her lips. When their lips parted, Xandar bore his eyes into

    Lucianne¡¯s and he uttered in a deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that I don¡¯t have to get gifts for the people you

    care about. Know this, my love: if it makes you happy, I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    She was looking at him with those bright doe eyes again as she uttered a shy but grateful thank you¡¯. He

    kissed her on the forehead before letting her get on with looking at the titles, Herst stop was the

    section for children.

    Xandar took a look and asked in a teasing manner, ¡°Are you going to make me pay for a gift, for my 4-

    year-oldpetitor, sweetheart?¡±

    Lucianne looked at him in confusion before she registered that Xandar was talking about Russell. She

    smiled and said, ¡°Why, yes. If it makes me happy, you¡¯ll do it, won¡¯t you?¡±

    He smirked before he squeezed the flesh on her waist and elicited her giggles. When she calmed down,

    she said more seriously, ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about Russell. This is for Juan¡¯s 3 year-old son, Liam. The boy

    is very different from his older brother and sister. He loves books, especially if it¡¯s anything to do with

    stars and space. So I¡¯m looking for something suitable

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    since I¡¯m already here. I suppose this one will do.¡± She held a colorful book with a cover filled with

    pictures of a rocket ship ands against a backdrop full of stars.

    Xandar kissed her temple at her thoughtfulness before he uttered sincerely, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you want to get

    something for Russell too, Lucy. I was only joking earlier.¡±

    Lucianne simpered, ¡°I know, Xandar. But Russell doesn¡¯t strike me as a book-lover. He likes building

    things and piece together something new from scratch. This ce won¡¯t get his attention until he¡¯s old

    enough to learn from the experts.¡±

    ¡®She¡¯s right, he thought to himself.

    After Lucianne had gotten thatst book, the bookstore staff got a moving cart to transport all of

    Lucianne¡¯s picks from the locker to the counter. The staff even helped transport the books into Xandar¡¯s

    car. After thanking them, they left La Librairie and headed to a restaurant for dinner.

    ***

    In the car, Xandar thought about how good Lucianne was with children. She seemed close to many kids

    in her pack, and she even knew Juan¡¯s son well enough to know what he liked. She¡¯d only met Russell

    twice and could already tell the child¡¯s preference. He wondered if she ever thought of being a mother

    herself, and Xandar was contemting on how best to ask his question. ¡°Lucy?¡±

    I was

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    He took a breath before he began, ¡°What I¡¯m going to ask is probably going to be.¡± he sighed before he

    continued, ¡°¡­too personal for this early stage. Just tell me it¡¯s personal if it is. I¡¯ll understand. Uh¡­¡± he

    ran his hand through his hair while the other remained on the steering wheel before he asked, ¡°Do you

    imagine having your own kids someday?¡±

    Lucianne snorted before she said, ¡°Xandar, from how nervous and ufortable you look, I thought you

    were going to ask about the number of people I slept with in the past.¡±

    Xandar thanked Goddess he stopped outside the restaurant already when she said that. The number of

    people she had slept with in the past? He was quite upset and even jealous that she had sexual

    rtionships with someone else, probably before all the mate-bond rejections. Wolves only start feeling

    the pull of the mate-bond when they turn twenty. Many wouldn¡¯t wait to get into a rtionship despite

    knowing that their partners may not turn outt

    o be their mate.

    Xandar knew that making Lucianne feel bad about her past rtionships would just be unfair to her.

    They hadn¡¯t even met that time. She was very attractive now in herte twenties, imagine what she was

    like in her teenage years. He himself might have drooled over her.

    Lucianne took in his saddened look and said, ¡°Xandar, just to be clear, I¡¯ve never slept with anyone. And

    yes, I did imagine having my own kids one day but I¡­¡±

    He smashed his lips on her even before she finished speaking. He deepened their kiss with each brush.

    Lucianne pulled his face away and asked in concern, ¡°Xandar, you seem a little scared. What¡¯s wrong?

    What happened?¡±

    He whispered breathlessly, ¡°I love you.¡±

    ¡°I know, Xandar. But what¡¯s wrong?¡± Lucianne asked. She was still not following.

    Xandar still felt insecure so he took both her hands in his and pecked kisses on her fingers before he

    said, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­For a moment, I thought you had a serious past rtionship and I wasn¡¯t sure if I was

    able topete with that. I just¡­don¡¯t want to be less than perfect for you.¡± 1

    Lucianne then muttered to herself, ¡°Oh Goddess, that joke went too far.¡± She then took her hands from

    Xandar and cupped his face as she apologized, ¡°Xandar, darling, I am so sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said

    that. How it came out was entirely wro-mmph¡±

    Xandar¡¯s lips were back on hers. He didn¡¯t want her apology. He just wanted to be the one Lucianne

    would ultimately choose to be with, the mate she would ultimately choose to make her happy for the rest

    of her life. Xandar only let go of her lips when Lucianne needed air. He buried his face in her neck and

    soughtfort in her alluring scent.

    After catching her breath, Lucianne asked in worry, ¡°Xandar, you okay?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± He responded as he continued inhaling the air from her neck.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lucianne was still not convinced.

    Xandar¡¯s nose nuzzled her neck as he whispered, ¡°I felt a little of the insecurity you mentionedst night.

    It sucks. And I doubt what I felt was anywhere close to what you had to handle. I don¡¯t know how you do

    it, baby.¡±

    Lucianne was even more lost, ¡°Xandar, why would you have to feel insecure? Being in your position,

    you¡¯d never had anyone implicitly telling you or even suggesting that you¡¯re worthless. And I told you

    before that no one sees me the way you see me. There is zero need t o be insecure.¡±

    He whimpered and buried himself deeper into her neck as his arms wrapped around her waist, ¡°You¡¯re

    wrong, Lucy. Lots of people see you that way. You just don¡¯t see them. But I see you this way the most

    so you can¡¯t pick someone else, okay? Please don¡¯t pick someone else. It¡¯s not fair.¡±

    Lucianne groaned in annoyance, and her hands gently removed his head from her neck for her frustrated

    eyes to lock with his fearful ones. ¡°Xandar, what are you talking about? You¡¯re my mate. Why would I be

    picking someone else? I¡¯m with you. I¡¯ve never been with anyone

    intimately before Sebastian Cummings. And we both know how that one ended so¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you two kiss?¡± Xandar asked.

    Lucianne shook her head, ¡°We never got close enough for me to befortable to share that kind of

    thing with him. It was difficult to fully trust him and his family. And before you ask, n o. He didn¡¯t smell me

    like how you¡¯ve just done either.¡±

    ¡°Did he kiss you at all?¡±

    ¡°Xandar, this really isn¡¯t necessary, it¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°I want to know.¡±

    Lucianne sighed, ¡°Just my hand. You know, like the usual gentlemanly kind of gesture. It really isn¡¯t anyth

    ¡ª¡± Lucianne gasped in utter shock at how Xandar was kissing her hands to the point of almost sucking

    them that she stopped mid-sentence. She had to snatch her hands away from his tight grip before she

    held his head up to face her.

    When their eyes locked, she said in a low, firm tone, ¡°Alexandar, I¡¯m with you. There isn¡¯t anyone else for

    me. I don¡¯t see anyone else, okay? Calm down. There¡¯s no need to feel insecure. I¡¯m with you, okay? I¡¯m

    with you.¡± 1

    He smiled at her response. The fear in his eyes diminished. Xandar then tried to move up to her face to

    kiss her on her lips but she held his head in ce as she said, ¡°We should get inside before it gets too

    late for dinner, darling.¡±

    ¡°But I want a kiss.¡± He whined like a child. Lucianne smiled, and pecked a kiss on his lips before saying,

    ¡°There. Now, let¡¯s go, my King.¡±

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63

    The waiter showed Xandar and Lucianne to the table that Xandar had specifically reserved earlier. It was

    a secluded corner booth. After cing their order, the waitress drew the see through curtains and left

    them alone.

    Lucianne reached for Xandar¡¯s hands across the table as she asked in concern, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    He smiled and kissed her hand, more normally this time, and said, ¡°I am now.¡±

    Lucianne returned his smile and said, ¡°So uh¡­your question on kids. I¡¯ve always thought about having

    my own before the string of rejections. After thetest mate bond snap, I actually made peace with the

    fact that I may never have children of my own. The n was to adopt a child when I was ready, like when

    there were fewer rogue attacks so that I¡¯ll have more time on my hands. Butst year was clearly not the

    best time to take on that type of responsibility so I haven¡¯tmitted myself to motherhood just yet.¡±

    Xandar then uttered sadly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you at least reconsidering having your own kids now?¡± That question

    was more than what it seemed. He was asking whether Lucianne had considered having kids with him.

    Lucianne immediately exined, ¡°I was getting there, Xandar. Adoption was the n until I saw that

    you¡¯re¡­ different. I admit that I haven¡¯t given thought to the details on the subject just yet. But I can¡¯t

    deny that¡­it¡¯s a possibility now.¡±

    Xandar took hold of her hands and asked with a warm smile, ¡°How many have you always

    wanted?¡±

    Lucianne was a bit surprised by the enthusiasm in his voice. ¡°Uh¡­w-well, I don¡¯t really know. But

    definitely not too many. I can¡¯t handle that many kids, to be honest. I still want to be able t o keep doing

    the things I do now so¡­ I guess two? One is a little lonely. I was lucky to have Juan as a sibling-like

    figure to grow up with.¡±

    Xandar smiled wider and he said, ¡°I¡¯m with you there. Life would¡¯ve been boring without Christian. I

    mean, I had Greg too. But I always wanted to toss him out, not that I could ever.¡± Lucianne chuckled

    lightly.

    He kissed her hands and said with starry eyes, ¡°You¡¯re going to be a great mother, Lucy.¡±

    Lucianne was a little stunned by how fast Xandar was ready for something like this. They just met a

    week ago. She wasn¡¯t even ready to ept a marriage proposal from him if he made one, at least not

    yet. Now, he was already excited about her bing a mother?

    She then responded by saying, ¡°I¨CI don¡¯t know about that, Xandar. I hope to be one, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    ¡°Baby,¡± Xandar looked at her in disbelief with the wide smile still glued effortlessly on his

    face, ¡°Have you seen yourself around kids? You¡¯re a natural!¡±

    Lucianne furrowed her eyebrows as she exined her point of view, ¡°Xandar, speaking sweetly to them

    and having to do the midnight feeding, diaper-changing,undry, and a whole list of other things are very

    different. Motherhood is a whole job on its own.¡±

    He squeezed her hands slightly as he assured her, ¡°But you won¡¯t be doing it alone, Lucy. You¡¯d have

    me.¡±

    Lucianne smiled, ¡°I know.¡± She stroked his hand once and uttered, ¡°Thank you.¡± Xandar pecked another

    kiss on her hand before uttering, ¡°Anything for you, Lucy.¡±

    There was a short pause before Lucianne asked, ¡°So, what about you? Have you ever thought about

    kids? Before we met, I mean.¡±

    He yed with her fingers and said, ¡°Before we met, I was always conflicted on that particr subject. I

    didn¡¯t know whether I wanted the responsibility of bringing up another being. I mean, I would¡¯ve been

    proud to bring up a little Christian but if I brought up a little Greg, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be doing the world any

    good.¡±

    Lucianne chuckled lightly at his line of reasoning before she asked, ¡°What about bringing up a little you?

    You turned out alright.¡±

    Xandar kissed her fingers as he locked eyes with his mate and uttered, ¡°Only if it¡¯s with you, Lucy.

    Though I must admit¡­¡± he leaned closer to her and said, ¡°I prefer a little girl who¡¯ll grow up to be as

    beautiful as her mother.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    Lucianne was already flustered but she tried to keep her voice steady as she said, ¡°The gender shouldn¡¯t

    matter, Xandar, as long as it¡¯s healthy. Having a little boy who¡¯ll look as handsome a s you would be a

    blessing too, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Completely disregarding thepliment Lucianne just threw his way, Xandar said, ¡°That depends. If he¡¯s

    going to get your hugs and kisses without effort, then I might have a problem with him.¡± His Lycan was

    nodding in agreement in his head. 2

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes and asked sarcastically, ¡°So, what would you do if you have a son? Send

    him to a daycare centre?¡±

    Xandar pondered for a bit before saying, ¡°Hm¡­It¡¯ll be cheaper if we got Christian and Annie to help bring

    him up.¡±

    ¡°You better be joking, Xandar.¡± Lucianne said sternly.

    Xandar chuckled and stroked her hands lovingly as he said, ¡°Of course I¡¯m joking, sweetheart. A boy or a

    girl, as long as it¡¯s from you, it¡¯ll be a blessing.¡± Lucianne¡¯s tension eased only for a second before

    Xandar added, ¡°Still, a girl would be better.¡±

    A waiter came with their food. After the curtains were drawn back again, Xandar then asked casually,

    ¡°Have you thought about baby names?¡±

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64

    Lucianne choked on her drink, and Xandar shot up from his seat and rushed to her side to rub small

    comforting circles on her back. He passed her a ss of warm water that a waiter was kind enough to

    bring without being asked.

    After a few minutes, Lucianne managed to calm down. Xandar still stood by her side as he caressed her

    shoulders in slow, soothing motions. She looked up at him in furrowed brows and the first words which

    came out of her mouth were, ¡°Have you?!¡±

    His concerned look was reced with confusion. She then rified, ¡°Have you thought about baby

    names?¡±

    He pecked a kiss on her forehead in hopes of easing her tension before he said, ¡°Not yet. I was just

    curious about whether there were any particr names that you¡¯ve decided to name our¡­ I mean, your

    kids with one day.¡±

    Lucianne then said frantically, ¡°No, Xandar. I didn¡¯t n any names. I wasn¡¯t even sure how many I

    wanted until ten minutes ago. I¡¯m not saying that I don¡¯t want them with you but I haven¡¯t given full

    thought about every single aspect of¡­¡±

    He kissed her on her cheek before he said in assurance, ¡°Baby, rx. We¡®re taking this slow. We¡¯re not

    rushing into anything. I just really wanted to know what your dreams are when you think about children.¡±

    He kissed her temple before adding, ¡°Maybe that was a more appropriate question for ater date. I¡¯m

    sorry, baby.¡±

    Lucianne calmed down as she shook her head and said, ¡°No, don¡¯t be. It¡¯s really sweet of you t o want to

    know what I want, Xandar. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Sweetheart, you really have to stop thanking me for things like this.¡± He kissed her temple again before

    he said firmly, ¡°I¡¯m your mate and I love you. There is every need to know what you want.¡± He squeezed

    her shoulders once before he retook his seat.

    They ate in silence for the next few minutes. Xandar was ncing over at Lucianne every few seconds.

    He felt bad about asking her such an in-depth question on their first date. She was already

    understanding enough to give her thoughts about her general view of children and motherhood but

    asking about names probably went a bit too far.

    They haven¡¯t even discussed cohabiting yet! And there was no doubt that an engagement and a wedding

    were also faraway topics. Not that Xandar wouldn¡¯t marry her the very next day if h e could. But he

    wanted to give Lucianne time. He didn¡¯t want her to feel rushed or overwhelmed. He never thought he

    would want kids so badly until he met her. But he only wanted to have kids with her, not with just

    anyone.¡±

    The mere thought of having a baby girl with Lucianne made his own animal melt in tenderness.

    Imagining a little girl like that was what got him thinking about whether Lucianne already had a name in

    mind.

    Lucianne swallowed the food in her mouth before asking, ¡°Can you tell me about Uncle Conrad? What

    was he like? From the fact that you like him, I take it that he was different from the rest of the ws?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s worry eased a little before he said, ¡°Oh, he was very different for a w. Uncle Conrad was

    friends with Granpa Brock. That was how my father met my mother, through Uncle Conrad. He was¡­

    soft-spoken and more forgiving. He loved to gossip so don¡¯t count on him to keep a secret.¡±

    Lucianne smiled, ¡°Did he ever tell on you?¡±

    Xandar then said, ¡°Once. I told him that I nned to skip school and go over to Aunt Reida¡¯s ce the

    next day because I didn¡¯t want to sit through a whole day of briefing on fire safety. The next morning, my

    parents waited for me in the kitchen. And I got a very stern warning so my n was a bust.¡± Lucianne

    chuckled at his tale, and her voice calmed his anxiety.

    He continued, ¡°I never told him anything I wanted kept a secret after that. Aunt Reida was better with

    secrets. Uncle Conrad didn¡¯t have any bad intentions but he really just couldn¡¯t keep things to himself.

    That was the only reason why I know more about my father¡¯s past than my father himself would like me

    to know. I¡¯d stick to Uncle Conrad at family gatherings, mostly because I didn¡¯t feelfortable with the

    rest of them.¡±

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Lucianne then asked, ¡°So Uncle Conrad didn¡¯t have any children?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s expression turned sad, ¡°No. Unfortunately, the doctors couldn¡¯t find a solution for his infertility.

    His mate was upset at first but Aunt Charlotte never med him or made him feel bad about it as far as I

    know.¡±

    With bright, inquisitive eyes, Lucianne asked, ¡°What was Aunt Charlotte like?¡± Xandar pondered before

    saying, ¡°She was not really someone I liked to get close to. She smiled a lot but it felt inauthentic, like

    she was just putting on a show. As a boy, I hated it when she pinched my cheeks with those sharp

    fingernails of hers. When I got older, she¡¯d ask these very inappropriate, ufortable questions.¡± ¡°Like

    what?¡± Lucianne cocked her head to one side as she questioned. Xandar moved uneasily in his seat

    before he looked at Lucianne and said, ¡°Babe, before I tell you, I want you to know that these were just

    her questions. I have not done any of these things, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucianne responded meekly.

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65

    ¡®How bad was it?¡¯ Lucianne wondered as she watched Xandar¡¯s handsome face show a visible streak of

    difort at the mention of Aunt Charlotte.

    Xandar took a breath before he said, ¡°Whenever I visited, she would sit me down and ask how many

    girls I¡¯ve slept with in the past week, or how many girls I¡¯ve ever taken out on a date, how many drinks

    can I handle before I got drunk, who and how many have willingly stripped in front of me. Her face

    showed that it was fun for her to ask these things but to be on the receiving end of those questions was

    just¡­¡± Xandar shook his head in disapproval, annoyance and dismay before he said,(This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar) ¡°I am so d I don¡¯t have to deal with her anymore. That was the

    one funeral I attended in pure happiness.¡±

    ¡°Oh wow. That was bad.¡± Lucianne muttered, and had to shake her head to bring herself out from what

    she had just heard. Something came to her mind, and she cocked her head to one side as she asked,

    ¡°Didn¡¯t your parents find such questions inappropriate? Didn¡¯t Uncle Conrad?¡±

    Xandar sighed and responded in disappointment, ¡°No. They kept insisting that Aunt Charlotte was only

    being friendly and was only teasing. But really, these are too inappropriate and uncivilized to be

    considered as jokes! Aunt Reida threw a fit when I told her. Granpa Brock tried to ask Uncle Conrad to

    persuade his mate to stop but that only made things worse. After that, Aunt Charlotte would just ask why

    I was being so secretive about the things she was asking.¡± Xandar groaned in frustration and whisper-

    yelled, ¡°It was not a goddess damn secret! It was a very crazy line of inappropriate questions that one

    shouldn¡¯t be asking anyone! Especially not one¡¯s own nephew!¡±

    Lucianne shook her head in dismay as she absorbed Xandar¡¯s words, ¡°What a creature.¡± After a

    moment, Lucianne asked in curiosity, ¡°What¡¯s Greg¡¯s parents like? Are they still alive or?¡±

    Xandar shook his head, ¡°His mother passed on from a blood disorder. His father died about a decade

    later in a car ident. Greg was already an independent adult by then so there wasn¡¯t an issue of

    custody and guardianship, thank Goddess. Otherwise, my father would¡¯ve willingly taken him in and I¡¯d

    have to live with him and that irritating mouth of his.¡±

    Lucianne nodded in response, ¡°That was a very interesting conversation.¡±

    Xandar scoffed. He then fixed his soft gaze on Lucianne and said, ¡°Now, babe, it¡¯s your turn.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lucianne looked up from her te in confusion.

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    Her mate was smirking, ¡°I told you about my family. It¡¯s your turn to tell me about yours.¡±

    Lucianne put a small cube of steak into her mouth as she thought about where she should start, ¡°Well,

    my parents were killed by hunters when I was six. So I didn¡¯t know them for very long. I¡¯ve never met my

    paternal grandparents because they died when my father was a teenager. And my maternal

    grandparents did spoil me when they were alive but they lived in

    another pack so I didn¡¯t see them very often.¡±

    She took a sip from her ss before she continued, ¡°From my father¡¯s side, there was Uncle Peter. He

    was a warrior, and was killed in a rogue attack. From my mother¡¯s side, there¡¯s Aunt Greta and Aunt

    Portia. Aunt Greta never liked me, said I spoke too much for a girl. (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)Aunt Portia always saw something wrong with my body and appearance. She¡¯d tell

    me to try some skin products to brighten my face, consider stic surgery to alter my body and a whole

    list of things like that. I haven¡¯t spoken to both of them in¡­eight years so I really don¡¯t know whether

    they¡¯re dead or alive. And I honestly couldn¡¯t care less.¡±

    Xandar swallowed the food that he was holding in his mouth from the shock at the mention o f stic

    surgery before he asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t really go through with surgery to change your appearance or body,

    did you?¡±

    Lucianne scoffed, ¡°Like I would listen to those scatter-brains. Besides, Luna Janice wouldn¡¯t have

    allowed it.¡±

    Xandar sighed with relief, which made Lucianne tease, ¡°For a second there you thought you fell in love

    with a fake face on a fake body, didn¡¯t you?¡± She chuckled before she said, ¡°I was never pretty like some

    of the she-wolves but I never felt that my face was so disfigured that I needed surgery. It¡¯s a waste of

    money too, to be honest. Could very well buy more books with that cash.¡±

    Xandar reached for her hand and squeezed it gently as he uttered sincerely, ¡°Lucy, baby.¡± Their eyes

    locked as Xandar continued, ¡°You are beautiful. Please, don¡¯t think you¡¯re anything less. You are the

    most beautiful creature I¡¯veid my eyes on, I¡¯m not just saying this because I¡¯m your mate. You have no

    idea the amount of attention you get from the men in a room with your looks alone, even before they

    know you¡¯re Queen. If I were to kill everyone who looked at you in yearn, half of the people in the dining

    hall would be dead by now. Please, baby. You may not think that you¡¯re pretty but you have to know that

    you¡¯re the most beautiful creature i

    n any room we enter.¡±

    Every word that came out of his mouth pulled her heartstrings. The desperation in his eyes for her to

    believe him made her heart melt. But deep inside, she knew that what he said wasn¡¯t true. She had seen

    so many more beautiful she-wolves who all normally have males and other she-wolves crowd around

    them. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Lucianne herself had never garnered that

    sort of attention. At least, she didn¡¯t know that she did.

    Logic told her that Xandar only saw her the way he did because of the mate-bond. But Lucianne didn¡¯t

    want to start a debate on something as petty as her looks. So, she nced at their hands, and gave

    Xandar¡¯s hand a gentle squeeze before she whispered*Thank you, Xandar.¡±

    Xandar sighed before kissing her hand and letting it go for Lucianne to continue eating. He then added,

    ¡°You might not believe me today. But I¡¯m going to keep telling you that you¡¯re beautiful. And I won¡¯t stop

    even after you believe me.¡±

    Her knife and fork stopped moving in her hands when he said those words. She felt the familiar warmth

    creeping up her cheeks before she threw Xandar a shy smile. Xandar returned her smile and got on with

    their earlier conversation about her family, ¡®So, uh¡­ Uncle Peter, what was he like? You two must have

    been close with him being a warrior. Was he a Gamma by the way?¡±

    Lucianne shook her head, ¡°No. He was one of Blue Crescent¡¯s best but not the best. I would say we

    were quite close. I¡¯d tag along when he goes for warrior training, and I¡¯d sit on the sidelines as I watched

    them train.¡±

    Lucianne then chuckled, ¡°The first time I followed, I didn¡¯t know what I was walking into. And when the

    warriors started sparring, I screamed and burst into tears. I actually thought that they were going to kill

    each other. It took Uncle Peter and another warrior a whole hour to calm me down. Uncle Peter never

    took me along after that time. So I snuck in there by myself.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes twinkled in mischief as he pictured Lucianne doing what she just said she did,¡±

    Seriously?¡±

    Lucianne shrugged, ¡°Yeah. They don¡¯t lock the doors when warriors are training so getting in was never

    the problem. Staying hidden was more challenging. I would hide behind the rolled up sparring mats

    they¡¯d put at the corner. And I¡¯d move a few just a little to make a gap between them, just enough for me

    to see what they were doing. But I was caught after doing it five times. Should¡¯ve changed a hiding spot

    every once in a while.¡±

    ¡°They kicked you out?¡± Xandar asked in despair.

    A smile graced Lucianne¡¯s features, ¡°The Gamma wanted to. But I promised them that I wouldn¡¯t cry or

    make a sound. I¡¯d just watch. Many of them insisted that I left because of what happened the first time.

    But Juan¡¯s father, Alpha Ken, said I could stay. Alpha Ken and Uncle Peter would even sit with me

    sometimes if it wasn¡¯t their turn to train. They¡¯d exin what the warriors were doing and why they were

    doing it. After a few months, Alpha Ken and I even bet on who would win a spar. We would select a pair

    at random, and we¡¯d ce our bet and watch them in silence until a winner emerged.¡±

    Lucianne chuckled again, ¡°Now that was fun. If I won, I¡¯d get to y with Juan for the whole day on a

    Saturday when I was normally allowed only half. If he won, I¡¯d have to share my treats with him.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s smile grew wider as Lucianne chuckled again at her memory. ¡®Beautiful, he thought to himself.

    (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)He then asked, ¡°Juan never joined you to watch

    the warriors?¡±

    Lucianne shook her adorable head, ¡°No, he was more of a video game type at that age. I¡¯m okay with

    video games but I¡¯ve always preferred entertaining myself with books, tv and well, watching the warriors

    train. And also betting with Alpha Ken.¡±

    Xandar chuckled this time. He then said gently, ¡°You must miss Uncle Peter. You both do

    have something inmon.¡±

    Lucianne offered a small smile, ¡°I do. He watched over me like a daughter when my parents weren¡¯t

    there. And he wanted to take me in after my parents died but he already had three pups of his own. So

    Alpha Ken and Luna Janice reasoned with him that it was best if they both took me in instead since they

    only had Juan. I¡¯d go visit Uncle Peter in the evenings sometimes, like after watching them train. But I

    wouldn¡¯t stay long. His mate and my cousin don¡¯t like me very much. Aunt Penny would say that my

    interest in something as barbaric as training would be a bad influence on her daughter, whom she was

    grooming to be a ¡®well mannered, presentabledy¡¯.¡± Lucianne rolled her eyes.

    Xandar smiled and shook his head at the absurdity, ¡°Didn¡¯t we leave the Renaissance and Victorian eras

    ages ago?¡±

    Lucianne chimed in, ¡°Well, Xandar, as King, you must understand that some of your subjects require

    more time than others to evolve.¡± Xandar burst intoughter. Even his animal was chuckling. When he

    could finally stop, he took her hand and pecked a kiss before dering i n all carefreeness, ¡°Oh, I love

    you.¡±

    She shook her head gently at his reaction to what she said before she uttered a shy, (This novel will be

    daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡°I know. Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66

    After Xandar settled the bill, he drove them back to the hotel. When they arrived, Xandar got the hotel

    staff to get the books to Lucianne¡¯s room. It took two employees two trips each before every book was

    finally in Lucianne¡¯s room.

    When they were done, Xandar left them a generous tip before thanking the two shocked employees.

    After closing the door behind him, Xandar looked around him andmented,¡± Your ce is getting

    smaller with all these books. It might get a little ufortable to live here now.¡± He was wondering

    whether they should just send back some of those she got for her friends first.

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes sparkled when she eximed, ¡°Are you kidding?! After I¡¯ve taken them out and

    arranged them all over the ce, it¡¯s going to look like a Reading Wondend!¡± She then let out an

    unrestrained shriek of excitement.

    Xandar couldn¡¯t help the upward curl of his lips, and he pulled her into his chest before pecking a kiss on

    her nose and saying, ¡°You are so adorable.¡±

    Despite the warmth she felt, Lucianne shook her head with a smile and said, ¡°You know, Xandar.

    Sometimes, I feel that the Moon Goddess may have somehow drugged you with the mate bond. Either

    that or it¡¯s gettingte and you¡¯re getting drowsy so you¡¯re not seeing mmph

    Xandar pressed his lips against hers as his hands pinned her waist gently against the wall. It upsetted

    him when Lucianne couldn¡¯t see herself the way he saw her. He didn¡¯t want to hear anymore of that for

    the day.

    When Lucianne let out a soft moan, Xandar¡¯s tongue began exploring the inside of her mouth, reaching

    for her throat. When her second moan came out louder than the first, Xandar arousal wasing out

    strong. His hands gave gentle squeezes along the length of her small arms, and when he felt Lucianne¡¯s

    body closing itself on his, he pinned her back to the wall and moved even closer to her.

    His body was already heated up as his hardened shaft pressed on Lucianne¡¯s lower abdomen. The

    meeting and parting of their lips was the only sound in the room, and after a few more moments of gentle

    squeezes, Lucianne¡¯s own arousal started filling the space between them. When she was out of breath,

    Lucianne broke free as she took inrge volumes of air. Xandar¡¯s lips then moved to her neck, kissing it

    and sucking on it, eliciting a third moan from his mate, which made him feel hotter and harder.

    In between his efforts of getting a fourth moan from Lucianne, she softly said, ¡°X-Xandar, w-w e should

    stop.¡±

    As much as Xandar wanted to continue worshipping her neck and her lips, he knew better than to force

    her to give in. He would not be honoring her request if he didn¡¯t listen to her. He

    allowed himself one more peck on her lips before he said, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Her hands on his hard broad shoulders moved to his face. She caressed his cheeks and traced his

    eyebrows before she said, ¡°I know. Thank you.¡± 5

    Xandar smiled in bliss. But suddenly, his eyes zed over and his expression turned serious.

    ¡®Cuz, you got a minute? It¡¯s about the rogue Lycan.¡¯

    ¡®You¡¯re lucky that this didn¡¯te thirty seconds earlier or we would have a problem.¡¯

    ¡®Uh¡­why?

    ¡®I was having a private moment with my mate. Well, I¡¯m technically still with her.¡¯

    ¡®ALREADY?! WOW, CUZ! CONGRA-¡®N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    ¡®Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, Christian. It wasn¡¯t sex. We were just making out¡¯

    AND YOU THINK THAT ISN¡¯T AN ACCOMPLISHMENT AFTER THE SH*T WITH THE KYLTONS LAST

    NIGHT?! I¡¯M SO HAPPY FOR YOU TWO!¡¯

    Xandar chuckled through their link, ¡®You don¡¯t have to try so hard, Christian. You¡¯re still my favorite

    cousin.¡¯

    I¡¯m irreceable, I know. Anyway, the rogue. The doctor just got back to me. He¡¯ll be ready for us

    tomorrow. Can I schedule for us to be at the interrogation room at 9 a.m.?¡¯

    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I¡¯ll get Lucy to notify the members of the alliance.¡¯

    ¡®Okay, good. And there¡¯s one more thing. Annie asked if she could spend a few hours with the Queen.

    She said she wanted to talk to her more. Just the two of them. Could you ask her for u s?¡¯

    ¡®Sure. I¡¯ll get back to you with her answer. How¡¯s Annie beentely? The families must be making her

    busier than usual. She must be exhausted.¡¯

    §Ñ§Ô

    Christian chuckled, ¡®She actually seems happier, cuz. I think she likes thepany.¡¯ That¡¯s a relief to

    know. Thanks again for letting them stay over.¡® ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s nothing, really. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. Tell

    the Queen I said ¡®hi¡¯ and don¡¯t forget to ask her about Annie¡¯s request.¡¯

    ¡®Will do. Talk to you in a bit, Christian.¡¯

    When he ended the mind-link, he found Lucianne stroking his right shoulder lovingly with her cute, little

    thumb. He kissed her forehead before he told her about the rogue Lycan and Annie¡¯s request. She was

    happy to have a chance to spend time with Annie, and said that she would meet her for tea the following

    week.

    Lucianne then mind-linked Juan, who agreed to notify the rest of the alliance. When her eyes cleared,

    she found Xandar gently running his fingers through the length of her hair. He

    seemed fascinated by herrge curls. She stood on her toes and pecked a kiss on his cheek before she

    said, ¡°Thank you for today. I had a great time.¡±

    Xandar pecked her on her lips before he said in a husky voice, ¡°Me too. Thank you for saying

    yes.¡±

    He nuzzled his nose with hers and elicited a soft, shy giggle from his mate before he pecked a kiss on

    her cheek and bid her goodnight. As soon as Xandar got into his car and drove off, a man wearing his

    cap in his own car noted the time on his notepad before he updated hisrade through text and made

    his way back to where he lived.

    One of the three people hired to watch Xandar and Lucianne met with their client, and he ced the

    brown envelope on the table. The client opened it without a word and after going through the first few

    photos, the envelope was mmed on the table and the rest of the pictures taken of Xandar and

    Lucianne throughout their date were strewn all over the table and some fell on the floor.

    The spy asked indifferently, ¡°Should we continue with our watch?¡± The client uttered coldly, ¡°Yes. Just

    don¡¯t be seen.¡±

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67

    The next morning, Lucianne got out of bed and almost tripped over one of the many paper bags of books

    in her room. This made her recall the entire day she spent with Xandar, and she smiled to herself in the

    dark as she changed for her morning run.

    When her white wolf was approaching the same spot she went to every morning, she caught the scent of

    acacia wood and forest trees before Xandar¡¯s Lycan came into view.

    His animal got up from where it was sitting and approached her slowly. Its lc eyes fixed on hers as he

    mind-linked, ¡®Morning, beautiful.¡¯

    ¡°Good morning, Xandar. I don¡¯t recall having a date this morning.¡¯ She teased.

    He smirked, ¡®I was here from a morning run. Bumping into you is just a bonus.¡¯Xandar lowered himself

    and buried his nose in Lucianne¡¯s neck as he linked, ¡®But if you want to call i ta date, I¡¯ll be more than

    happy to oblige.¡¯

    His animal then inhaled deeply, taking in her scent greedily. Lucianne stopped herself from moaning as

    she linked, ¡®X-Xandar, you very well know Ie to this spot every single morning.¡¯

    Was it this spot? I guess that was why I found it so familiar.¡¯ He continued to mock ignorance in a

    coquettish tone. He took another deep breath from her neck and asked, ¡®How did you sleepst night?

    ¡®G-Good.¡¯ She fumbled on her words as she swallowed another moan in her throat before she asked,

    ¡®You?¡¯

    ¡®Mm. It was okay until I woke up missing you.¡¯ His head moved away from Lucianne¡¯s neck and his lc

    eyes met her ck orbs as he nuzzled his nose with hers before asking, ¡®Did you miss me?¡¯ There

    wasn¡¯t cockiness in his voice, just anticipation and nervousness. It was clear that the insecurity he felt

    from the previous night had not dissipated. 2

    ¡®I did.¡¯ Lucianne shyly admitted. She then nuzzled her nose with his chin and along his jawline before

    pulling herself away to lock gaze with him.

    A huge grin was spread across Xandar¡¯s face. His eyes sparked pure happiness. He didn¡¯t expect

    Lucianne to offer his Lycan such an intimate gesture on their second encounter with each other. Its arms

    reached out to gently lift the beautiful white wolf off the ground before cing her on hisp. Xandar

    pulled her close to his chest as he leaned against a tree.

    His hand cautiously started stroking her white fur along the length of her back. Lucianne¡¯s animal purred

    in bliss at his touch. And his Lycan soughtfort and peace from the sound she made and from the

    softness of her fur against his palm. ¡®Adorable¡¯, he thought to himself.

    When dawn broke, Lucianne pushed herself up from Xandar¡¯sp. But before she could leap off, he lifted

    her by her forelimbs to face him as he asked frantically through their link,

    Where are you going?¡¯

    Lucianne responded simply, ¡®Back to my room. We have an interrogation session with the others at 9

    a.m. I have to get myself cleaned up and get ready. You should, too.¡¯

    He then pressed her into his chest and hugged her like she was a plush toy as he linked, ¡®Just a few

    more minutes. It¡¯s not thatte yet. And you¡¯re so cozy.¡®

    Lucianne tried to push away his body with her paws but Xandar was too strong. Their bodies didn¡¯t even

    budge. Frustrated, Lucianne groaned and warned, ¡®Xandar, if I have to be in the interrogation room

    without breakfast because you won¡¯t let me go, I¡¯m going to give you a concussion at training tomorrow.¡¯

    ¡°Okay.¡¯ He linked softly and held her tighter, snuggling himself deeper into her fur.

    ¡®Seriously? Xandar, just let go of me. We¡¯re going to see each other in a few hours from now anyway!

    He ignored her attempts to break free, and continued holding her as heined, ¡®Mm. Too long.¡¯ A

    lightbulb moment then came his way, and he released Lucianne from his embrace to have their eyes

    meet. Xandar still held her by her forelimbs above the ground as he asked in excitement, ¡®How about we

    have breakfast together? Then you¡¯ll get to eat, and I¡¯ll get to see you sooner! It can be our second date!

    1

    Lucianne smirked, ¡®Well-yed, my King. Well-yed. Now put me down.¡¯

    ¡®Is that a yes?¡¯ He asked in glee.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne was blushing as she rolled her eyes and said, ¡®Yes. Now put me down, Xandar.¡¯He embraced

    her briefly before setting her on the ground and nuzzling her forehead as he linked, ¡®Can¡¯t wait to see you

    later, sweetheart. I love you.¡¯

    Lucianne was starting to wonder whether her blushes were visible under her thick, white fur. ¡®I know.

    Thank you.¡¯

    Xandar brought her to a coffee house near the police station so they didn¡¯t have to rush over thereter.

    Unlike the previous day, they didn¡¯t take their time with breakfast. They finished u p in less than an hour

    and went to the station. The members of the alliance had just arrived and they were with Christian, who

    was looking serious as he spoke to the three policemen that got the prisoner ready.

    When Christian saw his cousin and Lucianne, a gracious smile stretched across his serious face, and he

    paused the conversation before greeting aloud, ¡°Ah, My King. My Queen. You¡¯re both here.¡±

    After exchanging bows, the Chief of the Police Force, Dalloway, continued to brief them, ¡°So, he¡¯s been

    in Oleander Cuffs since you brought him here, your Grace. He hasn¡¯t said a word since his captivity. He

    did try to mind-link someone twice when he first woke up. Never again after that.¡±

    Oleander Cuffs are made specifically for Lycan criminals. It is the only type of cuffs capable o f

    suppressing a Lycan¡¯s abilities. When these are on, they can¡¯t heal, speed or even mind-link, and their

    strength is equal to that of a human. The little extra of these cuffs is that a detection chip is embedded in

    them to monitor whether a prisoner tries to mind-link someone, and if s o, whom? The downside is that

    the person whom the prisoner is trying to link can only be detected by theputer system if the link is

    strong enough.

    Xandar asked, ¡°How intense was the link?¡±

    ¡°Our systems detected it to be faint, my King. The doctors say that may be due to his weakened

    physique at that time. The cuffs were never taken off him. And there haven¡¯t been any attempts to break

    it, loosen it or anything of that sort.¡± Lucianne then asked, ¡°Are you able to identify who he is?¡±

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68

    Chief Dalloway looked at Lucianne and said apologetically, ¡°No, my Queen. I¡¯m afraid not. We¡¯ve taken

    his blood and run it through hospital records but no one has contacted us with a match yet.¡±

    She then asked, ¡°No criminal records either, I suppose?¡±

    He shook his head in dismay. ¡°None, my Queen.¡±

    Xandar then noted, ¡°So he¡¯s either a first-time offender or this is his first time getting caught.¡±

    Chief Dalloway spoke up, ¡°If I may, my King, we think it¡¯s thetter. First-time offenders are

    re fridgetty and more willing to blurt something, even if it¡¯s blurting a lie. This one is unusually calm and

    quiet. The medical team said that there¡¯s nothing wrong with his physique or mental abilities, so he¡¯s

    ready for questioning.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s face hardened just slightly and he uttered, ¡°Good. Show the members of the alliancet o the next

    room to watch. We¡¯ll take it from here.¡± ¡°Yes, your Highness.¡±

    The other two policemen who were with the Chief held open the door for the wolves. That was when

    Xandar called out, ¡°Juan,¡± Everyone turned, and Xandar smiled as he continued,¡± Christian and I were

    hoping that you could join us.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Lucianne was surprised as well, and she could not help the

    upward curl of the corner of her lips. Juan nced at Lucy and the alliance before he nodded with a

    grateful smile, ¡°It would be my pleasure, your Highness. Thank you.¡±

    The alliance went into the room. Juan and Christian waited outside the door of the interrogation room

    because Xandar wasn¡¯t ready yet. Xandar held on to Lucianne¡¯s hand to stop her from following the

    others.

    Looking deeply into her ck orbs as he held her hands, he then pecked a kiss on her forehead and

    uttered softly, ¡°Baby, we¡¯re not going to y nice in there. We¡¯ll try our best to y fair. But¡­¡± he

    furrowed his brows and averted his gaze for a moment before he locked his eyes with hers again, ¡°But I

    might have to use the King¡¯s Authority if he refuses to speak.¡±

    The King¡¯s Authority is like an Alpha¡¯s Authority, only stronger because Xandar was the Lycan King.

    When it is emitted, it enables the King topel any of his subjects to do anything hemands, the

    same way Alphas canmand their pack members. When ites to the King¡¯s Authority, not even

    the Queen is strong enough to defy it.

    It is a very archaic power that is seldom used by civilized Alphas and Kings, who believe that using that

    power to force people against their will simply makes them a ruthless dictator, one who has no qualms in

    choosing to abuse their power. Xandar himself always felt ufortable wielding it after his father¡¯s

    death that he had never used it. He only tested it o

    n Christian once for fun because his cousin was curious. It worked, to Christian¡¯s excitement and to

    Xandar¡¯s dismay. They never activated it again after that time.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    His worried eyes pierced into his mate¡¯s as he kissed her fingers before assuring her firmly, ¡°I just want

    you to know that I will never use that on you or on anyone innocent. If I use it in there, it¡¯s because I have

    to. I just need you to be safe, okay?¡±

    Lucianne took her hands from his and reached for his face, pulling it down to peck a kiss on his lips

    before she whispered, ¡°I know you enough to know that you won¡¯t use it unless you need to, Xandar. Go.

    It¡¯ll be okay.¡±

    He smiled with relief and pecked another kiss on her nose before uttering, ¡°Thank you for understanding,

    baby.¡±

    Lucianne stepped into the room where the other wolves were. Most of them had pulled a chair close to

    the one-way mirror to study the prisoner. Those who didn¡¯t sit were leaning close to the ss, eyes

    converging on the figure in the next room.

    The prisoner¡¯s cuffed hands were on the small square table. He sat with an upright back facing the

    entrance. The police took precautions seriously, seeing that they tied his legs to the chair he sat in as

    well. He didn¡¯t look scared or defeated. It was difficult to know what was going through his head. He just

    looked like he was waiting to catch a subway for work.

    Lucianne pushed herself up to sit on the rectangr table behind her friends in their chairs. Toby joined

    her.

    Xandar entered the interrogation room with Christian, Juan and Chief Dalloway behind him. The King¡¯s

    face was dark and hardened. Menacing didn¡¯t even begin to describe Xandar at that moment. He looked

    like he was ready to single-handedly ughter an entire pack.

    When he reached the rogue, Xandar mmed the prisoner¡¯s head against the table and he groaned in

    pain. The wolves from the other room flinched upon the impact. Lucianne jerked i n shock as well. She

    thought that they were going to be nice first, then use force. 1

    Toby whispered from her side, ¡°Let¡¯s be fair. If it was someone else who got stabbed, you would¡¯ve done

    what the King just did.¡±

    ¡°No argument there.¡± She said with a smile.

    The three men took their seats around the square table, and the Chief stood at the side, ready t o take

    notes. Xandar sat facing the rogue. He growled in warning as he said, ¡°Talk.¡±

    The rogue, whose head was already inmed as he smirked, ¡°About what, your Highness?¡±

    Christian had an equally deathly expression as he extended his ws and plunged them into the rogue¡¯s

    arm with force before pulling it back out, eliciting a second groan from the rogue.¡± If your mind is foggy

    from your time here. Let¡¯s start simple: who sent you to the Jewel Pack?¡±

    Blood stains started forming inrge patches on the arm area of his prison clothes but no one gave a

    dam*. The rogue gritted his teeth to cope with the pain as he uttered, ¡°No one.¡± He was

    clearly lying.

    Juan¡¯s hand reached for his nape and gave it a good enough squeeze before he said darkly,¡° You¡¯d die

    trying to protect your boss, huh? You don¡¯t see your boss protecting you now. You¡¯re the one rotting

    here.¡±

    The rogue¡¯s dark chuckle that came next would send a shiver down the spines of anyone with a faint

    heart. Juan retracted his hand seeing that the rogue was about to say something. With a cocky smirk,

    the rogue locked eyes with Juan and taunted, ¡°At least I¡¯m capable of protecting someone. What did you

    aplish when your wolf needed you?¡±

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69

    Juan shot up from his chair, and threw his clenched fist at the rogue¡¯s jaw, breaking it with a n audible

    crack. Xandar pulled the rogue by his prison clothes across the table towards him. The King¡¯s eyes

    already turned onyx as he growled, ¡°You sought to murder our Queen. If you think you can live your life

    without painful repercussions for what you did to MY mate, I¡¯m telling you right now you¡¯re going to live a

    long cycle of torture and recovery. Now, answer m e, who sent you?¡±

    And they felt it. Everyone did, even the wolves from the next room. They felt the King¡¯s Authority

    radiating strong from Xandar¡¯s being when he said thest three words,pellingpliance.

    The rogue tried hard to avert his gaze and resist the authority but after about seven seconds, h e

    muttered, ¡°Thepany.¡± And his eyes showed anger, anger for being unable to keep his knowledge to

    himself.

    ¡°Whatpany?¡± Xandar asked.

    The rogue pressed his lips together, refusing to speak. Xandar radiated his authority again as he

    repeated, ¡°Whatpany?¡±

    The rogue fought the urge to give in again but eventually he spat out, ¡°Wu Bi Corp.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in shock. But Christian¡¯s and Xandar¡¯s expressions in the other room remained

    unperturbed.

    Toby noticed her reaction so he asked, ¡°Do you know thepany, Lucy?¡± The wolves pulled their sights

    from the ss wall and waited for Lucianne¡¯s answer.

    Lucianne knew she wasn¡¯t supposed to speak about the research from the corruption case beyond those

    who knew so she tried to exin it vaguely, ¡°It¡¯s apany that the government is looking into. They

    haven¡¯t found out much about it yet, and whatever information they have about it so far is¡­ not exactly

    connected to rogue Lycans.¡±

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s connected now.¡± Tate uttered and everyone¡¯s eyes returned to the ss.

    Xandar asked, ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of Wu Bi Corp?¡±

    The rogue red at the King as he muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Xandar mmed the rogue¡¯s side profile against the table before pulling his head up to face him again, ¡°I

    asked,¡± he radiated his authority for the third time, ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of Wu Bi Corp?¡±

    The rogue smirked victoriously, ¡°I. Don¡¯t Know.¡±

    So, it was true. He didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°How is it possible that you don¡¯t know who you work for?¡± Xandar didn¡¯t bother trying to y fair

    anymore.

    The rogue gritted his teeth as he tirelessly tried to defy Xandar. When his strength snapped, h e uttered

    in defeat, ¡°Seeing that there¡¯s a risk of us getting caught, our employer never allowed anyone of our rank

    to know his identity.¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s a he.¡±Xandar asked in confirmation.

    The rogue sighed when he realized the gender of his employer slipped, ¡°We guess that it is. It could be a

    she, we don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think that it¡¯s a he then?¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s how everyone addresses the boss. ¡®He¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You said anyone of your rank doesn¡¯t know your boss. Which rank of employees do?¡±

    ¡°The Tacticians.¡±

    ¡°Who are they?¡±

    ¡°Personal advisors to the boss. As far as we know, they¡¯re the only ones who have met with the boss and

    spoken to the boss. The Tacticians are the team manoeuvring any contracts the boss epts. They

    study tactics, strategize attacks and deploy us fighters ording to our credentials.¡±

    ¡°Credentials?¡±

    ¡°The number of sessful untraceable attacks, and the environments in which the attacks were

    launched. The more difficult it is to attack at a particr ce, like an attack at night, the better our

    credentials are if we pull it off.¡±

    ¡°So, your credentials were good enough to kill our Queen?¡± Xandar¡¯s ws extended and pierced

    through the table where his hand rested. The hand holding onto the rogue¡¯s clothes now went around his

    neck as he started strangling the prisoner.

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in the next room, and she mind-linked her mate in haste, ¡®Xandar, darling.

    Breathe. Just breathe, okay? We¡¯re okay. Everything is going to be alright. Breathe, m y darling. Just

    breathe.¡¯

    It was only then did Xandar realize he was losing control. As he and his animal concentrated on their

    mate¡¯s soothing voice, Xandar managed to retract his ws and calm down. He released the rogue,

    whose body that was still tied to a chair slumped on the table before sliding onto the floor. The rogue

    coughed profusely and took inrge breaths of air.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne sighed audibly with relief. Toby noticed her zed-over eyes cleared about the same time as

    Xandar¡¯s so he teased, ¡°It¡¯s no wonder you never had any problems calming down hot-tempered Alphas.

    You can even tame the fiercest of beasts ¨C the Lycan King.¡±

    The wolves¡¯ eyes left the prisoner and shifted to Lucianne while they threw her cheeky smirks. And

    Lucianne looked at Toby in annoyance, ¡°Did you really have to say that out loud, Toby?¡±

    Zelena then joined in, ¡°I personally think that the one with Caunterberg the other night was much more

    impressive.¡±

    Raden eximed in excitement, ¡°Agreed, Luna! I thought I was going to die that night with the King

    shifting.¡± Everyone startedughing at Raden¡¯s candid admission. He was considered as one of the

    fiercest and strongest Gammas in the werewolfmunity so it was hrious to hear thating out of

    him.

    Lovce then said matter-of-factly, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t worry about getting killed now. The King listens to

    Lucy, and he wouldn¡¯t do anything to upset her. I¡¯m confident we¡¯ll be just fine.¡±

    Lucianne was getting more flustered by the second, and there were two policemen at the back of the

    room listening in on their conversation so she urged, ¡°Maybe we should focus on the rogue now, guys.¡±

    Zeke then teased, ¡°C¡¯mon, Lucy. It¡¯s nothing to be shy about. You should be proud! We definitely are. I

    mean, it¡¯s one thing that you were able to turn the infamously selfish and hot tempered Alpha Tate into a

    calm and considerate team yer, it¡¯s another to be able to make the Lycan King kneel at your feet.¡±

    Tate averted his eyes from everyone to hide the blushes creeping up his cheeks.

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes in Zeke¡¯s way, ¡°We¡¯ve been through this, Zeke. Tate changed himself,

    and¡­¡± ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡± Toby uttered with a taunting smirk in his Alpha¡¯s way.

    Lucianne threw Toby a re before going back to Zeke, ¡°He did. And let¡¯s get one thing straight. For

    Xandar¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ ¡®make him kneel to me.¡±

    When everyone heard the sound of metal mming onto the floor, their sights returned to the next room.

    Chief Dalloway mmed the rogue¡¯s chair upright again and the three men resumed their seats as well.

    The rogue coughed a few more times before he answered Xandar¡¯s question from earlier, ¡°N-N o. My

    instructions were to eliminate the wolf. The white one with a striped tail. We were not told that she was

    the Queen.¡± 1

    Toby scoffed andmented mercilessly, ¡°Some Tacticians they have.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t even do their research right.¡± Sylvia said in agreement.

    Lucianne wasn¡¯t sure if she agreed. At the time of the attack, she wasn¡¯t exactly weing to the idea of

    being Queen yet. And technically speaking, she wasn¡¯t their Queen now. Everyone just called her that.

    So, Lucianne said, ¡°Well, they¡¯re not exactly wrong. I mean, I¡¯m technically not the Qu¡­¡±

    ¡°Shush, Lucy.¡± Toby cut her off, and then he threw her a cheeky smile before offering a small bow and

    saying, ¡°My apologies. What I meant to say was, ¡®Shush, my Queen¡¯.¡±

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes before pushing Toby with just enough force to make him tilt sideways as he

    chuckled. Tate allowed himself a brief look at Lucianne before returning his sights to the next room.

    Xandar continued, ¡°Why her?¡±

    ¡°We were not told that either. We¡¯re never told why we are to target a certain¡­ target. The only one privy

    to these reasons would be the boss. Not even the Tacticians would know. As fighters, we are just told

    who we¡¯re after, how we are to attack, when and where the attack should take ce.¡±

    ¡°Why the Jewel Pack?¡±

    ¡°Their warriors are weak. We were to attack to draw out the target.¡±

    Juan eximed in anger, ¡°You were instructed to kill pack members until my sister showed u p to defend

    them?!¡± Even the wolves in the other room were agitated. Zelena stood up from her chair, and inched

    herself nearer to the ss, simmering in fury. Tate¡¯s hands were clenched into tight fists. Toby, Raden

    and Sylvia stiffened in controlled anger.

    The rogue¡¯s lips were sealed, until Xandar growled, ¡°Answer him.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Low growls were emitted in the watching room, and Lucianne said cautiously with evident worry, ¡°Guys,

    we¡¯re good. He¡¯s cuffed up. Everyone is safe. Let¡¯s all just calm down.¡± Everyone watched their smallest

    member and threw each other cheeky smirks again before Juan¡¯s shouting caught their attention.

    ¡°How did you know she would be there?! Anyone could have gone there to fight off the rogues instead!¡±

    ¡°Answer.¡± Xandarmanded.

    ¡°B-Because the research was done. She showed up whenever weak packs needed help. We were

    assured that she would be there. If she weren¡¯t, we were told to kill until she came.¡±

    SS

    No one could deny this. Whenever Blue Crescent had to pick which ally to help during simultaneous

    rogue attacks, Lucianne always got Juan to let her and her warriors go to the most vulnerable pack first.

    They would then ask other equally strong packs to assist the other allies under attack.

    Juan continued pressing, ¡°And if she didn¡¯t show up when the whole pack is eliminated?¡±

    The rogue¡¯s tired and angered eyes met Juan¡¯s, ¡°We would attack the next most vulnerable

    pack.¡±

    ¡°Sick b*stards!¡± Lucianne hissed in a soft voice. Her eyes began glistening with anger and guilt as she

    imagined the number of lives that would¡¯ve been lost if she showed upter. It meant that¡­those eleven

    warriors died because of her, because they were trying to draw her out.

    Tate seemed to have read her mind when he said in a low voice, ¡°Lucy, the Jewel Pack¡¯s casualties are

    not your fault. You shouldn¡¯t be ming yourself. You saved the rest of them. W e all did. Their Beta

    himself told you that the pack owes you. This is the rogue¡¯s fault, Lucy, not yours. Don¡¯t think otherwise,

    okay?¡±

    Lucianne took in his words before nodding meekly and throwing him a grateful smile,¡± Thanks, Tate.¡± He

    offered her a small smile in return.

    The rogue scoffed arrogantly all of a sudden, and then made a remark on his own, ¡°Such a small-sized

    thing even for her kind. The wolf¡¯s life was hardly worth saving.¡± 2

    The three of them growled in unison. Xandar growled a second time before he broke the rogue¡¯s nose,

    left ear and fractured his chin before shouting, ¡°HOW DARE YOU SPEAK ABOUT OUR QUEEN IN

    THAT MANNER?! IF SHE DIDN¡¯T ASK ME TO SPARE YOUR LIFE, YOU¡¯D JOIN YOUR FRIENDS IN

    HELL RIGHT NOW!¡±

    The rogue smirked, ¡°Spare my life? She left me here to be tortured. I¡¯ve shown her mercy by

    killing her.¡±

    It was Xandar¡¯s turn to smirk, ¡°Now, who told you that she isn¡¯t still alive and well?¡±

    The rogue registered Xandar¡¯s arrogant deration, and his eyes were suddenly filled with horror as he

    muttered under his breath, ¡°That¡¯s not possible. It was silver. He¡¯s bluffing. You¡¯re bluffing!¡±

    ¡°Is he?¡± Christian challenged. The rogue looked at the three men. It didn¡¯t look like they were hiding

    anything.

    He continued to mutter in disbelief, ¡°Impossible. The amount of silver was lethal.¡± He then challenged the

    three men weakly, ¡°She didn¡¯t survive. No wolf would¡¯ve. You¡¯re just making m e think that I¡¯ve failed so

    that I¡¯ll blurt out information!¡±

    Xandar scoffed darkly before he locked his murderous onyx eyes with the rogue¡¯s doubtful ones as he

    asked rhetorically, ¡°Do you think that you would be sitting here with just bruises and fractures if you

    had¡­. killed MY mate?¡± The word ¡®killed¡¯ was visibly hard for Xandar to say. ¡°You¡¯re only able to remain

    in one unbroken piece now because she survived. Pretty sure your boss isn¡¯t too happy about that. Your

    credentials must be tainted as well so I don¡¯t see why you should have to leave us. Now, here¡¯s what I

    want you to do,¡±

    Everyone sat upright as they waited for what Xandar was going to say next. The King radiated his

    authority once more as hepelled, ¡°I want your name and every alias you¡¯ve used. I want the names

    of everyone you know in Wu Bi Corp. I want you to tell Chief Dalloway here about your history in this line

    of business. I want addresses, contact information, hide-outs, meet-up points and any location you¡¯ve

    used to receive your instructions. I want every transaction made to and from you to be on paper. Do you

    understand me?¡±

    The rogue was already drenched in sweat with being mmed, punched, strangled and mentally forced

    against his will. He only managed to stay silent for two seconds before he gritted his teeth and muttered

    a reluctant, ¡®Yes, my King.¡±

    ¡°Would you hurt our Queen again?¡±

    The rogue gritted his teeth, ¡°N-No.¡±

    ¡°Would you try to kill her again?¡±

    ¡°N-No.¡±

    ¡°What should you do if you are in the Queen¡¯s presence?¡±

    Xandar was really not ying fair now. He was basically forcing the rogue to spit out whatever Xandar

    himself wanted to hear using the King¡¯s Authority.

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71

    The rogue was already pale from exhaustion when he muttered grudgingly, ¡°I am to kneel¡­ and bow

    before the Queen.¡±

    The wolves looked teasingly at the flustering Lucianne. In the interrogation room, Xandar smirked like a

    cocky winner, ¡°Good that you¡¯vee to your senses. We¡®re done for today. Chief Dalloway will take it

    from here now.¡±

    As Xandar got up, so did Christian and Juan. And the Duke went behind the rogue, mmed the rogue¡¯s

    head against the table one more time before the King fractured the rogue¡¯s neck, earning a painful

    whimper from the criminal.

    Xandar smirked in arrogance and satisfaction before he walked out the door. When the wolves started

    getting up from the chairs, Toby tried to copy Xandar¡¯s murderous expression and repeated the King¡®s

    words out loud, ¡°What should you do if you are in the Queen¡¯s presence?¡±

    Lucianne punched Toby to the side with force again. He let his body fall sideways on the table as he

    started chuckling uncontrobly.

    Zelena then started with a teasing smirk, ¡°Kneel,¡±

    Her mate, Zeke, yfully continued, ¡°And bow.¡±

    Tate finished, ¡°Before the Queen.¡±

    ¡°Guys. Seriously, stop it.¡± Lucianne pleaded, hiding her face with her hands in embarrassment.

    Xandar opened the door, and Toby got off the table, still chuckling as he went to join Raden and Tate.

    Xandar stopped the alliance from offering him another bow for the day as he went straight for his mate

    with smiling eyes. His demeanor was aplete change from just ten seconds ago.

    Xandar¡¯s hands pressed on the table, and his arms trapped Lucianne¡¯s small body between them.

    Xandar pecked a kiss on her lips before he uttered in a low, husky voice, ¡°When we are i n the Queen¡¯s

    presence, we are to kneel and bow before the Queen.¡± The upward curl of his lips showed that he heard

    everything from when Toby copied him.

    Lucianne continued to blush as she tried her best to ignore the cheeky giggles among the wolves and

    told her mate, ¡°Making one kneel is highly unnecessary, my King.¡±

    Xandar mocked frustration, ¡°Oh,e on now, my Queen. We wouldn¡¯t want to confuse the rogue now

    that I¡¯ve just gotten him toe to his senses on the formalities.¡±

    Lucianne smirked, ¡°You¡¯ve gotten him toe to your senses, you mean?¡±

    He looked a little guilty, genuinely guilty, as he said, ¡°I may have overused th¡­¡± Lucy quieted

    him with a peck on his cheek as she whispered, ¡°I was only teasing, Xandar.¡±

    Xandar was visibly relieved, and Toby told Raden, ¡°Maybe ¡®tame¡¯ was the wrong word. ¡®Control . Hm.

    Control the fiercest of beasts. Sounds better. Not just taming but also influencing what the beast does.

    What do you think, Ray?¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes in her best friend¡¯s direction, and her voice returned to normal when she

    said, ¡°I¡¯m still here, Toby, and I don¡ª¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°Yeah, I know. So, Ray, what do you think?¡±

    Raden shrugged and said in agreement, ¡°Control sounds better.¡±

    Before Lucianne could retort, Xandar¡¯s firm voice filled the room, ¡°I agree.¡±

    Lucianne turned her disapproving sights to her mate as she hissed, ¡°Xandar, don¡¯t agree to that! You

    should never relinquish control of your life to someone else. In fact, no one should.¡± Xandar inched

    closer to her and asked flirtatiously, ¡°What¡¯s so bad about relinquishing control to my mate? I¡¯d say I¡¯ve

    never been in better hands. And besides, you only control my behavior, not my life. My life, you guide

    and rule, like the Queen that you are.¡±

    When Lucianne opened her mouth to refute, he pecked another kiss on her lips to silence her and

    added, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing, my love. Don¡¯t look so distraught by it. Imagine what would¡¯ve happened to

    Caunterberg, Cummings, the Kyltons and the rogue in there if I hadn¡¯t given you control.¡±

    Lucianne argued with uncertainty, ¡°But those are¡­those are different. I only got you to calm down. The

    control was still yours.¡±

    Xandar scoffed, ¡°Sweetheart, if it were, they¡¯d all be dead by now.¡± He pecked a kiss on her forehead

    before he mocked a look of hurt, ¡°Is having control over this beast such a nuisance, my dear? Are you

    trying to get rid of me?¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes at his overdramatic demeanor, ¡°You very well know that¡¯s not what this is

    about Xandar,¡± she sighed in worry, ¡°You¡¯re the King. The suggestion that you¡¯re merely influenced by

    someone else may affect public confidence in the monarchy and the

    government. To say that you¡¯ve given control to me is just¡­wrong.¡±

    The hurt in his eyes was genuine and evident as he cupped her cheek and said, ¡°Lucy, baby. I s my love

    for you wrong in any way?¡±

    She blinked before she uttered, ¡°I hope not.¡±

    He pressed his lips briefly on hers before pulling away and locking a firm gaze on her as he dered,

    ¡°It¡¯s not, my love. It¡¯s not wrong in any way. You¡¯re the best thing that¡¯s ever happened to me. Don¡¯t doubt

    that. Ever. I love you.¡±

    ¡°I-I know. B-But control¡­¡±

    ¡°Is not something that you should see as an owner-and-pet rtionship. You have control

    over me when I¡¯m not in control. Other times, you¡¯re my beacon, pointing me in the right direction.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s customary for a King to give so much weight to¡­¡±

    ¡°To the thoughts and views of his Queen? Well, that¡¯s true but I don¡¯t want to be like past Kings, Lucy. I

    thought you knew that.¡±

    ¡°I do. B_¡±

    He took her hands and suggested with a smile, ¡°So, why don¡¯t we start a new custom, where the King

    and Queen lead together, as one? That¡¯s how Alphas and Lunas do it, and the system seems to be

    working quite well. And that was also how you and your allies won in battles, wasn¡¯t it? Train as one, fight

    as one and win as one?¡±

    The fact that Xandar took out words from Toby¡¯s speech a week ago didn¡¯t go unnoticed. Internally, Toby

    was squealing in excitement, even though he was just quoting his best friend at that time.

    Lucianne sighed in defeat, and Xandar smelled a close victory so he kissed her forehead and smiled

    wider at his still-reluctant mate, ¡°I trust you, Lucy. I trust you to control me when I can¡¯t control myself.

    And I trust you to give me your unfiltered thoughts on anything we talk about, be it government issues or

    something personal.¡±

    After nting a kiss on the back of her hand, he said, ¡°You¡¯re more, Lucy. Much more.¡± This line sparked

    confusion among everyone else in the room since they didn¡¯t have the knowledge of the private

    conversation between Xandar and Lucianne the first time this was said.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lucianne answered meekly.

    Xandar was in the mood to tease his mate, ¡°Okay? That¡¯s it? Babe, at least say that you¡¯ll happily take

    control of this beast. After all the effort I¡¯ve put in to win an argument against you, don¡¯t you think I

    deserve at least that specific line?¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes at him again. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Christian shaking his

    head and smiling at the ground, so she said, ¡°See, you¡¯re even making your second-inmand

    ufortable by saying those things.¡±

    Christian¡¯s head snapped up, ¡°Oh no, my Queen. You misunderstood. I was just wondering why our King

    didn¡¯t find you sooner. A hundred and seventy eight years was a long wait for the both of us, but more so

    for my cousin.¡± Some wolves gasped at the age shared by the Duke and their King.

    It shouldn¡¯te as a surprise but it did. Lycans can live up to five hundred years old, the longest living

    wolf only reached about three hundred years of age. Lycans age slower, much slower. Right now, the

    cousins only looked around thirty-five or so. 1

    Lucianne tried not to sound too shocked as she responded, ¡°Christian, let¡¯s face it. I didn¡¯t

    exist any sooner.¡±

    Christian raised his eyebrows andmented, ¡°My Queen, it¡¯s not like you were born a week ago.¡± He

    then turned to Juan, ¡°How old is she?¡±

    Juan replied without hesitation, ¡°Twenty-nine two months ago.¡± 1

    The Duke nodded, then said, ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice if you came nine years earlier, my Queen.¡±

    Xandar was gazing dreamily at his mate. Lucianne blushed under his affectionate stare. When he was

    going for her lips, her hand pressed firmly on his chest as she said in a loud and clear voice, ¡°Behave

    now, my King. We still have the issue of the rogue to deal with. What¡¯s the n?¡±

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72

    Xandar groaned in frustration when Lucianne stopped him from kissing her on her lips. Christian

    chuckled while Juan pressed back a smile.

    Lucianne pushed herself off the table, joining the rest of the alliance on their feet. Xandar held her firmly

    by her waist to make sure she didn¡¯t go any further. He pecked a kiss on her temple before he turned to

    everyone and said, ¡°Wu Bi Corp is apany that Lucy, Christian, I and a few others have been

    investigating for a few days. When we hit a dead end, Christian and I pulled some strings. But our

    contacts haven¡¯t been able to dig up anything yet. He¡­¡± his head gestured at the rogue in the next

    room,¡±¡­seems to have given us the fastest ticket to get to the bottom of what we¡¯re investigating.¡±

    Zelena spoke, ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t mean to pry but I have to ask: this investigation, does it involve the

    safety of our packs?¡± Every wolf in the room was visibly worried for their respective packs.

    Xandar furrowed his eyebrows as he matched their worry, ¡°Before today, it didn¡¯t. Not directly at least.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean, your Highness?¡± Toby asked. And Tate nudged his Gamma for wanting to poke

    into government issues.

    Xandar saw it so he said, ¡°No, it¡¯s alright, Alpha Tate. It¡¯s only natural to worry about the safety of your

    packs. Well, what we were investigating on Wu Bi Corp was concerning the provision of aid after a rogue

    attack. This rogue here is pointing us to the source of the attacks instead. He and his kind seem to have

    a good-enough system in ce to threaten the safety of our people. The fact that they had enough

    members to be ranked is just¡­¡±

    Xandar sighed in dismay as his hand ran through his hair in frustration. Lucianne ced her hand on his

    arm and her thumb started stroking that area in soothing motions before Xandar continued, ¡°It¡¯s just

    unbelievable. I¡¯m embarrassed to say that I didn¡¯t manage to find them before they cost the lives of so

    many innocent people.¡±

    Lucianne uttered firmly, ¡°Xandar, you didn¡¯t know. No one did. Stop ming yourself. You heard what he

    said about credentials. The key was to be untraceable.¡±

    Toby, being morefortable than most of the wolves since the King was his best friend¡¯s mate, said,

    ¡°And let¡¯s face it, your Highness. You have two very useless ministers running the Defence Ministry.

    There was no oof,¡±

    Tate elbowed Toby in his abdomen as the Alpha hissed softly, ¡°Toby, now you have to apologize.¡±

    Xandar chuckled lightly as he said, ¡°Even if he does, I wouldn¡¯t ept it, Alpha Tate. Gamma Tobias is

    right. But those ministers will be gone soon enough. This decision was made a few days ago but we¡¯re

    keeping it quiet until we have all the evidence we need.¡±

    The wolves were surprised at this revtion but their shock was quickly followed by smiles and

    excitement

    Lovce muttered in satisfaction, ¡°About damn time.¡±

    ¡°Very sorry it took this long, Luna Lovce.¡± Xandar uttered sincerely. Everyone, except Christian and

    Lucy, couldn¡¯t believe what they just heard. The King was apologizing to her? H e was apologizing to a

    wolf?

    Luna Lovce recovered from her own astonishment before smiling gratefully, ¡°As Lucy said, my King.

    You didn¡¯t know. What matters is that you¡¯re now aware, and that you¡¯re taking necessary measures with

    the ministers and with the rogue attacks.¡±

    Lucy¡¯s voice then filled the room, ¡°We¡¯re slightly at fault with the ongoing rogue attacks as well if you

    thought about it.¡±

    When everyone¡¯s attention was fixed on her, she continued, ¡°We¡¯ve ughtered countless rogues but

    we¡¯ve never thought of keeping even one alive to question. We just assumed that the rogues ran among

    a few of their kind. What if this whole time, they weren¡¯t a few rogue

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    packs but one mega rogue corporation?¡±

    After a moment of dead silence, Toby muttered, ¡°That¡¯s sh*t scary.¡±

    Juan then thought aloud, ¡°But also hopeful.¡± He locked eyes with his sister-like figure and said, ¡°If we

    took down the corporation housing them,¡±

    Luna Lovce caught on, ¡°We put an end to the strength of their attacks on our packs and our allies.

    Soon, we¡¯d be able to eliminate them all.¡±

    Raden then huffed as he said, ¡°I have always wondered where they were getting silver des from since

    three years ago.¡±

    Toby then eximed, ¡°It makes sense! They have a supplier and maybe even a medical team That¡¯s how

    some of them run away injured from one pack only toe back strong again in another pack a few

    weekster.¡±

    Xandar instinctively held Lucianne closer to his body at the mention of silver before he asked Raden,

    ¡°Did most rogues carry a silver de?¡±

    ¡°No, my King. In an attack, maybe one or two. Because the rogues themselves were wolves, and unlike

    Lycans, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold the silver de in their hands. Those who have the des

    normally don¡¯t shift, and theye outst on the battlefield to surprise us. Essentially, to stab us while

    we¡®re focusing on the shifted rogues.¡±

    Xandar stiffened again at the word ¡®stab¡¯. Lucianne continued to stroke his shoulder from his side to calm

    him down. Xandar pondered before he took a good look at the alliance and asked in concern, ¡°How

    many of you here have been stabbed by the de before, if I may ask?¡±

    Toby answered for everyone, ¡°Uh, none of us have, your Highness. Apart from Lucy, none of u

    s would¡¯ve survived a stab. The rogue in the next room wasn¡¯t exaggerating. The amount of silver on

    those des was lethal. The friends we lost were stabbed before Lucy could¡­¡±

    Toby stopped when he noticed his best friend shooting him a re with a slight shake of her head. Her

    thumb on Xandar¡¯s shoulder had stopped moving. And Toby¡¯s hand reached for his mouth like he just

    said something he shouldn¡¯t have. Xandar nced at his fierce-looking mate before he turned back to

    the guilty-looking Gamma and asked, ¡°Before Lucy could what, Gamma Tobias?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Toby looked nervously at Lucianne. Xandar took a quick nce at the rest of the alliance who all

    seemed to know what he was going to say.

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73

    Toby then groaned and said, ¡°Lucy, I¡¯m on your side. But he¡¯s your mate. He should know. And besides,

    he might even love you more after I say this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you for letting this slip, Toby!¡± Lucianne hissed.

    ¡°Yeah, I thought so. Sorry, Lucy.¡± Toby said guiltily before looking at the confused Duke and King as he

    started exining, ¡°Being the only one who can heal from silver without blood transfusion, Lucy always¡­

    shielded us from the des. She¡¯d¡­ throw herself in front of those one or two rogues if we don¡¯t

    manage to make them drop the knives quickly enough. In this room, she¡¯d shielded me,¡± his eyes went

    around the room as he continued listing, ¡°Tate, Juan, Sylvia, Zelena and Raden.¡± 1

    Xandar¡¯s eyes pulled away from Toby when he was done. He looked at his mate and lifted her chin up

    gently to make her ck orbs lock with his partially onyx ones as he asked in a low voice, ¡°You did

    what?¡±

    She shrugged and defended herself meekly, ¡°We didn¡¯t have time. It was the safest way to keep the

    number of lives we have.¡±

    ¡°What about your life?!¡± Xandar asked in hushed anger.

    She said softly, ¡°Xandar, I wasn¡¯t going to die. On the battlefield, I¡¯ve always managed to get the de

    out quickly. I¡¯ve always healed.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes glistened despite his hardened expression as he sighed in frustration. He pressed her into

    his chest and kissed her hair as he uttered in a homicidal tone, ¡°When we find out who¡¯s in-charge, I¡¯m

    going to shred him very slowly for making you do that.¡±

    Christian then asked, ¡°Just out of curiosity, my Queen, how many times have you done it?¡±

    Lucianne looked to the side from Xandar¡¯s chest and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter, Christian. It¡¯s in the

    pa¡­¡±

    Juan then said, ¡°Hale mentioned that it was a hundred and two as of thest attack.¡± 1

    ¡°Juan!¡± Lucianne¡¯s eyes drilled into her brother¡¯s as she eximed.

    Xandar held her tighter. His arms caged her body like he wanted to shield her from getting hurt. She

    returned her sights to her mate and said, ¡°Xandar, I¡¯m all healed. I¡¯m fine. Some of it wasn¡¯t even stabs,

    just minor scratches. In fact, some were so minor that I joined the battle again a minuteter. The n

    was always to stab them back with their own knife after I goti

    Xandar buried his face in her hair as he uttered, ¡°It doesn¡¯t make it any less wrong. You shouldn¡¯t have to

    get hurt.¡±

    ¡°Xandar, I¡¯m fine! Look at me! I¡¯m fine!¡±

    He let her part their bodies, and Lucianne¡¯s heart ached at Xandar¡¯s watered eyes. She cupped his

    cheeks and pecked a kiss on his lips as she assured him, ¡°Darling, everything turned out fine, okay? We

    have a lead now. Things are only going to get better from here. Let¡¯s just focus o n the now, okay?¡±

    He managed a small smile and kissed her deeply on her forehead before he uttered, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Lucianne let out a sigh of relief, and Toby uttered the word ¡®control in Raden¡¯s way with a cheeky smirk.

    She threw a sharp re at Toby and Juan before dering, ¡°I¡¯m not going to show you two any mercy at

    training tomorrow.¡± Juan scoffed, ¡°When have you ever shown mercy at training, Lucy?¡±

    Toby then spoke in mock ominousness, ¡°Tate, I¡¯d like you to kill me now, please.¡± Chuckles filled the

    room.

    Tate smirked as he patted his Gamma on the shoulder, ¡°No can do. I don¡¯t want to be the next one on the

    Queen¡¯s murder list.¡±

    Before Lucianne could say anything more, Xandar lifted up her dainty hands and pecked a sweet kiss on

    her fingers before he said, ¡°Easy now, babe. They were just enlightening us.¡±

    Christian added, ¡°My Queen, the way you tried to keep that a secret is perplexing. I mean, it¡¯s a noble

    act. Scream it, talk about it, unt it for Goddess sake! Why are you so reluctant to let u s know about it?¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes, ¡°It was about keeping our friends alive, Christian. It was never about telling the

    world. Besides, your cousin doesn¡¯t take stories of me getting hurt very well.¡±

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    Xandar pecked a kiss on her temple as he uttered in his husky voice, ¡°You haven¡¯t the faintest idea of

    how important you are to me, my love. Can you me me for overreacting when you get hurt?¡± 2

    Lucianne tried but failed to suppress a shy smile when the words he said and the tone he used touched

    her heart, making her give in as she uttered a soft, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Good that you know.¡± Xandar said. He returned his sights to the alliance and said, ¡°Chief Dalloway will

    have the report prepared by the end of the day. Once he sends us the information that the rogue is now

    giving him, I¡¯ll forward them to the rest of you. Until then, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t proceed further.¡±

    ¡°T-Thank you, your Highness.¡± Toby was the first toe out of the shock of being given a report that

    entities like the government only kept to themselves. Even allies had no right to demand such things, and

    now the King was offering confidential information without any of them asking? Amazing!

    After the rest of the wolves thanked him, Xandar shook his head slightly and said sincerely,¡± It¡¯s the least

    we can do after the sacrifices you¡¯ve all made. Not just in the Jewel Pack but in every battle before that.

    Seeing that I have two very useless Defence Ministers,¡± he threw

    Toby a smile before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ll need all the help I can get from people who can actually help.¡±

    Zelena said, ¡°It¡¯ll be an honour, your Highness.¡± She then turned to her mate and squealed,¡° This is so

    exciting, I can¡¯t wait!¡± Zeke pressed back a smile and held her by her waist as he said, ¡°Zel, we¡¯re in the

    presence of royalty. Let¡¯s keep it together, okay?¡±

    Zelena narrowed her eyes and retorted, ¡°Oh, please. It¡¯s not like the King has been keeping it together

    whenever his eyes are on Lucy.¡±

    ¡°Oh, goddess.¡± Lucianne muttered to herself as she buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

    Xandar smiled broadly as he gently took her hands into his to see her beautifully-blushed cheeks before

    pecking a kiss at the corner of her lip to affirm Zelena¡¯s remark.

    Sylvia muttered to Lovce, ¡°Adorable, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes stayed on Lucianne as he answered Sylvia instead, ¡°Yes, she is.¡± Lucianne resorted to

    looking at the ground with a flustered face and a shy smile.

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74

    Xandar and Christian treated the alliance to lunch, and everyone dispersed after that. Christian went

    home to Annie, and the alliance headed back to the hotel for a rest.

    When Lucianne got into Xandar¡¯s car after waving goodbye to the others outside the restaurant, Xandar

    smashed his lips on hers without warning. He then pulled away just slightly before saying, ¡°I want to

    show you something. Come with me?¡± Lucianne averted her gaze and blinked to get herself out of her

    daze from the kiss but Xandar pressed another deep one on her lips as he said in a husky voice, ¡°Don¡¯t

    think, Lucy. Just say yes.¡± He kissed her gently again before whispering, ¡°Say yes.¡±

    Lucianne could only smile shyly as her thumb traced his lower lip line while muttering in a soft voice, ¡°I

    was going to say yes when you first asked anyway.¡±

    He took her hands and pecked a kiss on her cheek and said, ¡°You¡¯re so cute when you¡¯re shy.¡±

    Her already-warm cheeks became even warmer. ¡°Xandar, I¡¯d like my hands back please.¡± She

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    nced at her small hands secured firmly in hisrger ones.

    He grinned as he said, ¡°No, you¡¯ll just cover your face. I like seeing you like this.(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar) All red and warm.¡±

    Lucianne tried to control the blushes while thinking of a way out, ¡°Unless the thing you wanted to show

    me is here in the parking lot, don¡¯t you think we should get going?¡±

    Xandar smirked as he held both her hands in one of his, and his free hand reached for her chin as he

    said, ¡°Nice try, sweetheart. We have time. I don¡¯t see the need to rush there.¡± His thumb then started

    stroking her warm skin on her cheek for a moment before he uttered like he was in a trance, ¡°Beautiful.¡±

    Doubt crept into Lucianne¡¯s eyes, and she forced a meek smile under his gaze. His animal whimpered,

    fully aware that she still didn¡¯t believe she was beautiful. He pressed their foreheads together and

    pecked a kiss on her lips before saying, ¡°Lucy, you are the most beautiful creature in this Kingdom. Even

    the Moon Goddess would be jealous of your beauty.¡±

    Lucianne scoffed but she stopped herself from arguing with him when she saw that her reaction only

    made Xandar look even more hurt. She kissed him on his chin and uttered sincerely, ¡°Thank you,

    Xandar.¡±

    The hurt didn¡¯t vanish, and Xandar sighed softly before he kissed her fingers and said in a firm tone,

    ¡°You¡¯ll believe me one day. I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡±

    He finally let go of her hands and reached for the steering wheel, driving them out of the parking lot and

    back to his vi. Xandar then led Lucianne out of his garage and towards the forest behind his home.

    When they reached the trees, his eyes fixed on his mate¡¯s as he said,¡± We should shift, Lucy. It¡¯s quite a

    run from here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lucianne was turning until Xandar caught her hand and pulled her into another brief kiss before

    letting her go. They both shifted behind different trees, and Lucianne held her clothes between her

    canines as she came out from her changing spot. Xandar¡¯s Lycan approached her and it knelt on one

    knee as Xandar linked, ¡®Babe, let me hold that for you. You might get your clothes dirty.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t even wait for her to respond before reaching for the clothes in her mouth and holding it with his.

    When it was secured in his hands, he asked, ¡®Ready?¡¯

    ¡®Yup. But not too fast, Lycan.¡¯

    He smirked, ¡®Not so cocky about a wolf¡¯s speed and agility now, are you, my love?¡®

    She narrowed her eyes, ¡®Ohh, I cannot wait to find techniques to defeat your animal.¡¯

    His Lycan chuckled. ¡®Neither can I, Lucy.''(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) It then

    nuzzled its nose with hers as she giggled through the mind-link, melting the heart of the strongest and

    most ferocious creature in the Kingdom. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said and they started running through the trees.

    Lucianne paws hit the ground on the unfamiliar forest floor. Sunbeams which hit the ground lit up the

    forest. The adrenaline rush was intoxicating, and Lucianne ran faster and faster. Xandar sped up

    whenever he noticed Lucianne was. After a good fifteen-minute run, they came to two paths. Xandar

    motioned to the left and that¡¯s where they went.

    ¡®Where does the other one lead to?¡¯

    ¡®If we kept running for another twenty minutes, we¡¯d reach Christian¡¯s and Annie¡¯s ce.¡¯

    ¡®Oh. That¡¯s nice.

    He chuckled in response, and they kept going down the path until they came to a gushing river. The

    boulders in them seem to form a narrow path to get across.

    ¡®I should carry you to get across! ¡®The boulders are quite broad. I think I¡¯ll be woah¨C¡®

    Xandar lifted up her wolf with ease, and carefully strode across the river before putting her back down

    when they reached the other side. After running through another stretch of trees, they came to a

    clearing. The sight before them left Lucianne awestruck.

    Her widened sapphire eyes took in therge field of freesias of all colors before them. She took small

    steps towards a batch of red ones near where she was standing, and inhaled the fruity scent. Her Lycan

    mate was next to her when he asked softly through their link, ¡®Do you like it?¡¯

    Her excited sapphire orbs met his nervous lc ones as she said, ¡®What¡¯s not to like? Look at the flowers!

    It¡¯s like they run for acres! I can¡¯t even see the end of this field. It¡¯s amazing!

    ¡®You¡¯re amazing, Lucy.¡¯Xandar said and nuzzled on her forehead. ¡®We¡¯re not there yet. Let me

    show you my spot.¡¯ He lifted her up and ced her over his shoulder. Lucianne was going to protest until

    she noticed that she had a better view of the flowers from above.

    Xandar put her down when they reached arge acacia tree. (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)The interesting thing was that this tree had its bark surrounded by the flowers from the

    field. The other smaller and thinner trees by its side didn¡¯t. Xandar put his mate down gently and said,

    ¡®Let¡¯s shift back, darling.¡¯

    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with staying in our animal form?¡¯

    ¡®Other than being unable to see your blushes? Absolutely nothing. Go on. You take that tree. I¡¯ll take the

    one on this side.¡¯ He passed the white wolf her clothes and ushered it to one of the smaller trees. He

    then disappeared behind another one on the other side.

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75

    When Lucianne was done dressing up, she came out of her spot and took her time to walk back to the

    largest acacia tree, captivated by the number of freesias between her feet and in front of her. She leaned

    against thergest tree trunk and was rooted to the ground even when Xandar¡¯s tall figure approached

    her from behind.

    One of his hands reached for her abdomen and the other for her arm. He took in her scent from her neck

    before he whispered into her ear, ¡°Ie here when I need to get away for a while. From everything.¡±

    She turned her head and her eyes met his as she asked, ¡°Since when?¡±

    He smiled at the memory, ¡°Since forever. Whenever I need a break from what I am, what I have to do

    and who I have to be, Ie here for some quiet time¡­ and to just be by myself. Away from all pressure

    and expectations. I dide here more often after my parents and I stopped seeing eye to eye. There¡¯s

    something about this ce that just makes it weing.. and soothing.¡±

    ¡°I feel it too.¡± She took a breath of air filled with the scent of the freesias before she asked, ¡° Does

    Christiane here with you sometimes?¡±

    Xandar shook his head and rested his chin on her shoulder before looking up into her eyes, ¡°H e doesn¡¯t

    know about this ce. I never told him or anyone else. It¡¯s my escape from everything and everyone so I

    keep it a secret.¡±

    Lucianne felt a tug in her heart, a tug towards him. He brought her to a ce where no one else in his life

    knew about. She was so touched and surprised that she didn¡¯t know what to

    say.

    Xandar saw the surprise in her eyes, and he chuckled lightly before he held on to her hand and sat

    himself on the ground, his back leaning against the tree. He then patted on hisp, motioning his mate to

    sit there as he looked up at her in hopefulness and anticipation. Lucianne returned his smile as she sat

    sideways on hisp. Xandar held her close to his chest and pecked a kiss on her temple before he

    started stroking her arm in slow motions.

    Lucianne returned her sights to the field before them. That was when Xandar said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that

    it¡¯s a coincidence, you know?¡± She looked at him in confusion so he continued to exin as his beguiling

    eyes fix on her ck orbs. ¡°What are the odds that the ce I seek refuge from all these years is filled

    with nothing but freesia, and then I¡¯m bonded to a mate named Lucianne Freesia Paw?¡± 2

    Lucianne was surprised by this revtion. She didn¡¯t make the connection to her name. These were

    always her favorite flower because of the colors and scents but she didn¡¯t connect the field before her to

    herself. When she continued to look in her mate¡¯s way, her attention suddenly went to the tree they were

    under.

    She smiled to herself and muttered rhetorically, ¡°And what are the odds that all these freesia are

    surrounded by a forest of acacia trees?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s smile fell as jealousy and insecurity swam in his eyes, making him hold her closer a she asked,

    ¡°What do you mean? You know someone who¡¯s named after these trees?

    ¡°No, but I do know someone who smells like them.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Xandar asked in a homicidal tone, eyes already filled with insecurity and jealousy.

    When Xandar¡¯s lc eyes started to develop onyx shades, Lucianne chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s you, Xandar.

    You smell like these trees. How can you not know that? It¡¯s your scent.¡±

    The onyx disappeared from his eyes, and he tickled her waist as he muttered, ¡°Little rascal.¡± After being

    satisfied with her blushes and giggles, he stopped his assault and held her closer t o take in her scent

    again. He never noticed the trees surrounding the flowers. He only saw the colorful field, nothing else,

    which made sense. Whenever Lucianne was around, he only saw her, nothing and no one else.

    He then said, ¡°You know, if these freesias can let these acacias surround them and protect them, you

    can too. You can let me protect you. You don¡¯t have to be so strong for everyone all the time.¡±

    Lucianne smiled shyly as she leaned into his warm, hard chest, ¡°I¡¯m not a flower in the field, Xandar.¡±

    He pecked a kiss on her hair before dering, ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re my flower.¡± She looked up a t him

    before he continued, ¡°And I¡¯m your acacia forest, my little freesia.¡±

    She reached for his cheek and her thumb caressed it as she whispered, ¡°Thank you, Xandar.¡±

    His hand went for her nape, supporting it as he inched his head to one side before closing his eyes and

    pressing his lips on hers. Her lips responded instantly. When Xandar got her lips to part, he deepened

    the kiss and his tongue stroked the walls inside her mouth.

    Xandar moaned in approval as the scent of his arousal started filling the air around them. His free hand

    ran along Lucianne¡¯s arm, giving slow, gentle squeezes down its entire length.

    When Lucianne was out of breath, Xandar continued pecking kisses on her cheek, jawline and neck. She

    let out a soft moan, and the scent of her arousal was beginning to get noticeable. Xandar¡¯s hands traced

    the side of her upper body before moving on to her thighs. Lucianne tilted her head to one side, giving

    her mate more ess to her neck to continue his assault there. His free hand traced her ankle to her

    knee, stopping at the end of her thigh.

    When she moaned again, he continued kissing her deeply at her neck as he mind-linked his mate, ¡®Oh,

    baby. I love hearing you moan like that.¡¯ His coquettish link made Lucianne moan yet again.

    He gave her thigh slow, gentle squeezes to intensify her arousal as he linked, ¡®Mmm¡­

    keep¡¯eming, baby. Moan for me.¡¯ He began sucking her skin all around her neck.

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    ¡°Xandar¡­ Oh¡­ Xandar.¡± Lucianne gasped his name like she was in need of air. She already felt his

    manhood hardened against her bottom, and she herself was feeling a painful tug at her lower abdomen.

    He smirked at her neck before pulling away to look at his dazed mate, ¡°Babe, if you keep saying my

    name like that, I can¡¯t promise that I won¡¯t lose control. Your moans are already powerful enough to drive

    me and my animal insane.¡± Before giving her a chance to respond, h e pressed his lips on hers again,

    with more lust than passion.

    His hand continued squeezing her thighs in desperate need, moving up her skirt until he reached her

    underwear where he felt something that got him and his animal ecstatic and even more aroused.

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76

    Xandar broke their kiss and looked teasingly into his mate¡¯s eyes as he noted in a husky voice, ¡°You¡¯re

    wet, my love.¡±

    Lucianne blushed and bit her lower lip before retorting meekly, ¡°Can you me me, my King?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Wouldn¡¯t be fair if I did that, my Queen. I was already hard long before you got wet.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± She teased him back. ¡°At least I was decent enough to not mention it. You probably

    instigated your own arousal with your tendency to conjure up inappropriate thoughts, darling.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so I¡¯m the indecent beast now, my dear?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she pecked him on his lips before dering softly, ¡°You¡¯re MY indecent beast.¡±

    Tears of joy filled Xandar¡¯s eyes at her finally epting him as hers. He pecked a kiss on her forehead

    before promising, ¡°Always and forever, my little freesia. Always and forever.¡±

    Xandar removed his hand from under her skirt and pulled it back down to cover her thighs. H e then held

    her in his chest and they enjoyed the silence and the freesia scent in each other¡¯spany. Xandar still

    pecked kisses on her hair from time to time because his animal kept demanding that his human part

    showered her with affection, not that his human part didn¡¯t enjoy doing it.

    Across the field where they entered from, a man in his Lycan form could only rely on his binocrs to

    watch the King and Queen under the tree without getting caught. The field was s o vast that his own

    Lycan vision wasn¡¯t enough to see what was going on at the far edge. He sat there for hours until he saw

    Lucianne and Xandar shifted into their animals, followed by Xandar carrying her across the field inrge

    strides.

    The spy was up on his feet, and he quickly retraced his steps, hastily spraying a scent removing

    chemical to mask his scent. Not his best work in covering his tracks but that would have to do. He didn¡¯t

    have time.

    When he got out of the forest and reached his car, he stepped on the elerator and let out a sigh of

    relief until he realized he forgot one detail of covering his tracks. He pped his forehead in despair and

    only hoped that the scent-removing spray was enough to not raise any suspicions. The wolf wouldn¡¯t be

    able to smell it, he was sure of that. So, he prayed that the King would be too distracted by his mate to

    pick up his uncovered tracks.

    ***

    When Xandar¡¯s Lycan ced Lucianne¡¯s wolf on the ground where they first entered the field, Lucianne

    was immediately on her guard. She sniffed the grass beneath her feet and found a scent that didn¡¯t

    match with the rest of the trees or flowers.

    ¡®Baby, what is it?¡¯ He noticed her stiffened as soon as he ced her on the ground.

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    ¡®Do you smell that? A foreign scent?¡¯

    Xandar¡¯s eyes widened in rm as he started sniffing the air around him until Lucianne linked, ¡®No,

    Xandar. There¡¯s nothing in the air. Try the ground. Whatever it was, it seemed to have been down here

    somewhere.¡¯

    Both their noses inched close to the grass and they followed the trail until it led them behind one of the

    trees in the forest. It was just a pile of dried leaves but the odd thing was that the scent seemed to have

    just disappeared at that pile.

    Lucianne¡¯s unwavering eyes studied the area around the leaves and she saw it. Xandar¡¯s eyes locked at

    the same spot at about the same time. The footprints were asrge as an average Lycan¡¯s, and it was

    clear that it tried to run on as little ground as possible,nding on the protruding roots and dried leaves.

    But why didn¡¯t he cover his tracks on the soil if he didn¡¯t want to be found?

    Lucianne then linked, ¡®It doesn¡¯t smell like a rogue, and it couldn¡¯t be them either. Rogues wouldn¡¯t have

    left us untouched.¡¯

    Xandar¡¯s eyes were already angered. His animal¡¯s hand reached for his mate¡¯s white wolf protectively as

    he linked, ¡®Whoever it was, he¡¯s going to be very sorry for doing this.¡¯

    ¡®You have to admit, this person has been sloppy.¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t in the mood to assess the situation. He needed Lucianne to be safe. ¡®Come now, Lucy. We

    should head back. Let me carry you. We¡¯ll get there faster.¡¯

    He lifted her off the ground again before she could answer. She then muttered in mock annoyance,

    ¡®Show off.¡¯

    His mood eased a little as he scoffed, ¡®Says the wolf who keeps reminding me that she¡¯ll soon take down

    thergest Lycan.¡¯

    Xandar wasn¡¯t kidding about getting back faster. He sped through the trees and skipped over the river

    like it was second nature to him. He then dashed through the forest before emerging from the thick of it,

    with his viing into view. He ced Lucianne behind her tree and handed her her clothes before

    disappearing behind the opposite tree himself.

    When they shifted back to their human form, Lucianne¡¯s sight instinctively looked back at the way they

    came from. She noticed that the footprints ended at the exact spot they just came out of. They were

    followed.

    But the tracks stopped around a nearby tree, probably where the intruder shifted back to its human form.

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes followed the human prints on the short grass of the clearing between the forest and

    Xandar¡¯s house. It seemed to lead to the neighbouring forest, where she went for a run every morning.

    As she continued to think, Xandar¡¯s arm went protectively around her waist as he kissed her forehead. ¡°I

    won¡¯t let anything happen to you, Lucy.¡±

    Lucianne was brought out from her thoughts, and met his worried and angered onyx orbs. With the

    intention to calm her mate, Lucianne smiled and pulled herself up to kiss him before whispering, ¡°I know,

    Xandar. Thank you.¡±

    The lc shades were returning as he kissed her nose and whispered, ¡°I love you.¡±

    He looked deep into her eyes, waiting for her to say that she knows. She smiled wider and blushed as

    she said, ¡°I know, Xandar. Thank you.¡± Just when he was going to avert his gaze, thinking that his mate

    was done answering, she continued, ¡°I love you, too.¡±

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77

    ¡°I love you too.¡± Lucianne said.

    Xandar¡¯s onyx eyes returned to its original lc shade, welling up in tears of happiness as he pulled her

    into a deep, passionate kiss with more love than lust. When their lips parted, he whispered, ¡°Thank you,

    baby. I love you so, so much.¡±

    He held her for a moment before he remembered that they were headed for safety. Reluctantly, he

    loosened his arms around Lucianne before holding her hand and leading her t o his vi where he

    parked his car.

    Before Lucianne could get in, thinking that Xandar was going to drive them back to the hotel, he trapped

    her body and turned her around in one swift motion. Her mate smiled widely as he said, ¡°Have dinner

    with me?¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes, ¡°Why do you sound like you¡¯re confident that I¡¯ll say yes?¡±

    He moved impossibly closer to her as he said, ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s because you just got wet

    under my touch, and if I remember correctly, my Queen, you told me that you love me less than five

    minutes ago. But I don¡¯t mind seducing a yes out of you if that¡¯s what you want. In fact, I would prefer it if

    you didn¡¯t say yes right away. It gives me a chance to do this.¡± His head inched towards her neck and he

    kissed her deeply there, eliciting a moan from his mate.

    Lucianne gave up, ¡°Al-Alright, yes.¡±

    She felt his smirk at her neck as he teased, ¡°So soon, babe? I was just warming up.¡± As he was about to

    nt a second kiss, Lucianne¡¯s hands held his face and pulled it away from her neck. He groaned in

    annoyance, and after getting herself out of her daze, Lucianne said firmly, ¡°We should go now, my King.¡±

    He sighed and kissed the back of her hand before opening the car door for her and reluctantly uttering,

    ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡± She chuckled at his dissatisfied look.

    Xandar drove them to a nearby restaurant with an impressive ambiance. ¡°Table for two, please.¡± He told

    the ma?tre d¡¯h?tel who bowed slightly and responded with a polite smile,¡± Just a moment, your

    Highnesses. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes roamed the ce: the marble floor, the decorated pirs, the chandeliers. What caught

    her attention most was the long aquarium along the side, partitioning the kitchen from the dining area. A

    few customers started looking up from their tes when they saw the two of them waiting to be seated.

    Xandar noticed the not-so-subtle stares and whispers. Some who haven¡¯t seen Lucianne¡¯s photograph in

    the news were wondering whether this woman was a business associate or the future Queen they had

    been hearing about. They couldn¡¯t see that Xandar and Lucianne

    were holding hands because the desk at the restaurant entrance blocked their view.

    Thanks to his Lycan hearing, Xandar caught all of the murmurs of his people. But his beautiful mate

    seemed oblivious to the attention that she was garnering. To put his subjects¡¯ guesses to a halt and their

    minds to rest, Xandar smiled broadly as he let go of Lucianne¡¯s hand. His arm then stretched over her

    shoulder, and his hand rested there, stroking it lovingly with his thumb as he pecked a kiss on her

    temple.

    The King was very satisfied with the shocked gasps and excited squeals he heard from the dining area.

    Lucianne¡¯s hearing didn¡¯t catch any of those things. She thought Xandar was just showing her affection

    like he always did, so she matched his smile before pecking him on his jawline, then returning her sights

    to the fish swimming around the corals in the aquarium. Xandar was chuckling on the inside when

    Lucianne¡¯s kiss only made his subjects even more excited than before.

    ¡°Apologies for keeping you waiting, your Highnesses. Right this way, please.¡±

    They followed the head waiter in, and the chatters seemed to die down when they walked past their

    tables. Lucianne was still clueless so she just kept following the waiter with Xandar¡¯s hand still glued on

    her shoulder. Suddenly, she felt something fall on her foot with a thud.

    Lucianne halted in her steps, and looked down before gasping in shock. Xandar¡¯s gaze was pulled to

    where his mate was as she squatted before the little girl who felt right on over her feet.

    ¡°I am so sorry, sweetheart. Are you alright?¡± Lucianne asked in a hushed, worried voice as she helped

    the three or four-year-old to stand back up. Her mother came instantly, face reddened i n embarrassment

    as she stuttered, ¡°Oh Goddess, I a-am so sorry about that, your Highnesses.¡±

    Lucianne remained squatting as she looked up at the nervous woman, and said with a gracious smile,

    ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t be, ma¡¯am. I wasn¡¯t exactly looking where I was going. I should b e apologizing.¡±

    Instinctively, Lucianne reached for the little girl¡¯s arms to check for any scratches and bruises, before

    looking at her legs. She then locked eyes with the girl before she asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s your name,

    dear?¡±

    ¡°E-Evie.¡± She said shyly, holding a sketchbook close to her chest.

    Lucianne continued to smile as she asked in concern, ¡°Are you hurt anywhere, Evie? Do you feel any

    pain?¡±

    She blinked thoserge adorable lc eyes as she shook her head before saying, ¡°Thank you, pwetty

    lady.¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne tugged her stray blonde hair behind her ear before she said, ¡°It¡¯s just Lucy, dear. I¡¯m d

    you¡¯re okay. You probably should get back to dinner now, hm?¡±

    Evie nced up at her mother before she asked Lucianne, ¡°Are you really our Queen, pwetty Lucy?¡±

    Lucianne blinked in surprise at the question but Xandar, who remained standing, was smiling broadly.

    Lucianne knew that this girl¡¯s mother was waiting for her answer as well so she decided to say, ¡°Well,

    Evie. Not at the momen-¡±

    ¡°But she will be one day.¡± Xandar gave a gentle squeeze on his mate¡¯s shoulder before he squatted next

    to her and asked Evie, ¡°Would you like pretty Lucy to be our Queen, Evie?¡±

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78

    Evie grinned broadly to show her half-grown teeth, and she hopped a little in excitement before nodding

    her head and throwing her arms around Lucianne¡¯s neck. Lucianne¡¯s heart melted just like when Russell

    hugged her.

    Evie let her mother pull her out from the embrace but the little girl stubbornly took back her hand with

    force before telling Lucianne out loud, ¡°When I grow up, I want to be brave and pwetty. Just like you,

    pwetty Lucy!¡± 1

    The restaurant went silent, and Xandar was the proudest and happiest person in the room. (This novel

    will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Lucianne looked a bit embarrassed but she pecked a kiss on

    Evie¡¯s cheek as she said in all certainty, ¡°Evie, when you grow up, you¡¯ll be brave and pretty. Just like

    you.¡± Lucianne¡¯s index finger tapped lightly on Evie¡¯s nose, and the little girl giggled in excitement. Her

    mother made another apology and pulled away her excited daughter before little Evie prolonged the

    conversation.

    Mummers of affection soon filled the room at how Lucianne interacted with little Evie. Everyone was

    throwing warm smiles in hers and Xandar¡¯s way. But Lucianne was blind to all of this because her

    attention was on Evie the whole time.

    When Evie was dragged away by her mother, Xandar stood up and held out a hand to his mate as he

    said, ¡°Come, my love.¡±

    Lucianne took it without hesitation, letting Xandar support her as she stood back up next to him. Her

    eyes followed Evie and her mother until they reached their table. Xandar and Lucianne exchanged

    smiles with Evie¡¯s family before taking a seat at the table that the waiter led them to. Xandar pecked a

    kiss on her cheek before letting her sit as he whispered, ¡°You¡¯re amazing.¡±

    She blushed as she sat and said, ¡°So are you, Xandar.¡± Lucianne then smirked as shemented, ¡°I

    can see you prefer little girls to little boys.¡± 1

    ¡°Of course. Little girls are nopetition.¡± Xandar said.

    Lucianne shook her head with a smile, still finding Xandar¡¯s jealousy for Russell unbelievable. After

    cing their order and the waiter disappeared, Xandar took her hand before teasing, ¡°Brave and pretty.¡±

    That got Lucianne thinking, ¡°Brave how though? I mean, she¡¯s not Russell or Rita(This novel will be daily

    updtaed at .noveljar). She doesn¡¯t know me, so why did it feel like she knew that I¡¯m a warrior?

    How did her family know?¡±

    Xandar chuckled at her seriousness, ¡°My darling, haven¡¯t you read the news?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°What news? What did you do?¡± She got out her phone and started scrolling

    through a news site.

    Xandar yed with her fingers as she read through the headlines. Lucianne was shocked by

    the photos they managed to get of her when she and Xandar had breakfast at the cafe on their first date

    the previous day.

    She tapped into one article and started reading it. Her head snapped up and she asked, ¡°Did they call

    you for an interview that I had no idea about? This article exins the new bowing formality in a lot of

    detail. And how did they know that I¡¯m a warrior of Blue Crescent? And this line, ¡®Gamma of the

    Gammas¡¯ sounds exactly like Christian. You two did this, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Xandar scoffed as he stroked her hands to calm her, ¡°Babe, Christian and I are both busy with work, the

    coboration and our mates. It can¡¯t be us. Probably should have been. But no, my love. I¡¯m sorry to

    disappoint you.¡±

    ¡°But then how did they-¡±

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Xandar asked with those charming eyes of his as he cupped Lucianne¡¯s hand in both of

    his. ¡°Lucy, the coboration involves a lot of people. Any one of them could¡¯ve been the source. In fact,

    the journalists may have gotten more than fifty sources. Lycans aren¡¯t exactly against gossiping. And the

    wolves would¡¯ve been more than happy to show you off. Let¡¯s not forget the number of people who

    greeted us at the cafe yesterday.¡±

    She furrowed her eyebrows as she asked, ¡°You knew this was all over the news and you didn¡¯t think of

    telling me?¡±

    He defended immediately, ¡°I honestly thought you knew. And I only read one article. One. Christian sent

    it to me, and I read through it before I left the house this morning. He said it was the best one so I didn¡¯t

    see the point in reading the rest. Besides,¡± he lifted her hand up to peck a kiss on her fingers before

    saying, ¡°Why talk about what¡¯s in the news about you when I can talk to you about you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to sweet-talk your way out of this, darling?¡±

    He asked hopefully, ¡°Is it working?¡±

    ¡°Fortunately for you, it is.¡± Lucianne smirked, and Xandar grinned as he continued ying with her

    fingers.

    Their food arrived shortly after that. After thanking the waiter, they began eating. About halfway through

    their meal, a small voice came next to Lucianne, ¡°Pwetty Lucy?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes snapped to her side and she saw a shy Evie. She put down her knife and fork before

    turning her body to face the little girl with a smile as she spoke softly, ¡°Hello, Evie. Did you have a good

    dinner?¡±

    Evie became less shy as she nodded and smiled with those half-grown teeth again. She then took out a

    loose page from her sketchbook before handing it to Lucianne, ¡°I drew this for you.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in curiosity. When she looked at the drawing, her mouth gaped at the pencil

    sketch in her hand. It was her upper body profile from the side, angled from the table where Evie¡¯s family

    sat. It was so lifelike and drawn with such detail that no one would

    think a person her age could¡¯ve done it. She even drew her scar! ¡°Do you like it, pwetty Lucy?¡± Lucianne

    pulled the little girl into a gentle embrace before letting her go as she held back her tears, ¡°I love it, Evie.

    Thank you. I¡¯ll keep this forever.¡±

    She did that cute little hop before her smile faltered as she looked at Lucianne¡¯s scar. She poked at it

    while asking, ¡°Does it hurt, pwetty Lucy?(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡± Lucianne

    felt touched. ¡°No, dear. It¡¯s all healed. It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. You¡¯re so sweet to ask, Evie.¡± Her fingers

    brushed gently across Evie¡¯s cheek and she hopped excitedly again before she hugged Lucianne briefly.

    Her sad eyes met Lucianne¡¯s grateful ones when she pulled away and she said, ¡°Mommy¡¯s waiting for

    me outside, pwetty Lucy.¡± She then waved her with her little hand and Lucianne waved back, watching

    her run to the entrance where her mother was waiting.

    After making sure Evie was by her mother¡¯s side, Lucianne turned back to her seat and continued

    looking at the sketch in astonishment.

    Xandar was smiling radiantly throughout the whole exchange, and so were many of the other customers

    in the restaurant, not that Lucianne noticed. Xandar couldn¡¯t be more proud of his mate. After putting

    down his wine ss, he reached for her hand to get her attention. Lucianne still had a look of disbelief

    when she flipped the paper over to show Xandar what Evie did with a pencil in less than an hour as she

    eximed, ¡°She drew this! Can you believe i t?!¡±

    Xandar almost choked on the wine in his mouth. He wiped off the stains from his lips before reaching out

    to take the sketch from her hands. His eyebrows furrowed as he studied the sketch in detail. He then

    looked at his mate and asked, ¡°Can I have it?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes turn fierce as she whisper-yelled, ¡°No! It¡¯s mine! Give it back, Xandar!¡±

    Ignoring her attempts to reach for the piece of artwork, Xandar gave the sketch another good look before

    he uttered, ¡°What are kids made of nowadays? One knows how to build a remote controlled car from

    scraps. Now this one can draw like an artist at the age of four.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s four?¡±

    ¡°Just a guess, babe. It¡¯s remarkable.¡± He took one more look and asked Lucianne again, ¡°You can

    always look at yourself in the mirror. Can I really not have this?¡±

    ¡°No, Xandar! Evie gave it to me! Go ask her for another copy if you want one.¡±

    He chuckled at his ferocious-looking mate who looked more adorable than anything to him a she got out

    his phone to take a photo of the sketch before handing the picture back to Lucianne. She snatched it

    from him, and ced it carefully on herp, under the napkin.

    Xandar started stroking her hand as he said, ¡°My dear, aren¡¯t you overreacting over a little drawing?¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne challenged, ¡°How would you react if someone tried to take something that was yours?(This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡± She only realised how her question could be

    interpreted two ways when the words were out. Her free hand covered her mouth, already regretting the

    way her words were framed.

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79

    In both the Lycans and werewolfmunities, the words ¡®mine¡¯ and ¡®yours¡¯ have strong connotations,

    signifying that one is the other¡¯s mate, bonded by the Moon Goddess. So, when Lucianne used the word

    ¡®yours¡¯, loosely interpreted, meant her. Her question may be asking how Xandar would react if someone

    took her away from him. That was not a good thing to ask, especially when he almost lost control with

    the rogue Lycan that morning during the interrogation

    Onyx shades came and left Xandar¡¯s eyes. He smirked and kissed the back of her hand that he was

    holding onto before dering, ¡°If they tried to take something that was mine, I¡¯d take it back. I f they tried

    to take someone I¡¯m trying to make mine, I¡¯d kill them or torture them, depending on what you¡¯ll let me

    do.¡±

    Lucianne then sighed in regret and said apologetically, ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed toe out like that, Xandar.

    I¡¯m so,¡± he stood and leaned over the table to silent her with a kiss before pressing his forehead against

    hers as he whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, baby. I love you.¡±

    Relief washed over Lucianne as she smiled shyly and said, ¡°I love you, too.¡±

    ¡°Tell me you know that I love you, my little freesia.¡± Xandar demanded in a soft voice as he stroked her

    cheek.

    Lucianne¡¯s blushes got redder, and she bit her bottom lip before meeting his alluring gaze. ¡°I know.

    Thank you.¡± Xandar smiled and pecked a kiss on her forehead before resuming his seat.

    After eavesdropping on many of his subjects¡¯ conversations, Xandar beamed at his mate. She met his

    stare and asked in bewilderment, ¡°What?¡±

    He kissed her hand and sighed in adoration as he said, ¡°You are so perfect.¡± Before Lucianne could ask

    what he meant, he said, ¡°They love you, Lucy. Our people love you.¡±

    Lucianne met his gaze in confusion before she gaped at what Xandar just said and muttered quizzically,

    ¡°Our people?¡±

    Xandar smiled teasingly, ¡°My Queen, you just told this King that he is your indecent beast, and that you

    love him. My people also became yours from the moment you said those things to me, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Huh. I guess that¡¯s true.¡± She uttered in agreement as she processed the direct consequence of being

    the Lycan King¡¯s mate.

    Xandar chuckled at her pondering expression which he also found to be cute. He kissed her hand again,

    and continued, ¡°Everyone in here has been talking about us. But mostly about you. They like how you

    were with Evie, and also how you smile and thank the waiters and waitresses who came to our table.

    They like that you¡¯re real and down to earth. Everyone has nothing but respect and admiration for you,

    Lucy. Most of the mothers and mothers-to-be have already fallen in love with you.¡± 1

    Xandar deliberately left out the businessmen stealing nces at his mate from time to time. And

    there were three younger Lycans a few tables away who had the gall to scan Lucianne¡¯s body with lustful

    eyes while she was looking through the menu. But when the three of them inadvertently nced at

    Xandar and werepelled to meet his death re, their eyes wandered elsewhere in the restaurant.

    Xandar also didn¡¯t mention what some older Lycans were saying, which were the petty things like his

    mate was too small to be a Queen; did not appear toe from a distinguished family, and that she

    wasn¡¯t a Lycan. When he threw them a re, they grudgingly spoke well about Lucianne for a moment,

    then changed the subject before leaving the restaurant in haste.

    Lucianne was lost for words for a moment before theer of her lips curled up into a smile,¡± That¡¯s

    really sweet of them.¡± She gave his hand a squeeze before smirking, ¡°I guess it pays to have the best

    hearing in the Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Babe, the eavesdropping wasn¡¯t deliberate. Some of them didn¡¯t even bother being subtle.¡± of course,

    Xandar also didn¡¯t mention a table of young, female Lycans who were being louder than they should be

    when they sneered at his mate and spoke lustfully about him.

    Thank goddess wolf hearing couldn¡¯t catch what they were saying. When Lucianne¡¯s attention was on

    the steak, Xandar took the opportunity to throw them a death re that even made one of them flinch in

    fear, before all six of them bowed as a sign of apology. They finished their drinks and left soon after too.

    Not knowing about what her mate had been doing to anyone who spoke poorly about her, Lucianne

    chuckled at Xandar¡¯s defence for eavesdropping before returning to her food. After a moment, she felt a

    stare from her side, and she traced it to the source. Her eyes met a female Lycan¡¯s, who was sitting

    alone at a corner table.

    When Lucianne looked her way, she immediately averted her eyes and pinned her sights to her phone

    on the table. Lucianne couldn¡¯t help but find this woman in a red dress very familiar. Lucianne couldn¡¯t

    take her eyes off of her as she continued to think. She then noticed that the chair facing the woman was

    pulled out, and there was a te with unfinished food at that empty seat. Maybe she wasn¡¯t alone?

    ¡°Babe, are you okay? What is it?¡± Xandar followed her gaze to the red dress woman.

    The woman then stood without looking up and held her head low as she pretended to be talking o n her

    phone. She settled the bill and left.

    Xandar reached for Lucianne¡¯s hand to get her attention, ¡°Lucy, what is it?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyebrows were still furrowed as she said, ¡°She looked very familiar.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s someone from the coboration?¡±

    She shook her head, ¡°She doesn¡¯t fit into that setting. Where have I seen her before?¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± he stroked her hand affectionately and suggested, ¡°How about you eat while you think,

    sweetheart? Don¡¯t let your food get too cold.¡±

    She smiled and uttered, ¡°Okay.¡±

    After talking Xandar into letting her pay for dinner since he¡¯d already paid for breakfast and lunch, he

    walked them out of the restaurant and to his car in frustration. When he held the door open for her, she

    pecked him on his cheek as she whispered, ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re so sweet.¡±

    His mood lightened as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re trying to sweet-talk your way out of this, my love?¡±

    .

    It was Lucianne¡¯s turn to look at him hopefully with thoserge doe eyes as she copied his line, ¡°Is it

    working?¡±

    He sighed at the effect his mate had on him before he repeated her words from earlier,¡± Fortunately for

    you, it is.¡±

    Internally, he was ranting to the Moon Goddess, saying how unfair it was that he was powerless

    whenever Lucianne looked at him with thoserge doe eyes that he didn¡¯t have. He continued ranting in

    his head as he drove, ¡®Couldn¡¯t you make her a little less irresistible? I want to spoil her but every time

    she looks at me like that, I can do nothing but give in to my mate. And she doesn¡¯t seem to be letting me

    spoil her to the extent that I want to. Seriously, Moon Goddess, what have you created?

    When they reached the hotel and were outside her room, Lucianne stiffened. Xandar panicked as h e

    whispered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is someone in the room?¡± He then pressed his ear against the door but

    heard nothing.

    ¡°What? No! I just¡­¡± she took a breath, ¡°I remember who that woman is.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay. Who is she?¡± Xandar didn¡¯t think she was still trying to crack the identity of someone who was

    clearly avoiding their presence. He didn¡¯t mind not knowing who she was but this seemed important to

    Lucianne so he wanted to know.

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    Lucianne shrugged, ¡°Sebastian Cummings¡¯s bed warmer. It¡¯s no wonder she didn¡¯t fit into the

    coboration setting or any familiar setting. I found her naked, not dressed.¡±

    Xandar stiffened at Sebastian¡¯s name but he reyed the times when Lucianne showed nothing but

    disdain for the minister¡¯s son, and he managed to keep a cool head. When he was rummaging through

    his thoughts, Lucianne kissed the corner of his lips before she whispered, ¡°Thank you for today. I love

    you.¡± 1

    His lips curled upward, and he kissed her deeply on her lips before whispering back, ¡°Thank you for

    saying yes, Lucy. I love you too.¡±

    His eyes showed that he was waiting, and Lucianne chuckled at his anticipation before saying, ¡°I know.

    Thank you.¡± Xandar left the hotel and went home. He made a phone call to his contractor, and had a 30-

    minute discussion with him about renovating a part of his vi, a gift to Lucianne that he hoped she

    would ept when it waspleted.

    After that, he went through two rogue files before receiving an email from Chief Dalloway, which h e

    forwarded to the rest of the alliance before skimming through the report himself.

    After the eye-straining fifty-page report, he let the hot water in his shower calm his body before h e

    slumped into bed. Maybe reading the report on the rogue Lycan thiste at night was a mistake. He was

    having trouble sleeping. He then reyed the time he spent with his mate earlier that day

    before finally falling into deep sleep with a smile. 1

    In the same town, Livia was in her room where she was telling Sasha about what she saw at dinner.

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80

    Sasha¡¯s doubtful voice rang through Livia¡¯s phone call, ¡°You sure she didn¡¯t know who you were? You

    were straddling on her ex-mate for Goddess sake!¡±

    Like Livia needed reminding. And for the third time Sasha¡¯s asking, Livia was running low on patience as

    she said, ¡°It didn¡¯t look like she knew. She looked lost but she was also trying to figure i tout.¡±

    Livia sighed before peeping through her curtains to see if anyone was outside her house. She then

    uttered in a worried tone, ¡°Nothing would happen to me, right? I mean, Greg only said he¡¯lle for me

    if I tried to hurt her. I didn¡¯t do anything. It was a coincidence! An unfortunate coincidence!¡±

    Sasha scoffed, ¡°Honey, are you hearing yourself right now? You¡¯re saying you¡¯re afraid of the wolf?¡±

    Livia sighed. It was as if her best friend wasn¡¯t listening to a word she had been saying, ¡°Sasha, I¡¯m more

    afraid of the Duke. You know he has those underground connections! I don¡¯t! I¡¯m practically defenseless

    against him! And I can¡¯t tell mom and dad. They don¡¯t know about my¡­ experience with him so they¡¯d

    ask how I came about knowing that he had such connections.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Useless rake of a Duke. A disappointment. A traitor.¡± Sasha then got to the part which she really

    wanted to talk about, ¡°Is the King disgusted by the wolf yet? Did his eyes wander somewhere else

    because he was bored of her?¡±

    Livia snapped, ¡°Sasha! We haven¡¯t solved my problem yet! Focus!¡±

    Sasha was taken aback but said, ¡°Liv, you said it yourself. He won¡¯te for you as long as you leave

    the wolf alone. Since that was what you did, he won¡¯t act on his threat. The only reason he¡¯lle to see

    you would probably be for¡­ something else.¡±

    Livia knew she meant sex, and she got excited as she eximed, ¡°You think he¡¯lle back?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, honey. Until the wolf is out of the picture, our men can¡¯t see us yet. They¡¯re still

    blinded by that irksome thing. Now,¡± Sasha slumped into her posh couch in her bedroom as she asked,

    ¡°If we¡®re done with your problem, let¡¯s get to mine. Did the King seem bored with the wolf?¡±

    Livia hesitated before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t think you want to know, Sash.¡±

    Sasha stubbornly insisted, ¡°If I didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have asked, Liv.¡±

    Livia sighed. She already knew how this was going to go but she didn¡¯t want to lose a person whom she

    could talk to about these things so she said, ¡°The King is still looking at her like she¡¯s beautiful or

    something. And his eyes only wandered to me for a few seconds when he noticed the wolf was looking

    right at me.¡±

    Sasha pressed, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. He must have looked somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°If he did, I didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    There was a moment of silence as Sasha breathed heavily in jealousy as she hissed, ¡°The Lycans

    will never ept her as Queen. Sooner orter, she¡¯d have to go. Our species is superior to theirs.

    There¡¯s no way in hell we¡¯ll ept a wolf.¡± 1

    Livia remained silent until Sasha prompted her to respond. Livia tried to be as delicate as possible when

    she said, ¡®I don¡¯t know about that, Sash. The murmurs and chatters about her in the restaurant were¡­

    kinda good. There was even a child who liked her so much that she gave her a drawing. I couldn¡¯t see it

    though so I can¡¯t tell if it was any good but the wolf seemed happy with i

    ¡°NO! THEY CAN¡¯T LOVE HER LIKE THAT! SHE¡¯S NOT THE QUEEN!¡±

    ¡°She mentioned that when the little girl asked.¡±

    ¡°She did?¡¯ Sasha wondered if the filthy wolf finally came to her senses and would leave the King, making

    her job of breaking them up so much easier.

    ¡°Yeah. I mean, everyone knows there¡¯s technically no Queen yet.¡±

    Sasha smirked and concluded, ¡®And a wolf like that will never be one.¡±

    ¡°Uh, no. You¡¯re misunderstanding, Sash. The people around me were saying that the wolf was just being

    humble when she said she wasn¡¯t our Queen. It looked more like she denied the title because she¡¯s not

    officially crowned yet.¡±

    ¡°YET?! THE AUDACITY OF THAT THING! HOW DARE SHE DEMAND TO BE CR-¡±

    ¡°Sash, calm down. She didn¡¯t demand it. She just said she wasn¡¯t the Queen.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re defending her now, too?¡±

    ¡°Girl, you asked me the story. Do you want me to lie about what I saw or tell you the truth?¡±

    Sasha took a breath to calm herself before speaking in a voice stillced with jealousy and anger,¡° So,

    after she said she isn¡¯t the Queen, then what? Did everyone agree?¡±

    ¡°Most of them didn¡¯t believe her. Some of the others looked disappointed for a little while¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®for a little while?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ after the wolf told the child that she wasn¡¯t the Queen, the King immediately assured the child

    that¡­ she will be one. The wolf will be made Queen one day. And the little girl seemed happy about it.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?! HE CAN¡¯T DO THAT!!¡±

    Livia rolled her eyes at her friend¡¯s reaction, ¡°He¡¯s the King, Sasha. Whoever he mates gets the crown.

    Everyone knows that.¡± Livia really couldn¡¯t see what Sasha and her Kylton cousin, Kelissa, saw in that

    man.

    ¡°NO!¡± Sasha shouted at the top of her lungs and there was an annoyed knock on her bedroom door

    before her brother¡¯s irritated voice rang through it, ¡°Sasha, keep it down! The whole neighborhood can

    hear you screaming!¡±

    She rolled her eyes at the closed door and continued speaking to Livia, ¡°We need a n, and we

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    need it fast!¡±

    ¡°Whatever it is, keep me as anonymous as possible. I want the Duke to hurt me but not in the way h e

    meant when he broke into my house.¡± Livia¡¯s phone vibrated, and she pulled it away from her ear to see

    that she had another iing call so she took the opportunity to end her conversation with Sasha, ¡°Hey,

    Sash. I got to take this other call. Talk to you next time, okay?¡± She hung up even before Sasha could

    respond.

    After tapping on the answer button, Livia addressed the caller, ¡°Hey, heiress, what¡¯s up?¡±

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81

    The next morning, Lucianne thought of looking for clues about the intruder who followed her and Xandar

    to the freesia field. But when she recalled it rained for a few hours the previous night; she aborted her

    n. Any tracks or trails left would¡¯ve been washed away. She shifted and began running down the

    familiar path.

    When Lucianne reached the river, she was a little disappointed that Xandar wasn¡¯t there. But when she

    started sniffing again, she caught a faint scent of acacia wood and forest trees so she turned to look

    around in anticipation. When she found nothing, she started sniffing the air before arge pair of arms

    lifted her off the ground.

    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    ¡®Moming, beautiful.¡¯Xandar brought her face to face with him, his animal smiling in radiance.

    Lucianne smirked, ¡®You were hiding somewhere, weren¡¯t you, Xandar?¡¯

    He nuzzled his nose with hers, ¡®Thought it¡¯d be nice to surprise you. But you don¡¯t seem very surprised.¡¯

    ¡®I caught your scent.¡¯

    ¡®Ah, that exins it.¡¯ He leaned against the same tree and ced Lucianne on hisp as he started

    stroking her back. ¡®How did you sleep, Lucy?¡¯,

    ¡®Hm. After the 50-page report? With a slight headache.¡¯

    His hands stopped and he peered into her eyes in concern, ¡®Do you still have a headache? Maybe you

    should take the day off.¡¯

    ¡®Xandar, I¡¯m fine. I slept it off. I can¡¯t believe the fifty pages aren¡¯t even everything yet. Chief Dalloway will

    surely be busy for the next few days. So, how did you sleep, my darling?¡¯

    He sighed, ¡®Maybe asking Chief Dalloway to send me the report byst night wasn¡¯t such a good idea.¡¯

    Lucianne chuckled in amusement before tilting her head up to meet his gaze, ¡®Had trouble sleeping too,

    my King?¡¯

    ¡®Yes,¡¯ he admitted before inching his head towards hers and continuing, ¡®But when I thought about you, I

    dozed right off.¡¯

    ¡®I see. I guess it¡¯s good to be boring enough to help you sleep.¡¯

    Xandar didn¡¯t fall for Lucianne¡¯s trick this time because her wolf¡¯s sapphire eyes sparked with cheekiness

    so he started tickling his mate¡¯s body mercilessly, eliciting her wolf¡¯s chuckles and her human part¡¯s

    giggles through their link. ¡®Xandar, stop! It tickles!¡¯ She said between giggling.

    ¡®You started this, you little rascal.¡¯ He linked in a husky voice as he continued his assault.

    ¡®It was¡­Giggles, ¡­just a joke. Hey!¡¯ Giggles.

    She rolled off hisp to get away, and Xandar linked, ¡®Oh no, you don¡¯t. You know you can¡¯t outrun

    me yet, babe.¡¯

    Lucianne stood and smirked, ¡®Yet? Admitting that a wolf¡¯s speed can rival that of a Lycan¡¯s now?¡®

    He matched her smirk and leaned into her and linked, ¡®That¡¯s not what I meant at all, mate.¡¯

    Lucianne felt herself blush at what Xandar meant. After a Lycan mates and marks a wolf, the wolf would

    tum into a Lycan overnight. Literally overnight. The transformation from being marked by a Lycan takes

    ce when the wolf is asleep. ¡®Are you saying that I might be faster than you in future, Xandar?¡¯

    ¡®Mm. It¡¯s a possibility. And I hope that it¡¯s in the near future, my love.¡¯ He realised he made a mistake

    telling her thatst part when he saw uneasiness swimming in those blue orbs his Lycan couldn¡¯t get

    enough of. He whimpered in regret, ¡®Baby, hey. We¡¯re not rushing into anything. What I meant was I hope

    it¡¯s not fifty or a hundred years away.¡¯

    ¡®Okay.¡¯ She linked meekly, clearly not believing what he just said. Not that he believed himself either.

    They both knew he wanted to start a life together at that very moment if Lucianne let him. But they were

    also aware that Lucianne wanted time.

    ¡®Sweetheart, hey.¡¯ He tried again, ¡®I won¡¯t force you into anything. I could never. I don¡¯t want to do

    anything that makes you ufortable. I¡¯m already happier than I¡¯ve ever been in my life when I¡¯m with

    you.¡¯ He nuzzled his nose gently on hers and she managed a soft giggle through their link at the ticklish

    sensation before Xandar continued, ¡®I just want to be with you. That¡¯s all I need.¡¯

    She pondered for a moment before she looked at the grass to hide the tears in her eyes as she linked in

    a soft and sad voice, ¡®Xandar, I don¡¯t know how much time I¡¯ll need. Are¡­ Are you sure you want to

    wait? It really is okay if you¡¯d rathe

    When Xandar realized what his mate was thinking, he scooped her up to stop her from finishing the link,

    and held her close to his chest as he begged, ¡®Baby, don¡¯t go there, please. It already hurts. My heart is

    not as strong as yours. I won¡¯t survive if you l-leave me. Please just don¡¯t go there. I¡¯ll never leave you for

    someone else. There isn¡¯t anyone else. Don¡¯t even dare suggest ending what we have just because we

    need time.¡¯

    She linked guiltily, ¡®We don¡¯t need time, Xandar. I need time.¡¯

    ¡®Lucy, the only thing you¡¯re asking for is time. It¡¯s nothingpared to what I¡¯ve been¡­ implicitly

    demanding of you.¡¯

    ¡®You didn¡¯t demand, Xandar. You just implicitly asked. It¡¯s different.¡¯

    He scoffed, ¡°Now, you¡¯re making me feel worse by being understanding.¡¯

    ¡®Demands are possessive and brutal, Xandar. I¡¯ve heard countless stories of ruthless Alphas making

    demands to their Lunas and their pack members. I¡¯m not the understanding one here. You

    are.¡¯

    He held her tighter, and when he ran out of arguments and exnations, he linked meekly, ¡®I just want to

    be with you.¡¯

    ¡®I want to be with you too.¡¯ Lucianne linked back equally meekly. She didn¡¯t want to leave him. But

    she didn¡¯t want to leave Xandar hanging for Goddess knows how long. It was clear that he wanted a

    family, a child. Well, a daughter, to be precise. She wanted all those things with him too. But Lucianne

    wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to wait as she took her time with their rtionship.

    ¡®What are you thinking about?¡¯ He linked gently as he stroked the back of her head.

    ¡®You¡¯re the one making me feel worse by being understanding.¡¯

    He nuzzled his nose at her wolf¡¯s nape and linked, ¡®Don¡¯t be, baby. I never want you to feel bad. As long

    as we¡¯re together, I don¡¯t care how long it takes. I just want to be with you.¡¯ His nose traced her ear as he

    continued linking her, ¡°Lucy, you deserve everything your heart desires. Anything and everything.¡¯ He

    then rubbed the side of his face against hers as he linked, ¡®And as your mate, I¡¯m determined to give it to

    you. Everything and more.¡¯

    The sadness and pain Lucianne felt in her heart slowly diminished as he said those words. She then

    linked softly and gratefully, ¡°Thank you, Xandar.¡¯

    He pressed his forehead on hers, gazing deeply into her eyes as he linked, ¡®I love you, my little freesia.¡¯

    His eyes only had faint traces of guilt as anticipation dominated them. Lucianne chuckled lightly through

    their link before uttering, ¡®I know. Thank you. I love you, too, my acacia.¡¯

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82

    When dawn broke, Xandar ran with Lucianne¡¯s wolf back to the clearing behind the hotel before retuming

    home to shower and change for breakfast. After getting ready, he sped to the dining-hall and instantly

    spotted his mate¡¯s small back as soon as he entered. It was the first time she was standing so close to

    the entrance that he might be able to surprise her before everyone bowed to give away his presence.

    He took quick but quiet steps towards her, taking advantage of the fact that his mate was concentrating

    on what seemed to be a very serious conversation with the alliance members. When he stood close

    enough, his hand went around her waist and rested on her abdomen as she gasped at his sudden touch.

    He made it to her just in time before everyone started bowing his way.

    After pecking a kiss on her cheek from her side, he looked into her eyes and he grew concerned about

    the dark circles underneath his mate¡¯s beautiful ck orbs. After exchanging bows with his subjects, he

    lifted up Lucianne¡¯s chin gently before his thumb traced under her eyes as he said,¡± You really need the

    day off, Lucy.¡±

    ¡°It just looks bad, Xandar. I¡¯m fine. At least I slept.¡± Her sights then turned to Toby who looked absolutely

    exhausted with his bloodshot eyes as he uttered, (This novel will be daily updtaed at

    .noveljar)¡±Goddess, don¡¯t start, Lucy. I really tried to sleep. And we need to do a rain check on

    that no-mercy training session. I can¡¯t fight you today.¡±

    It was then Xandar realised the alliance members around him weren¡¯t their usual alert selves. Christian

    came from his side and patted him on his shoulder before he acknowledged the Queen and exchanged

    bows with the alliance. The Duke grew conspicuously worried when he witnessed the sight before him.

    Xandar then said, ¡°It really is okay to take the day off. You all look like you could use some rest. Scratch

    that. You all look like you need a lot of rest.¡±

    Lucianne then assured him, ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, Xandar. We¡®ve gotten through with less sleep. Besides, we¡¯re

    needed on the training ground. We¡¯ll be okay. We¡¯ll just have to be careful¡­¡± she locked eyes with Juan

    before she continued, ¡°¡­to not overexert ourselves.¡±

    Juan rolled his eyes, and Hale pped him on the arm as she said sternly, ¡°You heard her. And me.

    Don¡¯t overdo it this morning.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Juan answered dotingly before pecking a kiss on his mate¡¯s temple.

    Lucianne then started, ¡°So, uh, Xandar, Christian. Let¡¯s bring you guys up to speed. We were talking

    about the rogue Lycan saying that he¡¯s almost never involved in a rogue attack, that he did mostly

    transportation of illegal substances. Raden thinks that perhaps the corporation used the Lycans mostly to

    get supplies, and the rogue wolves to attack.¡±

    Christian agreed, ¡°That¡¯s definitely a possibility. It would also exin why rogue Lycans have never been

    seen in rogue attacks until recently. But how did the rumours start circting about their existence, if I

    may ask?¡±

    Lucianne started exining, ¡°Well, it started about five years ago. Blue Crescent and White Blood were

    alerted about an attack in an ally pack, Night Forest. The problem was that Night Forest was very far

    from where we were. So, we sent a request to Zeke and Zelena, and they got their warriors from Blood

    Eclipse to get there first while we made our way there ourselves. But¡­¡± Lucianne¡¯s fist clenched by her

    side, and the alliance¡¯s eyes were pinned to the ground.

    Xandar took her little fist and started stroking it soothingly as she continued with glistening eyes, ¡°But we

    were toote. We all were. Raden found one warrior taking hisst breaths. The only word that the

    warrior whispered was ¡®Lycans¡¯. There was so little strength in his voice that Raden didn¡¯t even know if

    he heard him right.¡±

    Xandar kissed her clenched fist, and she loosened it to entwine her fingers with his. Lucianne cleared

    her throat, ¡°Then, we started investigating. We found familiar paw prints of wolves everywhere, of course.

    But,¡± she took a deep breath before her eyebrows furrowed, ¡°We also foundrger prints. Not many, but

    they were there. So we started suspecting that rogue Lycans existed.¡±

    Toby continued after Lucianne, ¡°A few months after that attack, we lost another pack. Everyone was

    ughtered there too. And when we looked into the prints. We found the same thing. Most of the ground

    was filled with smaller paw prints, and a fewrger prints here and there.¡±

    Lucianne locked eyes with her best friend as she recalled the events with him, ¡°And the pattern just kept

    repeating itself. Every few weeks, we¡¯d lose an ally.¡±

    Lovce then said ominously in the King¡¯s and Duke¡¯s way, ¡°These attacks have been carefully nned.

    (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) They made sure that stronger, more-equipped

    packs like ours would not have enough time to get to the packs that they were attacking.¡±

    Juan then said, ¡°Which is why the smaller packs around Whiteblood, Blood Eclipse, Midnight and even

    Blue Crescent have not been attacked in the past three years. Not once. We have an ally that has only

    ten warriors and a poption of a hundred and twenty, and they were never touched, probably because

    they are only a ten-minute run from Blue Crescent.¡±

    Raden then added, ¡°But we should mention that the pattern started changing.¡± He nodded to his Alpha,

    and all eyes were on Zeke, who said, ¡°That¡¯s true. After a few months of pack massacres, the rogues¡­

    only went for the Alpha and Luna. They killed anyone who got in their way, mostly warriors. But the pack

    leaders were always the ones they were after.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Xandar asked.

    Lucianne exined, ¡°We didn¡¯t know why at that time. But after the fifty-page reportst night, we have a

    theory that,¡±

    Toby butted in, ¡°Lucy has a theory.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes at her best friend before she continued, ¡°It may be a way to siphon money from

    the government.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s and Christian¡¯s eyes widened, fixing to her ck orbs as they waited for her to continue

    speaking. Lucianne then said, ¡°The government¡¯s financial aid for rogue attacks are for packs that¡¯

    survive¡¯ a rogue attack, which makes sense because you can¡¯t offer money to the dead. So, if you

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    ughtered a whole pack, there¡¯s no reason to disburse government funds. But, if a pack has surviving

    members.¡±

    Xandar caught on, ¡°Our system would allow fund disbursement ording to the number of surviving

    pack members.(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡± Lucianne nodded. ¡°But why kill

    the pack leaders? The aid doesn¡¯t differ with who gets hurt.¡± Xandar asked.

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83

    Lucianne shrugged, ¡°Until we have more information, we can¡¯t be sure either. Our best guess is that

    killing pack leaders is just a cover-up. It¡¯s no secret that most rogues were rejected from their packs, by

    their Alphas or Lunas. So, killing them would make it seem like it was for¡­¡±

    *Revenge. Rather than to siphon funds.¡± Xandar finished, finally understanding.

    Christian then muttered ominously, ¡°That¡¯s one very-carefully thought-out system.¡±

    Xandar locked eyes with his cousin, ¡°We¡¯ve been kept in the dark for too long. Innocent people are

    dying. We have to step up and speed up this investigation.¡±

    Lucianne suddenly picked up a familiar scent. As Lucianne continued to sniff the familiar scent a s subtly

    as she could, Xandar looked at the alliance and started speaking, ¡°The locations mentioned in the rep-¡±

    ¡°Good morning, your Grace.¡± Lucianne cut Xandar off when she saw Greg looking their way from the

    corner of her eye. It was Greg¡¯s scent that she picked up earlier. Everyone stiffened when they saw this

    other Duke.

    Greg was walking close to the alliance to steal a nce at Lucianne. But he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d get caught

    doing it. He¡¯d been doing it for days! His eyes said it all. The Duke was surprised he was caught looking!

    Gregposed himself and cleared his throat before he offered a small smile and a bow in Lucianne¡¯s

    direction as he greeted her in a gentlemanly manner, ¡°Good morning, my Queen.¡±

    But Greg¡¯s smile faltered when he reluctantly turned his sights to his cousin and nodded the King¡¯s way

    as he uttered, ¡°Your Highness.¡± Lucianne and Xandar both nodded curtly in return. Xandar¡¯s face

    showed distaste but Lucianne¡¯s expression was unreadable.

    Before the alliance could offer Greg an obligatory bow, Greg stopped them with a hand gesture and said,

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you all have to do that. It¡¯s no secret that I¡¯m not worthy of a bow.¡±

    The wolves looked at each other in surprise and confusion. Wasn¡¯t this Duke the self-entitled one? They

    looked at Lucianne, waiting for a signal of what to do next but her expression was un perturbed and her

    smile was t as she noted to Greg, ¡°Self-reflecting on that subject already, I

    see.¡±

    Greg offered her the same small smile, and bowed slightly as he said, ¡°As my Queenmanded. I shall

    take my leave now. Apologies for the intrusion.¡± He felt the very hostile atmosphere by the way they were

    all throwing looks at each other and at him.

    ¡°No need for an apology, your Grace. I was the one who stopped you.¡± Lucianne said with the same

    unperturbed face.

    Greg wasn¡¯t expecting that cordial response from Lucianne. He bowed again with his small smile before

    striding away from their circle. The Duke stole the nces he wanted to steal before things got

    suspicious. What bothered him most was his cousin¡¯s hand around the Queen¡¯s waist. Not that

    there was anything he could do about it. When he was far enough, he smiled to himself as he

    acknowledged the fact that Lucianne spoke to him. Him! 5

    After he left, Xandar¡¯s and Christian¡¯s faces were still hard, watching the other Duke walk away, as if

    waiting to catch him doing something he shouldn¡¯t be doing. Lucianne wrapped her arms around

    Xandar¡¯s arm affectionately to get her mate¡¯s attention before saying, ¡°How about we continue this

    discussionter, darling? Maybe in a less crowded location?¡±

    When Xandar met her doe-eyes, his heart melted and the corners of his lips curled up as his animal

    purred. He then pecked a kiss on her forehead, and faced the alliance as he suggested,¡± Maybe we

    could discuss this after lunch at my ce?¡±

    This sent another round of shock among the wolves. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Toby tried to say something but even h e

    was lost for words. They all were. Did the King really just invite them to his ce? And by his¡¯ ce¡¯, he

    meant his home right? As in where he lived? And he was talking to them, was he?

    Xandar furrowed his eyebrows in concern in the awkwardly-silent atmosphere before he said, ¡°Or we

    could reschedule if any of you already had something nned?¡±

    Lucianne chuckled from his side, pulling Xandar¡¯s attention to her as she exined, ¡°They¡¯re just

    shocked, Xandar. Look at them! Even the most-feared leaders and Gammas are taken by surprise!

    Again!¡± She continuedughing mercilessly at her friends.

    The wolves narrowed their eyes at her until Toby taunted, ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry that we¡¯re not used to such

    gestures, my Queen. Not all of us have a way of taming and controlling the fiercest of beasts.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯sughter stopped abruptly, and everyone else started chuckling at what her closest friend just

    said to her. Her eyes turned fierce when she took one step forward and said, ¡°Toby! I¡¯m gonna¡ª¡±

    Xandar hauled her back by her forearms and pecked a sweet kiss on her cheek as he cooed, ¡°There

    there, baby. We¡¯ve talked about this. And you know that I¡¯m your indecent beast.¡± Lucianne tried but

    failed to press back a smile as she blushed.

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    Xandar raised his eyebrows and his eyes sparked nothing but anticipation. So, Lucianne sighed and

    dotingly muttered, ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Xandar said in satisfaction before giving the alliance his attention again, ¡°Uh, so? After lunch at

    my house?¡±

    Toby smirked and said, ¡°After what you¡¯ve just done to save me from that dangerous five-feet thing next

    to you, your Highness, I have to ept.¡± Lucianne narrowed her eyes at him in mock annoyance, and

    the rest of themughed at their exchange as Xandar pecked another kiss on Lucianne¡¯s temple. So, it

    was agreed that they¡¯d meet at Xandar¡¯s home after lunch.

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84

    At training, the Lycans were showing improvement. The alliance didn¡¯t fight. They watched and gave

    feedback, much to the dismay of Juan, Tate and Zeke, who all preferred to spar than watch and talk.

    Lucianne watched and gave feedback to the Lycan warrior, Phelton, and Gamma Benedict. After losing

    two matches to the Gamma, Phelton finally came out victorious in their third match. Benedict shook his

    hand and congratted him graciously on the win before Lucianne did the same. After thanking his

    opponent, Phelton knelt and kissed the Queen¡¯s hand before standing back up to convey his thanks.

    After watching another three pairs, Juan came up to her and mind-linked, ¡®Lucy, just one. One spar.

    ¡®What? No! We talked about this. Hale even¡­¡¯

    ¡®C¡¯mon, Lucy. One wouldn¡¯t hurt. I¡¯m bored out of my mind!

    ¡®Does Hale know about this?¡¯

    ¡®You both said I¡¯m not to overexert myself. One spar doesn¡¯t do that.¡¯

    Lucianne hesitated as she locked eyes with her desperate Alpha. She then sighed in defeat as she gave

    in. ¡®Luna is going to kill us both for this.¡¯

    Juan¡¯s face lit up, ¡®You¡¯re the best sister ever!¡¯

    She smirked as she went to a mat with a pair of fighters who were taking a break, ¡°Hey, guys. Mind if we

    borrowed your space for a few minutes?¡±

    ¡°N-No, of course not, my Queen.¡± They immediately moved aside.

    Juan eximed, ¡°Wait, what?! Lucy, I didn¡¯t mean sparring you! I was going to ask Tate or Zeke.¡±

    ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Tate asked with suspicion,ing over from where he was after just finished

    watching a match.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne stood on one side of the mat and responded casually, ¡°Juan is bored. He asked for a spar.¡±

    Juan eximed, ¡°But not with you!¡± His volume garnered the attention of everyone around them.¡± Tate¡¯s

    here. He can do it.¡±

    Before Tate could respond, Lucianne said, ¡°Nice try, brother. Unfortunately for you, I don¡¯t trust you to not

    overexert yourself when you¡¯re with him. Your spars with Tate and Zeke tend to go very far.¡±

    Zeke came out of the blue, ¡°Says who? You¡¯re the one who¡¯s able to take him down the fastest.¡±

    came

    Lucianne replied, ¡°The fastest spar will leave him the least exerted. C¡¯mon, Juan. We¡¯ve only got a few

    minutes.¡±

    Juan uttered to Tate in regret, ¡°I should¡¯ve been more specific about that request.¡± Tate patted him on the

    back as a form of wishing him luck, throwing a cheeky smirk in Lucianne¡¯s way while he

    was at it.

    Juan took his position and his sister charged towards him but before he couldnd a punch, Lucianne

    flipped backwards, kicking his jaw while she was at it. Juan groaned and Tate and Zeke tried their best to

    suppress theughter threatening to erupt from their beings.

    After two minutes, Lucianne got Juan to surrender. She helped her brother up and patted him on the arm

    as she said, ¡°Good fight, Alpha.¡± 2

    Juan narrowed his eyes her way, mocking a look of irritation. He then looked at Tate and Zeke, who were

    still trying their best to notugh at him. Juan said, ¡°Can you two at least take my side? That wasn¡¯t even

    fair! You saw those new techniques she used on me!¡±

    Lucianne furrowed her eyebrows, ¡°Since when was using new techniques unfair?¡±

    ¡°Did you guys spar?!¡± Toby eximed when he reached them after a jog from the far end of the training

    ground. His look showed nothing but betrayal. ¡°I thought we agreed that¡­¡±

    Tate filled him in, ¡°Juan got bored. Not sure if he still is though.¡±

    Juan sighed when Tate threw him a taunting look. Juan then muttered, ¡°Taking my Gamma¡¯s side like he

    always does. Of course.¡±

    Toby then said, ¡°Still, we agreed¡­¡±

    Lucianne then offered, ¡°We could go next if you want, Toby.¡±

    Toby¡¯s expression of betrayal turned into one of horror when he said firmly, ¡°No. Not today. Not when I¡¯m

    in this state.¡±

    Suddenly, a pair ofrge hands made contact with Lucianne¡¯s waist from behind, and a deep voice

    spoke, ¡°Babe, I thought the alliance wasn¡¯t fighting today.¡±

    Lucianne stiffened when she was caught doing something she shouldn¡¯t have done. She turned and

    showed him those doe-eyes again as she said in a gentle voice, ¡°It was just one spar, darling. Juan

    needed an adrenaline rush.¡±

    Juan then said, ¡°She cheated, your Highness. Used new techniques to cut our spar short.¡±

    ¡°New techniques?¡± Toby asked in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. She said she taught us everything she

    knew.¡±

    Lucianne then spoke like an excited little girl, ¡°I got new books and I learnt a few new tricks!¡±

    Toby¡¯s eyes widened before looking at Juan who was still massaging his left shoulder, then returning his

    sights to Lucianne and concluded, ¡°So you did cheat.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes and exined, ¡°I only learned it yesterday. I was going to show you guys this

    morning but our physiques aren¡¯t exactly up for it after the sleep deprivation fromst night.¡±

    Xandar then asked, ¡°But how did you even perfect the techniques before today? We were out the entire

    day yesterday.¡±

    Lucianne shrugged, ¡°I read when we got back, before the 50-page report came. And I just rehearsed

    the techniques in my room.¡±

    ¡°In your room?¡± Xandar asked in worry and disbelief. Her room was filled with books. She could¡¯ve hurt

    herself.

    ¡°Yeah. I moved the books to the side, gave myself a space and just copied the moves from the book. I¡¯m

    really small so I didn¡¯t need that much room to practice.¡±

    Everyone around her was lost for words. Juan then broke through the silence, ¡°See! She cheated!¡±

    Xandar sighed in disbelief before looking at Lucianne in adoration and said, ¡°Unbelievably amazing.¡± He

    then pecked a kiss on her forehead before looking at her as sternly as he could manage, ¡°But no more

    for today, Lucy. Save your strength for now, okay?¡± She pouted for a second before she said, ¡°Fine.¡±

    Though internally proud of his sister for taking him down faster than she had ever done before, Juan

    continued toin yfully, ¡°Will it kill to get one of you on my side here? I mean, I know she looks

    small and cute and all but c¡¯mon! Are you guys still falling for that?¡± 1

    Tate patted him on the back and said, ¡°Lucy just saved you from being lectured by your Luna for

    breaking your promise to her, Juan. Let it go.¡±

    Lucianne smirked victoriously at Juan, and her brother uttered, ¡°You know, Lucy. Sometimes I feel that

    Blue Crescent only has so many allies because you somehow charm packs to like us, especially their

    leaders and their Gammas.¡±

    Lucianne mocked a look of revtion, ¡°Really? I thought it was because I cheated when I showed them

    new techniques!¡±

    Juan threw her an annoyed look before speaking to Xandar, ¡°Just so you know, your Highness. My sister

    is more than meets the eye. You have no idea what she has up her sleeves sometimes. Try not to fall for

    those things would be my advice.¡±

    Xandar chuckled before pecking a kiss on his mate¡¯s cheek and telling Juan, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that advice came

    much toote, Juan. I¡¯ve fallen for everything about her from the moment Iid my eyes on her. This

    beast has long been under her spell.¡± Lucianne stared at the ground with a shy smile as Xandar watched

    her cheeks fluster. ¡°Of course.¡± Juan muttered in mock annoyance as he continued massaging his

    shoulder.

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85

    After training and lunch, the alliance met at Xandar¡¯s vi. They gathered in the King¡¯s huge study, and

    the cousins got spare chairs and a foldable table out of the basement. Theyid the report on the round

    table, and Toby and Sylvia offered to take notes while they discussed, reading through the report again

    together to see if their thoughts matched those of everyone around them.

    Xandar noticed that Lucianne was checking the time every few minutes but he didn¡¯t think much of it until

    her phone chimed in between their discussions. Lucianne stood from her seat as she said, ¡°I have to go

    now. My ride¡¯s here. I¡¯ll see you guys in the dining hall tonight.¡±

    Xandar reflexively held onto her elbow and asked frantically, ¡°What ride?¡±

    She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at his question as she replied matter-of-factly, ¡°The ridet o take

    me to tea.¡±

    ¡°What tea?¡± Xandar asked in jealousy as he thought to himself, ¡®Who is she meeting with? Does she

    have eyes for someone else? Someone better? WHO IS HE?!!¡¯

    Lucianne finally understood that Xandar forgot about who she was meeting. She smiled teasingly at her

    mate, and kissed him on his cheek before she said, ¡°The tea with Annie, my indecent beast. Who else?¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°Oh.¡±Xandar rxed before muttering to himself, ¡°Right. That¡¯s today.¡±

    Christian chuckled at his cousin¡¯s overreaction and said, ¡°Let the Queen go now, cuz. My wife isn¡¯t going

    to steal her away from you.¡± The wolves around the table were already chuckling as subtly a s they

    could.

    It was only then Xandar realised that he was still holding onto his mate¡¯s elbow like his life depended on

    it. He pulled her towards him to peck on her lips before uttering, ¡°Link me if you need anything. And be

    safe, okay?¡± She blushed and nodded dotingly. The alliance members were throwing cheeky smirks in

    Lucianne¡¯s way as she left the room.

    Xandar¡¯s eyes followed her out, and when they heard the front door shutting, Christian nced at his

    cousin before saying, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s see if the King focuses better with or without the Queen here.¡±

    Zelena¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement as she eximed, ¡°We should ce bets!¡±

    Xandar turned to his cousin and asked in a low, embarrassed tone, ¡°Is this really necessary, Christian?¡±

    Disregarding what the King just said, Toby got the ball rolling, ¡°I¡¯m betting with.¡±

    Juan continued, ¡°With.¡± Xandar threw Juan a look of disbelief but the usually-serious Alpha didn¡¯t seem

    affected as he threw the King a cheeky smirk.

    Zeke then yelled out, ¡°I¡¯m betting without.¡±

    They went around the table until everyone ced their bets, leaving their King flustered.

    When Lucianne opened the car door to the passenger¡¯s seat, a familiar voice called out, ¡°Aunt Lucy!¡±

    ¡°Russell? You came?¡± Lucianne asked in surprise at the little boy seated at the back with a safety belt

    fastened across his chest. Lucianne then turned towards Annie for an exnation.

    Annie exined, ¡°When he knew I was meeting you today, he didn¡¯t stop asking if he coulde along

    until I said yes.¡±

    ¡°Aww. That¡¯s so sweet of you, Russell.¡± Lucianne said as she got in and closed the door behind her.

    As Annie drove them to the cafe she had in mind, Lucianne asked about the families living with them,

    and Annie admitted that they were getting kind of bored, so much so that they offered to help the kitchen

    staff with the cooking.

    When they entered the cafe and took a seat at their reserved table, the waiter took their orders before

    getting Russell a high chair so that he could build his next contraption on the table.

    Annie then started their conversation, ¡°So, Lucy. I asked to meet you because I wanted to know:h how

    do you do it? How do you¡­ get on with life and¡­be okay after¡­well, after everything that has happened

    to you?¡±

    Lucianne was a little confused, ¡°Do you mean the five rejections, Annie?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not just that. You weren¡¯t affected when G-Greg said¡­ those condescending things to you. And

    even the other night, Christian said you were harassed by a ministerst year, and yet you don¡¯t seem

    afraid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°But how? How do you find the power to stand back up again? I mean, you¡¯ve taken quite a lot of hits.

    Christian keeps saying that Xandar¡¯s biggest worry now is life throwing more things at you than it already

    has. Yet you seem okay. Better than okay, actually.¡±

    Lucianne thought about her question before saying, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want to stay where I was. I didn¡¯t want

    to stay sad, depressed and afraid. I was afraid of getting up and facing situations that would make me

    question myself again but I was more afraid of staying afraid. At least, if I tried to stand back up, I¡¯d

    actually get a chance at freedom from everything that was weighing me down. That was all I was going

    for, to be honest, a chance at freedom.¡±

    Annie digested what she said as she took a sip of hertte. After a moment, the Duchess asked,¡± But

    don¡¯t you get tired of doing it over and over again, Lucy?¡±

    Lucianne smiled as she recalled the night she broke down with Xandar after meeting the Kyltons. ¡°I do.

    But the chance to be free and happy always seems tempting so I always chose to get back up, despite

    my pessimism.¡±

    ¡°How do you hold yourself together when people try to bring you down? And you¡¯re even able to shut

    them up. That must require a lot of skill.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t, really. Through the years, I learned that the best way to¡­ put certain people in their ce is

    by showing them that they can¡¯t push my buttons, even if I¡¯m breaking on the inside. It

    takes time and practice but eventually, anyone can get the hang of it.¡±

    ¡°So, when you break on the inside, you just hold it there and then breakdown when no one¡¯s watching?¡±

    Annie asked, saddened by what she was hearing.

    Lucianne said matter-of-factly, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve cried to myself behind more closed doors than I can. count.

    But the most recent time, Xandar was with me.¡±

    Annie asked in a shocked, hushed voice, ¡°You broke down recently? Are you okay, Lucy?¡± Even Russell

    stopped ying and looked up at her in concern.

    Lucianne chuckled lightly, and her hand started stroking the little boy¡¯s hair as she told the Duchess, ¡°I¡¯m

    okay, Annie. It¡¯s normal for me. I¡¯m not perfect. I put on a strong front, a brave face but I do get hurt too.

    I¡¯d be lying if I said that I¡¯m not affected by the five rejections. I moved on from them but uh¡­ I still

    struggle with the feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness sometimes. It doesn¡¯t really go away. It just

    bes manageable.¡±

    ¡°How do you manage it, though?¡± Annie asked in curiosity.

    ¡°Well, I tell myself that so long as I¡¯m still here, that the Moon Goddess is still keeping me alive, there

    must be some level of worth in me. There must be something I have to do, some way that I can help.

    And I do everything I can. At first it was to fill the hole in my heart but as I progressed in training and

    formed alliances, I realised that it was also to make me happy and to give me a sense of fulfillment.¡±

    Annie nodded, and she took another sip as she thought about what Lucianne said. Lucianne then asked,

    ¡°Annie, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, what is this about? Is everything okay with you?¡±

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86

    Annie ced her cup back on the saucer before she exined, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about my past

    already, especially when ites to the other Duke.¡±

    The fact that she struggled to say Greg¡¯s name earlier and was avoiding saying his name now didn¡¯t go

    unnoticed. The fear and difort was very much alive and lingering in Annie even after all these years.

    Lucianne¡¯s face was unperturbed as she said softly, ¡®I have.¡±

    Annie smiled meekly before she took a deep breath and said, ¡°When I slowly started to believe that

    Christian really loved me, my fear of the people he works with never really went away. The other Duke

    was the worst but it wasn¡¯t just him. Some ministers and random people we¡¯d see at goverment functions

    were really condescending as well. They said things that made me feel¡­¡± she groped for the right

    words.

    Lucianne then whispered, ¡®Small? Unworthy? They make you question your very existence?¡±

    Annie¡¯s eyes widened, and she eximed in excitement at someone understanding her,(This novel will

    be daily updtaed at .noveljar) ¡°Yes, exactly! I felt like I had no ce in Christian¡¯s life. Him being

    the second most powerful person in the Kingdom, and me being a girl from a small town, who had to

    depend on aid and schrships t o get through my education. And unlike him and his type of society, I

    never went to the best schools. I was just happy to get into a random school that would give me a degree

    to get a job that makes money. We¡¯re so different, Christian and I. I¡¯ve never told Christian this but, on

    my worst days, I sometimes ask myself whether¡­my husband made a mistake in choosing me, whether

    I¡¯m anything of value in his life.¡±

    Lucianne then asked her seriously, ¡°Annie, do you think that there¡¯s a reason for your existence?¡±

    Annie was surprised by the question but she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Lucy. I guess it depends on who you

    ask. If you asked Christian, then

    ¡°No, Annie. It doesn¡¯t depend on who we ask.¡± Lucianne then inched towards her and looked her in the

    eye before she dered in all certainty, ¡°There Is a reason for your existence. You ARE worthy. Your life

    MATTERS. These things don¡¯t depend on who we ask. The only person who has a say in these things is

    yourself. Not Greg. Not the Ministers. Not even Christian. Just you. When you realize that you¡¯re here for

    yourself, to live your life on your own terms regardless of what anyone may think of you, you be

    truly free. You get to choose who you want to have in your life, and who you want to listen to. Everyone is

    entitled to their opinion of you, of me and of anyone else, Annie. And we are entitled to NOT care.¡± 6

    Annie couldn¡¯t help the grin that was slowly gracing her features when she felt the strength from

    Lucianne¡¯s words. She muttered as she internalized them, ¡°Everyone is entitled to their opinion of me,

    and I¡¯m entitled to NOT care.¡± Lucianne nodded with a smile while taking a sip from her cup. After a short

    moment of silence, Annie was still smiling as she said, ¡°I like that. There¡¯s so much power, and so much

    truth in it.¡±

    Lucianne nodded gently with a smile, ¡°There certainly is. Look, Annie. Whatever people throw at

    you is just a reflection of themselves. It has nothing to do with you. They see things how they want to see

    and they react ordingly. I pay heed to the opinions of the ones I care about and who care about me

    but beyond that, I honestly couldn¡¯t care less. I¡¯m not saying that their words never affect me. All I¡¯m

    saying is that¡­ I won¡¯t dwell on it.¡±

    Annie nodded as Lucianne spoke before uttering with a smile, ¡°You changed your story. You refused to

    y the weak character in your book.¡±

    Lucianne returned her smile as she said, ¡°We¡¯re the authors of our own lives, Annie. We hold the pen,

    and we OWN the book. Whatever life throws at us are just pen smudges or coffee spills. We can still turn

    to a new page and start better and stronger than before.¡± 3

    Annie shook her head with a radiant smile as she said, ¡°Goddess, we¡¯re so lucky that you¡¯re our Queen.

    (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)You have no idea how many people need your

    strength.¡±

    ¡°A Queen isn¡¯t the only person who can project strength, Annie.¡± She looked at the Duchess and said

    gently, ¡°We all can. We just have to choose to do it. It¡¯s a choice. It can be the most difficult and

    ufortable choice to make but in the end, it¡¯s still a choice. Anyone can make it.¡±

    Annie shook her head again with a radiant smile, and scoffed lightly before saying, ¡°Your humility

    reservoir really doesn¡¯t run dry, Lucy. But I get what you¡¯re saying. Thank you for helping me understand

    this, to understand that I get to choose.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for asking. I didn¡¯t think I would get to spend time with you this soon.¡± Lucianne admitted

    happily.

    There was a glint in Annie¡¯s eye before she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Lucy. We might get to spend time

    together again very soon too.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lucianne asked in curiosity.

    Annie was contemting as she smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to join Christian when he attends

    government events. You know, to show support, maybe even to contribute in some way as Duchess. But

    I¡¯ve been hiding all these years because of what happened in those few weeks, almost two decades ago.

    Maybe it¡¯s time to stop hiding.¡±

    Lucianne reached for her hand and squeezed it gently in encouragement as she said in assurance, (This

    novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)¡°You¡¯ll do great, Annie. You have a good heart. And you

    won¡¯t be alone. We¡¯ll be with you even after you¡¯ve taken off your training wheels to assimte yourself

    into that part of his world again.¡±

    The Duchess threw the Queen-to-be a grateful smile, and for the first time in a long time, she actually felt

    hopeful that she could be in the same room as the people who she tried to avoid all those years.

    After Lucianne and Annie settled the bill, they walked out of the restaurant with Russell holding tightly to

    Lucianne¡¯s hand. When they were making their way to Annie¡¯s car, Lucianne caught an unfamiliar scent.

    It was pungent and she almost choked on the smell when it reached her nostrils. Shemented in

    passing, ¡°What is that smell?¡± Annie stopped in her footsteps as she asked in bewilderment, ¡°What

    smell?¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 87

    Lucianne was surprised that Annie couldn''t detect the scent so she asked, "Don''t you smell it? There''s something pungent like mercury,salt, granite and something else."

    Annie was even more confused, "What? Are you sure, Lucy?I only smell the gas from the exhaust o f the cars around here."

    Lucianne was sure she wasn''t imagining the scent. She continued sniffing as she instinctively pulled Russell closer to her legs. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a man emerged from behind one of the cars and threw a knife at a low level in Lucianne''s way. Lucianne saw him when the knife left his hand, and she reflexively pushed Russell towards Annie as the de cut into her left leg. Lucianne screamed in agony as she fell to the ground.

    The man''s eyes showed shock, iritation and loss before he turned to run. Lucianne was weakening, and she couldn''t hear Russell crying and screaming her name as Annie held the little boy behind her, shielding him. Lucianne gritted her teeth and got the knife out of her leg before throwing it back at the retreating man. When the knife stabbed into his buttocks and Lucianne saw him fall, her own vision blurred as she used thest ounce of strength she had and mind-linked, ''Xandar...''

    In Xandar''s study,they were reaching the end of the report when Xandar''s eyes zed over for a mere microsecond.Christian''s eyes then zed over too. The alliance noticed this, and the room fell silent.

    Xandar tried linking back his mate but she wasn''t responding. He stood from his seat, and his features turned hard with worry as he tried to link her over and over again, his heartbeat increasing by the second when there was nothing by silence from the other end of his link.

    Suddenly, he was brought out of his failed attempts by someone tugging the front of his shirt in panicked paces. It was Christian, whose eyes were wide with horror as he screamed out,"CUZIWE GOT TOGO!WE GOT TOGO NOW!ANNIE''S TAKING THE QUEEN TO THE HOSPITALIWE GOT TO GO!"

    Christian dashed out of the room with Xandar next to him as the alliance followed behind without knowing anything except for the fact that Lucianne was being brought to the hospital.Xandar yelled to his cousin, "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HER?!!"

    Christian continued dashing in the direction of Xandar''s garage as he shouted out the exnation, "The Queen was attacked!Someone threw a knife at her, and she''s now unconscious! Annie said she''s still breathing but she''s getting pale."

    The alliance who was oblivious before now got worried as well. Juan linked Hale before they all got into their cars and followed Xandar''s car with Christian in the passenger''s seat. They rushed to the hospital where Annie was taking Lucianne to.

    As soon as they reached the hospital and entered through the entrance, the medical staff present stiffened, and the room fell silent before one nurse at the reception yelled out, "Eighth floor,OR 1, your Highness."

    Xandar dashed for the emergency stairs as his cousin shouted a ''thank you''. When Xandar found O R I, he saw Annie peering into the operating room with Russell by her side. The little boy was sobbing into the Duchess''s pants.

    Xandar approached her and was immediately met with her watered eyes as she said, "Xandar,he came out of nowhere. She smelled something, and then a knife was thrown at her leg.I couldn''t do anything to stop him. I''m sorry."Christian finally caught up with Xandar and went to Annie''s side as he held her in a tight embrace, letting her tears flow freely onto his shirt.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

    Xandar couldn''t say anything as he peered through the window, where he saw seven people in scrubs running around and inserting tubes into his mate''s body. Lucianneid unconscious on the table,paler than he''d ever seen her. When one of the doctors noticed his presence,she muttered something to the younger doctor next to her before making her way to the door.

    When she came out, the alliance arrived.Xandar asked in panic, "What''s happening to her? Will she be okay?"

    The doctor looked nervous but she tried to stay calm as she began exining Lucianne''s condition, "My King, the Queen has a significant amount of Oleander in her system, especially in her left leg. We''re trying our best to get the poison out."Oleander was strong enough to kill a Lycan. Needless to say,it''s even more lethal to a wolf. As far as anyone knew, not even a blood transfusion would be able to save a wolf from the poison.

    Xandar hated hearing the line trying our best from doctors. It just meant that more likely than not, there was no hope. He growled in anger with glistening eyes and asked in fury,"WILL she be okay?"

    The doctor was visibly frightened, "W-We can''t tell, your Highness. At least not yet. But we''re doing everything we can."

    Xandar looked the poor doctor dead in the eye as he said in a low,murderous voice, "Make sure that you do."She nodded and disappeared into the operating room again.

    Xandar tried to link his mate,miraculously hoping that she would answer. When she didn''t,tears streamed down his hardened face as he thought to himself, ''Baby,wake up. Please, we''ve been through this!We talked about this just this morning! My heart isn''t as strong as yours. I can''t afford to lose you. Please, wake up,baby. Please. Tll do anything. Please, just wake up.''

    The alliance members were already crowded in front of the window, and Zelena eximed a soft''n o''in despair at the mention of Oleander before Zeke pressed her into his chest. Lovce''s legs gave in at about the same time, and Raden and Sylvia had to support the Luna, letting her fall onto one of the seats at the corridor as she hid her face in both hands. On Lovce''s side,Raden and Sylvia had nothing but anger and worry written on their faces.

    Juan peered through the window at his pale-looking sister, and muttered under his breath,"Lucy, you''re not done yet. We''re not done yet. Please fight."

    Toby was muttering to himself with glistening eyes too,"Lucy,we still have that spar. You can''t just leave. We had a deal! Lucy, you can''t go yet. We still have that spar."He didn''t care how

    merciless his best friend was going to be with him when they trained anymore. He just wanted her to be okay again.

    Tate was close to crying too, something that he hadn''t done in a long time. He spoke to her in his mind,''C''mon, Lucy. You''ve been through worse. You can fight through this. We''re with you...I''m

    with you. C''mon, Lucy.Fight!''

 Chapter 88

    ?Chapter 88

    The rumours about the King and Duke''s presence in the hospital spread like wildfire, and gossipers somehow managed to find out that the future Queen was being treated there. Chats were sent. Calls were made. News feeds were updated. Soon, journalists started publishing short articles about whatever little they know from their sources.

    When Greg saw the news on his notifications bar, his eyes widened in shock. He left his drink at the refreshments table, and left the dining hall in quick paces as he skimmed through the article, trying to find out how Lucianne was hurt. When he got nothing from the list of useless articles except for the name of the hospital where Lucianne was admitted into, he threw his phone on the passenger''s seat of his car in frustration and drove faster than he had ever driven, beating all the traffic lights along the way

    When Greg entered the hospital, he asked a nurse where the Queen was before making his way up. He didn''t need to read the roombels when he saw the whole party gathered outside OR 1.

    Christian was the first to notice his presence, and asked in disdain, "What are you doing here?"

    Everyone''s heads snapped in Greg''s way. Xandar''s expression was the most

    homicidal at that moment. But Xandar never scared Greg. The Duke locked eyes with the cousin he hated before he asked in anger, "What the f*ck happened to her?"

    Christian spat, "That''s none of your business. Get out of here."

    Greg turned to Christian, who he saw as nothing but an annoying pest at the moment, as he said in a low tone, "It''s everyone''s business. She''s our Queen."

    "We don''t need this to spread anymore than it already has, Greg! Just leave us alone!" Christian shouted.

    Greg scoffed at Christian''s assumption that he was looking for something to talk about. He tried to not tear-up as he said as calmly as he could, "I couldn''t care less what you think I''m here for but I won''t leave until someone tells me what happened to her."

    Just then, the operating room door opened, and the same doctor emerged from it. She then exined, "Your Highness. Your Graces. The Queen is showing positive signs of recovery."

    The tearing alliance members suddenly stopped sniffling as they cleaned the tears on their faces to concentrate on what the doctor was about to say next. "In thest hour and a half, her vitals were malfunctioning when we started the blood transfusion. And there wasn''t any improvement even with the new blood we were giving her. We thought that we were going to lose her. But two minutes ago, her heart rate started picking up again. We think she may be....healing herself. We don''t know how but she seems to be doing it. Just a moment," she knocked on the ss window twice, and one of the doctors checked the monitor plugged into Lucianne before he signaled a two digit number at her.

    The doctor outside with them then said, "It''s still picking up. It''s a good sign. If she continues to heal at this pace, she''ll be able to breathe on her own again soon. Uh, your Grace," she looked at the tear-strained Annie and asked, "You mentioned that the Queen took out the knife she was stabbed with. We need to contain that knife. Where is it now?"

    Annie tried to remainposed as she said, "Sh-She threw it b-back at the man who threw it at her. It stabbed into his bottom. He fell, and I called an ambnce when I was driving here but I don''t know what happened to him after that."

    The doctor''s eyebrows furrowed, "You called an ambnce from this hospital?" Annie nodded.

    The doctor''s eyes widened, and she took out a phone and quickly dialed a number before waiting for the recipient to pick up the call, "Dr Karr, was a man with a knife in his bottom admitted recently?" After a short moment, she said, "That knife is most likely coated with a lot of Oleander. Not as little as the team suspects. Tell those in theb to exercise the highest level of caution. No one is to touch the de. The concentration is probably high enough to burn right through the gloves and their skin! Their faces should be at least ten inches away when they''re holding it to run tests. We don''t want anyone to faint or go blind."

    After she was hung up by her panicked colleague, Greg''s infuriated voice rang through the corridor, "HOW THE F*CK DID OLEANDER GET INTO HER SYSTEM?! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?! HOW COULD YOU LET IT HAPPEN?!" The Duke''s onyx eyes bore into Xandar''s,

    Xandar was already holding onto all that rage at himself in his chest for the past hour, and what Greg just said erupted the bubbling infemo as he growled and shouted back, "DO YOU THINK I WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN?! SHE''S MY MATE! DO YOU THINK I''LL BE ABLE TO SURVIVE WITHOUT HER?!"

    "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HER!"

    "YOU THINK I DON''T KNOW THAT?!"

    "THAT''S ENOUGH!" Christian shouted with a growl. He red at Greg and said, "You wanted to know what happened? Now, you do. Leave."

    Greg threw him and Xandar another death re before disappearing from their sight. He took the stairs to the floor below, and asked a nurse where the man who stabbed Lucianne was being treated. He made his way there, grateful that it wasn''t on the same floor as where Lucianne was so he didn''t have to bump into his cousins and the alliance members again. He peered through the window to memorise his face. When a nurse emerged, he asked, "What''s the status?"

    She looked at him in confusion before she asked, "Are you a family member?"

    "No." He answered tly.

    "We''re not supposed to reveal our patients'' information to..."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    "How about this? He stabbed the Queen with that knife you just removed from his as *. I''m the Duke. I want to know this scum''s status."

    The nurse was surprised as she uttered apologetically, "I''m sorry, your Grace. I didn''t realize. The man''s vitals have failed. We tried to save him with a blood transfusion but it didn''t work. He sumbed to the poison on the knife. We''re removing life support from him now. We couldn''t save him."

    "Where''s the knife?" Greg asked.

    "In ourb. They''re running tests. We just got a call that the concentration of Oleander may be lethal but we won''t know exactly how lethal until we get the results,

    your Grace."

    Greg took one more hard look at the corpse before he asked, "Have you been able to identify him yet?"

    "Yes, your Grace. His name is Harrison Brown. But there wasn''t a next of kin listed in his bio so we''re still wondering if anyone woulde im his body."

    Greg nodded before thanking the nurse and went on his way. He made a call to a familiar number. After two rings, the recipient picked up, and Greg said, "Harrison Brown. Blonde. Six-and-a-half feet. About 165 pounds. I want to know everything, especially who he''s been in contact with in thest three weeks."

    "Yes, your Grace."

    Greg hung up and drove home before drowning down two bottles of scotch. After

    that, he let his tears flow, and he threw an empty bottle at the kitchen wall with force before he gave way to his weakening feet as he fell to sit on the floor. His eyes reddened, and he thought about all the things he was going to do to avenge Lucianne if his contact told him that Harrison Brown was a hired assassin.

    After an hour, his contact sent him a document. And after skimming through Brown''s profile and finding nothing useful, he went through the call history. His contact took the liberty of identifying the callers whom the scum had been in touch with in the past few weeks. But Greg''s eyes were only fixed on the one name he knew. He growled ferociously in his kitchen as he muttered menacingly to the name on his screen, "I told you to do nothing. Now, you''ve dug your own grave."

 Chapter 89

    ?Chapter 89

    When Lucianne started breathing on her own again three hourster, the doctors removed the air mask and reported the improvements. Her vitals are nearing normal, and she would most likely wake up in the morning. Everyone was relieved. Toby slumped to the ground and looked at the ceiling as he uttered in immense gratitude,* Thank you, Moon Goddess."

    Tate and Lovce managed a relieved smile despite their still-glistening eyes.

    Juan''s pale face started to regain its color as he linked Hale. Christian and Annie felt like a huge weight was taken off their shoulders, and Annie started exining to Russell that Lucianne was going to be alright. Raden and Sylvia rxed visibly, their bodies slumped against the wall from their tensed slouching positions.

    By far, the most relieved, but the most guilty, was Xandar. The cousin he had always wanted to rece was right. What the hell was he doing?! He was supposed to protect her! And he failed. Again. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and tears formed at theers of his already teared-strained eyes as he conveyed his gratitude and remorse, ''I am so sorry, Moon Goddess. Thank you for saving her. I won''t let her out of my sight again. I am so, so sorry."

    Apart from Xandar, everyone said their goodbyes and reluctantly left the hospital floor. Russell wanted to stay, clinging onto Xandar''s leg as he fought against Annie''s attempts to pull him away. Xandar bent down and ruffled the little boy''s head as he said with the warmest smile he could manage at the moment, "Russell, Aunt Lucy needs to rest now. How about youe see her tomorrow when she''s awake?"

    "NO! I WANT TO SEE AUNT LUCY NOW!"

    Xandar tried again, "Aunt Lucy is really tired, Russell. You wouldn''t want to disturb her now, do you?"

    "NO! THAT''S WHAT MOMMY SAID ABOUT GRANNY! AND SHE NEVER CAME BACK! I WANT TO SEE AUNT LUCY! I WANT TO SEE AUNT LUCY NOW!"

    Everyone was shocked at the words that just came out of the four-year-old''s mouth. Xandar finally understood why Russell was being so stubborn. He kept his smile as he uttered, "Alright. We''ll go in there and see Aunt Lucy. But you''ll have to go home after that. Deal?"

    The little boy nodded, and Xandar picked him up and carried him as he opened the door and went to Lucianne''s side. Cautiously, he sat on the bed and his free hand reached out to touch his mate''s slightly cold and motionless one as he muttered, "I am so sorry, baby."

    He lifted her hand up to kiss it. But before he could ce her hand back on the bed, Russell took his mate''s hand from him and hugged it close to his small chest as he muttered, "Wake up, Aunt Lucy. I''ll fight bad guys for you. Please, wake up."

    Xandar''s heart broke when he heard this. He then told Russell, "She''ll wake up, Russell. The doctors said so. You cane see for yourself tomorrow."

    Russell turned to face the King as he clung on to Lucianne''s hand, "You promise?" Xandar smiled as he whispered, "I promise." After Xandar carefully took his mate''s hand from the little boy and ced it gently on the bed, he brought Russell back out for Annie and Christian to take home.

    Xandar then went back to his mate. He didn''t know how long he stood there despite there being an empty chair right behind him. He just looked at his mate''s unconscious body. Her face was getting back its color. He stroked her cheeks that he loved to see blush, and pecked a kiss on her lips which always responded before whispering into her ear, "I love you. Please give me another chance. I''ll be better, Lucy. I promise."

    After a few hours of standing, his legs finally gave in. He surrendered and sat on the chair. His fingers twined with Lucianne''s as he stroked the back of her hand in slow motions, kissing it from time to time.

    A little past midnight, a doctor peered through the window and looked at Xandar hesitantly. Xandar assumed that it was about Lucianne''s condition so he got up and kissed her on her forehead before whispering, "I''ll be right back, my love. I won''t take long."

    He exited the room, and the nervous-looking doctor adjusted his sses before bowing and said, "My King, I am Dr Karr. We just finished analyzing the Oleander on the knife. But we also found this." He held up a transparent stic bag with what appears to be a small sheet of paper with blood smudges. "We thought you might want to have a look at it before we tumed it over to the police."

    Xandar took it, and held it under the light to read the writing in the dim corridor, which said: This is what you get for crossing me. I warned you. Take your child''s death as the first taste of what I can unleash on you and your family.

    Xandar''s eyes snapped up to the doctor''s as he said, "My mate wasn''t the target."

    Dr Karr nodded in agreement, "It appears not, my King. This paper was slit into the knife, like it was meant to be a message to whoever was stabbed with it. The Queen was most likely shielding the child that was with the Duchess, causing the Queen to be stabbed herself. A very noble act but it took a great toll on her body." he peered through the window before returning his sights to Xandar, who handed the note back to him.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    The doctor then added, "The Kingdom is blessed to have her, your Highness. We''ll look after her while she''s here. If the Queen needs anything, do let us know." "Thank you." he nodded in the doctor''s way and returned to the room to hold his mate''s hand again.

    Xandar kissed her nose before whispering with a small smile, "Told you I won''t take long." He stroked her hand before he said, "Our Kingdom has to do better by you, Lucy. You just saved a child, you know that? I''ve never done anything close in my eighteen years on the throne." he kissed her hand again before uttering, "I love you, baby. I can''t wait to see you again."

 Chapter 90

    ?Chapter 90

    At around 3 a.m., Helena Tanner''s phone screen lit up. Being careful to not wake her mate, she shifted slowly to reach her phone on her night stand. Her eyes squinted in the dark as she read the message from a number she was careful not to add into her contact list but knew by heart. She threw her covers and stood, which was when her mate asked groggily, "Where are you going? What happened?"

    She tried to mask her worry and responded in a t tone, "Just work. I have to check on something."

    "Now?" Her mate asked in disbelief as he checked the illuminated figures on his rm clock next to him.

    Helena forced a smile and kissed her mate on his cheek before exining, "It''s urgent. I''lle back as soon as it''s done." Her mate groaned in annoyance before falling back onto his pillow.

    Helena put on a sweatshirt over her singlet and didn''t bother doing anything with her pants. When she was outside their bedroom, she re-read Greg''s message, and her chest started to feel uneasy. Your garage. Ten minutes.''

    Thank Goddess her garage was far away from everyone''s bedrooms. She left through the backdoor, and immediately recognized the Duke''s back. She quickened her pace to make sure she was in front of him before her ten minutes were up.

    He didn''t turn when she was right behind him so she whispered the greeting, "Your Grace."

    "Do it." Greg said tly.

    In a sh, tworge-sized men appeared from behind Helena and one of them held her in ce and covered her mouth before the other injected something in a syringe into her bloodstream from her shoulder.

    The Duke then turned indifferently and muttered, "Strangle."

    Helena tried to scream but realized that she couldn''t. She opened her mouth and exerted the air in her lungs but she couldn''t be heard. What happened to her voice?!

    Her eyes screamed fear as it met Greg''s onyx orbs in the dark. When her vision blurred and she thought that she was going to die, Greg said, "Let her fall." The man holding her threw her against the wall of her garage and let her body fall to the ground as she took inrge breaths of air, still voiceless.

    When she caught her breath, she tried screaming again but it was to no avail. Greg scoffed darkly and lifted her himself by her neck and pinned her on the wall like he did with Livia the other night.

    His onyx eyes bore into hers as he asked rhetorically, "Did you think I''m as careless as you are, Tanner? Did you think I won''t take necessary precautions beforeunching an attack? The substance we just injected in your system blocks your vocal chords so I don''t see why you''re still trying to scream. You''re not getting out of this."

    He threw her to the ground with force, and Helena tried to crawl away but she was backed into a corner. Her mouth moved, like she was pleading with Greg, begging him for mercy. The Duke''s growl sent a shiver down her spine when he said, "You wanted to kill her."

    Confusion crept into Helena''s fearful eyes as she mouth, "Who?"

    Greg lost his patience and took her by her ankle before mming her body twice against the floor. He only stopped when one of his men said, "Your Grace, we''re in no position to tell you how to do your job but if you want to keep her conscious, you''ll have to aim less of her head. Anywhere else is fine. Just leave the head."

    Lycans heal quickly. And Helena''s bleeding head was already recovering though her vision was still a little blurry from the impact. Greg didn''t give her time to recover fully before he pressed her knee against the floor, and bent her lower leg upward, breaking her kneecap with the sound of a crack as Helena screamed voicelessly. Cold sweat appeared on her face, and tears flowed in steady streams from her eyes.

    The sight didn''t make Greg any less merciful. He was still enraged. "I told you to do nothing. I told you to not trigger the Queen. Not only have you tried to trigger her, you wanted to kill her. And with poison. Hal Pathetic!" His voice broke at the word ''kill'' and the words after that didn''t mask the hurt and pain he felt.

    Despite Helena''s agonizing pain, she shook her head and repeatedly mouthed, "I didn''t."

    "I know how to do my research, Tanner. Stop denying it." Greg said before bending her leg even further. Her features squinted in pain, and she was sobbing in agony. Tanner kept shaking her head as tears streamed down her cheeks, her mouth kept repeating the words ''I didn''t''.

    Greg scoffed darkly again and suggested, "How about this? The n was to inject the very same concentration of Oleander you gave to the Queen into you. But now that you''re so persistent in denying it, maybe we should give it to your mate and kids instead."

    Her eyes widened as she pleaded inaudibly, "No. No. Please, no."

    Greg pressed, "Then admit it. You tried to kill the Queen."

    "No." She mouthed, and Greg was left conflicted. Normally, when threats were made to the victim''s family, they''d give in and tell the truth. Some would even lie and admit to his usations just to protect their family. Tanner was insisting that she didn''t try to kill Lucianne. Did his contact screw up on the Harrison Brown research? He let go of her leg and let it fall as he stood to think. He leaned casually against the wall as he pondered on his predicament. His men opted to say nothing, and just watched Tanner to make sure she didn''t try to run away. It wasn''t as if she could. Her kneecap hurt unlike anything she''d ever experienced in her life.

    Greg had a n. But he didn''t really like it. It felt too merciful. He approached Tanner in slow steps. The click of his shoes was the only sound echoing through the walls of therge garage. He stood before the fidgeting woman and said in a low voice," Here''s what''s going to happen, Tanner. I''m going to give you an antidote for your vocal chords. When I start hearing that irritating voice of yours again, you''d better be talking about only what I want to know. If you say anything irrelevant, I''ll kill your family. And if anyone hears us, I''ll kill your family. Is that clear?"

    Tanner nodded. It wasn''t like she had a choice. Greg then uttered his men''s way, "Do it." And they did. One held her still while the other injected another substance into the same area. In less than a minute, Tanner found her voice again when she could hear her own heavy breathing from the pain that Greg had just inflicted upon her.

    Greg then started, "Who is Harrison Brown?"

    Tanner shook as she stuttered in a whisper, "I-I hired him t-to g-go after s-some f- former employees. It wasn''t the Queen, I swear!"C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    "What former employees?"

    Tanner kept her three employees'' absence from the Duke, thinking that she could eliminate them and cover her tracks before he found out, got mad and came after her for being unable to keep them in ce. She stuttered again, "T-They d-do the au-audits."

    Greg''s eyebrows furrowed. He squatted and looked her dead in the eye as he asked," THE audits?" She nodded.

    "So, the people who know what we''ve been doing are NOT within your reach anymore. Is my understanding correct?"

    Tanner nodded in dismay, and the gears in Greg''s head started turning. He reyed whatever little he knew about what took ce in Tanner''s office when his cousins and Lucianne went there. The employees were manipting the audits for years but they never disobeyed Tanner for the King.

    Greg doubted Xandar used the King''s Authority on them to get the real story. His cousin was too much of a chicken to ever wield that power. That pathetic second-in-mand is just a mindless upper-rank servant to the King. There was no way he got them to blurt it out either. The only reason that the employees decided to give in after all these years was "Lucianne." Greg subconsciously muttered under his breath, and he sought somefort in saying her name.

    Tanner was depleted but she was still shocked at the Duke''s softened features when he said that name.

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91

    Helena finally understood why she was being tortured. It wasn¡¯t because she went against the Duke¡¯s

    orders and used poison. It was because the Duke, for some reason, thought that the poison she ordered

    got into a person he cared about. The Duke had feelings for the woman who was with the King!

    Greg scoffed, which brought Tanner out of her thoughts. His eyes bore into hers as he said, ¡°And you

    thought she was an essory. Goddess, Tanner. You¡¯re a bigger idiot than I thought you were.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill her. I didn¡¯t. I never sent anyone after her.¡± She repeated in dismay.

    ¡°Who did you send Brown to kill? Be specific this time.¡±

    ¡°T-The instructions I gave w-was to g-get t-to one of th-their children. A toddler.¡±

    Greg¡¯s features hardened again. He would be the first to admit that he was a horrible person but he

    would never go after a minor. Tanner¡¯s children were way past eighteen so they were technically within

    his reach. ¡°You sent him after a child?¡± He asked in disbelief, and she nodded while averting her gaze

    from his.

    He started thinking again, recalling the scene at the hospital. He did see a toddler next to that now -

    infertile Duchess. He thought that his distant cousin had adopted a son. But now that he thought about it,

    he wondered if that boy was the one Brown was after. He faced Tanner again and asked,¡± How was the

    child supposed to be eliminated?¡±

    ¡°O-Oleander.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. B-But he said that it would be m-more than e-enough.¡±

    Greg shook his head in disgust as he uttered demeaningly, ¡°What a coward you are, Tanner. Lost the

    adults and now after their minor. An easier target, I suppose.¡±

    She kept insisting, ¡°I didn¡¯t do that to the Queen. I didn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t my contract. Brown was probably

    acting on another client¡¯s instructions.¡±

    ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t.¡± Greg said. ¡°It was your instructions but it was a kill gone wrong.¡±.

    Tanner¡¯s red and teary eyes widened in surprise. Greg scoffed darkly again as he spoke patronizingly,

    ¡°You don¡¯t really know anything, do you, Tanner? You don¡¯t know how to take precautions. You can¡¯t

    cover your tracks. You don¡¯t know how to avoid using poison. F*ck, you don¡¯t even know who to hire as a

    proper assassin.¡±

    He pinned her neck to the wall and said menacingly, ¡°The child you wanted to kill is alive. You know

    why? Because the Queen saved him. The Queen took that Oleander knife you ordered for the child. She

    saved the kid, and she was rendered¡­¡± Greg took a heavy breath and his eyes glistened i nanger before

    he finished his sentence with the word, ¡°¡­unconscious.¡±

    Tanner¡¯s eyes got wider and wider as she processed what Greg said. She then muttered to herself,¡±

    No. No. No.¡±

    Greg then said, ¡°Tell me you weren¡¯t stupid enough to leave a cocky note for the intended victim.¡± When

    he saw her trying to avert her guilty-looking eyes even further than they already were, he sighed in

    frustration as he remarked, ¡°Hopeless.¡±

    ¡°Please. Spare my family. They don¡¯t know about this. They¡¯re innocent. Please.¡±

    Greg tightened his grip around her neck and said, ¡°Shut up. Here¡¯s what you¡¯re going to do the moment I

    release you. Listen very carefully and do as I say this time. Am I clear?¡±

    She nodded without hesitation, and Greg continued, ¡°You will go to the police and confess that you hired

    Brown. You will tell them that you ordered a child to be killed. And you WILL insist on the highest form of

    punishment from them. Not death. That¡¯s not the highest. Torture. Whipping. Bone-breaking.

    Electrocution until you pass out. Those kinds of things. And no one can know that I was here. No one

    can know that I¡¯m asking you to do what I¡¯m sure you will do. If you disobey me, your sons are at my

    disposal, as is your mate. Do I make myself clear?¡±

    Her face was turning paler by the second, especially when Greg listed the types of punishments that he

    wanted her to ask for. But when she thought about her family, she could only nod with tears streaming

    down her face. Greg threw her body on the ground onest time and left with his men. When they exited

    thepound, Greg asked his men, ¡°Are the disabled CCTVs back on?¡±

    ¡°Yes, your Grace.¡±

    ¡°The missing part from when we were there?¡±

    ¡°Reced with the copy from the previous night.¡±

    ¡°Good. We¡®re done for the night. I¡¯ll get your boss to disburse the funds.¡±

    Greg only took two steps before one of them said, ¡°Your Grace, we still have the Oleander dosage you

    asked for. Do you want to hold onto it or¡­¡±

    ¡°Return it to your department. If they offer a refund, you two split it. Treat it as a tip for a job well done

    tonight.¡±

    ¡°T-Thank you, your Grace. That¡¯s very generous of you. We¡¯ll take our leave now.¡± Oleander was

    expensive because it¡¯s illegal and because of the tedious process to make it. So, a tip from the return of

    that poison was almost the amount the men were being paid for the job they were doing for Greg that

    night.

    Greg checked his watch, and pondered on what he wanted to do next. His cousins had the real audits.

    Maybe not all of it but even the most recent ones can get him and the people he colluded with into a

    whole lot of trouble with thew. And those two are real sticklers when it came to thew so much so that

    they were almost blind to all the pathetically-conspicuous holes in the system.

    But something seemed off. If they had the numbers, what were they waiting for? Why were his cronies

    still free and had no clue what was going on? Trying to see how his cousins would think got him

    nowhere. He knew them. They didn¡¯t think very far. They could spell the word ¡®strategy but they didn¡¯t

    know what that word entailed. And his two cousins were very panicky. They¡¯d acto

    n the first piece of evidence that they got. If they got the audits, they wouldn¡¯t have waited.

    Greg then pictured Lucianne, and he sighed in bliss. How would she think? She was smart, and his two

    cousins listened to her. Hell! Even he listened to her. What could she have said to get them to wait?

    What was she waiting for? Out of nowhere, he muttered, ¡°Lucianne, how are you thinking

    about this?¡±

    He knew that he had to leave soon. They were about to get caught, and he was not going to stick around

    to wait for that to happen. It wasn¡¯t just the audits. The police will no doubt question Tanner¡¯s willingness

    to confess. And if Lucianne got his cousin to use his King¡¯s Authority now, his cousin would obey like a

    good little pup and use it. And whatever happened this whole night would be exposed.

    The only thing he would miss after leaving was stealing those glimpses of the Queen. When she smiles,

    laughs, shouts. Hmph. Greg chuckled at how pitiful he sounded when it came to Lucianne. Who knew

    there¡¯de a day when he would fall for someone. His heart was never stolen but he had willingly

    given it to her, a wolf. She wasn¡¯t even a Lycan and he didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t see the point in challenging

    his cousin to im her. The way she looked at Greg himself was clear. She wouldn¡¯t be happy with him.

    And he didn¡¯t want her to be unhappy.

    Greg¡¯s sights somehow went to the moon, which was a mere crescent tonight shining brightly in the dark

    sky. He then said, ¡°You did this on purpose, didn¡¯t you? This is my punishment. You made me fall in love

    with someone I can never have, bonding her to the person I hate the most. You¡¯re lucky I want her to be

    happy. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve killed that cousin of mine who you are giving EVERYTHING to.¡± 1

    He sighed and took out his phone to call the hospital. After one ring, someone picked up and Greg said,

    ¡°I¡¯d like to know the Queen¡¯s status.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re only allowed to release that information to authorized family members. May I know who this is?¡±

    Greg bit his lip before he said, ¡°Christian ckfur. The Duke. I was with the King during the blood

    transfusion to get the Oleander out.¡±

    Greg mentioned the blood transfusion and the poison to indicate that he was on the hospital floor with

    the rest of the party, and prayed that the nurse on the line wouldn¡¯t ask for further identification details

    because he only vaguely remembered his distant cousin¡¯s identification number. If he told her who he

    really was, there was a chance that the nurse was not ¡®authorized to

    give him information on Lucianne, and he was not taking that chance. He had to know how she

    was.

    ¡°Oh, Your Grace.¡± The nurse believed him. No journalist got word that the Queen was poisoned by

    Oleander yet so that detail convinced the nurse that Greg was really Christian.

    She seemed more polite and friendly when she said, ¡°Well, everything¡¯s good with her so far. So, u h,

    you already know she¡¯s breathing on her own and her vitals have returned to normal now. A doctor

    checked her fifteen minutes ago, he said everything is fine. She¡¯s still asleep. Would you like me to tell

    the King you called, your Gra¡ª¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°No. That won¡¯t be necessary. Thank you. Have a good night.¡± Greg said and hung up. Before he fled the

    city and disappeared without a trace, there was one more thing he had to do. So, he went back home

    and stepped on it.

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92

    A quarter to five in the morning, Xandar was resting his head on the bed next to his mate, taking i n her

    scent as he stroked her hand when, suddenly, he heard her soft moan. His body shot up from the chair,

    and he inched his face closer to hers as he uttered, ¡°Baby. Baby, are you awake? Can you hear me?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s fingers moved slightly in Xandar¡¯s hand, and her eyelids pressed down for a moment before

    they opened halfway to reveal those dazed ck orbs. Her dry lips parted as she muttered,¡± Xandar.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes were tearing up with relief and joy. ¡°Baby. Oh, Goddess. You¡¯re okay. You¡¯re okay.¡± H e

    kissed her on her lips and she responded, albeit very weakly.

    When she felt his tears and he pulled away, she asked weakly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Xandar? Are you okay?¡±

    He scoffed. She was the one on the hospital bed. He chuckled as he said, ¡°I am now, my love.¡± He

    kissed her forehead, her nose and her cheek. ¡°I missed you.¡±

    She smiled with heavy eyelids as her hand started stroking his in retum. He kissed her fingers before

    saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to go get a doctor, okay? I won¡¯t take long.¡±

    ¡°Wh-What? Wh-Where am I?¡± Lucianne started looking around as quickly as she could manage.

    Xandar panicked. He didn¡¯t want her to strain herself so he held her face gently in his hands and cooed,

    ¡°Shh. Baby, you¡¯re okay. You¡¯re safe. You¡¯re in a hospital. I¡¯ll exin everything but I need to get a doctor

    to check on you first, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± She answered slowly and softly.

    When Xandar left her side, Lucianne saw a bottle of water on the nightstand and tried to reach for i t.

    Xandar beat her to it, and he helped her sit up before holding the bottle for her as she drowned half of its

    contents. When she uttered a soft ¡®thank you¡¯, he kissed her cheek and got her to lie back down before

    signaling Dr Karr toe over. 1

    Dr Karr checked everything from heart rate to blood pressure to normal reflexes, and he was very

    satisfied with the results. He then asked Lucianne, ¡°How do you feel now, My Queen? Any dizziness?

    Nausea? Difort on any part of your body.¡± Lucianne shook her head with a small smile.

    ¡°Any pain?¡± The doctor asked. She shook her head again.

    ¡°Not even in your left leg?¡± He asked in great concern. Again, she shook her head.

    He was visibly relieved to hear that before proceeding to ask, ¡°Do you feel sleepy, my Queen?¡±

    ¡°No. Just a little weak.¡± Lucianne muttered, barely loud enough for the two Lycans to catch.

    Dr Karr nodded in understanding as he exined, ¡°Food and water will do the trick. I¡¯ll send someone up

    with something for you to eat. When you¡¯ve regained your strength, we¡¯ll get to the

    rest of the questions. Just take things slow for now, and allow yourself to rest, my Queen.¡± She nodded

    obediently with the same small smile.

    After Xandar thanked Dr Karr and he left the room, Xandar sat closer to her head as she asked,¡± What

    happened?¡±

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    He smiled sadly. ¡°What¡¯s thest thing you remember, sweetheart? I¡¯ll exin from there.¡±

    She averted her eyes as she thought hard before saying, ¡°I was with Annie¡­ and Russell. I smelled

    something. Then, I saw a man throwing a knife.¡± Her eyes widened all of a sudden, and she asked i na

    soft but frantic voice, ¡°Where¡¯s Russell?! What happened to him?!¡±

    ¡°Baby, baby. Please. He¡¯s fine. Shh. He¡¯s safe. You saved him. Calm down. He¡¯s safe.¡± Xandar caressed

    her cheek and her shoulder as she calmed herself before continuing, ¡°I felt a sharp pain i n my left leg,

    and I fell..I think. I saw that it was a knife. So I took it out, and¡­I think I threw it at him. And¡­¡± Lucianne

    blinked her eyes and shook her head, stubbornly trying to remember before saying doubtfully, ¡°I think he

    fell?¡±

    When she turned back to face Xandar, his eyes were glistening. He nted a deep kiss on her forehead

    and held her in a tight embrace before he said, ¡°That was exactly what happened. You were so brave,

    baby. You didn¡¯t think twice before saving someone.¡±

    Lucianne suddenly mind-linked her mate, ¡®Darling. Can¡¯t breathe.¡¯

    Xandar loosened his hold on her immediately. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Lucy. I¡¯m so, so sorry.¡± Lucianne saw his

    watered eyes but she didn¡¯t understand his reaction. It looked like he was apologizing for more than the

    tight hug. Before she could ask, someone knocked on the door, and a hospital staff came with some food

    for her. He brought the tray and ced it in front of Lucianne before leaving the room with a warm smile.

    Xandar helped her to sit up again, and he sat next to her on the bed before starting to feed her the

    porridge. When she emptied the bowl, he gave her some water and wiped the faint food stains off her

    lips before putting the tray away. She refused to eat the pudding, saying that she was already stuffed so

    Xandar had it instead.

    His beautiful mate stared at the bedsheets as her thoughts roamed far. He sat next to her again and

    asked, ¡°What are you thinking about, Lucy?¡±

    Her ck orbs were regaining its shine, much to his animal¡¯s relief. Her voice was more audible when

    she asked, ¡°What was on the knife? It didn¡¯t feel like silver.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s expression hardened, and he took one of her hands before he started stroking it lovingly as he

    said, ¡°Oleander. A lethal amount of it.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened. She and everyone else knew that no wolf could survive Oleander, not even in

    its most minute amount. ¡°H-How did they save me?¡±

    Xandar smiled before he said, ¡°They didn¡¯t, Lucy. You saved yourself.¡± Before she could argue, her mate

    exined, ¡°We were losing you. They plugged tubes into you everywhere and started the blood

    transfusion. Even then, you were weakening. Your vitals were failing. About ny minutester, your

    heart rate started to pick up. Three hourster, they removed the oxygen mask and you

    started breathing on your own again. The doctors had no exnation. They don¡¯t know how you were

    doing it. You were just doing it.¡±

    Lucianne leaned into the pillow supporting her back as she muttered to herself, ¡°That can¡¯t be right.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, baby.¡± Xandar cupped her cheek and angled her face towards his so that their eyes

    locked as he insisted, ¡°Losing you wouldn¡¯t have been right. The fact that you survived IS right.¡±

    Her eyes were filled with nothing but confusion when she asked, ¡°How did I do it?¡±

    Xandar raised his eyebrows and chuckled lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t know, babe. But I¡¯m d you did, don¡¯t

    you?¡±

    ¡°I do. But how did I do it?¡± Lucianne was still trying to figure it out. It was bugging her. Xandar didn¡¯t want

    her to be cracking her head when she had just regained consciousness so he tried to help her think.

    Maybe she wouldn¡¯t have to overexert herself that way.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the same way you heal from silver?¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± She thought that was a viable exnation, then she muttered without thinking, ¡°This one hurt

    more like a b*tch though.¡±

    When Lucianne felt Xandar¡¯s grip tightened all of a sudden, she quickly added, ¡°B-But it¡¯s all gone now. I

    don¡¯t feel any pain. It was just bad when¡­ it happened.¡±

    He took both her hands in his and kissed them before he whispered to her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lucy.¡±

    ¡°What? What for?¡±

    His voice cracked when he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t protect you. I let you down. Again.¡±

    ¡°What? No! You weren¡¯t even there¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°No! That¡¯s not what I meant! Xandar, this isn¡¯t your fault.¡±

    ¡°It is, baby. I¡¯m your mate. I was supposed to protect you, but I didn¡¯t. And you got hurt. You almost d-¡± he

    couldn¡¯t even say the word ¡®died¡¯ without tearing up.

    Lucianne took her hands back and reached for his head before gently pulling it down, pressing him into

    her chest where he heard her heart beating in regr rhythms. His animal soughtfort in the sound.

    Lucianne held him there as she stroked his hair.

    His tears flowed onto her hospital gown. She waited for him to steady himself before she said,¡° None of

    this was your fault, my acacia. Bad people do bad things. All that matters is that everything¡¯s alright now.

    Please stop ming yourself. Please?¡±

    He peered up, and saw her looking down at him with those doe-eyes as she whispered, ¡°Please? For

    me.¡±

    He lifted his head and pecked her on her lips. ¡°It¡¯s not fair, sweetheart. You know I can¡¯t say no to you

    when you look at me like that.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± She said with a cheeky smile. And Xandar smirked before ticking her waist to elicit her giggles.

    When Lucianne calmed down, she reached for his face and traced his eye bags before she said, ¡°You

    should sleep.¡±

    He took her hand from his face and kissed it, holding it over his heart as he said, ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡°Xandar, you¡¯re exhausted. Just sleep for a few hours.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you out of my sight again, Lucy.¡± Xandar stubbornly insisted.

    Lucianne started thinking before she said, ¡°I¡¯m right here, Xandar. I¡¯m right here with you.¡± She patted on

    the part of the bed where heid his head watching her sleep before she said, ¡°Just sleep. I¡¯ll wake you if

    there¡¯s anything.¡±

    He was still reluctant to rest. But when Lucianne looked at him with her doe-eyes, even his Lycan knew

    that both his human and animal parts were done for. How did he get someone so selfless? She was the

    one recovering and yet she was worried about him. He sighed, and pecked a kiss on her nose before he

    whispered, ¡°How did I get so lucky to be bonded to you, my love? You¡¯re so perfect.¡±.

    Lucianne simply said, ¡°That¡¯s because I slept. You should too.¡±

    Xandar narrowed his eyes at her for spoiling the moment and tickled her again. When he saw that her

    blushes were returning, he felt morefortable giving in to a nap. Heid his head on the bed and

    hugged her thighs. His hand searched for Lucianne¡¯s hand before putting it in his hair, and when her

    thumb stroked through his thick brown locks, his animal purred in bliss. Xandar took in his mate¡¯s scent,

    and fell into deep sleep.

    Xandar woke up about two hourster, and when he heard hushed conversations, his head snapped up

    and his grip around Lucianne¡¯s thighs instinctively tightened, holding her protectively in his arms.

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93

    Lucianne felt Xandar¡¯s panicked grip so she turned her attention away from Russell, who just came with

    Annie and Christian. Lucianne then stroked Xandar¡¯s cheeks as she cooed, ¡°Xandar, everything is fine,

    Breathe. Everything is alright.¡±

    When his breathing steadied and Lucianne let go of his face, Christian came over to pat Xandar on the

    shoulder and asked in concern, ¡°You alright, cuz?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah. Just need to ssh some water on my face.¡± He got up from his chair to peck a kiss on

    Lucianne¡¯s cheek as he whispered, ¡°I won¡¯t take long. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    To Lucianne¡¯s surprise, her mate ruffled Russell¡¯s hair with a warm smile before he headed to the

    bathroom sink to wash away the sleepiness. Xandar listened to their conversation while he was at the

    sink.

    Lucianne was speaking to his four-year-oldpetitor now seated on herp, ¡°So, Russell. What were

    you building yesterday?¡±

    After some rummaging sounds, he heard his mate gasping in astonishment and asked, ¡°Is this a train?¡±

    He saw the little boy nodding through the mirror before Lucianne eximed, ¡°You¡¯re so clever, Russell!¡±

    The little boy¡¯s smile was radiant for only a moment before he patted Lucianne¡¯s left leg with his small

    hand and asked, ¡°Are you okay, Aunt Lucy?¡±

    She smiled and kissed him on his forehead before responding, ¡°I¡¯m okay now. Thank you for asking,

    Russell. You¡¯re so sweet.¡±

    ¡°I care about Aunt Lucy.¡± He said before leaning into her chest and making her heart melt.

    Annie then said, ¡°Ellia and Benjamin wanted toe. But Christian and I said that it was too risky. We

    only brought Russell because Xandar promised that he coulde if he went home with usst night.¡±

    Lucianne stroked the little boy¡¯s hair as she asked, ¡°Are they okay? The families?¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Christian looked at her in disbelief, ¡°My Queen, they¡¯re fine. Please, let¡¯s just worry about you first.¡± He

    then locked eyes with his cousin when he exited the bathroom, ¡°She deserves to sit on the throne more

    than you do, cuz.¡±

    Xandar smiled as he responded, ¡°We¡¯re both on the same page on that point.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes and the alliance knocked on the door before walking in. ¡°Oh, thank Goddess!¡±

    Toby eximed and came to give his best friend a hug. ¡°Do you know how sh*t scary it was for us

    yesterday, Lucy?¡±

    Lucianne chuckled, ¡°Not as scary as what I¡¯m going to do to you in training when I¡¯m back on my feet

    again.¡±

    Toby didn¡¯t look scared at all this time as he smiled radiantly and said, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to

    that spar, Lucy.¡±

    Lucianne looked at Toby in confusion but before she could assess her friend¡¯s sudden change in reaction

    to a sparring challenge, he had already left her side to let Juane next. Juan squeezed her a little

    before he asked, ¡°Can you feel your legs?¡±

    ¡°I can. Odd, isn¡¯t it? No wolf is known to survive Oleander.¡± Lucianne said.

    Juan smiled and said in all seriousness, ¡°It¡¯s not odd, Lucy. It¡¯s right. After everything you¡¯ve done for

    everyone, losing you to poison would¡¯ve been downright wrong.¡± Murmurs of approval circted the

    crowded room. Hale embraced her next. And one by one, the alliance came to hug their smallest

    member.

    When Tate held her in his arms, he whispered as softly as he could, ¡°Don¡¯t do that to us again, Lucy. It¡¯s

    great to finally have you back.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Tate.¡± She said gratefully.

    The Alpha released her as soon as Xandar moved closer to Lucianne¡¯s side. Russell, who was ced on

    the floor when the alliance came in, tried to get Lucianne¡¯s attention again. She lifted him up and ced

    the little boy back on herp before looking at everyone as she asked casually,¡± So, by any chance

    anyone can guess why someone was trying to use Oleander on me? I¡¯m still a little tired to think.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. I forgot.¡± Xandar said, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to him. He told them about the blood-

    stained message Dr Kart got him to have a look while he caressed Lucianne¡¯s shoulder in slow, soothing

    motions. When he exined that Russell was the actual target, all eyes fell on the little boy who was

    minding his own business with his self-built toy train. And Lucianne reflexively held him closer to her

    chest.

    ¡°They know.¡± Lucianne muttered in dismay.

    ¡°What, Lucy?¡± Juan asked.

    Her hand reached for her mouth when she realized she uttered something that was supposed to b e

    confidential. She really needed to recover faster. Fatigue always did this to her. Xandar pecked a kiss on

    her temple as he uttered, ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby. It was going toe out either way.¡±

    The King faced the room and told them that Christian and Annie were housing three families who were

    helping them in a corruption case they have against a few people. Lovce muttered the thought that

    went through everyone¡¯s heads, ¡°So it¡¯s one of the five who ordered the poison then.¡±

    Two doctors knocked on the door before stepping in. Everyone stayed silent as Dr Karr and the one who

    led the treatment the previous day, Dr Gina, did their checks on Lucianne. When they were done, Dr

    Gina said, ¡°Well, everything seems to be fine, my Queen. If you don¡¯t mind, we¡¯d like t o see if you can

    walk on your own.¡±

    ¡°Sure, okay.¡± Lucianne said. Xandar took Russell from her and pulled the sheets away. She pushed

    herself off the bed a little too fast that it almost gave Xandar a heart attack. His free hand held ont o his

    mate¡¯s right arm, thinking that she was about to fall. Even Tate eximed in panic, ¡°Lucy, slow down!¡±

    Xandar loosened his grip on her when he realized that she was actually stable from the start. His mate

    narrowed her eyes at Tate and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Tate. I¡¯m not made of ss.¡± The Alpha sighed and shook

    his head in frustration as Xandar tried his best to control the jealousy building up in his chest.

    Lucianne took a few steps around the room with ease, walking around the small space in the loose

    hospital gown. Dr Gina then asked, ¡°Do you feel any difort anywhere, my Queen?¡±

    ¡°No. But my legs don¡¯t feel strong enough to kick yet.¡± Lucianne said as she lifted each foot off the

    ground to feel their strength.

    Dr Karr scoffed, ¡°My Queen, you just healed, by yourself, from a poison that even a Lycan didn¡¯t survive

    from. You¡¯re in better shape than anyone can expect. The strength in your legs will return with enough

    rest and nourishment.¡±

    ¡°How did I do it though? How did I heal?¡± Lucianne asked the doctors.

    The two colleagues in whiteb coats nced at each other uneasily, and looked at her again as D r

    Karr sheepishly admitted, ¡°We were hoping that you could tell us that, my Queen.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as she sat back on the bed, much to Xandar¡¯s relief. He

    didn¡¯t want her moving around too much yet.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know, your Highness?¡± Dr Gina asked with eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. Lucianne shook

    her head. Dr Karr then asked, ¡°Do you remember anything when you were out, my Queen?¡±

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94

    Lucianne shook her head again before she said, ¡°No. Thest thing I remember was the pain spreading

    from my left calf. And the smell of the poison.¡±

    ¡°Smell?¡± Dr Karr asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Being a wolf, I¡¯ve nevere into contact with Oleander in any way. I¡¯ve read about them but I¡¯ve

    never studied their properties. Yesterday was the first time I got its scent. It smells terrible, doesn¡¯t it?

    What¡¯s it made of anyway? I know there must be mercury, salt and granite. But what¡¯s thest thing I¡¯m

    missing?¡±

    The doctors were lost for words for a moment before Dr Gina managed to say, ¡°Th-Thioacetone, my

    Queen. It¡¯s a substance powerful enough to induce nausea even in small amounts.¡±

    Lucianne nodded in understanding, ¡°Hm. Makes sense.¡±

    Dr Kart furrowed his eyebrows in concern, for more visit :- .noveljar ¡°My Queen, the amount of

    Thioacetone in it is so little that not even a Lycan can pick up the scent. And Oleander is odorless,

    scientifically speaking.¡±

    All eyes were fixed on Dr Karr, who was looking at Lucianne like she was some medical mystery.

    Lucianne sighed in despair andined to herself in a hushed tone, ¡°This again?! You¡¯ve got to be

    kidding me!¡± Despite her soft voice, everyone heard her.

    Xandar, who was already at her side, pecked a kiss on her cheek and said, ¡°Rx, sweetheart. It¡¯s a

    good thing. Another first.¡± He then exined that Lucianne was able to smell silver and some other

    substances that were known to be ¡®scientifically¡¯ odorless, and that she was the only wolf known to be

    able to heal from silver on her own.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    Juan then said, ¡°You never told me about smelling silver, Lucy.¡±

    Lucianne responded with a shrug, ¡°I thought everyone smelled it.¡±

    Toby then muttered under his breath, ¡°So that¡¯s why she always knew where those silver des were

    coming from.¡± He pondered before looking around the room at those Lucianne had shielded i n the past

    before dering, ¡°We are some lucky b*stards Lucy saved.¡±

    Lucianne felt Xandar¡¯s grip on her hand tightened, and she threw Toby a fierce look as she said,¡° You are

    going to get so badly hurt on the training ground for letting that slip twice.¡±

    Toby chuckled, ¡°Oh, this one was on purpose, Lucy. And like I said, I can¡¯t wait for that spar!¡± Lucianne

    looked at her best friend like there was something wrong with him.

    Dr Karr cleared his throat and asked in curiosity, ¡°So, apart from silver and Oleander, is there any other

    poison that you¡¯re able to heal from, my Queen? Tanicia, Lum¡­¡±

    Xandar growled at the insensitive way the doctor asked the question, making the poor man and his

    colleague flinch before they both bowed as a sign of apology. Lucianne turned to her mate and started

    stroking his hand as she said in a soft voice, ¡°Darling, it was just a question. It¡¯s alright. Breathe, okay?¡±

    His eyes were still fierce as he kissed her temple and ced her body on hisp, pinning her back to his

    chest as his arms secured across her shoulders and around her waist. Lucianne looked apologetically at

    the doctors, whom her mate just frightened, and said, ¡°Not that I know of, Dr Karr. It¡¯s just silver and

    Oleander now.¡± 2

    Xandar¡¯s grip tightened around her as he said in a low voice, ¡°And we¡¯ll keep it that way.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, of course, your Highness. I apologize for my insensitivity.¡± Dr Karr uttered nervously.

    Xandar nodded curtly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen again.for more visit :- .noveljar ¡± Lucianne

    hit him on his biceps with the back of her hand,pletely disapproving the homicidal tone he was using

    but he ignored her protest, pecking a kiss on her hairline instead.

    Dr Karr uttered with another bow, ¡°It won¡¯t, my King. We¡¯ll let you rest now, my Queen. Do let us know if

    you need anything.¡±

    Lucianne smiled at them sympathetically and said, ¡°Thank you, Dr Karr. Dr Gina.¡±

    .

    When the door closed, Lucianne turned to face her mate, ¡°Xandar, it wasn¡¯t a big deal!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was, Lucy.¡± Zelena said. ¡°He should¡¯ve been more careful when ites to asking such

    questions, especially with what just happened to youst night.¡±

    Xandar turned to her and said gratefully, ¡°Thank you, Luna Zelena.¡± His sights returned to his annoyed

    mate as he said, ¡°You don¡¯t know what it felt like to almost lose you, Lucy. You don¡¯t know how scared I

    was yesterday. How scared we all were. That question came outpletely wrong.¡±

    Lucianne was trying to understand Xandar¡¯s point when Juan added, ¡°They¡¯re right, Lucy. The doctor

    shouldn¡¯t have listed the poisons out like that. You¡¯re a person, not an experiment.¡±

    Lucianne tried to imagine how she would¡¯ve felt if a doctor had asked Xandar or any of her friends that

    question, and she understood immediately. Her body stiffened as she muttered under her breath, ¡°Huh. I

    think I get it now.¡±

    Toby then teased with a hand cupping the side of his ear, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lucy. What was that?¡± Lucianne

    threw him a yful re and the atmosphere in the room lightened up.

    Xandar¡¯s phone rang all of a sudden but his grip on Lucianne remained tight as he answered the call.

    ¡°Chief Dalloway?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, I am so sorry to bother you right now. But would it be possible for you or the Duke t o

    come to the station? A woman is confessing to have ordered a child to be killed. And it so happens that

    the child in question was shielded by the Queen.¡±

    ¡ª

    ¨C

    Due to the proximity between Lucianne¡¯s and Xandar¡¯s bodies, she could hear everything the caller was

    saying. Her widened cks orbs met Xandar¡¯s onyx eyes as the Chief continued, ¡°W-We don¡¯t know how

    much of it is true, my King. She happens to know the crime in great detail and her story makes sense.

    for more visit :- .noveljar But her demeanor is saying that she¡¯s being forced to confess. She

    denied confessing to protect someone else but we really can¡¯t be sure.¡±

    Xandar asked, ¡°How did she say the child was to be killed?¡±

    ¡°A knife coated with a lethal amount of Oleander, your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Who did she hire?¡±

    ¡°A man named Harrison Brown, now deceased. We did some research and found out that he was sent to

    the same hospital that the Queen was.¡±

    Lucianne was getting lost in thought as her hands rested on Xandar¡¯s chest. He continued to hold her

    firmly as he asked in a murderous tone, ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±

    ¡°Agnes Fitzgerald, my King.¡± Lucianne¡¯s confused eyes snapped to her mate¡¯s as she mind-linked, ¡®Wait,

    who?¡¯

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95

    Seeing that Lucianne needed nothing more than food and bed rest, the doctors discharged her before

    noon. Russell obediently went to kindergarten, leaving the hospital with Annie. Xandar, Christian and

    Lucianne grabbed a quick bite before they headed to the police station. 1

    Xandar only brought Lucianne because he didn¡¯t want to let her out of his sight. But he reminded

    Lucianne to use as little strength as possible when she was there, meaning no excessive mental

    gymnastics with whatever they were about to hear from Chief Dalloway.

    The Chief brought them to see Agnes Fitzgerald. They peered through the one-way mirror at the tear-

    strained, exhausted-looking woman. When Xandar asked why she chose to confess, Chief Dalloway said

    that she ¡®regretted ordering the murder¡¯ as soon as she found out what really happened.

    Lucianne asked in a soft voice, ¡°How did she know what happened? I doubt the hired killer was able to

    make a phone call to his employer before he passed out from the de in his buttocks. And there¡¯s

    nothing in the news saying that a child was involved. How does Agnes know that it was her contract that

    went sideways?¡±

    ¡°She said that she hired two people for the task, my Queen. One to kill; and one to drive the killer away

    after he¡¯dpleted his task.¡±

    Christian asked, ¡°Chief, are you saying that the second one got away?¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°That¡¯s what she is saying, your Grace.¡±

    Lucianne pressed the old man, ¡°But you don¡¯t believe her, do you, Chief?¡±

    He looked helplessly at the Queen, and sighed before he said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen criminals, your Highness. And I

    have to say, this woman doesn¡¯t exhibit any form of criminal behavior. The evidence fits but look at her,

    my Queen,¡± he gestured to the window and went on, ¡°She just looks tired and frightened.¡±

    Lucianne had to agree. It was like he said, Agnes was just exhausted and terrified. She didn¡¯t even look

    remorseful. Xandar then asked Chief Dalloway, ¡°What¡¯s her upation?¡±

    ¡°One of the two personal secretaries to the head of audit at the National Audit Department, my King.¡±

    ¡°Helena Tanner?¡± Xandar asked, and the Chief nodded but before Xandar could ask, Chief Dalloway

    said, ¡°She denied that she was coerced. She said she wasn¡¯t threatened by her employer, her husband,

    her family or anyone else.¡± 1

    ¡°She has a family?¡± Lucianne asked in surprise.

    Chief Dalloway didn¡¯t see a reason for her reaction so he simply answered, ¡°A mate and a toddler, my

    Queen.¡± 1

    Christian asked, ¡°What is her motive for the kill again, Chief?¡±

    ¡°She said it was a colleague rivalry, your Grace. She wanted her colleague¡¯s position for years now, and

    she has told the intended victim¡¯s mother to swap department positions with her countless times. But it

    seems her colleague refused.¡±

    The three of them exchanged knowing looks, knowing that the whole line o ning was utter rubbish. Ellia

    had been with Annie and Christian for days and they spoke very often. She shared the ups and downs of

    her work life there but she never mentioned such pestering or rivalry.

    Xandar was contemting on using his King¡¯s Authority but he just promised Lucianne that he will never

    use it on anyone innocent. And this woman in front of them seemed innocent. Suddenly, he felt a tug on

    his hand and he was sucked into tworge, ck orbs like they were ck holes.

    *Let me talk to her? Lucianne whispered.

    His lc eyes widened with panic and concern as he held her by her shoulders and said, ¡°No. Baby,

    you¡¯re supposed to be on bed rest. I wasn¡¯t even supposed to bring you here. And we agreed, n o mental

    gymnastics.¡± .

    ¡°No, we agreed to no ¡®excessive¡¯ mental gymnastics.¡± She said innocently, blinking those ck orbs at

    him.

    ¡°Sweetheart, no.¡± Xandar¡¯s voice was soft and pleading. Everyone there knew that he was going to lose

    soon. Xandar gave one final attempt when he said, ¡°You just woke up hours ago. You¡¯re still recovering.¡±

    Lucianne argued weakly, ¡°She¡¯s cuffed. I doubt she¡¯ll pose any danger. Talking to her won¡¯t require much

    strength. And the Chief will be there with me.¡±

    He held both her hands and suggested, ¡°Baby, Christian and I can talk to her. You can mind-link your

    questions when I¡¯m in there and I¡¯ll ask her. How about that?¡±

    Lucianne asked rhetorically, ¡°Do you think she would tell you anything differently from what she already

    told the Chief?¡± Everyone knew she wouldn¡¯t, not unless Xandar used the King¡¯s Authority, which felt

    very wrong to use at that moment.

    Lucianne continued to speak softly, ¡°She¡¯s scared, Xandar. Odds are, her family¡¯s safety is at stake. If we

    force her to open up, we¡¯ll only drive her further away. Let me talk to her.¡±

    He thought hard about it. She then mind-linked him, ¡®Unless you¡¯d rather use the King¡®s Authority to get

    the truth?

    Xandar looked at his mate in dismay and answered her question aloud, ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem right to use that

    in this case.¡± He sighed, and pondered on his predicament as he looked into her ck orbs, which was a

    guaranteed way of giving into his mate¡¯s demands. In the end, Xandar groaned and said, ¡°Ten minutes.

    Only ten minutes. That¡¯s how long we¡¯ll be in there with her.¡±

    ¡°We?¡± Lucianne asked.

    Xandar smirked, ¡°You didn¡¯t think I was going to let my Queen go in there without her King, did you?¡±

    Lucianne smiled radiantly, and pecked a kiss on his jawline before whispering, ¡°Thank you,

    my love.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s heart melted but he tried to remain stern with her. ¡°No over-exertion in there, my Queen, got it?¡±

    Lucianne nodded like a doting Queen who heeded to the orders of her King but Christian and Dalloway

    were fully aware of who the real winner was.

    Chief Dalloway held the door open for them, and Lucianne stepped in first, followed by Xandar behind

    her. Agnes straightened her back when the door opened, and she stiffened when she saw who walked

    in.

    She started crying as she pleaded, ¡°P-lease. I¡¯m sor-ry. I-I¡¯m sor-ry.¡±

    Lucianne got Xandar to stand on the side, and she approached the crying Agnes. She took the seat in

    front of her, studying Agnes¡¯s reaction. Lucianne then offered a small smile and started speaking in a

    calm voice, ¡°Agnes, what are you saying? What are you apologizing for?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s voice had somehow emitted a tranquil energy in the small room. Even Christian and

    Dalloway, who were both listening in through earphones, felt the change in the tense atmosphere inside.

    Agnes sobbed, and her voice was steadier when she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry f-for ordering a child to be killed.¡±

    Her voice cracked towards the end and she broke down again.

    Lucianne remained calm as she said, ¡°Agnes.¡± She called out to the woman but Agnes only hid her face

    and kept sobbing. So, Lucianne reached out for her cold hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as she

    called out her name again.

    Agnes was surprised by her touch, especially after what she had just said. Her eyes met Lucianne¡¯s

    comforting ck orbs, and the Queen was giving her a warm smile as she whispered, ¡°You didn¡¯t d o it,

    Agnes.¡±

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96

    Agnes was taken aback with what Lucianne just said but she stubbornly insisted, ¡°No, I did. It was me.

    Please. I¡¯ve always h-hated Ellia Morgan, a-and I wanted her j-job, a-and¡­¡±

    ¡°Who do you love most, Agnes?¡± Lucianne interrupted her with a seemingly-unrted question.

    Agnes was confused but seeing Lucianne¡¯s warm, encouraging smile, she nodded with uncertainty and

    uttered, ¡°M-My child, your Hi-Highness.¡±

    Lucianne smiled wider and leaned closer as she asked, ¡°A boy or a girl?¡±

    ¡°G-Girl.¡± She was still lost.

    ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±

    ¡°B-Bethany¡­ we call her Beth.¡±

    Only then did the men know what the Queen was doing. She was getting Agnes to trust her enough to

    open up. But Lucianne wasn¡¯t done yet, and she asked with interest, ¡°How old is she?¡±

    ¡°Four. Well, five next month, my Queen.¡± Agnes said, stuttering and fidgeting less than before.

    ¡°Is there anything in particr that Beth likes?¡± Lucianne asked, and when Agnes looked into her eyes,

    she saw no maniption, no hidden agenda. It looked like Lucianne was genuinely interested to know

    about her little girl.

    Agnes cleared her throat before she offered a small smile and said, ¡°Chocte, especially fondue.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so does my niece! We always got her chocte fondue instead of a cake for her birthdays.¡±

    Lucianne shared.

    Agnes was sucked into the conversation so she said, ¡°That¡¯s actually a good idea. Peter and I never

    thought of that. Probably time to do away with the cake tradition.¡± Lucianne chuckled lightly, encouraging

    Agnes to smile wider.

    Agnes suddenly remembered where she was and what she was doing. Lucianne caught her regaining

    awareness too so she reached for her hand again and said, ¡®Agnes, we know you didn¡¯t d o it. It¡¯s okay if

    you don¡¯t want to tell us who asked you to do it but I need you to tell me something.¡± This piqued Agnes¡¯s

    and everyone else¡¯s curiosity. Wasn¡¯t finding the culprit the whole point of questioning Agnes?

    Lucianne peered into the woman¡¯s lc eyes and asked in worry, ¡°Beth and Peter, are they safe?¡±

    Agnes¡¯s eyes widened and she was going to break down again but Lucianne leaned closer towards her

    and said with determined eyes, ¡°Agnes, tell us where they are. We can protect them. We¡®ve been looking

    after Ellia and the others for days. They¡¯re all safe. The three families are safe. We can offer you the

    same protection. But you have to let us help you. You don¡¯t have to tell us anything yet. But we need to

    know where your husband and child are.¡±

    Agnes was terrified and shocked at the same time, ¡°H-How did you¡­¡±

    Lucianne said sadly, ¡°Your colleagues were forced to do things they didn¡¯t want to do because they

    wanted to keep their families safe, too. Agnes, were you given a timeline to make this false confession?¡±

    Agnes blinked and furrowed her eyebrows as she uttered, ¡°Uh¡­. I have until three in the afternoon, she

    said. What time is it, by the way?¡± Everyone caught the word ¡®she¡¯, and the three of them knew exactly

    who they were after. 1

    Xandar¡¯s eyes zed over as he linked Christian, ¡®I want Helena Tanner arrested.¡¯

    ¡®On it, cuz.¡¯ Christian immediately conveyed Xandar¡¯s order to Chief Dalloway, and he disappeared into

    his office to assemble a team, give instructions and deploy them.

    Lucianne checked her phone and said, ¡°It¡¯s one in the afternoon. There¡¯s still time. Now, Peter and

    Beth¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Agnes willingly said, ¡°Peter is at work in Gauss Enterprises. Beth is in Pokey

    Oaks, about a ten-minute drive from Peter¡¯s ce. I didn¡¯t tell him about any of this.¡±

    Lucianne nodded in understanding, ¡°Okay, we¡®ll go get them.¡± She tumed to Xandar, who gave her a

    head nod as he linked, ¡®I¡¯ve just got Christian to send people to go get them, Lucy.¡¯

    When Lucianne¡¯s eyes cleared from Xandar¡¯s link, she looked at Agnes again and asked, ¡°Is there

    anything you need while you wait? Food? Or water?¡±

    Agnes shook her head and wrapped her arms around her body. She got lost in thought for a moment

    before she said in despair, ¡°I just¡­ really need them to be safe, you know?¡±

    Lucianne matched her despair as she whispered, ¡°We all do, Agnes. What¡¯s being done to you isn¡¯t

    right.¡±

    Agnes¡¯s eyes locked with hers again as she said, ¡°If you have Ellia and the others, it means that¡­ you

    already know who¡¯s doing this.¡±

    Lucianne gave a small smile and uttered, ¡°We have a good guess but until we hear it from you, Agnes,

    it¡¯s just a gue¡­¡±

    ¡°Helena Tanner.¡± Agnes said.

    Lucianne nodded sadly, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    For the next agonizing fifteen minutes, the room was in dead silence, with Agnes taking audible, anxious

    breaths from time to time. Then, Xandar¡¯s eyes zed over for a moment before a smile graced his

    features. He walked over to Lucianne and caressed her shoulders lovingly before turning to face Agnes

    as he said, ¡°We got them, Agnes. Your husband and daughter. They¡¯re on their way here.¡±

    Agnes let out a sigh of relief, and tears started flowing down her cheeks. The weight she had been

    carrying from the moment she was threatened is now easing. Lucianne held her hands before locking

    eyes with her. ¡°You did the right thing, Agnes. You saved your family.¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Another fifteen minutester, there was a knock on the door and Christian held it open before

    allowing Peter and Beth into the room. The couple embraced, and Agnes then wrapped her arms around

    the little girl who called out, ¡°Mommy!¡±

    Everyone else left the room, giving the family some privacy. Outside the interrogation room, Chief

    Dalloway had bad news. ¡°Tanner is not at her office. Our team at her house couldn¡¯t find her there either.

    We tried contacting her husband and sons but they seem to have vanished. Neither of them turned up

    for work, and no one has heard from them since yesterday.¡±

    Xandar then asked, ¡°Camera footage?¡±

    ¡°Those in their house have been disabled since this morning, my King.¡±

    ¡°Anything before that could be helpful?¡± Christian asked.

    ¡°Not that we know as of now, your Grace.¡±

    The cousins exchanged worried nces before Xandar asked, ¡°How is the progress with the rogue

    Lycan?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s being very cooperative, your Highness. But I don¡¯t know how much more he knows. There seems

    to be no end to his knowledge of everything you¡¯ve asked of him.¡±

    If the rogue Lycan could give them everything they needed to know about Wu Bi Corp, there was n o

    need to let the five people from Ellia¡¯s list roam free any longer. They had to be arrested and held behind

    bars before anyone else got hurt. Xandar looked at his mate, who was watching the family reunite

    without knowing what they were saying

    His hand reached for her waist and he linked her, ¡®We have the rogue now. We don¡¯t need to hold the

    arrest of those five for corruption any longer. We should detain them before anyone gets hurt.¡¯

    Lucianne didn¡¯t say anything. With a straight face, she gave a firm nod as her eyes continued to b e fixed

    on the family. Xandar got Christian to give the order. Dalloway, though stunned by the people he was

    asked to arrest, deployed his teams again.

    Xandar pecked a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s temple as he linked, ¡®What¡¯s on your mind, baby?¡¯

    She shook her head in dismay as she responded to his link, ¡®This happened because Tanner wasn¡¯t

    arrested earlier. Because I said that we shouldn¡¯t touch any of the five yet.¡¯ Despite her hardened

    expression, her glistening eyes betrayed how she was really feeling inside.

    ¡°Baby, hey,e here.¡± Xandar pressed her into his chest. Although he didn¡¯t hear her sobbing, he felt

    her tears on his shirt. His heart clenched, and he kissed her hairline before he uttered firmly,¡± None of

    this is your fault, Lucy. The n was to not touch the five to find the sixth party involved. We just found

    the rogue to get that information. We didn¡¯t know Tanner could be arrested earlier.¡±

    ¡®Someone could¡¯ve gotten hurt.¡¯

    He parted their bodies and cupped her cheeks, pulling her face up to meet his. As heartbreaking as it

    was to see his mate¡¯s red eyes and tears, he peered into those ck orbs he loved with his entire being

    and said firmly, ¡°But no one got hurt, Lucy. It was a possibility but it¡¯s not anymore. Look at them, they¡¯re

    safe. The danger they were in is now gone. Because you saved them. You got Agnes t o talk to us. Baby,

    the crook is Tanner. This is none of your fault. Please, don¡¯t me yourself, my

    little freesia. Don¡¯t you see they¡¯re only safe and relieved now because you got the truth out of her?¡± 2

    Christian was minding his own business on the side until he saw Lucianne¡¯s teary eyes, so he started

    listening to what his cousin was saying to the Queen. When he realized that she was ming herself for

    Tanner¡¯s threat, he mmed his forehead against the wall at her absurdity. 1

    ¡°Christian, are you okay?¡± Lucianne asked in a hoarse voice when she heard the loud thud from the

    impact

    Christian groaned softly. He rubbed his forehead for a moment and said, ¡°My Queen, I¡¯m not the one who

    shielded a child from Oleander, went unconscious for hours, was close to death, woke up drained, and

    then got the truth out of a victim who was stubbornly confessing to a crime she didn¡¯tmit to protect

    her family. I think I¡¯m quite fine.¡±

    Lucianne wasn¡¯t expecting that kind of answer and she didn¡¯t have a response. Xandar lifted her chin

    and said, ¡°You¡¯re more, Lucy. Much more.¡±

    She smiled at him gratefully before leaning into his chest. His arms wrapped protectively around her

    small body as she took in his scent to calm herself.

    ¡®How are you feeling, baby? Any dizziness or headaches?¡¯

    ¡®No. Just sleepy.¡¯

    Xandar chuckled lightly and said, ¡°We should head back to your ce then.¡± She nodded with a small

    smile.

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97

    When they reached the hotel, Xandar apanied Lucianne until she was in her room before he felt at

    ease. After gently lifting her chin up, he kissed her briefly on her lips before he asked nervously in a

    hushed voice, ¡°Can I sleep here from now on?¡± 3

    Lucianne was surprised, even a little shocked. But given how everybody was indicating that she almost

    died the previous night, she understood where Xandar wasing from. The corner of her lips curled

    up, and she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek as she whispered, ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s tense posture rxed, and a smile reced his anxious expression. He pecked a kiss on her

    forehead before he uttered, ¡°I¡¯m going back to get a few things. I won¡¯t be long, I promise. You get ready

    for bed, okay?¡±

    Lucianne nodded dotingly. After another brief peck on her cheek, Xandar left her room to head back to

    his vi, where he was going to meet his contractor. For once, his animal was actually happy to leave

    Lucianne¡¯s room, clearly because he wasn¡¯t going for that long.

    The contractor was already waiting for him when he reached home. Xandar brought the man to the part

    of the house that he thought could fit the renovation for what he had in mind.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    After a forty-five-minute discussion, Xandar finalized theyout, colors and pricing. The contractor said

    he and his employees only needed about a week to get the project done. After seeing him off, Xandar

    went to his room to pack a few clothes and grabbed a few files he may need and put them in his car

    before speeding back to the hotel.

    When he was outside Lucianne¡¯s room, his Lycan hearing could pick-up that their mate was already

    asleep from the slow rhythm of her breathing. He thanked Goddess that Lucianne had given him the

    keycard to the door before he left. He cringed a little when the door beeped, and prayed he didn¡¯t wake

    Lucianne up. Very quietly, he opened the door and entered. What he didn¡¯t expect was to see some of

    the lights still switched on.

    He strode quickly and quietly to the bed, and found Lucianne sleeping in an upright position, her head

    leaning against the headrest with her eyes closed and a book on herp. Xandar shook his head and

    chuckled to himself as he muttered under his breath, ¡°Unbelievably amazing.¡±

    Very gently, he lifted up the book from herp and closed it before setting it on her nightstand. Then, very

    cautiously, he reached for her body with the intention of putting her under the sheets. Upon feeling his

    touch, Lucianne¡¯s eyes snapped open and she took in a sharp breath.

    Xandar cooed in a hushed voice, ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby. It¡¯s just me. Let¡¯s get you under the covers.¡±

    After tucking her in, she asked Xandar with sleepy eyes, ¡°Can you lie here next to me?¡±

    Both him and his animal were unquestionably surprised at her request. Xandar was happy enough to be

    able to sleep on her couch every night. He took a good two seconds before he pecked a kiss o n her

    earlobe and whispered, ¡°Anything for you, Lucy. Let me change first, okay? I won¡¯t take long.¡±

    Lucianne let out a sleepy moan to indicate that she heard him. ¡®Adorable¡¯, Xandar thought to himself as

    his animal cooed in tenderness.

    After setting his backpack on the couch and changing into fresh clothes, he turned off the rest of the

    lights before slipping under the covers facing his mate¡¯s back. One arm went around her waist and the

    other reached for her hand that was on the pillow slightly above her head.

    When Lucianne felt Xandar¡¯s touch, she awakened briefly and turned her body to face him before

    scooching into him, snuggling deeper into his chest. As soon as she feltfortable in his warm

    embrace, she fell back into deep sleep.

    A stream of happy tears trailed down Xandar¡¯s face at this point. He still couldn¡¯t fathom how he got so

    lucky to have been bonded to Lucianne, who was now willingly making her ce in his arms. ¡®Thank you,

    Moon Goddess¡¯, was all he could utter at that moment. He listened to her steady breaths and kissed her

    hair before muttering, ¡°I love you, my little freesia. Always and forever.¡± Xandar then, too, fell into deep

    sleep. 2

    Xandar woke up a few hourster when he felt Lucianne¡¯s body escaping his arms. Instinctively, h e

    tightened his grip around her small body. Lucianne¡¯s annoyed voice then rang through his ears,¡± Xandar,

    let me go! I have to pee!¡±

    Xandar groaned in frustration with his eyes closed and muttered, ¡°Just do it on the bed, Lucy. I

    won¡¯t judge.¡± 5

    ¡°Xandar, the toilet is just ten steps away! Let me go!¡±

    He groaned again before releasing her, andy on his back as he listened to her quickened footsteps

    speeding towards the bathroom. The door closed with a slightly aggressive thud after she went in. He

    and his animal were still drowsy, and it took Xandar a moment more to get out of bed for a little stretch.

    That sleep was as satisfying as the one he had after the Jewel Pack incident. Lucianne¡¯s scent and her

    very presence always calmed the negative emotions lingering in his being, making it easier for him to

    doze off.

    When he heard the familiar sound of a flushing toilet and water flowing from the sink, he approached the

    bathroom door and waited for his mate to emerge. When Lucianne came out, Xandar scooped her up

    without warning, making Lucianne gasp in shock as he carried her to the couch.

    Xandar ced her on hisp like he always did. After pecking a few kisses on her face and admiring her

    blushed cheeks, Xandar buried his nose in her hair as he asked, ¡°How are you feeling, baby?¡±

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98

    ¡°Better. My legs feel stronger. I might even be able to start training again tomorrow.¡± Lucianne said

    optimistically.

    Xandar¡¯s eyes widened in worry, and he locked gaze with her as he said firmly, ¡°Lucy, the doctors told

    you to take things slow. Please don¡¯t push yourself. It¡¯s okay to take a few days off, especially after what

    just happened. Baby, it¡¯s okay to put yourself first sometimes.¡±

    Lucianne leaned her head into his chest while lifting her legs up one at a time to test their strengths

    again before she uttered, ¡°I should be alright by tomorrow. If I¡¯m not, I¡¯ll just watch them train.¡± Xandar

    sighed with relief before pecking another kiss on her temple.

    She gave him a shy smile as she said, ¡°Thank you for lying with me while I slept.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s flirtatious gaze met her ck orbs as he uttered in his deep voice, ¡°Babe, if you think I only did

    it because you asked me to, then I must disappoint you. I have wanted to lie next to you since the night

    we met.¡±

    He kissed her nose before continuing, ¡°This mate of yours isn¡¯t as selfless as you think, my little

    freesiafor more visit :- .noveljar. I don¡¯t deserve to be thanked, considering that I did it for

    myself too. And as expected¡­¡± he pulled her body closer and said, ¡°I sleep better when I¡¯m with you.¡±

    Moved by his words, Lucianne pecked a kiss on his lips only to be trapped in a deep kiss by her yearning

    mate. Xandar¡¯s tongue demanded ess, and Lucianne dly obliged with a soft moan.¡¯ That was the

    cute moan¡¯, Xandar thought, and he and his animal started getting aroused as they waited for the louder

    ¡®sexy moan¡¯ from their mate.

    Xandar didn¡¯t have to wait long. Within seconds of the assault of his lips and tongue, along with his hand

    squeezing along Lucianne¡¯s leg up to her thigh, she let out a second moan ¨C the sexy one, which sent

    Xandar¡¯s animal to the edge. The smell of his arousal filled the room, and he started kissing her neck

    when she ran out of air.

    Lucianne tilted her head to the side to give Xandar more ess, not at all worried about his long,

    hardened manhood pressing against her buttocks. She closed her eyes to savor the blissful moment.

    Her fingers were in his hair, and she clung onto his thick locks as he sucked on the skin of her neck and

    corbone.

    Every time Xandar sucked her skin deeply, Lucianne let out a moan as she pulled his locks. This made

    Xandar emit a low, appreciative growl. The sound was dangerous yet alluring, making Lucianne even

    more aroused.

    Xandar¡¯s teasing squeezes on her thighs and kisses built up a pleasurable ache in her lower abdomen,

    and she felt his lips on her neck curl into a smirk when his fingers reached the wet area of her shorts.

    Unlike thest time, he didn¡¯t pull away to tease her. Instead, he sucked on her neck harder as he linked,

    ¡®Moan, baby. Moan.¡¯

    His husky voice was enough to increase the wetness in her shorts as she let out an even louder moan.

    Xandar was ecstatic, and his manhood got even harder than it already was. He gave a

    gentle squeeze on the cheek of her butt as his lips traced her jawline, and Lucianne moaned in ecstasy

    and whispered his name.

    Xandar¡¯s lips moved to her ear. ¡°That¡¯s it, baby. Moannn. Let me hear you moannn.for more visit :-

    .noveljar¡± His voice and choice of words made her arousing scent rival Xandar¡¯s.

    Lucianne¡¯s arousal was so strong that Xandar¡¯s eyes turned onyx with lust. The animal part of him was

    demanding control, and Xandar knew he had to stop before things got out of hand. Slowly, he stopped

    his assault on her thighs and buttocks. He then turned the lustful sucking on Lucianne¡¯s neck to gentle,

    affectionate butterfly kisses.

    When he reluctantly removed his face from her neck, their eyes locked. Lucianne pecked a kiss on his

    cheek as she whispered gratefully, ¡°Thank you, for restraining yourself.¡±

    Xandar scoffed and kissed the back of her hand before saying, ¡°Lucy, this is not something you need to

    thank me for. No one should force you against your will. I¡¯m your mate. I¡¯m the first person who needs to

    honour your wishes.¡± 1

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes glistened in tears,pletely touched, and she leaned in to kiss his jaw before

    whispering, ¡°I love you, my acacia.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s animal, which was initially angered that his human part stopped the make-out session,

    suddenly melted in bliss at Lucianne¡¯s words. He then pecked a kiss on her nose before dering,¡° I love

    you too, my little freesia. Always and forever.¡±

    His lc eyes of anticipation fixed on his beautifully-flustered mate as she whispered,for more visit :-

    .noveljar ¡°I know.

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    Thank you.¡±

    Buzzzz.

    Lucianne reached for her phone on the side table as Xandar closed his eyes and ran his fingers through

    her hair while taking in her scent. Lucianne unlocked her phone and opened up the message she just

    received. Her body stiffened, making Xandar¡¯s sight shift to her screen for a mere second before

    Lucianne received an iing call from ¡®Clement, Alpha¡¯.

    She swiped to answer without hesitation and put him on speaker as she continued looking at the photo

    the Alpha just sent to her. ¡°Alpha Clement.¡± Lucianne acknowledged the caller. Her voice was serious

    and worried, aplete change of demeanor from a few seconds ago.

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99

    There was a sigh from the Alpha¡¯s end of the line before he said, ¡°Lucy, for the infinite time, it¡¯s just

    Clement to you. I swear, if you call me by my title again, I¡¯m going to start calling you ¡®Your Highness¡¯.¡±

    Xandar instinctively held Lucianne tighter when jealousy crept into his being at how the Alpha sounded

    more flirtatious than irritated.

    ¡°Clement, get serious! When was this taken?¡± Lucianne eximed with zero humour. A steady inferno

    started building in Xandar¡¯s chest at how close they seemed to be that the Alpha insisted Lucianne only

    called him by his name. And this Alpha wasn¡¯t even a part of the alliance. Just how many men were after

    his mate anyway?!

    Alpha Clement began speaking, ¡°First of all, it¡¯s good to hear that you¡¯re okay. Second,¡± He matched her

    serious tone as he said, ¡°this photo was taken only a minute ago. I forwarded it to you as soon as my

    Beta sent it to me. We should be worried, right?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes never left the photo showing severalrge footprints, which could only belong to Lycans.

    Her voice was calm when she asked, ¡°Do these lead anywhere?¡±

    Clement¡¯s reply was immediate, ¡°The tracks stopped at the river. They must¡¯ve crossed it, shifted back to

    their human form and disappeared into that thick forest behind our pack. Our warriors are awaiting

    instructions but I told them I¡¯ll ask you first. Should we be worried, Lucy?¡±

    Lucianne bit her bottom lip before she spoke reluctantly, ¡°We should all be, Clement. I¡¯m d that i t was

    just the footprints they found and not the creatures themselves but I can¡¯t help but wonder what they

    were doing there.¡±

    ¡°Beats me. I¡¯m all the way over here. If they came to kill me, they must¡¯ve been disappointed.¡±

    ¡°This location is too far from the pack house to know you¡¯re not there though.¡± Lucianne uttered and

    pondered for a moment before she said, ¡°Clement, you might wanna ask Beta Nina to tighten security

    around your pack border. Get the families to lock themselves in their panic rooms from midnight until

    daylight for the next ten days. ce a few more warriors up in trees to look-out for iing attacks.

    Blue Crescent should be able to spare a few warriors. Link Juan to get our people to help. Ask for seven

    of them, if possible.¡±

    ¡°Yup, I¡¯ll do that.¡± Clement said before he chuckled lightly.

    Lucianne looked at her phone in annoyance as Xandar¡¯s grip around her abdomen tightened even

    further. ¡°Clement, this is real right? It¡¯s not a joke, is it?¡±

    Although his chuckles died down as he said, ¡°It is real, Lucy. I wasn¡¯tughing because of that. Believe

    me, I¡¯m worried too. But¡­¡± his tone came out flirtatious when he continued, ¡°¡­when I hear you speak

    like that, it just reminds me of the times when we trained and fought together.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes and said, ¡°When I bark out orders, you mean?¡± Alpha Clement chuckled lightly

    again at the memory they shared.

    When Xandar and his animal had finally had had enough of it, Xandar¡¯s deep voice joined the

    conversation, ¡°When you bark out orders with grace, authority and rity was probably what he meant,

    my love.¡± He emphasized the words ¡®my love¡¯ just to satisfy himself.

    Although Xandar¡¯s words were spoken to Lucianne, the two men knew it was directed at Alpha Clement,

    for him to stop speaking to his mate in that coy manner. Alpha Clement¡¯s stream of chuckles came to a

    sudden stop when he heard Xandar¡¯s cold voice.

    The Alpha swallowed a lump in his throat before he greeted His Royal Highness with as much courage

    as he could muster, ¡°My King, I apologize for thete acknowledgment. I didn¡¯t know you were there.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m here, Alpha Clement.¡± Xandar then smooched Lucianne on her cheek on purpose, hoping that

    the Alpha could hear the contact his lips made with his mate¡¯s skin. Xandar then said as diplomatically as

    he could, ¡°And if you¡¯ll allow it, Alpha Clement, I can send three of our warriorst o stand guard.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lucianne¡¯s eyes sparkled, soothing some of Xandar¡¯s anger.

    ¡°Oh no, your Highness. We couldn¡¯t¡­¡± Clement¡¯s apologetic voice rang through.

    ¡°I insist.¡± Xandar said before taking a whiff from Lucianne¡¯s hair and running his fingers through herrge

    curls. He gently ced his mate¡¯s long hair to one side before gluing his nose to her nape to take in her

    scent, calming himself from the anger of hearing the Alpha¡¯s voice. 1

    Lucianne then said, ¡°Clement, just take it. If the threat is Lycans, it¡¯s safer to have Lycans on your side.

    Besides, you¡¯ve met some of them on the training ground, they¡¯re not all bad.¡±

    There was a short moment of silence as the Alpha weighed his options before he said, ¡°If you say s o,

    Lucy. I trust your judgment. And thank you for the offer, your Highness. The Forest Gloom Pack thanks

    you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to help, Alpha Clement.¡± Xandar said out of courtesy more than sincerity. His nose moved

    onto his mate¡¯s arm, and he started nuzzling Lucianne¡¯s scar while he waited for the stupid phone call to

    end. With immense difficulty, Lucianne held back her giggles threatening to escape from her throat.

    ¡°Thanks again, Lucy. I¡¯ll link Juan now. Take care.¡±

    ¡°You too, Clement.¡±

    As soon as she hung up, Xandar¡¯s hand went to Lucianne¡¯s nape and he pulled her into a deep kiss

    before parting their lips. He then asked in a voice that didn¡¯t even bother to mask the jealousy he

    felt, ¡°Who is Alpha Clement?¡±.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    Lucianne¡¯s thumb traced one of his furrowed brows as she answered, ¡°The leader of the Forest Gloom

    Pack and one of Blue Crescent¡¯s allies.¡±

    His features softened not by her answer but by her touch on his face. ¡°He seemed a little too friendly for

    an ally, baby.¡±

    Her hand cupped his cheek and her thumb started stroking the skin there as she tried to assure

    him, ¡°He¡¯s friendly with everyone, darling.¡±

    ¡°How did you two meet?¡± Xandar asked.

    ¡°Juan¡¯s 18th birthday party. He and his family were one of our guests.¡±

    ¡°Did he speak to you at the party?¡± He continued to press.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Xandar held her hand that was on his cheek and asked, ¡°How long did you both speak?¡±

    Lucianne shrugged, ¡°An hour or so, I guess.¡±

    An hour. Xandar noted the whole list of things they would have spoken about in the length of time. ¡°What

    did you two talk about?¡±

    ¡°Pack life. His family. He hates his siblings, by the way. And that¡¯s about it.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s orbs started developing onyx shades again at those sort of intimate, personal questions being

    asked before he uttered murderously, ¡°Did he touch you during the conversation?¡±

    Lucianne continued to trace his eyebrows, in hopes of soothing him as she said, ¡°Only when we danced,

    Xandar. No-¡±

    ¡°Where did he touch you?¡± His grip on her tightened.

    She started stroking his cheeks as she said, ¡°My hand and my waist, like any normal dance. It was just a

    diplomatic thing, dearest. It wasn¡¯t intimate.¡±

    Confusion sparked in Xandar. ¡°Care to exin that, my love?¡± He was hoping that by using thosest

    two words, it would take out a little of the aggression from the way he asked the question.

    She shrugged like it wasn¡¯t a big deal as she exined, ¡°Histe parents were good friends and allies of

    Blue Crescent. The whole family came because Alpha Clement¡¯s parents were stepping down as pack

    leaders in the following year to let their first son, Alpha Jake, take over.¡±

    Suddenly, Lucianne snuggled into Xandar¡¯s chest, which made him and his animal confused. But h e

    held her nheless. What the h*ll happened? Why does it feel like she wants to hide from something?

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100

    In Xandar¡¯s chest, Lucianne continued her tale in a small voice, ¡°Alpha Jake was bad news from the very

    start. Everyone saw it, except his parents. There was this negative energy that you can feel whenever

    his presence was close by.¡±

    She sighed before saying, ¡°He asked me for a dance but I said no. Luna Janice, being the cordial one in

    the pack house, told me that as children of pack leaders, we had to oblige simple gestures to keep the

    peace with our allies. She said that just because I was adopted, it didn¡¯t make me any different. I was

    mad at her for pressing me like that but I was also driven by a sense of duty to my pack. So, I mentally

    prepared myself to oblige Alpha Jake¡¯s request if he asked again, which he didn¡¯t, thank Goddess. But

    his brother, Clement, did. As I told myself that I was doing it for my pack, I obliged. Clement is definitely

    not like his brother. The two couldn¡¯t be more different.¡±

    Xandar finally understood why she buried herself in his chest. Alpha Jake. That was definitely a name

    Xandar would never think of forgetting. He held her tighter as a form of assurance before muttering in

    controlled anger, ¡°I can¡¯t believe Juan¡¯s mother made you do that. You should never have to do

    something against your wishes, Lucy.¡±

    She took in hisforting scent before she said, ¡°That was what Alpha Ken and Juan said. Well, what

    they yelled, to be more precise. The father and son threw a fit for two hours after the party when they

    found out what Luna Janice said to me. Their outburst definitely made me feel better. A t least I knew

    that a sense of duty to Blue Crescent didn¡¯t mean saying yes to things that made me ufortable.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s mood eased considerably, and he kissed her temple as he said, ¡°I would love to meet Alpha

    Ken one day. I need to thank him for this.¡± He took in a whiff from her neck before something struck him:

    If Jake was the Alpha, why was Alpha Clement¡­the Alpha? Is this a new pack system that he didn¡¯t

    know about? Can a pack even be run by two Alphas?

    He pulled away from his mate to lock eyes with her, and he asked in confusion, ¡°Baby, why does Forest

    Gloom have two Alphas?¡±

    Her eyebrows furrowed as she replied, ¡°They don¡¯t. Alpha Jake was only there for a few years before

    Clement challenged him for the pack and seeded. Jake and their other sibling, Iris, were cast out as

    rogues.¡±

    Xandar blinked in surprise and Lucianne chuckled at his reaction. She started the tale from the very

    beginning, ¡°Forest Gloom was always our ally until Alpha Jake took the title. Most packs, including Blue

    Crescent, started avoiding it. Many packs cut ties with them with no remorse. Clement was the youngest

    in his family of three so the chance of him taking on that title was close to nil. But Jake was one of the

    most ruthless leaders we¡¯ve heard of. Their sister, Iris, was no better than Jake, using her brother¡¯s

    position to force men in her pack to sleep with her.¡±

    She paused when she met Xandar¡¯s disgusted look. Lucianne then said, ¡°At least Greg¡¯s intercourses

    with those different women every night was consensual. Anyway, back to Forest Gloom. So, uh¡­a few

    of their own pack members started leaving and moving into packs where they have friends or family

    members to take them in. Many didn¡¯t have this alternative. So, they

    went to Clement in secret, asking him to challenge Jake for the title. Clement was very pessimistic about

    it. But then, he heard that Juan had be our Alpha, and he heard how Juan was challenging ruthless

    Alphas for their packs.¡±

    A smile graced Lucianne¡¯s features as she continued, ¡°Alpha Clement snuck out of his pack one day and

    came to us. I was there when he presented his case to Juan, Hale and Beta Preston. He pleaded with

    Juan to challenge his brother. After we mind-linked between ourselves, we offered him a different

    solution, that we trained him to take down his own brother and im his pack instead.¡±

    She chuckled lightly before she said, ¡°Darling, you should¡¯ve seen him. He was as white as a ghost! We

    could feel his fear in Juan¡¯s office.¡± She took a moment to steady herself before she uttered,¡± Alpha

    Clement wasn¡¯t scared to die. He was scared to let his people down by dying. Juan offered him a space

    to train with us¡­¡±

    ¡°With you.¡± Xandar said as he held her tighter.

    Lucianne rolled her eyes before she concurred, ¡°With me. He uh¡­he said we were wasting our time

    because he felt that the only way to take down an Alpha is by asking another Alpha to do it.¡±

    Xandar scoffed as he said, ¡°Looks like you proved him wrong, my feisty little freesia.¡±

    Lucianne blushed at the way her mate called her before she resumed her story, ¡°Blue Crescent had no

    intention to show off but to prove Alpha Clement wrong, and to give him hope, I had to spar Juan and

    Preston at the same time just to show him that there¡¯s no need for an Alpha to take down an Alpha. After

    our spar¡­¡±

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°After you beat Juan and Preston.¡±

    ¡°Xandar, you don¡¯t have to keep saying things like that to keep me flustered. It¡¯s really hard to focus on

    the storyline when you do that.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­your facts weren¡¯t very clear so I had to fill in the nks. Go on, my love.¡± He said as his nose

    nuzzled her scar again.

    ¡°Darling, no. It tickles!¡± Lucianne was already starting to giggle at the sensation.

    Xandar groaned and said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll just smell your hair then.¡± After greedily taking a whiff, he prompted

    Lucianne, ¡°So, what happened after you beat them both at once, my love?¡±

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101

    Lucianne tried to stay focused while Xandar took in her scent so intimately, and said, ¡°Alpha Clement¡­

    definitely didn¡¯t try to mask his shock.¡± Xandar tookfort in the fact that Lucianne referred to the Alpha

    by his title. It meant that she kept her distance from him, which was good enough for now.

    Lucianne continued, ¡°For the few weeks after that, he trained with us. His partner was always Juan. Juan

    even clocked in more training hours just to get Clement prepared as quickly as possible. When he could

    beat Juan three days in a row, he went home and challenged his brother. And he won when Jake

    surrendered. Jake took Iris and a few of their friends with them. They were cast out as rogues, never to

    return. We haven¡¯t seen or heard from them ever since.¡±

    He buried his nose in her hair, taking in her scent to calm his anxiety and insecurity before he asked,

    ¡°Did you like him?¡±

    ¡°Clement? Well, he¡¯s nice but¡­¡± before Lucianne could finish, Xandar¡¯s Lycan emitted a low, murderous

    growl.

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    Lucianne looked up at him and was met with his angered onyx eyes. With a soft gaze, her small hands

    traced up his hard chest to his neck before going up to his jaw and chin. She then started to gently and

    slowly stroke his cheek and traced the features on his face.

    His bushy eyebrows; his broad forehead; his well-defined nose; his lips. Xandar¡¯s animal emitted a n

    appreciative growl as the sparks from Lucianne¡¯s touch calmed its being. The onyx shades were

    diminishing as he took in the sight of his beautiful mate seated on hisp, with his arms fastened around

    her small body. Her soft gaze quieted the bubbling volcano in him. And his animal purred i n bliss as

    Lucianne¡¯s hand made its way to Xandar¡¯s thick hair.

    With a small smile, she leaned in and pecked a kiss on his lips. Lucianne then pressed her forehead

    gently on his as she whispered, ¡°I¡¯m with you, my indecent beast. Only you.¡± She was saying those

    words more to his animal than to Xandar himself.

    Xandar rxed a little. Only a little. His lips moved to her jaw and traced her skin up to her ear where he

    muttered in his deep, husky voice, ¡°Should I know anything else about Clement?¡± The hateful way he

    said the Alpha¡¯s name did not go unnoticed.

    Lucianne chose her next words carefully, ¡°I doubt so, darling. Apart from coborating as allies, we never

    kept in touch.¡± 1

    That was good news for the King. ¡°Does he have a mate?¡±

    ¡°He did.¡± Lucianne responded in a whisper.

    Xandar¡¯s head moved away from her neck, and he locked eyes with her when he questioned, ¡°Did?¡±

    Lucianne nodded sadly. ¡°His bonded mate was the former Beta¡¯s daughter. They were engaged but two

    days before the wedding, Alpha Clement received an anonymous heap of evidence in an envelope,

    showing that his mate cheated on him with someone from another pack while they were together. So, he

    rejected her and was left heartbroken for quite some time.¡±

    ¡°You two seem to have something inmon.¡± Xandar said in a dissatisfied tone. 2

    Lucianne rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t discredit me, Xandar. He went through one rejection. I have five of those

    under my belt. And what is it with you? I was never intimate with Alpha Clement. We have only ever been

    friends. Honestly, my King, why are you making a big deal out of this? You don¡¯t see me getting angered

    over your intimate past.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t have one, Lucy.¡± Xandar said firmly.

    Lucianne snorted in disbelief. ¡°You expect me to believe that in your one hundred and seventy eight

    years as Prince and as King that you were never intimate with any other female? That your first

    experience of intimate love is with me? You expect me to believe that you¡¯re a virgin, Xandar?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Xandar affirmed his assertion, his eyes peered into Lucianne¡¯s doubtful ck orbs like he was

    asking her to believe him. 1

    ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Lucianne averted her eyes because she felt a slight difort in her chest. Just the

    thought of Xandar choosing someone else was capable of breaking her into pieces. She knew that he

    was never intimate with Kelissa Kylton but that didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t anyone else before her.

    Many Alphas have numerous sexual partners before finding their mate. Xandar was the King! There was

    no way he hadn¡¯t already slept with a long line of women before meeting her. Sure, there wasn¡¯t any

    intimacy but that didn¡¯t mean that there wasn¡¯t any casual sex from time to time.

    Lucianne didn¡¯t know but she bit her bottom lip as her arm slowly went across her chest, like she was

    shielding her heart.

    Any remaining jealousy and anger in Xandar vapourized in an instant when he watched her demeanor

    change. It was painful seeing her arm going across her chest like that. He was thest person who

    wanted to break her heart, and his Lycan sighed in regret in his head before it made his human part hold

    her closer. Very cautiously, he removed her hand guarding her heart and nted a deep, assuring kiss

    on her temple before guiding her head to lean against his chest.

    With his other hand, he dialed Christian¡¯s number and waited. Lucianne didn¡¯t know who Xandar was

    calling. She just assumed it was something about the government or the rogue Lycan. After two rings,

    Christian¡¯s voice came through the other end of the line, ¡°What¡¯s up, cuz? And why didn¡¯t you just mind-

    link me?¡± Lucianne had a ¡®what are you doing?¡¯ look when she faced Xandar.

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102

    With a cheeky glint in his eye, Xandar said, ¡°You¡¯ll know soon. And remind me, Christian. How many

    women have I been with before our Queen?¡± 2

    Lucianne flinched a little away from Xandar at the words ¡®how many women¡¯. But Xandar¡¯s arm reached

    out to trap her body and pressed it back into his, his clear lc eyes locked with her anxious ck ones.

    Christian took a moment before responding, ¡°Is this a trick question? Cuz, when have you ever¡­¡± h e

    paused, and his voice took a teasing twist when he said, ¡°Oh, wait. I think I get it now.¡±

    Lucianne was flustering in embarrassment. Even so, she took the liberty to utter a not-so confident ¡°Hey,

    Christian¡± through the line.

    Christian chuckled before he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t believe that you¡¯re my cousin¡¯s first and only love now, did you,

    my Queen?for more visit :- .noveljar¡± Xandar was smirking cockily at his mate as he held his

    phone.

    Lucianne braved through the embarrassment as she said, ¡°In my defence, it¡¯s unbelievable, for the both

    of you, in fact. Being who you guys are.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah. Kings and Dukes do get a lot of offers.¡± Christian said. ¡°But it was all rather a turn-off if you

    asked us.¡±

    This piqued Lucianne¡¯s curiosity. She leaned into Xandar¡¯s phone as she asked, ¡°What? Why?¡± Xandar

    had already started running his fingers through her luscious curls at this point, feeling the softness in her

    hair that always softened his heart.

    Christian then said, ¡°Think about it, my Queen. If you were born into some high position and you get all

    these offers, would you be convinced that they¡¯re there for who you are and not what you

    are?¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes at the question. ¡°Of course not. But that¡¯s me!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s us too, Lucy!¡± Xandar eximed firmly. His desperate lc eyes locked with her ck orbs, begging

    her to believe him. His hand in her hair had stopped moving as his entire being focused o n assuring her

    that he was never intimate with anyone before her.

    There was a moment of silence before Christian¡¯s cheeky voice rang through, ¡°Cuz, chill. Annie didn¡¯t

    believe me when we had this talk either. And let me remind you, Greg was feeding her with lies back

    then. You¡¯re having it way easier than I did.¡±

    Lucianne rxed a little when she heard that Annie was in the same boat as her years ago. Xandar then

    retorted his cousin, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that, Christian.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in fear, and there was a cheeky glint in Xandar¡¯s eye again before he

    continued, ¡°Do you have any idea how many men she has attracted¡­.¡±

    ¡°No! That¡¯s enough. Give me that.¡± Lucianne cut Xandar off mid-sentence as she tried to reach for his

    phone. He swiftly held it away from her, and she started climbing on his body just to reach for i tas

    Christian¡¯s uncontroble chuckles rang through loudly from the other end of the line,

    When she was close enough, Xandar dropped his phone in his other hand and his free hand held his

    frantic mate by her hips. Her embarrassed but fierce eyes locked with his amusing ones before Christian

    finally stopped hisughter and said, ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised, cuz. She¡¯s still attracting them anyway.

    Maybe it¡¯s a tie between us. We both have it equally hard with love. I had Greg and Annie¡¯s colleagues.

    And you have¡­well, every mateless creature.¡± And he continuedughing.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Lucianne shouted from a distance of the phone.

    ¡°My Queen, just because you don¡¯t see it, it doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t true. So uh, cuz, how many men was it

    again?for more visit :- .noveljar¡± Although the question was directed at Xandar, the three of

    them knew that it was to tease Lucianne.

    Lucianne started reaching for the phone again but Xandar locked her body in his embrace as he said, ¡°I

    don¡¯t know. I¡¯m still counting.¡±

    Then something hit Lucianne, ¡°I wasn¡¯t intimate with whoever you have in your head, Xandar. If we¡¯re

    talking about attraction, then let¡¯s start counting yours. Between us, I already know who¡¯s going to have

    the higher number.¡±

    Christian¡¯s contemtive voice rang through, ¡°Oh, this is gonna be tough. Do we have to bet? I honestly

    don¡¯t know which one of you will win.¡±

    Lucianne looked at the phone in frustration as she would Christian if he were in the room.¡° Christian. The

    King or the Gamma. Which do you think?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ gosh, this is hard.¡± Christian continued to ponder in seriousness before he said, ¡°The Queen!

    That¡¯s the answer! I knew that was a trick question!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a trick q-¡± Lucianne¡¯s protest was silenced by a sweet peck on her lips, which sent a course of

    pleasurable sparks into her being, calming her irritation and annoyance.

    Christian then said, ¡°Cuz, why are you fussing over this again? It¡¯s not like she had a boyfriend when she

    met you like Annie did when I met her.¡± Lucianne smirked victoriously at Xandar.

    Xandar sighed in frustration, ¡°Christian, the whole point of calling you was to get you on my side.¡±

    ¡°I am but don¡¯t you think you may be overreacting? The Queen is practically blind to all the hearts she¡¯s

    stealing anyway. Annie wasn¡¯t. Be grateful, cuz.¡±

    Now, both Lucianne and Xandar wanted to protest what Christian just said. But then Annie¡¯s voice came

    soft in the background, ¡°Is that Xandar? Why didn¡¯t you two just mind-link?¡±

    Christian chuckled lightly before exining casually to his mate,for more visit :- .noveljar ¡°Do

    you remember that talk we had about me never being with anyone else before you, my Duchess?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Annie¡¯s voice was louder now, standing closer to Christian¡¯s phone.

    ¡°Well, the King is having that talk with the Queen now. She didn¡¯t believe him when he told her ¡¤ either.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    There was only silence for a moment as Lucianne covered her face with both hands in embarrassment.

    Everyone waited for Annie¡¯s response.

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103

    Annie said, ¡°Lucy, these two are weird. They were never the type to go out and look for love, or even

    something with no strings attached. They filled up a lot of time withbat, travelling, hiking and all

    those adventurous kinds of things, you know? But I get that you don¡¯t buy it. I didn¡¯t either. It just felt like

    he was lying to my face.¡±

    ¡°I know, right?!¡± Lucianne eximed at her understanding.

    Annie continued, ¡°I mean, one can hardly count the number of people after a Duke, let alone a King!¡±

    Xandar spoke next, ¡°And that¡¯s where our conversation should end. Thanks, An¨C¡±

    Before he could say goodbye and hang up, Lucianne snatched his phone and covered his mouth with

    her small hand as she continued speaking to Annie, ¡°And did you know what Xandar was trying to do?

    He came up with this imaginary number of men after me, and kept

    ber of men after me, and kept getting angered over people whom I¡¯ve never even been with!¡±

    Xandar tried taking his phone from her but not before Annie¡¯s voice chimed through the speaker again, ¡°I

    don¡¯t think those are imaginary, Lucy.¡±

    Xandar stopped his efforts as he waited. And Lucianne suddenly felt like she was about to be betrayed

    by Annie. The Duchess continued, ¡°When we went to the cafe the other day, many eyes were on you,

    and it wasn¡¯t because you¡¯re Queen. There was no look of recognition in their eyes, just alluring nces

    and yearning smirks. So, Xandar¡¯s anger is quite justified if you think about i

    ces

    Xandar¡¯s insecurity returned strong, and he pressed Lucianne¡¯s body tightly against his again as h e

    started kissing Lucianne¡¯s hand that was still covering his mouth. When she was retracting it, h e

    groaned and ced her hand back over his lips and started sucking on it.

    His grip was too strong so Lucianne gave up trying to take back her hand as she narrowed her eyes at

    the phone, ¡°Seriously, Annie? Even if that were true, did you really have to go into such detail?¡±

    Christian¡¯s soft chuckle came from the other end before Annie said, ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t told Christian this

    either with everything that just happened so I was thinking hm¡­ I could just tell him now when I talk to

    you.¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°Probably not the best n, Annie.¡± Lucianne retorted.

    Xandar stopped his assault on her hand for a moment to say, ¡°I disagree. But it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t already

    know that. We went out twice already after all. I¡¯d be blind to not see those bastards looking at you like I

    wasn¡¯t right next to you.¡±

    Annie eximed, ¡°Really?! Wow! Even a King can¡¯t project enough fear to stop those eyes. I¡¯m starting

    to see why Christian used to have a problem with that.¡±

    ¡°Correction, my Duchess. I¡¯m still having a problem with that. Why do you think I prefer ordering

    take-outs rather than dine-in?¡±

    Lucianne scoffed not-so-subtly. Annie then said in mock annoyance, ¡°What is it with these cousins? It¡¯s

    not like we¡¯ll leave them. If anything, they¡¯re m¨C¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re more likely to leave us! Yes! I¡¯mpletely with you mmph-¡± Lucianne onlypleted Annie¡¯s

    sentence midway when Xandar¡¯s lips trapped her in a deep kiss that sent her into a slight daze. The

    sparks were intense. The sensation spread from her heart and channeled throughout her entire body. It

    made her doubt her doubts about Xandar, and her body inched closer to her mate, yearning to close

    whatever distance left between them.

    When their lips parted, Xandar said in a low, firm tone, ¡°Now, that¡¯s a lie.¡±

    Christian joined in, ¡°Calling it a lie is putting it too lightly! It¡¯s total bullsh*t! Neither of us had past lovers.

    There was never anyone else for us. You twodies, on the other hand, had someone like that. Plus, one

    of the things you both have inmon is that frustratingly long line of admirers who all look like they¡¯re

    just waiting for us to screw up so they¡¯ll get a chance to steal you away from us!¡± 1

    It was the first time Lucianne heard Christian sounding so scared and vulnerable, the very same

    emotions she saw behind Xandar¡¯s partially onyx orbs

    Lucianne, whose eyes remained locked with Xandar¡¯s, asked, ¡°Annie, any tips on how I can get out of

    this? I¡¯ve tried everything I know but I clearly don¡¯t know enough. I keep telling Xandar that I¡¯m only with

    him but I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s working for me anymore. Got anything stronger I can use?¡±

    Annie sighed. ¡°If you do, let me know.¡±¡­

    ¡°Annie, you¡¯ve been married for seventeen years. There must be something you say to calm your

    mate.¡±

    Annie sighed. ¡°Yeah, momentarily. What I learned is that his jealousy doesn¡¯t really go away. You can put

    the angry beast to sleep but¡­¡±

    ¡°But the beast won¡¯t sleep forever.¡± Luciannepleted her sentence and chuckled as she leaned into

    Xandar¡¯s hard chest to listen to his heartbeat as she uttered, ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing too, I guess. At least

    we know they don¡¯t see anyone else.¡±

    Both Xandar and Christian can be heard scoffing, and there was a moment of silence before Xandar

    pecked a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s forehead, his eyes already returned to its original lc color a s he gazed at

    her in pure bliss.

    Annie¡¯s voice then broke through the silence, ¡°Lucy, Xandar told Christian you read a lot. If you find

    anything to calm these two Lycan men, please let me know. Preferably something that makes them

    magically see that us leaving them is downright ridiculous.¡±

    Before either cousin could speak, Lucianne eximed, ¡°Will do, Annie!¡±

    ¡°C-Cuz, what just happened?¡± Christian asked like he was just brought out of a daze.

    Xandar sighed, ¡°Our Queen trapped me in her eyes so I couldn¡¯t focus or respond on time.¡±

    Christian agreed, ¡°Same here with my Duchess. Dangerous creatures, aren¡¯t they?¡± Despite his

    choice of words, his voice only echoed love, affection and devotion.

    Xandar pecked a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s temple before he uttered in agreement, ¡°Dangerous at its highest

    degree.¡±

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104

    After saying their goodbyes and hanging up on the Duke and Duchess, Xandar¡¯s arms circled his mate¡¯s

    body as she snuggled in his chest. Lucianne¡¯s phone vibrated again. Xandar inhaled her scent from her

    hair as she removed the ¡®Get ready for dinner¡¯ reminder from her notifications bar.

    Xandar chuckled at her cute habit and suggested, ¡°How about we just call room service and spend some

    quiet time together tonight, my love?¡±

    Her affectionate ck orbs met his lc ones as she pecked a kiss on his lips before whispering,¡± I¡¯d like

    that.¡±

    Xandar beamed, and with his arm still around Lucianne¡¯s waist, he picked up the receiver from the table

    next to him and ordered steak for his mate and spaghetti for himself. They enjoyed each other¡¯s touch

    and scents while they waited.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne was getting addicted to the rhythm of Xandar¡¯s heartbeat. It was the mostforting and

    assuring sound she¡¯d ever heard. It made her feel safe, and it made her feel loved. Xandar¡¯s eyes were

    closed the whole time he breathed in and out from her hair.

    After a moment he muttered, ¡°I love your scent, Lucy. You smell like home.¡±

    Lucianne couldn¡¯t stop the tears from escaping her eyes. Home. The word reached into the deepest

    parts of her heart, sending a gentle warmth throughout her body as the feelings of belonging, desire and

    love flow through her. When Xandar felt his shirt absorbing some of her teardrops, he panicked.

    He immediately lifted her chin up and asked in concern, ¡°What is it, baby? What¡¯s wrong? Is it the pain

    from the poison?¡±

    Lucianne chuckled lightly and shook her adorable little head before pressing her lips deeply on her

    confused mate¡¯s lips. When she pulled away, she whispered firmly, ¡°You feel like home, Xandar. My

    home.¡± Xandar¡¯s own eyes began glistening in pure joy and happiness as he nted another deep kiss

    on her lips. They only pulled away when the doorbell rang.

    The staff came in with a long trolley with their food, and set it right in front of the couch. After leaving with

    a generous tip, Lucianne was about to dig in before Xandar took her te away. She looked at him in

    bewilderment but when he took the knife and fork that were already in her hands, she got pissed.

    ¡°Xandar, that¡¯s my food!¡±

    Xandar chuckled at her annoyed expression before pecking a kiss on her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m feeding you, my

    love. You just recovered. You should take things slow.¡±

    ¡°Not this slow!¡± Lucianne tried to reach for her te again but Xandar held it away from her before

    calming her down with another kiss on her lips. When their lips parted, his eyes prated into hers as

    he uttered, ¡°Let me, Lucy. Let me feed you.¡± Another brief kiss, then he added, ¡°Let me love

    you.¡± 1

    Lucianne sighed in defeat and said, ¡°It¡¯s not fair, Xandar. You know I can¡¯t say no to you when you

    use that line.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s expression brightened in realization, ¡°Wait, really? I didn¡¯t know that! So, our Goddess is fair

    then! I used to think that she gave you those innocent doe-eyes to make me melt and give in but gave

    me nothing to do the same to you.¡± he pecked another kiss on her cheek and said,¡±

    Thanks for the tip, babe.¡±

    Lucianne emitted a low growl of hunger and irritation. Xandar then dropped his humour and surrendered

    as he said, ¡°Right, let¡¯s get you fed, my hangry little freesia.¡¯

    He ced her on hisp and started slicing small cubes of the steak. After two small bites, Lucianne

    comined, ¡°Xandar, my mouth can fit more than that! Just cut them a little bigger!¡± .

    He nuzzled his nose with her earlobe and whispered, ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡± A visible red blush

    graced Lucianne¡¯s cheeks, which made Xandar smile and his animal pur. The intensity of redness was

    returning to normal, much to their relief.

    After Lucianne had cleaned her te, Xandar dabbed a wet tissue on her lips and around her mouth

    before he reached for his mildly-warm spaghetti. When he lifted up his fork and was about t o dig in,

    Lucianne pulled his te away and snatched the fork from his hand. His shocked eyes met her bright,

    taunting ones.

    ¡°Babe, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Feeding you.¡± she answered simply while skillfully swirling the noodles with the fork.

    ¡°No, sweetheart. You¡¯re supposed to be res,¡±

    ¡°Please?¡± she showed him her doe-eyes, and Xandar groaned as he gave in, making Lucianne let out a

    cheekyughter in response. Her chuckles made his body gravitate towards hers, closing whatever

    distance between them. His arms circled her waist, and his head rested on her shoulder as he waited to

    be fed.

    Xandar didn¡¯t realise how hungry he was until the first mouthful of spaghetti. It was only then he

    remembered he hadn¡¯t eaten a proper meal since Lucianne was hospitalized. His eyes never left his

    beautiful mate¡¯s face. When the te was empty, Lucianne¡¯s hand lifted his chin up as she gently wiped

    away the little stains the food made. When she was done, she muttered a satisfied,¡± There.¡± 2

    As she was retracting her hand from his chin, he grabbed hold of her wrist, and pecked a kiss on her

    thumb before uttering in his husky voice, ¡°Thank you, baby.¡±

    Before Lucianne could respond, Xandar¡¯s eyes zed over.

    ¡®Cuz, the Chief just called. He couldn¡¯t reach your house or your phone so he called me.¡¯ Christian linked

    ominously.

    ¡®Sh*t. My phone must have died.¡¯Xandar linked guiltily, and took note of his cousin¡¯s unusually serious

    tone before he linked, ¡®What did he say?¡¯

    Christian sighed. ¡®The four ministers they arrested are pleading not guilty to the charges, saying that they

    were coerced to do what they did. They imed that the true mastermind ckmailed them to siphon

    government funds.¡¯

    Xandar instinctively pressed Lucianne¡¯s body on his chest to calm himself before he asked his cousin,

    ¡®They gave the name of the one running Wu Bi Corp?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, I can¡¯t believe we didn¡¯t see it! It was so obvious! Cuz, do you know how stupid I feel right now?¡¯

    ¡®Who is it, Christian?¡¯

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105

    ¡®Greg.¡¯ Christian linked.

    Xandar took a moment to digest that fact before he linked, ¡®They all said that?¡¯

    ¡®Yup.¡¯ Xandar sighed before he asked, ¡®I hope they¡¯re arresting him, then?¡±

    ¡®Uh-huh. teams have already been deployed when the Chief made the call to your ce. He just wanted

    to let you know seeing that he¡¯s your other cousin.¡¯

    ¡®I see. Thanks for letting me know, Christian.¡¯

    ¡®No problem. Charge your phone, cuz.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, I¡¯ll do that.¡¯

    When his eyes cleared, he saw that both of Lucianne¡¯s small hands were wrapped around one of his

    large ones as she traced the lines on his palm and fingers. Lucianne didn¡¯t know that the mind -link had

    ended, and she continued minding her own business with her mate¡¯s rough and strong hands. But when

    Xandar suddenly trapped both of hers in the one she was ying with, her eyes snapped up to his

    partially onyx orbs.

    ¡°It¡¯s Greg, baby,¡± he uttered ominously.

    Lucianne blinked in confusion as she asked, ¡°Greg is what, darling?¡±

    He hugged her close as he exined, ¡°Greg is the leader of Wu Bi Corp. He ordered the silver that hurt

    you in the Jewel Pack. He sent those rogues that killed so many of your kind. He was the one who came

    up with the scheme of siphoning funds. I don¡¯t know if he forced Cummings and the others to join his

    corrupted scheme, but he was definitely the one spearheading it. Odds are, he even had Tanner send

    that assassin after Russell which got you hurt, using her to cover his tracks.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s soft face turned serious as she pondered on his words. Something seemed off to her. If i t

    really were Greg, and if he really wanted to kill her with silver and Goddess knows whatever else he had

    ess to with Wu Bi¡¯s resources, how was she still alive?

    He could very well kill her whenever she was alone: on her morning runs when Xandar hadn¡¯t joined her

    yet; when she excused herself from the dining hall to use the washroom; whenever she was in her hotel

    room alone; or even before Xandar arrived at the hospital after she fell unconscious. Annie was there

    with her but Greg wouldn¡¯t have been scared of the Duchess.

    If he wanted her dead¡­why go after Russell? If Greg really wrote the note on the knife, why was it

    addressed to Ellia and not Lucianne herself? Ellia didn¡¯t even know Greg as far as Lucianne and Annie

    could gather from their conversations with her.

    ¡°Baby, a penny for your thoughts?¡± Xandar said with obvious worry.

    Lucianne¡¯s doubtful expression met his when she asked with furrowed eyebrows, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s

    Greg?¡±

    Xandar blinked in surprise before he responded, ¡°Their stories seem to match up. Cummings and the

    others, I mean. If it wasn¡¯t Greg, why would they all say that it¡¯s him?¡±

    ¡°If it were Greg¡­ why would he go after Russell? It makes no sense.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, baby. Maybe it was a trap to get the Oleander into you. Maybe the note and Russell was

    just to mislead us.¡± Xandar scoffed darkly as he muttered, ¡°And he had the gall toe to the hospital

    that day.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s still-onyx eyes locked with herpletely-lost ck orbs as he said in an angered suppressed

    voice, ¡°When they were doing the blood transfusion, Greg came. He wanted to know what happened.

    Hmph.¡± Xandar shook his head. ¡°As if he didn¡¯t know. He was probably there to gloat.¡±

    Lucianne asked suspiciously, ¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°He asked what happened to you. After Dr Gina came out and told us that there was a chance you may

    be alright, that you were healing yourself from Oleander, he blew up, ming me that the Oleander got

    into your system.¡± Xandar shook his head before he muttered, ¡°What a convincing, maniptive

    hypocrite he is.¡±

    ¡°Xand,¡± Lucianne was interrupted by the doorbell.

    Their sights nced at the door and then back at each other before Xandar asked, ¡°Were you expecting

    someone, Lucy?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± she said, as lost as her mate was at the moment.

    Before she could get it, Xandar walked ahead of her and his hand subconsciously shielded her body

    from the front. As soon as Xandar turned the knob and saw that it was just Chief Dalloway, his arm that

    was in front of Lucy moved to her back, circling her waist and pulling her close to the side of his body.

    After exchanging bows, the Chief got to the point.

    ¡°The Duke told me you¡¯d be here, your Highnesses. I apologize for the intrusion but this couldn¡¯t wait.

    The¡­other Duke was not in his residence. Our people are still searching. But we retrieved something

    from his home when we sought to arrest him. It was addressed to you¡­¡± He handed a beige envelope in

    his hand to Lucianne and continued, ¡°My Queen.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Lucianne asked in surprise.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    The Chief nodded, and Lucianne hesitantly took the envelope from his hand. She and Xandar read the

    cover together, which read ¡®H.R.H. Queen Lucianne¡¯. Her future title was scribbled almost illegibly, but

    her name ¡®Lucianne¡¯ was written clearly, even beautifully. Lucianne turned it to the back and found that it

    was sealed by the seal of a Duke. In the whole Kingdom, only the King, Queen, Dukes and Duchesses

    had their personal seals but these were rarely used.

    Before Lucianne could open it, Xandar¡¯s fingers fell lightly on hers that were trying to open the envelope

    as he suggested in a soft voice, ¡°Baby, maybe I should do it. Just in case.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes at her worried mate as she retorted sarcastically, ¡°In case of what? Poison

    pollen?¡± Before Xandar could say or do anything, she broke the seal and opened the envelope that

    contained a folded note. The outside was nk. She unfolded it and found a microchip stuck with tape

    on the inside, and only one line in Greg¡¯s almost illegible handwriting: this should get you a head start,

    my Queen.

    Without ncing at the two men, Lucianne said, ¡°Come in, Chief. Looks like this is something we should

    all see.¡±

    Her tone gave no room for discussion, and the Chief obliged without another word. Lucianne got out her

    laptop and ced the microchip in her SD card before inserting it into herptop. And they waited.

    Lucianne clicked on the only folder in the chip, and the folder expanded to a seemingly-infinite list of all

    kinds of things, from phone records to bank transactions to names. The three of them were left

    speechless as Lucianne skimmed through one file after another.

    When she found the one on audits, and realized that the details matched with the ones they went

    through with Ellia and the others, Lucianne stared at the screen as she asked aloud, ¡°If Greg really i s

    behind this, why would he disappear and leave me this? Why didn¡¯t he just disappear without a trace?¡±

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106

    ¡°Yeah, cuz. Why?¡± Christian asked between trying toy a punch on Xandar at training after Xandar told

    him about Greg¡¯s message.

    When Xandar pinned Christian on the ground and got him to surrender, Christian epted his best

    friend¡¯s outstretched hand to help him up as he smiled and said, ¡°Wow, the Queen sure knows her stuff.

    Within five minutes of teaching you the new technique, she got you to take me down faster than you ever

    have. I¡¯m practicing it next, just to be fair.¡±

    When Xandar offered a meek smile and said nothing, Christian patted his shoulder and asked, ¡°So, does

    she have any theories on Greg?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Xandar answered tly.

    ¡°Do you?¡± Christian asked.

    When the cousins locked eyes, Christian saw that he had hit the jackpot, ¡°So, what¡¯s your theory, cuz?

    Judging by the way you look, I doubt you told the Queen.¡±

    Xandar instinctively looked around to make sure Lucianne wasn¡¯t nearby before he asked his cousin,for

    more visit :- .noveljar ¡°Do you think Greg may be in love with her?¡±

    Christian¡¯s eyes snapped wide before he scoffed and burst outughing. Seeing that many were starting

    to look their way, Christian decided to use their mind-link, ¡®Greg? Love? Cuz, how did your brain even

    rte Greg to that word? The dude knows nothing about something as sacred as love! H e never did! He

    sleeps with a different woman every night, remember?¡¯

    ¡°I asked the Chief about his whereabouts this morning. Greg¡¯s still missing. And when they looked

    through the footage from his house, only one woman came and left his house once in thest nine days.¡±

    ¡®So, the significance of that is that Greg knows what love is?¡¯

    ¡®No. The significance of that is that Greg and Lucy met nine days ago. I counted.¡¯

    ¡®So? It wasn¡¯t the Queen who went to his house. He¡¯s still sleeping around¡­well, more selectively now, it

    seems, with one woman and all.¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s the problem.¡¯Xandar¡¯s eyes locked with his cousin before he continued, ¡°They didn¡¯t sleep

    together. He threw that woman out on hiswn despite the advances she made.¡¯

    This got Christian¡¯s attention. Doubt began to grow in his eyes. ¡®Greg doesn¡¯t reject offers. Are they sure,

    cuz?¡¯

    Xandar nodded. The police had already looked through three weeks worth of footage when I called.

    Before Greg and Lucy met, he had a woman every night. But from the night after they met, the women

    just¡­vanished.¡¯

    Christian got lost in thought before he linked baselessly, for more visit :- .noveljar ¡®It¡¯s not

    possible. Greg wouldn¡¯t¡­love. He doesn¡¯t even know what that is. And he never puts anyone before

    himself.¡¯

    ¡®Then why would he leave that incriminating evidence to Lucy before disappearing? Why not just leave it

    with the police or with you or me?¡¯

    ¡®Okay, cuz. First, he hates us as much as we hate him. Second, he hates everything and everyone i n

    law enforcement that includes the police.¡¯

    ¡®Lucy¡¯s on our side. Why doesn¡¯t he hate her like he does us?¡¯

    Christian was left speechless. He didn¡¯t have an exnation. So, Xandar continued, ¡®Remember the

    other day at the hospital? He came and asked about Lucy? He said I was supposed to protect her?¡¯

    Christian scoffed. ¡®He yelled, you mean?¡¯

    ¡®I thought he was just trying to make me feel worse than I already was. What if his outburst was because

    he actually cared about what happened to her?¡¯

    ¡®Just because he demanded to know the truth, it doesn¡¯t mean he cares, cuz.¡¯

    Then why did he go see the assassin¡¯s corpse after he left our floor, and asked the nurse in-charge

    about the murderer¡¯s condition and identity? I didn¡¯t even do that.¡¯

    Christian¡¯s eyebrows raised in surprise as he linked, ¡®Greg did what?¡¯

    ¡®You heard me. The nurse was probably thest person who spoke to him before he disappeared.¡¯

    ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ Christian paused to digest everything before he asked, ¡®Why would Greg want to know who

    almost killed the Queen if he was the one who ordered the kill.¡¯

    ¡®Maybe he wasn¡¯t the one who ordered it.¡¯

    ¡®Tanner¡­ Christian began pondering.

    Xandar helped him through his thoughts, ¡®May have been acting on her own when she hired the assassin

    for Russell. for more visit :- .noveljar If she was coerced, it¡¯s getting difficult to believe that it

    was Greg.¡¯

    assa

    S coe

    ¡®But if Greg is innocent, why would he see the need to disappear now?¡¯

    ¡®He¡¯s innocent in this, in not killing Russell or Lucy. But he is still involved in the corruption we have

    against those five. He can¡¯t get away with that. He handed every piece of evidence to incriminate the five

    people and himself.¡¯

    ¡®Greg? Incriminate himself? Why would he do that? What¡¯s he ying at?¡¯

    Xandar shook his head, ¡®I don¡¯t know. As insane as this is going to sound, I hope this is just another trick

    of his. I don¡¯t want him falling for my mate.¡¯

    A memory suddenly came to Christian. On the night after the Kyltons came and were kicked out b y

    Lucianne, and a few of them went out to get some air, Greg left the hall with them. ¡®Let¡¯s not start another

    scene, distant cousin. Our Queen has handled enough for one night.¡¯, was what Greg said. Christian

    remembered being surprised by how sincere that other Duke sounded.

    Christian sighed, ¡®When I said the Queen was attracting every other mateless creature, I didn¡¯t mean

    Greg, too. Probably shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡¯ After a moment of silence, he asked ¡®Does the

    Queen believe he¡¯s guilty?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, but not to the extent of what Cummings and the others are iming Greg to be. for more visit :-

    .noveljar She thinks Greg is involved but he isn¡¯t the mastermind.¡¯

    From Xandar¡¯s stoned face and worried eyes, Christian himself couldn¡¯t believe that he had to say this

    next sentence just to assure himself, ¡®Please tell me you don¡¯t think she may be in love with Greg

    ¡®She¡¯s defending him.¡¯

    ¡®CUZ! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE F*CKING KIDDING ME!! THE QUEEN IS JUST SEEING THINGS AS IT

    IS! I¡¯M DEFENDING HER NOW! DO YOU THINK I¡¯M IN LOVE WITH HER?¡¯

    Xandar looked at his cousin, and Christian fierce voice continued to ring through their link, ¡®If you answer

    my question wrongly, cuz. I¡¯m getting the Queen to teach me a technique to beat you up for the rest of

    today. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to knock some sense into you.¡¯

    Xandar could only look at the ground when he linked, ¡®You have no idea how scared I am of losing her, of

    her choosing someone else over me.¡¯

    Christian punched Xandar in his jaw without warning, and the King fell to the ground in shock. The Duke

    had had it with his cousin¡¯s almost zero faith in Lucianne¡¯s loyalty to him so he dered mercilessly, ¡°You

    needed that, cuz. The Queen would¡¯ve done the same thing if she heard what you just said.¡±

    ¡°What did he say?¡± Lucianne¡¯s voice came all of a sudden, and both cousins flinched at her presence.

    Toby was next to her as he studied the situation.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Christian started groping for the right words, and Lucianne raised her eyebrows waiting for a

    proper sentence toe out of his mouth, which never came.

    Christian gave up trying and looked at Toby before he asked, ¡°Gamma Tobias, could you show me that

    backflip the Queen taught us this moming again?¡±

    Everyone saw through the Duke¡¯s terrible attempt to change the subject. Toby looked at Lucianne for

    what to do next. She gave her best friend a meek smile and said, ¡°Go on, Toby. Guide the Duke.¡±

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡± Toby agreed without question, and he gestured Christian to another mat close by.

    She walked to her mate as he got up. She didn¡¯t even bother beating around the bush when she linked,

    ¡®What is it that you¡¯re not telling me?¡¯

    His eyes widened and locked with hers when he linked frantically in response, ¡®What? Nothing!¡¯

    ¡°Then why did you two freeze like statues when Toby and I showed up? And do you think I didn¡¯t notice

    that your mind was elsewhere at breakfast?¡¯

    He sighed. ¡®Lucy, I¡¯m just worried.¡¯

    ¡®About the corruption case?¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s more than that.¡¯

    ¡®Like what?¡¯

    Xandar averted his eyes as he linked, ¡®Babe, it¡¯s nothing. You don¡¯t have to know.¡¯ 1This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne raised her eyebrows before scoffing to herself and linking, ¡®I don¡¯t have to know, I see.¡¯ She

    was biting her lower lip as her eyes fixed on the ground when Xandar looked at her. She turned, and was

    about to walk away when Xandar grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. Her angered face and

    glistening eyes broke Xandar and his animal. What had he done?

    ¡°Baby, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Xandar asked as he cupped her cheeks.

    She averted her eyes and took his hands away before she said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You don¡¯t have to know.¡±

    She tried to break away but Xandar¡¯s grip on her elbows didn¡¯t allow it.

    ¡°Lucy, I¡¯m sorry I said that. It won¡¯t happen again. Just¡­please¡­I love you. Baby, just tell me what¡¯s

    bothering you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s bothering me is that you aren¡¯t telling me what¡¯s bothering you. Think you can fix it?¡±

    He stiffened as he took in her hurt expression which made his own animal whimper. Xandar then

    pressed her body into his chest as he muttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sweetheart. I just have a lot going on in my

    mind. I was just thinking that¡­when Greg left you the evidencest night, some part of me felt that he

    did it because he¡¯s in love with you. I was so scared that you¡¯d be in love with him too.¡±

    With her hands on his chest, she parted their bodies only slightly for their eyes to meet. Lucianne then

    said, ¡°Xandar, you should probably take the day off. Your mind isn¡¯t working right.¡±

    Xandar began, ¡°That cousin of mine has never done anything selfless¡­¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about your cousin, your Highness.¡± Lucianne hissed softly. When Xandar paused, she

    continued hissing as quietly as she could, ¡°How the h*ll did youe up with the insane conclusion that I

    may be in love with him?! Or that I would be in love with anyone who¡¯s not you?!¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s infuriated eyes burned into his relieved ones. He felt like he was liberated of a huge weight

    that he had been carrying on his shoulders. The tightness in his chest loosened, easing his anxiety.

    Xandar kissed her deeply on her lips before whispering, ¡°Thank you, baby. I needed that. I love you.¡±

    She shook her head in total disbelief with whatever Xandar just told her before pecking a kiss on his lips

    and uttering firmly, ¡°I know. I love you too. And for the millionth time, my indecent beast, I¡¯m with you.

    Only you.¡± Xandar chuckled lightly and gratefully with glistening eyes. 2

    As Lucianne walked away, she muttered just loud enough for Xandar to hear, ¡°First he got jealous o fa

    four-year-old, then he got mad at an Alpha I trained, now he¡¯s worried I¡¯ll fall for his cousin who pissed

    me off more than once. Wonder what¡¯s next.¡± Xandar¡¯s carefree chuckle through their link somehow

    managed to cool her own anger.

    When she walked past Christian and Toby, she yelled out, ¡°Hey, Christian. Thanks for throwing that

    punch at the King. I appreciate it.¡±

    Christian¡¯s eyebrows raised in surprise so he studied his cousin. Xandar seemed like he was almost

    back to normal as he stared at his mate with a wide smile across his face, the epitome of a man truly in

    love. Christian¡¯s turned on his dramatic switch, and offered a slight bow to Lucianne before he said, ¡°It¡¯s

    always a pleasure to be of service, my Queen.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon, Toby. The Duke doesn¡¯t need the back-flipping demonstration anymore.¡±

    Toby said, ¡°Yeah, I figured. I was just ying along.¡± The Gamma then looked at the Duke and said,

    ¡°Interesting excuse, your Grace, but a very poor attempt at changing the subject.¡±

    Christian burst outughing again. ¡°I can¡¯t disagree.¡±

    Lucianne then said, ¡°Christian, use techniques three, five and one, in that order. You should be able to

    take down your cousin within two minutes.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?! BABE! YOU¡¯RE HELPING HIM OVER ME?!¡± Xandar eximed, garnering a lot of attention

    from the Lycans and wolves nearby. Christian was already jogging excitedly to the sparring mat, ready to

    take down his cousin.

    Toby was trying to suppress his smile next to Lucianne as she said, ¡°Maybe he¡¯s the next one you¡¯d want

    to worry about, darling.¡±

    Xandar knew that she was clearly teasing him. ¡°So, you¡¯re just going to let me die, my love?¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes, and said, ¡°Just invert your attacks. Switch your left attacks to right attacks, and

    right to left. That might keep you alive.¡±

    ¡°Might?¡± Xandar questioned.

    ¡°Might.¡± Lucianne affirmed with a smirk.

    Just when Xandar got into position and was about to spar Christian, everyone on the field heard a high-

    pitched AHHHHHHHHHHHH¨C¡®before it was reced by a fierce growl.

    A grey Lycan sped from not far away and knocked down many sparring pairs in less than five seconds

    before it leaped from the ground to pounce on Lucianne and Toby.

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108

    Reflexively, Lucianne pushed Toby away before she moved in the opposite direction. The idea was to

    see who the lunatic was targeting. When the grey Lycannded, it didn¡¯t even take a breath before it

    charged towards Lucianne. It extended its long, sharp ws in the air and just when it was about to

    scratch her, Xandar appeared between them. The ws ended up scratching deep wounds on the King¡¯s

    back instead!

    When Xandar turned to face the grey Lycan, his eyes were onyx. And he growled ferociously not

    because of the pain from the wounds that were already healing but because of his anger that there was

    still someone who dared try to hurt his mate.

    When Lucianne saw the depth of the scratches on his back, cutting right through his shirt, her eyes

    snapped wider in horror and worry, and she immediately ced her hands over the woundst o hasten

    the healing process with the mate bond. Xandar¡¯s hand held her body protectively behind his.

    The grey Lycan¡¯s eyes widened in shock at what it just did. It looked at its own ws that were stained

    by blood, the King¡¯s blood. Upon Xandar¡¯s growl, it retracted its ws as it whimpered audibly and

    bowed in apology and submission to its ruler.

    When the scratches healed, Lucianne moved to her mate¡¯s side and asked frantically, ¡°Xandar, are you

    okay? Do you still feel any pain? Any internal injury?¡±

    When his onyx eyes fell on her worried expression, his gaze softened. He nted a deep kiss on her

    forehead and said, ¡°I¡¯m all healed, baby. Thank you.¡±

    Lucianne let out a sigh of relief as she wrapped her arms affectionately around his, gluing his arm to her

    chest and resting her temple on his biceps as she muttered ¡®Thank Goddess¡¯. That was when Xandar

    noticed that Lucianne¡¯s hands were blood-stained, with his blood. He lifted one of her hands up and

    started licking her palm to get it cleaned. 1

    Lucianne then said, ¡°Xandar, this is nothing. You don¡¯t have to¡­¡±

    ¡°Just let me, Lucy.¡± He used his trump card against her, and she couldn¡¯t find it in herself to argue further

    as he licked on it again and again until they heard a low, suppressed growl from the still shifted Lycan.

    Xandar¡¯s almost-lc eyes turned onyx again as he red down at the Lycan who was glowering a t

    Lucianne. Lucianne sighed in frustration before taking away her hand, and going to a nearby bag that

    belonged to someone else, where there was a towel ced right on top. She lifted the towel u p, and

    asked the Lycan nearby, ¡°Can I borrow this?¡±

    ¡°O-Of course, my Queen.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Adeline.¡± Lucianne said and strode back to where Xandar and the lunatic were. Adeline, the

    minister¡¯s daughter, was surprised that the Queen knew her name. She didn¡¯t recall ever speaking to her

    Lucianne then handed the lunatic the towel from a safe distance as she said tly, ¡°Just shift

    back, Ms Cummings.¡±

    There were shocked gasps from the wolves and Lycans who could hear Lucianne. Some were already

    starting to gossip. Sasha¡¯s angered-glistening eyes turned a darker shade of onyx as she reached for the

    towel. When she was close enough, her retracted ws extended in an instant and she scratched a

    deep wound along Lucianne¡¯s arm, making Lucianne¡¯s blood stter on the grass around her.

    The towel fell from Lucianne¡¯s hand as the pain shot up her arm like fire. She groaned in pain and gritted

    her teeth to cope with it. Xandar dashed to Lucianne¡¯s side. Shocked gasps filled the training ground,

    and the alliance members who were initially rooted in shock at Sasha¡¯s attack on the King were dashing

    towards her way now. Christian and Toby reached them first as they stood around Sasha, preparing to

    restrain her if she attempted to harm the Queen again.

    Xandar took off his shirt and gently pressed her deeply-injured arm on his bare chest to heal her faster

    with their bond. Lucianne¡¯s teeth clenched, and her partially glistened eyes squinted slightly in pain as

    Xandar ced her wound against his chest. The sight caused Xandar to emit a second growl that was

    more ferocious than the first. And when he growled again, he activated the King¡¯s Authority topel

    Sasha to shift back as the alliance members arrived.

    Sasha¡¯s animal was forced to suppress itself, toply with her King¡¯smand. The minister¡¯s

    daughter stood naked in the middle of the field, and some of the male Lycan¡¯s arousal started filling the

    air. Lucianne was the first to smell it from a few males around her.

    With whatever strength she could muster while coping with her own pain, she shouted, ¡°The rest o f you,

    turn around!¡±

    Apart from Toby, Christian, Xandar and the women of the alliance, everyone turned away from Sasha as

    they uttered ¡®As you wish, my Queen¡¯. The arousal Lucianne smelled before began to fade.

    Lucianne then turned to face the still-naked Sasha who showed no signs of reaching for the towel that

    fell on the ground. With a look of disbelief, Lucianne said exasperatingly, ¡°Just cover yourself, Ms

    Cummings.¡±

    Sasha scowled, ¡°Why? Feeling insecure that your body can¡¯t rival mine to hold the King¡¯s attention?¡±

    Fierce growls were emitted from the alliance, from Christian, Toby and especially Xandar, making Sasha

    squirm internally. Unlike her animal, Sasha¡¯s human part wasn¡¯t going to waver. Her rage fueled her

    courage so she stood her ground.

    Xandar then spoke to Sasha in a low, homicidal tone, ¡°If you think I¡¯m looking at you because of that,

    your empty head clearly cannotprehend the severity of your current situation. You¡¯d be lucky to get

    the death penalty after what you just did to our Queen. When I decide on how I want to end your

    meddlesome life, Cummings, you¡¯ll make a prime example for ANYONE WHO DARES HURT MY

    MATE.¡±

    Tears of anger and jealousy flowed down Sasha¡¯s cheeks but she still refused to cover-up, simply

    because Lucianne asked her to do just that earlier. She was not going to obey a little wolf, especially the

    one who stole the King she wanted for herself!

    Those who didn¡¯t need to look away were looking at Sasha in fury and disdain, wondering whether one

    of them should just cover her up.

    With the mate-bond healing her wound faster than usual, Lucianne managed to smirk at Sasha as she

    said, ¡°Ms Cummings, I told you to cover yourself because I was trying to help you save whatever little

    dignity you have left. But since you feel that your dignity is best presented without any clothes, I shall

    respect your wishes.¡±

    With a glint in her eye, Lucianne turned to everyone on the field and shouted out, ¡°You can all look this

    way now. Feel free to take as many photos as you like, and remember to tag Ms Cummings in

    your posts and tweets.¡±

    ¡°YOU B*TCH!¡± Sasha shouted as she rushed for the towel and covered herself as fast as she could. But

    many had already snapped the photos they wanted, especially the deeply enraged alliance members.

    After Sasha hastily wrapped the towel around her body, Xandar emitted the King¡¯s Authority again,

    compelling her to kneel. Sasha felt her legs give way but she didn¡¯t understand why. She looked at her

    knees in confusion, and realized that she was stuck. She couldn¡¯t get up or even move.

    Then, she felt her head tilting downwards until her neck was close to breaking before her mouth

    suddenly uttered, in her own voice, a set of words that were not her own, ¡°I submit my most sincere

    apologies, my Q-Qu-Queen. I plead for the highest degree of pu-punishment for my actions today.¡±

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    As soon as those words were out of her mouth, she gasped in shock and tried to lift her head up but she

    still couldn¡¯t. She wanted to scream but her voice box seemed to be blocked. What the h*ll was going

    on? What happened to her?

    Xandar¡¯s cold voice rang through the air. ¡°Rest assured, that is exactly what you¡¯ll get for the injury and

    distress you¡¯ve caused our Queen. And in hurting her, you¡¯ve challenged me, your King. Perhaps you

    and your father would be able to spend some quality time together in prison.¡±

    ¡®No!¡¯, Sasha thought but couldn¡¯t say. Then her mouth started opening again, and she feared the worst of

    what she was about to be made to say next,

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109

    Sasha¡¯s mouth opened, and her voice waspelled toe out. ¡°I-I shall live the rest of my life r

    regretting what I did to you, my Q-Queen. I beg that you¡¯ll allow me to be tortu-¡±

    ¡°That should do it, darling.¡± Lucianne said, cutting off his Authority.

    Xandar¡¯s expression was still hard as he faced his beautiful mate. His hand was still pressing her healing

    arm on his chest as he said, ¡°She could have killed you, Lucy. What I¡¯m doing to her now is nothing

    compared to what she just did.¡± Growls of approval came from her friends and Christian.

    She tried to put their anger aside, and pulled herself up to her mate¡¯s face. Lucianne then pecked a kiss

    at theer of Xandar¡¯s lips to send the pleasurable stream of sparks into his being to calm him down.

    Her soft gaze locked on his hard one, and her free hand stroked his cheek as she said, ¡°Just send her to

    the Chief. Let the police handle it. You¡¯ve done your part, dearest.¡± She pecked a kiss on his cheek

    before looking at him with her doe-eyes as she said softly, ¡°Please?¡±

    His animal, which was as infuriated as his human was, mmed its own head against the imaginary wall

    in his mind, already surrendering without even trying to fight against the urge to give in to its mate.

    Wasn¡¯t his animal supposed to be on his side?

    Xandar sighed in frustration, and nted a deep, long kiss on Lucianne¡¯s forehead before muttering,

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    Lucianne smiled with sparkling eyes and pecked another kiss on his cheek before whispering,¡± Thank

    you, my love.¡± As dissatisfied as he was with how Lucianne stopped him, he couldn¡¯t deny his heart

    melting in tenderness whenever Lucianne said those words to him. His animal purred, its anger from

    before vaporized in an instant.

    Xandar got Phelton and two female Lycan Warriors to get Sasha dressed, and to send her straight t o

    Chief Dalloway after that. When Sasha was removed from the training ground, Lucianne tried to pull her

    arm out of Xandar¡¯s chest to examine the condition. She didn¡¯t feel any pain anymore so she should be

    healed.

    When Xandar realized what she was trying to do, he gently lifted up her arm to examine the wounded

    area. The whole training ground was silent as they waited to see if Lucianne was really okay. Xandar¡¯s

    predator eyes scanned every inch of her skin, and when he was satisfied that there were nothing but

    blood stains, he started licking her arm lovingly to get the stains off.

    Not wanting to be the centre of attention while her indecent beast licked her arm, Lucianne shouted out,

    ¡°Everyone else, back to training.¡±

    Although she tried to sound firm, most of them heard the tinge of embarrassment in her voice with the

    level of affection that Xandar was shamelessly showing her in front of everyone. And it didn¡¯t help that

    her cheeks were getting redder by the second.

    There were cheeky grins, smirks and chuckles before they muttered ¡®As you wish, my Queen¡¯ in a non-

    synchronized way and got back on their sparring mats. When Xandar was finally satisfied

    with his work, the alliance had a look at her injury, and Juan was slightly surprised that her skin looked

    good as new.

    Lucianne read her Alpha¡¯s mind, ¡°Yeah, I thought that was going to leave a scar, too. Crazy how mate-

    bond magic works.¡±

    Juan narrowed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief at how his sister called the mate-bond¡¯ magic¡¯.

    The Alpha then threw Xandar a grateful smile and patted him on his shoulder twice before tuming to

    leave for his sparring mat.

    When the alliance left, Christian wanted a go at sparring with Toby. So, the King and Queen were left

    alone. Xandar took Lucianne¡¯s hands and said with furrowed brows, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if letting Cummings go

    just like that was right, Lucy. What she did was grave at its highest degree. She attacked and challenged

    her rulers.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s hands went to his broad shoulders as she asked, ¡°Were you going to kill her if I didn¡¯t stop

    you?¡±

    ¡°No. That¡¯ll be giving her the easy way out. Life torture seems fairer.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s going to be tortured when the police and judges deal with her, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Xandar grudgingly replied, fully aware that he was losing this argument with his mate.

    ¡°Then, don¡¯t you think I was giving you what you wanted for her?¡± Lucianne said while blinking her ck

    orbs with a look of innocence as her thumb stroked his shoulder.

    Her demeanor pulled Xandar¡¯s heartstrings, making him close the distance between them, and he

    uttered, ¡°I suppose you did. I wanted life-torture for her but what did you want for Cummings, my love?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes suddenly had a surge of anger as she asked rhetorically in a murderous tone,¡± After the

    wounds she inflicted on your back?¡±

    Her fiery eyes locked on his lc orbs as she said in a low-volume, homicidal voice, ¡°I want the public to

    have ess to today¡¯s incident, to her arrest and to her hearing. I want every creature to know her name

    to the point that she would plead to change it. I want everyone to remember her face to the point that she

    would crave stic surgery to alter it. I want her to be harassed by so many condescending questions

    andments that she¡¯ll beg to go deaf. I want her prison cell to have a speaker ying anything and

    everything that makes her feel like an insignificant speck of dust that no one gives a damn about.

    Physical torture is veryst-century. I want to destroy her mind. If it were me, I¡¯d drive her insane enough

    tomit her to a mental asylum for the rest of her living days. I want her to wake up everyday wishing

    that she was never born.¡± 10

    Xandar and his animal were shocked at every wording out of Lucianne¡¯s beautiful mouth.

    There was also another feeling. It wasn¡¯t fear. On the contrary, they found Lucianne to be hot! Her

    ferocity was so sexy that it made his Lycan growl coquettishly in his mind.

    With a flirtatious smile, Xandar held her waist and pinned her to his body, and his other hand traced her

    cheek as he muttered in a husky voice, ¡°My, my. Who knew that my adorable little freesia could conjure

    up something more brutal than whatever I had in mind.¡± He traced her

    bottom lip with his thumb before asking in an alluring voice, ¡°What else do you have under your sleeve to

    turn me on, my arousing flower?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes turned from being angered to being stern, ¡°I better not smell your arousal, my King.¡±

    With much difficulty holding in his arousal, Xandar smirked and kissed her nose before he obeyed, ¡°As

    you wish, my Queen. Though I must say, you make it very difficult for this beast of yours, especially when

    you can look and sound so attractive even when you¡¯re talking about punishing a criminal.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes as she said, ¡°What I said was supposed to make you disagree in contempt,

    shake your head in disgust or shudder in fear, Xandar. It was not supposed to turn you o

    D.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­and yet it did.¡±

    ¡°And for rification purposes, dearest, I was speaking from an angry and irrational state of mind. Do not

    tell the justice system to do those things to Ms Cummings.¡±

    Her merciful and rational request put Xandar¡¯s arousing thoughts to a sudden stop. With furrowed brows,

    heined, ¡°But why?! It¡¯s perfect!¡± Even his animal was protesting with him.

    ¡°No, my King. We live in the 21st century. Creatures have rights.¡±

    ¡°Creatures who have challenged their rulers and hurt you have no rights!¡± Xandar said a little louder than

    expected, and a few pairs around them even flinched at this remark.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne spoke in a softer, calmer voice, ¡°Her punishment for hurting the both of us today is already

    going to be the highest one in history. It¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°Let me get this straight: you just shared your perfect n with me with no intention of executing i t, and

    you¡¯re now tossing it into the wind for something that¡¯s just ¡®enough¡¯?¡± Xandar asked in disbelief, looking

    like a child who didn¡¯t get an ice-cream when everyone else had one.

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes softened, and her arms went around his neck before she pecked a kiss on his cheek

    and uttered, ¡°Yes, my love. That¡¯s exactly what I just did.¡±

    Although Xandar¡¯s entire being was in bliss, he shook his head in mock disapproval as he muttered to

    himself, ¡°What a waste of good ideas. Too merciful for a Queen. Need to get her a teacher for this

    problem.¡±

    Lucianne chuckled lightly at her mate¡¯s reaction, and Xandar pecked a kiss on her forehead before

    letting her jog away from him to a pair of fighters she had to mentor. ¡®Unbelievably amazing¡¯, he thought

    to himself as he watched her from afar.

    In the police station, a man tucked his cap in his coat when he appeared with a fake identification card,

    asking to speak to Sasha who had been there for almost an hour already.

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110

    ¡°Ms Cummings, your uncle is here.¡± Sasha glowered at the policewoman who came to get her. She had

    no uncle. Was this a joke? When the policewoman¡¯s face remained stern and looked like there was no

    room for questioning or arguments, Sasha reluctantly got out of her cell.

    She was taken to an interrogation room, and when the door opened, she saw a man who looked as old

    as her father seated with a ss of water on one side of the table, offering her a small smile when she

    came in.

    The policewoman left her and her ¡°uncle¡± with a younger policeman in the interrogation room. Sasha had

    never seen the old man in a grey T-shirt and ck pants before in her life. As soon as the door closed

    behind them, the man started, ¡°Do you want to get out of here, Cummings?¡±

    She was still in a very bad mood, and she instinctively thought that this man was working for Lucianne.

    But if he were, why would he lie about being her ¡°uncle¡±? He could have just said he was here on behalf

    of the Crown.

    Sasha chose to be more careful. This may be one of her father¡¯s friends she never met, nowing to

    help her. So, with whatever calmness she could muster in her fuming being, she asked rhetorically,

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    The old man scoffed darkly and said, ¡°I have a proposition for you. If I get you out, you¡¯ll do as my

    employers say, and you will not disobey them. Any of them. That is the only condition. If they tell you to

    shut up, you shut up. If they tell you not to do something, you will refrain from doing it. Think you can do

    that?¡±

    Sasha grew contemtive. Never in her life was she told to do as she was told. She did whatever she

    wanted, whenever she wanted, even if it meant breaking thew. With her father¡¯s influence and good

    rtionship with thete King Lucas, Sasha never had to obey anything or anyone. She only had to start

    obeying Xandar when he ascended the throne but she didn¡¯t really mind if it meant she would be Queen

    one day.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Sasha asked, hoping that he would say that he was a friend or family member she¡¯d

    never met.

    The man smirked and said, ¡°I¡¯m the one people hire to get things done. That¡¯s all you need to know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll bail me out?¡±

    He scoffed darkly and muttered to himself, ¡°Wow, they weren¡¯t kidding when they said this one was

    stupid.¡± He then looked at the increasingly enraged Sasha and said, ¡°You do know why you¡¯re here in

    prison, don¡¯t you, Cummings?¡±

    She gritted her teeth and uttered, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Care to enlighten me?¡± He asked with a cocky smirk. Was he helping her or testing her patience?

    ¡°I hurt the King and the¡­wolf.¡± Sasha clearly had difficulty acknowledging Lucianne as their

    Queen.

    He scoffed again, ¡°And the King¡¯s mate, you mean?¡±

    Wait. Did he just say ¡®King¡¯s mate¡¯? Was he also opposing Lucianne as Queen?

    A glimmer of hope appeared in Sasha¡¯s eyes when she uttered in realization, ¡°You¡¯re not on her side.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on the side of whoever pays me. So, you know you¡¯re here because of what you did. You should

    also know that there is no way that anyone will be authorised to bail you out unless the King or his mate

    gives the okay. And after what happened today, you don¡¯t need me to tell you that okay is never going to

    come.¡±

    ¡°So, what? You¡¯re gonna break me out?¡±

    He sighed exasperatingly and repeated her words from earlier, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    It was Sasha¡¯s turn to scoff. ¡°You¡¯re not very clever, are you? You¡¯re telling me you can break me out of

    here with him just standing there.¡± Sasha pointed at the young policeman at the corner watching them

    and listening to their conversation.

    ¡°Cummings, if you don¡¯t know who I am and what I¡¯m capable of doing, you really shouldn¡¯t piss m e off. I

    could end your life here and now if I wanted to. But since I¡¯m being paid to retrieve you alive, I¡¯ll have to

    tolerate you and your slow mind. He,¡± he gestured to the straight-faced policeman and continued, ¡°is one

    of us. We¡¯re colleagues.¡±

    ¡°How did you even know I would be sent here?¡±

    ¡°We weren¡¯t here for you. We were here for a friend. It just so happens that you were brought here while

    we were hatching a n to break him out. When we received word, we informed our employers, who

    have graciously offered you a way out.¡± 1

    This seemed too good to be true. A way out by a person who could hire people who went against the

    government? This had Greg¡¯s stains all over it. But Sasha then remembered how soft he was with

    Lucianne, so why would he hire someone now? Did something change? Why would Greg suddenly go

    against the wolf¡¯s wishes?

    ¡°Tick tock, Cummings. Yes or no?¡±

    ¡°Who do you work for?¡±

    He smiled tly and arrogantly, ¡°I¡¯m not authorised to disclose that information. All I can say is these are

    people who can get you out, and make sure you stay out of this ce, as long as you don¡¯t do anything

    to anger them.¡± .

    ¡°Is it the Duke?¡±

    ¡°Another attempt to anger me, and you can forget about the offer I¡¯m making you, Cummings. Yes o

    Ino?¡±

    Subconsciously, her sights moved to the young policeman at the corner who was also glowering at her.

    She started weighing her options. Her father was in police custody for allegations of

    corruption and treason. Her brother is too blindly in love with Lucianne to help his own sister get out,

    especially when Sebastian kept ming her for Lucianne rejecting him. 1

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    She had no other rtives who had these sort of anti-government connections to get her out. After what

    she did, she doubted she¡¯d even see the light of day if she stayed in prison, seeing that the King was

    also blinded by the irksome little wolf. There was only one way if she wanted her freedom back.

    ¡°When will it happen?¡± Sasha asked calmly, averting her eyes from both of them and stared at the grey

    table while she waited for her answer.

    Both the old and young men smirked like they were saying ¡®Gotcha¡¯. The old man then said,¡± Tonight. Be

    ready.¡±

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111

    When Xandar and Lucianne got back to the hotel room, Xandar was still holding in his arousal. He just

    couldn¡¯t get Lucianne¡¯s sexiness out of his head, and it didn¡¯t help that his eyes couldn¡¯t stop looking at

    his mate¡¯s perfect butt as she moved to the cupboard to get a fresh towel.

    The animal in him could not help but rey Lucianne¡¯s sexually-arousing demeanor when she talked

    about punishing Sasha, and his eyes somehow moved to her firm, round butt.

    Lucianne was clueless about what her indecent beast was thinking, and she went to the bathroom for a

    shower like she always did. After the door shut behind her, Xandar wondered how much longer he could

    hold his heat in.

    He was getting warmer by the second. The sound of Lucianne¡¯s clothes falling on the bathroom floor and

    the thought of her naked body under the coursing water from the shower did nothing but instigate his

    inappropriate thoughts.

    ¡®But are these thoughts really inappropriate?¡¯, he wondered as dark fantasies started filling his mind.

    The sound of the water stopped. After a few moments, Lucianne emerged with nothing but a white towel

    wrapped around her small body. It wasn¡¯t the first time Xandar saw here out like this since they

    started sharing the room but he was able to resist the temptation to devour that perfect body thest few

    times.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Today, it was different, therefore more difficult to resist. As Lucianne plugged in the hairdryer, she spoke

    without looking at Xandar, ¡°All yours, darling.¡± Although she meant the bathroom, Xandar and his animal

    just took in the sight of their almost naked mate hungrily as they both thought, ¡®All mine.¡¯

    Xandar took slow steps towards Lucianne, and stopped just right behind her as she dried the little

    wetness in her hair that the shower cap couldn¡¯t keep dry. He watched her through the reflection of the

    full body mirror on the wall like he was in a trance.

    When Lucianne was done, she took a hair tie from the table and was about to tie up her unruly curls

    when Xandar¡¯s hands stopped her by holding onto her hands that were in her hair. Lucianne looked at

    her mate through their reflection in bewilderment. But when she saw his coy smirk, she had a good

    enough idea of what was going through his head.

    With their hands still entangled in her hair, she said in a soft voice, ¡°Darling, we have to be in the dining

    hall in an hour. No funny business.¡±

    Xandar scoffed and muttered, ¡°I won¡¯t take long, baby. I promise.¡± With that, he gently pulled her hands

    away from her hair, letting her thick curls fall on her back.

    His hands released hers only to slowly trace down the smooth skin of her neck and her bare shoulders.

    Lucianne gasped at the tingling sensation she felt from her mate¡¯s touch. With a cocky smirk, Xandar

    bent just slightly and started kissing her corbone and shoulder as hisrge hands traced the side of

    Lucianne¡¯s body, stopping at her butt.

    When she let out a breathless ¡®Xandar¡¯, the Lycan King could no longer hold in his arousal. The scent of

    it filled the entire room within seconds as he continued his assault on her neck while gently squeezing

    her booty through the annoyingly-thick towel.

    A soft moan. Then, a loud one. The sexy one. And Lucianne felt herself getting wet. She pressed her

    thighs together in hopes of hiding it but Xandar knew what she was doing. As he slowly moved his hand

    from

    her butt to her thigh, his mouth graced her skin from her neck to her ear, where he stopped and uttered,

    ¡°I can¡¯t stop thinking about how hot you were on the training ground today, my arousing flower.¡±

    As he squeezed her thighs, Lucianne felt her legs going weak. And she whimpered when Xandar¡¯s hand

    was nearing her lower abdomen where she felt an ache begging to be released.

    ¡°How you torture this beast, my love.¡± Xandar continued to speak in his husky voice, instigating his

    mate¡¯s arousal. ¡°Do you have any idea how hard it is to hold in my arousal when your very being tums

    me on every f*cking time?¡±

    Os me

    His alluring voice and choice of words made Lucianne moan even louder and made her legs even

    weaker. Her wolf had already surrendered, waiting for Xandar and his animal to do whatever it wanted to

    do to Lucianne¡¯s body.

    As Xandar¡¯s lips came from the side to trap hers in a lustful kiss, his hand crept through the folds of the

    towel and his fingers danced around the bare skin of his mate¡¯s upper thigh, making Lucianne¡¯s legs

    shudder.

    Xandar broke their kiss, and he already had to support Lucianne by her shoulders. They looked at each

    other through the reflection of the mirror as Xandar whispered into her ear, ¡°Tell me if you want this, my

    love.¡±

    His fingers moved from her thigh to herdy part, his fingertips danced teasingly on that bare area that

    was already wet. Lucianne was getting weak, and Xandar knew she wouldn¡¯tst much longer. When

    she let out a breathless ¡®yes¡¯, any remaining self-control left in Xandar snapped in an instant.

    He lifted Lucianne off the floor and ced her, back down, in the middle of the bed. His body hovered

    over hers as he smashed his lips on her soft, plump ones. In between the assault of his tongue,

    Lucianne took one of his hands and guided it to the part of the towel where she made a knot, right over

    her breasts.

    Her fingers then guided his own to unknot the towel, and Xandar didn¡¯t need any further guidance after

    that. As soon as he unwrapped his mate, spreading the towel on the bed, he pushed himself up to

    admire the delicious body before him. His body heated up so much that he had to take off his shirt, and

    Lucianne breathed heavily when Xandar started pulling his own pants down his legs, his erected shaft

    threatening t o tear through his underwear.

    The rise and fall of her breasts made Xandar growl in appreciation. It was the dangerous yet alluring

    growl, which turned Lucianne on. Xandar pressed his lips on hers while he kneaded her fimm breast.

    Lucianne¡¯s nipple stiffened instantly upon her mate¡¯s touch, and her body was burning with desire as it

    inched towards his.

    Xandar¡¯s lips trailed down her neck before making its way to her other breast where he started sucking

    on her nipple as he groaned rapturously.

    ¡°Ohh¡­¡± Lucianne tried to moan as softly as she could, bearing in mind that the walls were not

    soundproof.

    ¡®Don¡¯t hold back, baby. Moannnnnn.¡¯Xandar linked her as he tried to fit the whole of her breast into his

    mouth

    Breathlessly, she said, ¡°Someone¡­might¡­hear us.¡±

    She felt Xandar¡¯s mouth release her nipple, and his lips curl into a smirk at her breast before his head

    moved up to hers, his onyx eyes filled with lust bore into her dazed ck orbs as he said, ¡°Let them.¡±

    It was insane how those two words could get Lucianne even more aroused. With his eyes still fixed on

    hers, Xandar¡¯s rough hands ran over her shoulder, her breast, her abdomen before his thumb stopped

    right

    above where Lucianne wanted him to destroy.

    Looking at her with more love than lust now, Xandar¡¯s lips traced her cheek as his fingers worked their

    way around her slick folds. It took only five flicks to get Lucianne releasing her waterfall of juices. Xandar

    didn¡¯t wait for an invitation.

    His head snapped away from her face to the space between her legs top on her juices like he hadn¡¯t

    drunk anything in years. Her lower body arched upwards but Xandar¡¯s firm hand pressed her back down

    gently. His arms were around her thighs, spreading her legs and holding her in position as he continued

    to drink from her.

    Lucianne was a moaning mess now, and the way she said Xandar¡¯s name got her mate¡¯s cock harder

    and harder. Xandar didn¡¯t stop when he drank everyst drop. Instead, he continued to lick her p*ssy

    before his finger sneakily entered his mate¡¯s hole, making Lucianne gasp in response.

    Xandar slowly pushed his finger deep inside her, watching his mate¡¯s reaction. Lucianne could hardly

    breathe. His thumb started stroking her clit as his finger pulled out and pushed back in ever so slowly. By

    the way Lucianne was trying to inch towards his finger whenever he pulled it out, Xandar knew that he

    was doing it right. After a few in and outs, Xandar slid another finger in, and Lucianne closed her eyes as

    she indulged in the bittersweet pain.

    ¡°You¡¯re so tight, my arousing flower. So tight.¡±

    Lucianne kept moaning unintelligibly as Xandar¡¯s fingers gained speed. Her body was stiffening, and

    Xandar started pecking kisses on her stomach as he whispered, ¡°Rx, my flower. Rx.¡±

    Her body obeyed, and his fingers started to gently push against the walls in her, parting her core slightly

    with each movement. His thumb had not stopped on her now-swollen clit. Lucianne moaned even louder.

    Xandar¡¯s husky voice continued to turn her on as he said, ¡°Yes, baby. That¡¯s it. Just rx and moan.

    Rx and moan.¡±

    The pleasurable ache in her lower abdomen got more intense with Xandar¡¯s fingers speeding up. All of a

    sudden, Lucianne felt an explosion in her as her body convulsed in shock. Her fingernails dug into the

    mattress beneath her. Her core clenched around Xandar¡¯s fingers as she let out a scream, and the

    product of her orgasm flowed all over Xandar¡¯s hand, much to her beast¡¯s delight. 4

    Hey sideways next to her and pecked a kiss at theer of her lips. Lucianne looked up at her mate

    in pure tranquility. Her fingers traced his upward-curled lips before his mouth opened to suck on her

    thumb and then kiss it. She mouthed a shy ¡®thank you¡¯.

    He smiled wider, and leaned in to peck a kiss on her lips before he said, ¡°Anything for you, Lucy.¡±

    Lucianne couldn¡¯t help but feel his still-hardened shaft pressing against her thigh. He hadn¡¯t gotten his

    release, so she whispered, ¡°Let me help you.¡± Xandar didn¡¯t know what she meant until he felt her small

    hand on his stiffened d*ck.

    He gazed at her with overflowing affection before trapping her lips in a deep kiss as he removed his

    underwear. When their lips parted, Lucianne¡¯s eyes were met with an insanelyrge and long shaft that

    was clearly hardened judging by the way it stood. She was about to move to his manhood but her mate

    stopped her.

    He lifted up her chin and locked their eyes before he said in all seriousness, ¡°Lucy, the only part of me I

    want in your mouth is my tongue. Nothing else, okay? But¡­¡± he guided his mate¡¯s small hand to his hard

    cock which stiffened further under her touch before he continued, ¡°This beast still wants you to take

    control of it.¡± His eyes of affection turned to one of lust before he whispered, ¡°Drive me insane, my

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112

    With a glint in her eye, Lucianne ced one of her mate¡¯s hands on her bare butt and the other on her

    breast as she began to slowly stroke his long shaft. His precum was serving as a lubricant to a good

    start. And more lubricant exuded as Xandar kneaded Lucianne¡¯s breast and butt, much to her wolf¡¯s

    delight.

    Xandar leaned in to trap her lips in a deep kiss, and his body shuddered when Lucianne¡¯s fingers traced

    the hard muscles on his chest, her thumb teasing his nipples. Their lips only parted when Lucianne

    increased the speed on his shaft.

    Xandar¡¯s vision started blurring as he moaned in ecstasy. ¡°Ohhhh¡­.F*ck. Lucy, don¡¯t stop. Ohh¡­Baby,

    don¡¯t stop.¡± He was squeezing her breast at this point, and his fingers dug into her butt, making her body

    inch towards his even more as she moaned with him.

    Her hands didn¡¯t stop when her lips trapped his lips, making Xandar squeeze her bum almost

    mercilessly, which got Lucianne moaning through their mouths even louder. When their lips parted,

    Xandar was getting to an all-time high. ¡°F*ck. Oh, baby. Oh. Don¡¯t stop. Please. Mmm. Ah! Baby. Oh,

    yes. Lucy. Ah! Oh, * ck.¡±

    It was Lucianne¡¯s tum to smirk, and her hand on his d*ck slowed down just before he reached his peak.

    His eyes of dismay showed loss, and he looked like he was pleading with her to keep going. She pecked

    a kiss on his cheek before increasing the speed on his shaft again while whispering into his ear, ¡°Let

    them hear you scream, my love.¡± 1

    It took only a few more quick strokes along his manhood before the Lycan King screamed as he

    unloaded. It was louder than all of Lucianne¡¯s moans and screams, and Lucianne guided his spurting

    manhood to empty his cum all over her abdomen. Her mate let out a relieved sigh, and gave her a

    satisfied smile.

    He pecked a kiss on her lips, and then another before he muttered, ¡°Thank you, baby.¡±

    As hey on his side, his mind was dominated by the experience that his mate just gave him. His eyes

    sparked joy and bliss as he admired Lucianne¡¯s naked body. His hands traced her breasts and moved on

    to her bum as hey there in pure happiness. His animal could finallyy back in contentment after that

    magical release and the phenomenal sight before them. 1

    Her body curved at the right spots. And her breasts fitted nicely in hisrge hands, like it was meant to

    be there. By far, his favorite part of her was her butt. Her firm, round butt. He couldn¡¯t help but give it

    gentle squeezes as he gazed into his mate¡¯s ck orbs, eliciting soft, cute moans from her as her small

    hand continued tracing the hard muscles on his chest.

    Xandar registered his cum on her abdomen before pecking a sweet kiss on Lucianne¡¯s lips and uttered

    matter-of-factly, ¡°You need another shower, my love.¡±

    ¡°And whose fault is that, my indecent beast?¡± Lucianne smirked.

    He tumed her body so that shey t on her back and positioned his body over hers as he said, ¡°Mine.¡±

    A kiss on her nose before he continued, ¡°My animal¡¯s.¡± Another kiss on her forehead before he finished,

    ¡°And

    yours.¡±

    When Xandar was satisfied with her blushes, he carried her to the bathroom and Lucianne tried her best

    t o stand on her own. Thank goddess for a wolf¡¯s fast-healing abilities, otherwise she might have to hold

    onto something during the shower. 2

    Xandar refused to release his grip on her until he was certain that she was stable, not sure whether to

    feel

    guilty or ted that Lucianne was feeling sore from him spreading her legs to lick her juices. In the

    shower, he gently sprayed warm water over his mate¡¯s abdomen to wash off his cum before he reached

    for the shower gel

    After squirting some out, he ced it on the highest shelf so that Lucianne couldn¡¯t reach it to clean

    herself. His hands moved from her shoulders to her breasts, abdomen and buttocks as he cleaned her

    body.

    As he was rubbing her buttocks in slow circles, Lucianne moaned softly from the pleasure his touch gave

    her before she said, ¡°For someone who has never been intimate with anyone, you sure knew what you

    were doing back there, dearest.¡±

    He scoffed. ¡°Babe, just because I¡¯m a virgin, it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a saint. I¡¯m no stranger to pom and

    masturbation.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised. You¡¯re the indecent one after all.¡±

    A switch in Xandar was flicked. His eyes bore into hers as he said, ¡°I¡¯m the indecent one? I wasn¡¯t the

    one who stopped when my mate was close to release.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes and said, ¡°It was only for a second or so.¡±

    ¡°Four seconds. And it was torture. Imagine if I did it to you.¡±

    Lucianne shrugged and said, ¡°I¡¯d probably try to get there myself.¡± The animal in him pinned her against

    the bathroom wall as he growled, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, Lucy. I¡¯m your mate. I¡¯m the only one who can get you

    to cum, the only one who can get you to scream.¡±

    Lucianne studied his onyx eyes as she shook her head with a smile and muttered, ¡°Indecent beast.¡±

    Without warning, his fingers plunged in through her hole again, and Lucianne gasped in shock. Her

    shock was soon reced by pain and pleasure as Xandar¡¯s fingers pulled in and out of her core. He

    kneaded her breasts, paying special attention to her swollen nipples. As he bent down to lick her left

    nipple, his hand below started gaining speed.

    His thumb massaged her clit, and Lucianne was already whimpering and moaning, relying on Xandar

    and the wall against her back to support her body. ¡°Mm¡­oh! Xandar¡­oh..mmm¡­¡±

    When her body began to stiffen, Xandar¡¯s raspy voice rang through her ear as he said, ¡°Rx and moan,

    m y flower. Rx and moan.¡±

    That was exactly what Lucianne did. And just as she was about to peak, Xandar slowed down, and when

    she opened her eyes and was met with his taunting smirk, she realized that this was revenge for what

    she did to him earlier.

    But before her hands could get anywhere near her aching abdomen, Xandar pinned them above her

    head with one hand as he said, ¡°I¡¯ve just told you, my arousing flower. I¡¯m your mate. Only I can get you

    to cum, and only I can get you to scream.¡±

    With that, his fingers pulled in and out at a speed faster than before and Lucianne screamed as her

    juices flooded all over Xandar¡¯s hand. He managed to lick off some of it before the shower rinsed off the

    rest. His hands pressed against the wall, trapping his mate¡¯s beautiful head between them before he

    leaned in and pressed his lips on hers.

    When Xandar¡¯s lips released her, he uttered, ¡°That was how it felt. But the way you tortured me was way

    worse.¡±

    Lucianne furrowed her eyebrows and argued, ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t! Yours on me was worse. At least I didn¡¯t pin

    your hands to a wall.¡±

    Despite her annoyed look, Xandar found her to be absolutely adorable. He pecked a kiss on her

    forehead before he cupped her cheek and exined, ¡°Expecting me to cum on my own after you¡¯ve

    gotten me high i s like expecting me to stay away from you after I¡¯ve fallen in love with you. It¡¯s torture.¡±

    He traced her swollen lower lip with his thumb and uttered firmly, ¡°You¡¯re my mate, Lucy. Only you have

    the power to get me to cum, and the ability to get me to scream. There¡¯ll only ever be you, my little

    freesia.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s face softened at Xandar¡¯s vulnerable deration, and she pulled herself up to peck a kiss on

    his lips before she whispered, ¡°Thank you, my love.¡±

    Xandar and his animal purred in bliss as he whispered back, ¡°No, Lucy. Thank you, for letting me love

    you. Thank you for giving me a chance, for opening up to me despite everything that happened to you.¡±

    A kiss o n her lips and he said in all sincerity, ¡°I love you.¡±

    With glistening eyes, Lucianne chuckled lightly before she said, ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    When they finally exited the bathroom, Xandar helped Lucianne into a knee-length lc dress before

    getting dressed himself. Lucianne insisted that she could get into the dress on her own but Xandar just

    wanted an excuse to feel the curves of her body and peck kisses on her skin before it was covered by

    her clothes. 2

    After Lucianne had buttoned-up thest button on his ck shirt and was about to tum away, Xandar¡¯s

    hands held her waist and pressed her body against his as he smirked. His hands then moved south to

    her butt, giving them a gentle squeeze as he nted a deep kiss on her forehead before he muttered,

    ¡°Thank you, baby.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s hands were on his chest, and she resisted the urge to touch him intimately as she said,¡±

    Darling, speaking to me like that is not going to get me to give in again. We¡¯re alreadyte. If anyone

    asks where we were and I start blushing to give us away, the me will be yours to take.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± He looked at her with a coy smirk and responded, ¡°As long as there¡¯s a¡­ suitable form of

    punishment thates with the me, I¡¯m more than happy to take it all.¡±

    ¡°Suitable?¡± Lucianne narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°Suitable.¡± He pecked a soft kiss on her cheek before he whispered, ¡°Such as one where you take

    control of this beast.¡±

    Lucianne smirked despite her warm cheeks as she said, ¡°That¡¯s enough sexual innuendos, my King.

    Time t o go.¡±

    Xandar groaned as he muttered in annoyance, ¡°Over-responsible Queen.¡±

    Lucianne checked her appearance in the mirror one more time before Xandar pecked a kiss in her hair,

    and whispered you look perfect¡¯. She blushed with a shy smile and they left the room.

    They checked their phones in the elevator, scrolling through the messages they had been receiving for

    the past hour. Most of them were forwarded news articles about Sasha¡¯s debacle earlier that moming,

    and there was no shortage of pictures of what happened on the training ground.

    In his office, Sebastian was preparing for a board meeting when a string of messages and emails

    bombarded his notifications bar.

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113

    Sebastian was ignoring the bombarding messages on his phone until the sound became too distracting.

    When he reached for his device with the intention of silencing it, he subconsciously skimmed through the

    news that was forwarded to him.

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    After burning his eyes from watching a short video of his naked sister rushing for a towel on the training

    ground, he ced his phone back on the table as he sighed at Sasha¡¯s stupidity.

    Knock Knock

    His secretary came in. ¡°Sir, the meeting is in twenty minutes. Are there any documents you¡¯d like me to

    bring to the boardroom first?¡±

    He looked at the photo of Lucianne he had framed up on his desk, and his fingers went to the picture to

    gently stroke her cheek. He wondered if she was okay. Numbly, he told his secretary, ¡°Tell Boscow to

    take charge today. There¡¯s somewhere I have to be.¡±

    The secretary was surprised. Sebastian never missed a board meeting. Still, she didn¡¯t ask any further

    questions and left after uttering, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Sebastian left his office and went to the florist to get some fresh Irrelises before heading for the dining

    hall. At the dining hall gates, the guards refused to let him in, saying that he was not authorized to enter.

    H e tried to argue that the corruption charges against his father were not proven yet so Minister

    Cummings was technically still innocent but the guards didn¡¯t give a damn.

    One of them threw him a re and said, ¡°After what Ms Cummings had done to the Queen and the King

    just this moming, you¡¯d be a fool to think that we would let you anywhere near their Highnesses.¡±

    ¡°I would never hurt the Queen.¡± Sebastian spat in defence, though some part of his heart ached when he

    said that. By acknowledging that Lucianne was the Queen, he was admitting that she was the King¡¯s

    mate, not his.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say I believe you, Cummings. We didn¡¯t think your sister would hurt the Queen either, especially

    after her Highness graciously allowed her on the training ground. The Queen even showed her mercy

    today after being attacked herself! The King could¡¯ve very well killed your sister if the Queen didn¡¯t stop

    him. Be gone, Cummings. Go see your sibling instead.¡±

    Sebastian¡¯s eyes were getting darker by the second. How dare they think he¡¯d hurt Lucianne! He loved

    her! Mates or not, he was certain that no one held his heart but Lucianne. He¡¯d do anything to win her

    back. He just wanted to see if she was okay.

    There was no way he would leave without seeing her first. Sebastian¡¯s fur started surfacing, and the

    guard noticed. His posture straightened as he prepared himself for a possible attack from the minister¡¯s

    son.

    ¡°Owen, are you okay?¡± A sweet voice of concern rang through the two men¡¯s ears. Their heads turned to

    the source, and they saw Lucianne walking towards them in graceful steps with Xandar by her side, his

    hand around her waist as his onyx eyes glowered at Sebastian Sebastian didn¡¯t even want to start

    guessing why they werete when they usually reach the dining hall on time.

    ¡°Your Highnesses.¡± Owen¡¯s cold and hardened expression turned warm and weing as he bowed.

    Xandar and Lucianne returned his bow, and after they all lifted their heads, Owen spoke with a warm

    smile, ¡°My Queen, we heard what happened. May I ask: how¡¯s the arm?¡±

    Lucianne smiled graciously as she lifted her arms in his direction to show him that she was all healed as

    she replied, ¡°Good as new, Owen. Thank you for asking.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very excellent news indeed, your Highness.¡± Owen said with the same friendly smile. They both

    met the previous year, and Owen called her ¡®Lucy¡¯ but as soon as she became Xandar¡¯s mate, Owen

    and his partner both stubbomly insisted on addressing Lucianne by her future royal title, despite the

    many times Lucianne said it was okay to call her like they always did.

    Lucianne then tumed to Sebastian, and she forced a smile as she greeted him. ¡°Mr Cummings, what

    brings you here?¡±

    Sebastian¡¯s voice came out soft and gentle as he said, ¡°I heard what happened too, Lucianne¡­¡±

    Xandar and Owen growled in unison at the casual way Sebastian addressed her, and Xandar spat in a

    low, homicidal tone, ¡°You have no right to address our Queen by her name, especially not after what your

    family had done. Corruption, treason and now causing grievous hurt to the Queen AFTER BEING

    SHOWN MERCY! YOU STILL DARE CALL MY MATE BY HER NAME?!!¡±

    Sebastian was going to speak again to defend himself but what he saw next made him lose his voice:

    Lucianne¡¯s small hands that he held a year ago now reached for Xandar¡¯s face. She gently pulled it

    downt o face her before her thumb started stroking his cheeks as she cooed, ¡°Shh¡­calm down, my

    darling. That bad incident is over now. We¡¯re both okay. Breathe, my love. Breathe.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s expression softened, and he nted a kiss on her forehead before closing his eyes and

    inhaling deeply from her hair to calm himself down.

    Seeing that her mate¡¯s temperament was stabilized, Lucianne turned back to Sebastian, whose sad eyes

    were getting red and teary. Her voice turned stem when she asked, ¡°Well, what is it that you¡¯re here for,

    Mr Cummings?¡±

    It took Sebastian a moment to find his voice before he said, ¡°I-I just wanted to see if you were okay. I¡¯m

    I¡¯m d that you are, my Queen. And I got you these.¡± His hands held up the bouquet of Irrelises he had

    been holding since he got out of his car. 1

    Owen and Xandar scowled at Sebastian¡¯s audacity. Lucianne was the King¡¯s mate! Everyone knew that!

    How dare Sebastian try to slitter his way into Lucianne¡¯s life! She was not his, not anymore! The temerity

    o f all three Cummings was just appalling!! 2

    Lucianne felt the radiating anger from Xandar and Owen, and her mate¡¯s strong hand was tightening in

    its grip on her waist. But she remainedposed as she nced at the flowers before locking her

    unperturbed eyes with Sebastian¡¯s guilty and yearning gaze as she said, ¡°Thank you for your concern,

    Mr Cummings. But for reasons that I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware of, I will not be epting the flowers. I

    appreciate the thought though. If there isn¡¯t anything else, we should part here. Have a good day.¡±

    Lucianne didn¡¯t even give Sebastian a chance to respond before she walked through the gate, pulling

    Xandar along. The King¡¯s death re remained on Sebastian until they entered the dining hall building. 3

    Owen cleared his throat to get Sebastian¡¯s attention as he said in a murderous voice, ¡°You no longer

    have any business here, Cummings. Be gone. If you can muster a little more intelligence than your

    sister, you won¡¯t show your face here again.¡±

    Sebastian held back his tears and entered his car before speeding to the park where he and Lucianne

    took evening strolls together the previous year when they were mates. As soon as he pulled his car to a

    stop, Sebastian broke down in tears when he thought about how Lucianne rejected his flowers. It took

    him an

    hour before he finally pulled himself together again. He stepped out of the car and leaned against it as a

    gentle breeze graced his tear-stained face.

    Sebastian then started the routined criticism he had with himself since he epted Lucianne¡¯s rejection

    the previous year: Why had he been so stupid? Why did he doubt his feelings for Lucianne just because

    she¡¯s a wolf? Why did he choose to believe Sasha that the mate-bond was blinding him when in truth, he

    had always been in love with Lucianne? Why did he lie to Lucianne so often that each time after he was

    caught, her bright eyes would dim with disappointment, doubt and suspicion? Why didn¡¯t he just cherish

    her when he had her? 1

    It was so clear that she was a gift. Alphas, Gammas and even some of the Lycans were visibly envious

    of himst year whenever Lucianne was by his side. He even caught the King stealing nces at her at

    that time, which was a surprise since as far as everyone knew, no woman ever attracted the King that

    way. And there wasn¡¯t any lust in those nces. His eyes skimmed her body the first two times but after

    that they were always fixed on her face, gazing at her from afar with interest and curiosity. 1

    Sebastian even remembered that there was once when the King looked at Lucianne¡¯s side profile so

    long that even the second-inmand turned to see where his cousin¡¯s sights were. Another time, when

    Lucianne was self-consciously running her fingers through her hair after just entering the dining hall

    because of the strong wind from the outside, the insecurity in Sebastian¡¯s chest grew when he noticed

    that the King¡¯s lips curled up into a soft smile after ncing at her. Thankfully, only very few Lycans

    noticed that sudden change in the King¡¯s demeanor but none of them knew why.

    Sebastian was determined to never let them meet so he kept Lucianne far away from the King¡¯s circle

    whenever they were forced to be in the same room, never offering Lucianne ess to the ministers she

    wanted to speak to simply because those ministers were always around the King.

    Sebastian didn¡¯t want the King¡¯s eyes on his mate. But the irony now was that the King didn¡¯t want

    Sebastian¡¯s eyes on his mate, now their Queen-to-be. Hmph. The universe sure worked in funny ways.

    When Sebastian was done with the negative self-talk, he decided to pay his stupid sister a visit.

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114

    As soon as the door of the interrogation room opened up for Sasha, Sebastian didn¡¯t even wait for the

    policewoman escort to leave before he snapped at his sister, ¡°WHAT THE H*LL WERE YOU

    THINKING?!!¡±

    Sasha glowered at her brother as she sat. Unlike him, she let the door close with a thud before she

    smirked and said, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too, Seb.¡±

    Sebastian emitted a low growl before he said, ¡°DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THE DEPTH OF SH*T

    YOU¡¯RE IN RIGHT NOW?!¡±

    ¡°Considering that I¡¯m the one who¡¯s here with the charges, I think I have a pretty good idea.¡± Sasha

    replied nonchntly. 1

    ¡°How could you do that?!¡±

    ¡°How could I do that?¡± She scorned her brother before leaning towards him and shouted,for more Daily

    updates visit :- .noveljar ¡°How could you still defend her after everything she did?! Dad¡¯s in here

    because of her! I¡¯m in here because of her!¡±

    ¡°Lucy never did anything wrong, Sasha! It was all your own doing!¡±

    ¡°Still calling her like you¡¯re both still mates. Hmph. Pathetic. You¡¯re willing to toss the sister you¡¯ve known

    all your life for a wolf you spent time with for three weeks. What about dad? You¡¯re casting him out too?

    ¡°The charges against him are not proven yet, and I doubt¡­¡±

    ¡°What if they are? What would you do then?¡±

    Sebastian¡¯s onyx orbs fixed on his smirking sister as he asked, ¡°Do you know something I don¡¯t about

    dad?¡±

    Sasha scoffed darkly, ¡°So, you¡¯re not sure if you¡¯ll even be there for our father. The one who brought us

    up and basically paid for everything including thepany you built.¡±

    ¡°He only helped me start, Sasha. I handled things on my own after that. Unlike you, I¡¯m proud to say I

    know how to make my own money.¡± Sebastian glowered. When his sister said nothing and continued to

    scowl, Sebastian added, ¡°Never saw the need to find a job, did you? Always so sure that you¡¯d be Queen

    one day and look where you are now.¡±

    Sasha¡¯s cuffed hands mmed the table and she shouted, ¡°SHE WILL NEVER BE QUEEN! NEVER! I

    AM QUEEN!¡±

    ¡°Wake up, Sasha. It¡¯s not happening.¡±

    Sasha breathed heavily in fury. If she didn¡¯t have Oleander cuffs on, she would¡¯ve already shifted right

    then and there. She then turned her brother¡¯s own attack against him, ¡°Given up on winning her back

    already, I see. Well, it¡¯s about time. It was embarrassing to be rted to a high-status businessman when

    h e was shamelessly going after an irksome scum.¡±.

    Sebastian growled but he didn¡¯t scare Sasha. She smirked victoriously when Sebastian spoke slowly,¡°

    Lucianne is a much better creature than the Cummings can ever hope to be. If we¡¯rebelling, then the

    shameless, irksome scum is you, for what you did today and for all the times you tried but obviously

    failed to seduce the King. She made you scared, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    Sasha¡¯s infuriated eyes met her brothers as he continued, ¡°Last year, you saw the King checking out

    Lucy.for more Daily updates visit :- .noveljar I wasn¡¯t the only one who saw it. You felt

    threatened by her. You were scared that he would choose her.¡±

    Sasha tried crossing her arms then remembered she couldn¡¯t do that with the cuffs on so she rested her

    hands on herp in frustration. She gritted her teeth as she spoke, ¡°And you think I didn¡¯t know what you

    were doing, Seb? You pulled her away, far away, from the King whenever you saw him looking at her.

    Like i tor not, we were aplices in keeping them apartst year.¡±

    ¡°She was MY mate. I had the right to do what I did.¡±

    ¡°You should be thanking me, you know. I¡¯m the reason you¡¯re still alive, Seb. If the King really fell for her

    last year, he would¡¯ve challenged you to im her, and we all know how that would end.¡±

    ¡°At least then Lucy would know that I¡¯ll fight to the death for her! She doesn¡¯t even know how much I care

    about her now after what happened! AFTER WHAT YOU DID!¡±

    ¡°After what I did? Apart from getting you to lie to her about going to the bar, I never told you to lie about

    anything else. I wasn¡¯t the one who stopped her from meeting the ministers that she annoyingly went on

    and on about wanting to meet to save her little pack. I wasn¡¯t the one who told her that her fighting skills

    would never rival a Lycan¡¯s.¡±

    She leaned forward and continued, ¡°You did those things, Seb. You said those things to her. You were

    the one who made her feel unweed with dad and his colleagues. And you were the one who got

    mad after your ego broke from losing to her inbat. She left you because of your own doing. It was all

    you. You may think that the set-up with Livia was the reason why she rejected you but the truth is, you

    were already losing her. You baked your cake of her rejection, Seb, I only ced the icing on top.¡±

    Tears flowed down Sebastian¡¯s cheeks from his glistening eyes. He couldn¡¯t deny any of those things. He

    tried so hard to keep Lucianne away from the ministers and the King, and he said things to make her feel

    that she can never be good enough to meet most of the ministers and the King himself.

    Sasha showed her brother no mercy as she continued, ¡°Why can¡¯t you see that she was nothing but a

    problem? For you, me and dad!¡±

    ¡°She was NEVER a problem. She was my mate.¡± Sebastian spat with a vision blurred by his tears.

    ¡°The mate-bond was a mistake, Seb! Why can¡¯t you see that?! She¡¯s the reason dad is behind bars!

    She¡¯s the reason his career and reputation are at stake!¡±

    ¡°The King is the one who ordered the arrest, Sasha! Wake up!¡±

    ¡°The King didn¡¯t arrest dad for eighteen years! The wolf shows up and he gets charged for insane

    crimes! The wolf just wants to take everything from us!¡±

    ¡°And why would she do that? She¡¯s not you, Sasha. Revenge is not Lucy¡¯s thing.¡±

    ¡°Hah! Do you know how stupid you sound when you say that? All women have a revenge streak. It just

    takes the right experience to ignite the thirst for it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s you. Not her.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Pathetic. Hopelessly pathetic.¡° Sasha muttered.

    Sebastian then dered cockily, ¡°I¡¯d rather be pathetically in love with her than be you. At least I¡¯m not

    the one behind bars. At least I¡¯m free.¡±

    Sasha nced at the young policeman with an unperturbed expression at theer before her eyes

    met her brother¡¯s as she said, ¡°Hm. If you say so. And if all we¡¯re going to talk about is your irksome,

    ugly, little e x-mate, I¡¯d prefer to return to my cell now.¡±

    Sasha got up but was stopped by her brother¡¯s voice. ¡°If you know something about dad, you¡¯d better

    speak up, Sasha. Hiding the truth won¡¯t do you or him any good.¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    She locked a murderous re at her useless sibling before she spat, ¡°I suppose you¡¯d know that since

    you have ample experience of hiding the truth.¡± That really hit Seb¡¯s nerve.

    Sebastian lost count of the number of times he told Lucianne lies and half-truths, just to keep her away

    from Xandar.for more Daily updates visit :- .noveljar His sister didn¡¯t even give him a chance to

    recover before she continued, ¡°But since you survived despite hiding the truth, I¡¯d say my own chances

    are pretty good. When you wake up from the illusion that your ex-mate is the picture perfect being, I

    hope it wouldn¡¯t be toote for you, Seb.¡± 2

    She turned and left with the policeman without another word. Sebastian drove back to his apartment and

    continued to dwell in his sadness and remorse alone in his room.

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115

    When Lucianne and Xandar stepped into the building after Sebastian was out of sight, Lucianne paused

    in n her steps and studied her mate in concern. Her small hand reached for his cheek, and she started

    stroking it with a cute, little thumb as she asked, ¡°Are you okay, Xandar?¡±

    Xandar didn¡¯t know why Lucianne pulled him to a stop until he heard those words. He leaned into her

    touch and a smile graced his features at her concern for him. He then kissed her forehead and said in a

    husky voice, ¡°Of course I am. I¡¯m always okay when I¡¯m with you.¡±

    Despite the sparks, Lucianne narrowed her eyes and continued, ¡°Really? So, that means you didn¡¯t just

    throw a fit at Cummings back there and the other Cummings this morning. Both times when I was right

    next to you. And how about the time when¡­¡±

    Xandar silenced her with a deep kiss on her lips. She pulled away and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re cheating, my

    indecent beast.¡±

    He looked at her coyly and spoke in his alluring voice, ¡°Now since when was using new techniques

    cheating, my love? Kissing you is just an effective way to not lose an argument against you.¡±

    ¡°Not lose.¡± Lucianne noted Xandar¡¯s choice of words with a smirk.

    He pulled her impossibly closer and brushed his nose against hers and said, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s like a tie. Winning

    takes much more skill. I¡¯m still looking for the wolves who know how to do it. I do want to speed up the

    leaming process.¡±

    Lucianne scoffed, and came out of his embrace before tugging him by his hand as they continued

    walking to the dining hall when she uttered in confidence, ¡°You¡¯ll never find them.¡±

    His hand let go of hers and went to her waist as he asked flirtatiously, ¡°And why is that, my dear?¡±

    As they stepped into the hall, there was a cheeky glint in Lucianne¡¯s eye when she said, ¡°Because I¡¯ll

    make sure you won¡¯t find them.¡±

    Before Lucianne could offer the crowd a bow, Xandar tickled her waist and elicited Lucianne¡¯s soft,

    controlled giggles. Most of the Lycans and werewolves were pressing back smiles and cheeky smirks at

    the King and Queen¡¯s exchange.

    Lucianne then mind-linked, ¡®Not here, dearest.¡¯

    As they returned the bow, Xandar linked in response, ¡®You started this, my love. And what¡¯s wrong with

    what I just did? If anything, showing how much I love you in public only makes our subjects happier.¡¯

    After they stood up with the crowd, Lucianne walked towards the alliance while muttering, ¡°Indecent

    beast.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely urate.¡± Xandar said as he caught up to her with ease. He then spun her around by

    her waist to face him. ¡°It¡¯s YOUR indecent beast, Lucy.¡±

    She blushed as she uttered, ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°I want to hear you say those words, baby.¡± His demanding gaze prated into her ck orbs and her

    soul.

    Lucianne tried but failed to suppress her smile as she continued blushing. Seeing that Xandar was not

    going to let her go until he got what he asked for, she shook her head slightly with a beautiful shy smile

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    and whispered, ¡°My indecent beast.¡± She then pecked a kiss on his lips just to satisfy him and his animal.

    That definitely did the trick. Xandar¡¯s animal was cooing in ecstasy, and the King himself was in a daze,

    practically deaf to the squeals and giggles from his subjects. He only came out of his trance when he felt

    Lucianne trying to move. Xandar kissed her cheek before loosening his grip on her waist as they

    approached the alliance members.

    When Lucianne and Xandar saw the worried faces of the strongest and fiercest leaders and Gammas,

    and even Christian, they knew that they were going to hear bad news.

    There was one person Xandar didn¡¯t remember being in the alliance. Lucianne introduced them.

    ¡°Xandar, this is Alpha Clement from Forest Gloom. You spoke with him on the phone yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance, your Highness.¡± Alpha Clement said as he thrusted out a hand. 1

    Xandar¡¯s contemtive eyes turned slightly defensive as he shook the nervous-looking Alpha¡¯s hand. He

    nced at his mate, and realised that her serious expression showed that she wasn¡¯t his cheeky little

    freesia that she was a few seconds ago. She was the Gamma of the Gammas, and the future Queen of

    their people.

    Lucianne looked at the leaders and Gammas, and got to the point by asking curtly, ¡°What is it?¡±

    In response, the Alphas and Lunas got out their phones, unlocked their screens and held them in her

    direction to show her the contents on their screens all at once. Xandar¡¯s hand went from Lucianne¡¯s

    waist to her shoulder as they studied the messages together. They were all simr. It was from their

    respective Betas, who all sent a picture of a white-papered note next to a veryrge Lycan footprint.

    Lucianne took Juan¡¯s phone and erged the picture to read the writing on the paper. You¡¯ve cast us out

    and killed many of us. You think you¡¯ve been eliminating us but you don¡¯t know the scale of the game

    that¡¯s being yed against you for all these years. By dawn tomorrow, you won¡¯t be one of the strongest

    packs in existence anymore, for the simple reason that your pack will no longer exist. We¡¯ve formed

    allies. We¡¯ve trained. And we¡¯re ready. Are you? Looks like we¡¯ll see tonight.

    ¡°Rogues.¡± Xandar muttered. As Lucianne retumed Juan¡¯s phone to him, the brother-sister pair stared at

    each other with anger, worry and frustration. Everyone had the same thought: how would they secure a

    victory in everyone¡¯s packs without sacrificing one of their own? Out of nowhere, Lucianne muttered,¡±

    This is a trap.¡±

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116

    Xandar noticed that they were gamering curious stares, and he caressed his mate¡¯s shoulders in hopes

    of soothing her a little as he suggested in a gentle voice, ¡°How about we discuss this at my ce, Lucy?

    We¡¯ll see the number of Lycan warriors we need.¡±

    Lucianne nodded numbly, and started walking towards the door with Xandar leading the way. Christian

    and the alliance followed closely behind. They didn¡¯t say a word to each other throughout the drive, not

    even when Xandar walked Lucianne into his home and then his office. She was worried, and

    understandably so. But she was also quiet because she was mentally strategizing their options to keep

    every pack and its members alive.

    The Duke and the alliance strode in with equally ominous expressions as they took their seats around

    the table with their King and Queen. Alpha Clement and his Gamma, Felicia, were the most curious ones

    since they never stepped foot in Xandar¡¯s home until that day.

    Lucianne¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed as she cracked her brain. Her fingers wereced together and

    rested o n the table. Everyone stayed silent as they watched her think, awaiting her decision and her

    instructions.

    Lucianne¡¯s sights were still fixed on the table when she finally spoke, ¡°How many Lycan Warriors are at

    your disposal, Xandar?¡±

    He ced hisrge hand over her small ones as he said, ¡°It¡¯s ¡®our¡¯ disposal, sweetheart. And after

    sending the three of them to Forest Gloom yesterday, we have forty-seven left.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Lucianne responded, her hardened features still not easing even with Xandar¡¯s thumb stroking her

    hand.

    The wolves were not surprised, andpletely understood why there were so few Lycan Warriors in

    existence when werewolves had thousands if not more. Lycans never knew about rogue Lycans until

    very recently. And no right-minded rogue wolf would invade Lycan territory unless they had a death wish.

    When Lucianne cleared her throat in the silent room, everyone¡¯s backs straightened. She then spoke,

    ¡°We don¡¯t know the numbers that the rogues have on their side. And we don¡¯t know if they¡¯re as skillful

    as they imed to be. But from their attacks these recent years, it is clear that they are not as skillful as

    we are. The only reason that they¡¯re confident of winning now is because they have Lycans this time.¡±

    She bit her bottom lip in uneasiness as she continued, ¡°There are fifty Lycan warriors in total. And there

    are five packs here. Every pack will take ten each. All of you must return to your packs to fight alongside

    your people. Sylvia will join the Forest Gloom warriors since her pack is the only one amongst us which

    did not receive such a threat.¡±

    ¡°And you?¡± Juan asked, knowing full well that his sister-like figure would choose to go to the most

    vulnerable pack, which was Forest Gloom at the moment. She had trained Blue Crescent¡¯s warriors so

    well that Juan, Hale and Lucianne herself knew that they would do just fine without her.

    She locked eyes with her Alpha and firmly dered, ¡°I¡¯m going to Forest Gloom. I¡¯m confident that our

    warriors, together with the Lycan warriors, will do just fine defending Blue Crescent, Alpha.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    Juan¡¯s eyes darkened and he spoke in suppressed anger and worry, ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking as your Alpha,

    Lucy. Can¡¯t you see this is the Jewel Pack tactic all over again?!¡±

    ¡°I can.¡± Lucianne responded calmly,pletely used to Juan¡¯s outbursts whenever she puts herself in

    risky situations.

    Juan was shouting now, ¡°Then, for Goddess sake, don¡¯t go to Forest Gloom on your own!¡± Hale didn¡¯t

    bother trying to calm her mate down because she was equally worried about Lucianne.

    Lucianne reasoned with Juan calmly, ¡°I won¡¯t be on my own. Forest Gloom has its own set of warriors

    and we¡¯re taking the remaining Lycan Warriors who will join the other three already there. Besides, I

    doubt Xandar would let me go there alone.¡±

    Xandar smiled despite his worry and gave her hands a gentle squeeze as he uttered, ¡°Good that you

    know that.¡±

    Lucianne threw him a grateful smile only briefly when Juan spoke in a more controlled voice, ¡°With much

    respect, your Highness. None of the Lycans have been to an actual battle. I admit that they are trained

    for i t but nothing beats experiencing one. Reflexes and muscle memory are crucial for survival. I get that

    you¡¯ll do anything to protect my sister but we¡¯re talking about protecting a whole pack and its allies.

    Forest Gloom is not small with surrounding allies. She,¡± Juan pointed at Lucianne as he continued, ¡°will

    do anything to protect everyone, even if it means sacrificing herself.¡±

    When Lucianne felt Xandar¡¯s grip on her hands tightened ever so slightly, she said sarcastically, ¡°Gee,

    thanks, Juan. That didn¡¯t make my mate tense up at all.¡±

    Zelena then shouted with fierce eyes, ¡°You¡¯re the target, Lucy! You were their target since the Jewel

    Pack.

    You can¡¯t expect us to let you go there without any wolves in this room! Our warriors are well-trained too.

    I . f Blue Crescent can handle things without you, then Blood Eclipse can hold up equally fine without us

    there!¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes moved to the worried Luna and she said, ¡°We¡¯re not taking that chance, Zelena. We

    don¡¯t know how many rogues we¡¯re talking about here. You¡¯ll never be able to forgive yourself if

    something happened to your pack and you weren¡¯t there. I won¡¯t be able to forgive myself if I took every

    pack leader

    and Gamma with me while your pack members fend for themselves.¡±

    Toby mmed the table and yelled at his best friend, ¡°OUR PACKS WILL BE FINE, LUCY! DO YOU

    WANT T O END UP IN THE HOSPITAL ALMOST DEAD AGAIN?! THE LYCANS ARE NOT ENOUGH!

    YOU SAID SO YOURSELF THAT OUR SPEED IN HUMAN FORM IS SOMETHING THE LYCAN

    WARRIORS WOULD TAKE WEEKS OR EVEN MONTHS TO RIVAL! HOW DO YOU EXPECT THEM

    TO FIGHT OFF HUNDREDS OF ROGUE WOLVES TONIGHT?! THEY¡¯RE NOT EVEN TRAINED TO

    KILL! THEY¡¯RE ONLY TRAINED TO DEFEND!¡±

    If Xandar didn¡¯t see Toby¡¯s eyes glistening as he said that, the King would¡¯ve emitted a murderous growl

    at the Gamma for talking to his mate like that. But Toby¡¯s worried expression and scared eyes stopped

    him. The Gamma was just worried about Lucianne. They all were. But Lucianne was more worried about

    the pack members they had to protect.

    Before she could respond, Tate spoke in a tone softer and gentler than the one Toby just used, ¡°Lucy,

    you have to take at least half of us with you. If you don¡¯t, we¡¯ll all follow you to Forest Gloom. And our

    packs would defend themselves without us. Like Blue Crescent, I¡¯m sure the rest of our warriors will be

    just fine.¡± Lucianne red at Tate, who was not going to back down as he matched her hard expression.

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117

    Lucianne sighed as she said, ¡°You¡¯re an Alpha, Tate. You have a duty to fight alongside your pack. You

    can¡¯t just abandon them. And Juan, as Blue Crescent¡¯s Alpha,¡± she locked eyes with her brother and

    dered in a tone which left no room for discussion, ¡°will NOT be following me to Forest Gloom.¡±

    Before Juan could speak, Tate continued in the same gentle but firm voice, ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t take the Alphas

    or the Lunas. Take all the Gammas, at least.¡± Contemtive murmurs of agreement soon filled the room.

    That was actually a viable option. Their packs were strong, and Lucianne had taught more than one

    warrior in each pack about strategy. So, every strong pack actually already had at least one ¡®spare

    Gamma¡¯ to take charge whenever the Gamma wasn¡¯t around. Lucianne rmended having a spare

    as a precaution, should more than one Gamma be needed to strategize simultaneously in different

    locations.

    Lucianne smiled to herself for the first time as she shook her head, and threw Tate a smirk when she

    said, ¡°You¡¯re actually using my own rmended precautions against me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know a better way to win an argument against you.¡± Tate uttered as he returned her smirk,

    repeating the exact same words he said to her when they were on the ne to the Jewel Pack.

    Xandar felt his jealousy and insecurity return so he took his mate¡¯s hand to peck a kiss on it to get her

    attention. He looked into her bright, ck orbs as he asked, ¡°Well, baby, what do we do?¡± He called her

    so intimately to make himself feel better since no one else had the right to call Lucianne that except him.

    She offered Xandar an affectionate smile, and stroked his hand as she turned to the alliance and said,¡±

    We¡¯ll go with what Tate said.¡±

    Sighs of relief eased the tense atmosphere in the room, and Toby slumped back into his seat as he

    whispered, ¡°Thank Goddess.¡±

    Lucianne then said, ¡°Well, Gammas, let¡¯s get to forming temporary mind-links. We¡¯ll need it on the

    battleground without our Alphas and Lunas there.¡± She stood from her seat and everyone followed suit.

    She went to Raden first since he was the closest. Both Gammas extended a w and scratched a fine

    line on their respective palms.

    When blood started oozing from that area, their palms pressed together to let their blood mix as

    Lucianne uttered, ¡°I, Lucianne Freesia Paw, offer you, Raden Richard Stone, a temporary link to my

    mind.¡±

    ¡°I, Raden Richard Stone, ept your offer.¡±

    Temporary links onlyst twenty-four hours unlike permanent ones whichst forever until severed.

    When the link with Raden was formed, Felicia came next. She and Lucianne then did the same thing.

    For some reason, Tate pulled Toby to a corner as their eyes zed over.

    Lucianne assumed Tate was just asking Toby about strategy for their pack. Just as she was a better

    strategist than Juan for Blue Crescent, Toby was a better strategist than Alpha Tate for White Blood.

    When the Gammas exchanged thest of the temporary links, all eyes fell on the Alpha and Gamma of

    White Blood. Toby looked upset and maybe a little frustrated. But Tate looked stern. Without another

    word, Tate walked away from Toby and towards Lucianne before he extended a w and made a scratch

    on his palm like the others.

    As Tate was reaching out for Lucianne¡¯s small hand, she retracted it as she furrowed her eyebrows and

    asked, ¡°What the h*ll are you doing, Alpha?¡± She emphasized his title to remind him that only the

    Gammas were following her. Xandar knew exactly what Tate was doing and stood closely behind

    Lucianne, his hands on her shoulders as he threw the Alpha a disapproving look.

    Tate refused to meet Xandar¡¯s hard stare as the Alpha offered Lucianne a soft smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m only

    second when ites to strategizing for White Blood, Lucy. Toby¡¯s better. Our pack has a better chance

    with him nning the attack.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s fierce eyes bore into his unperturbed ones as she said, ¡°You have to LEAD the attack, Alpha

    Tate.¡±

    Tate remained stubborn as he said casually, ¡°Eh. That¡¯s not true. For Blue Crescent and White Blood, it

    was never the Alphas who led the attacks. Our Gammas did that. And calling me ¡®Alpha¡¯ is not going to

    make m e back out in guilt, Lucy. I¡¯m going to Forest Gloom with the rest of you.¡±

    Before Lucianne could retort, Toby¡¯s sad and strained voice came from theer, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lucy. As

    long as one of White Blood¡¯s members is with you, I¡¯m good with it.¡±

    His Alpha insisted that he followed Lucianne when they mind-linked between themselves. Toby tried to

    fight back, arguing that the deal was to have Gammas follow his best friend. But Tate was firm in his

    decision to swap ces with Toby. And, of course, the Gamma had to give in to his Alpha.

    Even Christian was looking at Tate in disapproval. Everyone in the room, besides Lucianne, knew what

    Tate¡¯s real reason was for tagging along. The wolves were well aware that Tate developed a romantic

    interest for Lucianne when she trained him and his pack¡¯s warriors a few years ago, not that she

    reciprocated or even knew about his feelings for her.

    The two royal cousins easily caught on even without that knowledge. Lucianne groaned in defeat after

    her best friend gave in as she made a new-scratch on her palm and lined the minor wound with Tate¡¯s

    bleeding palm as Tate said, ¡°I, Tate William Brownnan, offer you, Lucianne Freesia Paw, a temporary link

    t o my mind.¡±

    ¡°I, Lucianne Freesia Paw, ept your offer.¡±

    Xandar didn¡¯t let Tate hold his mate¡¯s hand for a second longer as he gently pulled it away, cing her

    palm over his mouth and started cleaning the wound with his tongue. Despite being embarrassed that

    her indecent beast was licking her palm in front of everyone, Lucianne¡¯s homicidal eyes fixed on Tate as

    she dered in a low voice, ¡°If anyone in White Blood gets hurt, I will kill you foring with us, Tate.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    Tate shrugged like it was no big deal and said, ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Wanting to escape the painful sight of

    Xandar¡¯s intimate gesture to Lucianne, Tate moved on to the next Gamma to form the next link. Christian

    then asked, ¡°So, my Queen, where do you want me?¡±

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118

    Lucianne¡¯s eyebrows raised at the Duke¡¯s question, and she said, ¡°That really depends on you, Christian.

    You cane with Xandar and I to Forest Gloom, or you can remain here to guard Annie while we¡¯re

    gone.¡±

    ¡°Annie?¡± The Duke¡¯s expression hardened at the mention of his mate.

    Lucianne exined when the room fell silent, ¡°I¡¯m being honest with you here, Christian. I don¡¯t know

    what the rogues have in mind. These¡­simultaneous attacks on the strongest packs could be a trap for

    anything. If the Tacticians had done their research, which I¡¯m sure they would have, they¡¯d know that we

    now have ess to Lycan warriors to defend our packs. And they would know that you and Xandar

    woulde with us to fight, just as you two joined us in the Jewel Pack. I don¡¯t know if the deration of

    rogue attacks is just to distract us. And I don¡¯t know if, while we¡¯re gone, the rogues would go after Annie

    and use her as¡­¡±

    ¡°Bait.¡± Christian finished with a worried look and he continued muttering, ¡°Bait to bargain for whatever it i

    s that they really want.¡± He was clearly conflicted. He wanted to help but Annie was the most important

    thing in his life. 1

    Lucianne put his conflicted thoughts to rest when she assured him, ¡°You should be with Annie, Christian,

    just in case. We¡¯ll be fine. And Xandar can keep you updated.¡±

    Christian¡¯s eyes glistened, and he lifted up her hand to kiss it formally as he uttered gratefully, ¡°Thank

    you for your understanding, my Queen.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes at the Duke at his love for formalities as she said, ¡°One of these days, I will get

    you to call me by my first name, Christian.¡±

    Xandar scoffed as he muttered, ¡°Good luck with that, babe.¡±

    Xandar and Annie knew that Christian loved addressing people he respected by their titles if they had

    one, except for his own cousin where he found ¡®Cuz¡¯ to be more appropriate.

    Lucianne shook her head in dismay and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s make a move. Forest Gloom is quite far from

    here. We should head there now.¡±

    After rounding up the Lycan warriors, the wolves split up and took flights to their designated packs.

    Christian offered his jet to them since he wasn¡¯t using it. And Xandar¡¯s jet dropped off the pack leaders

    and Lycan warriors for Red Eclipse and Midnight on the way to Forest Gloom.

    Tate chatted amicably with Clement and Felicia during the journey, his back facing Lucianne so he

    wouldn¡¯t have to see her on Xandar¡¯sp as he stroked her long hair and pecked kisses on her temple

    from time to time. Clement, who sat opposite Tate, had to constantly look away whenever Xandar was

    close to offer Lucianne intimate gestures so that the uneasiness in his chest wouldn¡¯t bother him as

    much.

    They reached Forest Gloom when it was half an hour to midnight. Lucianne linked Juan to check on Blue

    Crescent, and her Alpha assured her that they were fine, that their warriors were on full guard on all

    sides anders of their pack. Hale had gotten everyone to hide in panic rooms as they waited for the

    ordeal to pass.

    Lucianne ended their mind-link and turned her focus to Forest Gloom.

    Beta Nina and the warriors were ready as they waited for their Alpha and the others he brought with him.

    They deployed their warriors ording to Lucianne¡¯s instructions without question. Even the Lycan

    warriors did not doubt her ever since they heard that their future Queen took down their General, their

    best warrior and the King one after the other.

    Lucianne, Xandar, Clement, Tate and a few of Forest Gloom¡¯s own warriors stood guard at a forest

    opening where allies and rogues normallye from. They waited for about six minutes before the

    dreaded paw prints hit the grown in quick and swift rhythms. Xandar linked a few more Lycans to join

    them.

    Lucianne linked Juan, ¡®They¡¯re here. What about Blue Crescent?¡¯

    ¡®Nothing yet. Please be careful, Lucy. Don¡¯t go anywhere on your own.¡¯ His worry was evident from his

    link.

    I¡¯ll try not to.¡¯ She ended the link before her overprotective brother began lecturing her again.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Juan, dissatisfied that his sister cut him off their link, then mind-linked Tate, ¡®Take care of her, please. But

    don¡¯t go overboard.¡¯

    Tate linked back without hesitation, ¡®You know I will, Juan. I always will, even without you asking.¡¯ 2

    ¡®But don¡¯t go overboard.¡¯ Juan reminded him. They both knew what that meant. Lucianne had a mate

    now. And they loved each other. Tate shouldn¡¯t try to take Xandar¡¯s ce seeing that Lucianne was

    happy with him.

    Tate stole a nce at Lucianne before he linked Juan back, ¡®Yeah, I know. I won¡¯t do that to her.¡¯

    ¡®Good. Stay safe.¡¯ Juan wished him luck and ended the link. The overprotective brother then linked

    Clement with the same request, who promised as Tate did.

    After a moment of silence among the defenders of Forest Gloom, Lucianne said, ¡°The others around the

    pack aren¡¯t detecting anything. It¡¯s just us. Blue Crescent is still getting nothing.¡±

    Tate checked in with Toby before he reported, ¡°White Blood is still clear too.¡± He then linked Zeke and

    Lovce before muttering ominously, ¡°Blood Eclipse and Midnight are clear as well.¡±

    Lucianne then said, ¡°They knew I¡¯d be here.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s arm went across her shoulder and he looked deep into her eyes as he uttered firmly, ¡°We won¡¯t

    let anything happen to you, Lucy.¡±

    Her eyes were stern when they fixed on Xandar¡¯s assuring ones. She spoke in a firm voice, ¡°Do your

    best to not let anything happen to anyone, my King. This fight isn¡¯t for me or for any single individual. It¡¯s

    for everyone here and everyone hiding inside those panic rooms right now.¡± 1

    Xandar felt the strength of her voice, and she emitted an inspirational energy, an authority, that made you

    listen. Even the Lycans behind him and the wolves around them snapped up in response to the aura they

    felt radiating from Lucianne when she said those words.

    Xandar smiled in admiration, and bent down to peck a sweet kiss on the back of her hand before he

    said,¡± As you wish, my Queen.¡±

    Lucianne suddenly averted her eyes because her senses caught something. The rogue¡¯s steps were

    slowing down. They were nearing Forest Gloom. When the first rogue came into view, unshifted,

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened as she exchanged surprised nces with Clement and Tate, who were both

    equally shocked.

    There were murmurs of disbelief among the warriors of Forest Gloom as their eyes converged on the

    shirtless man with a tattoo of a paw print on the left side of his muscr chest.

    The rogue, who was separated from them only by a river, smirked cockily as he said, ¡°Well, well, well.

    Long time no see. Did you miss me, Lucy?¡±

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119

    The rogue across the river was Jake, Alpha Clement¡¯s brother.

    Xandar¡¯s features stiffened, and he emitted a low growl in Jake¡¯s way for speaking to Lucianne in that

    flirtatious manner. Jake had short, ck hair with a good build to match his wless bad-boy look.

    His stormy-grey eyes studied the King only momentarily before his sights returned to Lucianne. ¡°I heard

    that you got yourself a King, Lucy. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised you managed that, given your ability to

    charm¡­¡±

    It was Lucianne¡¯s turn to growl, which seemed to have turned on a switch in Jake as she spat, ¡°Leave

    now, Jake. You know this won¡¯t end well for you and your friends.¡± Xandar¡¯s eyes widened in realization

    at the mention of the former Alpha¡¯s name.

    Despite Jake¡¯s arousing thoughts at Lucianne¡¯s feistiness, he scoffed darkly and skimmed her body in a

    ck t-shirt and white shorts before he asked thetorically, ¡°Are you sure, Lucy? Have you even met my

    friends?¡±

    As if they were summoned, shifted Lycans appeared by his side. Lucianne gave out the order for more of

    their own warriors to join them. Xandar tried using the King¡¯s Authority on them but it was odd that it

    wasn¡¯t working.

    Jake saw what Xandar was trying to do and huffed, ¡°You didn¡¯t think we¡¯de without being shielded

    from your Authority, did you, your Highness? We knew you¡¯d try to use it but in the spirit of a fair fight,

    we¡¯d thought it¡¯d be best if we had a fighting chance.¡± His eyes moved to Lucianne again as he

    continued,¡± Something that this sweetheart once taught me.¡±

    Clement, Tate and Xandar growled in unison as Clement spat, ¡°You are in no position to call her that!¡±

    Jake raised his eyebrow before scowling at his brother. ¡°Like you were never in a position to im her?

    Sneaking out to train with her all those times and you never grew the balls to tell her you¡¯ve wanted her

    since she was sixteen!¡± Jake scoffed and continued, ¡°You were too needy and too much of a coward to

    mark her anyway.¡±

    Lucianne took over as she shouted, ¡°Wake up, Jake! You were the one who was cast out, WITH the

    support and approval of your own pack members. The fact that you¡¯ve had to resort to ckmailing the

    strongest packs to get me here shows that you¡¯re the coward.¡±

    A female¡¯s voice then came from behind Jake, ¡°Hmph. That¡¯s sad. We thought you¡¯d see those

    misleading notes as a strategy. So sorry to disappoint.¡± It was Iris, the sister Clement casted out with

    Jake.

    ¡°It¡¯s foul y.¡± Tate spat in her direction.

    Iris¡¯s angered amber eyes fixed on Tate, and everyone saw the look of betrayal and infuriation from the

    tall beauty as she red at the Alpha and said, ¡°I warned you it was a mistake to choose her over me,

    Tate. I would¡¯ve made you happy! I was ready to rule alongside you as your Luna!¡±

    Tate didn¡¯t even need to think before dering firmly, ¡°You were just one of the many women who offered

    sex. And being the immature d*ck that I was, I took it without considering the repercussions. But I can tell

    you that I NEVER saw any women I slept with as my Luna, especially not YOU.¡±

    That hit a nerve. Iris¡¯s eyes glistened in anger. Her fiery hair color somehow enhanced the fury she was

    feeling within as she hissed, ¡°She never gave you the experience I gave you in bed. She had never even

    given you one single experience in bed, and you saw her as your Luna?!¡±

    Tate growled ferociously at Iris before dering, ¡°Unlike you, she¡¯s not an Alpha-seducing whore! You¡¯re

    a n IMBECILE to think that you can everpare yourself to her! She¡¯s done more for White Blood as

    an ally than you can EVER hope to do as Luna!¡± Keeping Juan¡¯s warning in mind, Tate restrained himself

    from saying anything further.

    Neither Iris nor Tate had to look at Lucianne, or point to her, for every single person there, except

    Lucianne herself, to know that they were both referring to her. 2 .

    The Lycans were exchanging confused looks, wondering if their suspicions of the Alpha¡¯s romantic

    interest for the Queen was an absurd thought or a real thing. Xandar was trying his best not to lose his

    cool.

    Lucianne noticed her agitated mate, assuming that he was angry because Jake and Iris were pushing

    hers, Clement¡¯s and Tate¡¯s buttons, so she linked him, ¡°This is what Jake and his cronies do, dearest.

    They mess with your mind to make you lose focus before a fight. Don¡¯t let them get to you.¡¯ 1

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    As soon as her eyes cleared, Iris scowled at Lucianne and said, ¡°What do men even see in you? You¡±

    ¡°Clearly more than what they see in you.¡± Lucianne tumed on her switch of acting and hypocrisy as she

    cut Iris off with a taunting smirk. Lucianne didn¡¯t believe what she just said about herself, knowing that

    Iris had always been the type of she-wolf to attract second looks from most males when Lucianne herself

    wasn¡¯t, at least not that she noticed. But the aim now was to get Iris to lose control before the battle.

    A steady volcano built in Iris¡¯s being from Tate¡¯s words followed by Lucianne¡¯s. The fiery-hair she-wolf

    then spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°You were rejected. Five times. You. Are. Nothing.¡± The Lycans and

    wolves on Lucianne¡¯s side growled at her insult but Iris stood her ground.

    ¡°Nothing? Really?¡± Lucianne asked rhetorically with a glint in her eye as she said, ¡°Didn¡¯t stop your older

    brother from asking me to be his Luna after my first two rejections, did it?¡±

    This was news for everyone present. A few warriors from Forest Gloom even scoffed and snorted in

    amusement. No one had to be a genius to know that Jake never stood a chance with Lucianne.

    Lucianne only told Juan and Hale about Jake¡¯s offer because she found it humiliating to be asked by an

    infamous yer who clearly had no intention ofmitting himself to one female, and who never had his

    pack¡¯s best interest at heart.

    When Jake said nothing, Iris hissed at her brother, ¡°Say something! Tell her she¡¯s lying!¡±

    Jake¡¯s angered eyes fixed on Lucianne. His ego broke when the embarrassing secret he kept from

    everyone was revealed. He was an Alpha! He was supposed to be able to get anyone he wanted! But he

    was refused. By a Gamma!

    Jake breathed heavily to cope with the anger as he said in a low tone, ¡°I would¡¯ve given you everything,

    Lucy. I forgave you for refusing the dance because you were young and didn¡¯t know any better. I forgave

    you for choosing to speak to my weakling brother when you shunned away from me! But when you said

    n o to bing my Luna, you¡¯ve single-handedly severed the ties between Forest Gloom and Blue

    Crescent.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± Lucianne scoffed and smirked as she spoke loudly and sarcastically, ¡°Spoken like a very mature

    Alpha, who didn¡¯t cut ties with a long-time ally when his ego broke with a simple ¡®no¡¯.¡±

    Both the werewolf and Lycan warriors were chuckling at Lucianne¡¯s retort. The fighters on Lucianne¡¯s

    side were beginning to understand what she was doing. She was pressing Jake¡¯s buttons just like how

    she pressed Lady Kylton¡¯s the other night.

    Iris nced at Lucianne in disbelief before hissing at Jake again, ¡°Was that why you never wanted those

    she-wolves mom and dad asked you to meet? You wanted her?!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Iris.¡± Jake spat at his sister. The sister was so shocked that her own legs wobbled at the

    revtion.

    Xandar finally spoke in a low voice, ¡°Leave and no one gets killed. We are not outnumbered. We will

    ughter all of you if we have to.¡±

    Jake scowled at the man who Lucianne chose to be with, over everyone else and over him! Hatred and

    jealousy filled the former Alpha¡¯s entire being. His controlled temperament was getting out of control as

    his lips curled into a menacing smile when he uttered, ¡°Let¡¯s see how many lives will be lost tonight then.¡±

    As soon as he said that, his people charged forward over the river, and those defending Forest Gloom

    pounced on them as soon as theynded. Lucianne linked Xandar, ¡®Get all the Lycans to shift now!

    Xandar linked the rest of the Lycans as he too shifted upon his mate¡¯smand.

    Lycans only stood a chance in their animal forms. Their untrained speed would¡¯ve enabled the rogue

    wolves to beat them almost too easily.

    Jake, without hesitation, went for Xandar. And Iris went for Lucianne.

    Xandar caught Jake¡¯s leg and started breaking his bones mercilessly as he howled in pain until three

    rogue Lycans threw punches at the King, making him drop Jake in the process. When Jake healed, the

    Lycans distracting Xandar mind-linked him to attack the rest since a wolf was clearly no match for the

    Lycan King.

    As Lucianne fought the enraged Iris, she tried to understand how the rogues intended to win. She knew

    Jake and Iris. They cheated in any possible way to win. So, apart from rogue Lycans and misleading

    notes, what was under their sleeves to survive the night?

    As soon as she threw Iris against arge tree, and Iris fell unconscious from the impact, Lucianne

    smelled something that she was hoping she wouldn¡¯t have to smell that night.

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120

    Silver.

    Lucianne shouted her lungs out as she charged for the next rogue, ¡°Wolves! Watch out for silver! They¡¯re

    coming! Ten des! Maybe more!¡±

    Most rogues were stunned to hear that. Some of them even got distracted as they exchanged nces

    with each other and linked, ¡®How did she know?¡¯. Their people with the des haven¡¯t evene out of

    the forest yet.

    The wolves defending Forest Gloom grew cautious, keeping an eye out for silver. Xandar gave the order

    for Lycans to shield any wolf from silver des should they see the desing first. Silver only

    causes a slight itch for Lycans so they can be used as a shield for their cousin species.

    As Lucianne tore a rogue¡¯s throat, she received a mind-link from Juan. ¡®Lucy, how are things looking?¡¯

    ¡®Not a good time, Juan!¡¯ She linked back in annoyance and continued, ¡®They¡¯re led by¡­¡¯ she pounced on

    another rogue attacking Beta Nina before she continued, ¡®Jake and Iris.¡¯

    There was a pause, and Lucianne thought he ended their link when she broke the rogue¡¯s neck, until her

    brother¡¯s surprised voice came through, ¡®They¡¯re alive?¡¯

    ¡®Well and angry

    Juan scoffed as he said in amusement, ¡®Jake¡¯s still taking your ¡®no¡¯ to heart, huh? Iris must be pretty

    mad, too. She¡¯s always been jealous of you, you know? Maybe.

    ¡®Juan, can we do thister?! Better yet, let¡¯s not do this at all!

    ¡®Yeah, okay. I¡¯ll let you get to it, little sis. But please be careful.¡¯

    When the mind-link ended, Lucianne extended her ws and leaped from the ground before impaling

    into the nape of a Lycan fighting Phelton, causing it to lose its bnce as Phelton gave one forceful kick,

    throwing the rogue Lycan into the coursing river. Phelton¡¯s animal threw the Queen a grateful smile

    before moving on to the next rogue.

    Lucianne then ran towards the scent of silver, which were where most of the wolves were. Xandar saw

    his mate sprinting towards the wolves, and realized that the Lycan warriors were not evenly spread out

    across the field to defend his mate¡¯s species.

    The King mind-linked his kind, demanding that they get rid of their opponents as quickly as they could to

    get to the wolves sooner. Xandar¡¯s initial n was to torture his opponents to death but with silver

    present, he couldn¡¯t afford to spend too much time with each rogue. He threw two rogues forcefully at the

    boulders in the river, and they died instantly. Seeing that the King could kill two at once, the rogues

    starteding in fours.

    Xandar used the techniques Lucianne and Toby taught him in their human forms and found that even in

    his animal form, he could beat the rogues with ease, sending all four into the coursing river where the

    current washed away their dead bodies. The Lycan warriors were speeding up their attacks, trying to get

    rid of their opponents as soon as they could to get to their Queen and her kind.

    The first silver de Lucianne detected was held by a shifted Lycan. She never practicedbat with a

    Lycan¡¯s animal with her human before so she decided to just give it a go with whatever little knowledge

    she had on their weak spots. The Lycan saw hering and when she drew close, it tried to stab her but

    Lucianne leaped from the ground and the de missed her, much to Xandar¡¯s relief.

    He was trying to get rid of three rogue wolves which were annoyingly fast as he nced over at his mate

    from time to time. Lucianne managed to leap on the rogue¡¯s shoulder and she pulled its ears with force

    as i t howled in pain. She read about the soft bone in that area, and how Lycans lose their bnce when

    their ears are pulled at a certain angle, and that it would cause them a great deal of pain.

    When Lucianne smelled more silvering, she tore the rogue¡¯s ears as it howled in anguish when the

    rest of itsrades growled in anger. They pushed away the defenders and sped to their friend.

    However, before they reached Lucianne and the rogue, Lucianne flipped herself off its shoulders before

    throwing a kick in his chest, and its body mmed against a boulder near the riverbank, its de falling

    from his lifeless grip.

    Lucianne took the de immediately and went for the rogue wolves who were attacking her friends. She

    stabbed two who were attacking Clement, and another three attacking Raden. The rogue wolves

    seemed t o have mind-linked and told each other that Lucianne had a de. They retreated, letting their

    rogue Lycan counterparts continue the attack.

    ¡®Babe, the silver. Where is iting from?¡¯Xandar linked Lucianne between breaking the rogue¡¯s limbs

    and necks.

    ¡®Where I got rid of the first one holding it!¡¯.

    With an authoritative howl into the dark sky, Xandar sent his warriors to the location where the first rogue

    with a silver de was killed. The Lycan warriors howled inpliance to their King¡¯smand, and

    sped there.

    As Lucianne, Clement and Tate got ready to attack the rogue Lycan charging towards them, a growl

    came from the side before Iris¡¯s ginger fur wolf pounced on Lucianne. Lucianne was thrown on the

    ground, and Iris wasted no time scratching Lucianne¡¯s face with her sharp ws. Thankfully, Lucianne

    closed her eyes so she didn¡¯t go blind.

    Suddenly, Iris¡¯s ws hung in the air, and as much as she tried to plunge her ws into Lucianne¡¯s

    being, she couldn¡¯t. They were stuck mid-air. What was worse for Iris was that she seemed to be shifting

    back, involuntarily. Her fur was shortening and disappearing, and her wolf face started morphing into her

    human one.

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    Lucianne didn¡¯t think much of it, and reached for the silver knife she dropped not far away before

    stabbing Iris in her heart. With a tormenting scream, the partly-shifted Iris lost strength, and Tate kicked

    her body away as Clement helped Lucianne up after they had just killed the rogue Lycan from earlier.

    Lucianne¡¯s curious eyes scanned the ce for an exnation of Iris halting her attack and her shifting

    back mid-fight. Suddenly, the three of them caught Iris¡¯sst words spoken in a strained voice, ¡°You.

    Idiot.¡± Lucianne and the two Alphas thought that those words were directed to Tate at first, until they

    followed Iris¡¯s sights to her brother, Jake

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121

    Clement and Tate both stood protectively in front of Lucianne, and Phelton appeared next to them, ready

    t o defend his Queen. Jake ignored all three of them, and glowered at Lucianne as he said, ¡°I told you I

    would¡¯ve given you everything, Lucy. Even if it meant ending my own sister¡¯s life.¡±

    Jake just stood there like he was waiting for something. Lucianne¡¯s grip on the knife tightened as she

    wondered what Jake was ying at. But when she smelled more silver, she left her spot to defend the

    wolves near the area. Clement charged towards his brother without hesitation, which was when Jake

    yelled out, ¡°You¡¯re not going to like what our client has in mind for you, Lucy! I would¡¯ve refused their

    request if you had chosen me!¡±

    Clement and Tate instantly shifted into their animals from being angered at Jake¡¯s audacity. As they were

    about to pounce, two rogue Lycans reached Jake right on time to knock the two Alphas away like they

    were just puny insects. Phelton started taking on both of them at once as he linked his fellow warriors for

    help

    Lucianne helped the wolves, and was internally relieved that the Lycan warriors had formed a barricade,

    shielding the wolves from silver. The rogues were clearly losing as their numbers dwindled with every

    anguished howl.

    Lucianne was still thinking about what Jake said. About her not liking what his client had in mind for her.

    What was it? The silver was already out in the open so what could possibly be worse than silver for a

    wolf?

    It was as if she had asked herself the wrong question. As the Lycan warriors battled with the rogue

    Lycans with silver des, Lucianne caught the stench smell of¡­Oleander. It wasn¡¯t as strong as the

    silver was, and if her senses are correct, there was only one rogue with it. She linked her mate, ¡®Xandar!

    Tell the warriors to be careful! I smell Oleander!¡¯

    ¡®Sh*t! Don¡¯t do anything rash, Lucy!¡¯ Xandar linked in response before warning the warriors. What the

    King really meant to tell his Queen was ¡®Don¡¯t you dare shield anyone from Oleander, Lucy!¡¯, not that

    Lucianne would listen, especially now that she knew she could heal from the Lycan-killing poison.

    As she instructed the defenders of Forest Gloom to retreat from the Lycans shielding them from silver,

    Lucianne herself ran in the Lycan warriors direction because that was where the scent of Oleander was

    leading her to. Xandar was charging towards Jake but the former Alpha dashed towards a very far end of

    the battlefield before crossing over the river like it was second nature to him, and disappeared into the

    thick forest.

    Xandar was going to follow him but, with his Lycan vision, he noticed his mate was running towards the

    Lycan warriors, and he had a bad feeling about what she was going to do when Oleander was present.

    His animal didn¡¯t have to think twice before choosing to forget about Jake and ran towards its mate.

    Seemingly out of nowhere, ten rogue Lycans without Oleander charged at the Lycan warriors. Some of

    the warriors were taken by surprise, some weren¡¯t. It was clear from the way the rogues looked at

    Lucianne that their Queen was the target, so the warriors fought ferociously to keep them away from

    Lucianne.

    Lucianne herself was still stubbornly trying to pinpoint the source of the Oleander. After sniffing for a few

    seconds, she sensed the smelling at lightning speed and a de was shot in her direction, stabbing

    her arm as she groaned in pain, making Xandar growl in rage. Lucianne fell on her butt as Clement and

    Tate ran towards her. They were getting rid of thest of the rogue wolves when they heard her groan.

    The Lycan warriors were as furious as their King was when their Queen got hurt on their watch. Lucianne

    took out the de, and Xandar¡¯s animal knelt next to her as her mate linked in worry, ¡®Baby, stay with

    me.¡¯

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes at her beast and said, ¡°After thest Oleander de, this one is less

    painful. I¡¯m fine. I just can¡¯t get up yet.¡±

    Xandar and his animal were visibly relieved, and when Tate and Clement joined them, he linked her

    again, ¡®Just let them guard you, sweetheart. You¡¯ve done enough fighting for today, okay?¡¯

    Without letting her respond, Xandar joined his warriors. They were having an easier time killing the

    rogues with their King helping them. Just when the neck of thest rogue snapped, an arrow was fired

    from a tree and it plunged into Lucianne¡¯s foot as she groaned again beforeining, ¡°Seriously?¡±

    Tate and Clement were equally shocked, guilty and angered at themselves for not seeing the arrow

    coming. As Lucianne took out the arrow and let her foot heal while she gritted her teeth to cope with the

    pain, the Lycan Warriors charged towards the tree to get the culprit.

    Xandar strode over to his mate and ced her on hisp, pressing her into his chest to heal her with the

    mate-bond while he shifted back. When Lucianne was healing, Xandar red at the Alphas and said,

    ¡°You two were supposed to keep her safe!¡±

    ¡°Xandar, stop it! No one saw the arrowing! It¡¯s not their fault!¡± Lucianne defended Clement and Tate i

    na strained voice.

    Seeing that his mate would recover slower if they went on arguing, Xandar and his animal chose to

    remain silent. The most important thing was that Lucianne was well and fine. Lucianne tried to disregard

    the fact that Xandar was using her body to cover hisrge manhood which she felt right below her

    buttocks, and turned her attention to the arrow she just pulled out from her foot.

    It was then she smelled something other than her blood. Curious, she lifted the arrow tip to her nose and

    took a whiff. She didn¡¯t recognise the foreign scent.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    After watching his mate taking three whiffs, Xandar gave up being patient and asked, ¡°What is it, Lucy?¡±

    She held the arrow in front of him as she asked, ¡°Apart from my blood, do you smell something else?¡±

    Xandar took a whiff, and then a second whiff before he said, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting that faint morning dew and salt scent? Along with something else?¡±

    Xandar blinked before he said, ¡°Sweetheart, I don¡¯t get any scent from moming dew or salt.¡±

    Lucianne groaned before she uttered, ¡°Great. Probably another poison.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s grip around her tightened. His onyx eyes bore into hers as he asked, ¡°Do you feel any pain?¡±

    ¡°No. And that¡¯s the weird thing.¡±

    Xandar let out a sigh of relief before pecking a kiss on her temple and said, ¡°Don¡¯t say that, my love. It¡¯s

    good that there¡¯s no pain.¡±

    The Lycan Warriors came to them, and eight of them knelt on one knee and tilted their heads towards

    the ground when they reached the King and Queen. The remaining two warriors remained standing as

    they held the rogue who shot the arrow. One of them then kicked the rogue¡¯s knees to make him kneel.

    The rogue looked at Lucianne with a victorious smirk when one of the warriors linked the King, ¡®How

    would your Highnesses like him to be killed, my King?¡¯

    Xandar looked at Lucianne as he asked, ¡°Well, baby. What do you want to do with him?¡±

    Lucianne was still studying the psychopathic rogue. He looked so sure that he won even though he was

    caught and had no way of escaping. Her sights subconsciously went to the arrow and back to the rogue

    whoughed menacingly as he said loud and clear, ¡°They were right about you being a smart one. Our

    client sends a message: does the Kingdom want an infertile Queen?¡±

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122

    The Lycans and the two Alphas growled at the rogue but Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in realization. This

    was what Jake meant when he said she wasn¡¯t going to like what their client ordered for her. The poison

    on the arrow could be one to render her infertile! It didn¡¯t hurt because it wasn¡¯t a fatal poison, it was a

    permanent contraceptive!

    Her eyes began glistening, which made the rogue smirk even wider. With gritted teeth, Lucianne lifted up

    the Oleander de next to her before plunging it into the rogue¡¯s corbone. It was the slowest way to

    transmit the poison, ording to her books. That was what she wanted for the rogue. A slow, painful

    death.

    She fixed her eyes on the rogue, wanting to see the light in his eyes dim before her. When his being

    gave i n and his body lost its strength, her hand subconsciously went to her abdomen as she let the first

    of her tears fall.

    The Lycan Warriors were shocked at the sight, and their lifted heads tilted downwards as Xandar asked

    in a gentle voice, for more Daily updates visit :- .noveljar ¡°Baby, hey. Is it the pain from the

    arrow?¡±

    Lucianne shook her head in response. But she didn¡¯t trust her voice to be steady so she mind-linked her

    mate, ¡®The poison on the arrow suppresses pregnancy.¡¯

    Xandar¡¯s eyes widened but he tried to remain calm for his mate as he linked her back, ¡®Babe, we don¡¯t

    know that. The rogue was clearly a lunatic. He was probably trying to mess with your thoughts. We¡¯ll get

    D 1. Yeil to check on it, alright?¡¯

    When he got no response and heard her first sob, Xandar held her even closer to his chest before

    nting a deep kiss on her forehead and said, ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay, Lucy. It¡¯s going to be okay.¡±

    After taking note that Forest Gloom had lost three warriors in the battle, those who came from the

    coboration boarded Xandar¡¯s jet to make their way back. They picked up the pack leaders and Lycan

    warriors from Blood Eclipse and Midnight on the way.

    Tate, unlike during the flight to Forest Gloom, now chose to sit at a spot where he could see Lucianne on

    Xandar¡¯sp. He and Clement didn¡¯t speak this time. Both Alphas were ming themselves for how

    careless they¡¯d been to not shield Lucianne from the arrow.

    They still didn¡¯t know what was on it that made Lucianne cry for a good half-an-hour on the battlefield.

    But having Lucianne cry in public like that when she never did was enough to know that whatever was

    laced on the arrow had to be very damaging.

    Xandar¡¯s thumb didn¡¯t stop stroking his mate¡¯s shoulder, and as painful as it was to see her tear-stained

    face, he just couldn¡¯t look away. Suddenly, his mate¡¯s eyes zed over and she sat upright on hisp.

    He adjusted himself to support her posture as best as he could.

    ¡®Lucy, what was on the arrow?¡¯ Juan asked in a demanding voice through their link, getting to the point.

    ¡®Who told you?¡¯

    ¡®Tate. Clement. Does it matter? What was on it?¡¯ Juan was getting impatient. He knew that if something

    could make his sister cry in public, it had to be beyond bad.

    Lucianne inhaled deeply before she linked back, ¡®It¡¯s not confirmed by a medical examination yet but

    from

    what the rogue was trying to indicate, it was probably¡­a poison to suppress pregnancy indefinitely.¡¯

    Tears escaped her eyes as she linked that, and she hastily wiped some off before Xandar kissed away

    the rest as he continued to wait patiently.

    There was a moment of silence from Juan¡¯s end before he linked back in suppressed anger, for more

    Daily updates visit :- .noveljar ¡®I see. Get some rest. I¡¯ll see you when yound.¡¯ He ended the

    link.

    When her eyes cleared, Lucianne leaned back into her mate¡¯s chest as she muttered, ¡°It was just Juan.¡±

    Xandar kissed her hair, and just as Lucianne was about to close her eyes, she heard Zeke hissed softly,¡±

    Jesus, Juan.¡±

    Her eyes snapped open and she saw Zeke, Zelena and Lovce squinting their eyes while one hand

    went over their ear like they just heard something deafening. She then looked over to Tate and Clement,

    whose postures were bolted upright as their eyes zed over. Clement swallowed a lump in his throat

    and had a terrified expression. Tate¡¯s fists were clenched, and his jaw was hardened.

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Lucianne muttered as she sat upright on her mate¡¯sp again.

    ¡°Baby, what is it?¡± Xandar asked in concern as he held her by her abdomen and lower back.¡±

    Lucianne sighed in dismay before saying, ¡°Just give me a few minutes, darling. I have a very angry

    Alpha t o stop.¡±

    Before she could begin linking, Xandar eximed softly, ¡°Who? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°My overprotective brother is mad that I was shot by an arrow. He¡¯s probably lecturing Tate and Clement i

    n the pack leaders group-link right now. I have to stop him. Just give me a few minutes, dearest.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xandar said in uncertainty..

    After several failed attempts to link her brother, Lucianne groaned as she forced herself into the pack

    leaders¡¯ group link. The first thing she heard was Juan¡¯s loud voice, ¡®YOU BOTH KNEW SHE¡¯S

    TARGETED! HOW HARD WAS IT TO

    Lucianne growled through the link, stopping Juan from finishing his sentence. What she didn¡¯t know was

    that she was growling aloud, too. And the Lycan warriors flinched in their seats at their Queen¡¯s ferocity.

    Those dozing off were jolted awake as well. But they all soughtfort in the fact that even the King

    flinched a little when his homicidal-looking mate growled with zed over eyes on hisp.

    ¡®Juan! No one saw the arrowing! This isn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault!

    ¡®Let me deal with this, Lucy. Get out.¡¯ Juan tried to be as gentle as possible with his little sister.

    ¡®I¡¯m not leaving! You can¡¯t me Tate and Clement for not seeing what none of us could see.¡¯

    ¡®YOU COULD HAVE DIED, LUCY! THAT ARROW COULD HAVE GONE RIGHT THROUGH YOUR

    HEART!

    ¡®BUT IT DIDN¡¯T! AND IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO GO THROUGH MY HEART! IT WAS NEVER

    MEANT TO KILL ME! THE POINT OF THAT POISON WAS TO LEAVE ME WITHOUT KIDS OF MY

    OWN FOR THE REST O F MY LIFE, NOT SEND ME TO MY DEATHBED!¡¯ 1

    Zelena and Lovce gasped audibly at Lucianne¡¯s revtion. Zeke held his mate¡¯s hand tightly to cope

    with the distress. Clement, despite his zed over eyes, held his head down in guilt and remorse, Tate

    was already fighting back tears. They all knew Lucianne long enough to know how much she loved

    children. for more Daily updates visit :- .noveljar The arrow took that away from her. How could

    they let it happen?

    Juan tried to be as calm as possible when he linked, ¡®Lucy, that should have never happened to you.

    Your

    mate was supposed to protect you. Tate and Clement were supposed to¡­¡¯

    ¡®Stop it, Juan! Just stop it! Do you think they wouldn¡¯t have shielded me if they saw the arrowing?!

    Do you think they didn¡¯t ce their lives before mine?! We¡¯ve all trained to put each other before

    ourselves! Tate and Clement are no different! Xandar is no different! Stop ming them! No one wanted

    this! It isn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault! I¡¯m telling you, Juan. You better stop this before I faint, or that would be on

    you.¡¯

    Thest time she crashed into the pack leader¡¯s group-link, it took so much out of her that she went

    unconscious for almost a day. Juan was so worried that he regretted not giving in to Lucianne, and he

    stayed by her side until she woke up again.

    Lucianne¡¯s fim voice rang through the link, ¡®Drop it, Juan. Promise me you¡¯ll drop it.¡¯

    There was a moment of silence before Juan sighed in defeat as he linked in a softer voice, ¡®I promise.

    Please leave, Lucy. Don¡¯t strain yourself any more than you already have.¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m not leaving until you do.¡¯ Lucianne stubbomly insisted. She was not letting him have another go with

    Tate and Clement.

    ¡®Okay. Okay, I¡¯ll go.¡¯ With that, Juan left. Within the next second, so did Lucianne.

    When her eyes cleared, she was exhausted, and her body slumped into Xandar¡¯s chest as her mate

    tightened his grip on her to make sure she didn¡¯t fall off. Her eyelids lowered a little when her tired gaze

    met Tate¡¯s guilty ones as the Alpha said in a hushed voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lucy. I am so, so sorry.¡± Clement

    opened his mouth but no words coulde out as his eyes watered as well.

    Xandar was shocked to see the Alphas¡¯ glistening eyes. Everyone was, even the Lycan warriors. They¡¯ve

    seen these two on the training ground, and the Alphas were either distant and reserved, or helpful and

    amicable. No Lycan warrior had ever seen the vulnerable side that Tate and Clement were now showing

    Lucianne offered them an assuring smile as she said, ¡°I meant what I said, guys. This isn¡¯t anyone¡¯s

    fault. Stop ming yourselves, please.¡±

    Tate looked at her in disbelief as he shook his head in dismay and got up to head towards thevatory.

    Zeke followed him to make sure he was okay.

    Xandar continued stroking Lucianne¡¯s arm in worry and bewilderment before Lucianne noticed that the

    Lycan warriors were giving her weird looks. She looked around and asked, ¡°Are you guys okay?¡±

    The warriors were internally relieved that the Queen was using a gentler tone with them but many were

    still afraid to speak to her. Phelton was the only one who dared speak up after Lucianne growled like she

    did. ¡°W-We¡¯re fine, my Queen. Thank you.¡±

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    ¡°Then why are you guys looking at me like I¡¯m going to kill you or something? for more Daily updates visit

    :- .noveljar ¡± Lucianne asked, and was surprised that some of the warriors flinched at the word

    ¡®kill¡¯.

    Xandar chuckled lightly as he stroked her hair. Her confused ck orbs met his amused lc eyes as he

    exined, ¡°Let¡¯s just say your growling was a little scary, my dear.¡±

    ¡°Growling? Oh, you mean when we were on the battlefield?¡±

    Xandar pecked a kiss on her cheek before he said, ¡°When you were mind-linking, sweetheart. You

    growled.¡±

    Lucianne was taken by surprise. One of her hands went over her mouth before she asked in disbelief, ¡°I

    did that out loud?¡±

    Xandar smiled dreamily as he said, ¡°Loudly and ferociously, my feisty little freesia. Even I got scared.¡±

    Some of the warriors sitting at the back were pressing back smiles at the King¡¯s honest admission.

    Lucianne smiled in embarrassment as she snuggled back into his chest and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to. I

    thought I was just doing it in their group-link.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s fingers in her hair stopped moving when he asked in surprise,¡±Group-link? I thought you were

    linking Juan.¡±

    Lucianne then exined, ¡°I was but he shut me out so I crashed into the pack leaders¡¯ group-link

    instead.¡±

    Xandar lifted up her chin for their eyes to meet before he asked in disbelief, ¡°Wolves can do that? You

    can enter a link which you have no connection to?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not a wolf thing. I¡¯m not sure if there was another wolf who did it. And I only did it once before.¡±

    ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°When I got this scar.¡± Lucianne exined. ¡°Zeke, Brandon and Wainwright were with me when the

    rogues were attacking us. When Juan saw the damage the attack did to my arm, he exploded in the pack

    leaders¡¯ link, ming the three of them for not looking out for me. I wanted to stop him so badly that I

    somehow¡­found my way into their link. But it does take a lot of energy to pull it off. I fainted after doing it

    thest time.¡±

    Xandar was still staring at her in disbelief before he asked, ¡°You can hack into a link?¡±

    Lucianne shrugged, ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s another way of putting it. I don¡¯t like to do it though. It feels

    wrong. Plus, it takes away too much energy.¡±

    Xandar sighed in awe before kissing her forehead as he uttered, ¡°Absolutely amazing. Another first.¡±

    After taking a whiff from her hair, he asked, ¡°So, Juan was ming Alphas Tate and Clement this time?

    And me too, I presume?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Hot-headed thing. But I made sure he stopped before I left the link. He promised not to bring it up

    again.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. That didn¡¯t sound like Juan at all. So, he said, ¡°Why would Juan agree to

    that? I doubt he¡¯s done with me. Not that I don¡¯t deserve it.¡±

    ¡°He promised to drop it because if I faint from holding my position in their group-link any longer, it would

    be his fault.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Sibling-ckmail.¡± He muttered in understanding, his fingers returning to run through his mate¡¯s

    luscious curls.

    ¡°Works every time.¡± Lucianne uttered sleepily. Xandar scoffed before kissing her temple.

    Just before she dozed-off in her mate¡¯s warm chest, the fact that the poison had entered her body came

    to her mind. Lucianne couldn¡¯t deny the possibility that her inability to produce an heir would mean that

    Xandar may have to choose another. No King has never failed to produce a child with his Queen. There

    was an unspoken duty to produce an heir to the throne.

    She didn¡¯t deny his feelings for her. But if Lucianne were really infertile, Xandar might leave her out of a

    sense of duty as King, just as Alpha Brandon rejected her to fulfil his duty to mate with a wolf of Alpha

    bloodline. Perhaps Xandar still held her so close now because he didn¡¯t believe that the poison on the

    arrow was a contraceptive. But Lucianne was already certain of its effects.

    These lunatic-like rogues rarely lied when they were close to being killed, especially if it was

    apanied by an arrogant smirk. Lucianne¡¯s heart clenched at the thought of a rejection with Xandar.

    She held back her tears but her body instinctively snuggled as deep as possible into her mate¡¯s embrace

    to savor the moment before she was no longer wee in his arms.

    Xandar didn¡¯t understand why Lucianne was adjusting herself over and over again in his chest, and tried

    t o work with her to get her into the mostfortable position as she slept. But his animal sensed

    something was wrong with their mate, and it wasn¡¯t just the poison. Seeing how drained she was, Xandar

    chose to say nothing and let her sleep.

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123

    When Xandar¡¯s jetnded, the rest of the alliance along with Christian and Annie were there to greet

    them. Xandar brought Lucianne straight to Dr Yeil¡¯s medical center, and everyone else followed them

    there despite Lucianne insisting that it wasn¡¯t necessary for them toe.

    After Dr Yeil had taken her blood to run tests, Xandar convinced Lucianne to get a full body scan done to

    see if the poison on the arrow was affecting any other part of her anatomy. His biggest worry was that it

    was damaging her bones or her neurons.

    Dr Yeil and his nurse got Lucianne to lie down on a table in a medium-sized examination room with white

    walls. When the scan started, blue beams of light appeared from all four walls, moving up and down

    Lucianne¡¯s body before the beams moved side-to-side.

    Outside the examination room, everyone was watching the process in eerie silence. Juan came to

    Xandar¡¯s side, and the first thing that came out of the Alpha¡¯s mouth was, ¡°If she can¡¯t bear children,

    would you leave her?¡± Everyone was stunned by Juan¡¯s sudden question.

    Christian and Annie¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Xandar¡¯s worried eyes on Lucianne in the room were

    reced with disbelief and anger as he met Juan¡¯s hard gaze. The King, with furrowed eyebrows,

    questioned rhetorically, ¡°Would I leave her? Me? Leave her? Me?¡±

    The King¡¯s response held so much devotion that Juan¡¯s hardened features softened slightly, and there

    were sighs of relief from most of the wolves in the room. Even so, Christian and Annie couldn¡¯t help but

    feel insulted by how Juan and the other wolves were questioning Xandar¡¯s love for Lucianne. They knew

    Xandar, he wouldn¡¯t let something like thise between him and his mate.

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    Despite the already-eased atmosphere in the room, Xandar went on, ¡°Juan.¡± He sighed in frustration

    before continuing, ¡°If anything, I should be the one worried that my mate would leave me. Not the other

    way around. Honestly, before I knew Lucy loved kids, I didn¡¯t even care if she didn¡¯t want them. All I ever

    wanted was to be with her, to love her and to make her happy.¡±

    Xandar averted his gaze to pressed away the tears from theers of his eyes before his sights

    returned t o Lucianne in the room as he uttered, ¡°I keep telling her that I would protect her, and time and

    time again, I¡¯ve only showed how ipetent Iam as her mate. Every screw-up just feels like I¡¯m one

    step closer to the love of my life¡­rejecting me.¡±

    Xandar was looking at Lucianne through the one-way mirror with nothing but guilt, and the pain and fear

    from Lucianne rejecting him was getting suffocating. He was also wondering whether there was a mute

    button in his head to silence his whimpering animal for a few hours.

    Suddenly, Juan patted Xandar on his shoulder, and the King met the Alpha¡¯s warm smile as Juan said,¡±

    I¡¯m sorry I doubted you, your Highness.¡±

    Xandar shook his head slightly and muttered, ¡°With Lucy¡¯s past, you have every right to be.¡± Something

    was still bothering him so he looked at the floor and asked incoherently, ¡°Do you think she would¡­will

    she ¡­will Lucy leave me?¡±

    Xandar was too afraid of the answer, so it was a surprise when Juan chuckled lightly before he said,

    ¡°Well, I hope not.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not very assuring, Juan.¡± Xandar said, still ominous.

    ¡°Well, she did ask me not to me you for what happened so I¡¯d say you¡¯re still on her good side.¡± Juan

    added, genuinely trying to make Xandar feel better now.

    Staying on her good side wasn¡¯t enough for Xandar. Lucianne asked Juan not to me Tate and

    Clement, too. So, the two Alphas were on her ¡®good side¡¯ as well. Xandar didn¡¯t want to just be one of the

    many people Lucianne defended. He wanted to be the intimate partner she would choose to love, the

    mate she would choose to mark, and the significant other she would choose to spend the rest of her life

    with. Staying on her good side was far from enough.

    After the examination was done, they waited for a few minutes before the nurse came back with the

    preliminary test results. Lucianne¡¯s basic anatomy was fine. Her bones were normal and so was her

    nervous system. However, the creases of worry and despair on everyone¡¯s foreheads did not smoothen

    when they were told that certain hormones rting to pregnancy had been suppressed by an unknown

    substance.

    ¡°Is the concentration not subsiding?¡± Xandar asked as he caressed his mate¡¯s shoulders from behind

    her.

    Dr Yeil nced at Lucianne sadly before his sights went to Xandar, ¡°No, my King. I¡¯m afraid not. But do

    bear in mind that this is merely the preliminary results. The extensive analysis would take a few more

    hours,¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t in the room anymore. She just wanted to get out of there and be alone for the

    rest o f the day. When they took their leave, she thanked Dr Yeil and his nurse numbly with a forced

    smile. Xandar¡¯s hand never left her waist as he led them out of the building and towards the parking lot.

    The alliance walking behind them didn¡¯t say a word to each other as well, all lost in their own thoughts.

    They all parked near each other so they walked in the same direction. As they approached their cars, a

    swarm of journalists and reporters appeared around the corner and immediately started snapping

    photographs with their phones and cameras.

    One of them immediately shouted out, ¡°My Queen, how are your injuries from Ms Sasha Cummings¡¯s

    attack yesterday?¡±

    Lucianne was not in the mood for this but she knew better than to cause a scene, so she hastened her

    footsteps towards Xandar¡¯s car as she responded to the journalist with a meek smile, ¡°I¡¯m all healed.

    Thank you for your concern.¡±

    Another reporter shouted out his question, ¡°Were you here for a check-up of the arm injury from Ms

    Cummings¡¯s attack, or was it for something else, my Queen?¡± The glint in his eye and his choice of

    words showed that he knew more than he wanted to let on. He knew she was here for ¡®something else¡¯.

    Lucianne stopped in her tracks but before she could speak, Xandar wamed the nosy party in a low,

    menacing tone, ¡°The Queen is drained out from defending the Forest Gloom Pack from rogue wolves

    AND rogue Lycans. She will not entertain any further questions from any of you.¡±

    The same undaunted reporter withrge-frame sses and a tablet in his hand asked, ¡°My King, don¡¯t

    we have warriors for that sort of thing? And conventionally speaking, isn¡¯t it undignified for a Queen to be

    on a battlefield?¡±

    ¡°Undignified?¡± Xandar uttered as his partially-onyx eyes turnedpletely onyx when they prated

    into the reporter¡¯s being, and the insensitive reporter was beginning to regret asking his question.

 Chapter 124

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    Xandar fixed his death re at the reporter whobeled his mate¡¯s bravery and nobility as ¡°undignified¡¯.

    The King then asked in a low voice, ¡°What is your name and who do you work for?¡±

    The reporter swallowed a lump in his throat and opened his mouth but nothing came out. Xandar

    growled in impatience, and demanded in a roar, ¡°Answer me!¡±

    The reporter shook as he stuttered in response, ¡°A-Apologies, m-my K-King. M-My name i-is Ian P

    Pollock, and I w-work for T&C News Corporation, your Hi-Highness.¡±

    ¡°Truthful & Credible News Corporation?¡± Xandar muttered his way.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    The reporter nodded and tried his best to fidget less but the fear spurring in his being made it impossible

    for him to stand still.

    Xandar huffed condescendingly and said, ¡°SO, T&C¡¯s stance is that a Queen fighting alongside her

    people i s undignified? That¡¯s the truth yourpany is advocating for? And you and your colleagues

    im to have the credibility to judge what is or is not dignified when ites to what the Queen chooses

    to do?¡±

    When there was nothing but the sound of Pollock¡¯s fidgeting teeth in the parking lot, Xandar said, ¡°Tell

    your boss I expect a front-page apology for what you just said about my mate. As for your career in

    reporting, it¡¯s safe to say that it is time for an early retir¡±

    ¡®Darling, a two-week suspension would do.¡¯ Lucianne linked him, as her tired ck orbs peered into his

    angered onyx eyes.

    His gaze softened as he linked in despair, ¡®Babe, the more mercy we show, the more they¡¯ll try to push

    our boundaries. Take Cummings, for instance. We showed her mercy and she ended up hurting you!¡¯

    ¡®Which is why I didn¡¯t object to imprisoning her. But this reporter was just doing his job. All of them here

    were justpeting to report and write-up the next big scoop for their employers. They have

    professional targets to meet and families to feed. It was not right for him to ask what he did but a

    permanent banishment isn¡¯t necessary, Xandar. They were insensitive but insensitivity is not a criminal

    offence that requires career destruction. A simple suspension would do, as a warning.¡¯

    The small crowd was silent as the King and Queen mind-linked each other. When their eyes cleared,

    Xandar sighed before nting a deep kiss on Lucianne¡¯s forehead. He then turned back to the reporter

    who was already drenched in cold sweat as Xandar said, ¡°If it were me, you¡¯d be jobless and dead by

    now, Pollock. Fortunately for you, our Queen insists that a two-week suspension would be a good-

    enough punishment.¡±

    A glimmer of hope appeared in Pollock¡¯s features but then Xandar added, ¡°As much as I love and

    respect m y mate, I speak from observation when I say that our species don¡¯t leam very well from light

    punishments so I will be insisting on a six-month suspension and a personally-written apology submitted

    across all news sites. If I find a single word that displeases me, you¡¯d better hope I don¡¯t track you down

    and end you. Do I make myself clear?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, your Highness.¡± He then looked at Lucianne and bowed as he uttered, ¡°I convey my most sincere

    apologies, my Queen. Thank you for offering mercy.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s face was unperturbed when she spoke with as much strength as she could muster, ¡°You¡¯ve

    received information about my condition, about the likelihood of a certain poison hindering particr

    aspects of my bodily function. Who gave you this information?¡±

    The reporters and journalists gasped in shock and nced at each other nervously. How did the Queen

    know? Who told her? Lucianne thought only Pollock had been tipped off at first but the scared and guilty

    faces of every other journalist and reporter before them showed that they were all given the same tip. If

    she could find the source, she may find out who ordered the poison for her.

    Pollock¡¯s teeth rattled a little before he said, ¡°W-We don¡¯t know, my Queen. It w-was an anonymous tip, a

    p h-phone call.¡±

    ¡°What was the number?¡± Christian asked, his phone already out as he waited for Pollock to respond.

    Pollock was getting paler as he said, ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, your Grace. B-But I can request my superiors to ask

    for the call record.¡±

    Christian¡¯s dissatisfied expression met Pollock¡¯s fearful one as the Duke warned in a threatening tone,¡±

    You¡¯d better make sure I get the number within the next hour.¡± Pollock gave quick, vigorous nods without

    needing to think

    ¡°That includes all of you.¡± Annie directed fiercely to the rest of the journalists, surprising everyone

    present, including her own mate. Christian couldn¡¯t remember thest time he saw Annie showing this

    much ferocity. Was there even such a time? 4

    After Pollock¡¯s incident with the King and Queen, no one dared challenge anyone in the royal family, thus

    they merely offered a slight bow and uttered obediently in Annie¡¯s way, ¡°Yes, your Grace.¡±

    Lucianne threw Annie a grateful smile, and Annie winked in response. Her confidence ignited a fire in

    Christian but only sparked confusion in Xandar, who felt left out when his beautiful mate smiled at the

    Duchess like something went on between them which he didn¡¯t know about.

    Being the attention-seeking mate that he was, Xandar pecked a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s temple to get her

    attention before uttering affectionately, ¡°Let¡¯s head back, my love. You should rest.¡± Lucianne offered a

    small smile and nodded dotingly in response.

    Xandar pecked a kiss on her nose before leading her to the car and holding the door open for her to get

    in. They didn¡¯t speak all the way back but Xandar held Lucianne¡¯s hand and stroked it lovingly while he

    drove them back to the hotel.

    In the hotel room, Xandar washed Lucianne¡¯s body and his own in the shower before helping her into her

    clothes. After he tucked her in and pecked a kiss on her forehead, he was about to leave her bedside

    when Lucianne called out in a soft voice, ¡°Xandar,¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes widened, and he stroked her hair with a warm smile as he asked, ¡°Yes, sweetheart, what

    is i t?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Lucianne thought for a moment before she asked, ¡°What happens if..if I can¡¯t give us children?¡±

    Her eyes began glistening at the thought of having to reject him, or have him reject her.

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    Chapter 125

    Xandar¡¯s smile turned into a frown as he leaned into her to hold her in his arms. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯ve

    been worrying about? Lucy, if kids really mean that much to you, we could always consider adoption.¡±

    ¡°You mean¡­you don¡¯t mind¡­not having your own kids?¡± Lucianne asked in a coarse and broken voice.

    He held her tighter as he whispered, ¡°I only mind not having you, Lucy. I don¡¯t even care if we didn¡¯t have

    any kids.¡±

    ¡°But you wanted¡­a daughter.¡±

    Xandar sighed, already regretting the way he expressed so much enthusiasm in having a little girl with

    Lucianne that she now felt like having a daughter was a must when it wasn¡¯t. He kissed her forehead

    before dering firmly, ¡°Baby, a daughter with your genes would have been magical but my life isn¡¯t any

    less magical without one. I meant what I said the other day, I just want to be with you. That¡¯s all I need.¡±

    ¡°What about an heir to the throne?¡± Lucianne asked in a small voice.

    Xandar answered matter-of-factly, ¡°Well, if we do adopt, then that child would be next in line. Otherwise, i

    t would be one of Juan¡¯s kids, hierarchically-speaking.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s saddened expression turned contemtive as she asked in surprise, ¡°Juan¡¯s kids?¡±

    Xandar then exined, ¡°Yes. When the King and Dukes have no sessors, the next in line would be

    the next closest family member. In our case, it¡¯ll be Juan¡¯s family since he¡¯s like a brother to the Queen.

    Greg is already disqualified from all those corruption charges against him. So, after us, Christian and

    Annie, Juan¡¯s children are technically next in line.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re wolves though.¡± Lucianne noted the obvious.

    Xandar chuckled lightly at his mate¡¯s worried look. ¡°Well then, my love. We have a lot to do in our years

    as King and Queen to make sure that there is little to no disparity between our species for a harmonious

    session of your niece or nephew.¡± 1

    Lucianne¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in disbelief as she asked, ¡°You¡¯re not joking? That¡¯s really what would

    happen?¡±

    Xandar shrugged like it was just another logical reasoning for him, ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s just how it goes in royal

    session.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Lucianne noted to herself and internalized whatever she was just told.

    Xandar kissed her forehead to smoothen the creases there before he whispered, ¡°Now that that¡¯s out of

    the way, can you please just sleep, Lucy? When you wake up, I¡¯d like to know the inside joke between

    you and Annie. I don¡¯t like being left out.¡±

    ¡°What inside joke?¡± Lucianne asked.

    Xandar narrowed his eyes at his mate as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb, sweetheart. Annie was never as

    fierce as she was today. You two must have said or done something between yourselves to get her to

    speak the way she did.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that.¡± Lucianne responded in realization before snuggling her head deeper into the pillow and slowly

    letting her eyelids fall.

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re really not going to tell me, babe?¡± Xandar asked in mock annoyance.

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes opened slightly as she muttered sleepily, ¡°You said you wanted to know after I wake

    up.¡±,

    Xandar chuckled at Lucianne¡¯s clever retort and kissed her temple before he whispered into her ear, ¡°I

    love you.¡±

    He only left her side after she muttered, ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡± After flipping off the light switches, he

    crawled under the bedsheets next to her and, like thest time, Lucianne snuggled into his chest before

    they both dozed off.

    ###

    When they woke up a few hourster, Xandar got the devastating confirmation from Dr Yeil that the

    poison was indeed one that suppressed pregnancy indefinitely. On the couch, Lucianne was numb as

    she sat on Xandar¡¯sp. He stroked her arm in soothing motions while he asked Dr Yeil, ¡°Any possible

    cure?¡± 3

    ¡°We could have the Queen take hormonal medication in the course of her pregnancy but I must caution

    you, my King, that a healthy fotus would be unlikely.¡± Dr Yeil said. There was a pause when Xandar

    became distracted with Lucianne turning away from him to wipe away her tears.

    Xandar held her closer to his chest and pecked a kiss on her tear stain before Dr Yeil¡¯s voice came

    through the line, ¡°What happened to the Queen was unjust and wrong, my King. I wish I could be of more

    help. I have sent her blood to ourrgest research centre in hopes that they¡¯ll manufacture a cure but I

    must admit that¡­I¡¯m not sure if a solution would present itself in the near future.¡±

    ¡°I see. Thank you, Dr Yeil.¡± Xandar uttered.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to be of service, your Highness. Do give my best to the Queen. She¡¯s a gem that the

    Kingdom cannot afford to lose.¡± Dr Yeil responded, knowing fully well that Lucianne¡¯s situation was the

    result of fighting off rogues and saving countless lives.

    Xandar tried to speak as steadily as he could, ¡°Will do. Thank you.¡± It was so unfair that Lucianne had to

    bear the brunt of ruthless attacks when she had done so much for everyone.

    After Xandar hung up, he kissed Lucianne¡¯s temple and she muttered in a choppy voice, ¡°I just th-

    thought that¡­since I could heal from silver and Oleander¡­I could somehow heal from this.¡±

    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

    Xandar pressed her into his chest as he responded in a whisper, ¡°I know, baby. I know.¡±

    They sat in silence. Since it was time for dinner, they called room service, and not longter, the hotel

    staff walked in with Xandar¡¯s lobster and Lucianne¡¯s salmon. Lucianne didn¡¯t fight Xandar this time when

    he ced her on hisp and caged her between his arms when he sliced the salmon into small parts

    before feeding it to her.

    Suddenly, Xandar¡¯s phone on the armrest started to ring, showing ¡®Yarrington¡¯ on the screen. Lucianne¡¯s

    hand went underneath her mate¡¯s arm to reach for his phone before Xandar uttered, ¡°Put him on

    speaker, sweetheart.¡±

    After swiping to answer, Lucianne put Yarrington on speaker and held his phone near him as Xandar put

    another piece of salmon into her mouth.

    ¡°Yarrington?¡± Xandar¡¯s fimm voice rang through the line.

    ¡°Your Highness, Weaver and I have just heard about the Queen at the doctor¡¯s from the news. May I

    ask¡­is she alright?¡±

    Lucianne nodded her head while chewing the food in her mouth. Xandar¡¯s voice was softer when he

    responded, ¡°She¡¯s holding up better than anyone can expect.¡±

    There was a sigh of relief from the minister¡¯s end before he said, ¡°Well, I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be too

    shocked. She is stronger than most Lycans we heard of, men and women alike. But there¡¯s another

    reason why I called, my King. The uh¡­the sexual harassmentints have been curated but¡­¡± he

    sighed, before he said, ¡°There appears to be a hup.¡±

    ¡°What hup?¡±

    Yarrington was visibly nervous when he said, ¡°W-Well, your Highness. Tenints have been made

    against the Duke.¡±

    It was zero surprise for Xandar that Greg would be one of the perpetrators of this kind of offence. The

    King continued slicing through his mate¡¯s food while responding to the minister like it was no big deal,

    ¡°That¡¯s hardly a hup, Yarrington. That cousin of mine doesn¡¯t have a reputation of being respectful,

    much less t o women.¡±

    ¡°No, my King. I wasn¡¯t talking about the Duke from your father¡¯s side.¡± Xandar¡¯s hands on the knife and

    fork halted, and Lucianne¡¯s chewing paused as their eyes converged on Xandar¡¯s phone.

    With the sudden silence, Yarrington assumed that the King wanted him to continue speaking so he did,¡±

    Tenints have been made using the other Duke, the second-inmand, Christian ckfur.¡±

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126

    Lucianne coughed profusely after choking on the broli she was chewing in her mouth when they were

    told that Christian was one of the people they¡¯d have to investigate for sexual harassment.

    Her choking made Xandar¡¯s eyes snapped wider in worry as he took his phone from her hand and

    ced i t on the couch while he rubbedforting circles on her back, holding a ss of water near her.

    ¡°My Queen! Are you alright?!¡± Weaver¡¯s panicked voice came through the line.

    After a few more coughs, Lucianne took a few sips of water before she managed to say, ¡°F-Fine, Sir

    Weaver. Thank -¡± Cough. ¡°Thank you. Sorry about that, Lord Yarrington. Please continue.¡±

    Weaver spoke before his mate could, ¡°My Queen, this is entirely our fault. You shouldn¡¯t have to

    apologize.¡±

    Lord Yarrington sounded guilty when he said, ¡°Apologies, my Queen. I didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡±

    ¡°No no. I¡¯m fine. Please continue the uhints made against Christian. Who are they?¡± Lucianne

    insisted as she took sips from the ss of water Xandar ced into her hands, prompting her to drink itt

    o clear her throat.

    Yarrington proceeded to exin, ¡°The teninants are all wolves from different packs, my Queen.

    And the range of theints goes back ten years, one in each year. But there¡¯s also a possibility that

    this may be a falseint lodged for¡­nderous intentions.¡±

    Xandar then asked, ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°Well, my King. There have been threeints made against Weaver, alleging that, on separate

    asions, Weaver coerced theinants into performing sexual intercourse at a nightclub in the

    neighboring town. I checked the times and dates the purported intercourses took ce, and I found that

    it can¡¯t be true. Weaver and I were together on all three asions. The first one was when we were both

    at a gender-reveal party at my sister¡¯s ce; the second was when we were at the movies on our

    anniversary; and the third was the night when Weaver had food poisoning, and I was by his side all day

    as he made frequent trips to the washroom. It couldn¡¯t be Weaver.¡± 1

    ¡°Maybe it was just someone who looked like Weaver and the women were confused?¡± Xandar

    suggested.

    Weaver spoke next, ¡°That was what we thought at first, too, my King. But we think that it¡¯s too much of a

    coincidence that three people from the coboration can mistake me for someone else. Your

    Highnesses, we think that someone may be trying to¡­have this swept under the mat. Seeing as how

    close you both are to the Duke, imnting fakeints may be a way to defeat the progress of the

    investigation.¡± 1

    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t let that happen.¡± Xandar muttered.

    Lucianne then asked, ¡°Are Sir Weaver¡¯sinants wolves as well, Lord Yarrington?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡±

    ¡°Which packs are they from?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­just a moment, my Queen.¡± There were a few clicking sounds before Yarrington responded, ¡°ck

    River, Fleet Woods and Night Pine.¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Lucianne scoffed, ¡°Fleet Woods hasn¡¯t existed since a rogue massacre four years ago. No one survived.

    I¡¯ll check with the Alphas of ck River and¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s actually a brilliant idea!¡± Weaver was so excited that he identally cut Lucianne off. She didn¡¯t

    mind but Xandar did. To calm her beast, she stroked his arm as she mouthed, ¡®It¡¯s okay.¡¯

    Weaver¡¯s enthusiastic voice continued to ring through, ¡°We¡¯ll just cross-check theinants¡¯ names

    from every pack to see if they exist!¡±.

    Yarrington then built up on his mate¡¯s efforts, ¡°Yes, I probably should have thought of doing that.¡±

    Xandar then said, ¡°In the meantime, there needs to be a change in who gets involved in this

    investigation.¡± Everyone was silent as they waited for their King to continue. ¡°I now see why you both

    suspect that whoever made these falseints either have nderous intentions or intentions of

    forcing us to close this matter without following through what we promised to our people.¡±

    He held onto his mate¡¯s small hand before he uttered, ¡°They must have known that the ones involved in

    this investigation are Christian, you and me, Yarrington. So, they used Weaver to get you off the

    investigation because of the conspicuous conflict of interest seeing that he¡¯s your mate. And they lodged

    ints against my cousin and second-inmand to remove his right to investigate, and to remove my

    right because of the conflict of interest I have seeing that he¡¯s my confidant.¡±

    Lucianne stroked his hand tofort him as he continued, ¡°Since Weaver is in the clear now, he can

    help you with the investigation but I¡¯m afraid the Duke and I have to step aside for now, in the name of

    fairness and transparency. Yarrington, the reins are yours. Appoint whoever you deem necessary. Find

    out who¡¯s ying with us. They¡¯re going to wish they made aint against me instead of my best

    friend.¡±

    There was a moment of silence, and Xandar had to take a whiff of Lucianne¡¯s scent from her hair just to

    cool his radiating anger. Lucianne was getting ufortable with the ensuing silence so she asked, ¡°Sir

    Weaver, Lord Yarrington, is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, of course, my Queen.¡± Weaver said.

    Yarrington then spoke seriously, ¡°We¡¯ll look into it and try to get to the bottom of things as soon as

    possible, your Highnesses. And, my King, for the Duke¡¯s¡­issue, would you like me to tell him?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Yarrington. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Xandar responded immediately.

    ¡°Yes, that would be better. Weaver and I will get to it now. Have a good night, my King, my Queen.¡±

    Yarrington said.

    ¡°Good night.¡± Xandar and Lucianne uttered in unison.

    As soon as he hung up on Yarrington and Weaver, Xandar mind-linked his cousin, ¡®Hey, Christian.¡¯

    ¡®What¡¯s with the ominous tone, cuz? Is the Queen alright?¡¯

    ¡®She¡¯s fine. This is about the sexual harassmentints.¡¯

    ¡®Oh, right! It¡¯s been one week already. Okay, where do we start? What do we do?¡¯

    ¡®Nothing

    ¡®What?¡¯

    ¡®Yarrington is taking the lead. We both can¡¯t be privy to the investigation in any way for now because¡­

    tenints have been made against you, Christian¡¯ There was a moment of silence before

    Christian¡¯s angered voice linked back, ¡®WHAT THE F*CK!!!¡¯

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127

    At breakfast the next day, Christian was still pissed. The only constion he got was that Annie didn¡¯t

    believe he did any of those things alleged by the so-called ¡®victims¡¯. Yarrington and Weaver assured the

    Duke that they were looking into theints made against him first, and asked for an alibi for the

    dates and times mentioned in the tenints.

    He and Annie went through their photographs in their iCloud Drive, and managed to negate the validity of

    twoints. Then, they got out their photo albums, where Annie had a habit of writing the dates on

    the back of every photograph. Christian began regretting not making time to upload every photograph

    they took together on the Drive.

    They scoured through the thousands of pictures they took over the years, praying that there would be a

    date and time which would match up with the ones in the allegations. After four hours, they managed to

    negate another threeints.

    Xandar and Lucianne cross-checked the dates and times with government meetings recorded on

    Xandar¡¯sptop, and managed to negate the credibility of another threeints. That left two more

    comints standing against the Duke.

    What made the Duke¡¯s temperament worse was that the anonymous informant¡¯s number that the

    journalists and reporters gave him tumed out to be unreachable. Chief Dalloway and his people tracked

    the phone to a dumpster, and retrieved it before sending it to theb for a fingerprint scan. s, the scan

    tumed out to be fruitless because no registered citizen¡¯s fingerprints matched the ones found on the

    burner phone.

    ¡°I honestly can¡¯t see how my wife is so calm about this. I can kill, and I mean literally kill right now, cuz,

    you know what I mean?¡± Christian said after swallowing his food.

    Xandar gave his cousin an encouraging pat on his shoulder before he said, ¡°They¡¯re looking into it.

    Yarrington and Weaver have always been efficient. They¡¯ll crack this case soon, Christian.¡±

    Christian¡¯s orbs were onyx when he dered, ¡°The only thing I¡¯m going to crack is theinants¡¯

    heads over these fakeints. All ten of them. I don¡¯t care if you put me in jail, cuz.¡±

    ¡°I could break you out if you do it.¡± Lucianne offered. 1

    That seemed to calm Christian a little. He managed a small smile as he bowed slightly in her way when

    he said, ¡°Thank you, my Queen.¡±

    Xandar looked at his mate in mock disapproval, ¡°My Queen, that is no way to treat a murderer. And do

    you even know how to break someone out of prison, sweetheart?¡±

    Lucianne shook her adorable head as she said, ¡°No. But there¡¯s a first time for everything.¡±

    The cousins chuckled lightly in response. Lucianne felt bad for Christian when he had to go through the

    frustration of being med for something he would not even think of doing, so she was d that she

    could lighten his mood, even if it was just momentarily.

    She spoke to Annie before breakfast, and the Duchess was more worried about her mate losing his

    temper in public than about the harassment allegations made against him.

    Just when things couldn¡¯t get any worse, Chief Dalloway and two policemen stood at the entrance of the

    dining hall. Lucianne was the first to notice their presence. The Chief then spoke discreetly to the event

    manageress who came to greet them. She looked uneasy as she nodded his way before walking

    towards the table of the royal members.

    Lucianne was up on her feet, and when her mate and the Duke saw the Queen standing, they too stood

    without knowing who they were expecting. After exchanging bows with the event manageress, she said,

    ¡° Your Highnesses, your Grace, Chief Dalloway from the police force is requesting for a private audience.

    He said it¡¯s urgent.¡±

    The three of them nced at the Chief, who looked exhausted and fearful. Lucianne then said, ¡°Let¡¯s not

    keep him waiting, then.¡±

    The three of them left their unfinished food on the table and left the hall, turning a deaf ear to all the

    whispers, and turning a blind eye to the stares that they were garnering. The manageress got her staff to

    clear a small meeting room down the hallway.

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    As they sat around the resin wood table, Chief Dalloway cleared his throat uneasily before he said, ¡°Your

    Highnesses, your Grace. There is no easy way of saying this. I am sorry to report that Sasha Cummings

    was taken two nights ago.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± Lucianne asked in disbelief.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®taken¡¯?¡± Xandar asked, more ferociously than his mate.

    u me

    The Chief chose to avert Xandar¡¯s re and locked eyes with Lucianne instead as he exined, ¡°Two

    nights ago, close to midnight, one of our own people unlocked her cell and let her out, handing her over

    to someone we are still trying to track down. The¡­mole among us then made his way to solitary

    confinement, where we held the rogue, and he requested to meet the prisoner.¡±

    ¡°And you let him?¡± Christian hissed.

    ¡°No, your Grace, my men didn¡¯t, which was why the mole shot one of the three guards outside the

    rogue¡¯s room.¡± Chief Dalloway paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°The other two guards

    restrained him, forcing him onto the ground. What we didn¡¯t predict was that hisrade would enter

    from the ceiling and shoot the other two guards who were pressing the mole¡¯s body to the ground.¡±

    ¡°The mole, hisrade and the rogue then sought to escape through the ceiling. By then, we were all

    alerted by those watching the cameras. I ordered aplete lockdown of the prison but they took one of

    our helicopters to escape. Only six hours ago, our trackers found the helicopter on a deserted ind

    fifteen miles from here. We managed to find a tunnel undereath the ind sand but it has been blocked b

    y arge boulder. I¡¯ve just returned from that ind in thest hour. Further investigations are still

    underway for now. I am deeply sorry for this debacle, your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be. You did everything you could.¡± Lucianne muttered as soon as he finished speaking. Both the

    cousins were about to throw a fit but seeing as how Lucianne didn¡¯t criticize the ipetence of the

    police force, they chose to silence themselves.

    Lucianne stared at the table and pondered for a moment before she asked, ¡°The ones who were shot,

    did they survive?¡±

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128

    Chief Dalloway shook his head woefully, and the policeman who stood at the door held his head low. The

    Chief then said, ¡°The Oleander bullets prated right through their hearts. The medical team couldn¡¯t

    save them.¡±

    Lucianne inhaled deeply and exhaled sadly before she said, ¡°I am so sorry for your loss.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, my Queen.¡± Chief Dalloway responded with a polite smile, and the policeman gave her a

    grateful nod.

    Lucianne then cleared her throat before asking, ¡°As for the location where the helicopter was found, do

    you happen to have any pictures of the site?¡±

    ¡°I do, in fact. A moment please, your Highness.¡± The Chief took out his phone from his pocket, and

    scrolled through it for a while before cing it on the table and gently pushing it towards Lucianne.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    She lifted up the phone and erged the photo to study the sandy beach and thick jungle next to where

    the hijacked police helicopter seemed to havended safely. Lucianne then pushed the phone in the two

    cousins¡¯ way for them to have a look as she asked the Chief, ¡°The jungle is being searched now, I

    presume?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, my Queen. It¡¯s been two hours but we haven¡¯t found anything as of yet, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    Xandar then asked, ¡°Does Alfred Cummings know where his daughter would be taken by any chance?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it, your Highness. When I questioned him on the matter, he was genuinely shocked and worried.

    M y men had to restrain him when he started throwing expletives and ming the police force for what

    hebeled as an ¡®abduction¡¯ of his daughter.¡±

    Christian then muttered in dissatisfaction, ¡°Looks more like an escape to me. Any thoughts of seeking

    ransom from abducting the daughter would just backfire. Her father¡¯s assets have been frozen.¡±

    Xandar grew contemtive as he thought aloud, ¡°If ransom is out of the question, and it¡¯s really not an

    abduction¡­.why would someone want to help his daughter escape? What could she possibly have to

    offer? As far as I know, she has no wealth of her own so she wouldn¡¯t be able to contribute to anything

    financially. If the escape was aided by someone who she shares close rtions with, her brother is the

    only one thates to mind after her father. But her brother doesn¡¯t seem to get along with her so it¡¯s

    unlikely that he would help her escape.¡±

    Chief Dalloway¡¯s uneasiness returned when he said, ¡°If I may, my King. Mr Sebastian Cummings did visit

    his sisterte evening the other day when she was brought into police custody.¡±

    Lucianne held her mate¡¯s hand to calm him as Xandar asked, ¡°What was the context of their

    conversation? Was it about nning her escape?¡±

    ¡°No, my King. Uh¡­ it was about¡­¡± the Chief looked at Lucianne nervously. Lucianne helped the poor

    old man by saying what was in his mind, ¡°Me.¡±

    He nodded and continued, ¡°Ms Cummings felt that her brother was still carrying a torch for you, my

    Queen. And in doing so she criticized him for being blinded by what she deemed to be the truth, that her

    so -called..misfortune and that of her father¡¯s have been caused by y-¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, Xandar mmed the table as he growled and shouted, ¡°THEY ARE

    THE CAUSE OF THEIR CURRENT PROBLEMS! HOW DARE THEY BLAME THE FUTURE QUEEN!

    HOW DARE

    THEY SPEAK AGAINST MY MATE!!¡±

    ¡°Darling, darling. Please, just breathe. Just breathe. Shh. Just breathe, my love. Breathe.¡± Both of

    Lucianne¡¯s hands were on one of his now as she squeezed it assuringly, trying desperately to calm

    Xandar down. As usual, his animal took in her soothing voice, and his human part let her touch cool his

    bubbling infemo. 2

    The small room fell into dead silence as Lucianne continued cooing her enraged mate. When he had

    better control of his temper, Xandar sighed in frustration before lifting Lucianne¡¯s hands up and pecked a

    kiss o n them before speaking to the Chief in a still-angered tone, ¡°And why was this not brought to my

    attention?¡±

    The Chief stuttered when he said, ¡°B-Because the member who was present during the siblings¡¯

    conversation was¡­¡±

    ¡°The mole.¡± Christian concluded, and the Chief nodded in confirmation.

    Lucianne then said, ¡°I hope the entire police force is undergoing a screening process, Chief? Especially

    when ites to newer members who join the force?¡±

    He immediately said, ¡°Yes, my Queen. A team of senior members has been formed to look through

    everyone¡¯s backgrounds. I¡¯ve personally looked through theirs before appointing them. And we¡¯ve

    decided to have two people instead of one in the visitation room for high-profile criminals such as Ms

    Cummings. We¡¯ve also unanimously agreed to have a third person transcribe all conversations from

    such visitations, s o as to ensure anything said between the prisoner and the visitor is heard by a pair of

    fresh ears.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to know that appropriate measures are being taken.¡± Lucianne nodded in understanding. ¡°Are

    you going to question Sebastian Cummings about his sister¡¯s disappearance?¡±

    ¡°Two of our agents are questioning him as we speak, my Queen. I¡¯ll happily send over the transcript of

    the interrogationter today, if necessary.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s hardened expression was fixed on the Chief as he answered in a fimm voice, ¡°Yes, it is

    necessary, Chief.¡±

    The Chief nodded inpliance, ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll personally see to it that it¡¯ll be sent to you once it is done,

    my King.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Chief.¡± Lucianne responded gratefully, offering him a small smile.

    After a moment of pin drop silence, Lucianne asked, ¡°Xandar, Christian. Is there anything else you¡¯d both

    like the Chief to tell us?¡± Christian shook his head and sighed in defeat as he slumped back into his

    chair, absorbing whatever they¡¯ve just been told.

    Xandar smiled in Lucianne¡¯s way and stroked her hand lovingly as he responded gently, ¡°Not as of now,

    m y dear.¡±

    Lucianne then faced the Chief again and asked, ¡°Is there anything else we should know, Chief?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a matter of knowledge on our part but we were wondering, my Queen¡­uh¡­how well do

    you know a woman by the name of Livia Aphael?¡±

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129

    ¡°Livia Aphael?¡± Lucianne asked, clearly oblivious. When the Chief nodded, even the policeman at the

    door was surprised to see Lucianne looking lost as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone by that name.¡±

    The Chief was surprised at her answer so he unlocked his phone to look for a photograph before

    showing i t to Lucianne and asked again, ¡°Do you really not know her, your Highness?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in recognition as she eximed, ¡°Oh, her! I¡¯m sorry, Chief. I didn¡¯t know that

    was her name.¡±

    ¡°But you seem to remember her quite well, my Queen.¡± His tone wasn¡¯t usatory. It just held genuine

    confusion.

    ¡°I do. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re aware, Chief. But Sebastian Cummings was my previously-bonded mate, and

    I severed our bond after finding him making love with this woman, who up until today, I didn¡¯t know the

    name to.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see now. We were aware of the previous bond from the conversation between the two siblings but

    w e were unaware of the full events leading up to the severance.¡±

    ¡°How is this relevant?¡± Xandar asked impatiently, not at all pleased that his mate¡¯s past rejection was

    being raised

    ¡°Well, my King. Livia Aphael¡¯s name came up in their conversation during Mr Cummings¡¯s visit. Seeing

    that Ms Cummings is gone, we are tracking everyone who may possibly be offering her shelter. After

    speaking to neighbors and bartenders, we discovered that Ms Cummings and Ms Aphael share a close

    friendship. So, we were looking into her.¡±

    Christian sat upright again as he questioned, ¡°What do you mean you ¡®were¡¯ looking into her? She¡¯s in

    the clear now?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem, your Grace.¡± The Chief¡¯s exhausted eyes peered into the Duke¡¯s irritated ones as he

    said, ¡°She¡¯s missing. Her whole family is missing.¡±

    Christian then muttered to himself, ¡°You¡¯ve got to be f*cking kidding me.¡±

    Xandar then uttered, ¡°So, it¡¯s safe to say that this woman is our prime suspect in helping Ms Cummings

    escape?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the theory for now, yes. And what makes Ms Aphael¡¯s position worse is that she was the woman

    who was at the other Duke¡¯s residence, the one who made sexual advances before being thrown out by

    the Duke himself. Seeing as he is also missing, we thought she might have something to do with their

    disappearances.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡± Xandar muttered in agreement. ¡°She could be the one who hired those men to help

    break her friend out of prison.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my King, that is unless the results from the interrogation with Mr Cummings offer a different

    conclusion.¡° Dalloway then looked at Lucianne and asked, ¡°My Queen, if I may ask, when did youst

    see Ms Aphael? Was it when the bond was severed?¡±

    Lucianne spoke calmly when she replied, ¡°No, thest time I saw her, inadvertently, I must add, was

    when we were at a restaurant¡­¡± she did a mental count before she continued, ¡°¡­five days ago. What¡¯s

    the name o f the restaurant we went to the other day, Xandar? The one with the huge aquarium?¡±

    ¡°Le Paradis Luxueux.¡± Xandar said without hesitation, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile at the memory of

    their dinner date.

    The policeman at the door jotted down the name of the restaurant in his notepad as the Chief asked,

    ¡°May we know the approximate time when you saw her, my Queen?¡±

    ¡°Around eight, I guess. She was in a one-shoulder red crepe dress with a high slit on the side. Uh¡­ I

    think she was with someone. The seat in front of her had a te of unfinished food but she was alone at

    her table when I noticed her presence. When she felt my stare on her, she started speaking on her

    phone and made her way out.¡±

    When the policeman¡¯s furious scribbling came to a stop, the Chief asked, ¡°And has there been anything

    else from the missing Duke, your Highness?¡±

    ¡°No, Chief. Are you able to locate him yet?¡± Lucianne asked in curiosity.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, my Queen. But we are expanding our search now, so our chances of finding him and

    Tanner are higher than before.¡±

    Lucianne nodded in understanding. ¡°I see. Is there anything else you need from me?¡±

    ¡°No, my Queen. Thank you for your time. And both of yours as well, my King and your Grace.¡± The Chief

    shook their hands and bowed in gratitude before leaving the room with the other policeman.

    When the three of them were left alone, Christian startedining, ¡°Who would need to recruit a

    dumb blonde with a poor temperament and a high affinity to tilt towards insanity?¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be Greg, could it?¡± Xandar asked, basically making wild guesses now.

    Christian scoffed and said, ¡°What would Greg do with her? Next to him, her skills are probably worse

    than a beginner¡¯s. I doubt it¡¯s for sex, too. I¡¯ve seen them both in the same room before. Zero chemistry

    and almost zero ovep in social circles. He¡¯d be around ministers¡¯ daughters, and she¡­well, before she

    was kicked out, she would be around¡­you, actually, cuz, even when you were just the Crown Prince.¡±

    ¡°And it was bloody irritating. It¡¯s like she won¡¯t take the hint that I¡¯m not interested.¡± Xandar muttered as h

    e held Lucianne¡¯s hand on hisp.

    That was when he realized his mate hadn¡¯t said a word since the policemen left. The cousins looked her

    way, and noticed that she was lost in thought as she stared at the beige walls in front of them. With a

    gentle stroke on her hand, Xandar, in a soft voice, said, ¡°Baby, a penny for your thoughts?¡±

    Her ck orbs which were far away were brought back to the room in an instant. Xandar ran his fingers

    through her hair as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, sweetheart? You seemed so far away.¡±

    Her wolf purred under his touch, and Lucianne smiled meekly before she said, ¡°I just didn¡¯t know

    Sebastian¡¯s bed warmer had ess to such resources. If she could find people to break her friend out of

    prison, why didn¡¯t she just hire someone to sleep with Cummings? Why did she do it herself?¡±

    ¡°Maybe she really liked him?¡± Xandar offered a suggestion.

    ¡°Hm. That¡¯s a possible exnation, I suppose.¡± Lucianne analyzed aloud. ¡°Something¡¯s still bothering

    you, Lucy. Tell me. What is it?¡± Xandar uttered.

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130

    Lucianne blinked before she sighed in frustration, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what to think, Xandar. Whatever

    we just heard, and whatever we went through these past few days just feels like thisplicated web of

    events that may be connected, but may not be so at the same time.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that, sweetheart?¡±

    Lucianne stared into space as she started exining, ¡°Well, I understand that Sasha¡¯s behavior on the

    training ground was because she thinks that I¡¯m the reason behind her father¡¯s imprisonment. On the

    same day she¡¯s ced in police custody, the strongest packs get threats from rogues to draw me to

    Forest Gloom. Jake mentioned that they were acting for a client. What if Livia Aphael is that client?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s hand holding hers tensed up a little when he said, ¡°If she is, she¡¯s going to have a lot to answer

    for,¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s where things start to not make sense.¡± Lucianne looked at her mate like she was trying to

    solve a confusing puzzle as she said, ¡°Why would she want me infertile? Up until today, I didn¡¯t even

    know her name. If this is about me being bonded to Cummings, whom she hypothetically likes, then I still

    don¡¯t see what her problem is. I never took him away from her. If anything, I made it easier for her when I

    rejected him. And¡­if she had the resources to make Greg disappear, why would she let him give me

    those incriminating evidence? She could very well make any piece of evidence vanish into thin air.

    Besides, from what you guys have been saying about Greg¡­ I don¡¯t really see why he would need any

    help in disappearing. He seems really capable of doing that on his own. And how does Tanner fit into all

    of this?¡±

    Xandar couldn¡¯t give her an answer so he looked at his cousin uneasily. Christian merely uttered, ¡°Don¡¯t

    look at me, cuz. I thought I was lost. But what the Queen said just made me feel more lost than before.¡±

    1

    Xandar sighed before running his fingers through Lucianne¡¯s hair again as he suggested, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not

    connected, sweetheart. Maybe they are all separate events.¡±

    ¡°Then why are these events happening one after another? Why are the people we¡¯re hunting down

    disappearing one after another? It¡¯s as if they know who the police will be going after next, and they

    disappear just in time to avoid getting caught.¡± Lucianne said. 1

    Blink! A sudden sound in the small room made Lucianne flinch in surprise.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s my phone. Sorry about that, my Queen.¡± Christian said as he got out his phone.

    Xandar chuckled lightly at Lucianne¡¯s reaction, and wondered how she could look so adorable even

    when she was shocked. Lucianne narrowed her eyes at him when she mistook his affection as a way of

    teasing

    her.

    Right after he pecked a kiss on her cheek, Christian said, ¡°That was Annie. Just checking what time I¡¯ll

    be picking her up from home tonight.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes snapped to Christian¡¯s as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re not joining us tonight?¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°What do you mean, cuz? Of course, I am. Annie¡¯s joining us tonight, too. We¡¯reing together.¡±

    Christian exined casually

    ¡°Really?¡± Xandar asked in disbelief. Christian studied his cousin in confusion. Why was Xandar so

    surprised that Annie decided to join government events, especially when he knew that Lucianne and

    Annie spent hours together at the caf¨¦ the other day?

    When the Duke came to the only possible conclusion, he threw Lucianne a cheeky smirk and said, ¡°You

    didn¡¯t tell him, did you, my Queen? It¡¯s not good to keep the King in the dark, especially when ites to

    your good deeds of bringing others back into the light, you know?¡±

    Xandar looked at his beautiful mate as he uttered, ¡°Lucy, you said you only encouraged Annie to go

    along with her intentions to contribute as Duchess.¡± 1

    She shrugged and uttered innocently, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what happened.¡±

    ¡°Hah! That wasn¡¯t even half of it!¡± Christian started chuckling at his cousin who looked like a sad, left-out

    kid on the yground.

    ¡°Babe! What did you not tell me?!¡± Xandar asked as he held her wrists and leaned towards her.

    Lucianne thought for a moment before muttering, ¡°Uh¡­ I did tell her to disregard certain¡­derogatory

    remarks made by people who aren¡¯t worth the attention. Hm¡­Also, we¡¯ll be there for her whenever she

    needs us, and¡­I guess that¡¯s about it.¡±

    ¡°Still not even half of it.¡± Christian muttered under his breath before he said aloud, ¡°Let me do it, my

    Queen.¡±

    ¡°Alright, but I don¡¯t know what else there is to add. That was pretty much the gist of our conversation.

    Don¡¯t exaggerate anything, please, Christian.¡± Lucianne said, and returned her sights to her mate before

    she dered, ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys on the training ground.¡± !

    Right after she pecked a quick kiss on her mate¡¯s cheek and stood up to leave, Xandar held onto her

    forearms and said, ¡°Oh, no no no. You¡¯re staying, sweetheart. You can¡¯t leave me alone here while my

    cousin gloats about knowing what you said to Annie when I don¡¯t.¡±

    She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, my King.¡± She tried to tug her arms away but his firm grip

    was not letting her go. ¡°Darling, we¡¯ve been gone long enough. I need to guide the wolves and Lycans on

    the new techniques. I have to go!¡± Lucianne whined and used herrge doe-eyes on her mate.

    After losing his own animal¡¯s support, Xandar sighed and pecked a kiss on her nose before he muttered¡¯

    over-responsible Queen¡¯ and let her go.

    When the door closed with a gentle thud, Xandar faced the smug-looking Christian and he asked,

    ¡°What? You¡¯re gonna make me beg for information now, Christian?¡± The Duke started chuckling and

    patted Xandar on the back before heading for the door as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you on the way to the training

    ground, cuz. C¡¯mon.¡±

    Xandar reluctantly got up from his seat and followed his second-inmand as he grumbled, ¡°What is it

    with you people and the need to head for the training ground at the exact moment I want to know

    something?¡±

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131

    After training, back in the hotel, Xandar and Lucianne just came out of the shower when Chief Dalloway¡¯s

    emails came through. With a towel wrapped around her body, Lucianne buttoned-up her mate¡¯s dark blue

    shirt while he blew dry her hair. After Xandar zipped up her ck skirt and nted a deep kiss on her

    neck through her dark blue, high-neckce blouse, they still had two hours to spare before dinner. 1

    Xandar opened up hisptop on the armrest of the couch and started reading the email. He was

    presented with two documents, one is the transcript of Sebastian¡¯s interrogation, the other was the report

    from interrogating the rogue Lycan before he escaped.

    He forwarded the document on the rogue Lycan to the alliance members before opening up the transcript

    from the interrogation with Sebastian. Lucianne got out her ownptop, and she sat sideways on

    Xandar¡¯sp, her back facing hisptop before she turned on her device on her ownp.

    Without taking his eyes off the screen, Xandar¡¯s arm circled her waist like it was the most natural thing

    for him to do. And Lucianne¡¯s head instinctively leaned against his warm chest as she started reading the

    70-page report on the rogue Lycan.

    Xandar decided to start with the document on Cummings first because it was a much shorter

    document¡­ and also because Sebastian was his mate¡¯s ex-mate. ¡ª

    ¡®Question: For the record, what is your rtionship with the suspect?

    Answer: I¡¯m her brother.

    Q: Have you been in contact with your sister?

    A: Not since the day she was arrested. Thest time I saw her was in the evening the day beforest,

    when I visited her here in prison.

    Q: So, after you left that evening, there were no phone calls, text messages, emails, notes or

    correspondence of any kind?

    A: No.

    Q: And have you been in contact with your fathertely?

    A: ¡­

    Q: Mr Cummings, should I repeat my question?

    A: No, no. It¡¯s just. No, I haven¡¯t been in touch with him either.

    Q: When did youst see him?

    A: I paid him a visitte in the morning today after he called to tell me that Sasha disappeared. You can

    check the visitation records. My name should be there.

    Q: Do you believe that your father aided in your sister¡¯s escape?

    A: What? How does that make any sense? If he could get her out, why wouldn¡¯t my father get himself

    out? He is resourceful as a minister but with the current charges against him and with his assets frozen,

    it doesn¡¯t take a genius toe to the conclusion that there is no way he could¡¯ve helped anyone

    escape. M y sister is no exception.

    Q: So, you¡¯re saying that your father couldn¡¯t have been the one to break Sasha Cummings out of our

    facility because the minister is in police custody and his assets are frozen?

    A: That¡¯s what I said.

    Q: Then, could it be you who has helped Sasha Cummings escape, Mr Cummings? Seeing that you are

    not i n police custody and your assets are not frozen, you would have every opportunity to¡­

    A: I didn¡¯t break her out.

    Q: But you have the means to do it.

    A: That doesn¡¯t mean I did it! After what she did to Lucia- the Queen, I was relieved that Sasha was

    imprisoned.

    Q: You were happy that your own sister was imprisoned?

    A: Happiness may be taking it too far, officer. I was relieved, I¡¯ll admit that much. I was relieved knowing

    that she could hurt¡­anyone anymore.

    Q: When you visited her yesterday, what did you talk about?

    A: Don¡¯t you have the transcripts to answer that question?

    Q: I ask the questions here, Cummings. What did you both talk about?

    A: It really wasn¡¯t anything important. I asked her why she did it, why she hurt the Queen.

    Q: And were you surprised by her answer?

    A: Hardly. It¡¯s all that she¡¯s been saying since the King¡­found his mate.

    Q: So, you¡¯ve known about her intentions to injure the future Queen but you did nothing to notify

    anyone?

    A: I knew about her intentions to break-up the King and Queen by seducing the King, not by hurting the

    Queen.

    Q: Are you saying that you¡¯re unaware of the fact that Sasha Cummings insulted the Queen on the very

    first day of the coboration?

    A: I am very well-aware of that incident but I didn¡¯t see her ability to exacerbate verbal attacks to physical

    ones. Officer, if you listened to the recording of my visit with Sasha, you¡¯d know that I did not agree with

    anything she did.

    Q:I have listened to it, Mr Cummings. And in that very same conversation, Sasha Cummings said that

    you both were aplices when it came to separating the King from the Queenst year.

    A: That was Sasha¡¯s usation. What happenedst year was not nned.

    Q: So, is it true? That you made sure that the Queen-to-be never met the Kingst year?

    A: She wasn¡¯t his matest year. She was mine. I had every right to do what I did. And how is this

    relevant to my sister¡¯s disappearance?

    Q: Well, I¡¯m trying to gauge the proximity of your rtionship with your sister, to understand how likely or

    unlikely it is for you both to help each other when one is in trouble. Seeing that she kept the King away

    from the Queen, and you kept the Queen away from the King, there seems to be a consensus of goals,

    don¡¯t you think?

    A: I see you¡¯re marked, officer. How would you react if some other male¡¯s eyes kept finding their way to

    your mate? Would you have introduced her to this creature, or would you have kept her away like I did?

    Q: You went against the Crown, Cummings. I didn¡¯t. And¡­

    A: For thest time, she was my mate! The King was nothing to her. I did not go against the Crown

    because there was nothing between them. Nothing. She was bonded to me. Questioning what I did is

    questioning our Goddess.

    Q: So, after the severance, would you say that there was never an asion where you and your sister

    both went against the Crown?¡¯

    ¡°Xandar, darling. Is everything alright?¡± Lucianne¡¯s voice of concern pulled Xandar¡¯s attention away from

    his screen. It was only then he realized that his arm around his mate¡¯s waist was tightening.

    He loosened his grip around her immediately but the worry in Lucianne¡¯s ck orbs did not fade as she

    waited for him to speak. A warm smile graced his features before his fingers ran down her hair as he

    said, ¡°I¡¯ve fallen in love with you from the first moment Iid my eyes on you, my little freesia.¡± After

    pecking a kiss between her eyebrows, he uttered, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Lucianne was still confused. How did reading about a rogue Lycan raise any thoughts of his feelings for

    her? ¡°I love you, too, Xandar. Which part of the document are you reading by the way? I don¡¯t see

    anything that¡­¡±

    Xandar silenced her with a deep kiss before he uttered, ¡°It¡¯s not the report on the rogue, my love. I¡¯m

    reading the transcript from Cummings¡¯s interrogation. He mentioned that I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off you i

    n the coborationst year, which pissed him off quite a bit. It seems this beast has been under your

    spell even before we met, before we were bonded.¡±

    Lucianne blinked, trying to keep up with her mate¡¯s train of thought before she uttered in confusion, ¡°As

    romantic as that is, dearest, why was it in the transcript? How does that connect to Sasha¡¯s

    disappearance?¡±

    He brushed his nose against the bridge of her nose as he exined, ¡°The police suspect that the brother

    may have helped the sister escape.¡±

    ¡°Did he?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem likely for now. But I haven¡¯t reached the end yet. I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m done,

    sweetheart.¡± Another kiss on her temple, and his eyes retumed to his screen but that was when a small

    hand reached for his cheek.

    Lucianne turned his face towards hers. With a shy smile and her doe-eyes, she said in a soft voice, ¡°For

    what¡¯s worth, I¡¯ve always thought you¡¯re the most handsome creature I¡¯ve ever seen, even before we

    met.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Xandar asked flirtatiously as he tucked a loose strand behind her ear. He even felt his

    animal¡¯s ears perk up at Lucianne¡¯s confession.

    Lucianne started blushing when his thumb stroked the warmth on her cheek as she admitted, ¡°It is. From

    afar, you¡¯ve always looked¡­brooding and maybe a little scary but I don¡¯t know why, I just never felt

    intimidated by you. I¡¯m not sure if the others felt the same way but to me, there¡¯s always this¡­confidence

    and¡­assurance that you bring into a room which makes your people feel¡­looked after in some way. It¡¯s

    kind of hard to exin. Even when you don¡¯t smile and look¡­menacing on most asions back then,

    there was never a time I felt¡­unsafe in your presence.¡±

    Xandar felt a gentle warmth embracing his heart, making him peck a kiss on her lips before he dered,¡±

    Not feeling unsafe is not enough, Lucy. I want you to feel safe when you¡¯re with me,pletely safe.¡±

    ¡°I do. That wasst year, before we met. I do feel safe with you now, Xandar. More than safe, actually.¡±

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Xandar uttered before his animal had the sudden urge to tease their flustering mate so he

    said, ¡°And, my dear, maybe you¡¯ve never been intimidated by this menacing beast because of your

    unusual tendency to venture into dangerous waters.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that I shouldn¡¯t have such tendencies, my King?¡± Lucianne challenged with a

    coquettish smirk in retum

    ¡°It¡¯s far toote for that, my Queen.¡± He pecked a kiss on her palm before he pouted, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want

    to break this poor beast¡¯s heart by staying away now, do you, my love?¡±

    Lucianne continued tracing his eyebrows as she muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t think I could even if I wanted to.

    Staying away from you would hurt too much, Xandar.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s Lycan cooed when Lucianne¡¯s words showered it with a blissful waterfall of love, affection and

    devotion. Their lips collided until they became breathless, and they reluctantly tore their eyes away from

    each other to return their attention to the documents on their screens.

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132

    Xandar picked up from where he left off:

    Q: So, after the severance, would you say that there was never an asion where you and your sister

    both went against the Crown?

    A: I would never work with anyone to hurt the Queen, not even if it¡¯s with my sister.

    Q: That wasn¡¯t the question, Cummings. Did you or did you not try toe between the King and Queen

    in the past two weeks?

    A: No.

    Q: Not even with what could seem to be an innocent act?

    A: Officer, if you already have an asion in mind, justy it on the table so I can exin myself.

    Q: It is rumored that you attempted to gift a book to the Queen earlyst week.

    A: That was just a friendly gesture. I remember she loved to read. She didn¡¯t ept it, by the way.

    Q: And did that make you upset?

    A: Upset enough to regret I didn¡¯t do well by her? Yes. Upset enough to join forces with my sister to

    break the mate-bond she now shares with the King? No.

    Q: Very well¡­ there was also something else you and your sister both said when you visited her. You

    asked Sasha Cummings if she knew something you didn¡¯t know about your father. What did you mean

    by that?

    W som

    me

    A: Well, when Sasha asked me whether I would continue supporting my father even if he ister found

    guilty, there was this¡­glint in her eye, like she was challenging me. I just asked her that question on a

    hunch. She looked like she knew more than she was letting on.

    Q: Do you think she knew more than she let on?

    A: I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s hard to say. Sometimes, she would have threats up her sleeve but most of the time,

    she just wants to look like she has the upper hand to make you lose faith in yourself.

    Q: Would you regard your rtionship with your sister as being strained?

    A: Yes.

    Q: Would you say that your rtionship is strained enough to perhaps¡­.get rid of her?

    A: What are you suggesting? That I break her out of prison, transport her somewhere and then kill her

    myself? Seriously? She was already removed from society when she was in police custody. I didn¡¯t

    abduct her, neither did I help her escape.

    Q: Where were you between 11:30 pm to 1a.m. the night beforest?

    A: At home. In my bed. Sleeping.

    Q: Is there anyone to confirm your whereabouts?

    A: No.

    Q: Not even your neighbors?

    A: I moved out of the family home a day before my father was arrested. I¡¯m now living in the penthouse

    apartment on the twenty-sixth floor of my office building. I¡¯ll dly have my people send over the security

    footage of the office floors to verify what I just said.

    1. Yes, that would be helpful. As for leaving the family home, why?

    A Let¡¯s just say it was getting suffocating there.

    Q.Please borate, Cummings.

    A Well sincest year, I haven¡¯t been able to tolerate my sister the way I always could.

    Q:And why is that? Is it because she has a tendency to gravitate towards the darker parts of society?

    A: What? No! Sasha¡¯s just crazy. She¡¯s not evil. Just¡­crazy.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Q: Crazy enough to make the suitable connections to escape prison?

    A: No, her craziness isn¡¯t the type that attracts that form of resources. It¡¯s just the type that drives

    everyone around her crazy. If I were to be honest, escaping prison seems to exceed her own skill set and

    expertise. I mean, she can¡¯t even sneak out of our family home in the middle of the night without waking

    my dad or me, or even us both sometimes. Escaping prison, with guards on all entrances and exits¡­ it¡¯s

    just not possible for her.

    1. When you think of a possible person who may help her escape, whoes to mind?

    A: (pause) No one I can think of.

    Q: Not even an uncle?

    A: What uncle?

    1. On our record, a certain Mr Richard Mond visited your sister a few hours before your visit.

    Mond is yourte mother¡¯s family name, isn¡¯t it?

    A: Yes, but my mother had no brothers. Only a sister who remains a spinster, living in d. We

    haven¡¯t been in touch in decades. I doubt she ever married this person who came yesterday.

    Q: Is your aunt not the type to wed?

    A: No, it¡¯s not that. Aunt Carol is a homosexual, and she eloped with her bonded mate after my

    grandparents objected to their union.

    1. I see. Could it be one of Sasha Cummings¡¯s friends, perhaps?

    A It couldn¡¯t have been. They were more or less like her. You know, they¡¯d just spend their time

    squandering their parents¡¯ money on material items and drinking.

    Q It would seem like you¡¯ve met her friends. Are you familiar with a close associate of your sister¡¯s, a Ms

    Livia Aphael?

    A: Y-Yes.

    Q: Care to exin your familiarity with this woman?

    A: Sh-She was my sister¡¯s closest friend. They¡¯re still very close, if I¡¯m not mistaken.

    Q: And what about you? How close are you to her?

    A: I¡¯m not

    Q: Are you sure?

    A: Yes. She was just my sister¡¯s friend. That¡¯s it.

    Q: So, apart from the fact that she was your sister¡¯s friend, she was nothing more to you?

    A:¡­

    Q: Answer the question, Cummings.

    A: I just don¡¯t see how this is relevant.

    Q: Until I have my answer, I can¡¯t see the relevance either. And avoiding the question would just prompt

    m e to put a red g on this particr issue.

    A: We had sex. Once. That¡¯s it.

    Q: So, during the course of your intimate rtionship with¡­

    A: There was no intimacy. It was just sex. My heart had always belonged to another.

    Q: During that short stint with Livia Aphael, did she mention anything about being able to do things that a

    normal creature couldn¡¯t do?

    A: Like what?

    Q: Break someone out of prison, perhaps?

    A: No. Nothing came close to that. The only thing she¡¯d go on and on about in the bars was how sexually

    attractive the Duke is to her¡­

    Q: The Duke, Christian ckfur?

    A: No. The other Duke, Greg w.

    Q: I see. Anything else?

    A: Well, she also loved bragging about being a rtive of the Kyltons but I honestly don¡¯t see why she

    does it. They¡¯ve been gone for years since the King refused the heiress¡¯s hand.

    Q: Did she ramble about anything else?

    A: With me? No. With my sister¡­do you really want to know, officer? They¡¯d just gossip about the

    daughters of the other ministers. Like how one is too tall, one has no taste, one would scare any man

    away. I wouldn¡¯t be of much help here. I can¡¯t even remember what they said about which one of them.

    Q: I see. So, from your understanding. Livia Aphael and Greg w share a close rtionship?

    A: No, that would be misleading. From the way it looked, Livia may be intimately interested with the Duke

    but the Duke didn¡¯t seem to reciprocate.

    Q: A one-sided interest, you mean?

    A: Yes, that¡¯s about right.

    Q: So, seeing that she liked him. It¡¯s possible that she helped him disappear?

    A: Disappear? Greg w disappeared? Why aren¡¯t you questioning Livia about all of this?

    Q: Because she has disappeared as well, Mr Cummings.

    A: When?

    Q: That¡¯s what we were hoping you could tell us.

    A: How would I tell you? I mean, I would if I knew but how would I know? I haven¡¯t spoken to Livia for

    over a year! Whenever she visited Sasha, I¡¯d leave the house! I am far from being privy of her

    whereabouts, officer

    Q: When was thest time you saw Livia Aphael?

    A: Uh. I don¡¯t know. Last month, I think. She came over for a gossip session with Sasha. I don¡¯t know

    how long she stayed. I was out of the house within two minutes of hearing her voice.

    Q: I see. Is there anything else you feel the need to mention, Cummings?

    A: (a pause) Yesterday when I visited Sasha, she was¡­unusually calm. Normally, when something

    happens to her, something that takes away her freedom, she¡¯d go crazy and throw a fit. But yesterday,

    she was calm when we talked about the severity of her situation. It was odd.

    Q: And what do you gather from that?

    A: I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s still a puzzle to me. My best guess is that she was calm because she already knew

    she wasn¡¯t going to be in here for long. Maybe she thought I would eventually bail her out, not that it

    would happen seeing that she attacked the King and¡­Queen. I don¡¯t know, officer. My sister can hardly

    maintain a level head throughout anything, let alone something that curtails her liberty.

    Q: I see. Anything else?

    A: (a pause) Nothing I can think of at the moment.

    Q: Alright, then. Thank you for your time, Mr Cummings. We¡¯ll contact you should we need any further

    information.

    When Xandar clicked open the document on the rogue Lycan, he felt Lucianne trying to remove his armo

    n her waist so he held her tighter and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    She ced her phone on hisp, and said bathroom¡¯ before breaking loose and heading for the toilet.

    Xandar lifted up her phone, and saw that it was a reminder to be ready for dinner. After smiling to

    himself, he skimmed through the first three pages of the report before they left for the dining hall

    together.

    Everyone was surprised to see the Duchess making an appearance after all these years. Seeing how

    weing Lucianne was with Annie, the wolves weed her into their circle with utmost respect and

    courtesy. Many of them warmed up to her almost instantly. The Lycans, however, were apletely

    different story.

    Some were courteous but those who remembered her from almost two decades ago forced smiles and

    formal gestures as the gears in their heads turned, thinking of a subtle way to make the Duchess feel

    small the same way Lucianne had made so many of their friends feel inferior in the past couple of weeks.

    Lucianne was speaking to General Langford and a few Lycan warriors with Xandar by her side. Christian

    left the dining hall to have a change of clothes after one of Marie Martin¡¯s sons identally spilled red

    wine over his white shirt. After Annie spoke to a few wolves with Luna Hale¡¯s help, she decided that she

    wanted a drink and headed for the refreshments table. Annie was taking a sip of white wine when she

    suddenly felt a presence drawing near.

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133

    ¡°Your Grace, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± The young female Lycan said and offered an obligatory bow to

    Annie.

    Annie retumed the gesture and smiled warmly at the brown-haired beauty as she said, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to

    meet you too. May I know your name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Dorothy Dawson, your Grace. I¡¯m here as someone¡¯s plus-one. And if I may, your Grace, I have a

    buming question that I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± Her green eyes sparked mischief as her pastel

    lips curled up into a grin, showing her braces holding the two rows of teeth together.

    Annie continued smiling as she asked amicably, ¡°What would you like to know, Dorothy?¡±

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°How do you do it, your Grace? How do you be okay with¡­not being able to give the Duke a child?¡±

    Annie¡¯s eyebrows raised in surprise before she asked in concern, ¡°Dorothy, are you facing pregnancy

    problems? Because¡­¡± 1

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not, your Grace. I doubt I would. I just wanted to know how you mustered the self-esteem to

    stand next to the second most powerful creature in the Kingdom with so little to offer.¡± She blinked her

    green eyes like she was just asking an innocent question, when in fact, it was clearly an attempt to make

    Annie feel small and unworthy. 1

    When Annie realized what Dorothy was doing, the Duchess put aside her sympathy she initially felt for

    this young woman before she said, ¡°A woman is more than a baby-making machine, Dorothy. I¡¯m here to

    support my husband as a wife and as Duchess.¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯ve never seen you before in these things. Why the sudden need for support? Is the Duke facing

    a certain problem that requires your presence with him?¡± There was that glint in her eye again. She knew

    more than she was saying. Seeing that Annie was speechless, Dorothy continued, ¡°Your Grace, you

    seem a little tongue-tied. I hope I didn¡¯t make you ufortable. I was simply trying to understand the

    level of self-entitlement one requires to¡­¡±

    ¡°To join a government event and speak to anyone she pleases?¡± Lucianne¡¯s stern voice came loud and

    strong from the side. The fast clicks of her heels itself exudes confidence.

    Xandar mind-linked her that Annie needed help when his sharp hearing caught bits of the conversation

    between the Duchess and Dorothy. Lucianne abruptly paused her own conversation with Phelton and

    excused herself before making quick steps towards the Duchess.

    ¡°Your Highnesses.¡° Dorothy bowed in the King and Queen¡¯s way. They both nodded curtly in

    acknowledgment.

    When Dorothy¡¯s head was raised, she let out a light chuckle before she said, ¡°Well, this is quite a

    surprise. I didn¡¯t expect to have the opportunity to speak to you so soon, my Queen.¡± She knew that

    pleasing Lucianne was more important than pleasing the King, so her efforts were solely to butter-up the

    wolf, as much as she was dreading it on the inside.

    Lucianne smiled menacingly as she said, ¡°Well, perhaps you didn¡¯t expect to speak to a Queen-to-be but

    creature-to-creature, we¡¯ve already spoken inst year¡¯s coboration, Dorothy Dawson.¡±

    Her eyes widened in genuine surprise at Lucianne knowing her full name even without an introduction.

    Dorothy faked an apologetic look as she said, ¡°Oh, this is embarrassing. I don¡¯t seem to recall our

    encounter, your Highness.¡± On the inside, she prayed that she didn¡¯t do anything to insult her. 1

    Her prayers were denied when Lucianne said, ¡°Hm. That¡¯s hardly surprising. I doubt you remember the

    number of wolves you insulted in thedies roomst year. When I was defending my Luna after you

    insulted her dressing, you told me to shut my mouth before you used your boyfriend¡¯s influence to burn

    m y pack to the ground.¡± Dorothy froze in fear as Xandar¡¯s eyes turned onyx. And as if the King¡¯s

    seething anger wasn¡¯t enough, Dorothy began to feel something else.

    There was something radiating from Lucianne, an energy which waspelling Dorothy to avert her

    gaze and hold her head down. Even Xandar and Annie felt it. Dorothy¡¯s mouth quivered, and her mind

    suddenly felt like a vacant room. Hollow, cold and lonely. Her own animal was covering its eyes and

    curled into a ball in fear of what was going to happen next.

    Just then, Christian returned and asked Annie cheerfully, ¡°Hey, sorry I took so long. What did I miss?¡±

    Registering the daunting energy from the Queen, his cousin¡¯s onyx orbs, and his mate¡¯s difort,

    Christian¡¯s smile faltered as he studied the woman before them.

    A young man appeared by Dorothy¡¯s side, and bowed without greeting the royals. He then tugged

    Dorothy¡¯s arm as he whispered, ¡°Dory, what are you doing? Come on.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s sights shifted to him as she asked, ¡°Mr Martin, is this your girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­y-yes, my Queen.¡° The young blonde responded carefully. The chatters in the hall were dying

    down.

    ¡°What an interesting creature you¡¯ve chosen, one who has the audacity to question the presence of a

    Duchess.¡± Lucianne noted, making Christian¡¯s own eyes turn onyx.

    Herbert Martin immediately fell on one knee before he apologized, ¡°I am deeply sorry for my girlfriend¡¯s¡­

    insubordination, my Queen. Please, forgive us. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Like his girlfriend, he knew better

    than to anger the Queen.

    It was clear from the coboration mishaps that if the King was angered, the Queen would calm him. But

    the King himself would never think of restraining his mate from unleashing her wrath on any of them. The

    whole dining hall was silent at this point when everyone saw a Lycan kneeling before Lucianne.

    Toby, from afar, muttered to himself, ¡°Oh, goddess. What now, Lucy?¡± Juan and Hale were getting

    worried, too.

    Lucianne looked at Herbert Martin, who, in the previous year, touched her lower back with no remorse

    before she pped him. He smirked coyly in retum like she did no damage to his very thick skin.

    Lucianne would¡¯ve pounced on him right then and there if Juan hadn¡¯t held her back. Tate and Toby

    growled to shoo Herbert away before Juan released his grip on his frantic sister. As furious as they all

    were at what happened, they knew that challenging a Lycan would never end well for the wolf so the

    matter was swept under the mat. But that wasst year.

    This year, Lucianne was not going to let Herbert or his girlfriend get away with disrespecting her or

    Annie. Lucianne simpered, ¡°Insubordination, Mr Martin? That¡¯s putting it too lightly, don¡¯t you think? This

    is a matter of willful disrespect, the respect that should be given to any individual, not just to a superior

    figure in the Kingdom.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s sights returned to Dorothy before she said, ¡°You seem a little tongue-tied, Ms Dawson. I hope

    I didn¡¯t make you ufortable. I was simply trying to understand the level of self-entitlement one

    requires to poke into the personal life of another.¡±

    After a moment, Dorothy quivered as she said, ¡°I-I apologize, my Queen.¡±

    ¡°Whatever for? Was I the one you said those insidious words to?¡± Lucianne continued to press

    mercilessly.

    Dorothy¡¯s head raised to meet Annie¡¯s eyes before Christian¡¯s repelled her to look down as she

    uttered as loudly as she could manage, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Grace. I am so sorry for my behavior.¡±

    Herbert stood slowly, and ced an arm over his girlfriend¡¯s shoulder before he asked cautiously, ¡°I can

    assure you that it won¡¯t happen again, your Graces. Would you forgive her?¡±

    Annie threw Lucianne a grateful smile, which seemed to have calmed Christian a little. The Duchess

    gave Herbert and Dorothy a nod, and one could see the relief in their eyes as they started taking steps

    back.

    Just then, Lucianne spoke again, ¡°Now, where are you two going?¡±

    Their relief vaporized as Lucianne noted, ¡°Forgiveness is not a dismissal. None of us have dismissed

    you two yet.¡±

    The two stood rooted to their spot, and Xandar had to close his eyes to take a whiff from his mate¡¯s hair

    to calm himself as Lucianne spoke, ¡°Dorothy, what business do you have here?¡±

    *I-I¡¯m his plus-one, y-your Highness.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t the question, Dorothy. I asked: what business do you

    have here? In other words, what contribution are you intending to make by being here? Are you here to

    contribute as a minister, a future minister, a warrior, a leader, an expert, perhaps?¡±

    ¡°N-No, my Queen.¡±

    ¡°And you, Mr Martin. Are you here as a future minister, the son who will follow in his mother¡¯s footsteps?¡±

    Lucianne questioned. Anyone could hear the sarcasm in her voice, and things weren¡¯t any better when

    everyone knew that his mother was arrested for corruption charges.

    ¡°W-Well, I hope to do better, my Queen.¡±

    ¡°Better how?¡±

    He was dumbfounded. No one had ever asked him that before. He fumbled over his words unintelligibly

    for a moment before Xandar decided he had had enough of the nonsense. The King pecked a sweet kiss

    on his mate¡¯s temple before he red at the two youngsters and said, ¡°If you two have no business here,

    then you shouldn¡¯t be here in the first ce. Do you need to be escorted out?¡±

    ¡°N-No, my King. We¡¯ll take our leave now. Thank you.¡±

    As they made their way out, Lucianne pecked a kiss on Xandar¡¯s jawline. The lc shades were returning

    a s they focused on her soft, ck orbs but the moment was short-lived when Xandar¡¯s eyes caught

    something at the dining hall entrance.

    Lucianne turned to see what her mate was seeing, and was surprised to see two policemen behind four

    ministers. The two men in uniform stood in front of Herbert and Dorothy, preventing them from leaving.

    And the four ministers were pacing towards the royals in quick steps.

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134

    The four ministers felt the tension the moment they stepped foot into the hall. With their heads held low,

    they knelt on one knee before the royals as they uttered, ¡°Your Highnesses. Your Graces.¡±

    Lucianne smiled graciously as she spoke in a much gentler voice, ¡°Yarrington, Weaver, Pam and

    Vanessa, it¡¯s so nice that you four could join us tonight, despite your current workload.¡±

    Her warmth was contagious, and the atmosphere of the room took a 360-degree turn, their mood easing

    with the Queen¡¯s mellowed voice. Xandar matched his mate¡¯s smile as he said, ¡°Stand, ministers.¡± 3

    They stood, all looking less fearful than before. Yarrington then handed a grey folder to Christian as he

    started exining, ¡°We¡¯ve negated thest twoints made against you, your Grace. I¡¯ve asked

    Vanessa and Pam to trace the roots of theints, and they found that all ten false allegations

    were made from the same IP address.¡± He then looked behind him as he said, ¡°Vanessa, it¡¯s your cue.¡±

    When Yarrington stepped aside, Vanessa looked mostly at the encouraging Lucianne and Annie as she

    spoke, ¡°Basically, we traced theints to the location that it was sent from. Oddly and coincidentally,

    all ten were made from the same IP address and the same device, aptop registered under the name of

    Herbert Horasho Martin¡¯, and the IP address is the Dawson residence.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Lucianne muttered in response as all eyes fell on the two Lycans who were as white as sheets at

    this point. 2

    Christian and Xandar growled at the young couple so fiercely that they even made Dorothy burst into

    tears. For the first time, Lucianne didn¡¯t stop Xandar. She was equally enraged. The click-ck of

    Lucianne¡¯s heels and Dorothy¡¯s sobs were the only sounds in the dining hall when Lucianne walked

    towards them.

    Xandar, Christian and Annie were not far behind her. Every Lycan and wolf held their heads low when

    they walked past. When Lucianne was right in front of them, Dorothy sobbed even louder. The couple

    would leave but they doubted that the two policemen behind them would let them go.

    Lucianne didn¡¯t bother faking a smile and asked curtly, ¡°Why did you both do it?¡±

    Herbert opened his mouth but nothing came out. Dorothy continued to sob as she spoke incoherently, ¡°I

    didn¡¯t w-want to. Her-bert made me.¡±

    Herbert seemed taken aback as he hissed, ¡°It was your idea, Dory! I was just ranting after mom got

    arrested!¡±

    Xandar then spat, ¡°So, you decided to take your anger out on the Duke?!¡± His thunderous voice echoed

    in the quiet hall, making Dorothy sob even louder.

    Herbert fidget uneasily as he said almost in a whisper, ¡°Your Highness, it m-meant to be a j-joke¡­¡±

    ¡°A joke?!¡± The strength of Annie¡¯s voice scared many, especially the young couple. And she wasn¡¯t

    finished. ¡°Do you have any idea of the distress you¡¯ve caused me and my mate, along with the King and

    Queen?! How dare you make false allegations against an innocent?!¡±

    Seeing that the only way out was to beg for mercy, they knelt in front of Annie and Christian as Dorothy

    begged, ¡°We¡¯re s-sorry, your Graces. Plea-se, it was a mistake. A mistake we¡¯ll r-regret for the rest of our

    lives. P-Please, spare us.¡±

    ¡°Spare you?¡± Christian asked rhetorically in a low, homicidal tone. ¡°You both didn¡¯t have the decency to

    respect the system in ce to deal with sexual harassment. You made allegations against someone

    defending the system. You acted with nothing but nderous intentions, and you have the gall to ask us t

    o spare you?¡±

    Dorothy tried begging again, ¡°It¡­ It was a mistake. A very big mistake.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s one you¡¯ll regret making for the rest of your lives, correct?¡± Lucianne asked, to which Dorothy

    hastily replied, ¡°Yes! Yes, of course.¡± Herbert nodded aggressively in response as well, thinking that the

    Queen may be offering them a way out.

    Lucianne smiled and said, ¡°Very well, then. You can spend your lives regretting it in prison.¡± She gave the

    policemen an affirmative nod to cuff them.

    ¡°What?¡± Dorothy uttered in disbelief as she was being cuffed, expecting the little wolf to have mercy or at

    least some respect for Lycans, the superior species!

    Lucianne¡¯s voice wasced with dark humour when she said, ¡°Why are you so shocked, Ms Dawson?

    Don¡¯t you know thew on fabricating evidence? Allow me to enlighten you: it¡¯s an imprisonment term of

    fifty years and forty strokes of the whip with Oleander cuffs on to suppress healing. But seeing that you

    both fabricated evidence against a member of the royal family, the punishment is imprisonment for life,

    along with five strokes of the whip every single day until you both die. Does that put things into

    perspective?¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Dorothy was horrified when she muttered, ¡°No. No no no no no. That can¡¯t happen. Please, your

    Highness. I am starting an internship next month. My parents were so proud when my application was

    approved.¡±

    Lucianne responded without missing a beat, ¡°You can tell your parents and your future employer that

    there has been a change in ns. That, or you can leave it to tomorrow¡¯s news to notify them of what

    you¡¯ve been up to with your boyfriendtely.¡±

    ¡°No no no¡­¡± Dorothy continued to mutter.

    Xandar then said, ¡°Get them out of our sight.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my King.¡± The policemen took them away from the hall with Dorothy still muttering an endless

    stream of ¡®nos¡¯ like a jammed robot.

    After they left, the two cousins gave each other a brotherly hug. The ordeal was finally over. The four

    ministers came forward, and the royals thanked all of them. Seeing that they could manage the

    comints so efficiently, Xandar and Christian opted to step aside to let them finish what they started

    while the cousins themselves focused on the rogue attacks.

    Before leaving the dining hall, Xandar called for a government meeting first thing in the morning the very

    next day. Although it was a Saturday, no one dared question his decision because with so many

    ministers gone, the work was piling up. Either new appointments had to be made, or the work had to be

    taken up by those in the clear.

    When Xandar and Lucianne were walking back to the hotel, something came to his mind. The energy he

    felt radiating from Lucianne back in the hall when she spoke to Dorothy felt stronger than any ordinary

    creature¡¯s emotions. He suddenly recalled feeling her inspirational fighting spirit right before the rogues

    appeared in Forest Gloom as well. There was also the fact that Lucianne seemed to always be able to

    control the atmosphere in any room they were in.

    After concluding that his mate may have some sort of innate ability, Xandar started their conversation as

    they entered the elevator, ¡°Babe?¡±

    ¡°Yes, darling?¡± Lucianne asked affectionately as she stroked his cheek.

    He leaned into her touch as he asked softly, ¡°What did you do to make Martin¡¯s girlfriend hold her head

    down like she did?¡±

    Lucianne got confused so she asked, ¡°What do you mean? She held her head down before all of us,

    even before Annie and Christian.¡±

    ¡°No, sweetheart.¡± He held her hand on his cheek, and pecked a kiss on her palm before he exined,¡±

    Right before Christian came in, when you were talking about her threat to burn Blue Crescent to the

    ground, you radiated an energy.¡±

    ¡°Did 1?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t feel it?¡±

    Ding!

    As they stepped out through the elevator doors, Lucianne said nonchntly, ¡°I just felt angry, darling.

    Maybe it was my radiating anger you felt.¡±

    That didn¡¯t convince Xandar at all. He continued to think about it, and as he followed Lucianne into her

    room, he said, ¡°Lucy, I think you radiated something different, an Authority¡±

    Lucianne paused in taking off her shoes as she asked in surprise, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xandar. Could you repeat

    that? I don¡¯t think I heard you right.¡± He looked at her with pride as he approached her, and with his

    rough hands on both her shoulders, his eyes sparked excitement as he whispered firmly, ¡°You radiated

    an Authority, Lucy. The Queen¡¯s Authority¡±

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135

    Lucianne took a moment to digest whatever Xandar had just told her before she blinked to bring herself

    out of her daze and asked, ¡°Is there even such a thing?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s thumb tried to smoothen the lines on her tense forehead as he exined, ¡°Not in a long time,

    sweetheart.¡±

    After another moment of thinking, Lucianne said, ¡°That makes no sense. I am not even a Queen, at least

    not in technical terms.¡±

    Xandar smiled wider as he whispered excitedly, ¡°That¡¯s the thing! You¡¯ve been our Queen long before

    anyone knew! Lucy, this is amazing!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Xandar? Don¡¯t you have to mark me before I even stand a chance to get that power?¡±

    ¡°Well, you just proved that I don¡¯t need to.¡± Xandar said matter-of-factly,

    Lucianne was still skeptical. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be right. How do you even measure the level of energy

    required before it can be regarded as¡­¡±

    Xandar nted a deep kiss on her lips before he released them to exin, ¡°There¡¯s never a need to

    measure such a power, my love. You felt the King¡¯s Authority before. There¡¯s no exnation for it, you

    just feel it.¡±

    Lucianne pondered for a moment before she asked, ¡°How do you feel yours when you radiate it?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­it¡¯s basically just emotions associated with the need to emit the Authority¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± She cocked her head to one side and asked in bewilderment,

    Xandar¡¯s hand went to touch the back of his neck as he exined, ¡°Well, uh¡­when I want to activate the

    King¡¯s Authority, I think of the person I¡¯m trying topel. And I couple that intention with a reason for

    thepulsion, harnessing the emotions thate with that reason.¡±

    His lc eyes met her ck ones, and his voice turned soft as he continued, ¡°In the rogue¡¯s case the

    other day, the reason was to keep you safe at all costs. I harness all the emotions I felt from needing to

    keep you safe. The stronger the reason, the stronger the emotions, the more powerful the Authority will

    be.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Lucianne continued to ponder before muttering, ¡°I was definitely motivated by the need to keep

    Blue Crescent safe when I red down at Dawson.¡±

    ¡°Did you feel a warmth in your chest forming an invisible field around your body?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but isn¡¯t that just radiating anger?¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    He took her hands into his as he continued to ask in excitement, ¡°And did you feel like you were

    deliberately directing that warmth towards Dawson?¡±

    Lucianne looked at him in confusion as she said, ¡°Of course. Isn¡¯t that what everyone does with their

    emotions?¡±

    Xandar chuckled before cupping her cheeks and pecking a kiss on her lips before saying, ¡°No, Lucy. Not

    everyone can do that. Everyone can emit an energy around their bodies but no one can direct it to

    another individual, not unless they¡¯re cloaked with an Authority.¡±

    Lucianne was lost for words, and the only thing she could say was, ¡°Huh. Probably exins why the

    wolves listened to me without question when I¡¯m pissed-off with their pack-to-pack rivalry.¡± Another short

    moment, and she said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to do such a thing when I defended Luna Hale in thedies room

    last year though.¡±

    ¡°It takes very strong emotions to activate the Authority, Lucy. Odds are, you were holding back to avoid a

    confrontation with a Lycan.¡± That was true. Rule number one for any wolf: never pick a fight with a Lycan,

    any Lycan.

    Lucianne then asked, ¡°But if I do have¡­such a power, why wasn¡¯t I able to use it on the Lycans before

    until tonight? I wasn¡¯t always in control of my temper. But I definitely didn¡¯t radiate such an energy with

    Martin¡¯s sons, Caunterberg and numerous others who pissed me offst year. Why is it that I¡¯m only able

    t o do it now?¡±

    Xandar sighed as he stroked her cheek, and said sadly, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because your need to defend Blue

    Crescent far exceeds your need to defend yourself.¡±

    Lucianne couldn¡¯t mask her surprise. That was true. It had always been true. She¡¯d fight to death to

    protect her pack and everyone in it. But she couldn¡¯t remember thest time she put herself first. There

    was always something or someone that would take priority over her own life.

    After taking a few breaths to calm herself, she asked, ¡°So, I have this¡­ Authority-like thing because-¡±

    ¡°Babe, it¡¯s not ¡®Authority-like¡¯. What you have is an Authority. Own it.¡± Xandar said with arge and proud

    grin.

    ¡°Uh¡­do I have it because I was adopted by a family of pack leaders?¡±

    Xandar thought for a moment before he said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so, Lucy. Lunas don¡¯t have such powers,

    do they?¡± 1

    ¡°Oh, good point. Hm¡­too much time with the then-Alpha Ken and now-Alpha Juan, perhaps?¡±

    Xandar narrowed his eyes. ¡°Lucy, you and I both know the only one among the wolves with such a power

    are the Alphas. No matter how close anyone is with them, the power doesn¡¯t¡­spread. And I can tell you

    right now that I feel nothing when Alphas radiate their Authorities to their pack members. But I felt yours,

    sweetheart. What you have is something stronger. With enough knowledge on how to channel it, yours

    may be even as strong as the King¡¯s Authority.¡± 2

    Lucianne just stared at her mate, unable to believe that she was bestowed the archaic power that was

    only known to be wielded by Alphas and Kings. Xandar grew worried with her ensuing silence so he

    stroked her cheek as he asked, ¡°Baby, you okay?¡±

    She blinked and shook her head a little before she said, ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s just¡­¡± she took a deep breath

    and exhaled before she eximed in a whisper, ¡°Wow!¡±

    Xandar chuckled lightly before kissing her forehead and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just take a shower and get some

    sleep, my love. We have a busy day tomorrow.¡±

    Lucianne came out of her shock and smirked, ¡°No, darling. Not ¡®we¡¯. You have a busy day tomorrow. I¡¯ll

    be here reading up on techniques to weaken your animal before I eventually take it down.¡±

    Her challenge turned on a switch in Xandar, and he pressed her waist to the wall as he uttered in a tone

    which left no room for argument, ¡°Lucy, you¡¯re the Queen. You are expected to be at the meeting with us

    tomorrow.¡±

    Lucianne tried to ignore her wolf which got excited whenever Xandar pinned her to the wall like that as

    she asked, ¡°Has an unofficially-crowned Queen ever attended such a meeting before?¡±

    ¡°No, so you¡¯ll be the first.¡± Xandar insisted.

    ¡°Darling, I love you but don¡¯t you think you¡¯re breaking a few too many rules for me? Getting everyone to

    call me by that title is one thing but allowing me to attend government meetings and be privy to those

    discussions when I¡¯m not supposed to isn¡¯t exactly legal.¡±

    Xandar smirked cockily as he peered into her eyes and asked, ¡°Says who?¡±

    ¡°Thew, I guess?¡± Lucianne responded meekly

    Xandar scoffed, and his hands moved down to both sides of her bum before he said, ¡°My dear, thew

    says that the Queen may attend to ¡®any¡¯ government matters. And the Queen¡¯, by legal definition, means

    the King¡¯s mate. There is no mention of a need for a coronation before the King¡¯s mate can exercise the

    powers and enjoy the privileges of a Queen.¡± 1

    After pecking a kiss on her lips, he uttered in his deep, alluring voice, ¡°I¡¯m the King. You¡¯re my mate. So,

    you¡¯re the Queen. And, byw, you have every right to be with us tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lucianne responded as she internalized his words, controlling her arousal while she was at it. Her

    wolf really didn¡¯t make things easy for her with how it was walking seductively in her mind, prompting her

    human part to do the same to their mate.

    ¡°Hmm¡­that¡¯s still not a yes, my Queen. Looks like I have to seduce you until I get the answer that I

    want.¡± Xandar¡¯s arousal began filling the air around them.

    Lucianne gave up holding back her own arousal as she reced her look of contemtion with a

    flirtatious expression when she asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you already going to do that in the shower, my indecent

    beast?¡±

    Xandar was surprised by her response, and the way she looked at him made his animal emit the

    dangerous yet alluring growl, the one which instigated Lucianne¡¯s arousal. Xandar lifted Lucianne up and

    carried her over his shoulder, squeezing her bum with his free hand to elicit her cute moans as he made

    his way to the bathroom.

    ###

    Some significant distance from the hotel, an underground casino just opened for business. The ce

    was filled withrge roulette tables, brightly-lit slot machines, gambling chips and numerous decks of

    cards. Lycans who crowded the ce cheered for their friends, booed their opponents, mmed the

    tables at losses, and treated everyone to a round of drinks at victories.

    A female Lycan was searching high and low before finally locating the person she came for. She casually

    slid into the seat opposite him in his private booth, seemingly undaunted by his menacing expression

    When she smirked, he asked, ¡°Do you want me to throw you out again, Livia?¡±

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136

    Livia was undaunted despite Greg¡¯s hostility. She flicked her high ponytail to the back to expose her bare

    shoulders, and leaned towards the table between her and the Duke. Her red-colored, sweetheart

    neckline dress did everything to advertise her cleavage as she said, ¡°I came with a proposition, your

    Grace.¡±

    ¡°Not interested. Get out, Livia. Don¡¯t make me tell you again.¡± Greg snapped, and took another sip from

    his ss as he averted his eyes from her and started staring into space while he waited for her to leave.

    Livia simpered, and leaned back into her seat as she signaled the bartender for a drink before returning

    her sights to Greg. His eyes had turned onyx, and it was nothing close to lust. Livia was well-aware of

    that this time.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Greg signaled his men and the bouncers approached his table in quick steps.

    ¡°Before you do that, you might want to think about what would happen to a certain wolf if you threw me

    out.¡± Livia uttered his way in a taunting manner.

    Greg¡¯s hand raised without needing to think, halting his three men at the exact moment they had reached

    his table. His voice was low when he asked, ¡°You¡¯re threatening me?¡±

    Livia¡¯s lips pursed in contemtion for a brief second before they tten themselves out when she said,¡°

    No, a threat seems murderous. I prefer the word ¡®warn¡¯ or ¡®caution¡¯.¡±

    ¡°And if I don¡¯t heed to your warning, you¡¯ll do what? Hurt the Queen?¡±

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    ¡°I apud how you¡¯re not turning red in embarrassment right now. We both know you have no skill set to

    aplish that. And you¡¯re far from having such connections.¡±

    ¡°Who said that the connections are mine?¡±

    Greg was a little surprised to hear that. ¡°Hm. Been making friends, I see.¡±

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot to think you can hurt the Queen, by the way. She¡¯s stronger than you think, and her allies

    would do anything to defend her.¡± Greg said in utmost confidence.

    Livia smirked arrogantly as she said, ¡°Funny how they couldn¡¯t protect her from her most recent¡­

    mishap.¡±

    His eyes burned into hers when he asked, ¡°What mishap?¡±

    Livia mocked a surprised expression as she said, ¡°You don¡¯t know? She went off to fight a few rogues

    with her friends yesterday. They thought they were winning until an arrow no one saw impaled right

    through her flesh.¡±

    ¡°Wolves heal, you fool.¡± Greg muttered. But internally, his heart clenched when Livia mentioned Lucianne

    was hurt by an arrow. What the f*ck was his cousin doing?! How many times will he let Lucianne get hurt

    before he learned to protect her?!

    Livia saw the sh of hurte and leave Greg¡¯s eyes. Her calm demeanor was beginning to fade with

    the jealousy building in her chest as she spat, ¡°No, your Grace. You¡¯re the fool! You¡¯re a fool if you think

    the arrow was just an arrow!¡±

    If it were possible, Greg¡¯s already-onyx eyes turned a shade darker as he demanded to know, ¡°What did

    you do to her?¡±

    Livia emitted a low growl at how protective he was to another woman before she dered firmly,¡±

    Nothing she doesn¡¯t deserve! You¡¯ve always been proud of your connections and resources. Well, now¡¯s

    the time to put them to good use and find out for yourself what happened to the woman you can never

    get.¡±

    Greg growled ferociously, and the casino started to quiet down. One of his men held Livia by her neck on

    the Duke¡¯smand. The crowd watched in shock at Livia gritting her teeth to cope with the difort

    o f being strangled, her fingernails scratching the bouncer¡¯srge hand, a desperate plea to be released,

    but t o no avail.

    Livia adamantly fixed her eyes on Greg as she choked out, ¡°If¡­¡­.die¡­so will¡­she.¡±

    Greg¡¯s merciless gaze turned hesitant. He knew that Livia never had the resources to hurt a fly, let alone

    kill Lucianne. But she was never one to make empty threats. She never made any threats, to be honest.

    He thought hard about whether Lucianne would be harmed if his men killed Livia right then and there.

    Lucianne was strong. But the people around her were not. The Oleander de she took for the child

    proved that she was still susceptible to injuries and even¡­death. The thought of Lucianne¡¯s death on his

    hands was too painful to be pushed aside, and Greg reluctantly gave a hand signal for his man to

    release Livia.

    After Livia fell on the floor and took in the air she needed, she pushed herself up, and Greg asked

    impatiently, ¡°What¡¯s your price?¡±

    Livia scoffed darkly. ¡°You think that¡¯s what I want? Money?¡±

    ¡°In the ck market, ¡®price¡¯ includes favors of some kind, newbie. Now, name your price.¡±

    Livia smirked like she struck gold. With her forearm on the table, she leaned in to whisper into Greg¡¯s

    ear,¡° My price¡­is you.¡±

    Greg tried not to show how nauseated he felt by her perfume and her request. His face remained

    unperturbed when Livia pulled herself back to study his reaction. When she got nothing, she asked,

    ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°You have to be more specific. What does that entail? My resources?¡±

    ¡°No. We just want you on our side.¡±

    ¡°Our side?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The more capable minds we have on board, the quicker we¡¯ll be able to get what we all want.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re saying you can help me get what I want?¡±

    ¡°We can. If you help us, too, that is.¡±

    ¡°And what do I want?¡±

    Livia responded in confidence, ¡°You want everything the King has. The throne, the power, the influence.¡±

    ¡®Not even close¡¯, Greg thought. After he realized that he had fallen for Lucianne, all he wanted was for

    her t o be safe and happy. But he wasn¡¯t going to give Livia a reason to hurt her. So, he continued the

    conversation as if Livia had hit the jackpot, ¡°And what makes you think you can get me those things?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, due topeting interests, we can¡¯t give you the throne. But¡­when our work is

    complete, and the dust has settled, you will be second-inmand. That¡¯s also something you feel that

    you¡¯re entitled to, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    In his mind, Greg¡¯s animal was chuckling at how poorly Livia chose to ask her question. From memory,

    he only told Sasha about his frustration of not being second to the King. So, Livia inadvertently threw her

    friend under the bus without even realizing it.

    To give him that position, Christian ckfur would either be forced into resignation or killed. As tempting

    as it was to get rid of that upper-level servant to his cousin, Greg couldn¡¯t deny the fact that there was a

    dangerous game being yed against his cousins and Lucianne, one that he doubted any of them knew

    about

    As he kept Lucianne at the back of his mind to not give himself away, he asked Livia, ¡°What is it that you

    want me to do?¡±

    Livia smiled broadly as she said, ¡°Well, first thing¡¯s first. We need you to live with us. It¡¯ll be easier to

    keep track of your movements and monitor your loyalty. And if you choose to betray us, any of us, we

    won¡¯t kill you. We¡¯ll go after her.¡±

    It was one of the most difficult times to stop his animal froming forward to tear Livia to shreds. He

    cleared his throat and remarked, ¡°So, you¡¯re offering me a job without telling me about the job

    description?¡± 1

    Livia sneered, ¡°I am making a proposition on behalf of the team. You will know the full extent of what we

    require you to do and NOT do when you choose to join us. Join us, and you can stop hiding in some

    underground business ce. Join us, and you will wield the power as the second most powerful man in

    the Kingdom. Choose otherwise, and we¡¯ll bury you with the rest of the creatures we¡¯re going to bury

    when we¡¯re done.¡±

    Her voice was a little unsteady when she talked about burying Greg, and Greg couldn¡¯t help but think

    how pathetically na?ve Livia was to expect any real intimacy with him just because they had sex. He slept

    with so many women. What made her think she was any different from them? He would fire a stream of

    condescendingments at her but angering Livia would put Lucianne¡¯s safety at risk, and Lucianne¡¯s

    safety took precedence.

    Giving into Livia¡¯s request now was unwise. She knew how he felt about Lucianne, how he wouldn¡¯t go

    against her. He had been in this game long enough to know that the most tactical move was to ask, ¡°How

    long do I have to decide?¡±

    ¡°Twenty-four hours.¡± She took out a white business card from her purse, and ced it on his table as she

    continued, ¡°Call this number and cite this code. Someone wille to get you.¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    As Greg studied the upper row of digits and the lower row of jumbled up numbers and letters, Livia made

    onestment, ¡°I hope you make the right choice, your Grace. It really isn¡¯t a hard decision to make

    when you think of the benefits you¡¯d reap.¡±

    As she turned and left, Greg couldn¡¯t help but agree with what Livia just said. This really wasn¡¯t a very

    hard decision to make. He would take any side that kept Lucianne safe. Period.

    After Livia left through the doors, Greg stood and looked around the quiet casino before locking eyes

    with a man holding a pint of a beer in his hand and had a cigarette in his mouth. After motioning the man

    toe over to his table with two fingers, Greg resumed his seat as he yelled out, ¡°Show¡¯s over!¡±

    Greg took somefort in repeating Lucianne¡¯s words from the training ground. The murmurs in the

    casino filled the space once again. The man Greg summoned put out his cigarette before taking a seat in

    front of the Duke. ¡°Your Grace, was there something you needed?¡±

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137

    ¡°You¡¯re still plugged in to the rumours in the Kingdom, Lance?¡± Greg asked with furrowed brows.

    Lance¡¯s fingers stroked the sun tattoo on his arm, something he did when he was nervous as he

    responded, ¡°I am, your Grace. In a family of drug mules, it¡¯s rather impossible not to be. We have to stay

    on top of things to avoid getting caught.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s thetest news on the Queen?¡± Greg¡¯s finger circled the rim of his empty ss as he waited for

    Lance¡¯s answer

    Uh thest we heard, she was questioned by journalists and reporters about her presence at the royal

    family¡¯s doctor.¡±

    Greg gritted his teeth. Doctor. That meant the arrow injury that Livia mentioned was more harmful thanh

    e thought. He swallowed a lump in his throat before prompting, ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°And, well, she didn¡¯t seem happy about it. The King defended her, and¡­¡± the loud m of Greg¡¯s ss

    on the table stopped Lance.

    Greg glowered impatiently as he said, ¡°What I meant, you idiot, is why was the Queen at the doctor¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course. My apologies, your Grace. Uh¡­there was word that she may no longer be capable of

    bearing children.¡±

    Greg¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in disbelief as he asked, ¡°It¡¯s confirmed?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a rumour, your Grace. I¡¯ll be happy to verify it if¡­¡±

    ¡°How long do you need?¡±

    ¡°Only two minutes. I can do it here if¡­¡±

    ¡°Do it.¡±

    Lance got out his phone from his side pocket and began typing furiously. He tried to hide the beads of

    sweat forming on his forehead with Greg¡¯s fingers tapping on the table in agitation. The wait was an

    ordeal for the Duke, and it was torment for poor Lance.

    Three seconds before his two minutes were up, Lance got what he asked for. He smiled in relief as he

    pushed his phone to the Duke and exined, ¡°My brother managed to get the records from the Queen¡¯s

    visit the other day, your Grace.¡±

    Greg took it immediately and started reading the document. When his eyes fell on the cause of

    Lucianne¡¯s hormonal imbnce, his breathing got heavy when the words ¡®unknown substance¡¯ entered

    his eyes. In the ¡®furtherments¡¯ section, the doctor listed the chemicalposition of the unknown

    substance.

    To Greg¡¯s dismay, he recognized the poison as the same one he gave to the Duchess almost two

    decades ago. He recalled the night in the bar where he boasted about his handiwork in poisoning the

    Duchess to Sasha. The minister¡¯s daughter was definitely one of the yer¡¯s in Livia¡¯s game.

    Out of nowhere, Greg muttered to himself, ¡°Me and my big mouth.¡± Chances are, this was Sasha¡¯s pitch

    to the team. Seeing how effective it was on the Duchess, it was a given that they would now use it on

    Lucianne. This was his fault. He unted his sess to the dumb blonde, and now he was paying the

    price when the person he thought he was secretly protecting sumbed to the same poison.

    He pressed the corners of his eyes to control the tears forming from the guilt and anger at himself. But

    when he recalled Livia¡¯s threat, he immediately pulled himself out of his sorrow. The infertility poison was

    just the beginning. There were definitely worse things up their sleeves to hurt Lucianne, and being privy

    to this knowledge, he was not going to sit around to see it unfold.

    Greg gently tapped the lower corner of Lance¡¯s phone against the table as he pondered on his next

    course o faction. He had to join Livia and whoever the h*11 she was working with, that went without

    question. He had to know who he was up against. But no one had to tell him that his loyalty amongst

    them would be questioned. Seducing Livia too soon would just be giving himself away. It was better to

    act like he was slowly falling for her as they kept him hostage.

    was

    The thought of having to be intimate with Livia sickened Greg and his animal but what choice did they

    have? He already caused Lucianne¡¯s infertility. He couldn¡¯t fail to protect her again. He was not his

    cousin! When a n slowly formed in his crafty mind, he smiled menacingly to himself before he

    returned the phone to Lance and dismissed him.

    He then barked from his seat, ¡°Ivory! Alissa!¡±

    The two approached the Duke¡¯s space from far sides of the casino. They stood before him and as they

    bowed in acknowledgment. Ivory adjusted his eye-patch before locking his one good eye on the Duke.

    Alissa took her hands out from her ck leather jacket, and took the bubble gum out of her mouth as she

    awaited to be instructed.

    ¡°Watch the Queen Protect her at all costs. If possible, don¡¯t be seen.¡± Greg demanded.

    Ivory asked, ¡°How often would you like us to report, your Grace?¡±

    Very firmly, Greg responded, ¡°DO NOT reach out to me for any reason. When I want a report, I¡¯ll mind-

    link either one of you.¡±

    Alissa nodded once inpliance as she confirmed, ¡°Understood. So, it¡¯s only the Queen, your Grace?

    No other wolf or Lycan?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s just her. She¡¯s their only target. My cousin has proven to be more ipetent than he once

    was. Sitting on the throne and expected to protect a whole damn Kingdom when he can¡¯t even keep his

    own mate out of danger.¡± Greg sighed in disapproval before he affirmed his order, ¡°Watch the Queen.

    Don¡¯t let her out of your sight.¡± 1

    ¡°Will do, your Grace.¡± They both uttered with a slight bow. Greg dismissed them with a hand gesture, and

    they returned to their games before leaving shortly after to pack what they needed and making their way

    t o the Kingdom.

    Greg himself sat for another ten minutes as he mentally visualized his n before getting out of his seat.

    He approached the bartender who was wiping a ss with a dishcloth. Greg motioned the bartender

    towards him. When they both leaned close enough to each other, Greg said, ¡°Billy, activate Codes

    Orange and ck. Effective immediately.¡±

    Billy¡¯s eyes widened in horror before he nced around and whispered, ¡°Is there no other way, your

    Grace? And what about you?¡±

    ¡°This is the best way for everyone. You won¡¯t be hearing from me for a while.¡±

    ¡°You could give us a timeline. We can assemble a team to¡­¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Greg uttered firmly. ¡°Billy, from this point on, the less I know, the better.¡±

    Billy looked at Greg sadly before he sighed in despair and nodded. Greg patted him on the shoulder

    before leaving for his apartment, and Billy set-off to carry out Greg¡¯s instructions. 1

    ###

    The next day, thirty minutes before his twenty-four hours were up, Greg made a call to the number on the

    card and cited the code. Within ten minutes, a ck limousine with tinted windows arrived at his

    doorstep. The chauffeur got out and opened the door for him. He saw a pair of legs with turquoise nail

    polish on the toenails. These didn¡¯t look like they belonged to Livia or Sasha.

    Greg tried not to look too nervous or too excited to get in. When he was at the door, the chauffeur

    stopped him and motioned him to lift up his hand. Heplied. The old man then fastened a watch-like

    device around his right wrist, which had a nk, circr ck screen. Greg knew exactly what this was

    for. 1

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    When the chauffeur motioned him to get in, he stepped inside the vehicle to see who the mastermind

    behind the whole scheme was. Greg was surprised to set sights on the woman seated in front of him. His

    animal didn¡¯t know whether to let out a sigh of relief,ugh at its unnecessary worry, or roll its eyes in

    boredom.

    Honestly, Greg expected the mastermind to be someone.more. More capable, moreposed, more

    experienced, more infamous even. Despite his animal¡¯s thoughts and emotions, his human part

    remained unperturbed

    The woman smiled the same sinister way Greg remembered from decades ago as she said, ¡°So nice of

    you t o join us, your Grace.¡±

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138

    Greg rolled his eyes as he responded to Kelissa Kylton¡¯s inauthentic hospitality, ¡°Like I had a choice.¡±

    ¡°Good that you know who¡¯s in-charge here.¡± Kelissa smirked bumptiously,

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I just know that it¡¯s not me.¡± Greg lied with ease. This was going to be easier than he

    thought. Whoever was harming Lucianne already assumed that Greg had voluntarily surrendered

    superiority the moment he made the call and cited the code. But nothing could be further from the truth.

    Greg w was inferior to no one. No one! ¡­Alright, fine. No one, except Lucianne. 3

    Kelissa scoffed darkly at Greg¡¯s response and asked, ¡°So, are you saying that I don¡¯t look like someone

    who¡¯s capable of leading this work?¡±

    ¡°No. All I¡¯m saying is that until I meet the full team, I cannot gauge who¡¯s leading it.¡±

    ¡°What if I tell you that there¡¯s a consensus that I¡¯m the one who calls the shots, and the rest are nothing

    more than mere advisers?¡±

    ¡°I stand by what I said, Kylton. Until I meet the whole team, I won¡¯t know who¡¯s really in-charge. If I

    learned anything, it¡¯s that the official leader isn¡¯t always the leader. Some ¡®advisers¡¯ can be so influential

    that the official leaders are just mindless puppets.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to agitate me, your Grace?¡± Kelissa was getting impatient. If Greg were being honest,

    yes, he¡¯d very much like to agitate and tear up anyone involved with hurting Lucianne.

    Still, the Duke kept his thoughts to himself and chose to say, ¡°Do you want me to give you my honest

    opinions, or did you recruit me to sugarcoat everything, Kylton?¡±

    That made Kelissa pause for a brief moment. ¡°Hm. Well, I suppose I would have to respect your

    perspectives and judgments, seeing that you¡¯ve been in this line of work long enough.¡±

    Greg muttered monotonously, ¡°Wow, I¡¯m ttered.¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t think of mind-linking anyone, by the way. The device on your wrist would know.¡± Kelissa

    warned, and lifted up her phone as she continued, ¡°And I¡¯ll know, too.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I figured. Would¡¯ve done the same thing if it were me.¡± Greg said, unperturbed.

    A smile graced the heiress¡¯s features. ¡°Thank you for approving.¡±

    Greg retorted tly, ¡°I¡¯m not. I just agree that this is a good precaution to take.¡±

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    Her smile faltered as she noted, ¡°You really don¡¯t make it easy for people to work with you, do you, your

    Grace?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think I work alone?¡± Greg needed to annoy Kelissa until she was angered. He needed to

    act as if he was reluctant to join them, and how he was now taking out on those who threatened him.

    There should be a gradual willingness on his part to work with them, not a total change of heart

    overnight. Only then will it be believable that he had actually switched sides, from protecting Lucianne to

    harming her. In truth, Greg knew that nothing can ever tempt him to hurt the Queen.

    After a moment of silence, Kelissa decided to change the subject to keep her cool, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who

    was supposed toe. It was¡­¡±

    ¡°Livia?¡±

    ¡°For once, can you just not imitate me when I¡¯m trying to be nice?!¡±

    Score! Greg¡¯s animal celebrated the heiress¡¯s erupted temper. ¡°Apologies, heiress. Please, continue.¡±

    Kelissa took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Her onyx eyes regained some lc shades before she

    continued, ¡°No one was supposed toe. It was just the chauffeur. But I came because I wanted to

    personally tell you about the rewards you¡¯d reap from working with us.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already send someone with that information to my casinost night?¡±

    ¡°Livia didn¡¯t set out the full extent of your rewardsst night.¡±

    This caught his attention, and his eyes fixed on hers as he said, ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±

    ¡°Livia only told you that you¡¯d be second-inmand. She didn¡¯t mention another gift I have in mind for

    you because I didn¡¯t tell her this.¡±

    There was a pause, and the only sound came from the limousine and the soft music ying in the

    background. Greg leaned back into his seat and asked, ¡°Are you going to go on, or is this you prompting

    m e to irritate you?¡±

    Kelissa took another breath before she responded, ¡°Apart from being the third most powerful person

    after the King and Queen, you¡¯d get her: the wolf.¡±

    Greg¡¯s eyebrows raised in genuine surprise. His animal¡¯s ears perked-up as well. ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡± He

    confessed.

    ¡°Livia thinks that after making you second, I¡¯d convince you to mate and mark her. But after hearing

    about how you¡­treated her in yourst two encounters with her, I doubt she sounds like a very tempting

    prize. And with my cousin and her dumb friend¡¯s constant ranting around the house, it¡¯s not very difficult t

    oe to the conclusion that you only want the wolf.¡±

    His eyebrows furrowed as he tried toprehend Kelissa¡¯s goal. ¡°So, this master n of yours is for me

    to im Lucianne so that you¡¯d be free to steal the King?¡±

    It was Kelissa¡¯s turn to roll her eyes. ¡°No, your Grace. The n is for me to steal the King first, and when

    the wolf¡¯s heart breaks, you¡¯ll be there to sweep her off her feet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m rather worried about thepetencies of your other advisers, Kylton. Has no one told you how far

    fetched your n sounds? Have you seen how my cousin looks at the wolf? Even a blind creature would

    know he¡¯s dead set on making her the Queen. You think he would let her go that easily?¡±

    Kelissa¡¯s expression showed distaste as she admitted, ¡°No. I¡¯m ambitious but not na?ve. I know it¡¯s

    tedious and difficult, and it¡¯s taking time. But the goal keeps me going. The more¡­ functionality is

    stripped from the wolf, the less likely Xandar would see her as being capable of being his Queen. And

    when he finally decides that she has to step aside, I¡¯ll be there to take my rightful ce on the throne

    with him, producing a proper heir thereafter. And the wolf will be yours to take.¡± 1

    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re going to break her until the King decides to let her go.¡± Greg said monotonously.

    ¡°I promise to not over-break her, your Grace, for your sake.¡± Kelissa said with an inauthentic smile.

    ¡°How very kind of you.¡± Greg uttered in sarcasm.

    Ignoring his tone, Kelissa said, ¡°I just need her to be¡­ a little damaged so that it¡¯s obvious she is not

    qualified to wear the crown.¡±

    ¡°Hence, the infertility poison.¡± Greg noted as he masked his anger and dismay.

    He masked it well. Kelissa didn¡¯t suspect a thing when she said, ¡°I hope you wouldn¡¯t mind not being

    able t o have kids with her.¡±

    ¡°Never liked them. Noisy, messy and pesky creatures.¡± This was not entirely a lie. But in a perfect world

    where Greg could be with Lucianne, he¡¯d happily have a dozen kids with her if that was what she

    wanted. 3

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief.¡± Kelissa¡¯s remark brought Greg out of his thoughts.

    Greg rehearsed this next part in the mirror the previous night to make sure he¡¯d be in control when he

    asked, ¡°What else are you going to do to ¡®break¡¯ her?¡±

    The heiress immediately assured, ¡°Nothing physical. The next one is more like a small scandal. It¡¯s still a

    draft, a n that we¡¯ll all have to discuss as a team. I expect your full participation. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll

    have your needs at the back of my mind to make sure we don¡¯t go too far.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Greg smiled to himself as he repeated Lucianne¡¯s words to Kelissa, ¡°I¡¯ll believe it when I see it.¡±

    Being oblivious to the smile behind his response, Kelissa merely uttered, ¡°It¡¯s going to be an interesting

    experience working with you, your Grace. Now, as a precautionary step, I need you to take this.¡±

    She handed him a pastel yellow pill as she said, ¡°Just to keep the Kyltons¡¯ subsidiary residence private,

    you¡¯d understand.¡±

    Greg had seen the pill before and checked for it¡¯s watermark just to make sure it matched the one he

    knew of before ingesting it, putting him into slumber for two hours.

    When he awoke, it was another five-minute drive before they reached the Kyltons¡¯ residence. The

    chauffeur opened the door, and Kelissa got out first as she told Greg, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s introduce you to

    the others, though I doubt you¡¯ll need an introduction for most of them.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t kidding. When he entered the main sitting room, everyone was a familiar face, except for the

    three creatures by the corner. A man in a teal T-shirt with stormy-grey eyes had an arm rested against

    the firece as he watched the dancing mes. His scent confirmed that he was a wolf. The other two

    not far from him were clearly Lycans, rogue Lycans, to be precise.

    The wolf studied Greg briefly before returning his sights to Kelissa, who ordered two servants to show

    him and his men to a meeting room down the hallway. After Kelissa had told Greg to ¡®make himself at

    home¡¯, h e smirked as he said, ¡°I have to agree that it¡¯s going to be an interesting experience working

    with you, Kylton.¡±

    Kelissa smirked cockily before she left Greg with the others while she herself left the room to write up

    cheques for Jake and his rogue Lycan bodyguards.

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139

    On Saturday morning, Lucianne woke up to Xandar pulling her back into bed the moment she tried to get

    out. After two minutes of persistent whining of needing to use the bathroom, Xandar finally released her.

    They went for their usual run and spent some time in the shower together before having breakfast.

    Xandar then drove them to the government headquarters. Upon entering through the high metal gates,

    Lucianne saw that the headquarters was arge estate on its own, and the endless rows of empty

    parking lots showed the numerous employees working in the white and grey building. If it weren¡¯t for it

    being the weekend, those lots would¡¯ve been filled with vehicles.

    After Xandar parked in his reserved lot, they got out of the car and hand-in-hand, Xandar led Lucianne to

    the entrance. Therge automatic ss doors slid open when they were four steps away. Xandar

    couldn¡¯t take his eyes off his mate, who never failed to look like an adorable curious cat whenever she

    was in a new ce.

    As they walked along the corridor, Lucianne¡¯s bright eyes scanned therge portraits of past Kings and

    Queens hung in frames against the beige walls. Her feet stopped when she reached the portrait of the

    late King Lucas and Queen Vera. Lucianne couldn¡¯t help but feel a negative energy from King Lucas¡¯s

    eyes, despite its lc shade. And with Queen Vera, she couldn¡¯t feel anything. The Queen was smiling

    but the smile carried no happiness, like her lips simply curled up for the sake of the painting.

    A pair of strong arms snuck around her waist, and Lucianne felt her mate¡¯s warm breath tickling her ear a

    she whispered, ¡°We¡¯ll do better than them, Lucy. We¡¯re already doing better than them.¡± He then pecked

    a sweet kiss on her cheek before taking in her scent from her neck.

    When Lucianne heard the approaching footsteps of the cleaners, she immediately tore her eyes away

    from the portrait and made Xandar release his intimate hold on her. He groaned at Lucianne¡¯s need for

    them to behave¡¯ in public before gluing his hand on the small of her back as they continued walking

    down the corridor.

    When they came to the very centre of the building, she looked at the statues of revolutionary Kings,

    heroes and heroines ced near the walls right before the entrance of each hallway. The features of the

    statues were highlighted not only by the outstanding craftsmanship but also the glowing lights from the

    chandelier that hung from the high ceiling.

    When Lucianne had finished studying the hall, Xandar pressed the side of her body against his as he

    whispered with a smile filled with pride, ¡°Soon, they¡¯d have to make room for a statue of you in this hall.

    The first Queen standing among the Kings, heroes and heroines.¡±

    ¡°No pressure at all, my King.¡± Lucianne muttered sarcastically.

    Xandar lifted her chin up and uttered in full confidence, ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any for you, Lucy. What

    you¡¯ve been doing for the wolves all these years already makes you revolutionary. You just have to keep

    being¡­you¡­preferably a you who believes that she¡¯s the most beautiful and outstanding creature in this

    Kingdom.¡±

    Lucianne shook her head with a shy smile before standing on her toes to peck a kiss on his cheek. They

    got lost in each other¡¯s eyes for a brief second before they heard, ¡°Morning, cuz. My Queen.¡± They

    turned to see Christian and Annie walking up to them.

    As Annie embraced Lucianne and Xandar, Christian looked around the hall like he was there for the first

    time when that clearly wasn¡¯t the case before hemented, ¡°Up until I saw how you two just looked at

    each other, I really couldn¡¯t see how this ce is capable of being romantic. But I guess with the

    chandelier and quiet surroundings, it does make for a good ce to make out.¡±

    Despite her flustering cheeks, Lucianne suggested, ¡°You and Annie should give it a go, Christian, for

    confirmation purposes.¡± Xandar was swallowing a chuckle with much difficulty.

    Christian looked at his mate coyly as he whispered, ¡°Hm. Maybe we should.¡±

    Before he could get any nearer to Annie, the Duchess¡¯s hand rested on his chest as she said, ¡°Hold your

    horses, your Grace. This is neither the time nor the ce.¡±

    Christian tried to reason with her with a coquettish smirk, ¡°Come now, my Duchess. If the King and

    Queen could do what they did here, something has to be right about it.¡±

    Lucianne noticed Annie was losing. So, with a chirpy voice, the Queen said, ¡°Well, would you look at the

    time! We¡¯d better hurry if we don¡¯t want to bete. The others are probably already there waiting for us.¡±

    It was the first time Christian threw Lucianne an annoyed look while Annie and Xandarughed at the

    Duke¡¯s reaction. ¡°You offered me a romantic moment with my mate, and now you¡¯re taking it away from

    m e, my Queen?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I did. C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    It was Christian¡¯s turn to mutter in mock annoyance, ¡°Over-responsible, a*s-kicking, hearts-crushing

    Queen-to-be.¡±

    Christian¡¯s words made Xandar¡¯s heart swell with pride, making him peck a kiss on his mate¡¯s hand as

    the four of them entered through the doors of the meeting room after Xandar scanned his thumbprint and

    retina. Lucianne was right. Every minister who was not in police custody or suspended for ethical

    concems (like Caunterberg) was already seated at the round table waiting for the arrival of the royal

    family members.

    The nine ministers remaining immediately stood and bowed as the four of them entered. After returning

    the gesture and taking their seats, Xandar kickstarted the meeting.

    ¡°Thank you for attending this moming¡¯s meeting despite it being the weekend, everyone. The agenda of

    today¡¯s meeting requires little exnation, if any. With four ministers in prison facing corruption charges

    and one minister suspended for ethical concerns, we must now decide on our next step.¡±

    ¡°The Ministries of Finance, Defence and Welfare are no doubt important to the proper functioning of our

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    govemment. With their leaders now absent, we need toe up with the best course of action, a

    temporary one if a permanent one cannot be decided by the end of this meeting. As usual, let¡¯s go

    around the table and hear what everyone has to say on the matter. Barrington, you may start us off.¡±

    This was Xandar¡¯s style in conducting a meeting. He would let everyone speak first before giving his own

    opinion at the end. Histe father was theplete opposite. King Lucas always spoke first. His voice

    and words overpowered any other opposing argument that existed.

    When Xandar shadowed him as the Crowned Prince, he realized that his father¡¯s methods produced

    oues which were half-baked at best, and disastrous at worst. Xandar didn¡¯t want his ministers to be

    his robots or servants. He wanted them as team yers. He wanted their perspectives, their thoughts,

    their reasonings. Only then could he see the full picture of any given issue.

    Barrington, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, adjusted his blue bow tie as he cleared his throat and

    peered through his thick sses when he said, ¡°In my opinion, your Highness, recements must be

    made. Delegating ministerial responsibilities amongst those of us left here in the absence of one minister

    i

    s doable; two ministers is tolerable; three, and it bes hectic. Any more than that and I¡¯ll have to

    suggest that the government pay for the psychiatric treatment thates with the increased stress from

    having to bite off more than we can chew.¡±

    There were soft chuckles at thest part of Barrington¡¯s rmendation. Even Xandar smiled as he

    nodded in understanding and said, ¡°Thank you, Barrington. Vanessa, you¡¯re up.¡±

    War

    The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology smiled as she began, ¡°Your Highnesses, Your

    Graces. I¡¯m of the view that not only do we need recements. We need more ministers than we

    currently have. Meaning to say, excluding the royal family, we need more than fourteen people seated

    around this table.¡±

    This was an interesting point of view, and everyone¡¯s human and animal ears perked up in anticipation of

    what they were going to hear from Vanessa next.

 Chapter 140

    Vanessa entwined her fingers together on the table as she exined, "Ministerial positions had only ever been held by Lycans, which I dare say is the main reason behind the neglect of the welfare of our cousin species. Some Lycan children don''t even know what wolves are. Most Lycans shun at the thought of having to share the room with one. I''d love to say that the government is by far the most liberal and weing body when ites to our cousin species, but the events from thest two weeks have shown otherwise."

    "Although there have been notable improvements in how we treat them over the decades and recent years, I must say that it is far from enough. And as much as I acknowledge the Queen''s presence, I''m of the humble opinion that one wolf alone will not enable us to meet the needs of our cousin species as quickly as it could be with more wolves guiding us. What I''m rmending is representation. We need wolves among us in governance, to help us see what we have clearly failed to see in our time here. Welfare, technology, education,w, environment. Everything."

    "Damn, that was good." Christian muttered under his breath, which Lucianne easily caught since he was seated next to her.

    Up until Vanessa spoke, Lucianne didn''t know that there were Lycans, other than Christian and Xandar, who saw the need to include wolves in decisions that affected the Kingdom. Vanessa''s rmendation made Lucianne feel that her species were more looked after than she once thought.

    Xandar smiled radiantly as he thanked her and moved on to Pam, the Minister of Justice, a bob-haired blonde.

    "Your Highnesses, Your Graces. I am also of the view that recements must be found. If temporary, then we should appoint creatures who have proven to be capable, trustworthy and reliable, regardless of species. If permanent, I stand by my decision from the previous meetings when this issue was put to a vote: the election should include our cousin species because if the wolves are expected to obey thews of a minister, then they should have a say in appointing that minister."

    Lucianne blinked in surprise. This matter was put to a vote before? And here she thought the Lycans couldn''t care less who the wolves wanted as their minister. Xandar caught his mate''s reaction, and he instinctively reached for her hand on herp, entwined his fingers with hers before cing their hands on hisp as he nodded and thanked Pam with the same smile and prompted the next minister to proceed.

    The Minister of Youth was Cora, an elderly woman with grey hair. She adjusted her cat eye sses before speaking through her crimson lips, "I, too, rmend that we seek out suitable recements while we wait for our colleagues to clear the charges made against them. However, I do not agree with my learned ministers who spoke before me that appointing wolves is the right step forward."

    Lucianne''s thumb started stroking Xandar''s stiffened hand to calm his animal as the minister continued, "I say this with no disrespect, my Queen, but our species is known to be superior. We know what we''re doing. We know what''s best for our species and yours. There''s no need for more wolves in this room. In fact, there''s no need for any wolves in this room at all! You will be a Lycan if and when you''re marked by our King, hence I am not questioning your presence here today. That is my rmendation: temporary recements, but only Lycans."

    Before Xandar could say a word, Lucianne spoke calmly, "Thank you, Cora."

    The King and Queen locked eyes. Lucianne mind-linked her mate, ''If you threw a fit now, you''d never know what the rest of them are really thinking. Your style is hearing them all out before firing bullets at them, isn''t it?''

    Xandar smiled blissfully at the impable creature he was bonded to, and kissed the back of her hand before prompting Harold, the Minister of Sports, to proceed. Harold''s hoarse voice rang in the room, "Seeing that we have capable Lycans at our disposal, I, too, don''t see why we need to look further than our species who has centuries of governance in our blood. Thete King Lucas would no doubt agree that the best sessorse from those of the same bloodline. In other words, we need to look no further than the ministers'' children to stand in for their parents."

    "Even if their parents'' credibility is being put into question, minister?" Annie asked in curiosity, trying to keep a straight face.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Harold, who never liked Annie because of herck of noble background, faked a smile and said, "I believe that one should not be shadowed by the mistakes made by the generation before, your Grace."

    Lucianne tried not tough at the conspicuous loop hole in the minister''s reasoning as she held back a taunting smile and said, "An interesting point of view. Thank you, Harold."

    In truth, Lucianne felt that it was bullsh*t to offer ministers'' children their parents'' positions because of their parents but, at the same time, they should not be judged by their parents'' misdeeds because they themselves were not their parents. Several sharp ears in the room caught the sarcasm in the Queen''s voice at the word'' interesting, and the other three members of the royal family tried desperately to hold back theirughter while Vanessa and Weaver had to cover their mouths to hide their smiles. By far, Christian was having the toughest time holding back since he had always been able to burst outughing at anything and anyone with no remorse. Alivia, the Minister of Marriage and Dissolution, flicked her dark hair over her shoulder before she uttered affirmatively without a smile, "I stand with Cora and

    Harold. I, too, feel that the child of a minister is the best candidate to fill in the empty seats. You see before you the eldest daughter of the former Minister of Marriage and Dissolution, and I dare say that I''m doing a good job. My performance over the years is equal to, if not better, than my father. I am living proof that the best people are not just any Lycans but children of Lycan ministers."

    Xandar smiled as an idea came to his mind. Instead of losing his temper, he decided to take a leaf out of his mate''s book, so he said in sarcasm, "Thank you for that extremely... ''persuasive'' submission, Alivia. I gather that it was a very... well-thought out'' suggestion."

    In truth, Alivia''s suggestion was clearly neither persuasive nor well-thought, since she only used herself as evidence for her submission. And, contrary to what she just said, Alivia was NOT doing a good job as a minister. The dissolutionws were biased towards males, such as the fact that a female Lycan could only dissolve her marital promise to be one''s chosen mate if it was because she found her bonded mate. But male Lycans could dissolve their marital promise to their chosen mate for almost any reason: he had second-thoughts, the female wasn''t wee among his own family, she wasn''t his type'', etc. It was already the 21st century! Gender equality should have been implemented across all facets of life already!

    Xandar''s sarcasm in response to Alivia''s suggestion made Lucianne cover her mouth with her free hand, and Christian was practically pressing his hand onto his mouth to seal it shut. The Queen and the Duke were forcing back the chuckles at the way Xandar chose to respond.

    Alivia didn''t seem to notice, and genuinely thought that Xandar wasplimenting her efforts. A wide smile spread across her face as she said, "I''m ted that my efforts are being recognized, my King."

    Weaver snorted in amusement before disguising his stream of chuckles as a stream of coughs. Yarrington shook his head at his mate but he himself was smiling because, like his mate, he was well-aware of what was going on.

    After Weaver had gotten a hold of himself and tried not to think about the scene he just witnessed that made himugh, he epted the ss of water from his mate before apologizing to everyone, throwing a subtle, knowing smirk in Lucianne and Xandar''s way when everyone else''s eyes moved on to the minister next to Alivia. Riven, Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, was as young as Alivia. He inherited his position from his mother after she passed from an early death. Unlike Alivia, he wasn''t deaf to the sarcasm the Queen used on Harold, which the King then found to be appropriate to be used on Alivia. He hated wolves, and what the Queen made theKing do just made him hate them even more.

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    Chapter 141

    After flipping his light brown ponytail tied with a maroon ribbon to the back, Riven cleared his throat and

    spoke, ¡°Your Highnesses. Your Graces. I am of the view that any recements should only be

    temporary. Deciding otherwise would just be the governmenting to its own Verdict for our arrested

    colleagues before the courts deal with the crimes themselves. And, as much as it pains me, I must say

    that wolves are nowhere near ready to help run the Kingdom. I am not saying that there should be an

    indefinite bar of their species but it is dangerous to include them in discussions in the near future.¡±

    ¡°Dangerous how, Riven?¡± Xandar asked as he tried his best to control his temperament.

    Lucianne¡¯s sarcasm came to mind but Riven knew better than to insult the Queen. So, he chose to say, ¡±

    Well, there may be certain¡­traits of theirs that may be¡­abhorrent and¡­detrimental to the proper

    functioning of the government.¡±

    ¡°Such as?¡± Xandar continued to press.

    Riven was running out of arguments, and he tried to avert his eyes from Lucianne and Xandar as he

    continued to rummage through his thoughts.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Christian then prompted him, ¡°We haven¡¯t got all day, minister. Enlighten us. What traits do our cousin

    species exhibit that are, in your words, abhorrent and detrimental to the proper functioning of the

    goverment?¡±

    ¡°Well..uh¡­¡±

    Yarrington was getting impatient as well. ¡°Did you even think this through before making your suggestion,

    Riven?!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Riven eximed defensively at the Minister of Education.

    Weaver then spat, ¡°Then, what¡¯s taking so long?! Justy it on the table. What evidence do you have for

    saying what you just did?¡±

    Riven¡¯s eyes inadvertently and mistakenly nced at Lucianne, making the King and the Duke re at

    him in rage as Lucianne let out a light chuckle. Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on her. Xandar¡¯s hand went over her

    shoulder protectively as he continued to scorn the minister.

    Lucianne then said, ¡°We¡¯re all adults here, minister. What is it about me that¡¯s abhorrent and detrimental?

    Tell me.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Riven¡¯s lips were beginning to quiver. Everyone saw it.

    Lucianne pecked a sweet kiss on Xandar¡¯s cheek to calm him before she turned back to the minister and

    said, ¡°Well, if you can¡¯t say it. I¡¯ll have to guess it won¡¯t I, minister? Is it how I look?¡±

    ¡°NO!¡±

    ¡°How I dress?¡±

    ¡°No, my Queen.¡±

    ¡°How I speak?¡±

    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s how I speak. What about it? Too much sarcasm?¡±

    ¡°There you go. That wasn¡¯t so hard.¡±

    Weaver immediately defended Lucianne, raising his voice as he said, ¡°If the Queen sees the need to use

    sarcasm, it¡¯s because the recipient very well deserves it. You have no¡­¡±.

    ¡°Thank you, Sir Weaver.¡± Lucianne said with a gentle tone, and Yarrington got the cue to calm his

    agitated mate.

    ¡°How dare you¡­¡± Xandar began before Lucianne pecked another kiss on his cheek and whispered into

    his ear, ¡°Thank you, my love. But I got this.¡±

    With a stered smile, Lucianne said, ¡°Apart from my sarcasm, minister. Are there any other traits that

    you deem abhorrent and detrimental?¡±

    ¡°N-No, my Q-Queen.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s it? Are you sure there isn¡¯t anything else? Ourck of ss, prestige or fortune,

    perhaps?¡±

    ¡°N-No, my Queen.¡± Riven continued to stutter.

    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, then I can assure you that I¡¯m one of the few in my species who chooses to use

    sarcasm whenever I see fit. Not all wolves do it. In fact, most of them don¡¯t. And if it makes you feel any

    better, minister, many wolves find my sarcasm inappropriate as well. And to those wolves I say this:¡±

    Everyone in the room straightened their backs in anticipation.

    Lucianne¡¯s smile dropped and her voice came out stem and strong, ¡°My behavior is the result of your

    actions. I¡¯m genuine to the genuine, fake to the fake, lethal to the lethal. Fortunately or unfortunately, I

    will not be stupid to the stupid. So, instead of matching their low level of thinking, I choose to use

    sarcasm because I can see no reason to justify or exin myself. Those people will only hear what they

    want to hear, and I do not have a habit of begging people to understand me or my point of view. I only

    take the trouble to exin something if I can see that one is not a lost cause. Otherwise, I really couldn¡¯t

    care less what happens to this creature, so long as he or she isn¡¯t harming anyone in the process of

    being stupid.¡± 2

    The room felt it, an energy radiating from Lucianne when she said those words. But it wasn¡¯t a daunting

    one like Xandar¡¯s, or the one she herself used on Dawson the previous night. It felt¡­enlightening and

    inspiring. Xandar gazed at her dreamily as her ck orbs fixed on Riven. The minister was lost for

    words. 1

    After a whole minute of silence, Lucianne asked in a gentler tone, ¡°Would you like another opportunity to

    make a submission, minister? We cane back to you after we¡¯ve heard from the others.¡±

    All eyes fell on Riven and he managed to mutter, ¡°Y-Yes. Thank you, my Queen.¡± He didn¡¯t expect

    Lucianne to offer him another chance to submit his views. If anything, he thought he was going to be

    kicked out, suspended or sent to jail after he was caught implicitly insulting the future Queen. Perhaps

    having wolves with them was notpletely a bad thing after all.

    Lucianne nodded once and said, ¡°Alright, then. Sir Weaver, you¡¯re up.¡±

    As Weaver spoke, Xandar couldn¡¯t help but run his fingers down Lucianne¡¯s hair. The way she handled

    the situation was absolutely amazing! The King was ready to throw Riven out for the day. The anger from

    him and many others in the room was evident yet Lucianne managed to simmer them down with nothing

    more than a few words directed to the minister who offended her.

    Lucianne was finding it a little harder to focus with her wolf purring under her mate¡¯s affectionate touch

    but if this was what Xandar needed to stay calm then she was not going to stop him.

    Weaver cleared his throat and began with a smile, ¡°I am all for having wolves amongst us as well. After

    the Queen has introduced me to a few of our cousin species, I realize that there is a huge disparity in

    how Lycans and wolves are faring environmentally.¡±

    ¡°Up until the introductions, I had no idea that close to forty packs had problems getting clean water, and

    twenty are still suffering from air pollution seeing that our predecessors have authorized the building of

    factories close to their packs. And I haven¡¯t even spoken to everyone yet! Imagine what else we¡¯re failing

    t o see as we take ourfort for granted. We need them here. It¡¯s the fastest way forward, and the

    quickest way to form solutions that the people need and deserve.¡±

    After Weaver was done, Yarrington spoke, ¡°I am of the view that we need wolves as well, for the reasons

    which have been eloquently exined by my leamed colleagues before me. For education, in particr, I

    believe it is time to restructure the sybus for both werewolves and Lycans. I¡¯ve spoken to many at the

    coboration, and some over the phone.¡±

    He nced at Lucianne with gratitude before continuing, ¡°I dare say that our cousin species have a lot of

    brilliant ideas on what future generations should be learning, and how they should be taught. In fact, I

    already have a few candidates in mind for the position of Deputy Minister, if not the Minister, of

    Education.¡±

    Yarrington¡¯s humility wowed and touched Lucianne. Her species did have governing members who

    wanted to help them, who wanted to hear them out, who wanted them to be a part of the governing body.

    After centuries of neglect and bullying, what she saw before herself today moved her.

    Annie was up next. ¡°I doubt it is any secret that I would support having our cousin species among us.

    However, I also rmend that current ministers undergo a vigorous assessment to see if one¡¯s skill

    set, intentions, goals and attitudes are the ones needed in a 21st century government.¡±

    ¡°Are you questioning our abilities, your Grace?¡± Harold asked defensively with a re at the Duchess,

    which the minister quickly hid when he met the Duke¡¯s scorn.

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    Annie thought for a moment before she met Harold¡¯s gaze as she said, ¡°Yes, minister. I am.¡± The

    Duchess¡¯s non-apologetic answer and confident tone made Christian smile. Lucianne and Xandar were

    proud to see Annie standing her ground as well.

    The Duchess continued, ¡°Despite my absence, I know what has been going on in recent weeks.

    Cummings and Whiw have proven to be ipetent in defending a significant poption of the

    Kingdom. Caunterberg is a perpetrator of the very offence he was expected to safeguard the Kingdom

    from. One of the two sons of our Finance Minister saw it fit to make false sexual harassmentints

    for nderous motives. What¡¯s worse is that this son of hers even hoped to seed his mother.¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    ¡°I rmend a review of all current ministers. We should have every contribution orck thereof

    recorded in ck and white. And for the next six months or one year, we should assess if any

    improvements are being made to right any wrongs.¡±

    As soon as Annie was finished, Cora was visibly furious when she said, ¡°I think that¡¯s a waste of time and

    resources. If assessments need to be done, then let it be done on the newer ministers. We have been

    here long enough to justify our positions in this government.¡±

    Lucianne spoke again, ¡°Cora, perhaps you¡¯ve misunderstood the Duchess. The assessment she

    rmends is to ensure that govering ministers are capable of leading in the 21st century, which means

    that we are looking for creatures who can keep up with changing times. Conventional thinking may have

    served the generations before but those who have been here ¡®long enough¡¯ and who can¡¯t find it i n

    themselves to¡­grow with the needs of the future should have the decency to step aside.¡±

    ¡°Decency?¡± Cora questioned Lucianne¡¯s choice of word.

    Lucianne uttered firmly, ¡°Yes. Decency. I am going to assume that all of us here share amon

    intention, a mutual goal, that is to do what¡¯s best for the people, not for ourselves. There wille a time

    when our knowledge is no longer enough, and our skills are no longer relevant. When that timees,

    we should have the decency to allow another individual, one who can maneuver in the modern ages, to

    take our ce, since it would be in the best interest of the people to do so.¡± 1

    After she said those words, it was clear that not everyone in the room was there for the people. Many

    were there for themselves, for power and influence. Lucianne knew this too, and to keep ckers on

    their feet, she said what she did to wake them up.

    Cora was seething in anger at the insulting way Lucianne and Annie spoke. Xandar then prompted her,

    ¡°D o you require any further rifications on the Duchess¡¯s rmendation or the Queen¡¯s exnation,

    Cora?¡±

    She swallowed a lump in her throat before shaking her head in response to the King¡¯s question.

    Christian went next, ¡°My rmendation builds on the rmendation made by my Duchess.¡± It didn¡¯t

    take a lot for everyone to hear the affection in his voice when the Duke said the words ¡®my Duchess¡¯.

    Lucianne couldn¡¯t help herself from smirking cheekily at the blushing Annie as her husband continued.

    ¡°The assessment of ministers should be done by our people, not us, seeing that there will be a clear

    conflict of interest if we assess our own colleagues. I suggest every pack leader and every Lycan

    representative from each state be given the right to ascertain whether a particr minister should remain

    in power. Only the people can tell us if whoever we have in ce meets their best interest.¡±

    Alivia was already controlling her temper from Annie¡¯s rmendation, and she couldn¡¯t hold it in any

    longer after Christian built up on his mate¡¯s efforts, so she asked, ¡°I mean no disrespect when I ask this

    but isn¡¯t that a little tedious to do that, your Grace?¡±

    Christian then affirmed, ¡°It is. But unfortunately, it has proven to be necessary, in my opinion.¡±

    Lucianne was up next but she asked Riven if he would like a say first. After thanking the Queen, he

    uttered nervously, ¡°I rmend that recements be made as well, and the appointments should be

    based on merit, not species.¡±

    The shortest rmendation garnered a surprising number of res. Alivia, Cora and Harold were not

    happy with what came out of their ponytail friend¡¯s mouth. They had a deal! They agreed to insist that

    only Lycans be nominated and appointed. They already failed to get Barrington onboard, and now Riven

    was leaping to the opposing side! Traitor!

    After Xandar gave a firm head nod, he turned to his mate and said softly. ¡°Go on, sweetheart Don¡¯t hold

    back, okay?¡±

    Christian snorted and muttered to himself, ¡°Like she would ever.¡± 2

    Lucianne¡¯s thumb stroked her mate¡¯s hand once before she turned to face the room. ¡°l, too, believe that

    recements are the best way forward. Seeing how urgently these positions need to be filled with the

    ongoing rogue attacks and ims for financial aid, I have to admit that anyone appointed would be on a

    temporary basis. This is also to respect the fact that the ministers who have been charged are not found

    guilty by the court ofw as of yet.¡±

    ¡°Nominations and appointments to temporarily rece the five who are not here should be done here

    and now. Further dy would only stifle the progress and efficiency of the other ministries. However,

    nominations and appointments for a permanent minister should undergo a standard operating procedure.

    One who wants the job should have the opportunity to apply for that particr position. A standard route

    should be in ce to ensure that applicants of any species and background stand a chance to represent

    the people.¡±

    ¡°The governing body should then scrutinize their credentials, to see if a creature¡¯s actions are aligned

    with the interest of the people. Only after that should the best candidates be allowed topete against

    each other in an election, which should involve every creature above the age of majority.¡±

    ¡°I am not against a minister¡¯s child seeding his or her parents. But I am against such an appointment i

    f this child is not the best candidate out there for the job. I am against it if the sole reason they were

    appointed was because they were born to a minister. I am against it is that child abuses the power he or

    she is entrusted to wield wisely.¡±

    ¡°I agree that all current ministers should undergo a vigorous assessment, and the ultimate judge should

    be the people, as the Duke and Duchess have proposed. This is not only to ensure ourselves that we

    have the best people for the job but also to ensure that we have who the people want for the job. Those

    are my rmendations.¡±

    When she was done, Christian muttered, ¡°Damn, that¡¯s going to be tough to beat.¡±

    Xandar didn¡¯t mind that his mate¡¯s rmendations were going to be tough to beat. On the contrary.

    hearing her speak like that just makes him fall even more in love with her. With his hand still holding ont

    o hers, it was finally his turn to offer his views.

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    Chapter 143

    The Kingmanded the attention of the room as he spoke, ¡°To be honest, I was going to push for a

    permanent appointment of ministers today. Seeing that it is unwise to do so when the verdicts of the

    arrested ministers have not been reached yet, I must withdraw my prior intention. It is also an

    indisputable fact that a more democratic nomination and appointment would require a notable period of

    time. As many of you have pointed out, time is something we don¡¯t have. We need creatures to stand in

    now.¡±

    ¡°But clearly, not all of us agree with who we shall appoint for the vacant positions, so, as always, this

    matter shall be put to a vote. Yes, Alivia?¡± Xandar noticed Alivia¡¯s raised hand so he granted her

    permission to speak.

    Alivia smiled pretentiously and said, ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t you think it is unjust to put such matters to a

    vote when a significant number of our colleagues are absent as they fight off corruption charges?¡±

    The King responded without needing to think, ¡°It is their absence that made today¡¯s meeting necessary,

    and a vote necessary as well. These are temporary measures. If they can be proven innocent, their

    positions will be restored.¡±

    Xandar could say this so calmly because he knew it was unlikely that those four ministers would get a

    get out-of-jail gift card from the court. The evidence piled against them would undoubtedly destroy them.

    Harold then said, ¡°With much respect, my King. Perhaps we should keep the right to vote among

    members who have been serving for the past five years.¡± That meant Lucianne and Annie would not be

    allowed to vote.

    Xandar tried to focus on his mate¡¯s small thumb as she stroked his hand when he asked, ¡°What reason

    do you have for preventing the Queen and Duchess from voting, Harold?¡±

    The atmosphere in the room became tense. Harold didn¡¯t seem bothered by that fact when he

    exined,¡± Well, for one, the Duchess has not been with us in almost two decades. Forgive me for

    suggesting this but her sudden presence seems to be for tactical purposes. It is as if she is merely here

    because her vote is needed. As for¡­¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    Christian cut him off, ¡°If that is so, minister, why do you think my Duchess didn¡¯t tum up to vote every

    other time before today?¡± He red down at Harold before he said in a low voice, ¡°If I wanted to use her

    to win a vote on any issue, I would¡¯ve done it from the very beginning. Most of you in this room know why

    m y wife has refused to join us for a long time. I¡¯d suggest you rethink the past before you use me of

    harbouring tactical intentions.¡±

    Before Harold coulde up with a response, Xandar said, ¡°You may also want to rethink what you

    were going to say about our Queen while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    Harold snorted before he said, ¡°That¡¯s the thing, your Highness. She is not our Queen. Well, not as of

    yet, that is. I don¡¯t recall attending a coronation ceremony. And this is clearly her first time in,¡±

    Xandar¡¯s low growl, followed by those of Christian¡¯s, Annie¡¯s, Weaver¡¯s and Yarrington¡¯s, halted Harold in

    his speech. Xandar challenged, ¡°Under which particr provision ofw can the King¡¯s mate not exercise

    her right as Queen?¡± 1

    Harold answered without hesitation, ¡°It¡¯s not a writtenw, your Highness. More like a convention. A

    tradition, an unspoken rule, if you will.¡±

    ¡°Where is this unspoken rule found?¡± Xandar continued to press.

    ¡°It¡¯s there asmon knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m the most senior member here. It¡¯s a very old rule that¡¯s not normally mentioned

    since no Queen has ever entered through those doors before being crowned.¡±

    It was Lucianne¡¯s tum to speak, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, minister, but I¡¯m confused. If it¡¯s not normally mentioned, how

    could it bemon knowledge? If it¡¯s a tradition, why is it that the generation after yours is unaware of i

    t? And if it¡¯s not discussed, don¡¯t you think it has already be obsolete?¡±

    Harold tried to look at Lucianne with as little spite as possible when he said, ¡°Lycans started the tradition,

    your Highness. I believe it is best for Lycans to say whether it is obsolete.¡±

    Weaver didn¡¯t have to think twice before he said, ¡°Fine. Lycans, let¡¯s put it to a vote and settle this here

    and now. Those in favour of rejecting the convention that no one has ever heard about?¡±

    Harold eximed, ¡°No! You can¡¯t just vote as such!¡± The hands that shot up clearly showed that Harold

    had lost. Even Riven voted against him.

    Xandar spoke again, ¡°Since that¡¯s been settled, both the Queen and the Duchess can exercise their right

    to vote. Let¡¯s nominate the candidates we have in mind and decide who¡¯s the best we have for the job,

    starting with the Defence Ministry.¡±

    Christian snorted and yfully suggested, ¡°Can the Queen be our Queen and our Defence Minister?¡±

    This garnered muchughter from those in favour but only got forced smiles from those who didn¡¯t like

    the proposition. They didn¡¯t even like her being their Queen, let alone both a minister and a Queen!

    After everyone has thrown in names, which were, surprisingly to Lucianne, many members of the

    alliance, save for a few Lycans. They voted and their choice of temporary recement was Gamma

    Tobias Tristan as Defence Minister, and the Lycan warrior Phelton as his deputy. 4

    Next up was the Finance Ministry. This one took a little more time because Lucianne got more questions

    from everyone around the table about the wolves she nominated. She spoke in a neutral manner, giving

    them scenarios about how her nominees handled financial crises within their own packs and even those

    o f their allies

    Lucianne talked about their respective strengths and weaknesses as objectively as possible. For some

    reason, Marie Martin¡¯s other son, Henry Martin, was nominated as well. His credentials? He has a

    degree i n Finance and has shadowed his mother with his brother for years.

    It wasn¡¯t much of a surprise when the vote ultimately made Luna Lovce the temporary Finance

    Minister, with Alpha Tate as her deputy. 1

    As for Health and Welfare, Luna Hale was deemed to be the most suitable candidate for the position,

    and Pam nominated her fifteen-year personal assistant, Keh, who spends any leisure time in

    hospitals and blood drives as a volunteer,

    Gamma Benedict was made Deputy Minister of Education,

    After the decisions had been made, Xandar dismissed everyone and thanked them again for making the

    time to attend the meeting. Of course, Alivia, Harold and Cora were not happy with how things yed out

    but everyone else didn¡¯t stop them from storming out of the room as soon as Xandar gave the greenlight

    for everyone to leave.

    When Alivia was out of sight, Weaver couldn¡¯t help but startughing as he reyed the King and

    Queen¡¯s sarcasm from earlier. Yarrington smiled as he rolled his eyes at his mate¡¯s uncontroble

    chuckles and dragged Weaver by his arm as he said, ¡°Come now, dear. You can continueughing in the

    car.¡±

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144

    After saying their goodbyes, Xandar and Lucianne got into the car, and Lucianne kicked away her heels

    as she let out a relieved sigh. Xandar waited for her to take another breath before smashing his lips on

    hers and squeezing her thigh. Only when he released her did he whisper, ¡°We have the rest of the day

    off, sweetheart. What do you want to do?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s cheeky switch was flipped on when she said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little unprofessional to offer such an

    invitation to someone who¡¯s not crowned Queen, your Highness?¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Xandar emitted the dangerous and alluring growl as he pressed his forehead on hers and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t

    challenge me on this, my love. The moment I give out the order, you can bet you¡¯ll be crowned

    tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Without the consent and agreement from the one who is to be crowned? A little uncivilized, don¡¯t you

    think?¡±

    A light peck on her lips and he uttered, ¡°Perhaps. But it¡¯ll definitely shut those idiots up.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s cheeky eyes turned soft with tenderness before she pecked a kiss on his cheek. ¡°Thank you

    for what you did for me back there.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes softened as well when he kissed her nose, ¡°Well, I had help. And you really don¡¯t have to

    thank any of us for defending what you can and cannot do, sweetheart. It¡¯s your right. We were just

    fighting for what was already there.¡±

    Her voice turned into a shy whisper now as she said, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Xandar smiled and responded with ease, ¡°I love you, too, my little freesia. And since you love me, you

    have to say yes to my unprofessional invitation to bring you somewhere.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes and pushed him back to his seat as she said, ¡°You very well know I was going

    to say yes when you first asked, Xandar.¡±

    ¡°Well, then. Pick a ce, babe. Was there anywhere you wanted to visit but never got the chance to?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Lucianne pondered for a moment before her eyes met her mate¡¯s when she said, ¡°I want to go to

    your favorite ce.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyebrows raised in surprise before his smile broadened when he said, ¡°My favorite ce is with

    you, Lucy.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°Fine. Then, your second favorite ce.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going with this, sweetheart?¡±

    ¡°I want to go where you love. I want to see what you love, and feel why you love it. You¡¯ve already

    brought me to the freesia field. Is there anywhere else you¡¯d go to just be¡­happy?¡±

    Xandar was moved. His mate really wanted to know him, even the little things about him. He

    contemted with a smile before he said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve always been into history. So, maybe we could go to

    one of my favorite museums¡­ In fact, it just urred to me that there¡¯s a piece there that you should

    see.¡±

    Lucianne sparkled in awe before she asked excitedly, ¡°You¡¯re a history geek? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?!¡±

    Xandar looked a little embarrassed when he said, ¡°Babe, let¡¯s just¡­not use that term.¡±

    ¡°Why not? I¡¯m a geek myself if you haven¡¯t noticed.¡± Lucianne dered.

    ¡°Yeah, but sweetheart, let¡¯s face it. You do not look like a geek. At all. You¡¯re much too attractive.¡±

    ¡°Geeks can be attractive too, Xandar. Just look at yourself.¡± Lucianne noted.

    *I don¡¯t know, babe. I guess I¡¯m still trying to get the stereotypical version of a geek out of my

    subconscious. A geek doesn¡¯t sound very¡­ deserving or capable of being with you.¡± 2

    Lucianne retorted in confidence, ¡°Xandar, geeks are more than capable of aplishing anything. And

    they¡¯re cute!¡±

    Xandar started getting suspicious so his hand pressed her abdomen against the seat, his predator eyes

    fixed on her as he asked in a low voice, ¡°And which geeks in your past have you found cute and capable,

    m y little freesia?¡± 1

    Lucianne realized she let that slip so she muttered ¡®oh, boy¡¯under her breath before she said, ¡°It was just

    a few study buddies, Xandar. There was never¡­¡±

    He nted a deep kiss on her lips before he asked in his deep voice, ¡°Did you ever find me cute?¡±

    added, ¡°You¡¯ve always looked more handsome and confident than anything else. Cute doesn¡¯t suit you,

    darling. You¡¯re the scary Lycan King, despite your efforts of trying to be a softy from time to time. But

    knowing about your geeky side now, I¡¯d bet you are going to look cute really soon, my love.¡±

    His animal¡¯s anger evaporated, and it was dancing around in his head with its head held high. Xandar

    nodded with a smile and said, ¡°Hm. Good answer. For a minute there, my animal was going to go

    berserk.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not me the fiercest animal for everything, dearest. Your human part may have encouraged it as

    well.¡±

    Xandar couldn¡¯t believe his own animal wasughing at his human part. When was thest time that

    happened? He pecked a kiss on her temple before he muttered in bliss, ¡°Absolutely amazing.¡±

    After driving for twenty minutes, they came to arge castle with shrubs trimmed to mould the strongest

    Lycans of the past. Xandar exined, ¡°This was where my parents and I lived. After they passed away,

    Christian and I decided to turn it into the Kingdom¡¯srgest museum. Kids loveing here not for the

    history but for the fact that it¡¯s a castle.¡± 2

    Lucianne chuckled as she touched his arm affectionately and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s a brilliant idea. It does give

    the public ess to where the Kings and Queens of the past once lived.¡±

    Xandar took her hand and pecked a kiss on the back before he said, ¡°I¡¯m d you think so.¡±

    ¡°And be honest, darling. You chose to live in your vi now because it¡¯s closer to Christian¡¯s ce and

    the freesia field, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Xandar was pressing back his smile when he said, ¡°Those were¡­highly influential factors when I made

    the decision to move there.¡±

    When the valet took care of the parking, Xandar led Lucianne through therge brown wooden doors

    with paw engravings. Lucianne was amazed by the interior. The castle looked really old from the outside

    but the inside was sophisticated,

    The tiled floors were pale against the light brown walls. The light colored-tinted ss ceiling was high,

    and the light from the sun prated through it to light up the space. With a hand on her abdomen,

    Xandar pecked a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s temple from the side and whispered in a husky voice, ¡°What are you

    thinking about, my love?¡±

    Her head turned to meet her mate¡¯s lc eyes filled with affection when she replied, ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t

    know an old castle could look this beautiful.¡±

    Xandar pecked another kiss on her temple and said, ¡°Anywhere can be beautiful as long as you¡¯re there,

    Lucy.¡±

    Lucianne smirked despite her blushing cheeks, and she said, ¡°Well, where should we start, geek?

    Xandar narrowed his eyes and protested, ¡°Really, babe? Geek?¡±

    Lucianne pursed her lips for a moment while she thought and finally said, ¡°Where should we start, my

    handsome geek?¡±

    The Lycan King was starting to blush as well when he admitted, ¡°That actually sounds a lot better.¡± He

    kissed the back of her hand before he suggested, ¡°I¡¯m going to do away with all the bullsh*t we had to

    learn in school and skip to the parts they left out of the sybus, which would be down this hallway.¡±

    ¡°The Lycan King saying that school history on Lycans is bullsh*t. This is a good start.¡± Lucianne taunted

    with a suppressed smile.

    ¡°Well, Yarrington already suggested doing away with whatever the schools have now, so I¡¯d say my

    views are aligned with the 21st century, my dear. The history we learned was all very one-sided, and

    clearly written to brainwash rather than to enlighten future generations about the past.¡±

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145

    When they came to the end of a broad hallway with bright lighting, Xandar started with the first portrait

    Unlike what Lucianne and everyone else learned in school, the Lycan in this first portrait was actually

    more influential than the King at that time.

    Xandar exined that the plump woman with auburn curls in the picture was thete King¡¯s sister, who

    has offered the King back then loads of ideas on how to detect if foreign species, such as vampires or

    human hunters enter their territories. In school, credit for such revolutionary ideas were given to the King,

    not his sister. She wasn¡¯t even his second-inmand because of the sexistws which forbade such

    an appointment at that time.

    The second one was a man with a thick moustache and beard, and his eyes, to Lucianne¡¯s surprise,

    were painted onyx. Xandar exined that this was a very powerful minister who always made himself

    heard. His intelligence and no-nonsense attitude was the very reason why even the King of that time

    chose to listen to him over the second-inmand. Sadly, he was assassinated when he was asleep,

    and the murderer behind his death was never found. 1

    When they reached the third, it was a woman with dark brown hair reaching her lower back. Her blue

    eyes shone brightly against her pale, freckled, skin. Xandar then said, ¡°This is the one I wanted to show

    you. Her name was Rosalie Tatiana Caberel. She was an expert in medicine, and was both loved and

    hated for her quick mind and sharp tongue. She went through two rejections in her lifetime before

    meeting her third chance mate, the Crowned Prince.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s surprised eyes locked with Xandar¡¯s smiling ones. Lucianne herself went through rejections

    before meeting Xandar, too. What a coincidence!

    Xandar then continued, ¡°Rosalie was conducting an operation on the King when she met the Prince,

    Reagan. Some books suggest that she wanted to sever the bond as soon as they found each other.¡±

    Lucianne blinked at the second coincidence. Xandar stood closer to his mate, and held her hand tighter.

    She then asked in a small voice, ¡°What happened then?¡±

    Xandar gazed at his mate as he whispered, ¡°He didn¡¯t let her. Practically begged her for a chance

    despite his engagement to a noblewoman. Rosalie managed to recite her part of the rejection in the end

    but Reagan never epted it.¡±

    ¡°Even so, the bond would sever by default upon the second full moon.¡± Lucianne pointed out in a

    whisper.

    Xandar¡¯s features softened further as his thumb stroked her right cheek. ¡°In that period of time, he did

    everything he could to win her over. The first thing he did was to call off the engagement. Our textbooks

    say that the reason behind the revocation of the engagement was because the Prince wasn¡¯t in the right

    frame of mind. But other books, those which are more difficult to ess, say that it was because he

    found her. He found Rosalie.¡±

    ¡°From the way this is going, I have a feeling they didn¡¯t end up together.¡± Lucianne muttered ominously.

    Xandar smiled sadly and kissed Lucianne on her forehead before he continued, ¡°He was only a Prince.

    The King and Queen, along with the long line of government ministers andmentators strongly

    opposed their union. Prince Reagan then submitted his intention to renounce his title to be able to marry

    the woman he loved. But his parents were¡­crafty.¡±

    Lucianne had a bad feeling about how the story was going to develop. Her mate looked upset as well

    when

    he went on, ¡°They allowed them to mate and mark each other because, as you know, being marked by a

    bonded mate improves one¡¯s strength and abilities more than if one is marked by a chosen mate.¡±

    Xandar took a sharp breath. ¡°A week after the marking, the King and Queen got a kitchen staff to poison

    Rosalie¡¯s morning tea with a lethal amount of Oleander. She died in less than a minute.¡±

    Lucianne took a moment to digest that fact before she said, ¡°But the sensations she and Prince Reagan

    feel would have already been entwined with each other when they¡¯ve marked each other. Didn¡¯t thete

    King and Queen know that their son would also feel the effects of the poison when Rosalie was given it?¡±

    ¡°They did, which is why she died a quick death. The King and Queen didn¡¯t want their son to suffer any

    more than they needed him to. You might know this next part, Reagan attacked his parents, and today,

    he is known as¡­¡±

    ¡°The Unhinged Prince.¡± Lucianne recalled.

    She matched her mate¡¯s sad eyes. Xandar then said, ¡°Almost no one knows why he killed his father and

    almost killed his mother. They say that he was unstable, inclined to make poor decisions when in truth, h

    e was denied his greatest happiness, the mate gifted to him by our Goddess.¡±

    Something came to Lucianne¡¯s mind so she uttered, ¡°I remember learning an idiom in school: A love as

    strong as¡­¡±

    ¡°As two Rs.¡± Xandar finished it for her. ¡°Reagan and Rosalie.¡± 1

    Lucianne took a moment to digest this before she admitted, ¡°I always thought it was just two Rs drawn

    back to back, reflecting each other to shape a heart supported and strengthened by three stilts.¡±

    Xandar smiled sadly again as he said, ¡°It¡¯s deeper than that. Much deeper. Tragically deeper. Reagan

    was locked in prison for the rest of his life, never allowed out because he threatened to kill everyone who

    treated Rosalie badly when she was alive. He tried to take his own life but never managed to do so.

    Rumour has it that he cried himself to sleep every single night, apologizing to Rosalie for failing to protect

    her, for failing to save her. At around four in the morning everyday, he¡¯d wake up calling out her name.¡±

    ¡°Why four in the morning?¡±

    ¡°That was when Rosalie took the poison. She was having breakfast before an early shift at the hospital.¡±

    Lucianne was so engrossed in the tale that she stood impossibly closer to Xandar, wanting to feel his

    warmth. His arms wrapped around her without hesitation, and he pecked a kiss in her hair before he

    continued, ¡°Rosalie was not without friends and family. After the truth of her death came to light, medical

    professionals across the Kingdom went on strike, demanding that line of royals abdicate the throne.

    Hospitals stopped taking in patients. Pharmacies refused to open. The royal family¡¯s doctors left their

    employers despite the significant length of their tenure.¡±

    Lucianne asked in a small voice, ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that cost too many innocent lives?¡±

    He pecked another kiss on her hair and responded, ¡°Thankfully, it didn¡¯t. The medical professionals still

    offered treatment at their patients¡¯ homes. They just didn¡¯t turn up to work for the government. So, the

    Kingdom¡¯s medical revenue plummeted to zero for the first time in history, even suffering a deficit at one

    point. The defining moment was when the Queen¡¯s own mother was ill and needed medical attention.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately for them, no one wanted to help, and the old woman died. It is said that she would have

    easily survived the illness if she had seen a doctor. Any doctor. When the royal family finally decided that

    a parley with medical professionals was necessary, the doctors, nurses and pharmacists only had one

    request: unless it¡¯s Reagan, no one in the King and Queen¡¯s bloodline should ever sit on the throne ever

    again.¡±

    *Of course, they couldn t let Reagan out He¡¯d just go on a killing spree, and many powerful people were

    afraid of unleashing that beast So the title was passed on to the second-inmand the ws who

    have no blood-rtion whatsoever with the then-royal family. They actually did a blood analysis and

    publicized the results throughout the Kingdom¡±

    Lucianne remembered that part of history where the title was passed to the ws It was said that

    because the Unhinged Prince was incapable of running the Kingdom and he had no siblings to take the

    throne, the royal title had to be passed on to the second-inmand

    What bothered many of her ssmates back in school was the fact that it wasnt passed on to thete

    Queen¡¯s nephew or niece. She had a few. But when the question was raised in ss her teacher said

    that history didn¡¯t answer that question

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    Lucianne then whispered, ¡°If Rosalie was such a signincant part of history, why hadnt I heard of her? The

    sybus can hide it but why arent there any myths legends folkw or some kind of her story with

    Reagan?¡±

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146

    Xandar looked at the ground in guilt for a moment before meeting his mate¡¯s ck orbs as he said,¡±

    Because they hid it, Lucy. The ws hid it. They shared a good rtionship with Reagan¡¯s parents, so

    they ordered historians to write Rosalie offpletely. The first w King¡­used his Authority topel

    them to do it. With his Authority, hepelled the rest of the Kingdom to never speak about Rosalie ever

    again.¡±

    ¡°Portraits and any written work documenting her life story was burnt. The only reason a part of her has

    been sessfully incorporated into a school idiom was because linguists were clever enough to work

    their way around the King¡¯s Authority and subtly¡­inserted her and Reagan into something that lived on,

    transcending lifetimes and generations.¡±

    ¡°But if everything about her is gone, how is it that this portrait exists?¡±

    ¡°This wasn¡¯t kept by our kind.¡± Xandar¡¯s eyes were serious when he said, ¡°This portrait is a duplicate

    copy gifted by the vampires to the descendants of Rosalie¡¯s distant rtives long after the first w King

    passed away.¡±

    ¡°Vampires?¡± Lucianne asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Amazing, wasn¡¯t she?¡± Xandar said with a smile. ¡°As a doctor, Rosalie treated everyone, regardless of

    species. She even sessfully operated on a high-ranking vampire once, which their entire species was

    eternally grateful for. The vampires were not affected by the King¡¯s Authority, of course, not being a wolf

    o I Lycan. So, they kept Rosalie in their history.¡±

    ¡°Whatever I just told you was what I read from books published by their species, and hidden by mine. It

    took me decades before I was able to find enough material to piece her story from head to tail. Some

    historians even went so far as to suggest that her death was one of the many reasons why the vampires

    dered war on the Lycans, and the werewolves bore the brunt of it when they were sent to the

    frontlines first.¡±

    Lucianne returned her sights to the woman in the portrait, and her heart felt heavy for what happened to

    her. Xandar wrapped his arms around Lucianne¡¯s abdomen and whispered, ¡°Rosalie¡¯s eyes are lc like

    the rest of us in human form. But her eye color painted here is her animal¡¯s. They were as blue as

    sapphires¡­like your animal¡¯s, sweetheart.¡± 1

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in realization. Her body jerked upright and she tumed and asked, ¡°Were there

    other Lycans like her? Those who have animals with eyes which are not lc?¡±

    Xandar tucked a stray hair behind her ear as he said, ¡°Not that I know of, Lucy.¡± They stared at the

    portrait for another moment before Xandar said, ¡°It is also rumored that this is not a good depiction of

    what she looked like. Some argue that her hair color only looked brown under the sun, and that it was

    actually ck most of the time. Those dots on her face could very well be faint rashes from crying too

    often. They¡¯re not freckles. She cried to herself a lot after her first two rejections. Some say the rashes

    lightened when she met Reagan but no one knows for sure.¡±

    Sapphire eyes. ck hair. Rejections. Wanting to reject their bonded mate on their first meeting. Four in

    the morning, the time Lucianne chose to wake up everyday was the time the Prince awoke from his

    sleept o call out his mate¡¯s name. The only difference was that Rosalie was bonded to the Crowned

    Prince, Lucianne herself was bonded to the King. 2

    Lucianne was hesitant when she asked in a small voice, ¡°Do you¡­do you think we¡¯re somehow¡­

    reincarnated from them?¡±

    Xandar had the exact same thought in the car when this portrait came to his mind. He kissed her deeply

    between her eyebrows before he whispered, ¡°It¡¯s possible. If we are, then it certainly exins why the

    Moon Goddess saw it fit to make you immune to certain poisons, and give you the ability to smell them. I

    doubt Rosalie could smell the Oleander in her tea when she took it. And she clearly didn¡¯t heal from it.

    But you can smell it, Lucy. And you healed from it within hours.¡± 1

    ¡°Did she also have a striped tail?¡± Lucianne asked all of a sudden,

    Xandar looked into the bright eyes he felt guilty of having to disappoint as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about

    that, sweetheart. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Lucianne leaned the side of her head against his chest and listened to his

    heartbeat as she continued looking at Rosalie.

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    With his arms around her, Xandar spoke again, ¡°I¡¯m grateful for two things that my parents have already

    passed on when we met; and that the King¡¯s Authority cannot be used topel creatures to mate and

    mark a creature that they themselves don¡¯t want. I would¡¯ve never been able to forgive myself if what

    happened to Rosalie happened to you, Lucy.¡±

    Xandar noticed her biting her bottom lip. After smoothening it with his thumb, he asked, ¡°What is it,

    baby?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes glistened when she said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive myself if you ended up like Prince

    Reagan, living the rest of your days alone in pain, devastation and suffering. It hurts to picture you like

    that.¡±

    Xandar held her tighter as he muttered, ¡°Not as much as it hurts picturing a life without you.¡± He kissed

    her hair and uttered firmly, ¡°I love you, Lucy.¡±

    Lucianne didn¡¯t trust her voice to be steady so she linked, ¡®I love you, too, Xandar. So much.¡¯

    Tell me you know that I love you, baby.¡¯Xandar linked in response.

    She chuckled lightly before parting their bodies slightly for their eyes to meet as she said, ¡°I know. Thank

    you.¡±

    After sharing a kiss, they moved down the other portraits and tales before pausing for the day to head for

    dinner.

    A man in a cap pretended to be looking at some scriptures when he noticed Xandar and Lucianne

    leaving the castle. As usual, he took note of the time and got hisrade to take over watch duty from

    there, What he didn¡¯t know was that he, too, was being watched, by a woman who had to forgo chewing

    gum as she disguised herself to look like a cold, knowledgeable professor studying the artifacts in ss

    casings

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147

    When they were having dinner at a restaurant, Lucianne¡¯s phone was suddenly bombarded with

    ¡®breaking news¡¯. Xandar was going to ask if everything was okay until his own phone started buzzing like

    his mate¡¯s just did.

    Xandar reached for her hand and held it tight as he read the first headline: Ministers¡¯ Lawyers DENIES

    the Validity of Corruption Charges.

    After tapping into it, the short article read: In a hearing of the charges against the ministers, the presiding

    judge concluded that, due to the very conflicting version of events given by the prosecution and the

    defence, the matter should proceed with trial for a detailed examination of evidence. Evidence had been

    exchanged between the parties as part of due process.

    The defence, upon receiving the prosecution¡¯s evidence, made a public statement that reliance on that

    particr evidence was ¡°unjust¡±, ¡°irrational¡± and most of all ¡°unconstitutional¡±. The article didn¡¯t mention

    how it was so because thewyers were in no position to release such evidence to the public when the

    court had not made a final decision on the corruption case as of yet.

    Xandar made an immediate call to the Attorney-General¡¯s Chambers, enquiring about the matter. The

    prosecutor in charge of the case told the King that the defencewyers argue that the audits may be

    fabricated since it has only surfaced very recently.

    The silver lining, ording to her, was the fact that they had received a court order to appoint a neutral

    third party techpany to analyse exactly when the audits and the rest of the documents were first

    created and werest modified. So, if and when the documents in Greg¡¯s microchip get authenticated,

    the case will proceed in their favor.

    After telling his mate about it, Lucianne gave Xandar¡¯s hand a gentle squeeze as she said, ¡°When the

    analysises out, they won¡¯t be able to argue their way out of it.¡±

    Xandar pecked a kiss on her hand before sighing, ¡°I just hope Greg didn¡¯t do anything to those

    documents t o make us look like fools.¡±

    ¡°Me too. But if that happens, we could ask Ellia and the others to testify. Though we¡¯d have to enhance

    protection for them and their kids if ites to that.¡± Lucianne said.

    She was right. ¡®Why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡±, Xandar thought to himself. A smile graced Xandar¡¯s features

    before he looked at her with starry eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re amazing, you know that?¡±

    ¡°So are you, darling.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that just because I said it to you, Lucy. I mean it, you¡¯re amazing.¡±

    ¡°I mean it, too, Xandar. I¡¯m not just saying it out of courtesy.¡±

    Xandar scoffed before he said, ¡°I¡¯m the scary Lycan King, sweetheart, remember? Amazing seems a

    little too¡­good, too inspiring and too noble to be associated with a creature known to be the most

    ferocious monster in the Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Lucianne argued.

    Xandar¡¯s eyes widened as he challenged, ¡°Oh, really? And why is that?¡±

    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.

    His mate¡¯s response was immediate, ¡°The way you lead and rule is so different from past Kings. I highly

    doubt there was another King in the past who took the welfare of werewolves into ount but you

    consider our wants and needs so seriously. And the way you conduct meetings is another thing that¡¯s

    different about you. It was clear that you truly want to know what the others think, and when you listen¡­

    you seem to listen to understand, not just to respond. Do you know how much humility that takes,

    Xandar?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes glistened in pure joy as he pecked another kiss on the back of her hand and said, ¡°Thank

    you, baby.¡±

    There was a glint in Lucianne¡¯s eyes when she said, ¡°Anything for my history geek.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes narrowed as heined, ¡°Okay, now you¡¯ve just ruined the moment with that word,

    babe.¡°

    Lucianne chuckled cheekily at her mate¡¯s annoyed expression but internally, happiness engulfed Xandar

    with whatever Lucianne just said and how beautiful she looked when sheughed. How did he get so

    lucky? He wondered.

    ###

    In the ckfur residence, Christian was not happy with the news he was reading on his phone as well.

    And his cousin¡¯s message about the conversation he had with the prosecutor did not put him in a better

    mood. The only thing that kept the Duke from crushing his phone with one hand was the fact that Russell

    was in the room with him because the little boy needed the space on the coffee table to build his next

    contraption. Christian didn¡¯t want to frighten the child.

    Annie felt everything Christian was feeling, being his marked mate. So, she got out his favorite cinnamon

    rolls from the oven before making her way to the living room. After giving Russell his share, she sat next

    t o her mate and started tearing off bite-sized chunks before putting it into Christian¡¯s mouth.

    He was already smiling from the moment she entered the room, even before taking the first bite of the

    cinnamon roll. After indulging in the perfect dessert from his mate¡¯s fingers, he gazed at her the same

    way he did when he first met her almost two decades ago as he uttered, ¡°Thank you, my Duchess.¡±

    Annie could feel his anger and anxiety easing, and she peeled off another bite-sized piece as she

    asked,¡± Bad news?¡±

    Christian¡¯s sighed as his arm went over Annie¡¯s shoulder while he exined the news articles to his

    mate, which he finished off by saying, ¡°¡­and the most frustrating thing is that Xandar can¡¯t use the

    King¡¯s Authority in this case.¡±

    Annie nodded in understanding. ¡°That¡¯s true. Even if he just used it to get the truth, it might look like he

    used it to get the ministers to say something that Xandar wants to hear. Skeptics would say that Xandar

    used his Authority to make them confess to the crimes only we say that theymitted.¡±

    ¡°Conflicts of interests are a pain in the ast.¡± Christian grumbled.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s there for good reason, my love. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a solution. Xandar wouldn¡¯t want

    you to lose your peace of mind over this.¡±

    ¡°I just hope he doesn¡¯t lose his own peace of mind over this. Do you remember how he¡¯d have dark

    circles underneath his eyes whenever we had to take care of something huge: change a policy, debate to

    revoke a n oldw, things like that?¡±

    Annie stated matter-of-factly, ¡°It¡¯s kind of hard to forget. I always felt you two did too much. He¡¯s probably

    the most diligent King in our history.¡±

    Christian muttered to himself, ¡°And that¡¯s what worries me sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Annie touched his cheek and he leaned into her hand like it was second nature to him before she

    continued, ¡°We have Lucy now. She will look after him as much as he will look after her. Xandar¡¯s going

    to be fine. Weren¡¯t you the one who said she was good for him from the very start? That you knew she

    and Xandar were perfect for each other from the very first time you met her?¡±

    Christian smiled at the memory before he said in a much lighter mood, ¡°Never have I seen a creature

    that size take down Xandar, and in record time too.¡± The Duke chuckled before he continued, ¡°Our

    Queen changed him a lot, as much as she won¡¯t admit it if any of us said it.¡±

    Suddenly, his eyes zed over for a moment before they cleared shortly after. He rubbed his forehead

    with his fingertips, and Annie waited patiently for him to speak. The Duke continued toin, ¡°So

    much for not losing my peace of mind over his excessive diligence. We just had the government meeting

    this morning, and he¡¯s actually calling for a meeting with the alliance members about the rogue situation

    tomorrow. Seriously? Tomorrow? Of all days?!¡±

    Annie processed the information as she muttered, ¡°But tomorrow is¡­¡± Her husband didn¡¯t even let her

    finish before he eximed, ¡°I know!¡±

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148

    Lucianne woke up a few minutes before her 4 a.m. rm with Xandar¡¯s arm circled loosely around her

    abdomen. Very carefully, she pulled her shirt up her chest and over her head, trying not to alert her mate

    when she did it. After that, she slowly slipped off her shorts, and all that was left to do was to wait for her

    rm to ring.

    When it did, her body stretched over to the nightstand as usual, and Xandar¡¯s hand on her abdomen

    tugged her back into bed like it always did. On a usual morning, if his hand made contact with her bare

    skin, it would instinctively rise up her body a little to find the hem of her shirt before pulling it back down t

    o cover her abdomen.

    This moming, however, when his hand tried looking for the hem, he ended up feeling Lucianne¡¯s bare

    breast instead. He took a sharp breath to wake up, and Lucianne turned her body to face his. When his

    eyes barely opened, she trapped his lips in a deep kiss while her hand guided his hand to her bare

    buttocks.

    He parted their lips and with dazed eyes, and asked, ¡°Baby, what is it? Did you have a bad dream?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lucianne said, and started pecking kisses on his chin and jawline.

    When the scent of her arousal started filling the air, the Lycan King got the memo. His own arousal didn¡¯t

    take any more time to fill the room, rivaling hers. With a low growl, he turned their bodies over, making

    Lucianne lie on her back as he hovered directly above her. After taking off his shirt, his lips started

    assaulting her neck, kissing and sucking on it as Lucianne let out those cute moans.

    His legs parted hers, making them spread wide across the bed. And his hand moved south before his

    thumb started massaging her swollen clit on her wetdy part. His fingers went in and out of her opening

    ever so slowly, building up a pleasurable ache in Lucianne¡¯s lower abdomen as she indulged in the

    bittersweet pain.

    After Xandar squeezed and sucked her breasts until her nipples were inmed, he pecked light kisses

    along her jawline as his fingers in her moistdy part began gaining speed. His mouth stopped at her

    ear, where he whispered, ¡°Tell me what you want, my love.¡±

    Between the sexy moans, Lucianne said breathlessly, ¡°I want you.¡±

    His fingers stopped, and his eyes widened in surprise. Did he hear her right? He expected Lucianne to

    say that she wanted toe or scream. The King did not expect his mate to ask for what she was

    asking for right now. His face pulled away from her ear to lock eyes with the sexiest and most beautiful

    creature that ever existed lying naked below him.

    With nothing but genuine concem, Xandar¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he whispered, ¡°Are you sure, Lucy?

    There really isn¡¯t a need to rush this. I¡¯m okay with taking things slow. I just need you to be happy.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes glistened in pure joy. She was moved. Her hand reached for the side of his neck, and

    she pulled his head down to kiss him deeply on his lips. When she released him, her eyes locked with

    his as she whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sure, Xandar. I¡¯m sure that I love you, that I¡¯m happy with you. And I¡¯m sure

    that I want

    you.¡±

    It was Xandar¡¯s eyes which glistened in joy now. He trapped her lips in another deep kiss as his thumb

    and fingers started moving again, continuing to build on the efforts to get his mate toe. Lucianne¡¯s

    feet were reaching for his pants, trying to push them down his legs. When his pants went low enough,

    Xandar kicked them away, and they fell onto the floor.

    His fingers gained further speed. It didn¡¯t take long before Lucianne let out a scream as her body

    convulsed in shock and arched upwards. The product of her orgasm drenched a significant part of the

    bed, much to her beast¡¯s delight.

    As her small hands traced Xandar¡¯s hard muscles, he moaned into her mouth. His c*ck had already

    hardened and straightened, and it was getting stiffer with each passing second as Xandar lubricated his

    entire length with Lucianne¡¯s juices, moving up and down her sensitive area to coat his whole d*ck.

    Lucianne was already whimpering with his enormous tool teasing herdy part, and she pleaded

    breathlessly, ¡°I want you, Xandar. Please.¡±

    Xandar stopped with the teasing, and positioned his shaft right at her entrance as he peered into the

    ck orbs that he loved with all his heart before he said in all seriousness, ¡°You never have to beg for

    this or for anything you want, my love. You only have to ask, and I¡¯ll give you everything.¡± A peck on her

    lips before he whispered, ¡°We¡¯ll start slow, Lucy. If I make you ufortable, let me know and I¡¯ll stop,

    okay?¡±

    Lucianne offered a small smile and gave him a doting nod. Xandar lowered himself, and his lips traced

    her cheek as the tip of his shaft touched her entrance. Lucianne could feel herself stop breathing as she

    waited in agony. When Xandar thrusted himself into her, her scream was cut-off with Xandar¡¯s mouth on

    hers.

    He didn¡¯t move, giving time for her walls to adjust to his girth. For Lucianne, the sensation from the thrust

    was physically agonizing but it was soon reced with more pleasure than pain. She wanted more. As

    her walls wrapped up her mate¡¯s shaft, she parted their lips and muttered, ¡°Darling, please move.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s worried expression turned into an ted one as he thrusted deeper into her before slowly

    pulling out and going back in again. With every entry, he inserted more of himself, paying close attention

    to Lucianne¡¯s reaction when he did it.

    Their eyes locked, and Lucianne gasped with every thrust, and moaned with every pull. Soon, his whole

    length was in her. Xandar increased his speed, and they were going faster and faster until Xandar

    himself started moaning with his mate. At her peak, Lucianne screamed, and her core locked Xandar

    deep inside her, making the King grunt in return as the pleasure from his orgasm engulfed his being

    while he emptied himself inside her.

    When his mate¡¯s core released him, Xandar slumped onto the bed by her side. But his eyes never left

    her. They both gazed at each other while taking in deep breaths as they reyed the beautiful

    experience. Xandar leaned into Lucianne, and after pecking a kiss on her lips, he uttered a blissful,

    ¡°Thank you, baby.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s ck orbs shone with happiness as she bit her bottom lip. Xandar¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in

    concern as his thumb reached out to smoothen her lip when he asked, ¡°What is it, Lucy?¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149

    Lucianne moved closer to Xandar, and with her doe-eyes, she asked in a shy whisper, ¡°Can we do it

    again?¡± 3

    The concem in Xandar¡¯s eyes vanished, reced by a flirtatious, cocky smirk. Just as he was about to

    turn Lucianne for her back to face the bed, she turned him instead. And her small bodyy on his as she

    kissed him deeply on his lips. His arms roamed her body, trailing down her small back and spending time

    squeezing her booty as she pecked kisses on his face, neck and his rising-and-falling chest.

    The area between her buttocks started teasing his hardened tool, moving up and down the erected

    length before she nuzzled his chin and moved to his lips. Xandar pecked a light kiss on her nose before

    he cupped her cheek and whispered, ¡°I want you, Lucy. I need you. Please.¡±

    Lucianne smiled and pecked a kiss on his cheek before pushing herself up. Her hand found his stiffened

    shaft before she ced it at her entrance with Xandar¡¯s help. When their eyes locked, he smirked and

    said, ¡°Drive me insane, my arousing flower.¡±

    Instantly, Lucianne lowered herself and took in his entire length as she closed her eyes to feel him in her.

    As she pulled herself up, Xandar¡¯s hands cupped her breasts, kneading and weighing them as he

    watched her gorgeous face, her mouth panting as she took in quick breaths with each thrust and pull. His

    own butt began moving, and Xandar thrusted himself into her as she pushed herself into him, making

    Lucianne moan even louder.

    In a very short amount of time, he started moaning louder than she was as she rode his d*ck. ¡°Oh, baby.

    You feel so good. Ohh¡­¡±

    His breathing quickened with their increasing speed, and they both knew he wasn¡¯t going tost much

    longer. Suddenly, Xandar¡¯s vision blurred and he let out a scream that would¡¯ve woken the entire building

    i f Lucianne hadn¡¯t trapped his mouth in hers. At the same time, her core sucked his tool in and held onto

    it like a vacuum, refusing to set it free. Xandar emptied himself inside her for the second time that

    morning as his hand clenched her perfect butt.

    Her body rested on his, and Xandar wrapped his arms around her as they took in another set of breaths,

    When Xandar had caught his breath, he pecked a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s hair before he whispered, ¡°Thank

    you, baby. You¡¯re amazing.¡±

    Lucianne lifted her head up and pecked a kiss on his lips before she whispered, ¡°Happy birthday, my

    love. I hope you liked your present.¡± 4

    Realization entered Xandar¡¯s eyes as he muttered to himself, ¡°Right, that¡¯s today.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s affectionate eyes narrowed in annoyance as she asked, ¡°Seriously, Xandar? You can¡¯t

    remember the one date the whole Kingdom is obligated to know?¡± 1

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    He smirked as he said, ¡°Well, in my defence, I have been rather preupied and¡­distractedtely.¡± His

    fingers started twirling her hair as he continued, ¡°My heart was stolen by this extraordinary creature, and

    i t took a lot of persuading to get her to believe that she¡¯s already had me wrapped around her adorable,

    little finger long before either of us knew.¡± He then traced down her arm before lifting her hand up to peck

    a kiss on her pinky finger.

    Despite her blushes, Lucianne said, ¡°You¡¯d better be careful, my King. Distractions can be quite

    detrimental.¡±

    ¡°Mm. Not this distraction, my Queen. She¡¯s the reason I want to be better. The most beautiful and

    amazing creature to ever exist, and the Moon Goddess bonded her to me. I don¡¯t know how I got this

    lucky.¡± His other hand left her bare back to cup her cheek. She leaned into his touch as Xandar muttered,

    ¡°If only she saw how amazing she is, what her very existence makes people do.¡±

    Lucianne was so touched that she was rendered speechless. With watery eyes, she kissed him on his

    lips before she uttered, ¡°Thank you, my love.¡±

    Xandar pressed his forehead gently against hers as he said, ¡°Thank you for letting me love you.¡± There

    was a cheeky glint in his eye when he added, ¡°And thank you for the birthday present, my arousing

    flower. But I do hope you won¡¯t make this indecent beast of yours wait another year to experience that

    magical high again.¡± 1

    Lucianne rested the side of her head on his hard chest as her index finger started drawing circles on his

    shoulder when she muttered, ¡°I was going to ask if you wanted to do it again but I wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d be

    too tired to¡±

    Xandar flipped her body over in mid-sentence. As he hovered over her, his cocky eyes bore into hers

    when he emitted the dangerous and alluring growl. ¡°You¡¯ve challenged this beast, my love. Now, it¡¯s

    going to make you scream.¡± 5

    They started their third round, paused and continued their forth with Lucianne on all fours and Xandar

    thrusting from behind her.

    When they were done, Xandar carried Lucianne to the bathroom, and they decided to use the bathtub

    this time. He ced her on the sink counter while he got the warm bath ready. After soaking in the tub

    and cleaning each other¡¯s bodies, Lucianne¡¯s soreness diminished enough for her to step out of the tub.

    After wrapping her up with a towel, Xandar didn¡¯t let her take more than two steps before he scooped her

    u p and brought her out of the bathroom. He ced her gently on the bed before walking to the cupboard

    to get the maroon blouse and ck skirt she asked for. Xandar helped her dress up. He then wore a grey

    shirt and a pair of jeans, and Lucianne stood from the mattress to help him with his belt.

    Xandar held onto her waist, worried that she may still be unstable from the soreness. Maybe calling for a

    meeting with the alliance that morning wasn¡¯t the best idea. He and his animal just wanted to spend the

    rest of the day in bed with their ravishing mate to relive that morning¡¯s experience. But being bonded to

    this over-responsible Queen, Xandar doubted that he could cancel the meeting that was just a few hours

    away.

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150

    Xandar and Lucianne reached Xandar¡¯s vi fifteen minutes before the others were bound to arrive to get

    Xandar¡¯s home office ready for the meeting. They pulled out a whiteboard on a roller stand from the

    small supply room in the office.

    After locking the rollers when the board was right in front of the round table where they were going to sit

    for the meeting, Lucianne uncapped a ck marker before starting to scribble points to note on the

    rogue situation. Xandar didn¡¯t even look at the board. His eyes twinkled with love and admiration for his

    remarkable mate as he leaned against the meeting table.

    ¡°HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CUZ!¡± Christian eximed as the Duke barged in with an excited smile with his

    Duchess.

    After exchanging hugs, Christian took out a long ck box with gold engravings and said, ¡°I brought

    something to celebrate with once we¡¯re done with working on your birthday.¡±

    ¡°Is that wine?¡± Toby asked as he strode in with the rest of the alliance members.

    Christian responded with pride, ¡°Sure is. It¡¯s from one of the most established winemakers in the

    Kingdom, and this is actually their oldest bottle. I thought it¡¯ll make the perfect birthday gift.¡±

    Toby smirked cheekily and nced at Lucianne before he said, ¡°As impressive as that sounds, your

    Grace. I¡¯m afraid the King already got the best birthday gift this moming, early this morning.¡± 4

    Everyone¡¯s eyes converged on the Gamma in confusion. Xandar was shocked but he soon had to look

    away with an apologetic smile as he caressed his mate¡¯s shoulders lovingly. Lucianne froze, and was

    tuming red

    Toby was still smirking when his voice cut through the silence, ¡°A friendly reminder, Lucy, my room is

    right next to yours.¡±

    The rest of them were starting to understand what he meant, and Lucianne¡¯s hands covered her face as

    she muttered, ¡°Oh, Goddess.¡±

    Toby wasn¡¯t finished. ¡°Yeah, our Goddess was probably the one who caused it with the mate-bond and

    all that, so I guess it¡¯s right to call on her now.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s hands fell from her very flustered face as she said in a soft, pleading voice, ¡°Let¡¯s just leave

    that there¡­and move on to why we¡¯re all here today.¡±

    The alliance was already chuckling and smirking teasingly at the King and Queen. Toby then continued,¡°

    For future reference, Lucy. Anytime of the day is fine so long as it¡¯s already daylight. Four in the morning

    i s a little insane.¡± 1

    ¡°FOUR?!¡± Christian eximed in shock as his widened eyes fixed on his cousin, who had already begun

    blushing as he rested his head on Lucianne¡¯s shoulder to take in her scent from her neck while his arms

    wrapped around her abdomen.

    Lucianne braved through the giggles from her friends and the ticklish sensation when her beast took in

    her scent as she said, ¡°Point taken, Toby. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I wasn¡¯t done. There¡¯s also¡­¡± 1

    Before he could finish, Lucianne threw the marker in her hand at her best friend, and he narrowly dodged

    i

    tas he startedughing with the others. He picked up the marker from the floor, and took a seat at the

    table before rolling the marker across the table in her direction as he said seriously. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you,

    Lucy, really

    Toby waited for Lucianne to let out a sigh of relief before he started teasing her again, ¡°But the King

    must¡¯ve been happier this morning since his moans were much lou- oh sh*t.¡± When Toby saw Lucianne

    reaching for the duster, his arms instinctively raised to shield his head. But when the duster didn¡¯te

    flying at his face, he peered up in confusion.

    Xandar had taken it away from Lucianne¡¯s hand right before she could throw it at Toby. The King then

    spun his Queen around by her arms to face him as he said in a hushed voice, ¡°No. Bad freesia.¡± After

    pecking a sweet kiss on Lucianne¡¯s nose, her embarrassment reduced as she pouted.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Toby lowered his arms, and he stretched out his body in his seat. He then rested his hands on the back

    of his head like he was rxing on a beach before he said, ¡°Ahh¡­Feels nice to be protected by the

    King.¡±

    Before anyone could react, Lucianne snatched the duster from Xandar¡¯s hand, and she threw it at the

    unaware Toby. Itnded on his left cheek to create a stain before bouncing onto the table, and Toby

    groaned while the people around himughed uncontrobly as they mmed the table at the scene

    they just witnessed. No dirt or dust got into his eyes since they were closed when the duster hit him. He

    stood from his seat and was met with Lucianne¡¯s arrogant smirk. 1

    With a disappointed look, Toby looked at Xandar and said, ¡°My King, you¡¯ve let us down. For a minute

    there I was starting to believe that you could control that five-feet dynamite of yours.¡±

    Christian was already chuckling, and whatever Toby said just made the Dukeugh even louder as he

    held onto a chair for support. Xandar pecked a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s cheek before he said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid

    control between us is rather one-sided, Gamma Tobias.¡±

    Toby narrowed his eyes and shook his head to mock a look of disapproval before he muttered, ¡°What a

    disappointment.¡± This sent another round ofughter in the room. The Gamma then added, ¡°And it¡¯s just

    Toby¡¯ from now on.¡± He gave the King a warm smile as he left the room to wash his face.

    Juan and Xandar locked eyes, and the Alpha smiled as he gave the King an affirming nod. Christian

    patted his cousin on the shoulder like he was congratting him before the Duke took his seat. The King

    smiled in bliss at the beautiful creature that he was still holding in his arms. He then pecked a kiss on her

    hair before letting her break free from his grip to continue scribbling on the board.

    When Toby returned, Lucianne had just finished scribbling. After her best friend was seated, they started

    with the first thing on the agenda: who is the leader of the rogue corporation?

    Juan got the ball rolling, ¡°Jake is definitely a candidate.¡°

    ¡°So is Greg.¡± Christian continued before adding, ¡°Maybe even Sebastian Cummings.¡±

    ¡°No, he isn¡¯t¡± Xandar and Lucianne said at the same time, and Lucianne blushed at the synchronicity of

    their response while Xandar reached for her hand on the table.

    Toby resisted the urge to tease them again as Xandar exined how Sebastian couldn¡¯t have been

    involved in any manner.

    Raden then said, ¡°This may be a long shot but did any of you recognise any Lycans in Forest Gloom the

    other day?¡±

    ¡°Sadly, no, Gamma Raden.¡± Xandar uttered

    Lucianne stared at the table as she reyed the events from that fight before she said, ¡°From how things

    yed out, they seem to have been acting on Jake¡¯smand.¡±

    Tate then spoke with furrowed eyebrows, ¡°The thing that bothers me is what they could¡¯ve possibly done

    t o shield themselves from the King¡¯s Authority.¡±

    Toby then looked at his friend and her mate as he asked in concern, ¡°Yeah, Alpha Clement mentioned

    that, too. What happened, exactly?¡±

    ¡°Cuz, what are they talking about?¡± Christian asked with obvious worry, an expression that Annie

    matched.

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151

    With Lucianne¡¯s check-up after the infertility poison, the false sexual harassment allegations and the

    need to fill up the ministrial positions, Xandar hadpletely forgot to tell Christian about how he

    couldn¡¯t emit the King¡¯s Authority back in Forest Gloom.

    Lucianne gave his hand a gentle squeeze to encourage him as he began, ¡°For some reason, when we

    stood face-to-face with the rogues the other night, I couldn¡¯t¡­channel the Authority onto them. It felt like

    there was a block.¡±

    Zeke then muttered, ¡°That means it¡¯s like if we try to use the Alpha Authority on non-pack members.

    There¡¯d be a block.¡±

    Christian asked in dismay, ¡°How is that even possible? The King¡¯s Authority works on all werewolves and

    Lycans,izens and rogues alike.¡±

    Lucianne uttered in a sudden whisper, ¡°Unless they have something that¡¯s neither found in a werewolf

    nor a Lycan.¡±

    Juan then asked, ¡°What do you mean, Lucy?¡±

    She looked at her brother as she thought aloud, ¡°Rogues definitely have ess to ck markets, which

    would undoubtedly have a lot of things taken from any and every species. What if Jake¡¯s shield is from

    another species like, I don¡¯t know, humans or vampires?¡±

    Raden showed a disgusted expression as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re saying Jake drank vampire blood?¡±

    Lucianne was the only one who chuckled before she said, ¡°No, Raden. It doesn¡¯t work that way. The

    King¡¯s Authority doesn¡¯t target our bloodstream to make us obey, it targets our nervous system ¨C our

    motor neurons, to be more precise.¡±

    ¡°English, please, Lucy. Peasant in the room here.¡± Tobyined as he waved his hand in the air.

    Lucianne then exined, ¡°Basically, it means that the Authority only affects the nerve cells controlling

    how we choose to respond to a given stimulus, like how we would choose to run away from a forest fire

    instead of towards it; or how we choose to ignore an insult, ept a praise, fight off threats.¡±

    Toby got to thinking. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is Jake got something to shield his nerve cells from

    responding to how our King wants them to respond?¡± Lucianne nodded ominously.

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°What could do that though?¡± Christian asked.

    Xandar offered a suggestion, ¡°Vampires are immune to the Authority. Maybe it¡¯s something from them.¡±

    ¡°Cuz, tell me you¡¯re not suggesting that they did a full nervous system operation to transfer a vampire¡¯s

    into a rogue¡¯s¡¯.¡± Christian¡¯s suggestion made many of them nauseate, including his own Duchess.

    Xandar looked at his mate as he asked, ¡°Is that possible, baby?¡±

    Lucianne pondered and shook her head slowly as she said, ¡°Not that I know of. But there really isn¡¯t a

    need for such a major operation if they yed simple.¡±

    The whole room was silent and she continued, ¡°All you need is to find the difference between the motor

    neuron of our species and the one found in vampires. The chemicalpositions between each will

    differ, and scientists just have toe up with a¡­drug to stimte the motor neurons of rogue wolves

    and Lycans to kind of¡­temporarily block the King¡¯s Authority.¡±

    ¡°Did you say ¡®temporarily¡¯?¡± Xandar eximed as he held her hand in both of his.

    Lucianne shrugged, ¡°Yeah, I mean, our nervous system is still a result of our DNA, and our DNA

    produces a biology that heeds to themand of the King¡¯s Authority. Seeing that Jake is still a wolf and

    not a vampire, he still has wolf genes. If he has wolf genes, then¡­¡± Lucianne cocked her head to one

    side as she thought to herself, ¡°Then it¡¯s kind of hard to see how he can shield himself permanently.¡±

    Toby slumped back into his seat and muttered, ¡°Thank Goddess.¡± Relief washed over everyone,

    especially Xandar, who needed the archaic power to keep his mate safe.

    Annie then asked, ¡°Lucy, if such a drug exists, why isn¡¯t it used more often? I mean, if they have that,

    rogues could¡¯ve overthrown the government when it was created.¡±

    ¡°That could be for a whole litany of reasons, Annie. The chemicals they need may be rare, hence

    expensive or hard to find. The suppliers may find it difficult to trust any buyer beyond their regrs for

    fear of new buyers being an undercover agent working for the government. You know, those kinds of

    things.¡±

    As the facts sank in, everyone looked at Lucianne in awe, and Xandar couldn¡¯t help but kiss her hand as

    h e asked in admiration, ¡°How did you even know those things, Lucy?¡±

    She shrugged like it was no big deal as she said, ¡°The ck market theory is just a wild guess from

    watching some documentaries, darling. The science? Just¡­books.¡±

    Juan scoffed and muttered, ¡°More like a library.¡± He knew about the number of books in his sister¡¯s room

    back in the pack house. When Juan asked his parents for a car on his seventeenth birthday, Lucianne

    asked for another bookshelf on her birthday.

    Christian then spoke in a much more cheerful voice as he concluded, ¡°So, it¡¯s safe to say that they can¡¯t

    shield themselves forever. They were preparedst time because they asked for a battle. We just have to

    catch them off guard, and we¡¯ll win.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes at the Duke as she said, ¡°You make it sound like hunting down and

    defeating an entire rogue corporation is going to be really easy, Christian.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being optimistic, my Queen. We just have to leverage the element of surprise. If we attack when they

    least expect, they won¡¯t be ready to defend themselves. We¡¯ll eliminate them like flies.¡±

    ¡°Slight problem.¡± Xandar pointed out before he borated, ¡°The locations that the rogue Lycan gave us

    were all a bust. Dalloway and his people could find nothing but deserted ruins and empty sites. We don¡¯t

    know where Wu Bi Corporation is at the moment.¡±

    Christian nodded and scratched his nape lightly as he said, ¡°Ah, yeah. That¡¯s definitely a¡­a small

    problem.¡±

    Juan then spoke, ¡°Lucy. Hale and I were thinking¡­¡± When all eyes were on him, including his sister¡¯s, he

    uttered, ¡°If you could somehow enter Jake¡¯s mind-link with any of his associates to locate him.¡±

    No one was as surprised as Lucianne was. She blinked before she asked, ¡°Wait, I can do that?¡±

    Juan groped for the right words before he asked doubtfully, ¡°Worth a shot, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Lucianne eximed, ¡°No! It is definitely NOT worth the shot! If I screw up and give myself away, they¡¯ll

    start another battle on another vulnerable pack as payback.¡±

    Juan said in a more rxed tone, ¡°You don¡¯t know that. Besides, he might not even feel your presence in

    the link if you stayed quiet.¡± This was news to Lucianne. ¡°Juan, are you saying you didn¡¯t know I crashed

    into the pack leaders¡¯ group linkst time?¡±

    ¡°Not until you growled at me.¡± Juan confirmed in confidence. Around the table, the other pack leaders

    nodded to affirm what Juan just said.

    ¡°Huh.¡± Lucianne uttered. She always thought, like any normal mind-link, her presence in the link she had

    no ties with would be known to the rest of its members as soon as she entered, before she said anything.

    Christian¡¯s eyes sparkled in excitement as he asked his cousin, ¡°The Queen can hack into mind-links and

    you didn¡¯t tell me?! Am I even still your favorite cousin, cuz? How could you forget to share something

    this cool!¡±

    Lucianne tried to ignore Xandar¡¯s fingers running down her hair as she thought for a moment and said,¡±

    I¡¯m not sure if I can do it to a person who I share no prior link to though. I mean, I could do it to you guys

    because I have a valid link with Juan, so I used him as a bridge to get to the group link¡­but how do I get

    to Jake?¡±

    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t need a bridge, my Queen.¡± Christian suggested with a smile, the smile that looked like

    he was onto something.

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152

    The Duke suggested, ¡°I¡¯ll mind-link Annie, and we¡¯ll see if you can find your way in.¡±

    Lucianne seemed ufortable when she asked the Duke and Duchess, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Annie scoffed as she said, ¡°Lucy, what¡¯s there to be unsure about? You¡¯ve only ever looked out for us.

    We¡¯ll give it a go if you want to.¡±

    Lucianne still felt it to be wrong as she took a breath and muttered a reluctant ¡®okay¡¯. Their eyes started

    to ze over, and Lucianne tried her best to enter their link. After a whole minute of failed attempts, she

    gave up. Everyone was a little disappointed but they couldn¡¯t me Lucianne for not being able to do it.

    She could already do more than every single one of them.

    ¡°I can¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t find a way in. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Lucianne said guiltily.

    Xandar stroked her hand as he said gently, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you can¡¯t find it in your heart to find a

    way in, Lucy.¡± Hisforting lc eyes peered into her sad, ck orbs as he exined, ¡°You told me

    that you feel this ability you have is invasive and wrong. And you told me that you¡¯ve only hacked into the

    pack leaders¡¯ group link twice. Both times, you had a dire need to stop Juan, to defend those he was

    yelling at.¡±

    After pecking an assuring kiss on her hand, he continued, ¡°Maybe you have to see a need to hack into

    the link between Christian and Annie, sweetheart. A dire need, where you feel like you need to do this to

    protect or defend someone.¡±

    Lucianne internalized her mate¡¯s words, and she felt like a mental block was removed from her mind.

    When she came up with a reason she hoped would be good enough, she turned to Christian and Annie

    and asked, ¡°Can we try it again?¡±

    They smiled and nodded, their eyes zed over again. Lucianne took another deep breath as she stared

    at the notepad in front of her and focused on her reason to hack. In less than ten seconds, her eyes

    zed over, and the alliance started to get excited as Toby wowed in awe and Zelena squealed in

    delight.

    Xandar smiled in pride as he watched his mate¡¯s zed-over eyes. ¡®Unbelievably amazing¡¯, he thought

    to himself.

    When the Duke and Duchess¡¯s eyes cleared, so did Lucianne¡¯s. She narrowed her eyes and smirked in

    Christian¡¯s way as she said, ¡°No, Christian. I cannot hackputers with my mind like how I¡¯m trying to

    hack mind-links.¡±

    The Dukeughed in response, as did some of the others. When theughter died down, Lucianne

    asked more seriously, ¡°Did either of you feel me when I entered?¡±

    Christian¡¯s smile faltered a little when he said, ¡°Unfortunately, we could, my Queen. Not that we knew it¡¯s

    you per se but we knew that there was someone in our link with us. The feeling is simr to being

    watched. You came in when I was talking about the wine, did you, my Queen?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyebrows raised in surprise as she said, ¡°No, I entered before that, when you and Annie were

    talking about how much to tip the delivery guy who¡¯sing in ten minutes with the surprise birthday

    cake that we agreed to split. And I¡¯m good with sixty dors. The guy is working on a holiday after all.¡±

    To say that the Duke was shocked would be an understatement. Xandar was the first to scoff andugh

    at his cousin¡¯s widened eyes and gawked mouth.

    Christian looked at Lucianne in annoyance andined, ¡°Seriously, my Queen? Couldn¡¯t you at least

    use a codeword for ¡®surprise birthday cake¡¯? The term was self-exnatory. It was meant to be a

    surprise!¡±

    All the wolves were already chuckling at the Duke¡¯s reaction. He was more annoyed with the spoiled

    surprise than he was impressed with her ability to hack mind-links without being detected in the early

    stages of his link with Annie.

    Lucianne tried to press back a smile as she said, ¡°Well, I really thought you didn¡¯t mind me being privy to

    that information since you and Annie kind of invited me in.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because we didn¡¯t feel you there at that time!¡± Christian defended, which even made Annieugh

    with the others. Lucianne couldn¡¯t help it anymore, and she burst outughing with everyone else with

    the Duke¡¯s demeanor that only showed upset betrayal.

    Christian¡¯s sights moved to his cousin, and he said in annoyance, ¡°Cuz, you¡¯ve gotta admit, this is getting

    out of hand. It was supposed to be a surprise!¡±

    Xandarughed a little more before he pecked a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s temple and looked deeply into her

    eyes as he dered, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Lucianne blushed as she uttered in a shy voice, ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡±

    Christian threw his hands in the air and muttered in mock irritation, ¡°And this love is going to be the death

    of all birthday surprises.¡±

    After another stream ofughter followed, they concluded that Lucianne could hack into links for a little

    while before being detected. The next question was: how long could she eavesdrop on a link before

    raising suspicions? To test this, they put Toby¡¯s n into action.

    Basically, they would watch Lucianne as she tried to hack into the link. The moment her eyes ze over,

    Toby will start the timer on his phone and only stop when either Christian or Annie tap on the table to

    indicate that they feel an external presence in their link.

    In the first round with Christian and Annie, Luciannested thirty-one seconds before Annie tapped on

    the table when she felt Lucianne¡¯s presence. In the second one with Zeke and Zelena, Luciannested

    thirty-five seconds. In the third one with Zeke and Raden, shested thirty-seven seconds.

    But in the fourth one between Zelena and Raden, shested only nine seconds before she left the link,

    and her hands supported her head with her elbows anchored on the table.

    ¡°Baby, are you okay?¡± Xandar asked in worry as he moved closer to her and started stroking her

    shoulders.

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Mm-mm.¡± She moaned in fatigue.

    ¡°She¡¯s exhausted. That¡¯s the downside of the gift.¡± Juan said in dismay as he strode to his sister¡¯s side.

    Xandar rubbedforting circles on her shoulders as he watched her helplessly. Only after three

    minutes was Lucianne able to open her eyes. Her head still felt heavy when she looked at Toby and

    asked, ¡°Round four was the worst, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Xandar sighed in relief when he heard her voice again. Toby then said, ¡°Cut yourself some ck, Lucy.

    You were just worn out.

    ¡°How are you feeling, sweetheart?¡± Xandar asked.

    ¡°A little nauseous and¡­dizzy.¡± Lucianne muttered.

    Xandar gave her his ss of water, and he helped her hold it as she took a few sips but she didn¡¯t feel

    any better.

    Christian¡¯s phone beeped, and he uttered softly, ¡°I¡¯m going to go get the cake.¡±

    After he left the room, Lucianne had to close her eyes again because the dizziness seemed to be

    worsening. Very carefully, Xandar lifted her off her chair and ced her on hisp, holding her body

    close to his chest like how he held her on his jet. As Lucianne felt his warmth and took in his scent, her

    dizziness subsided and the feelings of nausea dissipated. The mate-bond helped her recover from her

    fatigue quicker than if she did it on her own.

    Her eyelids lifted slowly and she was immediately met with her mate¡¯s worried lc orbs. Lucianne smiled

    as she reached for his cheek and uttered, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Are you feeling a little better, baby?¡± Xandar asked.

    Lucianne nodded and exined, ¡°The mate-bond helped me recover faster.¡±

    Xandar, Juan and everyone else felt their tension eased when they heard that. Christian came in just in

    time to witness Lucianne trying to get up, and the Duke said, ¡°Thank Goddess you¡¯re okay, my Queen, or

    this would¡¯ve been a sad surprise-spoiled birthday party. At least now it¡¯s just surprise-spoiled.¡±

    With her regained strength, Lucianne argued, ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. There¡¯s still mmph¡­¡± Juan¡¯s hand came

    quickly t o cover his sister¡¯s mouth before anything else came out of it. It was then Xandar noticed that

    more than half of the alliance members had disappeared, maybe about the time Christian left the room

    when Xandar was focusing on Lucianne in his arms. Even Annie wasn¡¯t there. 1

    When the wolves and the Duchess re-entered his office withrge containers of fragrant food, Xandar

    gaped in surprise. The wolves who stayed back in the office went forward to help them. It was clear that

    the alliance nned a surprise potluck lunch for Xandar¡¯s birthday.

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153

    The King was touched. Histe parents would throw an unnecessary birthday party where he had to

    mingle with people he didn¡¯t even want to meet, let alone speak to. And when he reached a marital age,

    his mother had the annoying habit of introducing him to every eligible and ¡®eptable¡¯ bachelorette at

    these parties.

    When his parents both passed, Xandar immediately did away with the parties, and celebrated it with

    Christian and Annie instead. Although it was a much smaller celebrationpared to what his parents

    did for him, he preferred spending the day with the people he loved and was close to as opposed to

    guests he had to constantly watch his tongue, attitude and temper around.

    Lucianne wanted to help the wolves set up the food but everyone just pushed her away, asking her to ¡®sit

    and wait while the rest of them did it. Frustrated, Lucianne muttered, ¡°Stupidrge-sized werewolves.¡±.

    Literally no one took that as an offence becausergeness in body size is actually apliment for a

    wolf and a Lycan. They simply smiled and chuckled like Lucianne wasn¡¯t fuming right next to them. Juan

    pressed back a smile at her remark and her reaction. Unless it wasbat or sneaking around, his

    sister¡¯s size had always been a disadvantage. Always.

    While Toby was arranging the paper tes, cups and stic cutlery, he decided to entertain his friend so

    h e said, ¡°We could do worse, Lucy. We could ask your mate to carry you and put you in your seat right

    there instead of letting you stand around us here.¡±

    ¡°Do NOT give him any ideas, Toby!¡± Lucianne¡¯s eyes burned into his.

    Xandar was helping out Luna Lovce with the punch and soft drinks on the side when he heard that.

    With a glint in his eye, he muttered, ¡°And that¡¯s my cue.¡± Before Lucianne had the chance to argue, he

    scooped her up and ced her into her seat, pushing the chair deep in to make it more difficult for her to

    get out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you the food, sweetheart.¡±

    ¡°Xandar, I can walk. I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m not a baby!¡± Lucianne whined.

    He pecked a kiss on her temple and uttered, ¡°Don¡¯t say that, my love. Everyone knows you¡¯re my baby.¡±

    Seeing that she went speechless and was starting to blush, Xandar smiled wider and pecked another

    kiss on her cheek before he whispered, ¡°Just let me, Lucy. Okay? I won¡¯t take long. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    After the food and chat, everyone cleaned up (they let Lucianne help this time), and the birthday cake

    and song followed. Xandar popped open the bottle of wine Christian brought, and poured it into

    everyone¡¯s sses.

    With a hand around his mate¡¯s waist, Xandar raised his ss to make a birthday toast that everyone was

    demanding from him. ¡°I was never big on birthdays, and I¡¯ve always found it ufortable despite my

    late parents¡¯ best intentions. I¡¯ve never looked forward to this day because it¡¯d be a night where I had to

    be around guests who were unfamiliar, superficial and downright boring.¡± This sent a round ofughter,

    especially from Christian, who remembered their mutual hate for the parties. 1

    ¡°I¡¯ve done away with those shallow events long ago, and I was fortunate enough to have my best friend

    and his mate apany me on this day for the past eighteen years.¡± He nodded gratefully in Christian

    and Annie¡¯s way, who nodded with wide grins and glistening eyes in response.

    He then continued, ¡°But this year has been extraordinary. I got the best gift exactly fourteen days ago,

    thanks to our Goddess.¡± Lucianne was already blushing and averting everyone¡¯s eyes as Xandar

    continued, ¡°Never have I had someone try to shut me out even before an introduction, so imagine what I

    felt when the first person who did it was my bonded mate.¡± Another found ofughter ensued, and Toby

    almost choked from his loud chuckles.

    ¡°Fortunately for this beast, she gave me a chance, and for that I am eternally grateful.¡± When their eyes

    met, Lucianne¡¯s ck orbs were already watering. He pecked a sweet kiss on her forehead before he

    faced the alliance, ¡°And along with her came the fiercest, strongest and noblest leaders and warriors,

    whom I only wished I met sooner. I would¡¯ve invited you all to those birthday parties Christian and I

    wanted to skip so badly. Some of you may have been just teenagers but I gather we would have had a

    better conversation than the ones I had to hold on those nights. At least in your presence, Christian and I

    might have actually had a good time¡­or we could allin in misery throughout the entire night

    about the other Lycans.¡±

    Next to him, Juan, who wasughing, even patted him on the shoulder at that remark. Xandar then said,

    more seriously, ¡°In your own ways, you¡¯ve all taught me so much aboutbat, rogues, and even

    leadership. A leader should always fight with its people, defending them at all costs. Having met all of

    you, and being bonded to this over-responsible mate of mine, I¡¯m determined to join you in any battles to

    come.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never said this but I do look up to each and every one of you, and I hope to have your guidance

    even after this coboration. After the corruption scandal among four of our ministers and an ethical

    problem o fone, if not more, the government needs help. I need help. Annie and Lucy are great additions

    but I¡¯m afraid we need more hands on deck. Capable hands, those which we can trust to lead with the

    best interest of the people at heart.¡±

    Lucianne, Christian and Annie were already waiting to see the wolves reaction with what Xandar was

    about to say next. With a gracious smile, the King announced, ¡°It would be an honour, if those of you

    named would help us on a temporary basis, and it¡¯d be even better if we can turn that help into a

    permanent one, with Gamma Tobias as our Defence Minister; Luna Lovce as Finance Minister; Alpha

    Tate as Deputy Finance Minister; and Luna Hale as Minister of Health and Welfare.¡±

    The shock looks of the werewolves in the room were absolutely precious! Lucianne held back her

    laughter as she got out her phone to take a photo of their stunned expressions before starting to chuckle

    hard. She then muttered to herself with a wide grin, ¡°This is going to make one great pack-to-pack

    Christmas card.¡±

    Toby was the first to recover when he said, ¡°As the new Defence Minister, my Queen, I must ask that you

    delete that photo for national security reasons.¡± 1

    ¡°Hah! Never!¡± Lucianne eximed.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    As his excited mate forwarded the picture to the alliance members and a few friends back in Blue

    Crescent, Xandar thrusted a hand in the Gamma¡¯s way as he nodded gratefully, ¡°Thank you, Toby.¡±

    Luna Lovce had a teasing smirk when she shook the King¡¯s hand next and uttered, ¡°About damn time,

    my King. Thank you. On behalf of my people, I thank you.¡±

    Luna Hale was so touched that her eyes glistened when she shook Xandar¡¯s hand, ¡°You have no idea

    what this means to us, your Highness. Thank you, from the very bottom of our hearts.¡±

    All eyes were on Tate now, who seemed hesitant. He nced at Lucianne, who was still busy on her

    phone, before the Alpha locked eyes with Xandar and asked doubtfully, ¡°Are you sure, your Highness?¡±

    Everyone knew what he meant, except for Lucianne, whose head snapped up from her phone in

    bewilderment when she heard what he said. Tate avoided looking at her as he waited for the King to

    respond

    Xandar¡¯s thumb was stroking Lucianne¡¯s waist as he said, ¡°If you wanted to do something, you would

    have done it by now.¡± He then thrusted out his free hand in Tate¡¯s way and said with a smile, ¡°I trust you.¡±

    Tate was surprised to hear that Xandar knew he wouldn¡¯t do anything to jeopardize the King¡¯s

    rtionship with Lucianne. Tate knew that Lucianne was happy with Xandar, and he already promised

    Juan that he wouldn¡¯t do something to tear them apart. With a grateful smile, Tate shook Xandar¡¯s hand

    and said, ¡°Thank you for the appointment, your Highness.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s only fitting for me to be thanking all of you for epting my offer on such a short notice. And

    it¡¯s just ¡®Xandar¡¯ from now on.¡± He said as he looked at each and every alliance member before adding,

    ¡°If w e could also do away with the bowing when we¡¯re not around the other ministers, that¡¯d be better.¡±

    Zelena ced the back of her hand over her forehead, and leaned into Zeke in a dramatic pose as she

    said, ¡°Ah, I feel like a royal.¡±

    Zeke was getting embarrassed with everyoneughing so he said, ¡°Zel, seriously. Stand straight, will

    ya?¡±

    After theughter died down, Xandar raised his ss and made a toast, ¡°Here¡¯s to a better future, where

    our species rule as one.¡±

    ¡°As one.¡± Everyone chimed with enthusiasm and drank from their sses.

    When that small party was over, everyone got back to work. The theory they have was that Jake and

    Greg could¡¯ve been business partners, and Greg surrendering evidence to Lucianne could be the result

    of a falling out between the Duke and the former Alpha. That was their best guess at the moment.

    They kept an open mind for a third yer in the game they might not know about yet but seeing that

    none of the clues and evidence they have could point them to this anonymous person, if there was one

    at all, they decided to move on to the next thing on the agenda: locating the corporation.

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154

    Toby was deep in thought before he suddenly looked up at Xandar and asked, ¡°Do you have a super

    large map, my K-. Scratch that. Xandar. Xandar, do you have a huge map with no sentimental value that

    we can scribble on?¡±

    Xandar rose from his seat and headed for his office storage room while uttering, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Let me

    have a look.¡±

    Christian got up as well and headed for the door while saying, ¡°I¡¯ll check your basement, cuz.¡± Upon

    hearing that, Tate, Zeke and Zelena followed the Duke to help him look.

    Xandar found one rolled up but it was very faded. Christian and the others came back with three. His

    cousin then helped Toby pin the best map on the flip side of the whiteboard.

    When the map was up, Lucianne caught up to where her best friend was going with things. Toby saw the

    knowing glint in her eye, and tossed her a marker with a smile and said, ¡°Give me a hand, Lucy. This will

    b e done faster. Hey, Raden! Heads-up!¡± Toby then threw another marker in Raden¡¯s way, and thetter

    caught it with ease before getting up from his seat to join his friends at the board.

    Toby then exined to everyone else, ¡°Basically, what we¡¯re going to do is cross out all the locations that

    the rogue Lycan gave the police. Since the task force found nothing but demolished sites, it is likely that

    the rogues would not return to those locations, at least not in the near future. Then, we¡¯ll analyse the

    remaining locations on the map. Having to keep such arge corporation alive, it would be somewhere

    with water supply for survival, good reception formunication but discreet enough to keep themselves

    off the radar.¡±

    ¡°Damn, they¡¯re good.¡± Christian muttered in awe.

    The three Gammas divided the map into three parts. One of their hands held the 70-page report, and the

    other held a marker. One by one, they crossed out the locations given by the rogue. After that, they stood

    aside and everyone studied the unmarked spaces.

    ¡°Time to narrow it down.¡± Raden muttered.

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    Lucianne began, ¡°This one has no rivers or any nearby water supply. It¡¯s out.¡± She marked a cross over

    the location.

    And that was how it went for the next few minutes. Everyone gave a reason for why they think a

    particr spot on the map would not be strategic to set up the rogue¡¯s headquarters. With more crosses

    on the map, their line of vision converged easily on the portions which were still spared from the markers.

    What they found was that those probable locations were not very far from numerous wolf packs.

    Tate spoke, ¡°We should ask the Alphas and Lunas of those packs to send trackers to scout those sites.¡±

    He then started memorizing the cleared sites on the map.

    Christian offered an alternative, ¡°Or we could share this with Dalloway and get his people on it.¡± 1

    ¡°That may not be wise, your Grace.¡± Toby said, and proceeded to exin what many wolves already

    understood, ¡°Lycans are very¡­noticeable, both in scent and presence. If you send the task force there, it

    may alert the rogues. It¡¯s worse because we now know that they have hackers, meaning that security

    communications in the police force can very well bepromised. Your very own instructions to them

    may be essible by the rogues themselves. It¡¯d be better if the wolves scouted these sites since

    requests and instructions are sent through mind-links, and I doubt they have someone like Lucy with

    them to hack

    into those.¡±

    Xandar asked in concern, ¡°Will the wolves be safe when they do it alone though?¡±

    Juan smiled in assurance as he said, ¡°They¡¯ll be fine, Xandar. We¡¯ll notify the leaders and trackers to

    keep a safe distance.¡±

    Xandar still seemed unsure. Lucianne went to his side to caress his right shoulder as she pecked a kiss

    on his cheek before she said, ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, darling. Our trackers are trained to be stealthy. They¡¯ll be fine.

    Let them do it.¡±

    Xandar managed a small smile before pecking a kiss on her nose and saying, ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡±

    He turned back to the leaders and asked, ¡°I gather that I cannot tell Dalloway about this?¡±

    Tate rified, ¡°Well, that¡¯s not exactly what we¡¯re saying, your H-. Xandar. Just try to tell him without

    calling or emailing him. Telling him face-to-face would be the ideal option but maybe don¡¯t do it in the

    police station. We don¡¯t know if that ce has been bugged.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Goddess.¡± Christian muttered in dismay as his fingers pressed the bridge of his nose.

    Xandar nodded, and held Lucianne close to his body, using their mate-bond to ease his tension as he

    said, ¡°Understood.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s hands were still massaging Xandar¡¯s shoulder as her eyes studied the map on the board.

    Suddenly, something caught her attention. ¡°They have a tendency to set up on inds, don¡¯t they?¡±

    Everyone started leaning closer to the map with furrowed brows, looking at the crossed-off locations as

    opposed to the ones which were unmarked. Although many crosses were made on mainds across

    continents, many more were made on inds.

    When Xandar pulled Lucianne down to sit on hisp and secured an arm around her abdomen to hold

    her there, he muttered, ¡°It appears so.¡±

    Lovce then said, ¡°Toby. Raden. Circle the remaining inds please.¡±

    After they did so, Zelena cocked her head to one side and said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s workable. Our allies should

    be able to report within the next two or three days.¡±

    Only ten inds were left so everyone could see that it wasn¡¯t long before they eliminated the likelihood

    o f the rogue corporation being located on an ind.

    Xandar then asked, ¡°Are the wolves able to scout those sites without getting caught?¡±

    Lucianne shrugged and said, ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Xandar asked, his grip around her tightening because he was not entirely convinced by what he

    was hearing. There was arge part of him that was worried about the trackers who were going to

    investigate on their own.

    Lucianne exined simply, ¡°Well, assuming that the corporation requires a regr supply of weapons,

    poisons, medical equipment and basic necessities, there will be people who will enter and leave the

    ind.¡±

    Toby built on her exnation, ¡°The wolves from nearby packs will keep a distance and watch if anyone

    makes trips to and from the ind. We have enough allies around these ces to have them watch both

    land and air.¡±

    ¡°Please get them to be careful.¡± Annie said, matching Xandar¡¯s and Christian¡¯s worried expressions.

    Toby smiled and spoke in a casual tone, ¡°Rx, your Grace. It¡¯s not the first time our species is doing

    spy work. It¡¯s like Lucy said, the wolves we¡¯re sending are trained to sneak around without getting

    caught. They¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    When that was settled, there was nothing more they could do. After Juan, Tate, Zeke and Lovce

    linked a few allies, requesting them to scout the inds they just narrowed down, Lucianne insisted on

    practicing her hacking abilities again, much to Xandar¡¯s dismay.

    They worked differently this time. Juan and Xandar got Lucianne to agree that she would take a break

    between each hack. Lucianne admitted that she felt a little drained after each try, so Toby was to time

    how long she needed to fully recover before executing the next hack.

    After a few tries, it was found that she needed a fifteen-minute break between hacks to avoid

    experiencing any adverse side-effects. At her best, she couldst anywhere between a minute to a

    minute and a half before being caught. Many of them suggested that she may be able tost longer if

    she kept practising. But there came a point when Xandar said that she should stop for the day.

    As everyone was chatting about Sasha¡¯s escape, Greg¡¯s disappearance and Livia¡¯s connection to the

    two, Lucianne, without anyone¡¯s knowledge, tried to subtly hack into Jake¡¯s link. Her efforts proved to be

    futile in her first two attempts but when she tried a third time, she instinctively held her breath as she

    listened t o what was being said.

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155

    Jake was linking someone, When will it arrive?¡¯

    meo

    ¡®In a week or so.¡¯ A woman¡¯s voice linked in response.

    ¡®And if I need it earlier? What¡¯s the price?¡¯

    That¡¯s not possible. You know how long it takes to synthesize Oleander.¡¯

    ¡®Can¡¯t you speed up the process?!¡¯

    We could. But the quality would be sub-par. Would you ept a product of inferior quality?¡¯

    Jake groaned. ¡®Fine. And the other one? The shell?

    The ingredients for that are harder to collect. It will take more time. We need a month, at least. You¡¯ve

    run out of that already?¡¯

    ¡®No. But supply is running low.¡¯

    What did you do? Ingest it just for fun?¡¯

    Lucianne was brought out of the link by Xandar shaking her shoulders and calling out her name. The

    room was silent. Xandar¡¯s eyes were partially onyx, worried and angered, as he asked in a low voice,¡±

    What were you doing, Lucy?¡± 1

    Lucianne swallowed a lump in her throat, and said in a small voice, ¡°I may have¡­hacked into Jake¡¯s link

    with his supplier.¡±

    ¡°COOL!¡± Christian eximed.

    Xandar nced briefly at his cousin and said, ¡°Christian, don¡¯t encourage this.¡± He turned back to his

    mate and spoke as gently as he could, ¡°Sweetheart, we agreed that we were done for the day.¡±

    With her doe-eyes, she justified meekly, ¡°It was kind of tempting to do. I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±

    Xandar sighed in frustration before pecking a kiss between her eyebrows and saying, ¡°Promise me, Lucy.

    Promise me you won¡¯t do that again for the rest of today.¡±

    ¡°But why? I can help!¡± Lucianne said.

    Xandar¡¯s thumb traced her slightly pale cheeks and chapped lips. Even with her breaks between

    hacking, i t was conspicuous that it was taking a toll on her energy.

    The King thought hard about what to tell his stubbom Queen before he uttered, ¡°You should rest because

    you can hack longer after you¡¯ve given yourself a longer break.¡± He knew that asking her to rest for her

    own sake would never convince her to listen, so he gave this reason instead.

    Lucianne blinked and muttered, ¡°Huh. That¡¯s actually true.¡±

    Xandar and his animal were intemally relieved that Lucianne didn¡¯t argue. ¡°Promise me, sweetheart. No

    more for today, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Lucianne responded in an affectionate whisper before pecking a kiss on his nose.

    She then told everyone about what she learned. Although no location was mentioned for them to pinpoint

    where Jake or his supplier was at the moment, whatever she gathered from eavesdropping was enough

    to

    worry everyone present

    ¡°So, they call the King¡¯s Authority shield a ¡®shell¡¯.¡± Raden thought aloud.

    Lucianne immediately rified. That¡¯s just what I think, Ray. They didn¡¯t say it was the shield from the

    Authority so

    ¡°We doubt it¡¯s anything else, Lucy.¡± Tate cut her off like he always did whenever she doubted her good

    guesses.

    Juan muttered, ¡®Jake asked his supplier to speed up, meaning the next attack is just around the corner.¡±

    H e looked at his Gamma and asked, ¡°A week or so for the Oleander, was it?¡± Lucianne nodded in

    confirmation

    She then added, ¡°Also, Juan, we shouldn¡¯t think that they have zero amount of Oleander left in their

    hideout. It¡¯s more likely that whatever they have left is not enough to execute whatever their client has

    asked them to do. As for the shell..I don¡¯t know if whatever they have will be enough for them to survive

    another battle.¡±

    Then our next step is simple.¡± Zeke said, and everyone turned their attention to him. As he held onto his

    Luna¡¯s hand, he dered with a ferocious glint in his eye, ¡°We need to find them and destroy them

    before next week, before they get the Oleander and the shell.¡±

    There were firm nods of agreement around the room, and everyone stared at the map on the board one

    more time before calling it a day.

    ###

    After seeing them off, Xandar kissed Lucianne¡¯s hands before he asked with starry eyes, ¡°Let me show

    you something.¡±

    When she smiled and nodded gently, he led her to the part of the house where the contractor had just

    completed the renovation the evening before. When they were in the hallway leading to the room,

    Xandar covered her eyes with one hand and guided her by her waist with his other hand. When they

    reached the door, he dropped his hand and Lucianne¡¯s closed eyes fluttered open.

    Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open in shock when she read the sign next to the closed door

    that said ¡®Lucianne¡¯s Reading Wondend¡¯ with a painted border of freesias. As Xandar held her small

    hand, h e twisted open the door knob and gently pushed the door open to reveal arge space.

    Lucianne gasped as she looked around the double-storey room with golden oak walls and a floor-to

    ceiling window right in the middle, with threeyered curtains pushed to the sides. The grey sofas formed

    a circle in the middle, and the colored cushions made the sitting areaforting and weing. Around

    the sofas were empty bookshelves made of acacia wood.

    On both the far left and right ends, there were spiral staircases leading to even more empty bookshelves

    resembling those below. The wall and floormps gave the ce a soft feeling, but most of the work of

    lighting up therge room was actually done by the flush lights mounted directly against the ceiling in

    half-spheres.

    ¡°What do you think, baby?¡± Xandar asked. He actually looked nervous.

    Lucianne opened her mouth and was groping for the right words. The only thing that came out was, ¡°

    How? When?¡±

    Xandar took her hands and said, ¡°About a week ago. I got someone to fix this up. Is it okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay?! Are you insane, Xandar?! Look at this ce! I never thought a reading wondend could look

    this amazing!¡± Lucianne¡¯s eyes started scanning the room again in excitement.

    Xandar sighed with relief, and pecked a kiss on her temple before he uttered, ¡°I¡¯m d you like it, Lucy.¡±

    She kissed him on his cheek and said, ¡°Thank you, Xandar. You really didn¡¯t have to¡­¡±

    He silenced her with a kiss before whispering a reminder, ¡°Know this, my love: if it makes you happy, I¡¯ll d

    o it.¡±

    With glistening eyes, she smiled and uttered, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    As they walked around the room to look at the space in more detail, Xandar mentioned that the work

    started when he moved into her hotel room.

    Lucianne¡¯s cheeky switch turned on. ¡°Ah, so you just needed a ce to stay to be rid of all the noise and

    dust from the renovation. And to think you wanted to share a room together because I was something

    special to you. Gosh, this is quite embarrassing, your Highness.¡±

    Xandar smiled broadly as he continued their act from the refreshments table in the earlier stages of their

    rtionship. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± he pulled her waist closer to himself as he said, ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve misled you.¡±

    ¡°That, you did.¡±

    After tucking her hair behind her ear and stroking her cheek, he leaned in and whispered into her ear,¡°

    Maybe you should consider punishing me, my love. What will you have me do?¡±

    Like thest two times they did this, his arousal started filling the room, and he took a deep breath from

    Lucianne¡¯s neck, where she had already tilted her head to one side to offer him more ess. His hands

    moved from her waist to her bum, and she emitted the cute moan. At her neck, Xandar smirked as he

    asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my dear? Still embarrassed?¡±

    With reasonable difficulty, Lucianne tried to stay focused as she said in a much softer voice,¡±

    Embarrassed? Oh, please, your Highness. I was just thinking about your punishment.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s lips grazed her corbone as he asked, ¡°Mm¡­is that so?¡± He then nted a slow, deep kiss on

    her neck, making her moan the sexy way before he added, ¡°And what have you decided, my Queen?¡±

    Her arousal was rivaling his. And when Xandar felt his mate¡¯s lips at his ear, she whispered, ¡°Make me

    scream, my King.¡±

    His Lycan howled in his head, and Xandar lifted up her small body with ease before dashing to his

    bedroom that was just on the opposite side of the hallway. After kicking the door shut, he ced her on

    the middle of hisrge bed, where they continued rounds five and six, moaning and screaming much

    louder than they did at the hotel in the morning since they were the only two in the house, and the

    bedroom walls were soundproof.

    When they were done, Lucianney naked on Xandar¡¯s hard chest as he ran his fingers through her hair

    and stroked her bare arm, pecking kisses on her forehead every once in a while. ¡°Thank you, Moon

    Goddess¡¯, he thought in gratitude.

    Buzz

    Xandar¡¯s phone vibrated, so he reluctantly stopped stroking his mate¡¯s smooth arm and reached for his

    device on the nightstand. It was a message from Dalloway. The techpany confirmed that the

    evidence Greg sent to Lucianne had not been tampered with, thus the information was reliable evidence

    o prove the ministers¡¯ guilt.

    Lucianne noticed that her mate had stopped ying with her hair, and his arm went protectively around

    her body so she asked, ¡°Darling, what is it?¡±

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    His blissful lc eyes met her shiny ck orbs, and he said, ¡°Looks like we¡¯re skipping training and the

    rest of the events tomorrow, sweetheart. The evidence against Cummings and the others have been

    authenticated. The trial is scheduled to start tomorrow. They¡¯ll start with witness testimonies so it would b

    e nice to see how those four parasites are going to argue their way out of the charges against them.¡±

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s good news.¡± She said andy back down on his chest as he stroked her bare back.

    After a moment, Xandar pecked a kiss on her forehead before he said, ¡°We should head back, baby. It¡¯s

    gettingte.¡±

    ¡°Already?¡± Lucianne asked sadly.

    Xandar then hinted in his alluring voice, ¡°Unless you have something else in mind?¡± His hand trailed the

    side of her body, teasing her breast when his fingers grazed the area before moving further down to

    squeeze her butt.

    She moaned and whimpered, and it didn¡¯t help that Xandar¡¯s erection was teasing her bum. He then

    asked with a cocky smirk, ¡°Is there anything in particr that you want, my love?¡±

    Breathlessly, she muttered, ¡°You.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡± As soon as he said that, he flipped them over and started round seven for the

    day. Only after that did they head back to the hotel, soaking in the bathtub together while waiting for their

    dinner from room service. 1

    The next morning, they dressed up and met Christian and Annie in the High Court trying the corruption

    case against the four ministers.

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156

    Before the High Court building, journalists and reporters from every news corporation gathered at the

    court entrance with their cameras and recorders in hand.

    A woman in a blue and ck pantsuit, along with a pale blue beret tested the microphone pinned to her

    ck coat before she looked into her colleague¡¯s cameras. At the end of their countdown signal, she

    smiled and began speaking, ¡°Good moming from all of us at the Latest News Network. I am Tasha

    Louise, here to report on the corruption charges against four long-serving ministers of the Kingdom. This

    concems the Minister of Defense, Alfred Cummings; the Deputy Minister of Defense, Pierre Whiw; the

    Minister of Finance, Marie Martin; and the Deputy Minister of Finance, Patrick Dupont.¡±

    ¡°Last Tuesday, exactly six days ago, the police arrested the ministers for alleged corruption. The hearing

    held just two days ago confirmed that a trial was necessary to determine whether the ministers are guilty

    of the crimes alleged. Theirwyers have previously argued that certain evidence relied upon by the

    prosecution was unreliable. Today, we shall see if that proves to be true.¡±

    The trial will start with the prosecution opening its case, and will move on to the presentation of evidence

    in efforts to prove the charges against the used. Witnesses will be summoned, and they will b e

    examined, cross-examined and re-examined in order for the esteemed Judge Cook to ascertain whether

    the ministers are innocent or guilty. More on that when the court is in session. Once again, I am Tasha

    Louise. Thank you for joining us on the LNN.¡± 3

    The other reporters made simr reports with their camera person before making their way to the

    courtroom where the case was scheduled to be tried. The journalists, reporters and camera crew

    mingled among themselves.

    But the noisy room immediately turned into dead silence when the guards opened the doors to

    announce,¡± Their Royal Highnesses, and the Duke and Duchess.¡±

    Everyone stood upright before lowering themselves into a bow. None of them dared take pictures without

    permission after what happenedst time outside Dr Yeil¡¯s medical centre. They didn¡¯t want to be

    suspended or fired for angering the royal family. After the royal family bowed in return, everyone stood,

    and the clicking of shoes was the only sound in the courtroom as the four of them made their way to the

    front row.

    Every representative from news corporations started taking their seats as well. Judge Cook entered, and

    everyone stood, including the royals, before they sat back down upon the judge¡¯s affirmative nod. The

    judge peered through his thick, round sses as he called upon the prosecution to open its case.

    The beginning was just a repetition of facts. Who the used persons were, their jobs, and the charges

    against them. After that, the real action began when the prosecutor said, ¡°My Lord, the prosecution calls

    upon the first witness, Alfred Cummings.¡°

    ¡°Proceed.¡± The judge nodded the bailiff¡¯s way. The bailiff then brought the minister to the stand, where he

    took an oath to speak the truth, only the truth, and nothing but the truth. Those who were used to seeing

    Cummings noticed that he had lost considerable weight, and the bags under his eyes showed how

    exhausted he was.

    Cummings¡¯s eyes somehow found their way to Lucianne, and he scowled without thinking. Xandar¡¯s arm

    went protectively around his mate¡¯s shoulder as he threw Cummings a death re,pelling him to

    look the other way.

    The prosecutor then began her line of questioning, ¡°Mr Cummings, in your significantly long tenure as

    the Kingdom¡¯s Minister of Defence, have you ever had an issue with money?¡±

    Cummings looked at her with hateful eyes as he spat, ¡°Since you know that my tenure is long, you

    should know that I have enough to live a reasonably good life.¡±

    ¡°Reasonably good¡¯, Mr Cummings? Let¡¯s see.¡± She lifted up a sheet of paper and said, ¡°In the course of

    your lifetime, you¡¯ve managed to own seven apartments, five mansions, two limousines, five sports cars,

    twenty holiday homes and an art collection that was worth two million dors when you acquired them,

    and is now worth five million.¡±

    Despite the surprising gasps in the room, Cummings merely responded, ¡°Perks of serving the people.¡±

    ¡°How do you serve the people?¡±

    ¡°I am the Minister of Defense, as you¡¯ve told me so yourself.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve calcted your sry, Mr Cummings, and I can tell you that, even if you had spent every penny

    acquiring those properties, you¡¯d still have to take a loan in the millions to own what you have. We¡¯ve

    checked with your bankers. You have no outstanding loans.¡±

    The prosecutor then lifted up a sheet of paper and showed it to him before she said, ¡°This is how you¡¯ve

    been keeping your reasonably good life¡¯, isn¡¯t it, Mr Cummings? You¡¯ve been siphoning money from the

    government.¡±

    The journalists and reporters gasped in shock and murmurs soon filled the room. Judge Cook yelled,¡±

    Silence!¡±

    The prosecutor proceeded, ¡°Mr Cummings, have you or have you not been making illegal transactions of

    money from the government.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then, how do you exin this?¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    ¡°I was forced to do it.¡±

    ¡°By whom?¡±

    ¡°The Duke, Greg w.¡±

    ¡°ording to the audits before your eyes, it says you¡¯ve transferred a percentage to thepany, Wu Bi

    Corporation. So, in effect, you were not transferring money to Greg w. Why would he coerce you

    when h e has nothing to gain?¡±

    Cummings snorted darkly and said, ¡°ording to this, Greg w receivedmissions from Wu Bi

    Corp, and you¡¯re saying he has nothing to gain from forcing me to take the funds?¡±

    ¡°The Duke¡¯smission amounts to less than fifteen percent of what you have taken from the

    government, Mr Cummings. It doesn¡¯t make sense for the Duke to coerce you to take more and for him

    to take less, significantly less.¡±

    Cummings was controlling his anger as he spat, ¡°How do you know he¡¯s not running Wu Bi Corporation?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t. Do you have any evidence saying that the Duke is the owner, Mr Cummings?¡±

    Cummings averted his eyes, until Judge Cook prompted him to answer, so he muttered in

    dissatisfaction,¡± No. But he did coerce me to do what I did.¡±

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is the Duke forced you to siphon money from the government, and in doing so,

    he forced you to live your ¡®reasonably good life¡¯?¡±

    Christian was pressing back a smile but Xandar was still enraged. Lucianne had to constantly stroke his

    hand to make sure he didn¡¯t explode.

    After a moment of silence, the judge prompted, ¡°Answer the question, Mr Cummings.¡±

    ¡°The Duke forced me to take the money, and I was paid a small portion to shut up.¡±

    ¡°A small portion that ¡®forced¡¯ you to buy up quite a lot of valuables, I can see. Did the Duke force you to

    acquire the apartments, holiday homes, cars and art collection?¡±

    The defencewyer, Mr rk, shot up from his seat and shouted, ¡°Objection, my Lord! Irrelevance!¡±

    The prosecutor calmly exined to the judge, ¡°My Lord, my line of questioning is necessary to determine

    whether the coercion that Mr Cummings purports to be made by the Duke has reached the legal

    standards required by thew. How would we know if the used was coerced beyond his free will to

    channel funds illegally unless we assessed the full circumstances surrounding the purported coercion?¡±

    Mr rk argued, ¡°That question goes beyond the circumstances. It is irrelevant to the charges. My client

    should not have to answer it.¡±

    Judge Cook waved his hand at the defence counsel and uttered, ¡°The corruption concerns money

    alleged t o be obtained illegally from the goverment. This money could have been used by the recipient

    in any way he deems fit. Any properties, real or personal, which may be acquired by mary means

    must be assessed for they fall well within the ambit of the circumstances. Objection dismissed, Mr rk.

    Mr Cummings is obliged to answer the question.¡±

    Cummings gritted his teeth, and threw a sharp re at his uselesswyer for failing to object to such a

    simple question.

    The prosecutor proceeded, ¡°Mr Cummings, I shall repeat my question, Did the Duke, Greg w, coerce

    yout o acquire the properties I¡¯ve listed, which you did not deny owning at the beginning of my

    questioning?¡±

    When silence ensued, the prosecutor went on to say, ¡°Let me remind you, Mr Cummings, lying in the

    court ofw amounts to an offence of perjury.¡±

    In a low voice, Cummings muttered, ¡°The properties were not acquired with my money.¡±

    ¡°Then, how did these properties end up being in your name?¡± She pressed mercilessly.

    ¡°It was a series of gifts from the good earnings of my son.¡±

    ¡°Your son, Sebastian Cummings?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And the money you were purportedly forced to take, where is it now?¡±

    ¡°I transferred it to the Head of the National Audit Department, Helena Tanner.¡±

    ¡°Your audits show a different transaction, Mr Cummings. What we have here shows that government

    funds had been transferred to twenty different bank ounts before being transferred to five ounts,

    one of it being yours. Our data has been authenticated so what exnation do you have for this?¡±

    ¡°The people you are looking for are Greg w and Helena Tanner, and whoever is running Wu Bi

    Corporation. I am not part of this.¡±

    Xandar had to press Lucianne closer to his body and breathe in and out through her hair when he heard

    that, just to stop his animal from surfacing.

    ¡°Mr Cummings, let¡¯s do this simply. Do you admit that government funds have been channeled into your

    personal bank ount?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because I was fo¡ª¡±

    ¡°And do yo-¡±

    ¡°Objection, my Lord! My client had notpleted his answer to the prosecution¡¯s question.¡±

    Judge Cook held, ¡°Sustained. Mr Cummings, you may proceed with your answer.¡±

    ¡°I was forced to take the money because the Duke threatened to harm my family if I didn¡¯tply with

    his wishes. It felt wrong to siphon money that way, so I had it transferred to Helena Tanner, asking her to

    find a way to return it to the government.¡±

    ¡°Do you also admit that you had knowledge of this transfer?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but as I¨C¡±

    ¡°And, do you admit¡±

    ¡°Objection!¡±

    ¡°Sustained.¡±

    Cummings smirked cockily at the prosecutor and said, ¡°I had knowledge but as I said, I had no choice.¡±

    ¡°You argue that the data I have in my hands are inauthentic?¡±

    ¡°Yes, very much so.¡±

    ¡°You im that your son funded the acquisition of your assets?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± With a glint in her eye, the prosecutor faced the judge and said, ¡°My Lord, in light of this, the

    prosecution urges the court to subpoena Sebastian Cummings.¡±

    The judge nodded and uttered, ¡°Granted.¡±

    Cummings seemed happy about it but hiswyer didn¡¯t share this tion. Lucianne noticed this, and

    wondered if thewyer felt that Cummings was taking a bad risk.

    Judge Cook ordered a recess to secure Sebastian¡¯s attendance, and as soon as he left, Xandar noticed

    Chief Dalloway on the other side of the courtroom. He thought this would be a good opportunity to tell

    him about the wolves scouting the inds to locate Wu Bi Corp.

    Before Xandar got up from his seat, Lucianne pecked a kiss on his cheek as she whispered,

    ¡°Washroom.¡± And she got up.

    Lucianne only took one step before Xandar stood and spun her around by her waist to face him, kissing

    her deeply between her eyebrows before his gaze prated into her eyes as he muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for

    you in the front row. Don¡¯t take too long.¡±

    Lucianne had a shy smile as she averted her eyes and shook her head, recalling the first time he said

    those words to her, which was the second day of their meeting. Xandar¡¯s thumb traced her blushed

    cheeks, prompting an answer. She chuckled lightly before repeating the same response she gave him

    thest time, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Xandar approached Dalloway after Lucianne had left the room, and ushered him to a quieter for

    them to speak discreetly between themselves. After Lucianne exited the stall and checked her

    appearance in the mirror, she left the washroom and was walking back to the courtroom when she heard

    someone calling out, ¡°PWETTY LUCY!¡±

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157

    Lucianne tumed and found a little Evie in a light green dress running towards her with opened arms.

    Lucianne didn¡¯t have to think before bending down to scoop the little girl up.

    ¡°Hello, Evie. Where¡¯s your mommy?¡± Lucianne asked with a smile.

    Evie looked behind her and pointed, and Lucianne saw a frantic mother running in her way. Lucianne

    then looked at Evie and asked, ¡°Evie, did you tell your mommy where you were running to?¡±

    ¡°Mommy knows.¡± Evie said with no worries or remorse.

    Lucianne pecked a light kiss on the little girl¡¯s forehead before she said, ¡°Evie, next time, drag mommy

    along, okay? You don¡¯t want to worry her, and you don¡¯t want to be taken by bad guys, do you?¡±

    ¡°Bad guys?¡± Evie¡¯s eyes grew wide with horror.

    Lucianne¡¯s soft but serious gaze peered into the little girl¡¯s lc orbs as she whispered, ¡°Your mommy

    and Lucy can protect you from bad guys, Evie. So, you need to have one of us with you when you¡¯re

    running next time, okay?¡±

    ¡°Mm-kay.¡± Evie muttered as her little ams opened up to ask for a hug. When Lucianne held the girl closet

    o her chest with Evie¡¯s small arms circling her neck, her mother came panting, ¡°I am so sorry, your

    Highness. Sh¡ª¡±

    Lucianne spoke in her normal voice then, ¡°Ma¡¯am, this really isn¡¯t an issue. Evie is a sweet girl.¡±

    ¡°She ran, and I couldn¡¯t stop her.¡± The mother was still guilty.

    Lucianne pulled Evie gently out from her embrace before looking at the girl with a smile and said, ¡°Who

    knows? This one might be an aplished artist and an athlete.¡±

    The mother was shocked at thepliment. She took a moment topose herself before a smile

    graced her features as she said, ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you to say, my Queen. Thank you.¡±

    After putting Evie down, her mother exined that she was in court to pay off a parking ticket. After

    waving goodbye to a sad Evie, Lucianne watched the mother-daughter pair leave.

    The future Queen was oblivious to the amount of attention she gamered with the way she interacted with

    Evie. The scene eased the tension of everywyer and client who watched the exchange. There was

    something about Lucianne that could turn one¡¯s mood around.

    ¡°Wow, I never knew you were this good with kids.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s body stiffened at the familiar voice. How did he get here so soon? Wasn¡¯t he just

    subpoenaed?

    Sheposed herself, and turned to face Sebastian with a forced smile as she greeted him, ¡°Mr

    Cummings, I can see the subpoena was executed quicker than one can expect.¡±

    Her change of tone and demeanor got the people around her alert and defensive as well. Who was this

    man? Why was the Queen so cold to him?

    Sebastian adjusted his light blue tie nervously before he exined, ¡°Dad mentioned they might ask me

    to testify, so I just stuck around here.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, good luck then.¡± Lucianne said curtly, and was about to leave when Sebastian¡¯s voice

    stopped her, ¡°Lucy, I won¡¯t testify against thew. I hope you know that.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes were stern when they bore into his as she said, ¡°No one should testify against thew,

    MI Cummings. Everyone knows that.¡±

    Sebastian had a pained smile when he responded, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡±

    Lucianne was looking for an escape route so she said, ¡°You need to be with the bailiff for the witness

    briefing, and I have to return to the courtroom. We should part here, Mr Cummings.¡±

    In a whisper, he spoke in dismay, ¡°It¡¯s just ¡®Seb¡¯, Lucy.¡±

    Lucianne was getting agitated before arge hand from behind rested on her abdomen and moved to her

    waist. She registered the sparks and her mate¡¯s scent, allowing her to sigh with relief.

    Xandar scowled at Sebastian and asked in a homicidal tone, ¡°What did you just call my mate?¡±

    Sebastian¡¯s eyes glistened when he saw Lucianne melting in relief with Xandar but was so cold and

    distant with him. He cleared his throat before uttering, ¡°A mistaken slip of the tongue, my King. I

    apologize. I should head for the bailiff¡¯s office now.¡±

    Xandar wamed, ¡°If that ¡®slip of the tongue¡¯ happens again, Cummings, your career would be the next

    thing you want to worry about after your father.¡±

    Sebastian¡¯s fists clenched to cope with the feelings of powerlessness, and he stole one more glimpse of

    Lucianne before turning to leave. When he was out of sight, Lucianne stood on her toes and kissed

    Xandar on his chin before she whispered, ¡°Thank you, my love.¡±

    The King¡¯s hard face softened in an instant when he asked in concem, ¡°You okay, baby?¡±

    She nodded, then added with a smirk, ¡°Perfect timing, my King. How did you do it?¡±

    He matched her smirk as he replied, ¡°Well, I told my Queen to not be gone for too long, and she left me

    alone for what felt like hours.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes, and they walked back to the courtroom together. Judge Cook entered and the

    trial resumed, calling Sebastian to the stand.

    The prosecutor started the examination by asking, ¡°Mr Cummings, what do you do for a living?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the CEO of Shop For All.¡±

    ¡°The online retailpany?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How much do you eam?¡±

    ¡°It varies between half a billion to a billion dors a year.¡± Some journalists were so shocked that their

    note-taking paused momentarily, others almost dropped their pens.

    ¡°Have you used that money to acquire properties for your father?¡±

    ¡°No, never.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Mr Cummings? Not one? A house, a mansion, a holiday home, artwork or profitable

    shares o f any kind?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Sebastian responded without hesitation,

    ¡°And did you know about these properties that are under your father¡¯s name?¡± She ced a sheet of

    paper

    containing the list of properties owned by Alfred Cummings in front of Sebastian.

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    Sebastian skimmed through it before he said, ¡°I know about them. But I didn¡¯t buy any of them.¡±

    ¡°Who bought them then?¡±

    ¡°Himself, I presume. It couldn¡¯t have been myte mother. She didn¡¯t earn as much as him. I don¡¯t recall

    hearing about her chipping in either.¡±

    ¡°Your sister, did she chip in?¡±

    ¡°Impossible. She never had a job and doesn¡¯t have a habit of saving up to afford anything on her own, let

    alone buy something like this for our father.¡±

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re suggesting is that your father¡¯s properties were acquired by himself, with his own

    money.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that would be the only usible way.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr Cummings.¡± The prosecutor was very satisfied with the smooth examination.

    The judge then called upon Mr rk to cross-examine Sebastian, so he stood, buttoned-up his zer

    and began, ¡°Mr Cummings, would you say that you share a good rtionship with your father.¡±

    Sebastian stiffened visibly at the question.

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158

    Sebastian swallowed a lump in his throat before he uttered, ¡°Not in recent years.¡±

    ¡°Hm. When did your rtionship with him tum sour?¡±

    The prosecution jumped out of her seat and eximed, ¡°Objection, my Lord! The question is irrelevant!¡±

    MI rk exined, ¡°My Lord, the proximity of the used¡¯s rtionship with his son will exin the

    likelihood of him helping in the acquisition of assets.¡±

    The prosecutor argued, ¡°Mr Cummings had already denied aiding the used in those acquisitions!¡±

    Mr rk counter-argued, ¡°My Lord, it is clear that the used and the present witness¡¯s testimonies are

    i n conflict. In light of this, we must assess the credibility of their statements. The whole purpose of a

    cross examination is to assess the truthfulness of their assertions. The truth can only be found if we

    assess whether the present witness has a motive for providing the conflicting evidence.¡±

    Judge Cook uttered, ¡°Objection dismissed. Mr rk may proceed with his line of questioning.¡±

    With an arrogant smirk, Mr rk repeated his question to Sebastian, and Sebastian answered

    reluctantly.¡± About a year ago.¡±

    ¡°And what is the reason for the strain in the rtionship with your father?¡±.

    ¡°We just¡­stopped seeing eye to eye.¡±

    ¡°On what in particr? Business?¡±

    ¡°No, just certain¡­life decisions.¡±

    Mr rk continued smirking as he pressed on with a louder voice, which echoed through the courtroom

    walls, ¡°Perhaps asking ¡®what¡¯ reason isn¡¯t urate. Perhaps it¡¯s a ¡®who¡¯.¡±

    Sebastian and Xandar knew exactly where things were going. Xandar¡¯s arm tightened on Lucianne¡¯s

    shoulder as her thumb stroked his other hand that was on hisp.

    Mr rk then asked, ¡°Did your rtionship with your father turn sour after you met the Queen-to-be,

    Gamma Lucianne Freesia Paw?¡±

    The murmurs and chatters in the room were cut off with the judge silencing everyone again.

    ¡°No.¡± Sebastian answered.

    Mr rk squinted his eyes and pressed on, ¡°You¡¯re saying that your meeting with Her Royal Highness

    did not in any way affect how your father saw you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a question you¡¯d have to ask him, not me. I¡¯m not privy to how he saw me after I met the Queen.¡±

    ¡°How close would you say you are to Her Royal Highness?¡±

    ¡°Objection!¡± The prosecutor shouted from her seat.

    The judge responded in an angered voice, ¡°Sustained! Mr rk, leading questions to challenge the

    character of a member of the royal family are barred byw, unless they are on trial themselves!¡±

    Mr rk responded calmly, ¡°I¡¯m well-aware of that, my Lord. But given the history between the Queen

    and the witness, I felt the need to explore the likelihood of the witness providing false oral evidence to

    please

    her.¡±

    Xandar, Christian and Annie growled in unison. Lucianne was ring daggers at Mr rk, who refused

    to look at any of them as he locked eyes with Judge Cook.

    The judge pondered, his fingertips pressing his forehead before he sighed and asked, ¡°What history?¡±

    A radiant smile stretched across Mr rk¡¯s face as he exined, ¡°The Queen and the witness were

    bonded mates a year ago, prior to a rejection shortly after. Even so, the witness was seen speaking to

    the Queen with intimate intentions on numerous asions after the said rejection.¡±

    The sound of fast-paced scribbles echoed through the courtroom walls. Lucianne already had to cupped

    her mate¡¯s cheeks to stop him from shifting, cooing him to breathe.

    The judge looked at Lucianne and hesitated before he spoke, ¡°My Queen?¡±

    Lucianne tore her gaze away from her mate and stood before the old man asked, ¡°Are the assertions

    made by Mr rk true?¡±

    From her peripheral vision, Lucianne saw Mr rk skimming her body from head-to-toe when Judge

    Cook asked his question. In a clear voice, she said, ¡°Not everything is true, my Lord. It is true that

    Sebastian Cummings was my fifth-chance mate before I was bonded to the King. However, after the

    rejection, we have never been intimate with each other as Mr rk is now suggesting. Neither are we¡¯

    close¡¯ as he sought to assert.¡±

    Mr rk smirked flirtatiously as he said, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ve misunderstood me, your Highness. I merely

    said that the witness himself had intimate intentions, not you, my Queen. I know thew enough to know

    not t o question a member of the royal family.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes tumed ferocious as it fixed on Mr rk¡¯s coy ones when she spoke again, ¡°Perhaps

    you¡¯ve misunderstood ME, Mr rk. I am rifying my position with the witness. Your line of questioning

    was implicitly suggesting that I may have reciprocated any form of intimacy that you¡¯re saying he

    disyed. I know twisted speeches and hidden meanings behind words enough to know what you were

    trying to do. Before you even think about questioning my character, you should assess your own. You

    have no right to look at any woman like how you just looked at me. We¡¯re not pieces of meat waiting to

    be devoured.¡±

    Xandar rose from his seat, his eyes were onyx when he red at thewyer. His hand at Lucianne¡¯s

    waist pressed her body closer to his. rk was stunned. He had been looking at women like that

    throughout his career, and no one had told him off before. He even stole glimpses of the Queen just this

    morning and during recess, and nothing bad came out of it.

    Judge Cook looked at the defense counsel and asked in amusement, ¡°Something you wish to tell the

    Queen, Mr rk?¡±

    Mr rk was brought out of his shock, and he offered a low bow as he said, ¡°Apologies f-¡±

    ¡°Kneel.¡± Xandar demanded in a low voice, sending a shiver down everyone¡¯s spines. Well, everyone¡¯s

    except Lucianne¡¯s. Before Lucianne could tell Xandar that kneeling wasn¡¯t necessary, he silenced her

    with a sweet peck on her lips before he whispered, ¡°Just let me, my love.¡±

    Lucianne mouthed ¡®okay¡¯ when her heart melted from his words. When their sights returned to the

    lawyer, he was already down on one knee when he uttered, ¡°Please ept my most sincere apologies,

    your Highness. I promise to exercise more caution with the way my questions are framed. I apologize for

    the distress I¡¯ve caused you and the King.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s expression was unperturbed before it softened when she kissed her mate on his cheek, and

    whispered into his ear, ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more of the court¡¯s time, dearest. Let them proceed.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Xandar muttered as he pecked a kiss on her forehead and lowered himself and his mate gently

    back into their seats.

    The judge got the cue to proceed when they sat, and he cleared his throat before ordering Mr rk to

    move on with the cross-examination. Being more cautious this time, he faced Sebastian and asked,¡±

    Despite theck of reciprocity on the Queen¡¯s part, have you ever had a disagreement with your father

    because you chose to take her side as opposed to his?¡±

    Xandar, Lucianne and Sebastian immediately thought of the time when they sat together with Alfred and

    Sasha Cummings at the breakfast table. When Alfred was trying to convince everyone that he had never

    met Lucianne, Sebastian threw him under the bus by telling his father, in front of everyone, that Alfred

    had met her. He chose Lucianne over his father.

    ¡°I take whichever side is right in principle. I don¡¯t choose based on the person.¡± Sebastian said.

    ¡°So, there was such a time then?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because my father isn¡¯t always right. I exercise this choice with everyone, not just with the Queen.¡±

    ¡°And what about today?¡±

    ¡°Today?¡±

    ¡°You met her outside the courtroom shortly before entering the bailiff¡¯s office, did you not?¡±

    ¡°I did. It was a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°Did you both converse?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but we didn¡¯t conspire if that¡¯s what you¡¯re suggesting.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m suggesting at all, Mr Cummings. I¡¯m in no way asserting that Her Royal Highness

    may have known what you were doing. But what I want to know is whether you¡¯ve somehow hinted that

    you¡¯d take her side in this case?¡±

    Sebastian¡¯s response was steadfast, ¡°No! I only said that,¡±

    ¡°That would do, Mr Cummings. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Objection, my Lord. The witness hasn¡¯tpleted his answer.¡± The prosecutor said.

    ¡°Sustained. Mi Cummings, you may proceed.¡± Judge Cook said in a fimm voice.

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    Sebastian immediately exined, ¡°I met the Queen before entering the courtroom but in no way did I

    imply or say that I would help tip the bnce in any party¡¯s favor. What I promised to do was to never

    testify against thew when I take the stand.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr Cummings.¡± Mr rk uttered, somewhat less satisfied when Sebastian said thatst

    part.

    Judge Cook invited the prosecutor to move on to re-examine Sebastian.

    The prosecutor began, ¡°Mr Cummings, you mentioned that you promised to never testify against thew.

    Did the Queen suggest that you may do otherwise?¡±

    He eximed, ¡°No! She didn¡¯t say a thing! She was leaving when I saw the need to mention that!¡±

    ¡°And why did you see a need to mention that?¡±

    Sebastian nced at the ground before looking back up and saying in a weak voice, ¡°Because I was

    asked t o do otherwise just yesterday.¡±

    ¡°By whom?¡±

    ¡°My father.¡±

    Mr rk shot up from his seat between the chatters and said, ¡°My Lord, I ask that the witness¡¯s final

    assertion be excluded from evidence on the grounds of hearsay.¡±

    Judge Cook looked at Mr rk like an angeredw professor as the old man said, ¡°Mr rk, if you¡¯re

    familiar with thews on hearsay, you¡¯d know that it is inapplicable. We can very well question the

    used regarding what the witness just said. Since Alfred Cummings is alive and in our custody, we

    have no problem getting primary evidence to determine this issue. Hearsay is inapplicable.¡± 1

    When neither counsel had any questions left for Sebastian, Judge Cook dismissed him and recalled

    Alfred

    Cummings.

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159

    The prosecutor got to the point with Alfred Cummings. ¡°Mr Cummings, did your son visit you yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Did you ask him to testify against thew?¡±

    Alfred nced briefly at Mr rk before he uttered, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Did you ask him to testify for your case?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t tell my son to lie. I¡¯m a father. Every father¡¯s pride is to raise his children with the highest

    honor and integrity.¡±

    ¡°You insisted that your properties were acquired by your son as gifts. Do you have proof of these

    transactions?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that is something I do not have. I was decluttering my home a few years back, and I must

    have

    cleaned out the documents recording the transactions.¡±

    ¡°And do you have evidence transferring government funds to Helena Tanner?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. The transfer was done discreetly so there aren¡¯t any documents to prove it.¡±

    ¡°Did you hand Helena Tanner the funds through bags of cash, Mr Cummings?¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡± he was about to answer when Mr rk¡¯s look seemed to be advising him to do otherwise, so he

    choset o say, ¡°I don¡¯t recall.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t recall?¡± She took one step closer and asked again, ¡°You don¡¯t recall how you transferred

    money i n the billions to Helena Tanner?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But you recalled that your son acquired the line of properties for you when your son doesn¡¯t recall that

    detail himself?¡±

    Alfred Cummings looked enraged but he managed to say, ¡°I don¡¯t recall how I transferred the funds to

    Tanner, that¡¯s all I¡¯ll say about the matter.¡±

    The prosecutor then concluded, ¡°So, you have no proof of the transfer you purportedly made to Helena

    Tanner; no proof that your son bought the properties which are in your name; and no proof that you didn¡¯t

    tell your son to present a false oral testimony in court. Is my understanding correct, Mr Cummings?¡±

    The minister was boiling in rage. When Sebastian visited him the previous day, he gave that son of his

    very clear and simple instructions to say that Sebastian himself had purchased the properties since he

    eamed well as a CEO. Although they argued about it for a good twenty-five minutes, Alfred made sure

    he used the final five minutes to tell Sebastian how much his son owed him as a father, hence it was time

    to return the favor.

    Sebastian didn¡¯t have a chance to respond before the police entered to take his father back to his cell.

    His parting words to Sebastian was: do me proud, my boy, which normally made the son give in without

    question. But it was clear that those words had lost their magic ever since Sebastian regretted letting go

    o f the wolf he didn¡¯t even recall meeting before she became the King¡¯s mate.

    ¡°Mr Cummings, do you need me to repeat the question?¡± The prosecutor prompted.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°No¡¯, you don¡¯t need me to repeat the question; or ¡®No¡¯, my understanding of yourck of proof is

    incorrect?¡±

    ¡°Both.¡± Cummings spat in hate.

    The prosecutor matched his hard stare when she asked, ¡°And how is my understanding incorrect?¡±

    ¡°Just because I can¡¯t present evidence, it doesn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t any. They¡¯re just no longer

    avable.¡±

    The prosecutor smirked at his baseless argument as she said, ¡°I see. Thank you, Mr Cummings.¡±

    When Judge Cook invited Mr rk to re-examine Alfred, it was clear that nothing the defensewyer did

    could mask the ring fact that the minister had no evidentiary support to prove his assertions.

    Without such evidence, there was no way he could cast reasonable doubt in the prosecution¡¯s case

    against him. Without reasonable doubt, Alfred Cummings would be found guilty and sentenced in

    ordance with thew. Mr rk exined all of this to his client privately. 1

    His advice? Plead guilty in hopes of a lighter sentence. And what did the minister have to say about this

    advice? ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see what the others say.¡±

    Mr rk then warned Cummings that theter he pleaded guilty, the less likely the court would grant him

    a lighter sentence.

    Of course, Cummings would rather pray for that illusionary light at the end of the long, dark tunnel than to

    seal his own faith prematurely by being the first minister among the four, and the first minister in the

    Kingdom¡¯s history, to plead guilty to corruption charges.

    After lunch, the court resumed trial, calling Marie Martin to the stand. As soon as she sat, her fingers ran

    nervously through her light brown pixie hair, which she had already checked three times in the mirror

    when she was getting ready. Her back straightened to project as much confidence as she could. 1

    However, the fear behind her lc eyes couldn¡¯t be covered by those long eyshes, nor could it be

    overshadowed by the dark circles underneath her eyes. If she wasn¡¯t horrified right now, there would

    have been something wrong with her. As the Finance Minister, as someone who has direct ess to

    government funds, she had so many bribery offers over the years that she lost count.

    Her charges were a little different from her three other colleagues who were charged. For some reason,

    the prosecution decided to exercise some ¡®due diligence¡¯ and dug deeper into her affairs and¡­ business

    deals¡¯. They found that she received bribes from constructionpanies who wanted government

    projects.

    Marie¡¯s most daring deal was with regards to the construction of low-cost apartments for the middle ss

    Lycanmunity. This project cost the government six million dors, of which twenty percent went into

    her own pockets. The prosecution, with the court¡¯s permission, added this to the charges against her.

    Things clearly looked worse for Marie Martin than it did for the other three ministers. The onlyfort

    she got before taking the stand was the fact that one of her two sons, Henry Martin, now seated at the

    front row on the other side of the aisle from the royals, told her that she looked ¡®presentable and

    responsible¡¯ in the pastel pink blouse and ck coat and pants she chose to wear for the trial.

    When Henry told his mother that his brother, Herbert, had been charged and arrested together with that

    gold-digging, connections-dependent girlfriend of his, all because they yed a little joke on the Duke

    and Sir Weaver, Marie was furious!

    ¡®As if the Duke and King themselves didn¡¯t pull harmless pranks when they were younger¡¯, she thought

    to herself. And then there was that wolf, who had been speaking to Lycans like she owned all of them,

    throwing insults and shaming anyone and everyone she wanted to. 3

    All she had to do was gaze at the King with those fake innocent eyes, and even the King is rendered

    blind and useless. This never happened with thete King Lucas. He never allowed Queen Vera to

    speak as she pleased, and look how wonderful and prosperous their reign was!

    None of the nonsense of having to provide aid for rogue attacks¡¯ or ¡®include them in government

    decisions !. It is disgraceful to see how low King Alexandar had chosen to stoop for a creature of the

    inferior species.

    Thank Goddess thete King and Queen had passed, otherwise they¡¯d be heartbroken. All their work

    and contributions were destroyed by an insignificant wolf and a spineless son, a son who failed to uphold

    and defend the superiority of Lycans!

    Unknowingly, Marie Martin started throwing a death re at Lucianne until Judge Cook prompted, ¡°Is

    there an issue, Ms Martin?¡±

    She averted her eyes from the future Queen immediately as she stuttered, ¡°N-No, my Lord.¡± So much for

    wanting to project confidence.

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    ¡°Good. The prosecution may begin her questioning.¡± Judge Cook ordered.

    ¡°Thank you, my Lord.¡± The prosecutor walked up to the witness stand, and began, ¡°Ms Martin, in your

    tenure as Finance Minister, have you ever channeled government funds to your personal bank ount?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just because I had the opportunity as Finance Minister, it doesn¡¯t mean I did it.¡±

    ¡°Then, why does this document I have in my hand here say differently?¡±

    ¡°That could be fabricated for all we know. It took so long for i-¡±

    ¡°Perhaps Mi rk had not informed you, Ms Martin, that this has been authenticated.¡±

    ¡°I can prove that it¡¯s fake. I have the real one here.¡± Her words even made her ownwyer¡¯s eyes widen

    in surprise. Mr rk shot up from his seat when Martin handed a folded sheet of paper to Judge Cook,

    and rk stood nervously next to the prosecutor, who was in front of the judge to await his decision.

    As the judge skimmed through the paper, he asked, ¡°Why wasn¡¯t this presented earlier, Ms Martin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it wasn¡¯t avable until very recently, my Lord. The Head of the National Audit Department,

    Helena Tanner, handles the auditing of my affairs, and with her disappearance, it was difficult to get

    someone to ess the real audits until this morning.¡±

    ¡°This morning?¡± Judge Cook asked in suspicion.

    Marie smiled like how she practiced in the mirror the previous day and in the morning as she said, ¡°Yes,

    judge. The person who assisted me faced great difficulty in essing the document. I apologize for the

    dy.¡±

    ¡°The person who assisted you, what¡¯s the name?¡± Judge Cook asked.

    Marie prepared this as well, so she answered with ease, ¡°Belle Price, judge.¡±

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160

    ¡°Is she in court today?¡± Judge Cook asked.

    ¡°Yes, right over there.¡° Marie pointed at a young woman in a grey dress.

    The prosecutor then argued, ¡°My Lord, the prosecution did not receive prior notice of this evidence. I

    urge the court to adjourn the trial for Ms Martin while we authenticate the document.¡±

    Judge Cook calmly replied, ¡°Authentication goes without saying, prosecutor. But I won¡¯t grant an

    adjournment. Since this document only questions the validity of the audits, the trial can move on to the

    corruption charges against Martin on goverment projects.¡±

    Mr rk argued, ¡°Mr Lord, every eaming and expenditure made by my client will be reflected by the

    audits. If that is put into question, shouldn¡¯t the prosecution¡¯s charges with regards to government

    projects be put on hold as well?¡±

    Judge Cook¡¯s face was unperturbed when he replied, ¡°No, Mr rk. You very well know the evidence for

    the government project bribery is not just in the form of audits but also written testimonies from multiple

    witnesses.¡±

    ¡°But those witnesses aren¡¯t present in court today to be examined, my Lord.¡± Mr rk made onest

    attempt to get his client off the stand.

    ¡°Looks like we only have your client to question on the matter for today, Mr rk.¡± Judge Cook decided.

    Mr rk knew better than to argue further with the hard-headed and hot-tempered Judge Cook. He

    didn¡¯t want to anger the old man for fear of a detrimental oue for all his clients.

    Marie was shocked that the judge wanted to skip right to the issue on government projects first. She did

    not prepare for this! She thought, if she were lucky, the court would believe the sheet of paper she

    handed t o him, and that it would be admitted as valid evidence. In this best case scenario, Belle Price

    would be called to the stand to verify the audits they fabricated together in the past week.

    Even if she got unlucky and the document had to be authenticated, Marie thought she¡¯d get an

    adjournment. But she was denied even this!

    Marie tried her best to mask her shock and fear, the fear that was matched by her own son. And Mr rk

    was scribbling furiously on his notepad while the prosecutor and her deputy flipped through the bundle of

    documents in haste. The flutter of the tuming pages rivaled the tapping of a pen in Judge Cook¡¯s hand as

    everyone waited.

    When the prosecutor found what she was looking for in the thick ring file, she extracted it and

    approached Marie, apologizing to the judge for the dy before she cleared her throat and began her

    questioning, ¡°Ms Martin, fifteen years ago, the government issued a tender for a project to construct a

    high -rise building in the east side of the Kingdom. The project was called ¡®Skyline¡¯. Are you familiar with

    it?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±

    ¡°Thepany who sessfully won the tender was Celestial Enterprise. Are you familiar with this

    company?¡±

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t recall the name of thepany that won the tender all those years ago but I know about the

    project.¡±

    ¡°Do you recall a man by the name of Joseph Rig?¡±

    This was exactly what she and herwyer were afraid of. ¡°N-No.¡± Marie lied.

    ¡°Are you sure, Ms Martin?¡±

    The prosecution had evidence, and neither Marie nor rk liked it. It was almost irrefutable. But Marie

    still chose to deny the truth. ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone by that name.¡±

    The prosecutor then asked, ¡°Then why was he found going in and out of your home weeks before the

    government decided on thepany which would be given the project?¡±

    ¡°Objection, my Lord! Personal life and rtionships of the used are not relevant to this trial.¡± Both

    rk and Marie prayed that this reason would work.

    Their prayers were denied when Judge Cook responded, ¡°It would be relevant if those rtionships are

    the cause of the charges against the used, Mr rk. Objection dismissed.¡±

    Marie wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead before she said, ¡°I used to get offers to¡­urge the

    government to take on certainpanies over others. But I have never entertained them. This man you

    mentioned was one of the more persistent ones, if I¡¯m not mistaken. The pestering was constant.¡±

    ¡°So getting a restraining order against him has never crossed your mind, Ms Martin?¡±

    ¡°At that time, no. I¡¯m afraid not.¡± At the same time, Marie chanted to herself, ¡®Please, don¡¯t pull out the

    picture. Please, don¡¯t pull out the picture. Please, don¡¯t pull out the picture.¡¯

    The prosecutor went on, ¡°Perhaps you never thought of getting a restraining order because you didn¡¯t

    want him gone, Ms Martin.¡± Marie knew where the prosecution was going, and she didn¡¯t like it one bit.

    She threw a pleading look at Mi rk to get her off the stand but he couldn¡¯t find a good enough reason

    to do that.

    This whole mess started because Marie¡¯s ¡®new¡¯ audits made Judge Cook order for the government

    projects issue to be tried first. Mr rk could not hide his frustration at how stupid his client had been to

    do that without consulting him. How was he going to save her now?!

    The prosecutor gave the judge and Mr rk a copy of the document she was about to refer to, and she

    asked Marie, ¡°Ms Martin, we received written testimonies from your neighbors of two decades, and they

    affirmed that Joseph Rig, who you imed to not remember, stayed overnight in your home for at least a

    week. We¡¯ve questioned Rig¡¯s associates during the time of the Skyline project, and every one of them

    confirmed that Rig used to boast about securing the project for Celestial Enterprise by sleeping with the

    Finance Minister. Do you deny that¡¯s what happened?¡±

    ¡°Holy sh*t.¡± Lucianne whispered, and her thumb stroking her mate¡¯s hand paused at her shock.

    Christian whispered her way, ¡°Holy sh*t, indeed, my Queen. But I find ¡®mother f*cker¡¯ to be quite

    appropriate in this situation as well.¡± Despite his steady voice, his onyx eyes and internal fury prompted

    Annie to sit as closely to him as possible to calm him with their mate-bond.

    Xandar¡¯s grip on Lucianne¡¯s shoulder tightened, and Lucianne was brought out of her shock when she

    got the cue to start stroking his hand again. Xandar loosened his hold on her as soon as he realized

    what he was doing without thinking. His animal groaned in guilt. After pecking a kiss on her temple,

    Xandar linked, ¡®I¡¯m sorry, baby.¡±

    She gave him an assuring smile and linked in response, ¡®It¡¯s alright, darling.¡¯

    ¡°Ms Martin, did you or did you not have an intimate rtionship with Joseph Rig?¡± The prosecutor

    pressed when silence ensued.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t remember.¡±

    The prosecutor sighed in frustration and walked back to her deputy, who handed over a picture of

    Joseph Rig. ¡®Oh, Goddess, just kill me now¡¯, Marie thought. The prosecutor returned to the witness stand

    and asked, ¡°You don¡¯t know him, Ms Martin?¡±

    ¡°N-NO.¡±

    The prosecutor then flipped the paper over to show another man before she asked, ¡°And what about this

    man?¡±

    Marie was getting paler by the second. ¡°N-No.¡±

    ¡°Ms Martin, you¡¯re just making things worse for yourself if you choose to lie. Perjury does not carry a light

    sentence. Isn¡¯t this the man you had an affair with weeks before the government granted the

    hydroelectric project to Techno Builders?¡± The shocked gasps and disgusted looks everyone in the

    courtroom was throwing her way did nothing to ease her anxiety.

    ¡°I-I d-didn¡¯t sleep with him.¡±

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°Then why did his ex-wife allege that you did just that, using this in her divorce proceedings with her now

    ex-husband? She even had this picture to prove her case before the court.¡±

    The prosecutor took another picture from her deputy, and just as she handed it to the judge, Marie Martin

    noticed her vision blurring before her head slumped on the stand with a loud thud that stunned the

    courtroom.

    If the minister knew that all she needed to do to force the court to grant an adjournment was to faint on

    the stand, she would¡¯ve done it much sooner. At least then she wouldn¡¯t have to exin her past affairs

    to her sons when she regained consciousness.

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161

    ¡°So, cuz. It¡¯s safe to say that we¡¯ve been yed on all those projects.¡± Christian noted in anger before

    drowning down the coffee in his polystyrene cup as the four of them sat at a table in the court cafeteria.

    Judge Cook ordered a short recess after Marie Martin fainted at trial.

    Xandar was as infuriated as his cousin was when he responded, ¡°And to think I was absurd when I

    thought she or the others who backed her up shared some form of rtionship with thepanies they

    voted for. It was so obvious that thosepanies weren¡¯t the best!¡±

    ¡°But why would you dismiss your suspicions, darling?¡± Lucianne asked innocently as her small hand

    rested on hisp.

    With much shame, Xandar took her hand andced their fingers. He then peered into her ck orbs ,

    before saying, ¡°Because we did a background check, and we couldn¡¯t find any blood rtionship

    between our ministers and thepanies they voted for. And the ministers all had a mate at that time.

    Martin¡¯s own mate died from a car ident only around¡­ three years ago, I think. I never thought

    someone could bribe any of them by using sex. And since the audit department didn¡¯t put a red g on

    anything, I thought I was just being paranoid.¡±

    Lucianne nodded in understanding as she uttered, ¡°Looks like your suspicions have been justified all

    along.¡±

    Xandar scoffed. ¡°And what¡¯s the use of that? The damage remains. Nothing can be done to rectify the

    years of unfairpetition. Now, the whole Kingdom would know about the countless projects during my

    reign that are tainted by corruption. One for the history books.¡±

    ¡°No, Xandar. There is still something that can be done.¡± Lucianne said sterly, demanding her mate¡¯s

    attention before she continued.

    Even Annie and Christian¡¯s eyes focused on her as Lucianne spoke, ¡°Issue a statement by tonight. Tell

    the Kingdom what happened.¡±

    ¡°And say that the government wasn¡¯t involved?¡± Xandar asked doubtfully.

    ¡°No, dearest. Say that it was. Own up to it. Marie Martin and the rest of them were govering members. It i

    s clear that the government was involved. But they have been removed from goverment as soon as you

    and Christian found out what was going on behind your backs. Tell the people what they deserve to

    know: the truth.¡±

    ¡°The truth is that certainpanies sessfully secured government contracts with the help of corrupt

    ministers, who had always managed to get the majority vote in government; the truth is that you¡¯ve done

    a background check on these ministers but there was no evidence suggesting that there was dishonest

    behavior because you found no blood ties or rtionships between them and thepany members,

    and there were no suspicious activities in the audits that were faked; the truth is that you did everything

    within your reach to ensure that there was fairpetition but unfortunately, senior ministers were crafty

    and maniptive. They went behind yours, Christian¡¯s and every other honest minister¡¯s backs to vote

    for particr contracts for their own benefit.¡±

    Lucianne lifted up his hand to peck a kiss on his fingers as she whispered, ¡°The truth is that the

    corruption was uncovered during the early years of your reign, my love. Kings rule for hundreds of years.

    This is only your neenth. Not all is lost. Things can still be turned around. See this setback as an

    opportunity to gain the trust of the people. By owning up to it, you¡¯re giving everyone in the Kingdom

    something you¡¯ve always given me whenever you¡¯re in the room: assurance.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re assuring them that no issue, good or bad, will be swept under the mat. You¡¯re assuring them that

    n o matter how bad things are or will be, you will not choose to look the other way or bury it. You¡¯re

    assuring them that you will always get to the bottom of things and find a solution. You¡¯re assuring them

    that transparency and ountability will always be guaranteed as long as you¡¯re King.¡±

    ¡°And as for the projects from unfairpetitions¡­¡± Lucianne shrugged and said, ¡°You could always give

    away a portion of the profits generated by the government from the public¡¯s use of the finished projects¡­

    o I you could lower the tax rate a little if it makes you feel any better.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s eyes glistened in happiness and gratitude. He pulled Lucianne into a deep kiss before parting

    their lips to ask, ¡°How did I get so lucky to be bonded to you, my love?¡±

    Christian coughed to get his cousin¡¯s attention. His voice was more cheerful than before when he said, ¡°

    Sorry, cuz. But she¡¯s bonded to all of us, as in, the whole Kingdom. You have to share her. She¡¯s

    everyone¡¯s Queen, not just yours.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for spoiling my moment with my mate.¡± Xandarined with narrowed eyes.

    Christian disregarded his cousin¡¯s sarcasm and offered a wide grin and a yful bow as he said, ¡°As

    your favorite cousin, it is my greatest pleasure to annoy you, your Highness.¡±

    When Lucianne was chuckling from watching the Duke bow like that, her mate pecked a surprise kiss on

    her cheek before whispering into her ear, ¡°Thank you, baby, so much. I needed that.¡± A kiss on her ear

    lobe and he uttered, ¡°I love you.¡±

    As the usual blushes crept up her cheeks, Lucianne said, ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡±

    They still had some time before the court resumed its session. So, Xandar got out his phone to type out

    a draft for the press statement. The four of them then passed his phone around amongst themselves to

    proofread and edit the text until they were all satisfied.

    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    ###

    After recess, the court invited Patrick Dupont to take the stand next. And after the first few questions, it

    was clear that Dupont was derailing from his original defense. Initially, he said what the other ministers

    said, which was that he epted the money due to Greg w¡¯s coercion.

    Today, howeyer, Dupont argued that he didn¡¯t have a clue¡± that government funds inrge sums had

    been channeling into his ount for almost two decades!

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162

    The prosecutor asked with furrowed brows, ¡°Mr Dupont, didn¡¯t you say that you knew about the fund

    transactions but that you were coerced to perform those illegal transactions?¡±

    Se

    Dupont faked a smile and answered, ¡°I said that I was coerced, yes. But I didn¡¯t say I had been aware of

    the transactions.¡±

    ¡°So, what did you think you were coerced to do?¡±

    ¡°I was told to keep quiet about whatever the Duke was thinking of doing. But I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d be paid to

    be silent.¡±

    ¡°The document I¡¯ve just ced before you shows the list of properties you acquired in the past eighteen

    years. Tell me, Mr Dupont, do you own them?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How did you purchase them?¡±

    ¡°With money.¡±

    ¡°Money from your sry?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I thought. It wasn¡¯t until you sent the audits to mywyers did I realize that part of what

    I spent may well be from the government.¡±

    ¡°And a percentage was transferred to apany, Wu Bi Corporation, why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never heard of thepany. Perhaps it¡¯s the missing Duke¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Do you have evidence that Greg w is the owner?¡±

    ¡°Well, no. It was simply a guess.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you never knew that you¡¯ve been transferring funds to Wu Bi Corporation, and

    that you had been spending the government¡¯s money?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t have a clue.¡± Dupont acted so well that Lucianne was even thinking of nominating him for

    an Oscar award. Xandar, on the other hand, wondered how many hours Dupont practised his act in front

    of the mirror before taking the stand.

    The prosecutor¡¯s eyebrows raised in disbelief as she questioned, ¡°You truly believed that your sry was

    enough to acquire a stamp collection in the millions, and ptial mansions in the billions?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have a habit of constantly checking on the amount I have left in my bank ount, so when I

    purchase a property and my card isn¡¯t rejected, I assume that I have the necessary funds to purchase

    the property in question.¡± 1

    The prosecutor was finding it harder to hide her disgust for the witness. Sheposed herself, and

    asked, ¡°Mr Dupont, how did youe about being the Deputy Finance Minister?¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, I was the best of the best, cr¨¨me de cr¨¨me, you know.¡± Dupont said with pride.

    ¡°How does one be the best of the best, Mr Dupont?¡±

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯re very stringent requirements. Good education was the primary consideration, of course.¡±

    ¡°And what was your ¡®good education¡¯ that got you appointed?¡±

    Dupont glowed like he was just given a chance to brag, and brag he did. ¡°Well, I was educated in Helm

    University, and I was the top three students in my year.¡±

    ¡°Your degree is in Finance, correct?¡±

    ¡°With First-ss Honors.¡± Dupont added with a monkey grin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it odd when a top student in Finance, graduated from the top university of the Kingdom,

    doesn¡¯t check his own finances?¡±

    ¡°No. On the contrary, I find my habits to be most appropriate. With experiencees less worry.¡±

    ¡°You have a daughter in a music school, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the best one in the Kingdom.¡± He glowed even more radiantly.

    There was a glint in the prosecutor¡¯s eye when she said, ¡°And, unsurprisingly, the most expensive. Her

    tuition itself costs five hundred thousand dors a year. Now, tell me, Mr Dupont, how did you afford it

    with the modest two hundred and forty thousand dors you eam annually?¡±

    ¡°Savings.¡±

    ¡°What savings?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve started saving since I was a boy. It¡¯s a habit that my parents saw fit to instill in me.¡±

    ¡°How old are you, Mr Dupont?¡±

    ¡°Four hundred and two as ofst month.¡±

    ¡°Do you realize that even if you didn¡¯t spend a single cent on living expenses, it still would have been

    impossible for you to own all the assets that you do?¡±

    ¡°I did not realize that, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ¡°Strange. And as for these telephone records and transcripts between you and Helena Tanner regarding

    the transfer of government funds, what do you have to say about it?¡±

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t me. Whoever it was must have been hiding behind my name.¡±

    ¡°We traced the call to your phone.¡±

    ¡°Someone must have stolen my phone to make the call.¡±

    ¡°Voice experts confirmed that it was your voice at the end of the call with Tanner.¡±

    ¡°A voice-alteration device, I suppose.¡±

    The prosecutor paused for a moment before she continued, ¡°Alright. Then, answer me this, Mr Dupont.

    Why were these calls traced to your home?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not familiar with thetest technology.¡±

    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t know government funds were channeled into your ount; you didn¡¯t know you couldn¡¯t

    afford the stamp collections and mansions; you didn¡¯t know your daughter¡¯s music school would¡¯ve

    forced you into bankruptcy; you didn¡¯t know about the calls made between Helena Tanner and someone

    who sounded exactly like you. Is there anything you did know, Mr Dupont?¡±

    ¡°I knew that I was coerced to keep quiet about the Duke¡¯s ns.¡±

    ¡°Without being given anything in return?¡±

    Dupont chuckled darkly, ¡°If you knew him, you¡¯d know that he can make one do anything without offering

    any sort ofpensation. And if we were to look at the audits you presented, prosecutor, wouldn¡¯t you

    admit that the Duke took some amount as well?¡±

    ¡°Less than fifteen percentpared to what you took, Mr Dupont.¡±

    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t even know I took anything! Those telephone records you have may well be someone else

    altogether!¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that someone could¡¯ve broken into your home, undetected, on multiple asions,

    stolen your phone, made the numerous phone calls, put the phone back and left your house?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the only usible exnation.¡± It was baffling how Dupont chose to use the word ¡®usible¡¯

    when whatever the prosecutor just suggested was nowhere near usible.

    The prosecutor didn¡¯t give up. ¡°What if I told you that the cameras around your home showed no one

    entering or leaving your residence before and after the call?¡±

    Dupont shrugged and said, ¡°I¡¯d tell you that my cameras could¡¯ve been hacked for all we know.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m quite relieved you didn¡¯t suggest that someone could¡¯ve used some made-up underground

    passageway that you didn¡¯t know about, Mr Dupont. As for your cameras, we¡¯ve verified that there was

    no tampering.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t live alone. Anyone could¡¯ve had ess to my phone in that span of time. And if they did,

    they were probably just fooling around, pulling a prank, if you will.¡±

    ¡°Mr Dupont, are you suggesting that your own daughter or your wife could have colluded in this

    corruption scheme using your identity?¡±

    His wife¡¯s eyes widened in horror at the front row, and his daughter was shaking her head in his way,

    pleading with her father to deny it.

    Dupont was unperturbed when he said, ¡°Well, I doubt it was them. But my family isn¡¯t the only ones who

    live in my humble abode, prosecutor. I have servants. Ten of them. Any one of them could¡¯ve done it. I¡¯ve

    even changed servants over the years, so any of those who¡¯ve been dismissed could be the culprit as

    well.¡±

    ¡°Which servant of yours knows the passcode to your phone, Mr Dupont?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps I can help you be sure, Mr Dupont. We¡¯ve spoken to your servants. And all of them said that

    you have never allowed any of them near your phone. You¡¯d rather make your way to the other end of

    your home to answer a ringing call than to ask one of them to bring it to you. Two years ago, you

    dismissed a servant because you caught her ncing at the number of an iing call on your screen.

    What do you have to say about this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve dismissed servants for a wide range of reasons, I don¡¯t recall this particr asion.¡±

    ¡°Your selective amnesia is astounding, minister, as is your ability to derail the line of questioning. Let me

    ask again, more simply this time do you allow your servants to touch or be anywhere near your phone?¡±

    After ncing at Mr rk, Dupont uttered, ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°Would you fire a servant for ncing at an iing call by ident?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not certain.¡±

    ¡°Has any servant ever answered a call on your behalf before handing your phone to you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall.¡±

    When the prosecutor was satisfied that Dupont¡¯s ambiguous answers only strengthened the evidence

    the prosecution had against him, she ended her questioning. . Mr rk started the cross-examination.

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163

    Mr rk began, ¡°Mr Dupont, in your years as minister, did you ever have direct ess to government

    funds?¡± 1

    ¡°No. I¡¯m only a deputy. Marie is the one with direct ess.¡±

    ¡°So, you can¡¯t ess the funds without her approval?¡± Mr rk rified.

    ¡°Well, to be fair, neither of us can ess it unless the government, as a whole, approves it.¡± Dupont

    clearly rehearsed this well versed answer.

    ¡°So, the funds which were disbursed were approved by the government?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was to be given to wolf packs. But I have no clue how a part of it ended up in my ount. I can

    tell you I was shocked beyond words when I was informed about it.¡±

    Mr rk smiled at his impable answer. ¡°And do you keep your phone with you at all times, Mr

    Dupont?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯d be ridiculous! I leave it on all parts of the house all the time.¡±

    ¡°So, it is possible that one of your ten servants could have essed it without your knowledge, if they

    were being careful enough.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very possible, Mr rk.¡±

    ¡°As for your daughter¡¯s education, isn¡¯t it true that she works part-time, hence earning a decent wage?¡±

    Dupont smiled with pride. ¡°She does, indeed.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr Dupont.¡±

    The prosecutor got back up for the re-examination. ¡°Mr Dupont, how much does your daughter earn in

    her part-time job?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡±

    The prosecutor faced the judge and said, ¡°My Lord, I ask that the used¡¯s daughter, Ms Dupont, be

    called to the stand to be questioned.¡±

    ¡°Objection, my Lord! Ms Dupont has no involvement in the corruption charges against my client.¡±

    The prosecutor argued, ¡°My Lord, we need Ms Dupont to verify the sry she earns to assess whether

    the amount was sufficient to contribute to her studies as Mr rk was suggesting.¡±.

    Judge Cook looked irritated when he asked the prosecutor, ¡°Do you have no evidence of her ie,

    prosecutor?¡±

    The prosecutor immediately said, ¡°We do, my Lord. But we thought it¡¯d be better if Ms Dupont was called

    to verify the evidence we have.¡±

    ¡°And waste the court¡¯s time, prosecutor? Not on my watch. Where¡¯s the evidence?¡± Judge Cook thrusted

    a hand as he asked for the evidence. The deputy, who was flipping through the bundle of documents,

    found it when her colleague was speaking to the judge, s o the prosecutor wasted no time before

    handing it over to Judge Cook.

    When the paper touched Judge Cook¡¯s hand, he put on his reading sses as he asked, ¡°Was the

    used given a copy of this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡±

    After the judge skimmed through the payslip the prosecutor obtained from Ms Dupont¡¯s employer, he

    said, ¡°Proceed with the used, prosecutor. Ms Dupont need not be called to the stand for this.¡±

    The prosecutor gave Dupont a copy of the payslip and said, ¡°ording to your daughter¡¯s payslip, Mr

    Dupont, she only earns seven hundred dors a month as a waitress in a cocktail bar. Needless to say,

    she wouldn¡¯t have been able to pay her tuition fee without your help.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say she paid it without my help.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve helped her without knowing that there was a huge gap between your annual sry and her

    annual tuition fee?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any outstanding loans?¡±

    ¡°N¡­ I don¡¯t recall.¡± He was about to say ¡®no¡¯ until he noticed Mr rk giving him a look, so he abruptly

    changed his answer.

    ¡°Well, then. Let me enlighten you, Mr Dupont. You have no outstanding loans. Your bankers confirmed

    this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to know, I suppose.¡± Dupont said it like it was no big deal. Xandar had to rely on Lucianne¡¯s

    scent, touch and her cooing

    through their mind-link to stop himself from shifting to tear Dupont to bits.

    The prosecutor forced a smile, and deduced, ¡°It is good to know indeed, Mr Dupont. Since you borrowed

    nothing from the banks, whatever you¡¯ve been spending for the past eighteen years belongs to the

    government.¡±

    When the examination was officially over, Judge Cook announced that the trial would proceed with

    hearing Marie Martin¡¯s testimony in the morning, followed by Pierre Whiw¡¯s in the afternoon. The court

    adjourned in thete evening, and everyone went back with mental and emotional fatigue.

    Lucianne and Xandar were soaking in the bathtub when they both heard Xandar¡¯s phone ringing in the

    room. Lucianne immediately tried to get out but was pulled back into her mate¡¯s embrace. When the

    phone rang a second time, Lucianne looked at him with her doe-eyes and persuaded him to end their

    bath session.

    He groaned and muttered, ¡°If that turns out to be anything less than an emergency, I¡¯m going to kill the

    caller.¡±

    Lucianne then said, ¡°Calm down, my darling. The call may be important.¡±

    After wrapping his mate up in a towel, he kissed her cheek before uttering, ¡°Nothing can be as important

    as my mate-time with m y little freesia.¡±

    After Lucianne fastened a towel around his waist while Xandar pecked kisses on her shoulder and

    corbone, he lifted her off the floor and carried her to the bed. His phone had stopped ringing. When he

    checked on it, he muttered, ¡°This better be good, Yarrington.¡±

    ¡°Behave, my King.¡± Lucianne reminded him with stern eyes as she paused in her steps on her way to the

    cupboard.

    He strode over to peck a kiss on her forehead and uttered, ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡±

    As Xandar made a call to the minister, he watched Lucianne taking her sports bra and underwear out of

    the drawer before cing them on the bed. She then let the towel fall, and the animal in him couldn¡¯t

    help but walk to her to help her pull her underwear up her smooth legs.

    Right after he pecked a kiss on the cheek of her butt through the thin fabric, Yarrington¡¯s voice came

    through, ¡°Your Highness, I apologize for calling you at this hour but I thought you¡¯d like to know that

    we¡¯ve assessed and verified every sexual harassmentint, and there appears to be a need to

    suspend and rece Alivia for now.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s anger returned, and Lucianne detected this. After he had helped hook her bra, she guided his

    free hand to her breast. With her small hands over hisrge one, her fingers prompted his hand to

    squeeze her breast slowly and gently as she pressed her lipst

    o swallow the moans threatening to spill out.

    Xandar¡¯s anger subsided but his arousal intensified. The scent of Lucianne¡¯s arousal and his own was

    making his animal impatient, The King tried to focus when he asked Yarrington, ¡°Anyone else?¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    ¡°Just the ones who were already suspended or arrested, my King. So, it¡¯s Caunterberg, Alivia,

    Cummings, Whiw, Marie¡¯s two sons, and Marie herself.¡±

    ¡°Marie herself?!¡± Xandar eximed. Sleeping with Lycans who wanted government contracts was clearly

    not enough for her, now Yarrington was telling him that she even tried to hit on creatures from the

    coboration?! How did her mate even put up with that length of disloyalty before he died in the

    ident?! Did he take some kind of drug to numb the pain when his mate was f*cking someone else?

    Yarrington heaved a sigh of disappointment and said, ¡°A surprise for all of us, my King. I¡¯ll send these to

    the police now? I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s anything else the government can do.¡±

    ¡°Yes, hand it over to them. The police and the courts will take it from here. Thank you, Yarrington.¡±

    Xandar tried not to sound too hasty in ending the call as his hand snuck under his mate¡¯s bra to feel her

    hardened nipple. Lucianne started to lean against his body for support. Her own stability was weakening,

    and she was finding it increasingly difficult to hold her moans in.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to serve, your Highness. And Weaver and I send our best to the Queen.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Yarrington. Goodnight.¡±

    As soon as he tapped the red button, he emitted a low growl as he said, ¡°That was NOT an emergency.¡±

    He threw his phone on the couch before his other hand went under Lucianne¡¯s bra as he kneaded and

    whispered in his husky voice, ¡°THIS is an emergency.¡±

    ¡°Ohh¡­¡± Lucianne moaned with closed eyes. Her hands went behind her back to unhook the bra and her

    breasts were set free. Xandar pushed the bra down her arms, and spun her around before lowering her

    onto the bed.

    After sucking on her sexy neck, Xandar moved between her legs as he spoke in his deep and alluring

    voice, ¡°I¡¯m thirsty, my flower. I¡¯d like a drink, please.¡± He teased her by licking her p*ssy through the thin

    underwear before Lucianne¡¯s hands came to try to push

    it down.

    Xandar helped her from there, lifting her legs high up as he slipped the fabric off. When he ced her

    legs back on the bed, Lucianne parted them for him, and Xandar growled appreciatively as he started

    licking her already-wet folds. It didn¡¯t take long before Lucianne¡¯s body jerk upwards, releasing the drink

    Xandar that was thirsty for, and the Lycan King moaned in satisfaction as hepped up every single drop.

    After positioning himself at her entrance, he continued kissing her neck before Lucianne whimpered,

    ¡°Just do it, Xandar.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡±

    When he entered, he, too, let out a moan. As they took it slow in the first few thrusts, Xandar uttered,

    ¡°Ohh, I love being in you, my arousing flower. So warm, so moist, so tight.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­oh¡­Xandar..

    mmm¡±Unlike her mate, Lucianne couldn¡¯t form a coherent sentence when he was going in and out of her.

    All she could do was moan and whisper his name. As Xandar devoured her breasts and teased her

    nipples with his tongue, he linked, ¡®Oh, you¡¯re just ravishing, my freesia. Mmm¡­ absolutely delectable.¡¯

    His choice of words only made Lucianne moan even louder, and his mouth released her breast as his

    shaft gained speed. When Lucianne¡¯s core locked him in her, he came with a grunt, suppressed from a

    scream, and his body stayed above hers before h e gently pressed their foreheads together, peering into

    her euphoric ck orbs as he whispered flirtatiously in a hushed, seductive voice, ¡°Oh, my Queen.¡±

    Lucianne looked into his satisfied lc eyes before she pe?ked a kiss on his lips and whispered, ¡°Is your

    thirst quenched, my King?¡±

    ¡°Mm. For now. Thank you for the drink, my Queen.¡± After pecking kisses all over her face and her upper

    body, he held her close to him, stopping her from reaching for her bra and underwear that were on the

    floor. ¡°You don¡¯t need those, my love. I¡¯ll keep you warm.¡±

    1110¡å

    With that, she snuggled into his chest, making his animal purr and melt in bliss. His arms wrapped her

    body as they both fell into deep slumber.

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164

    The next morning, Xandar scrolled through the headlines on his phone while he waited for Lucianne to

    fix her hair, which already looked perfect to him. After reading a few articles on the corruption case, he

    smiled, and picked the best one as he approached his beautiful mate. His arms crept around her waist

    from behind as he handed his phone to her and said, ¡°Have a read, sweetheart.¡±

    Xandar inhaled Lucianne¡¯s scent from her neck when she skimmed through the article. It reported on the

    trial, and reproduced the statement the four of them collectively wrote while they were in the court

    cafeteria the previous day.

    When Lucianne reached the end of the statement, her body stiffened. Her widened eyes were still fixed

    on the screen when she asked, ¡°Why is my name above yours?¡±

    Xandar¡¯s lips curled into a smile at her neck when he exined in amusement, ¡°Because it was your

    idea, my love. Why do you seem so surprised?¡±

    ¡°Because the Queen¡¯s name normallyes after the King¡¯s?¡± Lucianne pointed out matter-of-factly.

    Xandar showed a disgusted look before saying, ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be fair. You want to burn down the

    patriarchy, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m helping you do just that, in my own little way for my own little freesia.¡±

    ¡°This is NOT a little way at all, Xandar.¡± Lucianne noted firmly, and turned to see his affectionate lc

    eyes gazing deeply into hers while his head rested on her shoulder. She pecked a kiss on his nose and

    uttered gratefully, ¡°Thank you, my love.¡±

    He scoffed before kissing her on the cheek and turning her around as he dered, ¡°Babe, the three of us

    should be thanking you. None of us had a solution. I, for one, assumed that Cummings, Martin and the

    others were going to drag the whole governing body with them into the tainted parts of history.¡±

    Xandar¡¯s hand cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his touch as he continued, ¡°But you showed us

    that not all was lost, that there was a way toe out stronger than before. Have you seen the

    comments section? Our people seem to be trusting the monarchy and the government more than they

    did before. You were right, Lucy! Exining the debacle to them, without sugar-coating or me-

    shoving, made them feel¡­assured. Owning up to it made them feel assured. Lowering tax because of

    the debacle made them happy, and it was only lowered by a small percentage. They¡¯re just happy that

    the monarch and the government are taking steps to rectify the wrongs. Do you have any idea how

    amazing you are, sweetheart?¡±

    Lucianne was lost for words. Every sentenceing out of his mouth made her feel¡­worthy. Despite

    her rejections, Lucianne had taught herself to never feel worthless, justifying it by the fact that she was

    alive, and she was a warrior, a friend, a sister, an adopted daughter and an aunt.

    But she never felt this level of worth that Xandar was showering over her through his words alone. She

    felt touched. Apart from feeling loved, what Xandar said made her feel¡­ amazing.

    With glistening eyes, Lucianne pulled him into a deep kiss before they parted their lips, and she

    whispered, ¡°I love you¡­so much.¡±

    His smile broadened before he said, ¡°I love you, too, sweetheart.¡±

    His anticipating eyes demanded the usual response, and Lucianne chuckled before she said, ¡°I know.

    Thank you.¡±

    Something was still bothering Xandar¡¯s animal, so much so that it kept pestering its human part to bring

    up with their mate. And that was exactly what Xandar did. ¡°What I don¡¯t love are those idiots in the

    comments section flirting with you. The emoji with hearts in its eyes are way too much, and honestly,

    very anger-inductive. Can¡¯t they read the word ¡®Queen¡¯ before your name?! And it doesn¡¯t take an expert

    to guess that they are NOT the King. I AM. Seriously, they¡¯re just looking for a way to¡±

    Lucianne silent her ranting mate with another deep kiss. ¡°I¡¯m with you, my indecent beast. Only you.¡± 4

    When her beast seemed a little calmer, she dragged him by his arm to the door before their conversation

    prolonged. Xandar¡¯s Lycan was so happy with the kiss that it cooed during the whole drive to the court.

    ###

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    In the High Court, everyone trailed into the courtroom and waited for the trial to begin. Judge Cook

    entered, and announced that Marie Martin had pleaded guilty the night before to the charges against her,

    so there was no further questioning needed in her case. Xandar and Christian were both trying to press

    back smiles, with the second-inmand having a harder time doing it than the King

    The judge then granted the prosecution permission to begin questioning Pierre Whiw. What caught

    Lucianne¡¯s eye wasn¡¯t the minister in his dark blue tuxedo and well-ironed white shirt but a woman sitting

    alone in the second row on the other side of the

    aisle.

    ¡®It¡¯s his wife.¡¯Xandar linked her when he saw Lucianne looking that way.

    Lucianne linked in response, ¡®Oh, I know, darling. I¡¯ve seen her in the tabloids whenever Whiw is in the

    news. She looked beautiful in those pictures but she looks even more stunning in person.¡¯

    After kissing her hairline, Xandar sighed and linked, ¡®You only say that because you don¡¯t have a mirror

    with you, babe. If you haven¡¯t noticed, every man in the room has been stealing nces at you, not her.

    You¡¯re breaking their hearts by choosing to only look at another woman.¡¯

    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Xandar. The journalists and reporters are looking at her, too. I¡¯m not alone.¡¯

    Xandar then groaned and argued, ¡®Lucy, they¡¯re looking at her diamond earrings, jade ne, gold

    bracelet, the emerald ring on her finger and that handbag that only Goddess knows cost how much.

    They¡¯re not looking at her per se. You can almost see the mental calctor working in their minds if you

    looked closely enough, sweetheart. When they look at you, on the other hand, it¡¯s like their brains stop

    working, which is good. It gives me time to tear them to shreds before they make a run for it.¡¯ 3

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes and shook her head disapprovingly as she inched herself closer to her mate

    to feel his warmth, and muttered, ¡°Indecent beast.¡±

    He glued his lips on her ear as he whispered, ¡°If you don¡¯t correct what you just said, my love, I¡¯m going

    to pull you into a deep kiss i n front of all these people.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened in horror, making Xandar chuckled softly as he stroked her shoulder with his

    thumb and waited. Lucianne leaned into him before she whispered shyly, ¡°MY indecent beast.¡±

    He smiled radiantly, and pecked a kiss on her temple before he whispered back, ¡°Always and forever, my

    little freesia.¡±

    As soon as Xandar retumed his sights to Whiw, he caught Mr rk quickly averting his gaze right after

    looking at his mate, so h e muttered, ¡°If this trial takes too long, rk is not going to survive it. I¡¯ve been

    wanting to gouge his eyes out since yesterday.¡±

    Lucianne stroked his rough hand as she cooed, ¡°Shh¡­I¡¯m with you, Xandar. Only you.¡± He took in a

    greedy whiff from her hair to calm the growling animal in his head, and to calm himself as he started

    listening to what the prosecutor was asking Whiw. 1

    ¡°Mr Whiw, you own watches from the most luxurious brands, and you make it a point to buy up limited

    edition sports cars. How did youe about affording these with your annual sry?¡±

    ¡°Those were gifts.¡± Whiw¡¯s answer was instant. The prosecutor asked, ¡°Gifts from whom?¡±

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165

    Pierre Whiw exined nonchntly, ¡°My wife and her family are extremely sessful business

    people. They gift me all sorts o f branded items on various asions.¡±

    The prosecutor asked, ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the government funds which entered into your ount

    were untouched?¡±

    ¡°You clearly have evidence that shows otherwise. Although I admit knowing that the missing Duke

    channeled some kind of money into my ount to force my silence, I do not admit knowing where the

    money hade from or where it had gone to.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know that the money being channeled into your ount was rightfully the government¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Neither do you know where it was spent?¡±

    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    The prosecutor then said, ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can jog your memory, Mr Whiw. Perhaps the funds were spent

    to help your inws and your wife start their businesses?¡±

    There were oohs and ahhs from journalists before Whiw answered, ¡°I admit to chipping in a small

    portion.¡±

    The prosecutor raised an eyebrow and proceeded toment, ¡°We have a very different definition of the

    word ¡®small¡¯, Mr Whiw. You chipped in ny-five percent of all their businesses, ranging between a

    few hundred thousand to a million each.¡±

    Whiw shrugged despite the gasps from the journalists when he said, ¡°I¡¯ll do anything to help my

    family.¡± ¡°Even if it means stealing from the government?¡± She pressed.

    Whiw immediately rified, ¡°Allow me to rephrase. What I meant to say was: I¡¯ll do anything legal to

    help my family.¡±

    ¡°So, where did the millions you chipped ine from, Mr Whiw?¡±

    ¡°I assumed that it was my legit savings. I have been serving the people for a long time, since thete

    King Lucas¡¯s reign. So, I assumed that what I spent was what I earned.¡±

    ¡°Did you spend a cent of your sry before you met Mrs Whiw?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but very frugally.¡±

    ¡°The mansion you lived in, the limited edition car you owned and the designer wallets you collected at

    that time?¡±

    ¡°Gifts from friends and my side of the family.¡±

    ¡°And what do you gift them in return?¡±

    Whiw sighed in despair as he said, ¡°Nothing major, I¡¯m afraid. Being in my position, I avoid buying

    them branded goods. The media has a terrible way of portraying such purchases made by a minister.¡±

    She went on, ¡°Would you say that you return their gifts by helping them stay afloat if their businesses

    struggle?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Whiw responded affirmatively.

    ¡°How do you help?¡±

    ¡°I offer solutions, workable ones.¡±

    The prosecutor¡¯s eyes bore into Whiw¡¯s own as she questioned, ¡°Such as?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d introduce them to friends who can help turn their businesses around, I¡¯d.¡±

    ¡°Offer money?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes.¡±

    ¡°In the millions?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact figure. It varies greatly.¡±

    ¡°I have to agree that it does.¡± The prosecutor flipped the page over as she said in a loud and clear voice,

    ¡°It varies between a million t o a billion.¡± Silence ensued, and the prosecutor continued, ¡°You said that

    you helped your wife start her business?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What does she do?¡±

    ¡°She designs the most beautiful jewellery.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s her jewellery business?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s doing quite well, as far as I know. It just celebrated its fourteenth anniversary three weeks ago. She

    has quite the talent.¡±

    His wife¡¯s lips curled up into an arrogant smile when she felt everyone¡¯s stare on her. Mis Whiw finally

    got the attention she had been craving for ever since she entered the courtroom. She made sure she

    dressed well for the cameras. But everyone¡¯s eyes kept going to the in-looking wolf for some reason.

    Now, Mrs Whiw had the attention she rightfully deserved. Seducing Pierre Whiw was the best

    investment she had ever made for herself and her family.

    The prosecutor proceeded to say, ¡°Mr Whiw, I don¡¯t know about her talent in jewellery design but her

    talent in keeping her business afloat despite the years of deficit proves to be extraordinary, even

    impossible, I must say.¡±

    ¡®A woman of multiple talents. She turns the impossible to the possible.¡±

    ¡°If that is so, why did you pour millions into her bank ount every month as soon as her business was

    close to bankruptcy, which was¡­she checked the figure and said, ¡°¡­twelve years ago until your

    ounts were frozenst week?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t make such transactions.¡±

    ¡°Everything is in ck and white. This document clearly states that the transactions were made from

    your bank ount to hers, minister.¡±

    That doesn¡¯t mean I made the transfer. You should check with my bankers.¡±

    ¡°We have, Mr Whiw. And what we found is that you used your thumbprint to verify each transaction

    before the funds were disbursed into Mrs Whiw¡¯s ount. Are you saying that someone may have

    stolen your thumbprint?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m simply saying that I have no recollection of such a transfer, prosecutor.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any recollection of Mrs Whiw promising you sexual intercourse over the phone after

    you¡¯ve made each transfer?¡± A few journalists and reporters identally snorted, and earned stern

    res from Judge Cook. Mrs Whiw stiffened visibly. She was warned about this portion of evidence

    that the prosecution had against her husband but it didn¡¯t make it any easier to appear unperturbed when

    she was feeling embarrassed on the inside. Weren¡¯t their phone calls supposed to be private?

    ¡°Mr Whiw, do you have any such recollection?¡± The prosecutor pressed the minister.

    Whiw¡¯s lips trembled before he uttered a fearful, ¡°N-No.¡±

    ¡°And what about¡­¡±

    Suddenly, Mr rk stood and said, ¡°My Lord, I ask that the court adjourn for a few minutes. My client¡¯s

    doctors had advised that he¡¯d be given a five-minute break after twenty minutes of questioning. Here¡¯s

    the rmendation letter.¡± Mi rk ignored the enraged prosecutor, and handed a single sheet of

    paper to the judge. Judge Cook skimmed through it while the prosecutor scowled at the defense counsel.

    Pierre Whiw was praying to the Goddess, asking her to forgive him for any misdeeds hemitted in

    the past and spare him by granting him an adjournment now.

    Unfortunately for Whiw, the head of the courtroom was Judge Cook, not the Moon Goddess. The

    judge handed the letter back to a very hopeful Mr rk and firmly dered, ¡°Request denied, Mr rk.

    The prosecution may proceed with questioning.¡±

    The hope in Mr rk¡¯s eyes shattered as he stammered, ¡°B-But, my Lor-¡±

    Judge Cook¡¯s eyes were partially onyx when it bore into Mr rk¡¯s lc ones as the old man said, ¡°Need

    I teach you how to read a simple rmendation letter, Mr rk?! It says that your client only requires

    such breaks if he is suffering from blurring vision, nausea, cold sweat AND weakened physique! Look at

    your own client, Mr rk! Is he exhibiting any such symptoms?!¡±

    Mr rk stammered when he gave one final shot when his client was begging him through his eyes. ¡°M-

    My Lord, m-my client isn¡¯t exhibiting any such symptoms right now because¡­he took his medication this

    morning, and the symptoms may return soon if he isn¡¯t given a break.¡±

    Judge Cook took a deep breath to control his internal fury before looking at the minister and asked, ¡°Do

    you have your medication with you, Mr Whiw?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, judge.¡± Whiw answered doubtfully. Mr rk pressed his eyes closed in dismay at the wrong

    answer his client had chosen to give

    Judge Cook then said, ¡°Good, Bailiff, fetch Mr Whiw some water, please. He¡¯ll take his medication here

    and we can continue with the questioning.¡± Mr rk had hoped that Whiw would be smart enough to

    say that his medication was not with him so that Judge Cook would grant an adjournment. But clearly,

    Whiw did not exhibit such intelligence.¡±

    As Judge Cook started tapping his pen, the bailiff immediately dashed to the cooler in the courtroom,

    extracted a polystyrene cup and filled it with warm water before bringing it to Whiw. The minister got

    out the strip of tablets from his pocket, extracted a pill before putting it into his mouth and drowning it

    down with water while everyone waited.

    Judge Cook¡¯s pen stopped tapping when he heard Whiw drowning down thest of the water in his

    mouth. ¡°Well, now that that¡¯s settled. Prosecutor, proceed.¡±

    Whiw was getting fearful now. His demeanor got everyone curious. He seemed okay the entire

    morning. Sure. Firm. Hopeful. Why did he and hiswyer look like they were going to be knocked down

    by a big baseball bat that they couldn¡¯t escape from?

    The prosecutor ignored the two men and continued her line of questioning, ¡°Mr Whiw, if you don¡¯t

    recall making bank transactions to any of your family members, do you at least recall the ones made to a

    woman by the name of Zina Pova?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Mrs Whiw¡¯s hushed exmation was heard by everyone in the courtroom as her eyes

    widened and her rxed posture tensed up. When Lucianne turned to look at her with everyone else,

    what she saw behind the stunning woman¡¯s eyes was shock, betrayal and, most of all, anger!

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166

    Christian linked his cousin after ncing at the infuriated Mrs Whiw, ¡®Looks like things are going to get

    interesting from here, cuz. Someone seems to be hiding a mistress, and the wife looks pissed.¡¯

    ¡®I did not see thating.¡¯Xandar linked in response as his surprised eyes met those of his second-in-

    command.

    Christian linked in excitement, ¡®Tell me about it! I can¡¯t believe I was a background character of a Whiw

    soap opera that I didn¡¯t know about!

    Xandar raised his eyebrows as he linked, ¡®Background character? Christian, we¡¯re probably the

    antagonists in his story.¡¯

    ¡®Hm.¡¯Christian contemted for a moment and had to agree, ¡®You do make a good viin, cuz I¡¯m only

    second to you after all.¡¯

    Xandar protested, ¡®Okay, that¡¯s just unfair, Christian. My mate is way more lethal than I am when it

    comes to Whiw and the others. And she was the one who led us to the audits for Whiw¡¯s current

    downfall. This adorable creature seated between us right now is the most qualified one to lead the

    viins here. If anything, I¡¯m only her loyal henchman.¡¯

    Christian pictured the image Xandar just described to him. When his imaginative mind added fiery mes

    behind Lucianne, and Xandar by her side awaiting orders, the Duke had to cover his mouth as he linked,

    ¡®Cuz, if Iugh and Annie throws a fit, I¡¯m going t o kill you.¡¯ Xandar decided to y it safe and ended

    their link as he hid his own smile in his mate¡¯s hair.

    Pierre Whiw¡¯s lips quivered, making the increasingly-impatient prosecutor ask, ¡°Have you made any

    transactions to Zina Pova, M I Whiw?¡±

    ¡°I-L¡­¡± he fumbled over his words as Mrs Whiw¡¯s onyx eyes threw daggers into her husband¡¯s

    rming ones. He tried to persuade her to not attend trial but she insisted oning along to show

    support. So, Pierre hatched a n with rk to ask for an adjournment to get rid of Mrs Whiw, by

    asking her to go home to fetch something for him. This n obviously backfired.

    The prosecutor sighed as she began again, ¡°Do you know Zina Pova, Mr Whiw?¡± Mrs Whiw decided

    that she had heard enough. Taking her five-figure handbag, she got up from her seat and left the

    courtroom as the minister yelled out a desperate, ¡°Camille!¡±

    The murmurs and chatters took a little more time to be silenced by Judge Cook. When everyone¡¯s eyes

    returned to Whiw on the stand, he muttered, ¡°I-I¡­Y-Yes.¡±

    ¡°She received a significant sum over the years. Why is that?¡±

    Whiw¡¯s whisper wouldn¡¯t have been heard if it weren¡¯t for the Lycans¡¯ sharp hearing when the minister

    said, ¡°She¡¯s the mother o fmy biological daughter.¡±

    Well aware of the furious note-taking by the media, Whiw continued to exin, ¡°I had her before I

    married Camille. When¡­Zina conceived, she filed a suit in court seeking funds for maintenance. We

    reached a settlement in private, and it was agreed that I would contribute to the child¡¯s upbringing.¡±

    Christian suddenly linked Xandar, ¡®Oops, not a mistress. Looks like he just tried to be a responsible

    father.¡¯

    Xandar linked in response, ¡®One who steals from the government. Talk about being the father of the

    year.¡¯

    ¡®Decade.¡¯ Christian corrected.

    ¡®Right. Thanks for making me feel worse for taking this long to uncover him and the others.¡¯Xandar

    comined.

    ¡°Rx, cuz. You were never alone in this. We were both stupid.¡¯

    ¡®How are you making me feel any better by saying that, Christian?¡¯

    ¡®Well, a favorite cousin doesn¡¯t let his favorite cousin to do stupid things¡­.alone.¡¯ Christian smiled when

    he linked that.

    Xandar had to bite his bottom lip to contain hisughter. ¡®If Iugh and Lucy gets angered from this, I¡¯ll

    kill you.¡¯ The cousins exchanged cheeky smirks before they ended their link.

    The prosecutor asked Whiw in disbelief, ¡°A court ordered financial provision for a child in the millions?¡±

    Whiw shook his head and uttered, ¡°No, it¡¯s less. Her mother earns, so I only had to pay a reasonable

    sum.¡±

    ¡°But you paid more, why?¡±

    Whiw¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the prosecutor in disgust before eximing, ¡°Because it¡¯s

    for my daughter! What more of a reason do you want?!¡±

    His raised voice clearly didn¡¯t deter the prosecutor from continuing her line of questioning. ¡°So, you do

    admit that you¡¯ve transferred money in the millions to Zina Pova?¡±

    Whiw sighed before he answered, ¡°I transferred money to maintain my child. I do not know how much

    that has umted throughout the years.¡±

    ¡°So, it means that you¡¯ve offered financial contributions to your own family, your inws, your wife and

    your biological daughter?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Whiw answered simply as he took in heavy breaths. He just wanted to get this over with, hoping

    that whatever damage caused would be minimal.

    ¡°Very well. Thank you, Mr Whiw.¡±

    Mr rk stood for the cross-examination. ¡°Mr Whiw, is the disbursement of government funds in your

    portfolio?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s in the Finance Ministers¡¯ job description.¡±

    ¡°So, it¡¯s safe to say that you have no connection whatsoever with the moneying from the

    government, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That also means that, apart from your monthly sry, whatever surplus sums, presumably paid by the

    missing Duke, could¡¯vee from anywhere? Not just the government?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know the Duke was taking government funds to pay you to stay silent, did you?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know that.¡±

    ¡°What were you threatened with?¡±

    ¡°My family¡¯s safety. My wife, mostly. Camille means the world to me.¡±

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    ¡°So, you kept the money because of the coercion?¡±.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And you have zero knowledge of where it has gone, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr Whiw.¡±

    Xandar inhaled deeply from Lucianne¡¯s hair as he linked his cousin, ¡®What aplete line of bullsh*t!¡¯

    Christian¡¯s hand ran down his face once as his other hand held onto Annie¡¯s before he linked, ¡®Bullsh*t.

    Cr*p. Nonsense. Whatever it is, it¡¯ll take an idiot to believe any of it.¡¯

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Xandar heard the whisper of an angel when his eyes cleared, and his mate¡¯s shining

    ck orbs only amplified concern when it fixed on his face.

    He got lost in them for a moment before her stroking thumb on his tensed-up hand prompted a response.

    He loosened the tight grip, and began stroking her little hand in retum. After pecking a sweet kiss on her

    forehead, he uttered, ¡°I¡¯m alright, baby. Thank

    you.¡±

    Lucianne didn¡¯t look convinced despite his smile. He pecked another kiss on her nose just to assure her.

    ¡°I¡¯m just pissed at them, baby. I¡¯m really alright. Don¡¯t worry, my little freesia.¡±

    Lucianne smiled in relief knowing that her mate was really okay before her head leaned against his

    shoulder. Judge Cook ordered a recess while he deliberated, and announced that the verdict will be

    delivered after lunch.

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167

    Christianined, ¡°With that whole line of bullsh*t answers and he needs to wait until after lunch to

    reach a verdict? I bet Russell could decide faster.¡±

    Annie red at her husband and said in a stem, hushed tone, ¡°Tone down, Christian.¡±

    The Duke¡¯s temperament cooled to a point where a small smile graced his features as he lifted one of

    Annie¡¯s hands to nt a kiss on it. Then, he whispered, ¡°As you wish, my Duchess.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes shone when she whispered to Xandar like an excited child, ¡°Look at them, they¡¯re so

    cute. It¡¯s like getting a front row seat to a romantic movie.¡±

    Her body subconsciously leaned into her mate¡¯s, and her adorable demeanor was so irresistible that it

    made Xandar crave to hold her in his arms. So, he lifted her off her seat, and Lucianne gasped in shock.

    Xandar then ced her sideways on hisp before guiding her body to lean against his chest. 1

    Instead of leaning in, Lucianne parted their bodies with a hand on his chest, over his beating heart. His

    feisty little freesia then looked at him with stem eyes as she demanded in a low voice, ¡°Put me down, my

    King.¡±

    Xandar pouted, ¡°But why? I like you here.¡±

    ¡°I like being here, too. But this is not the ce, Xandar. Put me down.¡± She hissed. Her peripheral vision

    noticed the stares from everyone around them. Some were hiding smiles; some were leaning towards

    their own partner at the sight; some were rolling their eyes, and others were purely jealous. But everyone

    wondered whether they were allowed to take a picture.

    Xandar didn¡¯t seem bothered by Lucianne¡¯s demand. If anything, she only looked more adorable with

    those flustered cheeks that gave away her embarrassment. His smile was broad and radiant when he

    nuzzled her nose before pecking a light kiss on her forehead and said, ¡°You¡¯re so cute when you¡¯re shy.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be very cute when I beat you up for holding me here, darling.¡± Lucianne warned.

    Christian was secretly hoping to see her spar his cousin again. Just then, Annie mind-linked her mate,

    and they betted against each other to see whether it would be Xandar or Lucianne who would ultimately

    give in. Christian betted on his cousin to cave in and put Lucianne down, whereas Annie betted on

    Lucianne to surrender and let Xandar continue to hold her. So, all that was left to do was watch.

    Xandar chuckled lightly, and leaned in to feel the warmth on Lucianne¡¯s cheeks with his nose as he

    uttered, ¡°You¡¯re right, you don¡¯t look cute when you beat me.¡± He locked eyes with her and dered,

    ¡°When you beat me up, you look wlessly astounding and perfectly amazing, my love.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes and asked in suspicion, ¡°Are you trying to make me give in by saying that,

    Xandar?¡±

    ¡°Is it working?¡± Xandar asked with twinkling eyes.

    ¡°No! Put me down!¡± Lucianne tried to crawl out herself but Xandar held her even tighter and buried his

    head in her neck before whispering into her ear, ¡°Just let me, baby? Just this once? Let me hold you like

    this in public just this once?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s agitation reduced, and she sighed in defeat. When Xandar¡¯s face left her neck, moving to the

    top of her head to smell her hair, she leaned into his chest and indulged in theforting rhythm of his

    heartbeat. As Xandar held her in his arms, he became blind to everyone around them. Her presence

    made him feel happy,plete and peaceful.

    ¡°I think I won. Come on, my love. Pay up.¡± Annie taunted her husband.

    Christian took out his wallet in dissatisfaction as he locked eyes with the confused Lucianne and

    grumbled, ¡°My Queen, I rooted for you. How could you just let Xandar win like that? You could very well

    beat him up! Did you know I was so sure you¡¯d win that I put i n two hundred dors for this?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s mouth gaped open when Xandar chuckled as they witnessed the Duke handing a few dor

    notes to his Duchess, who seemed happier with winning the bet than with getting her husband¡¯s money.

    Annie¡¯s demeanor of triumphant joy tugged at her husband¡¯s heartstrings, and Christian beamed as he

    pecked a kiss on her temple.

    When Lucianne¡¯s phone on the table beeped, everyone saw the reminder to return to the courtroom. The

    cousins groaned in annoyance while the twodies exchanged cheeky smirks when Xandar was forced

    to release Lucianne from his embrace.

    They strode back together, and didn¡¯t know about a man amongst the cafeteria crowd watching them. As

    usual, the man scribbled something in his small notebook and checked the resolution of the pictures he

    had taken from afar.

    What was unusual for him was not knowing that another man disguised as a janitor with only one good

    eye, and who¡¯s bad eye was masked by contact lens, was observing him with great interest.

    Judge Cook gave a firm nod for everyone to be seated. He then cleared his throat and began, ¡°During

    the recess, prior to my reaching of a verdict, the used persons, Patrick Dupont and Pierre Whiw

    have pleaded guilty to the offenses charged. Alfred Cummings submitted the same plea after I¡¯ve

    reached the verdict, hence, on legal principle, his plea will NOT be taken into ount.¡±

    ¡°Corruption charges are criminal in nature, hence I can only sentence the used persons ording to

    ourws if it is beyond reasonable doubt that theymitted the crimes alleged with the intention to

    commit it. In other words, themission must be by their own free will.¡±

    *All four used persons have argued that they¡¯d been ¡®coerced by the Duke, Greg w to illegally

    transfer funds to their personal bank ounts, with a small percentage being sent to Wu Bi Corporation,

    whose owner remains unknown due tock of evidence. Even so, there is evidence stating that the said

    Duke received some form of payment, though this amount is significantly lesspared to the used

    persons.¡±

    ¡°The coercion argument would have been believable if the money remained in the ministers¡¯ respective

    ounts. It would also have been believable if the said Duke received an amount equal to the ministers.

    However, this is clearly not so.¡±

    ¡°Seeing that the used persons spent on personal pleasure and for the enjoyment of their family

    members, I do not find their argument on coercion anywhere near credible or believable. Needless to

    say, their assertions without evidentiary support is fatal to their case, especially when the prosecution

    has provided ample evidence to prove its case against them.¡±

    ¡°I opine that any ims stating that they had been unaware of the lofty sum they received in no way

    clears their names since it is

    in the millions when one¡¯s annual sry is nowhere near the amount. The prosecution has taken pains to

    quantify the total savings of each minister if they had not spent a single cent, and that amount is still far

    from the value of assets they acquired throughout the years.¡±

    ¡°The frozen assets of all four used persons shall be seized, thereafter transferred to the government,

    who may apply for an order for sale to make up for the stolen funds. These assets include, but are not

    limited to,nded properties, movable properties, savings and shares of any kind. Should the stolen

    funds be traced to another individual, that individual is obliged to surrender the assets acquired using

    these funds.¡±

    ¡°Although the maximum sentencing rting to corruption is only a twenty-year imprisonment term along

    with a fine, an act of corruption in the service of The Crown is a term of eighty years, a fine double the

    value of what was stolen and five strokes of the whip daily in the course of imprisonment. I gather no one

    requires me to state the obvious fact that the fine, unfortunately, cannot b e fully recovered in this case,

    and the justice system can only give its best to the government to recover as much as it possibly can.¡± 3

    ¡°On with the sentencing of each used person. Marie Martin, for corruption, aiding and abetting in an

    act of treason and fabrication of false evidence by producing audits that were inauthentic, taking into

    ount her plea of guilt: seventy-five years in prison, a fine of double of the stolen value, and five

    strokes of the whip daily for the whole duration of imprisonment.¡±

    ¡°Patrick Dupont, for corruption and aiding and abetting in an act of treason, taking into ount his plea

    of guilt, seventy years in prison, a fine of double of the stolen value, and five strokes of the whip daily for

    the whole duration of imprisonment.¡±

    ¡°Pierre Whiw, for corruption and aiding and abetting in an act of treason, taking into ount his plea of

    guilt, seventy years in prison, a fine of double of the stolen value, and five strokes of the whip daily for

    the whole duration of imprisonment.¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    ¡°Lastly, Alfred Cummings, for corruption, aiding and abetting in an act of treason, attempted obstruction

    of justice by asking a witness tomit perjury, without a plea of guilt, eighty years in prison, a fine of

    double of the stolen value, and five strokes of the whip daily for the whole duration of imprisonment.

    Seeing that Alfred Cummings is the only one who did not plead as the others have, the route to appeal

    against my decision hereafter shall be open only to him. Those who have pleaded guilty are barred by

    law from appealing.¡±

    ¡°I hold all four used persons guilty of the offenses charged by the prosecution, and order that their

    sentences be carried out as I have prescribed with immediate effect. That is my decision.¡±

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168

    After delivering the verdict, Judge Cook stood, exchanged bows with the attendees, and left the

    courtroom. The prosecutor then informed the royal family that her team was not done with the ministers

    yet because they could now charge all of them for perjury when they chose to lie on the stand, which

    wouldmit them to another seven years in prison and a fine of a few thousand dors. They were

    also going to charge Belle Price for helping Marie Martin fabricate evidence so that the public would be

    well aware of the consequences of going against thew.

    The cousins were controlling their excitement and tion with the verdict and the further charges against

    the ministers as they left the courtroom with their mates. When they reached the parking lot with less of a

    crowd, Christian was so ecstatic that he pulled Annie into a kiss.

    Xandar was so much over the moon that he lifted his surprised mate up into the air before pulling her

    back into his arms to nt a deep kiss on her soft lips. When he released her, he muttered, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Her sparkling eyes matched his relief and happiness as she whispered, ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡±

    Since the case was settled without excessive mental exhaustion, the four of them decided that they

    would attend dinner.

    ###

    That night, as soon as Xandar and Lucianne stepped foot into the dining hall, the room fell silent as

    usual. Then, every prevailing minister, temporary and permanent, walked up to them. The sound of their

    shoes pacing was ring in the quiet but crowded space.

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    Annie and Christian were approaching them with smiling eyes as well. When the Duke, Duchess and

    ministers stood before the bewildered King and Queen, Lucianne threw her best friend a puzzled look,

    her way of asking him what was going on. Toby was of n o help when he did nothing but smirk in

    response.

    Lucianne studied one minister after another. She then said, ¡°Judging by the smiles, I¡¯m guessing that it¡¯s

    good news?¡±

    Their smiles broadened, and Toby¡¯s voice echoed through the hall when he offered a slight bow and said,

    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to serve with you, your Highnesses.¡± And all the ministers echoed ¡®serve with you¡¯ as they

    offered their highest rulers a respectful bow with a gleaming smile.

    Everyone else in the hall followed suit, saying ¡®serve with you¡¯ while they held their heads low. Lucianne

    and Xandar exchanged astonished expressions, and the King followed his Queen¡¯s lead in returning the

    bow.

    When she and Xandar stood, so did everyone else. With her signature gracious upward curl of her lips,

    Lucianne spoke in her authoritative voice that rang loud and strong, ¡°It is OUR honor to serve alongside

    you, ALL of you.¡± Her hand gesture showed that her message was not only directed to the ministers but

    also to every other leader, warrior and expert in attendance.

    The simple sentence spoke volumes. They heard the depth of her gratitude and appreciation, and felt the

    sincerity and rawness from her being, which was everything that they could ask for from a Queen.

    Xandar held his mate close to him by her waist as he said, ¡°We look forward to many more decades and

    centuries of working together, and we thank all of you for choosing to continue offering your skills and

    expertise to create a better future with us.¡±

    Xandar signaled a waiter, asking for wine sses for himself and his mate. After handing one to

    Lucianne, the King raised his ss as he proposed a toast, ¡°Here¡¯s to creating a better future together.¡±

    ¡°A better future together.¡± Everyone cheered in unison before drinking from their sses.

    It was a great night. Whatever Xandar and Lucianne said made every Lycan and werewolf feel belonged,

    respected, appreciated and enthusiastic about the future.

    As their subjects, they willingly conveyed their loyalty and gratitude to their rulers after reading the joint

    statement from the royal family about the corruption debacle. But they didn¡¯t expect their rulers to convey

    the same loyalty and gratitude to them. They felt seen, heard and included, and their hearts were moved.

    Throughout the night, whenever Xandar and Lucianne weren¡¯t speaking to someone else, his thoughts

    ravelled around his mate. H e served for almost two decades as King, and he had never gotten his

    people to pledge their loyalty so willingly. Even his ownte father never managed such a thing. 1

    The respect and love Xandar just felt from their subjects when they bowed tonight was, for once, without

    fear or obligation. His mate gave him that. She guided him, and showed him through her words and

    actions how to be a better ruler, a better person.

    As these thoughts engulfed his being, a smile would inevitably grace his features, and he would end up

    pecking sweet kisses on the back of her hand, her forehead or temple, uttering ¡®you¡¯re amazing¡¯ right

    after he did it each time.

    Lucianne blushed every time he said it, and became especially embarrassed if some of the attendees

    who heard him threw her teasing looks. But she was not immune to her own urges to return his kisses by

    pecking on his cheek or chin before whispering a sincere ¡®so are you, darling¡¯ in response.

    ###

    For some people, like Kelissa Kylton, it was not the happiest of nights. In all frankness, the heiress was

    having one of THE WORST days in her one hundred and sixty years of life. The photos her men took

    were only a good thing to look at if she wanted an increase in blood pressure and stress hormones.

    She sat alone by the firece. The heavy rising and falling of her chest was getting more and more

    obvious, and her eyes had long tumed onyx as she glowered at the photograph in her hand.

    Lady Kylton came from the spa room, and ced a hand on her daughter¡¯s shoulder as she whispered,

    ¡°That won¡¯t be for much longer, Kelly, dear. You should tum in for the night. You know how important

    sleep is for your wlessplexion.¡±

    Knowing that her advisors were already in their rooms on far sides of the mansion, Kelissa hissed

    without holding back. ¡°What does Xandar even see in this thing, mom? Look at her!¡±

    She handed her mother one of the photos, showing Xandar holding Lucianne on hisp in the court

    cafeteria. The resolution of the picture was so high that no one could deny the King¡¯s affectionate gaze

    on the very flustered Queen-to-be as she leaned into his chest. The sight was a disgusting and

    nauseating one for Lady Kylton.

    Her Ladyship sighed in despair as she noted, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing thete King and Queen have passed.

    This affair itself would bring them to a premature grave.¡±

    Her daughter continued to rant, ¡°T¡¯d rather they remained alive when Xandar met her! At least then, they

    would¡¯ve forbidden their son from pursuing this¡­NONSENSE! THEY WOULD HAVE MADE HIM

    REJECT HER!!¡± 2

    ¡°Shh, dear. Xandar has always been a stubbom one, and I¡¯m sorry to say this, darling, but he doesn¡¯t

    make the best decisions at times.¡±

    ¡°THIS IS HIS WORST DECISION YET!!¡±

    ¡°Which is why he needs YOU to hold his hand and lead him back into the light. He needs you, Kelly,

    despite him not knowing it yet. Once he sees that you were the one he should crown all along, this

    anger, hurt and betrayal you¡¯re feeling right now will fade into nothing but a bad memory.¡± 6

    Kelissa internalized her mother¡¯s words, which managed to calm her a little. ¡°Yes, I mustn¡¯t give up.

    Xandar needs me. But, I swear, when I get him, I¡¯m going to make him apologize for this for the rest of

    our years together.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps not too early, dear.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, of course, mom. I¡¯ll wait until after we¡¯ve marked each other. I¡¯m not reckless. It¡¯s better to y

    it safe.¡±

    After a moment of watching the crackling fire in silence, Lady Kylton asked, ¡°Is the Duke cooperating?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he offered good views in the brainstorming session today.¡±

    Another short moment of silence, then her mother asked, ¡°Does he know about the¡­contingency n?¡±

    Kelissa turned to look at her mother in disbelief. ¡°Of course not! Mom, I¡¯m not stupid!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that you are, dear. I just want you to be careful with what you¡ª¡±

    Kelissa¡¯s nostrils red when she yelled, ¡°I AM CAREFUL! I KNOW WHAT I¡¯M DOING! I¡¯M THE

    FUTURE QUEEN!¡±

    Lady Kylton tried to get her little girl to calm down, ¡°Yes, I know, dear. I know. That crown has been yours

    ever since you were born. We all knew it. It¡¯s time that Xandar knew it as well. As long as the Duke is

    kept in the dark about the contingency n, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have his full support and loyalty.¡±

    Silence ensued before Kelissa muttered, ¡°If Xandar won¡¯t reject her, then we¡¯ll have to make her reject

    him. If and when we send rogues to her pack to kill every living creature there, the message we leave

    there must make the wolf so guilty that she would feel obliged to reject Xandar, because it was their bond

    that is going to cause the genocide. Our Duke here can NEVER know our contingency n to annihte

    the wolf¡¯s pack if it¡¯s necessary. Both Dukes are as blind as the King himself at the moment,

    unfortunately. As one of the few who can see clearly, I have a duty to shed the light for the good of the

    Kingdom.¡±

    Lady Kylton¡¯s eyes glistened with pride as she pecked a motherly kiss on her daughter¡¯s cheek before

    she dered proudly,¡± Spoken like a true Queen.¡±

    Kelissa smirked cockily as she burnt the photograph with a lighter and threw it into the firece while

    saying, ¡°The rightful Queen.¡±

    Little did Kelissa know that Greg had installed voice recording devices all around the mansion, one of

    them being near the firece.

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169

    Greg surveyed the mansion on his first day when the head servant gave him a tour to make sure he

    knew his way around. In secret, he took mental notes on the locations he could use to ce the hidden

    recording devices that he hid in his slightly oversized shoes when he left his apartment.

    So, thanks to the device near the firece, the Duke heard the whole conversation between the mother

    and daughter. His animal growled at the mention of demolishing Blue Crescent as the Kylton¡¯s

    ¡®contingency n¡¯, and Greg thanked Goddess that he was alone in his dark room pretending to be

    asleep when he eavesdropped.

    But he had a goodugh with his animal when Kelissa said that she wasn¡¯t stupid. She couldn¡¯t even

    keep him under her reins. Her chauffeur didn¡¯t even check his shoes for the recording devices he

    brought with him.

    There wasn¡¯t even a single camera or recording device in the guest room they gave him. Not one. He

    checked. Six times. 1

    He still checked for them if he had been away from his room. If Kelissa Kylton wasn¡¯t stupid, then she

    had to be as dim as a fused lightbulb covered in a thickyer of dust that repelled anyone allergic to her

    foolishness. 1

    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.

    And then there was what Kelissa said about what he and his cousins see in Lucianne¡­seriously? She

    needed an exnation for that? The way they smiled itself were at opposite ends of the spectrum¡­if

    Kelissa were even worthy to share the same spectrum as Lucianne at all!

    Lucianne radiated a contagious warmth, raw beauty, inspirational intellect, killer sarcasm and noble

    ferocity. The heiress, on the other hand¡­Oh, Goddess, where should Greg even begin? Kelissa exuded

    only a shuddering presence, and the makeup she wore inn o way covered up the sinister, conceited and

    selfish persona many people knew her by.

    Her intellect? Greg and his animal concluded that the heiress should count herself lucky that her family¡¯s

    money and reputation had always gotten her through without beingughed at or stepped on for herck

    ofmon sense and understanding of simple concepts. Of course she was impressed with his

    contribution at the brainstorming session! She knew so little! And for someone who was dead certain that

    she was ¡®the rightful Queen¡¯, she exemplified ZERO nobility. 1

    Greg suddenly found himself muttering, ¡°If Kylton became Queen, Goddess help this Kingdom.¡±

    When he was done judging, he prayed that Billy, Lance and the rest of his underground people were

    doing fine without him. After that, he fell into a deep slumber.

    ###

    Greg joined the other pathetic advisors and snobbish Kyltons for breakfast like he did everyday since he

    arrived. For some reason, i t was always the seat next to Livia that was empty. He tried toe down a

    little earlier to get a seat other than that but to no avail.

    His animal and human parts both dreaded having to sit beside that perfume-pungent b*tch who sent the

    Kyltons to hurt Lucianne. But they both knew that they had to put up with the nonsense for a little while

    longer. Greg was envious of his own animal when it could growl and groan in annoyance to its

    satisfaction in his head but the human part of him had to stay silent, behave and put on a n unperturbed

    face in front of these losers.

    Livia was cold and distant on the first day, ying hard to get, much to Greg¡¯s relief. The second day,

    however, she tried to get him t o open up and speak to her. ¡®Just kill me¡¯, Greg thought every time he¡¯d

    have to respond to her empty questions to hold a dull conversation

    He wondered why she didn¡¯t just continue ying hard to get to make his life easier. He only tolerated

    her because one of the terms he agreed privately with Kelissa Kylton was that he must make Livia think

    she had a chance with him. But the heiress affirmed that his ultimate prize was Lucianne. The stupid

    b*tch actually believed that he would hurt Lucianne just to im her.

    ¡°Excuse me, your Grace.¡± Livia leaned over to get the butter, and her thin, white camisole made the red

    push-up bra underneath too obvious to miss. Livia felt Greg¡¯s eyes on her when she reached for the

    butter, and her animal was squealing in delight while her human was trying her best to not make eye

    contact with the sexy bad boy just yet. 3

    The Duke was indeed looking at her, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her by her neck, fracture

    it, throw her against the ss cabs before breaking her bones slowly, one at a time as he indulged in

    her screams.

    When Greg felt the simmering anger, his eyes lowered to the food on his te to hide the onyx shade as

    he chanted Lucianne¡¯s name with his animal to calm himself. He would go so far as to recall her smile,

    herugh and those little moments when she was appearance-conscious for no apparent reason.

    ¡®Beautiful¡¯, he thought to himself as his eyes regained their lc shade. 1

    Lord Kylton held a fake grin when he began conversing with the Duke, ¡°I hope our humble abode is to

    your liking, your Grace.¡±

    Greg returned the insincere smile and said, ¡°It is, Lord Kylton. Thank you. I¡¯m especially impressed with

    that lovely firece you have in the living room.¡± Because that was where he got exclusive information

    from the two women the night before.

    ¡°Ah, that.¡± Lady Kylton joined the conversation with an enthusiastic, sinister smile that was clearly

    passed down to her daughter. ¡°I t was designed by one of the best. We paid good money for it.¡±

    ¡°I can tell.¡± Greg noted tly, and took a sip from his ss to drown down the sarcasm threatening to spill

    from his mouth. Lord Kylton chuckled before he said, ¡°Well, you contributed to it, your Grace. So, it¡¯s

    fitting that we thank you for the design that you¡¯re impressed with now.¡±

    Greg ced his ss back on the table and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    The husband and wife nced at each other triumphantly before Lord Kylton thrusted out his hand to

    Greg and exined, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you in this capacity, your Grace. You¡¯ve been a great

    customer to one of our family¡¯s most sessfulpanies, Wu Bi Corporation.¡±

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170

    Greg was genuinely shocked at the old couple¡¯s revtion but the Duke nheless shook Lord Kylton¡¯s

    hand as he told his animal, ¡°Please tell me he¡¯s joking.¡± His animal prompted him to keep the

    conversation going with Lord Kylton to learn more about what they didn¡¯t know.

    Greg narrowed his eyes in suspicion and asked the old man, ¡°What¡¯s the customer code I have to cite in

    transactions?¡±

    His Lordship seemed impressed and said, ¡°Good thing I checked that this morning. 130996GC_LC.

    ess name: Chameleon. But I¡¯ll admit right now that we¡¯ve never spoken over the phone in your

    transactions, your Grace. We have our customers¡¯ personal information but the uh¡­rogue Alpha handles

    themunications and customers¡¯¡­requests.¡±

    So, Greg had beenmunicating with only the manager of the rogue corporation this whole time, not

    its founders. Greg nodded as he intemalized this fact, and released Lord Kylton¡¯s hand as he muttered,

    ¡°A very sessful business you have.¡±

    Lord Kylton patted Greg on the shoulder like a friend, and Greg tried to mask his difort and urge to

    tear the man to shreds. Unless he was having sex, no one had the right to touch Greg w.

    ¡°Well, your Grace. You must take some credit for our sess. We had the idea of taking government

    funds after the King wrongfully refused our daughter¡¯s hand but we didn¡¯t have a link, someone who

    could provide us with the necessary ess and individuals who could be our patsies. You were that link,

    your Grace. You gave us the ministers¡¯ names and told us who to target, asking nothing but a small

    commission in return For that, we cannot thank you enough.¡±

    His wife added, ¡°It would¡¯ve been difficult to get those ministers and Helena here to help us in our n if

    we didn¡¯t have you to encourage them to join us, your Grace, seeing that we wished to remain

    anonymous.¡±

    Greg admitted, ¡°To be very honest, I thought I was helping someone less¡­¡± he looked around the

    sophisticated interior design of the

    dining room before he continued, ¡°wealthy.¡±

    The Kyltons chuckled at Greg¡¯s remark, seeing it as apliment. Lord Kylton exined, ¡°Well, I

    suppose we hid it well, since someone as experienced as you in this line of work didn¡¯t suspect that we

    were the ones you¡¯ve been doing business with this whole time.¡±

    ¡°I have to agree.¡± Greg readily confessed ¡°How did you know I would help you though?¡±

    Lady Kylton exined, ¡°When we heard that you were angered with your cousins, both of them, as were

    we, no doubt for different reasons, we saw an opportunity to work together. But we also wanted to be

    careful seeing that you share blood rtions with the King, who we wanted to¡­take something from, just

    as how he took our daughter¡¯s heart and broke it with no remorse.¡±

    ¡°So, for the broken heart, you just wanted money from the government?¡± Greg asked, somewhat

    disappointed that the founder of the sessful rogue corporation was instituted based on nothing but a

    broken heart, and continued to blossom with nothing more than wanting more money which the founders

    clearly DID NOT NEED.

    Greg used to think that Wu Bi Corp¡¯s mission and ultimate goal was something more ster and jaw-

    dropping, like to recruit enough rogues to overthrow the Kingdom, or to expand its business and join

    forces with vampires to start another war against thew-abiding Lycans and werewolves. Well, now that

    Lucianne was in the picture Greg didn¡¯t want those things anymore but still, siphoning money to establish

    a rogue corporation only to siphon more money seemedme.

    The Kyltons were actually telling him that their rogue business was to ¡®take something from¡¯ his cousin

    just because their creature -repelling daughter was heartbroken?

    First, the Moon Goddess made him fall in love with a phenomenal woman that he couldn¡¯t get. Now, he

    was told that his anti government hero was thisme family? Greg was even beginning to question

    whether he was awake, lucid and sober. It felt like a long, bad dream after too many hours of over-

    drinking. 1

    ¡°Money was never the goal for my heartbreak, your Grace.¡± Kelissa noted with discontent. ¡°I love Xandar

    but he hurt me. So, the goal was to hurt him back. You see, when we were close¡­¡±

    ¡°Kylton, get real. You two were never close.¡± Greg retorted mercilessly, and heard Sasha snort at his

    remark.

    Kelissa threw her a re, making Sasha fall silent. The minister¡¯s daughter knew better than to anger the

    heiress who promised to throw her back into prison if she broke the terms of their agreement.

    After taking a deep breath, Kelissa¡¯s partially-onyx eyes fixed on the Duke as she spoke in suppressed

    rage, ¡°I hope you know that I¡¯m tolerating your impertinence because you¡¯ve helped build my parents¡¯

    business, your Grace.¡±

    ¡°And I hope you know that believing in an illusion instead of the truth would put you further away from

    your goal, not nearer to it, Kylton.¡±

    don¡¯t have to make him believe that you and Xandar were close. Y

    ¡®WE WERE CLOSE! I WAS THE CLOSEST THING HE HAD TO A GIRLFRIEND, A SIGNIFICANT

    OTHER!

    Her father then linked, ¡®We know that, sweetheart. But remember, the goal is X?ndar, not this Duke. Just

    let him think he¡¯s right. W e need his cooperation.¡¯ 1

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    ¡®He¡¯s such a pain in the ast¡¯Kelissained.

    Lord Kylton then made an interesting and viable suggestion, ¡®If you are still unhappy with how he¡¯s

    behaving when all this ends,

    Realization dawned on the two women, and Lady Kylton stroked her husband¡¯s hand as she linked,

    ¡®What a clever idea, my love.¡¯ Kelissa linked as she smirked, ¡®Killing the wolf will definitely teach this

    Duke to never mess with the Kyltons, especially when ites to ME! Alright, I¡¯ll just y along for now.

    When the dust settles, he¡¯s going to regret speaking to me like how he just did.¡±

    When their eyes cleared, almost everyone sat still as they waited for one of the Kyltons to speak. Greg

    was the only one munching o n his toast as he asked casually, ¡°Emergency family conference?¡± 1

    Bearing in mind what her parents had just told her, Kelissa forced a smile, the one Greg found to be

    sinister, before she said, ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m being asked to be nice to my guest.¡±

    Greg nodded as he said, ¡°Good advice.¡± It really humored his animal when he noticed Kelissa¡¯s agitation,

    which onlysted for a brief second

    The heiress reyed the end goal and took a deep breath, then she continued her tale, ¡°Anyway, as I

    was saying, Xandar had always talked about how much he wanted to make a difference as a King, and

    work all those hours just to make it happen. So, I just knew that if I did something to hurt the Kingdom,

    it¡¯d hurt him, too. Our family¡¯s n was to take government funds until the government went bankrupt.¡± 2

    Greg nodded in understanding and prompted, ¡°I¡¯m hoping that¡¯s not the end goal?¡±

    He said that because it was clear from the Kyltons smug faces that there was more they hadn¡¯t told him

    yet. And it was evident

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171

    ¡°You¡¯re really difficult to impress, aren¡¯t you, your Grace?¡± Lord Kylton noted in amusement before he

    uttered, ¡°But I¡¯m happy to say that bankrupting the government wasn¡¯t the end. In fact, it was the

    beginning of the end. Knowing Xandar and Christian, we gathered that they would transfer the

    monarchy¡¯s funds to sustain the government if the government funds were emptied. So, the end goal

    was to wait until both those funds dried up. And when the King and his second-inmand have

    nowhere else to tum for money, our family would make a sudden appearance to¡­¡±

    ¡°Offer financial support.¡± Greg muttered when he caught up, and he continued, ¡°In exchange, you¡¯d

    demand that the King take your daughter¡¯s hand in marriage.¡±

    ¡°Bravo, your Grace.¡± Kelissa said with a smilk, raising her ss while she was at it like she was already

    celebrating. After taking a sip, she added, ¡°What¡¯s better is that we lose nothing in the process. We¡¯d just

    be giving Xandar whatever we¡¯ve¡­borrowed from the government and the monarchy over the years.¡±

    ¡°Borrowed?¡± Greg questioned her choice of vocabry.

    Kelissa rolled her eyes and continued, ¡°It¡¯s not theft if we n to retum whatever we¡¯ve been taking.

    When it happens, when we save the Kingdom from financial ruin, it would seem like we¡¯re helping every

    living creature, from the most insignificant wolf to the most powerful Lycan. No one in their right minds

    would question my right to be Queen. My nobility and selflessness in offering aid when the Kingdom

    needs it most would silence any critic. And when my subjects see me, they¡¯d kneel, bow and utter long

    live the Queen¡¯.¡±

    ¡®Sounds like a perfect plot to a horror movie with an ominous ending¡¯, Greg thought to himself.

    Greg decided to ignore the delusional and power-crazed heiress for now, and turned to Lord Kylton to

    confirm the facts for the sake of the recording device stuck under the dining table, ¡°So, you let the

    ministers take the bulk of the money¡­because it was never about the money. You let them take the bulk

    because you only wanted them to keep helping you with your n without them asking questions about

    the ultimate goal. And you three knew that the portion Wu Bi Corp took over the years would be enough

    to b e used as a bargaining chip to force my cousin to make your daughter the¡­¡±

    He was getting nauseous simply by imagining Kelissa as the Queen, so much so that he couldn¡¯t say it

    without throwing up. He thought fast, and pictured Lucianne in his head before he uttered, ¡°Queen.¡±

    Thankfully, none of the Kyltons saw through his disgust. They assumed that Greg was just shocked. Lord

    Kylton smirked in arrogance when he said, ¡°Ingenious, isn¡¯t it, your Grace? We obviously never needed

    the money but Tanner here and the ministers who¡­assisted us did. So, we used that as our bargaining

    chip. Money in the billions in exchange for government ess and no questions asked. The dor signs

    always have a way of removing unwanted questions and attracting¡­the right people.¡±

    The right people whom they let get arrested and sentenced. Talk about ingratitude. The Kyltons¡¯

    pompous and triumphant expressions only showed that they had already told Greg everything he needed

    to know. So, the Duke decided to reward himself with a little fun by doing what he did best:unch verbal

    attacks.

    He retumed the Lord¡¯s arrogant smirk and said, ¡°You¡¯re not very good with timelines are you? Your n

    is taking quite a while to reach its end.¡±

    His Lordship tried to justify the inefficiency. ¡°Well, your Grace. Moving things too fast would raise

    suspicions. So, we decided to take things slow. And we didn¡¯t expect Xandar and ckfur to have above

    average skills to sustain the Kingdom¡¯s economy.¡±

    Greg furrowed his eyebrows as he asked in disbelief, ¡°You didn¡¯t expect the Crowned Prince and the

    sessor to the Kingdom¡¯s shipping and transportation sectors to have good enough skills to sustain the

    economy? Really?¡±

    Lord Kylton shrugged and said, ¡°Xandar looks capable but he was young when he ascended the throne.

    We didn¡¯t think he¡¯d have the required skills to hold the Kingdom together at that age. As for Christian

    ckfur¡­ We¡¯ve met ckfur several times, your Grace. He didn¡¯t seem very promising.¡± 1

    Greg continued to press mercilessly, ¡°Despite his First-ss Degree in Economics, Finance and Political

    Science from Helm University? And the Masters Degree in Economics after that? As for that King cousin

    of mine, did you even know he has two Masters Degrees from Helm? One in Business and another one

    in Economics.¡± 3

    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    Oh, Goddess. Condescending the Kyltons was easier than he thought. They were so blind to their

    opponents¡¯ strengths and weaknesses that it was effortless to make them look stupid!

    Lady Kylton whispered to her husband, ¡°Didn¡¯t Vera only say Xandar¡¯s highest qualification was in

    history?¡±

    Greg didn¡¯t even bother being courteous and respectful when he answered Lady Kylton¡¯s question

    without giving her husband the chance, ¡°The PhD in history was just a waste of time and money. That

    dissertation he wrote about some unknown myth about the Unhinged Prince is one of the most boring

    things about him. Myte uncle and I couldn¡¯tprehend the applicability of that in

    governance and politics but that¡¯s a story for another day. The point is¡­¡±

    Greg sighed in despair again and questioned, ¡°Were you all wilfully blind to their skills when you were

    executing your n?¡±

    .

    Lady Kylton then said, ¡°Well, we knew about their Bachelor¡¯s Degree in business, of course, but¡­we

    thought those were¡­ purchased?¡±

    Greg¡¯s eyebrows raised, and he asked, ¡°I have a Degree from Helm as well. Do you think mine is

    purchased, too?¡± When silence ensued, Greg got his answer, and it was f*cking insulting!

    Kelissa asked, ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t it?¡± Greg taunted, ¡°You¡¯re saying that your own degrees in social sciences and

    interior design from Castyard are bought, Kylton?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Kelissa said with no shame. This was news to Greg. He never took an interest in the Kyltons

    enough to dig into the heiress¡¯s background.

    Greg bit his lip to stop the insults from pouring out, and said, ¡°Then, let me put it this way: just because

    your own qualifications were¡­bought, it doesn¡¯t mean that ours are. And Helm has never entertained

    bribes for student admission or a better grade. Believe me, I tried paying for a better grade and was

    given a worse one instead.¡± 1

    There was a brief moment of silence before Kelissa smiled to herself as she uttered like she was in a

    beautiful dream, ¡°Hm, I was already more than happy with a handsome and powerful King as my mate.

    Now, I leam that he¡¯s a smart one, too. I can¡¯t wait for us to be reunited again.¡± Lady Kylton smiled

    blissfully as well when she held her daughter¡¯s hand and gave it a gentle, encouraging squeeze.

    Greg pressed his fingers on the sides of his nose bridge. After a moment, he spoke to the Lord in a low

    voice, ¡°I¡¯m beginning to see why your daughter can be delusional when ites to the truth, Kylton. This

    problem clearly runs in your family.¡±

    The Kyltondies broke out of their fantasy and red at the Duke as Kelissa snapped, ¡°You¡¯re just

    jealous that you NEVER had anything real and intimate like Xandar and I once had and WILL have

    again, your Grace!¡±

    Greg almost burst outughing, and his own animal was not helping him cope with the way it was

    chuckling and rolling all over the floor in his mind at what the heiress just proimed. ¡®Control. Control.

    Control.¡¯, he repeated to himself. He didn¡¯t want to over piss Kelissa for fear of the Kyltons invoking their

    contingency n to wipe out Blue Crescent.

    Kelissa thought that the Duke¡¯s silence meant what she just said was true. So, she smirked like she had

    won the battle and asked,¡± Nothing to say, your Grace?¡±

    Greg-thought about Lucianne, reying how she was always calm andposed when the situation

    demanded it, and his own urge tough at Kelissa reduced. As theer of his lips curled up into a

    mischievous smile, he uttered, ¡°Ignorance is blissful, Kylton, until it gets you killed.¡±

    Kelissa asked in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    As much as Greg wanted to fire a whole list of incidents from the past to justify that the King had never

    been and will never be even faintly interested in the heiress, he held back. Instead, he chose to say, ¡°It

    means that daydreaming about something that hasn¡¯t happened yet will not get you to your end goal.

    And ack of knowledge of my cousins¡¯ skills is the main reason your family¡¯s n is going sideways. I

    hate those two to the bone but I¡¯ve never been willfully blind to their qualifications and abilities. They may

    not be the smartest creatures but they are far from stupid.¡±

    ¡®Unlike you¡¯, Greg wanted to add but was careful not to.

    Lord Kylton tried to mask his displeasure from the Duke insulting his daughter, and said, ¡°Perhaps that

    was where we went wrong, and a ten-year n has now dragged on to almost twenty years. What¡¯s

    worse is that we¡¯ve hit an obstacle.¡±

    ¡°The fact that my cousin found his mate, or the fact that the ministers who helped you are now

    imprisoned?¡± Greg taunted. This family couldn¡¯t even count the number of obstacles before them.

    Ridiculous.

    ¡°Two obstacles, then.¡± His Lordship muttered, and went on, ¡°We had to improvise to get to the end goal

    now. All these issues started because of the wolf. The longer the wolf stays there, the more damage

    she¡¯ll cause to our ns. We need her¡­removed from the King. Waiting for government and monarchy

    funds to dry up has been taking too long, and obviously not workable anymore. Kelissa has taken the

    initiative to lead the improvisation, and she¡¯s doing very well for a beginner, I must say.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, daddy.¡± Kelissa smirked in arrogance.

    A servant came to remind them that they had an appointment with the rogues in twenty minutes. So,

    everyone finished up and left the table to get ready for the meeting.

    Greg concluded that the rogues didn¡¯t talk much. The rogue Lycans didn¡¯t talk at all. It was just that rogue

    wolf who spoke minimally, asking only necessary questions. When everyone was dismissed, Kelissa

    requested Jake to stay behind for a private discussion in

    Greg left in a hurry to pretend to want to use the bathroom. He dashed down the hallway, and locked

    himself inside the restroom before putting in his earpiece to eavesdrop on Kelissa and Jake¡¯s discussion.

    Thank Goddess Greg had a device installed in the meeting room, too.

    When Greg heard what Kelissa proposed to Jake, which the rogue wolf reluctantly obliged to carry out

    after a lot of persuasion and pestering from the heiress, Greg¡¯s eyes tumed onyx. He then took out a

    paper clip-like gadget from inside his shoe, clipped it on his wristband, waited for it to emit a faint green

    glow, before he tried mind-linking his servant to see if the wristband could detect his attempt. 4

    When the link went through, the screen showed no signs of his attempt, much to Greg¡¯s relief. The Duke

    then mind-linked Ivory, asking him and Alissa to be ready on the date Kelissa wanted Jak¨¦ and the

    rogues to put their n into action.

    That was when Ivory informed him that apart from himself and Alissa, there were three other people

    watching the King and Lucianne. Ivory gave the Duke facial and body descriptions, and Greg came to

    the infuriating conclusion that those were the Kyltons¡¯ men. He had only seen them in the mansion at

    night, and one of them would always be carrying an envelope. Unknowingly, Greg emitted a low growl,

    uttering, ¡°How dare they.¡± After confirming the date of the rogue attack, Ivory ended the link. Now, all

    Greg could do was wait and pray that Lucianne woulde out well and safe.

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172

    On the training ground, the unshifted audience gathered around the sparring space where the Lycan

    King and their future Queen¡¯s striped-tail wolf was about to spar. Christian brought a bag of chips this

    time, which he shared with Toby, who promised to bring the snacks in the next round. 4

    Xandar and Lucianne¡¯s animals sparred once by the river on their morning run. Lucianne beat Xandar

    but it wasn¡¯t as easy as beating his human part. His animal¡¯s strength made him almost immune to any

    force Lucianne¡¯s wolf tried to exert on it, and its speed made it difficult for Lucianne to dodge his attacks

    and escape his grip.

    She only won because she knew a Lycan¡¯s weak spots and went for those. Xandar¡¯s Lycan was so

    excited with her victory that it nuzzled her whole body after it recovered from her attacks. But when the

    Lycan saw how drained its little wolf was, it whimpered before holding her close to its chest until dawn to

    ease some of her strain with the mate-bond.

    Babe, no overexertion.¡¯Xandar reminded her for the third time that morning.

    Lucianne rolled her eyes at his excessive worry. ¡®It¡¯s not like I won¡¯t recover. Besides, we have to go all

    out. Everyone around us is going to use this demonstration to learn the weak spots and the techniques

    to get there.¡¯

    ¡®Yeah, I know but just..don¡¯t overdo it, Lucy.¡¯ His animal¡¯s eyes amplified concern, even a little fear.

    Lucianne knew that he would hold back if she didn¡¯t say something to make sure he went all out. When

    her lightbulb moment came, her wolf smirked as she repeated her words from their first spar in their

    human form, ¡®You¡¯re not scared of being beaten by a little wolf now, are you, your Highness?¡¯

    That did the trick! The worry in his lc eyes faded, reced by the cockiness and determination of his

    animal. It was then everyone heard the King emit a low growl, which even put a pause on Toby and

    Christian¡¯s chips-munching.

    Xandar linked his mate, ¡®You asked for this, sweetheart.¡¯

    Her wolf growled and dashed towards her mate. When Xandar¡¯s leg tried to sweep across her limbs to

    trip her, she grabbed onto it, extended her ws on one paw and impaled his knee, making the King

    groan and limp for a second while Lucianne leaped onto his shoulder. But before she could bite his ear,

    Xandar¡¯s knee recovered, and he pulled Lucianne by her leg and got her off his shoulders.

    Just before he could throw her on the ground, Lucianne hastily flipped herself backward while Xandar

    was still holding onto her leg, thus breaking his fingers. He howled in pain, and the Lycans and

    werewolves around them cringed at the sound of bone breaking as their eyes squinted in anguish at

    what their Queen just did to their King.

    Lucianne climbed up his arm, and made it to his broad shoulders again. When she saw Xandar¡¯s hands

    coming for her, she took his ear in her mouth and pulled with all her might. His howl was deafening to the

    audience as he started tilting backwards, and Christian¡¯s hand holding the bag of chips suddenly

    clenched into a fist to cope with sound, making the remaining junk food erupt from the bag likeva

    exploding from a volcano, falling all over the ground.

    When Xandar fell backwards, Lucianne leaped away before he fell on her body. Hended with a loud

    thud, and Lucianne tried to dash away when she saw his handing again. But Xandar caught her tail

    and pulled her back to him despite still being seated o n the ground.

    Hismendable move was to catch her tail. But his mistake was to hold her tail too close to his face.

    Lucianne pressed her tail against his nostrils, cutting out his airway. And there was another thing, Xandar

    had the sudden urge to sneeze from inhaling Lucianne¡¯s fur. That never happened when he took her

    scent from her neck because the fur there was not as thick as it was on her tail.

    Taking advantage of his difort, Lucianne growled as she pounced on his chest, making him fall back

    to the ground before her canines went for his neck. The sharp tips of her canines stopped an inch away

    from Xandar¡¯s exposed neck, making everyone stop breathing. 4

    The white wolf then extended its tongue and ended up licking her mate¡¯s neck instead, making the King

    coo like a baby.

    ¡°Oh, thank Goddess.¡± Toby¡¯s relieved whisper resonated with everyone else. Their tensed bodies eased,

    and some had to blink and shake their heads to bring themselves out of the barbarous attack they just

    watched.

    Many Lycan Warriors weren¡¯t embarrassed to shudder right in front of everyone when they saw the

    wolves doing just that after the spar. The wolves had seen Lucianne hurt her sparring partners in the

    past in the name of teaching but this was her most brutal lesson yet. Even Juan was getting worried with

    how his sister was attacking her mate, and was as relieved as the others were that i t was over.

    For some reason, Christian was okay with what happened. And while everyone was talking about how

    scary and lethal their Queen was and how any other wolf amongst them could be, the Duke was more

    interested in checking whether there were any chips left i

    n his bag after the rest fell onto the ground. He already knew that Lucianne was lethal, and the lost chips

    scattered on the ground only showed how scared he was during the fight. 1

    Just as Lucianne was about to leap off her mate¡¯s chest, Xandar held her on both sides and flipped their

    bodies over, with her back pinned against the ground, which got everyone alert again. ¡®Has the spar not

    ended yet? Is this a rematch?¡¯, they wondered.

    When Xandar rested his head on Lucianne¡¯s chest and emitted another coo, everyone rxed again.

    The Lycan King was waggingThis text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    its tail as its lc eyes prated into its mate¡¯s sapphire orbs looking down at him when Xandar linked,

    ¡®You¡¯re amazing, baby.¡¯ 1

    Lucianne¡¯s small paw reached for his hand, the one with the fingers she broke earlier as she linked in a

    small voice, ¡®Does it still hurt?¡¯

    His Lycan chuckled and nuzzled her nose before its hands between her body pressed on the ground as

    he towered over her. Xandar then linked, ¡®Babe, this beast heals within seconds. That was minor

    damage. Distracting, but minor.¡¯

    ¡®Show-off.¡¯ Lucianne linked with a smirk, internally relieved that she didn¡¯t cause him too much pain. She

    turned over and pushed herself up

    Everyone turned away while their King and Queen shifted back and got dressed. When Lucianne was

    about to have everyone tum back to them, Xandar muttered, ¡°Just a second, babe.¡±

    He then bent down to squat behind her, and Lucianne wondered which part of her was exposed without

    her knowing. Xandar¡¯s hand rested on her thigh when he pecked a kiss on her butt-cheek through her

    shorts before he looked up at her with a smile and said, ¡°There. Now, you¡¯re ready.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes as she shook her head in disapproval and muttered, ¡°Indecent beast.¡±

    As Xandar was getting up, she yelled out, ¡°Alright, everyone. You can all mmph-¡± Everyone panicked

    when their Queen¡¯s voice was cut-off by a muffled sound but when they turned to witness their King

    pressing his lips on her¡¯s, their defensive looks were reced with cheeky smirks.

    Lucianne parted their lips with an annoyed and embarrassed expression, which was when Xandar

    asked, ¡°Do you want to correct what you just said about me, my love?¡±

    What she just said about him? What did she say? When realization hit her, Lucianne¡¯s face softened,

    and she tried but failed to press back a smile that was reaching her blushes when she locked eyes with

    her mate¡¯s anticipating orbs as she uttered, ¡°MY indecent beast.¡±

    ¡°Always.¡± Xandar pecked a kiss on her forehead before he continued with his promise, ¡°And forever.¡±

    When Lucianne tumed back to the crowd, she tried her best to look and sound serious when she

    exined that a Lycan¡¯s soft spots include their fingers, neck and ears, which was not a lot to work with

    so it was important to target those areas with whatever tactic they had under their sleeves. Their eyes

    and noses could be included in the list but it would be very difficult to get to these parts unless they were

    already caught by a Lycan.

    The tip for Lycans: to break your wolf opponents¡¯ limbs as soon as they were in your hands. Do not wait

    to pull them to you before inflicting injury. The early injury will distract the wolves, thereby giving the

    Lycans time to break their opponents¡¯ necks or kill them in any other possible manner.

    The tip for wolves: if you get caught, find a way to break a Ly can¡¯s fingers to distract them, impale their

    knees or elbows, and hope that they would be thrown off bnce from the short-lived pain, using that

    time to knock them to the ground and go for their neck.

    The step-by-step exnation somehow made Christian shudder before he said, ¡°Cuz, if our Queen

    decides to join the rogues or anything that¡¯s anti-government, I¡¯m handing in my resignation. I do not

    want to die in her hands when I¡¯m on a battlefield.¡± 1

    Chuckles andughter soon erupted from the Duke¡¯s reaction, and Weaver readily said, ¡°I have a feeling

    that most of us would be resigning if that ever happens.¡± Yarrington was nodding in amusement by his

    mate¡¯s side.

    When Xandar nuzzled Lucianne¡¯s nose, she chuckled before looking into his smiling eyes as her hands

    cupped his face. When Lucianne stroked his cheeks with her thumbs, she dered in an affectionate

    voice, ¡°That¡¯s never going to happen.¡±

    Juan snorted and said, ¡°Well, thank Goddess for that. Imagine running with the rogues after killing so

    many of their friends. That would be one awkward social circle.¡±

    Zeke¡¯s zed-over eyes just cleared, and his tone was serious when he said, ¡°Well, I won¡¯t know about

    running WITH them but it looks like we¡¯ll be running AGAINST them soon.¡± His eyes locked on

    Lucianne¡¯s bewildered expression as he reported, ¡°Our allies from the Faint Moon Pack may have a lead

    on Wu Bi Corp¡¯s location.¡±

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173

    Everyone trained extra hard after Zeke dered that they may be heading for the rogue headquarters

    soon.

    A few wolves from the Faint Moon Pack noticed three men sneaking through the thick forest behind their

    pack, and when the three reached the coastline, they alighted a motorboat and took it all the way to an

    ind that was probably about three miles off coast.

    The wolves from Faint Moon went to the area where the men alighted the boat, and confirmed that their

    scent was that of a rogue¡¯s. What scared them was the fact that at least one of the rogues was a Lycan.

    Lucianne was trying to hack into Jake¡¯s mind-link more often than before now. She couldn¡¯t get anything

    in the past few days to the point where she wondered if Jake even used his mind-link at all! She ranted

    about her frustration to Toby when his animal was sparring Christian¡¯s.

    Christian must have been very careful to not let Toby reach his soft parts because the Duke won. Twice.

    They shifted back and Toby said, ¡°Lucy, if I lose one more round, know that it¡¯s because of your whining.¡±

    ¡°Or it¡¯s because she¡¯s a better teacher for Lycans than for wolves?¡± Christian said with a smile as he and

    Toby fist-bumped, which was when Toby said, ¡°Sorry, your Grace. She was a teacher for our species

    before she became one for yours. We can share the dynamite but we¡¯re not letting your kind take her.¡±

    Toby then directed his next line to tease Lucianne, ¡°And, Lucy, why aren¡¯t youining about all of

    this to your m-¡±

    The Gamma abruptly stopped and covered his mouth when he noticed his best friend¡¯s eyes zed over

    as she focused, making the bubbly Duke fall silent as well.

    Lucianne got in when Jake had just started his link.

    ¡®Alithia, where the h*ll are you?!¡¯

    ¡®Jeez, Jake. Private moment right now.¡¯ Lucianne tried not to throw up or make a sound when she heard

    Alithia¡¯s moans.

    ¡®You weren¡¯t in your room.¡¯

    ¡®I don¡¯t recall there being any rules of me being in a man¡¯s room, Alpha.¡¯

    ¡­Anyway, did our supplierse with an update on our orders?¡¯

    ¡®Mmm¡­ohh¡­y-yeah, t-two days. Ahhh¡­yes¡­yes¡­¡¯

    ¡®Two days earlier than scheduled, or in two days¡¯ time?¡¯

    ¡®Earlier. Ohhh¡­

    ¡®Oleander and the shell?¡¯

    ¡®J-Just Olea-Oleander. Shellter.¡¯

    ¡°WHEN?!!¡¯

    ¡®Didn¡¯t say. Ohh yes¡­¡¯

    Jake groaned in frustration and linked, ¡®Fine. Looks like we¡¯ll have to work with what we have for the next

    task. And when he¡¯s done with you, Alithia, it¡¯s my turn. Be ready in my room.¡¯

    Althia snorted before responding while she panted, ¡®And you¡¯re gonna¡­say Lucy¡¯s name¡­again? Wow,

    I¡¯m thrilled.¡¯

    ¡®Do you even care whose name I scream when I f*ck ande?

    ¡®No. You¡¯re a good f*ck. See yater, Alp

    When Lucianne brought herself out of the link, she ignored Toby and Christian¡¯s inquisitive looks, and

    walked to therge tree in small steps. With a hand on the trunk, she supported herself as she tried her

    best to control her nausea. 1

    The burning sensation was building up in her throat even during the link, and she amazed herself when

    she could stay until the very end. Toby and Christian stood around her just in case she fainted or fell.

    ¡°Baby! Baby! What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Xandar ran over from his spar with Juan when Christian

    linked him about Lucianne¡¯s pale face and weakened physique.

    She lifted her index finger, asking him for a minute to recover. Toby began exining to her worried mate

    and brother that she may have hacked into Jake¡¯s link. Xandar rubbedforting circles on her

    shoulders as he waited in dismay.

    When Lucianne recovered, her back leaned against the tree as she said, ¡°We have to attack by

    tomorrow. Theirtest Oleander supply is going to be delivered two days in advance.¡±

    ¡°And the shell?¡± Juan asked.

    ¡°Unavable until further notice.¡± Lucianne didn¡¯t even let their relief pour outpletely before she

    added, ¡°But they still have some in storage. From the way it sounded, it looks like they have enough for

    the next battle.¡±

    ¡°Sh*t.¡± Juan cursed under his breath.

    Xandar was more worried about his mate¡¯s present state. ¡°Baby, is the nausea a side-effect from the

    hacking?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­¡± she nced at Toby and Juan before looking back at her mate and exined, ¡°The

    person Jake linked was one of his cronies who left Forest Gloom with him, a she-wolf named Alithia, and

    she was f*cking someone during the entire link.¡± Just the thought of it made Lucianne nauseous again.

    ¡°The entire link?¡± Christian asked with raised eyebrows because he was questioning his Lycan hearing

    when he heard that. Lucianne nodded in confirmation as she covered her mouth to cope with the burning

    sensation in her throat again.

    The Duke then asked, ¡°How did she even focus on doing that while holding a conversation with someone

    else?¡±

    Toby offered a suggestion, ¡°Probably by practice, your Grace. That one¡¯s a bitch, and she has zero

    respect for personal space. In one of our pack visits to Forest Gloom when Jake was Alpha, Alithia

    spank my as*. Three times.¡±

    ¡°Before you broke her hand after the third.¡± Lucianne noted and startedughing, her nausea easing with

    the humorous memory of Toby ranting about it to her at that time. When the King looked at the Gamma

    in surprise, Toby asked with a humorless expression, ¡°What? Does that warrant a charge for battery, my

    King?¡±

    A smile graced Xandar¡¯s features when he said, ¡°No. I think what you did was a fitting punishment,

    minister.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± Tate came over when he noticed their little crowd. He only heard thest bit of the conversation

    so he added with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve never been more proud of my Gamma than the time he made White

    Blood sever ties with Forest Gloom with nothing more than breaking a hand of one of Jake¡¯s cronies.

    Had I known it was that easy, I would¡¯ve done it long ago.¡±

    After theughter died down, Tate looked at Lucianne in concern and asked, ¡°You good?¡±

    Lucianne pushed herself from the tree and started standing on her own again as she said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m

    fine. Alithia is still as disgusting as we remember, and Jake is worse, as always.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that, sweetheart?¡± Xandar asked.

    Lucianne was walking on eggshells when she said, ¡°He asked for a¡­session after Alithia was done

    with¡­the person she was doing.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Xandar pressed because he could see that Lucianne was still hiding something. When he saw

    the look she had when she was filtering her thoughts, he cupped her cheek and lifted her face up to

    make her stop thinking and uttered, ¡°Just tell me, baby. Just tell me everything.¡±

    Lucianne gulped before she said in a small voice, ¡°When he and Alithia¡­does it together, Jake¡­¡±

    everyone¡¯s eyes were already a shade darker but they were waiting for her to continue so she did when

    she said, ¡°¡­says my name.¡±

    The growls from everyone around Lucianne were heard across the field, making some sparring pairs

    flinch while some of their opponents lost their bnce and fell to the ground. It was clear that Lucianne¡¯s

    attempt to lower the risk of such an outburst by changing Jake¡¯s choice of word, ¡®scream¡¯, to¡¯say¡¯ did

    close to nothing.

    Xandar held Lucianne in a protective embrace as he dered in a very low and homicidal tone, ¡°When

    we get there, Jake is mine to kill.¡±

    ¡°Unless I beat you to him.¡± Juan said in an equally murderous manner, his jaw clenched and he tried his

    best to control the fur showing on his arms. Toby¡¯s canines we¡¯re already protruding. Tate was retracting

    his partially-extended ws with a hardened expression. Christian looked at the ground as he took in

    heavy breaths to calm his mind, his eyes matched those of his cousin¡¯s ¨C onyx. 1

    Lucianne¡¯s hands reached for her beast¡¯s face, and her thumbs stroked his cheeks as she whispered,

    ¡°I¡¯m with you, my love. Only

    you.¡±

    He pecked a quick kiss on her forehead and said, ¡°Thank you, baby. It¡¯s time that the rogue Alpha knew

    that.¡±

    Lucianne had been in enough battles to know that anger only gave their opponents the upper hand, so

    she tried to calm him by gently pressing their foreheads together as she muttered, ¡°Darling, shh¡­

    breathe, my love. Just breathe. Shh¡­¡±

    When Lucianne could see the faint lc shades in his eyes, she knew that Xandar was ready to listen to

    reason so she said in a soft

    and slow voice, ¡°In the battle, we¡¯re going to be meeting a lot of infuriating rogues, dearest. They will

    push your patience to the limit with no remorse. But we are better. We¡¯re more than what they are. We

    don¡¯t let them get to us. We should never let them get t o us. Let¡¯s keep being better, and being more,

    okay?¡±

    The lc shades returnedpletely, and a gentle smile stretched across the King¡¯s face as he

    muttered, ¡°Okay.¡± He then kissed his Queen softly on her lips before he whispered, ¡°You¡¯re amazing,

    Lucy.¡±

    Toby coughed as he said, ¡°Control.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Xandar she managed to calm when she whispered those words to him. It was everyone

    else around her, and in calming them, she calmed the rest of the field of fighters looking their way.

    ###

    After training and lunch, everyone who was going to be involved in infiltrating Wu Bi Corp gathered in

    Xandar¡¯s home office. These people included Luna Emilia and Gamma Marcus from Faint Moon, the

    alliance members, Chief Dalloway and Deputy Chief Laurent, General Langford, the Defense Ministers,

    the Duke and Duchess and the King and Queen themselves.

    LE

    During the heated discussion, arguments were made and debates ensued as everyone considered their

    best course of action, back-u p ns and back-up ns to their back-up ns. After four hours, the n

    was formed. The Chief, his deputy and Toby returned t o the police station to assemble their people and

    instruct them, and the General and Phelton gathered their warriors for the same briefing.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    After that, everyone got to packing. They grabbed a quick bite, treating the light snacks and buns as their

    dinner before they boarded the private jets: Xandar¡¯s, Christian¡¯s, Toby¡¯s and Phelton¡¯s.

 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174

    ¡°Under different circumstances, I would be taking a lot of pictures and unting it in our chat groups,

    Lucy.¡± Toby said tly as his eyes took in the interior of the private jet he was given as a minister.

    ¡°Regardless of where we have to go with this thing now, this i s actually really nice.¡± 1

    Lucianne was there to see them off before theynded in an opened space not far away from Faint Moon

    She looked at the interior, which wasn¡¯t very much different from Xandar¡¯s jet when her best friend said,

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe I¡¯m getting ajet.¡± There was a cheeky glint in his eye when he added, ¡°Where¡¯s yours,

    Lucy? Do you even have one?¡± 1

    She narrowed her eyes at Toby as the nervous police force got into their seats, clearly afraid of the

    Queen after they heard about what she could do in and out of a battlefield despite her small size and

    seemingly-harmless facial features.

    Lucianne smirked at Toby as she said, ¡°I think I¡¯m good with not having anything that has Cummings¡¯s

    stains on it. Who knows what essence of himself he left behind?¡±

    Toby¡¯s taunting eyes widened in realization as he looked around the interior again, not in awe but in

    horror. He then muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve gotta ask your mate if there¡¯s anyone I can call to sanitize this whole

    thing.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s chuckling halted at her gasp when hei mate¡¯s hand made contact with her abdomen as his

    deep voice rang into her ear, ¡°Hey, babe.¡±

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Xandar then locked eyes with his terrified Defense Minister before he asked, ¡°Is everything alright,

    Toby?¡± Lucianne started chuckling again as Toby threw her an annoyed re.

    The Gamma cleared his throat and asked, ¡°Just out of curiosity, Xanda¡­.uh¡­how does one clean a

    private jet?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s cheeky chuckles turned into mercilessughter as Xandar nced at his mate in

    bewilderment before he turned back t o Toby and exined, ¡°Well, these things are cleaned and

    serviced once a month, more frequently if it¡¯s being used more often than usual. We have people for this

    so you really don¡¯t need to worry about cleaning it yourself.¡±

    ¡°When was itst cleaned?¡± Toby asked.

    Xandar didn¡¯t know the relevance of his question but this seemed important to the Gamma so he simply

    answered, ¡°Two days ago, i f I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±

    A glimmer of hope appeared in Toby¡¯s eyes as he proceeded to ask, ¡°Does that mean it was cleaned

    after Cummingsst used it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Goddess!¡± Lucianne already had to hold her mate¡¯s shoulder for support and wipe away her tears

    from all theughing. Even some members of the police force were pressing back smiles and covering

    their mouths with the Queen¡¯s contagiousughter filling the space.

    When Xandar finally caught on, a faint smile appeared on his face as he uttered, ¡°Yes, Toby. It was

    cleaned after Cummingsst used it. Was that what you were worried about?¡±

    When Toby saw that the King was close to joining his stillughing mate, the new minister lifted up his

    index finger and pointed i na warning as he said, ¡°No, don¡¯t you start, Xandar. You¡¯re NOT my best friend

    so you have no license tough at me whenever you please. Besides, we¡¯ve got to go or we¡¯ll dy the

    others. Go! Shoo! Get out of my jet, both of you!¡±

    With a hand on his mate¡¯s waist, Xandar tried hard to press back his smile as he led Lucianne out of the

    jet. Lucianne was still holding onto her stomach as sheughed and said ¡®Cummings essence¡¯

    repeatedly until they were out of the jet door. 2

    After they left, Toby muttered, ¡°Most annoying best friend in existence.¡± He then fell into a seat with two

    policemen and one policewoman before he offered a friendly smile, and started a conversation with the

    slightly tensed-up police persons.

    ###

    They touched ground two hourster, and there was a convoy of cars and vans waiting for them. The

    allies embraced each other, and what surprised Xandar was the fact that they even brought along a few

    children, who ran towards Lucianne as they yelled out,¡° Aunt Lucy!¡±

    The sight of Lucianne glowing as she bent down to hug all five children at once was beautiful but also

    painful as Xandar thought about it. Through no fault of her own, he and Lucianne would never be able to

    have their own children. Even so, Xandar couldn¡¯t deny his heart melting when the kids wrapped their

    little arms around his leg after Lucianne introduced him as ¡®Uncle Xandar¡¯.

    The Faint Moon Pack owned a condominium within a fifteen-minute walk from the pack, and it is used on

    asions like these, where allies woulde over to defend the pack or when they just have to stay

    over after a pack party.

    After Xandar and Lucianne settled down the bags in their room, they hopped into the shower.

    Lucianne¡¯s back was facing Xandar as she let the water from above wash away thether from her hair.

    Xandar admired her body

    before wrapping his arms around her waist and shoulders, then nting a kiss on her left shoulder. He

    then muttered, ¡°The kids love you, Lucy.¡±

    Her head turned for him to witness her cheeky smile as she teased, ¡°Jealous?¡±

    Xandar lightened up from his depressing thoughts of the injustice that befallen his mate when he said,

    ¡°Well, there was one I wasn¡¯t really happy with. Jasper, was it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that one¡¯s the cutest.¡± Lucianne continued to tease.

    With a smirk, Xandar spun her around and pinned her against the wall as he challenged, ¡°Is he?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hm.¡± Lucianne confirmed with her cheeky smile as her hands went to his shoulders before she

    pressed her forehead against his and whispered, ¡°Right after you, my indecent beast.¡±

    Xandar emitted his deep and alluring growl before his lips trapped hers in a passionate kiss. Lucianne¡¯s

    body inched towards him t o close the distance between them, aching to feel his tool against herdy

    part as her mate squeezed her bum. Soon, their arousals started filling the air, and the hot shower only

    made it easier for their need for each other to spiral out of control.

    Xandar pinned Lucianne¡¯s back against the wall while his tongue was still reaching for her throat. His

    strong hands lifted up Lucianne¡¯s legs from the bathroom floor. Lucianne then instinctively wrapped her

    legs around his waist as she indulged in her mate¡¯s taste in her mouth, feeling his hardened manhood

    dangerously near where she wanted him to enter.

    When Lucianne was out of breath, Xandar went for her neck, sucking on it like it was honey, and he took

    great pleasure in hearing her moan and feeling her fingers pull his hair.

    Beautiful. Sexy. And absolutely intoxicating.

    He then lowered himself and ced his mate¡¯s legs over his shoulders before his tongue attacked the

    most delicious part of his mate. Lucianne screamed when his tongue abruptly entered, and moaned as

    he licked her folds, kneaded her breast and teased her nipples.

    I¡¯d like a drink, my love.¡¯ Xandar linked in his enticing voice, which made Lucianne¡¯s body arch away from

    the wall as she released her juices into her thirsty mate¡¯s mouth. Xandar gently pressed her body back

    against the wall as he moaned in delight,pping up the drink his mate just released.

    When the beast licked up everyst drop, he stood and positioned his mate¡¯s legs back around his waist

    before pecking a soft kiss o n her lips and uttered in satisfaction, ¡°You taste absolutely delectable, my

    Queen.¡±

    With her doe-eyes, she pouted while her bum teased his c*ck, which stiffened further with that slight

    friction. Xandar got the message, and he positioned himself at her entrance before thrusting into her.

    Lucianne yelped and closed her eyes. Her head tilted backwards as she moaned to savor the feeling of

    her mate being in her.

    When Lucianne began trying to pull herself out, Xandar got the cue to start moving. They increased their

    speed much faster tonight with Lucianne¡¯s lust for her mate being greater than usual. At her peak,

    Lucianne screamed and locked her mate in her as Xandar grunted and came inside her. 1 After sharing

    another kiss and drying each other up, they went to bed that night naked and satisfied.

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175

    At breakfast the next morning, Lucianne was giving her full attention to little Lily on herp. Xandar took

    the opportunity to discreetly look through precious stones on his phone. He already got the jewellery

    designer¡¯s contact number from Christian a few days ago, and Xandar already picked out a design. All

    that was left to do was to pick the jewels to put into that design. The designer advised Xandar to pick out

    something that ¡®symbolises you and your mate¡¯.

    He was scrolling through the catalog when he felt a warmth on his thigh. Xandar looked up and traced

    the small hand there to Jasper, who was trying to take a peek at his phone. At that very moment,

    Lucianne was dragged away by a few other kids to see their seashell collection framed up on the walls.

    Xandar offered little Jasper a warm smile, and ced the boy on hisp before he asked, ¡°Jasper, can

    you keep a secret?¡± 1

    Jasper nodded dotingly with hisrge, brown eyes.

    Xandar went on, ¡°I¡¯m picking something for Aunt Lucy. Do you want to help?¡±

    At the mention of Lucy, the boy¡¯s eyes lit up and he was about to yell Lucianne¡¯s name before Xandar

    hastily covered his mouth and smiled apologetically at his mate when she looked his way in confusion.

    Thankfully for Xandar, the kids around her demanded her attention, so she didn¡¯t even mind-link him to

    ask what he was doing with Jasper.

    Xandar lowered his hand from the boy¡¯s mouth before he exined slowly, ¡°Jasper, it¡¯s a secret, okay?

    We want to give Aunt Lucy a surprise.¡±

    The little boy whispered, ¡°A surprise?¡±

    Xandar nodded, and said, ¡°Pick two, Jasper.¡± He then swiped across his screen to show Jasper the five

    stones he had narrowed down for the engagement ring he would give Lucianne when he eventually

    proposed. It may be a little early but he didn¡¯t see anything wrong with being prepared. It wasn¡¯t like he

    was going to fall for anyone else besides his mate.

    The boy¡¯s chubby fingers swiped across the screen a few times as Xandar looked over to Lucianne, just

    in case she came back too soon. After two minutes, Xandar was beginning to wonder whether Jasper

    was really choosing something or was simply swiping for fun.

    Before he could ask, Jasper turned around to face him and whispered, ¡°This one. Because it looks like

    Aunt Lucy¡¯s eyes.¡± He swiped again and continued, ¡°And this one. Because it¡¯s Aunt Lucy¡¯s favorite

    color.¡±

    ¡°Wait, is it?¡± Xandar asked a little too loudly, and a frantic Jasper pressed both his small hands over the

    King¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Shh¡­it¡¯s a secret, Uncle Xandar. A surprise.¡± Jasper reminded him with wide, worried eyes.

    Xandar couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, and ruffled Jasper¡¯s hair as he thanked him. He then sent the ones

    Jasper picked to the designer, who told him that he would get to work immediately, and it will be ready by

    the following morning for collection. Xandar¡¯s eyebrows raised at the efficiency, and the jeweller said that

    he was happy to pause all orders and get to Xandar¡¯s first, saying it was ¡®an honor¡¯ to make him and the

    Queen happy.

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    ¡°Perks of the job.¡± Xandar muttered to himself.

    When Lucianne had finished looking at every child¡¯s seashell collection, she came over to ask what went

    on, and Jasper was surprisingly good at changing the subject by telling her that he was telling Xandar

    about his Lego. When his mother came to get him because it was time to leave for school, Jasper even

    gave Xandar a high-five before he went over to give Lucianne a hug.

    ###

    At ten o¡¯clock, apart from Hale and Annie, those who came to infiltrate the rogue headquarters formed

    temporary mind-links : between themselves and got into the five submarines engineered, built and

    owned by Faint Moon. These were normally used to take tourists to explore the underwater world around

    the pack¡¯s waters, and to take school kids on annual field trips. It generated a significant ie for the

    pack since the coral reefs and fish in those waters were rare.

    Today, however, it was used to get to the ind off the coast of Faint Moon as discreetly as possible. The

    police have shifted into their animals because Toby and Lucianne were worried about their untrained

    speed. The rest remained unshifted as they looked nkly at the colorful corals and fish around them,

    their minds upied by what was about to happen. The medical team was especially daunted since they

    had little to no skills inbat, so they were told to remain in the submarine until they received word to

    come out.

    As discussed, they surfaced at five sides of the ind, surrounding the small ce. Everyone witnessed

    the rogues running in a particr direction, and they didn¡¯t need to think twice before following them.

    As Lucianne ran alongside the others, she tried to simultaneously hack into Jake¡¯s link. It was insane!

    Everyone was trying to get to Jake at the same time!

    ¡®BOSS! SOMEONE FOUND US!

    ¡°THEY BROUGHT A F*CKING CAVALRY!! WHAT THE F*CK! HOW ARE THEY SO FAST?!¡¯

    ¡®BOSS! WE NEED TO EVACUATE! WE¡¯RE OUTNUMBERED!¡¯

    Jake sounded annoyed when he linked in response, ¡®Just return to base, you cowards. They¡¯re not going

    to kill us. We have what we need to survive.¡¯

    ¡®ARE YOU EVEN SEEING THIS, BOSS?! THE POISON AIN¡¯T ENOUGH!¡¯

    JAKE! THAT B*TCH YOU¡¯RE OBSESSED ABOUT IS WITH THEM!¡¯ Lucianne recognised this voice to

    be Feyworth¡¯s, a maniptor who was cast out with Jake and Iris.

    Jake took a moment before he scoffed darkly and linked, ¡®Well, that changes things. Let theme to

    us. Everyone knows the n.¡¯

    ¡°THAT PLAN WAS WITH THE SHELL AND OLEANDER! HOW THE F*CK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO

    SURVIVE TODAY?¡±

    ¡®Well, we have to, won¡¯t we? Just stick to what we¡¯ve discussed¡¯ Jake ended the link and blocked

    everyone out. 1

    Lucianne told the rest what she learned as they dodged branches and roots. They came to a clearing in

    the middle of the small ind, and were faced with a grey, squarish building with only one floor. The

    cavalry surrounded the rogue headquarters and waited to strike.

    Lucianne, Xandar, Christian, the alliance and most of the Lycan warriors stood at the entrance. After a

    long moment of nothing, Lucianne suggested that they break down the door. But the danger of that was

    the fact that they didn¡¯t know what traps Jake may have in store for them inside, not being the least

    familiar with theyout within..

    Toby got people to secure all exits. Five minutester, Phelton gave the warriors the okay to break down

    the entrance door. After a¡¯ lot of arguing through the mind-links, everyone reluctantly let Lucianne enter

    first since she was the only one immuned to Oleander, and the only one who could smell it. Xandar was

    not happy about sending his mate first, and followed her at her heels to b e ready to pull her out at the

    first sign of danger.

    When Lucianne stepped through the entrance of the dim room, Jake¡¯s own cavalry was presented before

    them, and the rogue . Alpha threw a smirk in her way. Lucianne tumed on her acting switch and smirked

    in return as she asked, ¡°Did you miss us, Jake?¡±

 Chapter 176

    Chapter 176

    Jake raised an eyebrow, and his animal was turned on by what the hottest she-wolf just said to them.

    Seeing that there were no booby traps or Oleander arrows ready to be fired, Xandar, Christian, the

    alliance, Phelton, Dalloway, Langford and two more Lycan warriors came through. Jake nced over

    each of them before his sights returned to Lucianne as he said, ¡°Miss you? Yes. Them? Not so much.¡±

    Because they killed your friends back in our little rendezvous in Forest Gloom? How many people did

    you lose that day again? Fifty? Lucianne taunted, and was satisfied to see some of those behind Jake

    were exchanging fearful looks.

    Jake knew it, too. ¡°Trying to scare my people, Lucy?¡±

    Lucianne dropped her fake smile and said, ¡°Surrender, Jake. You and your people have nowhere to run.

    Give yourselves up and thew might be more lenient with this.¡±

    Jake chuckled in dark humor and said, ¡°I don¡¯t surrender, sweetheart.¡±

    Enraged growls were fired from those around Lucianne at what Jake just called her. After it died down,

    Lucianne said, ¡°Poor memory you have there. Maybe Orphelia can be of more help.¡±

    Orphelia was one of Jake¡¯s less intelligent cronies. Lucianne turned to her in mock bewilderment as she

    asked, ¡°Orphelia, I forgot why Clement let Jake leave Forest Gloom instead of killing him in the challenge

    for the Alpha title. Do you remember why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because Jake sur¡ª Orphelia¡¯s answer was stopped by

    Jake¡¯s homicidal growl.

    His eyes burnt into Lucianne¡¯s but before he could speak, Lucianne spoke, ¡°The rest of you behind him,

    you have a chance toe forward and surrender. Stand with your Alpha, and we WILL kill you.

    Surrender, and you¡¯ll leave this ind unharmed¡±

    Although there were arrogant chuckles after Lucianne announced the offer, there were also

    contemtive faces. Many of their eyes zed over, like they were discussing amongst themselves.

    They lost many friends in thest battle that they were fortunate enough to not be sent to. Even the

    Alpha¡¯s own sister didn¡¯t make it.

    Toby yelled, ¡°Sixty seconds, people!¡±

    Out of the hundreds behind Jake, about fifteen Lycans and ten wolves came forward. When Lucianne¡¯s

    scent didn¡¯t pick up any traces of silver or Oleander from those who wereing to their side, she gave

    Dalloway a nod to cuff them to suppress their abilities while his deputy and the other policemen got them

    out of the building.

    Jake and his loyal followers growled and red at the traitors, who chose to switch sides at thest

    minute. The Alpha then scowled at Lucianne and spat, ¡°That was a mistake, Lucy!¡±

    Lucianne spat back, ¡°The mistake was teaching Clement to spare your life if you surrendered in the

    Alpha challenge! The mistake was not insisting that he killed you and Iris.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯VE ALREADY KILLED MY SISTER FOR YOU! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!¡± 1

    His followers were shocked at this deration, and many of his followers became hesitant to take his

    side. They thought Iris died i n battle. They weren¡¯t told that the Alpha was the one behind her death.

    Alithia stared at Jake in shock and asked, ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    Toby yelled again, ¡°Last chance!¡± Two lycans immediately came forward, and muttered Oleander des

    as they walked past Toby

    Jake¡¯s jaw clenched, and his eyes watered just slightly as he told Lucianne, ¡°If it was a mistake to ask

    that weakling brother of mine to keep me alive, why don¡¯t you just kill me now?¡±

    Lucianne scoffed and asked thetorically. ¡°What do you think we¡¯re here for, genius?¡±

    In a low, menacing voice, Xandar announced, ¡°My sole purpose of being here today IS to kill you.¡±

    Jake¡¯s eyes were fixed on Lucianne¡¯s as he uttered, ¡°I can promise you, by the end of today, you won¡¯t

    be his anymore, sweetheart.¡±

    Upon Lucianne and Xandar¡¯s growls, everyone charged forward and the battle began Their cavalry

    barged in through the entrance and exits upon Toby¡¯smand,

    Xandar, Juan and Tate went for Jake without giving it a second thought. The sneaky rogue Alpha

    charged towards them at first but right before both sides collided, Jake leaped to the side, running away

    when the rest of his followers were forced to fight their opponents Xandar and the two Alphas with him

    were blocked by rogue Lycans, and were forced to fight them off first.

    Alithia cleverly avoided Lucianne when she went for Toby without knowing his level of skill. They charged

    at each other and when Alithia was close enough, Toby extended his ws and impaled her abdomen

    before flipping her body to the side as he took on the

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    next one.

    Lucianne¡¯s human part was small enough to dash through opponents as she followed Jake, asking the

    unshifted Sylvia and shifted Luna Emilia to follow her. The rogue Lycans seemed to be targeting the King

    as they came attacking in fours. When he saw his Queen running towards a hallway, he sent a link for

    any avable warriors to follow Lucianne and the two wolves with her while h e tried to get rid of pesky

    rogues around him.

    Phelton growled before flipping himself over his surprised opponent, pulling the rogue¡¯s ears as soon as

    hended behind him, tearing them as the rogue let out a deafening howl. The warrior then used that

    time to impale his opponent¡¯s throat and abdomen with his ws before dashing across the room to

    catch up to the Queen.

    Juan killed the two rogue wolves who were in his way before sprinting in the same direction, praying that

    he would get to his sister before anything happened to her. After the King snapped the necks of thest

    two rogues attacking him, he leaped over the dead bodies scattered around him before bolting. Christian

    was only a little behind.

    Lucianne, Sylvia and Emilia came to a hall that was smaller than the one they came from. They couldn¡¯t

    see Jake from where they were. Lucianne told them to stay back as she stepped through the doorway.

    She sniffed the air, making sure there wasn¡¯t any poison there to harm her friends.

    She then gave them the greenlight toe through. As soon as they stepped in, Lucianne smelled silver

    coming at lightning speed from above, and two des came into view in Sylvia and Emilia¡¯s way.

    Lucianne pushed Emilia¡¯s wolf away before taking the de for Sylvia, groaning as she fell to the

    ground. After extracting the de with a mild concentration of silver from her arm, Lucianne shouted,

    ¡°Get out of here, now!¡±

    Sylvia stubbornly insisted, ¡°We¡¯re not leaving you, Lucy!¡±

    ¡°EMILIA! DODGE!¡± Lucianne eximed when she smelled another deing. The de narrowly

    missed the Luna, and Lucianne pulled Sylvia and Emilia out of the hall before peering through the

    doorway.

    The guys joined them. Xandar noticed her injury, and immediately ced his hand over the already-

    healing wound to heal it faster as he asked, ¡°What are we looking at, Lucy?¡±

    ¡°Silver des are being thrown from a higher level. But they don¡¯t seem to be targeting me. One went for

    Sylvia, and another two went for Emilia.¡± Lucianne exined.

    When Lucianne was healed, Christian and Phelton walked through the doorway. Xandar made his mate

    promise to stay behind with the other wolves as he went into the room to join the Duke and warrior. The

    wolves watched them from where they were.

    Nothing seemed to be happening. The three of them stood right in the middle and looked up. There

    wasn¡¯t anything or anyone. It was just a deserted second floor corridor. Tate caught up to the wolves and

    shifted back before Juan filled him in.

    Just as the three Lycans in the room were walking back to the doorway, everyone heard growls before

    more rogue Lycans appeared on the second floor corridor, throwing themselves over the railing and

    landing perfectly on the floor where the King, Duke and deputy minister were. Lucianne immediately

    linked for back-up, so did the three in the room as they took on the rogues.

    Lucianne watched the scene in worry, feeling utterly useless and helpless. She prayed that the three of

    them could hold on until the other warriors came to help. Suddenly, a de was thrown in Xandar¡¯s

    direction and it made a scratch across the length of his forearm, causing him to groan in pain.

    ¡°XANDAR!¡± Lucianne screamed.

 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177

    Lucianne was about to dash in before Tate restrained her with his arms circled tightly around her

    abdomen, pulling her back. Juan stood in front of her to block her view, telling her some nonsense about

    Xandar being okay to hold up on his own until help arrived.

    Lucianne knew better. If the de could make a Lycan groan, it had to have Oleander on it. She had to

    get to him! Maybe by spurting some of her blood over his wound, she could stop the Oleander from

    causing any further damage to his body.

    Without warning, she elbowed Tate in his abdomen and broke his nose before kicking her brother at his

    testicles and punching his jaw, pushing him aside as she dashed into the room without heed to the

    dangers that awaited her inside.

    As soon as Lucianne took five steps in, two Lycans dragged her and threw her against the wall,

    immediately injecting her with a serum that suppressed her wolf from surfacing. More Lycan warriors and

    policemen arrived then, and Lucianne could hear Juan and Tate yelling something about what took them

    so long. When Xandar saw his mate in the room with them, the pain he felt in his arm was long forgotten

    as he focused on getting to her.

    Unfortunately for Xandar and the other Lycans on his side, the rogues made sure their opponents could

    get nowhere near Lucianne as the two who threw her then lifted her up and pinned her wrists and ankles

    against the wall with their brute force. Try as she might, Lucianne couldn¡¯t break free. Her body didn¡¯t

    even budge.

    When Lucianne gave up trying, she pondered on what they could possibly want to do with her. If it was to

    kill her with silver or Oleander, why didn¡¯t they just throw a few des like they did to Sylvia, Emilia and

    Xandar?

    At that very moment, Jake appeared before her eyes with a hesitant expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about this, sweetheart.¡± Jake muttered.

    Lucianne furrowed her eyebrows in bewilderment, and Jake instructed the two Lycans restraining her,

    ¡°Hold her still.¡± 2

    Lucianne¡¯s wrists and ankles were pressed further into the hard concrete, and when Lucianne saw Jake

    extending his canines, horror filled her as she finallyprehended what was about to happen.

    As soon as Xandar¡¯s Lycan witnessed the scene from afar, it emitted an infuriated growl which shook the

    concrete walls and frightened the faint-hearted. He pushed three rogues out of the way before five threw

    themselves over him, making his already weakened body slump onto the ground.

    Tate and Juan shifted and entered, narrowly dodging the silver des being thrown at them before their

    path was blocked by rogue Lycans. Despite their best efforts, they couldn¡¯t get through. The rogues

    started using Oleander des on the warriors and policemen, and many were bing incapacitated,

    falling to the ground injured.

    Lucianne struggled to set herself free but her efforts were put to a halt when Jake pressed her shoulders

    against the wall as his canines closed in on her neck. Although Lucianne was frightened, she was more

    furious! How dare he take her choice from her!

    Her rage was as strong as the inferno of hell. Her breathing got heavier. Jake¡¯s scent got stronger and

    more nauseating, which continued to fuel her rage within.

    Suddenly, her ck orbs turned sapphire despite still being in her human form, and just when Jake was

    about to plunge his canines into her neck, he stopped an inch away. The rogues holding Lucianne to the

    wall mind-linked him, asking what he was waiting for, and why wasn¡¯t he marking her as nned.

    Lucianne, who had already hacked into their link, responded in a cold voice, ¡®Because he can¡¯t. I¡¯m NOT

    his.¡¯ 2

    The moment the rogues heard her voice in their link to Jake, they exchanged shocked looks and didn¡¯t

    notice when Lucianne¡¯s ws extended to impale their arms. They were forced to release her, and

    Luciannended on the ground before kicking them both aside. Jake froze, staring at her like he was

    looking at a ghost. Without another word, Lucianne kicked Jake in his abdomen with all the strength she

    got from her rage.

    Xandar came charging forward when he was finally free from the rogues. After pinning Jake¡¯s neck

    against the concrete wall with one hand, Xandar reached for Jake¡¯s canines and pulled them out with

    force, making Jake howl in anguish, tears from the agony, escaped his eyes. The King then held Jake by

    his leg before thrashing him to the ground multiple times. 2

    Xandar¡¯s hand then circled Jake¡¯s neck again, and his onyx orbs prated into Jake¡¯s dazed eyes

    before the King uttered a firm,¡¯ MINE.¡¯ The King slowly broke the former Alpha¡¯s neck, indulging in his

    high-pitched whimpers before it was cut-off with an audible crack

    Xandar breathed heavily as his hand pressed against the wall for support. The Oleander was in his

    system, and it was getting to his vitals. But he knew he couldn¡¯t stop fighting. His mate was not safe yet.

    1

    The two rogues who restrained Lucianne charged at her while Xandar was having his fill with Jake but

    Lucianne brought them to a stop when they were two steps away from her. She harnessed her emotions

    and directed it at them, using the Queen¡¯s Authority to make them both kneel. Then, she extended her

    ws and tore out their throats simultaneously, making their bodies fall to the ground

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    When the remaining rogues noticed those three deaths, the ones who had an Oleander de in their

    hands threw it at Lucianne. But before the des reached her, Xandar darted to his mate and wrapped

    his arms around her before rolling them away. Three des got into his back while the rest bounced off

    the concrete walls and fell to the ground with a ng.

    Xandar was weakening. Lucianne pushed herself off the floor before pulling out the three knives from her

    mate¡¯s back as she eximed, ¡°Xandar! You know you can¡¯t heal from Oleander! What were you

    thinking?! Never do that again!¡±

    After the knives were out, his animal pulled her into hisp and peered into her eyes as he linked, ¡®T¡¯d do

    it again in a heartbeat.¡¯ Their conversation was interrupted by sudden growls. Dissatisfied that none of

    the des got to Lucianne, the rogues left their opponents and charged at the King and Queen.

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178

    Xandar tried to push himself up but Lucianne made him stay down. The Queen stood, and emitted her

    Authority on all the rogues charging at them.

    They halted in their tracks, and confusion filled them as they stared at the blue-eyed she-wolf in disbelief.

    With amanding growl, Lucianne made them all kneel before her. Every rogue was forced to oblige

    as they tried to decipher what was happening. They had already ingested the shell before battle. They

    were supposed to be immune to the King¡¯s Authority, which was the most powerfulmanding power

    they knew of 2

    The rogues were brought out of their frantic thoughts when Lucianne¡¯s low and cold voice ordered, ¡°Cuff

    them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡± Dalloway and the rest of the policemen replied as they started cuffing every rogue.

    Even when Lucianne had tumed away from the rogues, her Authority remained intact. The rogues

    couldn¡¯t move from where they were until they were cuffed and ushered out by the police and warriors.

    One by one, the rogues were forced to shift back as soon as the Oleander cuffs were fastened around

    their wrists.

    When Lucianne tumed back to Xandar, her sapphire eyes regained their original ck color, and her cold

    expression turned worried when she saw her mate¡¯s dazed eyes and weakened physique. The medical

    crew came in when Phelton told them it was safe. They rushed to the injured wolves and Lycans, and

    started tending to their injuries, carrying bags of blood with them should a transfusion be necessary. 1

    Two doctors and three nurses rushed towards Xandar, who had already shifted back as hey t on the

    ground, his head resting o n his mate¡¯sp as his hand raised to touch her cheek.

    The medical crew covered the lower part of his body. Dr Lorenz saw the dark grey veins all over the

    King¡¯s body, and it was reaching his heart. He then told Lucianne, ¡°The Oleander has been in his

    bloodstream for too long. We don¡¯t have time to bring him back for the transfusion.¡±

    ¡°Do it now, then!¡± Lucianne eximed.

    Lorenz looked at her apologetically and said, ¡°We don¡¯t have enough blood here for that either, Lucy. We

    could use what we have now and send word to our neighboring pack to send more blood over but it¡¯s

    hard to say whether there¡¯d be enough time for that.¡±

    Christian heard everything as he knelt beside his cousin with saddened, glistening eyes. As Xandar¡¯s

    thumb stroked his mate¡¯s cheek to wipe away her stray tear, Xandar muttered, ¡°I, Alexandar Thomas

    w, bestow you, Lucianne Freesia P.¡±

    ¡°What the h*ll are you doing, Xandar?¡± Lucianne asked in anger.

    Christian continued to stare at his cousin as he muttered, ¡°He¡¯s transferring the ruling power to you, my

    Queen. And I¡¯m the witness to this transfer.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at Christian until her mate started again, ¡°I¡­¡± p! The impact

    Lucianne made on Xandar¡¯s cheek made everyone around them flinch. Lucianne then spoke to her mate

    in a low, stern but choppy voice, ¡°Not today, my King. You¡¯re NOT leaving us. You¡¯re NOT leaving ME.¡±

    Her hard face and teary eyes faced Lorenz as she demanded, ¡°Use my blood. Take the poison out of his

    bloodstream, and use my blood to fuel him.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t drain you of your blood, Lucy. You¡¯d faint in less than a minute. He¡¯s twice your size!¡± Lorenz

    exined in worry.

    Christian then offered, ¡°Use mine, then.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a danger in that, your Grace. With this amount of Oleander in the King¡¯s system, there¡¯s a

    possibility that some of the poison would sip into your body when we connect his bloodstream to yours.¡±

    Before Christian could respond, Lucianne said, ¡°I can heal from Oleander the same way I heal from

    silver. Use my blood for the. transfusion. Transfer his blood to me so that I won¡¯t faint too soon, and give

    him my blood for him to heal.¡±

    The doctors and nurses were dumbfounded and worried as Lorenz uttered, ¡°Lucy, we don¡¯t know if your

    body can heal itself fast enough to ovee this concentration of poison. You and your wolf might lose

    some form of functionality, and.¡±

    ¡°I DON¡¯T CARE! JUST DO IT!¡± Lucianne yelled, restraining herself from using her Authority on her

    friends who treated her allies several times before as they frantically inserted the tubes: one into her, and

    one into Xandar, who was already unconscious.

    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    ¡°Lucy,¡± Christian called out in a worried whisper, his tears threatening to spill.

    Lucianne looked at him through her line of vision blurred by her own tears as she forced an assuring

    smile and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright, Christian. We¡¯ll both make it. It¡¯s going to be alright.¡±

    Juan and Tate joined them as soon as the silver was out of their systems. Both Alphas looked exhausted

    and weak, and what they

    saw afterwards with a tube between the back of Lucianne¡¯s hand and Xandar¡¯s arm made them even

    weaker.

    Juan called out to his sister, and she could only give him and Tate an assuring smile, praying that she

    didn¡¯t just lie to Christian. She was certain the healing effects of her blood would save Xandar but she

    didn¡¯t know if, by the time there was enough blood to save him, there¡¯d be any healed blood left to

    sustain herself. She didn¡¯t care. She just needed her mate to be alive.

    Lucianne felt the familiar sting of Oleander as it entered her bloodstream, and took steady breaths as

    she held back showing any painful expressions to avoid startling everyone around her. Tate hissed at

    Lorenz, asking how much more of Lucianne¡¯s blood was needed. Lorenz¡¯s forehead already had beads

    of sweat when he admitted that he didn¡¯t know.

    As Lucianne¡¯s small thumb stroked Xandar¡¯s thick locks, she sniffled and nted a deep kiss on his

    forehead before whispering,¡± Please be okay. Please.¡±

    Lucianne knew that she was getting weaker when she felt Xandar¡¯s head in herp getting heavier. Her

    body was starting to give i n when she had trouble sitting upright. Juan came over to hold her up as he

    bit his lip and fought back tears. Soon, Juan had to support her whole upper-body weight.

    Lucianne¡¯s vision was blurring out but she stubbornly fought to stay conscious because she knew that

    one of them would ask Lorenz to stop the transfusion if she passed out. So, she held on with all her

    might. When everyone saw the grey veins on Xandar¡¯s body fading, and eventually returned to his

    original green color, they were still not relieved because that only meant the poison was now in

    Lucianne¡¯s system, and the grey lines on her arms and legs were getting more visible by the second.

    When thest of the grey lines vanished and cleared from Xandar¡¯s body, Lorenz checked Xandar¡¯s

    heart rate, which he said was picking up, and his breathing was nearing normal. Lorenz removed the

    tube from Xandar¡¯s arm and Lucianne¡¯s hand. He then started measuring the Oleander in Lucianne¡¯s

    system with his indicator, hoping it wasn¡¯t as high as he predicted since she said she could heal from it.

    Lucianne heard everything that was being said but she couldn¡¯t respond. All she wanted to do was sleep.

    As her thumb brushed her mate¡¯s hair lightly, she listened to his steady breathing. At the very moment

    the pair of lc eyes below her opened, Lucianne gave into her exhaustion and copsed into her

    brother¡¯s arms. 1 ¡°LUCY!¡±

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179

    Xandar¡¯s body shot up when Juan, Tate and Christian screamed his mate¡¯s name. His eyes searched for

    her and found her right behind him, in Juan¡¯s embrace.

    ¡°NO, BABY!¡± Xandar went to the Alpha, and carefully took Lucianne from him. Xandar held her close to

    his chest. Why was her body so cold? And why was she turning grey? Christian exined what

    happened in a cracked voice. Lorenz reported that there weren¡¯t any visible improvements on Lucianne¡¯s

    condition yet, and the grey veins on her arms and legs were creeping up her neck, reaching her face.

    They dashed back to the submarines, hoping to get back to the pack clinic on time to carry out a blood

    transfusion for Lucianne. Since the poison had not been in her bloodstream for as long as it was in

    Xandar¡¯s, there may be time. Lorenz had already sent word to their neighboring pack to send more blood

    to Faint Moon as soon as possible.

    They told the submarine operators to step on it, and Xandar¡¯s own tears began trickling down his face as

    he pressed Lucianne¡¯s body deeper into his chest. He buried his face in her hair as he whispered, ¡°Baby.

    Why? Baby, please wake up. Please. I love you. Please.¡±

    When Toby saw his best friend, he cursed before he went forward and knelt on both knees as he studied

    the grey lines all over her body before he mouthed ¡®no¡¯. Lucianne didn¡¯t even look this bad thest time

    Oleander was in the system. None of them recall seeing any dark grey veins from the window outside

    the operating room where Lucianne was being treated.

    ¡°What¡¯s the status, Lorenz?¡± Lovce asked, even though she and everyone else were afraid of the

    answer.

    Lorenz looked at the indicator in his hand as he muttered, ¡°Her heart rate is slowing.¡±

    Xandar nuzzled her partially-grey nose, and gently pressed his forehead against hers as he whispered,

    ¡°Fight, baby. Please. We need you. I need you. Lucy, you can¡¯t leave me alone here. Please, fight.¡±

    After another ten agonizing minutes, Lorenz gasped and let out a sigh of relief as he showed the

    indicator in his hand to the very lost non-medical alliance members. The doctor wiped away the tears in

    his eyes and cleared his throat before he exined, ¡°Her breathing is picking up, as is her heart rate.¡±

    Xandar broke into a smile as he kept whispering to his mate, ¡°That¡¯s it, Lucy. Keep fighting. Come back

    to us. Come back to me.¡±

    As the minutes passed, the grey lines faded and her skin returned to normal but everyone was still

    holding their breaths. When they heard Lucianne moan and her dazed eyes fluttered open, they wiped

    away their tears in pure relief, thanking their Goddess that Lucianne was alive.

    Xandar kissed Lucianne between her eyebrows and peered into her ck orbs as he said seriously,

    ¡°Never do that again, Lucy. Promise?¡±

    She offered a small smile, and her hand was still weak when she reached for his cheek. She could only

    hold her hand there with Xandar¡¯s hand over hers as she whispered, ¡°I¡¯d do it again in a heartbeat.¡± 1

    Tears flowed from his eyes and down his face, falling on Lucianne¡¯s face when he kissed her on her lips,

    restraining himself from kissing her too deeply for fear of suffocating her. After releasing her lips, he

    pecked a kiss on her nose before muttering a breathless, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s fatigued smile widened as she uttered, ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡± She then let her eyelids fall

    and leaned into his chest. Xandar started panicking again until Lorenz said that her breathing and heart

    rate were already normal, so all she needed was bedrest. Upon hearing those words, Xandar¡¯s worry

    melted away as he kissed his sleeping beauty¡¯s hair, and held her close as the submarines reached

    Faint Moon.

    After letting Lucianne sleep in their room for a few more hours, she woke up feeling much better. She,

    Xandar, Christian, Annie, Phelton and the alliance members then boarded Xandar¡¯s ne. The rest of

    the cavalry had already returned earlier with the rogues they arrested. 1

    When the kids from Faint Moon were hugging Lucianne goodbye, Jasper came up to Xandar and tugged

    at his jeans. The King bent down and ruffled the boy¡¯s hair as he said, ¡°It was nice to meet you, Jasper.

    Aunt Lucy is going to love our surprise.¡±

    To Xandar¡¯s own surprise, Jasper threw his arms around his neck, making his animal stunned. Jasper

    then whispered, ¡°I think Aunt Lucy likes you, Uncle Xandar. You like her too, don¡¯t you?¡±

    After Xandar squeezed the little boy gently, his lc eyes locked on the boy¡¯s brown ones as he dered,

    ¡°Yes, Jasper. I like Aunt Lucy very much, and I love her more than anything in the world.¡±

    Jasper¡¯s contemtive eyes sparkled, and he hopped a little before going over to give Lucianne a hug,

    and whispered that he loved her like he always did before running back to his mother. They got on the

    ne, and almost everyone slept without worry now that

    they knew Lucianne was okay.

    After Lucianne¡¯s relentless persuasion, Xandar reclined his seat and gave in to his fatigue. His arms

    circled around Lucianne¡¯s small body, pressing her into his hard chest as her thumb started stroking his

    hair. The Lycan King indulged in Lucianne¡¯sforting touch and homely scent, and finally dozed off.

    They reached Lycan territory in thete evening, and everyone agreed to skip the dinner at the dining

    hall, opting for room service, or, in Christian and Annie¡¯s case, home.

    After Xandar and Lucianne had a long, rxing dip in the tub, they had their dinner and decided to turn

    in early for the night. Xandar helped Lucianne with her bra and panties, pecking a kiss on her butt cheek

    through the thin fabric before lifting her off the floor and tucking her into bed.

    He pecked a kiss on her forehead, and that was when Lucianne asked in a small voice, ¡°Xandar?¡± Her

    mate¡¯s lc eyes locked with her nervous ck orbs as she asked, ¡°D-Do you l-love me eno-¡±

    Before she could finish, Xandar¡¯s lips attacked hers, hard and strong. His tongue plunged into her mouth

    and licked the inner walls. ¡®How could she ask that? How could she still not know how I feel about her?¡¯,

    he thought. His kiss was furious and demanding but it was also desperate, desperate for her to stop

    questioning the depth of his love for her and only her.

    When he had to release her lips because Lucianne ran out of air, he looked into her eyes and asked in

    dismay, ¡°Lucy¡­what makes you think that I don¡¯t love you?¡±

    She blinked her ck orbs, and realized that there had been a mimunication. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I

    meant, Xandar. I know you love me but what I wanted to ask was¡­will you¡­mark me?¡± 3

    Xandar was sure he was hearing things now. Lucianne made it clear that she wanted to take things slow.

    Given her past, it was easy to understand why. Xandar¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he asked, ¡°Sweetheart,

    what did you just say?¡±

    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    Lucianne averted her eyes when she asked in a small voice, ¡°Do you love me enough to mark me?¡± 3

    She couldn¡¯t look Xandar in the eye. She didn¡¯t want to see any reluctance that may be swimming there.

    As she waited, Xandar¡¯s lips found hers again as his hand supported her nape, his fingers tangled in her

    hair. She could feel his smile when he was kissing her, and it didn¡¯t feel urgent like the one before. This

    kiss felt¡­happy. It felt like blissful happiness.

    i in Xandar¡¯s eyes when he pressed his forehead against hers and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to mark you

    since w e met, my love.¡± A sweet peck on her lips before something came to his mind. His smile faltered

    slightly as he whispered, ¡°But is this what you want, Lucy? Right now? You know there¡¯s no rush in this.¡±

    With a hand on his cheek, Lucianne gazed at him as she exined, ¡°Back in Wu Bi Corp, I could only

    stop Jake from marking me because of the Queen¡¯s Authority. The reason I used..to emit the Authority

    was that¡­ I don¡¯t want to be marked by him or by anyone who isn¡¯t you.¡±

    As she stroked Xandar¡¯s cheek, she added, ¡°I harnessed all the emotions of wanting to be marked by

    you, and I stopped him. I want this. But I only want it from you.¡± She pecked him on his lips before she

    whispered, ¡°I¡¯m yours, my indecent beast. Only yours.¡±

    His own Lycan was tearing with happiness as it cooed. Xandar¡¯s smile broadened as he spoke in his

    deep, alluring voice, ¡°On one condition.¡±

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180

    Lucianne¡¯s head cocked to one side as she waited, so Xandar continued, ¡°That you mark me right after.¡±

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Lucianne chuckled and nodded before pulling him into another kiss. His body developed a mind of its

    own when it climbed onto the bed and hovered over her. Xandar¡¯s lips left hers only to move to her neck,

    where he started licking and sucking on it as Lucianne released a stream of cute moans before the sexy

    ones came out. His nose traced her jawline as his canines extended, and he whispered, ¡°Deep breath,

    baby.¡±

    Lucianneplied, and with his animal¡¯s instinct, Xandar¡¯s canines plunged into her neck. Lucianne

    yelped from the pain, whichsted for a brief second before it was reced with pleasure. There was

    also something else.

    She felt an intense stream of emotions rting to love, devotion and gratitude. As Xandar retracted his

    canines and started licking off the excess blood, Lucianne realized that those intense emotions weren¡¯t

    hers. They were her mate¡¯s. She finally felt the intensity and depth of his love for her, and was touched

    beyond words.

    When Xandar was done, his eyes of affection and protectiveness locked with her glistening, smiling ones

    as he uttered a deep and

    alluring ¡®Mine¡¯.

    Lucianne blushed under his stare and deration before he flipped their bodies over, holding his mate on

    top of him before pecking a kiss on her nose and nuzzling it as he said, ¡°Your turn, my little freesia. Mark

    me.¡± 1

    He inched his head to one side, giving her full ess to his neck. Lucianne¡¯s tongue got to work, licking

    and tenderising the area as Xandar¡¯s thumbs stroked her bare skin on her waist, closing his eyes to

    indulge in the moment he¡¯d been waiting for since the night they met.

    Her canines extended, and they plunged into Xandar¡¯s neck. ¡°Mm.¡± Xandar stiffened for a brief moment

    before he moaned in delight. When Lucianne sucked on the excess blood and cleaned his wound, his

    hands caressed her buttocks as he explored her emotions that he could now feel. He felt her

    vulnerability; her willingness to open up to him, her certainty about what they were doing; and her love

    for him that felt as strong as zing fire.

    Lucianne pecked a kiss on his chin and whispered a soft but firm, ¡°Mine.¡± Another peck on his lips before

    she uttered, ¡°Thank you, my love.¡±

    He kissed her deeply on her lips, and uttered, ¡°Thank you for opening up to me, and for letting me love

    you.¡± A peck on her nose, and he dered, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Lucianne felt the intensity of his words with their entwined emotions, and she chuckled in bliss before

    she said, ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡±

    Xandar ced her back on the bed and held her close. As usual, Lucianne snuggled into his warm chest

    and fell asleep. When Xandar was certain that she was in deep slumber, he cautiously removed his arms

    wrapping around her body.

    After pecking a light kiss on her forehead, he muttered, ¡°I won¡¯t take long, sweetheart. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    When Xandar left the bed, he picked up his phone from the nightstand and paced to the bathroom,

    carefully twisting the door knob to avoid making any sounds.

    In the bathroom, he gave Juan a call, and after the Alpha gave his permission and blessing, Xandar

    asked for his mate¡¯s adoptive father¡¯s number, which Juan promised to send and chuckled as he uttered,

    ¡°Good luck.¡±

    Those two words were enough to make Xandar more nervous than he already was. He hoped that his

    heart rate wasn¡¯t too high. His emotions were now entwined with Lucianne¡¯s, and he didn¡¯t want to wake

    her with his nervousness and anxiety. Former-Alpha Ken wouldn¡¯t be that scary, would he?

    Ken was PISSED that Xandar had not bothered to meet him in person before courting his adopted

    daughter, and now he had the gall to ask for his blessing to propose to his little girl?! THE AUDACITY!

    He didn¡¯t care that Xandar was the Lycan King! Lucianne was his daughter! She was his baby girl! 1

    It took twenty minutes of persuasion over the phone for Xandar to persuade Ken that he wanted to do

    right by Lucianne, that he would protect her, love her and take care of her for the rest of his life. Ken was

    only a little swayed, not because of what Xandar said, but because of what his own son had linked him

    over the past few weeks when Ken reminded Juan over and over again to look out for Lucianne.

    Lucianne texted more than she linked her adoptive father, and from those texts and short links, she

    seemed¡­happy with Xandar, s o Ken grudgingly gave in and added, ¡°WHEN THIS WHOLE SH*T IN

    YOUR KINGDOM IS CLEANED UP, YOU GET YOUR AS* BACK HERE AND MEET US LIKE A

    PROPER MAN MY DAUGHTER DESERVES, BOY!¡± 5

    Xandar held back pointing out that he was actually older than Ken himself, and promised to make the trip

    to Blue Crescent when they were done with the rogue situation here. When the former Alpha hung up on

    him, Xandar and his animal let out a sigh of

    He exited the bathroom, and noticed Lucianne sleeping closer to his side, like she was looking for his

    scent and warmth. Xandar smiled in the darkness and got back into bed, kissed her on the forehead as

    he whispered to his sleeping mate, ¡°Told you I won¡¯t take long.¡± His arms wrapped around her body,

    which made Lucianne coo in her sleep.

    ¡®Adorable¡¯, Xandar thought to himself before he surrendered to his fatigue as well.

    ###

    At 4 a.m. the next morning, Xandar pulled Lucianne back into bed when she tried to get up. After a

    minute, she escaped his tight grip. With his eyes still closed, he chuckled and muttered, ¡°Already got the

    strength of a Lycan, my love?¡±

    Lucianne had just switched on the lights in the bathroom when Xandar said that, and what she saw in the

    mirror made her gasp in shock. Xandar¡¯s eyes snapped open, and he jumped out of bed before bolting to

    his mate. ¡°Baby, what is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Lucianne stepped closer to the mirror as she studied her reflection. Her eyes were now gradient-colored.

    It starts with her original ck color from the top and turns lc towards the bottom. Her brightened

    complexion made her look¡­younger. She looked like she was in herte teens or early twenties, and her

    skin seemed healthier. With a finger pointed at the mirror, she asked Xandar, ¡°I s that what I really look

    like right now?¡±

    Xandar chuckled and ran his fingers down her hair before he said, ¡°No, baby. You look much more

    beautiful in person.¡± He peered into her narrowed eyes, and stroked her eyebrow with his thumb as he

    uttered, ¡°I have to say, I¡¯m d your eyes have not entirely changed. I was starting to miss those ck

    orbs I fell for. I wonder if your animal¡¯s eyes have changed, though I hope they haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, then.¡± Lucianne said, and looked back into the mirror as she brought her animal forward. Her

    eyes were still as blue as sapphires, and Xandar pressed her into his chest as he muttered, ¡°Thank you,

    Goddess.¡± He suddenly heard Lucianne cooing, and realized that he was hugging her animal in

    Lucianne¡¯s human body, not her human part per se.

    Her animal continued cooing and nuzzling his neck, chin and jawline before moving to the mark Lucianne

    made the previous night. She was trying to draw out Xandar¡¯s Lycan, and it was working! His animal

    demanded control, wanting some private time with its mate.

    Just then, Lucianne chuckled through their link, ¡®She wants him, Xandar. We¡¯ve done it so many times

    but they haven¡¯t had the chance.

    As his animal continued to push, Xandar linked, ¡°This is going to be one uncontroble beast we¡¯re

    unleashing, sweetheart.¡¯

    Lucianne¡¯s animal cooed aloud coquettishly, clearly hearing his link as she continued to seduce his

    animal. Lucianne chuckled again and linked, ¡®Just let them, Xandar. It¡¯s time they had their fill.¡¯

    Xandar peered into those sapphire orbs, and used hisst ounce of control to peck a kiss on the back of

    her hand and uttered, ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡±

    Right after he said that, his animal pushed his human part away and came forward, taking control of his

    body. As soon as it did, it pulled Lucianne¡¯s Lycan into a hungry kiss, lifting her off the floor and back to

    the bed. They didn¡¯t bother unhooking the bra or removing her panties.

    After Xandar¡¯s animal kicked away his pants and let his erected shaft proudly spring free, it growled

    alluringly before extending one w to cut through the bra fabric from the middle and by the straps

    before it did the same to her underwear, which got its mate even more turned on.

    The way his hands grip her breasts and roam her body was rough and possessive, and the way his

    tongue assaulted her folds in her wetdy part was like he had been starved for weeks on end, and

    maybe he was.

    Like his human, his animal loved drinking from their mate. When every drop waspped up, he

    positioned itself at her entrance and immediately pushed his long-hardened manhood into her, making

    his mate yelp before it was reced with a stream of moans. 2

    The animals looked into each other¡¯s eyes as he went in and out of her, and when she was close to

    coming, he increased his speed. With a slow, seductive lick over her mark, her body convulsed and

    arched upward towards him.

    His animal had never felt happier as it came inside her, letting her lock him in as it cooed and nuzzled

    her forehead. When her lock came loose, he still refused to leave, and with a blissful smile, he uttered a

    strong, possessive and devoted ¡®MATE.¡¯

    Lucianne¡¯s animal cooed and nuzzled his nose before she muttered a gentler but equally firm ¡®MATE.

    The animals did another two rounds before giving back control to their human parts.

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181

    Lucianne immediately got up and inspected her tom bra and underwear as she said, ¡°Remind me to

    undress before we let them do that again next time.¡±

    Both their animals were chuckling at her remark, and Xandar pecked a kiss on her bare waist as he

    commented, ¡°He was a little brutal to her, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Xandar ignored his animal¡¯s protest, and waited for his mate to answer, to which she said, ¡°Hm. She

    seems to like it rough.¡±

    His animal gloated and bragged, which made Xandar mutter, ¡°And he seems to be happy to hear that.¡±

    His hands snuck around her waistline and he said, ¡°Since we¡¯re both already naked, how about we give

    it a go?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes left her tom-up bra and met her mate¡¯s flirtatious gaze. He seemed to know her weak

    spot because he emitted that dangerous and alluring growl that turned her on, and when she smirked

    coyly and guided his hands to her breasts, Xandar pounced on her and sucked on her neck, teasing her

    mark. Lucianne spread her legs before wrapping them around Xandar¡¯s waist as he went in and out of

    her. She moaned in ecstasy as Xandar increased his speed. He emitted that deep, alluring growl again

    as he said, ¡°Come for me, baby.¡± 3

    He then went even faster than he did before. Within seconds, Lucianne came and locked him in. The

    product of Xandar¡¯s own orgasm dispensed in her, and he admired her rising and falling breasts. When

    her lock came loose, he remained in her as he started pecking kisses on her breasts, enjoying

    Lucianne¡¯s whimpers when his tongue teased her nipples. After that, he moved up north, gazing at the

    mark he made on her in pure bliss.

    His tongue extended, and he licked over it ever so slowly and lovingly as Lucianne moaned, ¡°Ohh¡­¡±

    Xandar¡¯s lips curled into a smilk before he moved to Lucianne¡¯s lips to kiss her slowly, enjoying every

    lick, every brush, and every sensation as his hand continued kneading her breasts. When their lips

    released each other, his nose touched hers as he whispered, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Lucianne met his euphoric eyes, and muttered, ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡±

    Instead of a moring run, they decided on a moming walk after all the exercise they did in bed.

    ###

    After showering and getting ready, they walked to the dining hall. Christian and Annie got out of the car

    when they saw Xandar and Lucianne enter through the gates.

    As Lucianne and Annie embraced each other, Christian offered his cousin a brotherly hug, and ced

    the small jewellery box he collected in the morning into Xandar¡¯s ready hand. The Duke¡¯s eyes glistened

    in joy as he linked, ¡®I¡¯m really happy for you, cuz.¡¯

    ¡®She hasn¡¯t said ¡®yes¡¯ yet, Christian.¡¯

    Christian scoffed and linked, ¡®I doubt she¡¯ll say ¡®no¡¯.¡¯

    ¡®I hope you¡¯re right. Still, if she wants more time, I¡¯ll give it to her.¡¯ He looked at his mate, who was

    complimenting Annie¡¯s dressing before he continued, ¡®I¡¯ll give her anything.¡¯

    Christian patted him on the back and linked, ¡®Yeah, we all know that, cuz. C¡¯mon.¡¯

    They joined thedies¡¯ conversation just in time for Lucianne to ask, ¡°Is this for a special asion? Is it

    someone¡¯s birth day and I wasn¡¯t let in on the secret?¡± Her eyes went briefly to the Duke before returning

    to the Duchess.

    Annie stammered, ¡°W-Well, uh¡­it isn¡¯t anyone¡¯s birthday. We¡¯d tell you if it is, and uh¡­I just wanted to

    dress like this for..fun.¡±

    Lucianne pressed back a smile before she said, ¡°Annie, you¡¯re not very good at lying.¡± Both cousins

    burst outughing, and Annie¡¯s narrowed eyes directed at her husband drew him closer to her before he

    pecked a sweet kiss on her temple.

    Lucianne decided to spare Annie from her questioning. She assumed that it was a private matter

    between the Duke and Duchess, s o she didn¡¯t pry. Xandar slid his hand around her waist, and the four

    of them entered the dining hall together. Right after everyone stood from exchanging bows, the murmurs

    and chatters soon started. Everyone was staring at Lucianne. Was there something different about her?

    With Lucianne¡¯s sharpened hearing, she caught the whispers and started blushing. Xandar pecked a kiss

    on her temple, and asked, ¡°Well, my love. How should we tell them?¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s affectionate eyes met his own as she said, ¡°Why tell when we can show?¡±

    Her hand went to her hair covering her mark, and she pushed it gently to the back, showing the pinkish

    smear made by her mate the previous night. The second her mark came into view, the entire dining hall

    erupted in excitement. Xandar pulled his cor

    slightly to the side to show everyone his mark made by her, and the crowd got crazier. Christian

    squeezed his best friend¡¯s shoulder as a way of congratting him.

    The alliance and several Lycans wereing forward with smiling eyes to congratte them but before

    they reached the King and Queen, their footsteps came to a halt when Xandar held Lucianne¡¯s small

    hand and got down on one knee.

    Lucianne¡¯s bright eyes widened in shock when Xandar took out a small jewellery box from his trousers,

    the one his cousin handed t o him earlier that morning. The squeals in the room came from both men

    and women, Weaver¡¯s being one of the loudest. 3

    Lucianne stopped breathing, and gaped when Xandar opened the box to present a princess-cut ck

    diamond adored with smaller lc diamonds all around it, held by a band which seemed to contain some

    kind of engraving.

    Xandar¡¯s voicemanded the attention of the room when he spoke, ¡°Lucy, my love. You¡¯ve caught this

    beast¡¯s attention long before we were bonded, and you¡¯ve stolen my heart on the very first night we met.

    I¡¯ve never seen a more beautiful creature, nor have Ie across a more amazing one. Your grace is

    breathtaking; your bravery is incredible; your nobility is astounding; and your strength is simply mind-

    blowing. If¨C¡± He was forced to pause when a loud apuse burst from everyone around them.

    When it died down, Xandar continued, ¡°If I were to bepletely honest, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could ever win

    your heart.¡± There was a shortughter from the people around them before he proceeded to say, ¡°All I

    could hope for in the beginning was a chance ¨C a chance to be with you, to show you that I¡¯m not like the

    mates from your past, and a chance to make you happy.¡±

    After pecking a kiss on the back of her hand, he said, ¡°You¡¯re so¡­whole, Lucy. It somehow felt like you

    didn¡¯t need me, and I¡¯m sure that your brother and Christian can tell you how the mere thought of losing

    you scares me to death, and the mere suspicion that you might reject me shatters me to pieces.¡±

    His eyes glistened at the memories where he thought Lucianne was going to reject him in the Jewel

    Pack, after the Kyltons¡¯ debacle and after the incident in Forest Gloom. Lucianne¡¯s own eyes glistened

    as her free hand reached out to stroke his cheek.

    Xandar allowed himself to lean into her touch before he continued, ¡°Thank you for giving me a chance to

    love you, baby. I promise t o be better everyday, to be more, because you deserve nothing less. You

    have no idea how happy you make me, and I hope you¡¯ll keep letting me show you how much you mean

    to me, how much I love you.¡±

    His voice tumed gentler when he lifted up the box in his hand and asked, ¡°Lucianne Freesia Paw, will you

    allow your indecent beast the honor of taking your hand in marriage?¡± 2

    Lucianne was so moved that she couldn¡¯t speak, and she nodded without hesitation as tears spilled from

    her eyes. Her non-verbal response made the entire hall erupt in a second round of excitement. Xandar¡¯s

    nerves eased, and he slid the ring into his mate¡¯s finger before getting up to pull her into a deep kiss.

    When their lips parted, Xandar whispered, ¡°Thank you so much, baby. I love you. I love you so, so

    much.¡± 1

    Lucianne¡¯s tears continued to stream down her face as she said, ¡°I love you, too, so much.¡±

    The news of their engagement reached allers of the Kingdom in less than an hour, and there were

    people who were not happy about it

    Kelissa¡¯s bedroom was filled with feathers from all the posh pillows she tore up when she read thetest

    scoop with the headline¡± SHE SAID ¡®YES!¡±, apanied by photos of Lucianne and Xandar showing off

    their marks; Xandar down on one knee before a very shocked Lucianne; Xandar grinning broadly as he

    slid the ring into his mate¡¯s finger, and Xandar and Lucianne sharing a kiss.

    Lord and Lady Kylton told the maid to leave them alone, and went to sit on either side of their precious

    daughter on the couch. When Lady Kylton was close to offering her a hug, Kelissa pushed away her

    mother¡¯s arms. Despite being hurt by her daughter¡¯s reaction, Lady Kylton understood why her little Kelly

    was fuming with rage.

    ¡°How could he?¡± Kelissa hissed in a small voice as she continued to breath heavily.

    ¡°It¡¯s his loss, dear.¡± Lord Kylton said, and realized he said the wrong thing when his wife¡¯s and daughter¡¯s

    re scared him and his animal. He cleared his throat and muttered, ¡°Sorry about that. That wasn¡¯t the

    right thing to say.¡±

    ¡°No sh*t.¡± Kelissa hissed with no remorse. After another moment, she said, ¡°Not all is lost. I can still win.¡±

    Lord Kylton was about to ask how but chose to remain silent when his wife gave a slight shake of her

    head. Lady Kylton cleared her throat and asked gently, ¡°What do you want us to do now, Kelly?¡±

    Without hesitation, Kelissa said in a low voice, ¡°We have to kill her. It¡¯s the only way to make Xandar

    avable again. It¡¯s the only way I can mark him after he marks me.¡±

    Lord Kylton nodded in understanding and asked, ¡°Would you like me to call them, on¡­¡±

    The heiress¡¯s onyx eyes burned into her father¡¯s careful lc ones as the heiress shouted, ¡°DO I REALLY

    SEEM THAT INCAPABLET

    O YOU?! DO YOU THINK THIS WOLF IS MORE CAPABLE THAN ME, TOO?¡±

    ¡°No! Of course not! The wolf is a scum!¡± Lord Kylton defended.

    Lady Kylton then helped her husband by saying, ¡°We just want to help, Kelly. You don¡¯t have to do

    everything alone. We know you¡¯re strong, dear, and you do so much. We just want to help you.¡±

    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Kelissa took in her mother¡¯s words, and within a few minutes, she managed to get a hold of herself. ¡°It¡¯s

    okay. I¡¯ll just give Jake a call and see if we can improvise something. Maybe mixing Oleander with some

    other poison to make sure it kills the wolf instantly, so that Xandar doesn¡¯t suffer.¡± 1

    Lady Kylton smiled warmly and said, ¡°That¡¯s very thoughtful of you, Kelly.¡±

    With a hard expression and a murderous glint in her eye, Kelissa said, ¡°This doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll let him off

    that easily. Once we are mated and marked, and I¡¯m crowned, I¡¯m going to make Xandar BEG for my

    forgiveness for all this hurt that he is causing me.¡±

    Kelissa dialed Jake¡¯s number immediately without a n in mind, hoping that the rogue Alpha would be

    able to help her out. The call didn¡¯t go through. She tried again. Nothing. Impatient, she tried a third time

    as sheined, ¡°What do rogues have to do that requires their Alpha with them anyway? Why wasn¡¯t

    he answering his phone?¡±

    Her parents convinced her to give it an hour. Perhaps Jake was conducting a task for another client and

    wasn¡¯t near his phone at the moment. The task she herself gave him was in a couple of days time.

    Perhaps he was preparing for that? Her original instructions to him were simple: lightly scratch Xandar

    with a non-lethal concentration of Oleander when the King was in the process of protecting Lucianne.

    Kelissa would then send her people to make anonymous phone calls to the press, twisting the story to

    me Lucianne for the King¡¯s injury. Her private instructions to Jake the other day was for him to mark

    Lucianne. It was so clear that the rogue Alpha wanted her but it took ten minutes of persuasion from the

    heiress before he agreed to forcibly mark her. Kelissa did not just waste ten minutes of her life to not get

    the results she worked for! 1

    Of course, the Kyltons didn¡¯t know that the Alpha of thepany they owned was already killed¡­that

    was until a second big scoop popped up on Kelissa¡¯s screen, with the headline: 47 Rogue Lycans and 10

    Rogue Wolves Arrested in Mass Infiltration into Rogue Headquarters by the Monarchs, Lycan and Wolf

    Warriors and Police Force.

    Lord Kylton¡¯s face tumed white. It couldn¡¯t be hispany, could it? When Kelissa opened up the article

    and scrolled through it, seeing Jake¡¯s photograph which was captioned as ¡®the deceased leader

    suspected of running the corporation¡¯, Kelissa threw her phone at her full body mirror and screamed in

    madness. In his room, Greg cursed and immediately took his earpiece out as he muttered, ¡°Crazy bitch.¡±

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182

    The Duke¡¯s animal was still covering its ears from the deafening scream. Imnting a device in Kelissa¡¯s

    room was tricky but the idiotic heiress actually believed that Greg knocked on her door the other night

    just to ask for the Wi-Fi password.

    By leveraging the heiress¡¯s need to unt in just about everything, Gregplimented her room when

    he was at her door, and he instantly received the invitation to enter to have a look around before he

    stealthily stuck the device behind her nightstand.

    He read about the infiltration, and was actually impressed that his cousin managed to keep Lucianne

    safe for once. With the rogue corporation now gone, Greg could safely send out his long-awaited, final

    order to Alivia and Ivory since the Kyltons won¡¯t be able to send any rogues to ughter the inhabitants

    of Blue Crescent anymore. 2

    Greg slit the second andst paper clip gadget taken from his shoe onto his wristband. When it emitted

    the faint green glow, he linked Alissa, ¡®0187, Phoenix Road. Send a message to the Queen Tell her I¡¯m

    here with the founders of Wu Bi. Be discreet. You don¡¯t want to get caught. Keep watching her. Link

    Hailey and Desmond if you and Ivory need help.¡¯

    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem, your Grace, but uh¡­Ivory and Llost her for a few hours when she took flights

    two days ago and yester

    ¡®Did shee back hurt?

    ¡®No, but she did look tired.¡±

    ¡®As long as she¡¯s safe, you did your job.¡¯

    Alissa hesitated before she linked in concern, ¡®I heard that there isn¡¯t a timeline toe get you, your

    Grace?

    ¡®There isn¡¯t. I¡¯ll get out when I need to. Just do as I say

    ¡®As you wish, your Grace.¡¯

    After ending the link, he heard a knock on his door, and hurriedly hid the used paper clip in his shoe

    before going to see who was bothering him. The second he saw Livia in a see-through lingerie that left

    nothing to the imagination, he mmed the door shut without a word. 1

    The silver lining for the Duke was that he was going to be out of this prison soon¡­probably only to be

    put in another prison. Then again, anywhere was better than staying with these dim people. He chuckled

    as he thought about how the Kyltons¡¯ contingency n is now blown to bits. Greg would admit that the

    family¡¯s back-up n to destroy Blue Crescent was a¡­wise n B if one were o n their side but putting

    all their eggs into that one basket of counting on the rogues to get everything done, so sure that they

    would never get caught, was their downfall.

    ¡°Idiots¡±, Greg chuckled darkly as he thought to himself. If he learned anything, it would be that having

    ns C, D, E and F were mandatory.

    All he had to do now was wait for Alissa¡¯s message to get to Lucianne, so he¡¯ll be out by tomorrow, at

    latest. He could stay in his room until then. He had a big breakfast this morning, and still had some

    snacks he stole from around the house to keep him alive for a few more hours.

    With that in mind, he decided to take a nap.

    ###

    Alissa linked Ivory about Greg¡¯s instructions, and while Ivory watched Lucianne, Alissa headed to a

    bookstore. She then picked out a in card and an envelope with her glove-covered hands. After paying,

    she headed to the pen section to scribble the Duke¡¯s message. That was the easy part.

    In the cloudy early aftemoon, Alissa made her way to the King¡¯s residence as a random jogger. Ivory had

    already sent her the approximate time the mail would reach the King¡¯s home, so when Alissa saw the

    van pulling to a stop, she bent down to tie her shoces before getting back up when the mailman

    stepped out with a small stack on envelopes about the same size as the one she had in her hand.

    She continued jogging, and ¡®identally¡¯ bumped into him, making all the letters scatter over the ground

    before she apologized profusely as she helped him gather up his mail, sneaking in her own envelope into

    the stack. The mailman thanked her, and asked her to be more careful before dropping off the stack of

    letters with Xandar¡¯s guards.

    ###

    Everyone who was in Xandar¡¯s office to n the infiltration was now back in his office to discuss the

    issues arising from the infiltration. The good news was that there were no casualties from their side,

    although several Lycan warriors and policemen were still in the hospital as the doctors monitored their

    bloodstreams to make sure that there weren¡¯t any traces Oleander left in their systems

    Chief Dalloway was given the floor first since everyone wanted to know what information that he and his

    police force managed to get in thest 24 hours when they went through every inch of the headquarters.

    ¡°Every rogue confirmed that the one you killed is the leader of the corporation, my King. However, the

    leader is subordinate to a higher authority, one unknown to any of the rogues we arrested.¡±

    As Xandar pulled the standing Lucianne onto hisp and wrapped an arm around her abdomen, he

    asked the Chief, ¡°Did any of them say who may know their superior?¡±

    Dalloway reported, ¡°That would be the two who restrained the Queen before the leader attempted to¡­¡±

    since everyone around him knew what was going toe out of his mouth next, and Xandar¡¯s eyes

    were turning onyx at the memory, the Chief chose to say,¡± Well, the three of them were the only ones

    who have met the superiors of Wu Bi Corp, your Highnesses.¡±

    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    As Xandar smelled her hair, Lucianne asked, ¡°Have the rogues given anything useful, Chief? Is there

    anything we don¡¯t know yet?¡±

    ¡°Only bad news, my Queen.¡± All ears perked up as he continued, ¡°They told us about their database. Our

    people scoured through it but it¡¯s empty.¡±

    Christian muttered, ¡°They must have deleted everything while we surrounded their hideout.¡±

    Dalloway nodded in agreement and proceeded to say, ¡°As for their confessions, we are told that

    hundreds have escaped through an underground tunnel before taking their own submarine to flee from

    the ind.¡± 2

    Almost everyone groaned. They thought they were done. They thought they got all of them. Dalloway¡¯s

    statement made Lucianne¡¯s eyes widened, and Xandar¡¯s grip around her tightened before it loosened

    again when Lucianne¡¯s thumb started stroking hisp.

    Dalloway then said, ¡°There is some good news that I should mention: the tunnel is small, so only wolves

    could go through it one at a time. Our own people had to break the concrete around it to erge the

    passageway during our investigation.¡±

    That was definitely a relief for all the worried faces in the room. Lucianne turned to the Alphas and Lunas

    in the room and said, ¡± Alert the pack leaders. Every one of them, especially those around Faint Moon.¡±

    Juan then asked, ¡°Should we offer them a chance to surrender first?¡±

    It was on the tip of Lucianne¡¯s tongue to say ¡®yes¡¯ but she remembered how offering Jake a chance to

    surrender yed out. She was conflicted, so she locked eyes with her mate and asked, ¡°What do you

    think, darling? Should we?¡±

    Xandar thought about it, well aware of the conflict she was experiencing. After a moment, he dered,

    ¡°One chance. Only one. Get them to surrender and detain them until our people get there to bring them

    back here. If they try anything funny, kill them.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Juan uttered with a smile, and the other pack leaders of the alliance nodded in

    compliance.

    Dalloway then went on to exin that the rogues they arrested didn¡¯t know anything about the suppliers

    of their weapons and poisons because Alithia was the one who handled these things, and Toby mmed

    his head on the table for killing her.

    Lucianne looked at her best friend rubbing his forehead and said, ¡°Chill, Toby. She deserved to die.¡±

    Toby retorted, ¡°No, Lucy. She deserved to be tortured with whips and an electrocution chair. She didn¡¯t

    deserve to die.¡±

    Knock. Knock Knock.

    The room was filled with furrowed eyebrows and inquisitive eyes thrown at Xandar. Even his own mate

    was giving him a puzzled look. Was he expecting someone?

    ¡°Come in!¡± Xandar was equally lost but if his guards saw the need to disturb his meeting, it had to be

    important.

    The door opened, and in walked Vernon, who bowed beforeing to the King¡¯s side to hand him his

    mail as he said, ¡°Apologies, your Highnesses, but there was one among the stack that seemed

    important.¡±

    Vernon ced a blue envelope on the top of the stack that had ¡°URGENT¡± written in red, followed by a

    line of ck-colored words that read: Attn: H.R.H. Queen Lucianne Freesia Paw. The fact that it wasn¡¯t

    Greg¡¯s handwriting like it was thest time didn¡¯t stop Lucianne from snatching the envelope and ripping

    it open. 1

    She took out the white card and read it with Xandar. Xandar¡¯s eyes darkened, and Lucianne¡¯s neck

    stiffened before her friends noticed the homicidal glint in her ck and onyx orbs. After a short moment

    of pin drop silence, Toby got tired of waiting.

    So, he groaned as he got out of his chair and strode to his best friend¡¯s side whileining, ¡°Lucy,

    you and your mate have got t o learn to¡­¡± he started reading the card in her hand and his brain paused

    for a moment before he cursed, ¡°Sh*t.¡±.

    ¡®0187 Phoenix Road, my Queen. I¡¯m here with the founders of Wu Bi Corp. Greg.¡¯

    After that, it didn¡¯t take long for Dalloway and Laurent to find out who the registered owners of the

    residence were. A n was hatched within thirty minutes, and they left the vi to head for the location

    Greg sent them.

 Chapter 183

    Greg only woke up when another knock on his door came. If that was

    Livia again, he didn¡¯t know if he could restrain his animal from

    scratching her face and tearing out her organs. As he thought about

    the endgame drawing near, he walked to the door and opened it.

    To his relief, it was only the heiress, who invited him to have tea. Greg

    yed dumb and asked, ¡°What did I do? I left the toilet seat u p this

    time.¡±

    Kelissa rolled her eyes and said, ¡°It''s just a grateful gesture for your

    years of supporting our business, your Grace.¡± Liar. But not a bad one,

    actually

    ¡°Fine.¡± Greg groaned. So much for wanting to stay in his room until

    Lucianne came and break him out of this sh*thole. He still found it

    hrious that the Kyltons gave him ess to Wi-Fi without considering

    that he would use it to pinpoint their location Maybe it was because

    they didn¡¯t know that he could still mind-link without detection to send

    out orders.

    As Greg walked with the heiress, he muttered, ¡°I''m impressed to see

    you soposed after the news all over the inte, Kylton.¡±

    That was definitely the right thing to say for someone who didn''t hear

    the heiress''s mad scream. Kelissa''s rage showed again as she reyed

    the news in her head. But instead of throwing a fit, she simply smirked

    and said, ¡°Well, I leam from the best.¡±N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    Greg prayed that she didn¡¯t mean him. He didn¡¯t want this failure to be

    his student. When they entered the tea room, the Lord and Lady

    paused their discreet chatter and smiled at the Duke. Sasha and Livia

    stopped their gossiping, too. Tanner looked like the most left out one

    there.

    ¡°What the f*ck do these losers want?¡¯, Greg thought as he retumed

    everyone''s fake smiles.

    After he was seated and given Earl Grey, Kelissa got to the point, ¡°Well,

    your Grace. You''ve read the news. It seems that our n has gone

    down the drain, and things are..plicated now.¡±

    ¡°No, sh*t. Is that why I''m here? To whine andin with all of you?¡±

    ¡°No, your Grace.¡± Lord Kylton began before his daughter''s scowl made

    him lean back for her to continue speaking.

    The heiress turned back to the Duke with a less hostile gaze and

    uttered, ¡°We''re not here toin. We''re here to talk about what

    could have gone wrong, and, if possible, to find a solution together.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that''s not so bad.¡± Greg leaned back into his seat and crossed his

    legs before he asked despite already knowing the answer, ¡°So, who''s

    starting?¡±

    Kelissa, as the leader, said, ¡°I think I should go first. I propose that we

    come up with a n B as soon as possible, and execute it with all

    immediacy. The n we sent to the rogues took too long to execute.

    Had we brought the n forward, the rogues would''ve gotten the work

    done before the... infiltration...happened. We were hoping that you''d

    have some form of connections to get the job done, your Grace.¡±

    Livia then asked, ¡°The n is to kill the wolf now, right?¡±

    Greg''s hand supporting his chin balled into a tight fist, and he kept

    picturing Lucianne in his head to restrain his growling animal that was

    trying to push itself forward.

    Kelissa nced at Greg before she showed her cousin a fake smile and

    said, ¡°Let''s leave death aside for now. We were hoping that you''d have

    some kind of resources, your Grace. We could consider something

    less¡ª"

    Livia butted in again, ¡°I don''t get why death should be left aside. The

    wolf is marked. The only way to get to your end goal now is to kill her.

    Do you need her alive for some reason?¡±

    The Duke thought this was a perfect time to start a front-row seat soap

    opera, so he tumed to Kelissa and asked with a taunting smile, ¡°Are you

    going to tell her?¡±

    Livia''s eyes widened when she asked, ¡°Tell me what?¡±

    Kelissa scowled at Greg but the Duke was not going to take back what

    he just said. Livia repeated her question, louder and fiercer this time.

    She earned a re from her uncle and aunt but she couldn''t care less.

    Next to her, Sasha smirked when she caught on, and she said, ¡°You

    were promised the wolf, weren''t you, your Grace? That''s why the

    heiress is also pinned on keeping her alive.¡±

    Greg was impressed that, of all people, the dumb blonde got the

    answer. ¡°So, there is a brain in that head of yours, Cummings. Bravo.¡±

    Livia''s eyes turned onyx, and her hard stare was on Kelissa when she

    gritted her teeth and said, ¡°You promised that he was MINE."

    Kelissa was unperturbed as she responded, ¡°If the circumstances

    change, our ns have to change with it. The end goales first,

    Livia.¡±

    Livia scoffed darkly and added, ¡°You think you can just overrule

    everyone and sweep away what the rest of us were promised when we

    decided to help you? You think you can make us fall in line and you

    think you know everything? Well, let me tell you something you don''t

    know: Sasha already bought Oleander from the rogue Alpha, saying

    that it was to kill Seb when it is actually t o kill YOU after you tore the

    wolf away from the King!¡±

    ¡°LIV!¡± Sasha eximed in shock at her secreting out from her

    confidant''s mouth.

    Greg muttered in amusement, ¡°Ooo...plot twist.¡± Well, not for him since

    he eavesdropped on everyone''s conversations in the house. 3

    Kelissa hissed, ¡°Shut up, your Grace! Just because my promise to you

    remains intact, it doesn¡¯t mean you have to unt it.¡±

    Greg''s sharp hearing picked up something not far away from the other

    side of the door but from the nk looks on everyone else''s faces, he

    concluded that he was the only one who heard those sounds. So, he

    yed dumb and responded to the fuming Kelissa,¡± unt? Heh!

    Kylton, get real. You''ve already decided to kill Lucianne. And you

    already backstabbed me when you sent the rogue to forcibly mark the

    Qu-"

    ¡°Wolf.¡± Kelissa insisted, her eyes showing some onyx shades despite her

    parents¡¯ surprised looks when Greg mentioned things that were not

    discussed with any advisor.

    Greg raised his eyebrows at the heiress''s interruption, and reminded

    himself that he was going to be there for only another few more

    minutes at most. The Duke gritted his teeth, and said in a low voice, ¡°If

    you read the news properly, Kylton, you''d know that she is one of us

    now. She''s a Lycan. She''s the Lycan Queen.¡± At that very moment, the

    door fell off its hinges as it burst open.

 Chapter 184

    Kelissa, Lady Kylton, Sasha and Livia screamed as everyone got up and

    backed away from the door. In walk Lucianne with ck and onyx orbs

    in a white, knee-length dress. How did she find them? And where were

    their guards?! 2

    Policemen stormed in and pointed guns at the people in the room,

    making the Kyltons and the others raise their hands above their heads

    as they trembled in fear and shock. They were still stunned when they

    were being cuffed. Only Greg was spared.

    Lucianne scanned their faces, and locked eyes with Greg, who raised his

    hands with the others as well, and without a word or smile, she gave

    him a firm nod, prompting him toe forward.

    He obliged, lowering his hands and approaching her, utterly relieved

    that she got here sooner than he expected. Then again, this was

    Lucianne. His cousins would have been an entirely different story.

    Strategizing itself would have taken them forever!

    Livia grew worried about what was going to be done to Greg but she

    couldn''t find it in herself to move, speak or scream. She was petrified

    Livia was about to break down in tears when Greg was two steps away

    from Lucianne but what the bed warmer witnessed next shocked her to

    the core.

    Greg knelt on one knee before Lucianne without being asked or

    commanded, held his head low and uttered in devotion, ¡°My Queen.¡±

    Lucianne asked rhetorically, ¡°You sent word, your Grace?¡±

    "WHAT?!" Kelissa eximed before the policewoman behind her

    nudged the gun against the back of her head, asking her to shut u

    With his eyes still pinned to the ground, Greg tried not to be bothered

    by the fact that Lucianne¡¯s scent was now mixed with his cousin¡¯s when

    he uttered, ¡°I did. I apologize that the message couldn''t be sent sooner,

    your Highness.¡±

    ¡°No apology necessary, your Grace. Stand.¡± Lucianne thrusted out a

    hand in his way. Literally everyone looked at her small hand in disbelief,

    including Greg himself.

    The Duke took a good three seconds before reaching out and taking it.

    But before Lucianne could pull him up like she would an ally, he pecked

    a soft, formal kiss on the back. Only after that, he rose and stood before

    her.

    Lucianne continued to stare at the perpetrators of the crimes she and

    her people had been fighting off for years. Then, surprisingly enough,

    she asked Greg, ¡°Is there anything I should know, your Grace?¡±

    With an arm stretched across his chest as a sign of loyal service, he

    offered her a slight bow and uttered, ¡°I''ve imnted several recording

    devices around the house, my Queen. I''m hoping you''ll allow me to

    collect them for you.¡±

    ¡°That would be helpful. Any requests with regards to these people?

    Anything I should know before I torture an ally that you may have

    here?¡±

    Greg kept his bow as he said, ¡°I have none here, my Queen. But, with

    your permission, I''d like her.¡± His head motioned to Tanner before he

    added when his head motioned to Livia, ¡°And her.¡±

    Lucianne took a second before she said, ¡°The one who ckmailed an

    employee after sending an assassin after a child, and the bed warmer.¡±

    She scoffed darkly before she asked, ¡°What''s the request, your Grace?¡±

    Upon d¨¦tecting the suppressed anger in Lucianne¡¯s voice, Greg fell on

    one knee again as he spoke, ¡°I plead with you to let me have them, my

    Queen. This doesn''t concern anything rted to intercourse, I give you

    my word.¡±

    ¡°Look at me, your Grace.¡±

    Greg looked up and locked eyes with her without question. Lucianne

    studied his eyes, and saw that they were partially onyx as well.

    Predatory, which matched her own. Not knowing what to expect,

    Lucianne uttered, "Whatever it is, I need them alive and

    conscious when you''re done.¡± ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡± Greg took her

    hand and pecked another formal kiss on the back before getting up

    and striding towards Livia

    Livia was certain that the onyx in Greg''s eyes weren''t lust but pure rage!

    She tried to run but the policewoman behind her held her i n ce and

    told her to freeze. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she

    sobbed and whimpered.

    Upon the Queen''s affirmative nod, the policewoman uncuffed Livia and

    moved away from her. Greg growled as he pushed Livia''s head against

    the wall, making a distinct crack on the concrete. When Greg started

    breaking her limbs with no remorse, Livia screamed her lungs out. The

    sound of bone-cracking made her cousin and the others quiver in fear

    but Lucianne and every other police person in the room remained

    emotionless.

    After Greg flung her body against the wall a few more times, he lifted

    her off the ground by her neck with one hand. His onyx eyes bore into

    hers as his hand fractured her neck painfully slowly. She whimpered but

    he didn¡¯t care. He threw her body to the floor

    before he told the policewoman, ¡°Cuff her, please.¡±

    Greg didn''t want Livia to healpletely. Only when Lucianne gave the

    policewoman a nod to Greg''s request did she do just that, and Tanner

    knew she was next. Despite being held at gunpoint, she tried to make a

    run for it only to be pulled back by her shoulder. Greg stood before her,

    and his infuriated eyes burned into her fearful ones while the

    policewoman uncuffed her. He growled, ¡°I TOLD you to do nothing.¡±

    The second the cuffs came loose with the sound of a click, Greg threw

    her body at the marble coffee table, which broke into two upon the

    impact. Greg then flung her against the wall before he began breaking

    her bones like he did with Livia. Like Livia, Tanner''s screams and cries

    filled the room. When he was done, Tanner couldn''t even get up. She

    was cuffed again before she even had time to heal

    At that very moment, Toby, Phelton, Juan, Zeke and Zelena walked in

    with two elderly men, one elderly woman and two young men in cuffs.

    Toby then said, ¡°Livia Aphael''s parents and Helena Tanner''s husband

    and sons, Lucy. Tanner''s husband is acting a little... weird.¡±

    The man had cold sweat and was panting like he was just tortured.

    Lucianne exined, ¡°His mate was thrashed. He just felt whatever she

    felt. It''s nothing.¡±

    ¡°Ah. That makes sense.¡± Toby responded casuallyN?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    When the Aphaels saw their daughter''s battered body and terror-struck

    expression, Mrs Aphael broke down and started screaming. like a

    madwoman as Mi Aphael started shouting at his inws, demanding an

    exnation.

    Lucianne walked up to them and asked, ¡°Are you saying that you have

    no idea what the people in this house have been doing, Mr and Mrs

    Aphael?¡±

    What are you talking about?! What did you do to my daughter?!¡± Mr

    Aphael cried.

    Greg growled and said in a low voice, ¡°Watch your tongue in the

    presence of the Queen. I did this. Your daughter had been warnedt O

    NEVER hurt the Queen. YOUR DAUGHTER ASKED FOR THIS!"

    Mrs Aphael yelled at Greg, ¡°My daughter would never hurt a fly! What

    have you done to her?!¡± Greg yelled back, ¡°NOTHING SHE DIDN''T

    DESERVE! SHE PLOTTED AGAINST THE QUEEN!"

    Lord Kylton shouted, ¡°SO DID YOU!"

    Lucianne growled, "ENOUGH!" She locked eyes with the Aphaels and

    said, ¡°Your daughter is far from innocent, and what the Duke did to her

    was done in service of the Crown. Treason is punishable by death or

    eternal torture. We are just getting started with her. You''d best pray we

    don''t find anything showing your involvement as well.¡±

    The Aphaels¡¯ mouths opened but before they could speak again, Greg

    and Lucianne growled at them in unison before the Queen spat,

    ¡°Another word, and your daughter would leave this room in a worse

    condition than she¡¯s in now. Is that clear?¡±

    They sealed their mouths in resentment for their daughter''s sake.

    Lucianne then stepped forward, and her tone demanded an answer

    when she asked, ¡°Is. That. Clear?¡±

    Toby extended a w on each hand, and the tip of both ws touched

    each of the Aphaels¡¯ throats when he ordered in a low voice,¡± Answer

    the Queen.¡±

    The couple gritted their teeth and muttered in Lucianne¡¯s way, ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Yes'' what?¡± Greg asked, and moved closer to the fear-stricken,

    quivering Livia. He extended his own ws, and pressed them on Livia''s

    neck.

    Like the Kyltons, the Aphaels were never forced against their will. How

    dare these wolves and that outcast of a Duke make them oblige a

    small-sized, low-born wolf! But for their precious Livia, they swallowed

    their pride and uttered, ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡±

    ¡°YOU''RE NOT THE QUEEN! I AM! I AM!" Kelissa''s fear evaporated,

    reced with anger when even her own uncle and aunt addressed the

    scum of a wolf by that title, HER title! Apart from Kelissa''s own crew,

    everyone growled at her, Greg being one of the loudest and most

    barbaric.

    Lucianne scoffed as she turned to face the heiress, and asked with an

    arrogant smirk, ¡°Are you?¡± 1

    Kelissa then spat, ¡°You will never wear the Crown! You will never be

    Queen! I will NEVER kneel before you! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WILL

    KNEEL BEFORE ME!"

 Chapter 185

    When the second round of growls followed, Lucianneughed

    hysterically for a short moment before her ck and onyx eyes tumed

    sapphire, and her Authority radiated from her being. It was the first

    time Greg felt that energy from her, and it felt magnificent! In fact, it

    felt stronger than thete King Lucas¡¯s Authority! Everything about

    Lucianne was just so... different. 1

    Lucianne directed her Authority at Kelissa,pelling her to kneel.

    Kelissa felt something from Lucianne but she didn¡¯t know what it was.

    Suddenly, her legs gave way, and she fell on both knees, her head was

    forced down as Lucianne stood right in front of her, allowing the

    heiress a good view of her white stilettos. 2

    When Lucianne decided that she had made her point, her human eye

    color returned, and she asked Phelton to escort Greg to fetch all the

    recording devices scattered in the residence. Greg approached the

    deputy minister, and extracted one of the devices from under the couch

    before handing it to Phelton as they left the room together.

    Even when Lucianne¡¯s Authority wasn''t radiating anymore, the heiress

    was still stuck to the ground. Neither Kelissa''s body nor her head could

    move. It was getting ufortable. A few more inches lower and her

    neck may break.

    Sasha, who waspelled by the King''s Authority before, recognised

    thepulsion, and she muttered, ¡°No, it''s not possible.¡±

    Lucianne walked towards Sasha as she ordered, ¡°Uncuff this one.¡±

    As soon as the Oleander cuffs came off, Lucianne threw a blow in

    Sasha''s face, making her slump against the wall. How dare this low-life

    of a wolf punch her like that?! Sasha''s rage took over, and she pushed

    herself off the wall before she charged at Lucianne. Lucianne waited for

    the minister''s daughter to charge towards her before stepping to the

    side and tripping her, making Sasha fall t o the ground with a loud

    thud.

    Lucianne then noted aloud, ¡°It seems that prison walls can''t hold you,

    Ms Cummings.¡±

    Sasha got back up, and tried tond a few punches on Lucianne, who

    easily dodged her efforts with crossed-arms as she continued speaking,

    ¡°You know, I''ve had so many opportunities to kill you, Sasha, and so

    many reasons to do it but I never did it.¡±

    Lucianne blocked Sasha''s punch with a firm grip over her fist, and

    started cracking the bones there before Sasha¡¯s other hand came to

    attempt tond another blow, which Lucianne also blocked as she

    started cracking the bones in that one, too. Sasha let out an agonizing

    scream as she tried to retract her fists but to no avail.

    ¡°Prison would have kept you safe and alive but you had toe out,

    didn¡¯t you? It''s time I stopped giving you chances, Ms Cummings. This

    ends here. But don''t worry, the death sentence I''m offering you is the

    easy way out.¡± Sasha''s animal was surfacing, and Lucianne threw Sasha,

    face down, against the floor.

    The sharp tip of Lucianne¡¯s stiletto plunged through Sasha''s nape. The

    heel went right through her neck and broke the bone there, making

    drops of blood stter on Lucianne¡¯s leg and the lower part of her

    white dress. As she moved away from Sasha''s lifeless body, Toby

    muttered to himself, ¡°Hm. So that''s why she chose to wear heels for this

    asion.¡±

    The rest of the alliance and policemen came in with the Kyltons'' twelve

    bodyguards who tried to flee as soon as they saw the magnitude of the

    attack against their employers. Christian and Xandar came inst, and

    the King made a beeline for his Queen

    right after Lucianne made Kelissa stand and lift her head up with her

    Authority.

    Xandar''s eyes zoomed in on the sttered blood on her dress and legs,

    and he grabbed her arms to tum her to face him as he eximed in

    worry, ¡°Baby! What did I say about being careful?! Are you hurt?¡±

    Lucianne heard the palpitations of his heart, and she furrowed her

    eyebrows at his unnecessary panic before saying matter-of factly, ¡°No,

    Xandar. You''d know that.¡±

    Realization hit him that their emotions were interwoven, and he didn''t

    feel any pain when he was away from Lucianne so she couldn''t have

    been hurt. His animal cooed at the thought of being bound to the

    amazing creature before them forever, and his heart rate steadied. His

    human part locked eyes with her and muttered in bliss, ¡°Mm. That''s

    true.¡±

    He looked at her dress again. The blood still bothered him, so Lucianne

    casually exined, ¡°This was just from impaling Sasha Cummings''s neck

    with my heel, darling. She''s dead now. And I let Greg beat up Livia

    Aphael and Helena Tanner, by the way.¡± 1

    Xandar nced at Sasha''s lifeless body before he nodded in

    acknowledgement and muttered, ¡°It''s about time.¡± A sweet peck on her

    temple, and he said, ¡°Well done, my little freesia. We''ll get you some

    new shoester, okay?¡± Lucianne nodded dotingly, making her beast

    smile with radiance as he nuzzled her nose to elicit her soft and shy

    giggle. 1

    Lucianne cupped his face to stop him from going any further, and that

    was when Xandar realized that her hand smelled different. H e took her

    hand, and gave his mate a puzzled look. Lucianne shrugged and, with

    her doe eyes, said, ¡°Greg. Just two formal pecks, darling.¡±

    Lucianne felt his jealousy and insecurity before Xandar started sucking

    on her hand, wiping his cousin''s scent off and leaving his

    own there. When he was satisfied, he uttered, ¡°There. All better now.¡±

    Lucianne rolled her eyes despite her increasingly-visible blushes, and

    said, ¡°We still have a few things to deal with, my King, Let''s stay

    focused.¡±

    With nothing but affection, he responded, ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡±

    Both their smiles faltered when their sights converged on Kelissa, who

    just stood there like a statue as tears of anger streamed down her

    cheeks. Xandar then said in a low voice, ¡°I have to say, I''m impressed

    that you''re containing yourself, Kylton.¡±

    Lucianne then rified, ¡°Oh, that''s me, darling. I used the Authority to

    mute her and make her stand still. Here, let me get rid of it.¡± Lucianne

    removed her Authority over Kelissa with a blink of her eyes.

    Once the Authority was lifted, the heiress¡¯s stiff body came loose, and

    she hissed, ¡°You could only do that because of Xand-."

    Xandar''s voice was low when he growled and said, ¡°My mate can do

    just fine on her own. And I am your King. You WILL address me by my

    title.¡±

    Kelissa''s eyes of despair met Xandar''s onyx orbs when she said, ¡°She

    can''t be Queen, X-"

    Xandar growled and pinned Kelissa''s neck to the wall, which was when

    Greg and Phelton returned. Greg noticed Sasha''s body, and actually felt

    lighter knowing that she was dead, unable to hurt Lucianne again. He

    wondered who killed her, and while everyone was staring at his cousin

    attacking the heiress, Greg''s investigative eyes traced the trail of

    bloodstains on the light carpet to Lucianne¡¯s stiletto, and he smiled to

    himself.

    Kelissa''s hands tried to pull Xandar''s fingers away but to no avail. He

    was too strong. So, while her air supply was running out, her hand

    reached out to touch his cheek, making Xandar growl again before

    throwing her body at the cab of ornaments, shattering the ss

    casing. He then wiped off the sensation that Kelissa''s touch left on his

    cheek with his sleeve in haste, like her touch carried a transmittable

    virus. Lucianne could feel his disgust and his animal''s anger at what the

    heiress just did. 1

    His homicidal tone sent a shiver down everyone''s spines when he

    dered, ¡°NO ONE can touch me but MY MATE.¡±

    Lady Kylton then pleaded, ¡°Your Highness, please. Don''t hurt her! She''s

    innocent!¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    ¡°Innocent?¡± Greg scoffed, ¡°She led the conspiracy to send rogues to

    attack the Queen on more than one asion, discreetly asking the

    rogue Alpha to mark her against her will and you''re calling that piece of

    dirt an innocent?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xandar flung Kelissa''s body against another cab.

    The ss shattered all over her body like the first.

    Lord Kylton then shouted at Greg, ¡°YOU''RE PART OF THE CONSPIRACY,

    YOU SCUM! AND YOU TOLD CUMMINGS ABOUT US WHEN SHE

    WANTED TO SENT ROGUES TO THE JEWEL PACK! YOU MADE THAT

    CALL THAT SENT THEM THERE!" All eyes converged on Greg.

 Chapter 186

    Greg didn''t deny it. The Duke only locked eyes with Lucianne, and he

    averted his guilty gaze before falling on both knees and uttered, ¡°I have

    no excuse, my Queen. I wee any punishment for my behavior and

    misdeeds.¡±

    Dalloway was ready to cuff the Duke. Xandar dropped Kelissa before he

    started takingrge strides towards the cousin he hated to the core. But

    Lucianne¡¯s hand gesture stopped them both. Her response to Greg was

    firm and immediate, ¡°Your situation involves a veryplicated set of

    circumstances, your Grace. We''ll deal with youter. To prevent any

    further interruptions, I need you to follow Deputy Chief Laurent back to

    the station for further questioning.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡± Greg uttered in obedience, and got up to

    follow the Deputy Chief ready to escort him out.

    Xandar''s murderous eyes followed Greg until he was out of sight. His

    animal then reminded him about the creature they were thrashing

    before they were interrupted. Xandar retumed to Kelissa. He breathed

    heavily as he growled, ¡°You. Also. Hurt. MY MATE. ¡°Another growl, and

    he began thrashing Kelissa again as he dered, ¡°NO ONE CAN HURT

    MY MATE! NO ONE!" 1

    Lady Kylton pleaded, ¡°Your Highness, please. In the name of our

    friendship with yourte parents, we beg you to let our daughter g o!

    Please!¡±

    It was as if Xandar didn''t hear her, and he lifted Kelissa up only to throw

    her across the room. Her body mmed against the wall and fell onto

    the floor right in front of her parents. Not ustomed to being tossed

    around like she was nothing, Kelissa was finding it difficult to push

    herself off the floor.

    Lord Kylton then yelled at Lucianne, ¡°ARE YOU BLIND?! CONTROL YOUR

    MATE! HE CAN BE CHARGED FOR GRIEVOUS BODILY HARM FOR

    THIS!"

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes bumed into the Lord''s, and she asked, ¡°Finally

    admitting that he''s MY mate now?¡± The possessiveness in her voice

    pulled Xandar''s heartstrings, cooling his anger. The Lycan King tumed

    his attention away from Kelissa as he gravitated towards his Queen

    Lucianne continued, ¡°And grievous bodily harm? Really? What about

    what you did to my people?! My species?! You''ve been ughtering my

    kind and my friends for more than a decade! You want to talk about

    grievous bodily harm when you have murder o n your hands?!¡± The

    wolves growled in support. . *

    In the midst of that showdown, Kelissa''s soft voice came from the side,

    ¡°Please, my King, for old time''s sake, let me go. I''ve never meant to hurt

    you, I just...¡±

    Xandar and Lucianne scowled at the heiress as the King growled and

    the Queen dered, ¡°Stop trying to get my mate to help you, Kelissa! If

    he wanted to do that, he would''ve done it by now! Maybe you haven''t

    heard but we''re engaged.¡± Lucianne lifted her hand and showed-off the

    ring on her finger before she growled, ¡°He''s MINE.¡± 2

    The corners of Xandar''s lips curled upwards at her sexy ferocity, and he

    took her hand before pecking a deep kiss on Lucianne¡¯s fingers, cing

    her palm on his cheek to get rid of any stench that Kelissa left there

    earlier,

    Lucianne continued to speak to Kelissa in her venomous voice, ¡°You

    sent a rogue to mark me by force while asking his men to harm MY

    mate.¡± Her voice choked a little when she continued, ¡°Xandar almost

    died because of what you did, because of the Oleander you had them

    use! You''re aplete BUFFOON TO THINK WE''LL LET YOU GET AWAY

    WITH THIS!"

    Kelissa''s eyes widened. She was dumbfounded. What did the wolf

    mean? She only told Jake to mark Lucianne and make a light scratch on

    Xandar while he shielded Lucianne. How did the scratch turn into

    something so serious?

    ¡°You''re lying.¡± Kelissa spat meekly.

    Lucianne¡¯s ck and onyx eyes turned sapphire, and Xandar released

    her hand that was on his cheek. He stepped back as he watched her in

    pride. Her energy was daunting but also energizing. Despite Kelissa''s

    broken bones which were still in the midst of healing, she was

    compelled to endure the anguish as she stood with submissiveness to

    the Queen''s Authority. Her screams and cries did not make Lucianne

    any more merciful.

    Lady Kylton pleaded in tears, ¡°STOP IT! PLEASE, STOP! USE ME! USE ME!

    LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE!"

    When Lucianne didn¡¯t even bat an eysh, Lord Kylton yelled, ¡°STOP IT,

    YOU SCUM OF A WOLF! YOU¡ª"

    Xandar growled, emitted his own Authority to mute the Lord and Lady

    before he said, ¡°Unless my fianc¨¦e requires a response, you are

    expected to keep your mouths SHUT.¡± His vicious eyes bore into their

    frightened ones as he dered, ¡°And when she requires a response,

    you WILL address her as your Queen.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s low voice captured everyone''s attention when she asked

    Kelissa, ¡°Did you send Jake to mark me?"

    Despite her efforts to remain silent, she waspelled to answer. ¡°Yes.¡±

    "Did you send rogues to kill my mate?¡±

    "No."

    ¡°How do you exin the Oleander des?!¡±

    ¡°I don''t know what happened there. My instruction to them was to

    make the slightest scratch on the King''s arm while he protected you,

    my Q-Qu-Queen.¡±

    ¡°And what was the point of that if it wasn''t to kill the King?¡±

    "T-To cause a s-scandal, to make it a point that you were a I-liability to

    the King so that p-public uproar and detest would p persuade the King

    to...reject you.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s rage rivalled Xandar''s own as his hands went protectively

    around her shoulders while Lucianne removed her Authority t o let

    Kelissa fall. Xandar then spat, ¡°You''re an idiotic imbecile to think that I

    would ever let my mate go. Even if I gave up the throne and everything

    else in my life, I would NEVER reject her. I''d BEG her to stay if that''s

    what it took to keep her in my life.¡±

    After pecking a kiss on Lucianne¡¯s temple, he whispered ¡°Let me into

    her ear. Lucianne had no idea what he intended to do but those words

    were enough to stop her from stopping him. Xandar approached

    Kelissa and emitted his own Authority. She stood in agony once more.

    Xandar then said, ¡°Hiring a bast*rd to take away someone I was making

    mine was a mistake, Kylton. Thankfully, my mate had the Queen''s

    Authority to stop that sh*t of a rogue you sent before he did anything.

    And do you know what I did to the rogue after that? Let me show you.¡±

    He forced Kelissa''s animal to show its canines, and her breathing

    hastened when Xandar''s hand reached for her animal''s teeth, which he

    pulled out with force, making Kelissa scream her lungs out but to

    everyone''s surprise, she was muted. Xandar threw her canines on the

    floor before he red at the heiress and dered, ¡°That''s what I did to

    Jake. You''d do well to remember it.¡±

    Lord and Lady Kylton looked like they were screaming too. Their faces

    turned red and their eyes drenched in tears despite being voiceless but

    no one gave a damn. Xandar''s eyes only softened when he returned to

    his mate''s side like a good pup before lifting up her hands to kiss them,

    and he asked, ¡°Shall we send them to prison now, my love?¡±

    She looked at him with her doe eyes and nodded with a small smile. As

    Xandar kissed her temple, Lucianne warned Kelissa, ¡°If you try to escape

    police custody as Sasha did, I''ll end your life the same way I ended hers,

    only slower. Much slower. Do I make myself clear, Kelissa?"

    Kelissa trembled in fear as she nodded without hesitation.

    ¡°Good.¡± Lucianne smirked, and Xandar gave Dalloway the okay to take

    the hostages back to prison.

 Chapter 187

    The whole weekend was a busy one for the police force. They clocked

    in extra hours to interrogate the Kyltons, Tanners, Aphaels, the Kyltons¡¯

    guards and Greg.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    When Greg surrendered the hidden camera footage he made eighteen

    years ago when he colluded with the ex-ministers now behind bars and

    Tanner, they found that Greg never ¡°coerced¡¯ any of them to join him.

    From the looks of it, they were all extremely enthusiastic to go behind

    the monarchy''s back.

    While some policemen interrogated the crooks, others yed the

    recordings on the devices Greg imnted all over the Kyltons'' mansion,

    transcribing everything for their Highnesses.

    The third team of policemen scoured through the database they found

    in the Kyltons¡¯ home. In it, they found transactions, names, and most

    importantly, locations of suppliers of illegal substances and weaponry.

    It didn''t take very long before one of Dalloway¡¯s subordinates

    requested permission to investigate these areas, which the Chief

    granted after reminding his people to exercise the highest level of

    caution

    A week after arresting the Kyltons and the others, the police delivered

    their report from the interrogation sessions, and the team was back in

    Xandar''s office once again. As the monarch, the royal family was

    constitutionally permitted to submit a . rmendation to the

    Attorney-General''s Chambers and to the courts as to how they wanted

    certain criminals to be dealt with. Whether their rmendations

    would be followed through depends on the prosecutors and the judges

    for the case. In the past, such rmendations were given some

    consideration but that wasn''t always the case.

    Everyone was there to discuss what the monarch should rmend. It

    was easy for most of those they arrested in the Kyltons'' residence,

    except for one: Greg.

    The Duke''s story to Deputy Chief Laurent was this: A few months after

    Xandar ascended the throne, Greg was approached by a Lycan who

    called himself Han. Han imed to represent someone anti-

    government, and he offered Greg a way to get back at his cousins. Greg

    asked for the identity of his employer but Han said that they wanted to

    remain anonymous. He then showed Greg his own criminal record to

    prove that he wasn''t sent by the govemment. Greg looked him up, and

    it turns out he was legit, being an ex smuggler of dangerous

    substances. Arrested, indicted and served his sentence.

    Blinded by his lust for revenge, Greg epted the offer and rounded

    up the ministers and Tanner, and they put the n into action. Greg

    imed to have never seen Han again after the first transaction went

    through smoothly. He never knew he was working with the Kyltons,

    which was believable with the conversation recorded in the Kyltons

    dining room. Lord Kylton made it clear during that conversation that

    Greg never spoke to him or Lady Kylton in any of his past transactions.

    And Dalloway¡¯s men got Greg to describe Han, which he did, and they

    found a profile match in their old archive.

    Laurent then got him to exin how he ended up in the Kyltons¡¯

    residence, so he gave his ount of events on the night Livia came to

    his casino. As expected, Laurent asked for the location and ordered an

    immediate infiltration of the casino, only to find it empty and deserted

    Upon being questioned, the Duke said he had no clue where the

    people there had gone. When Lucianne asked Dalloway about Greg''s

    demeanor, the Chief said that the Duke exemplified a creature who was

    telling the truth.

    Despite Greg''s ignorance of working with the Kyltons and of the empty

    casino, there was no denying that he hadmitted numerous crimes.

    So, the question remains: how should he be punished?

    Tate argued, ¡°If it''s true that he sent the rogues to the Jewel Pack, I

    don''t see why he shouldn''t be given the highest form of punishment.¡±

    Toby lifted up his copy of the report and said, ¡°Maybe it''s because he

    was just the middleman who made the call? I mean, ording to this,

    Sasha Cummings was the one who came up with the idea. The Duke

    merely h ¡ª

    "Does it matter?!" Zelena shouted from across the table.

    ¡°It does, actually.¡± Lucianne¡¯s cool voice caught everyone''s attention.

    She was on Xandar¡¯sp with his arms secured around her abdomen,

    pressing her back to his chest because the King was finding it very

    difficult to remain calm while they discussed the contents of the report.

    He read it the previous night, and lost his temper twice before Lucianne

    decided that it was better for her to b e in his embrace as she stroked

    his hand while they read the document together.

    Lucianne exined, ¡°If Greg didn¡¯te up with the idea and merely

    did what Sasha got him to do, then he was only an aplice. Sasha

    was the perpetrator.¡±

    Tate argued again, ¡°If he hadn''t made the call, she wouldn''t have been

    able to send those bast*rds to the Jewel Pack, Lucy!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about that, Tate?¡± Lucianne asked, which got everyone

    thinking before the Queen added, ¡°I''m definitely not. Sasha was mad.

    She was infuriated and...insane. If Greg hadn''t helped her, I doubt she''d

    just abort her n and leave me unharmed. She would find someone

    else to get the job done. And from whatever the bartender

    eavesdropped through the door on the night Greg and Sasha had a

    drink together, it seems he was trying to get her to pull the brakes.

    But...¡± Lucianne sighed as she continued,¡±

    There''s also the fact that he made it possible for Wu Bi Corp to exist

    and flourish; for former ministers and the head of the National Audit

    Department to siphon government funds; and he confessed to...

    sterilizing the Duchess.¡±

    Thatst item did not sit well with any of them. On the previous night,

    Christian growled so loudly that the kids had to be hiddened while

    Annie tried to calm her husband. He was ready to storm to the police

    station and tear Greg apart but Annie pulled him back, begging him to

    not do anything rash. His eyes had been onyx since then, and he was

    anything but cheerful during the meeting.

    With Annie on hisp, Christian then said in a low voice, ¡°Sterilized with

    the same poison that was then used on you, my Queen, because of

    what he shared with the now dead Cummings.¡±

    ¡°I didn''t know that was Sasha''s pitch, Christian. I assumed it was Kelissa

    who came up with the idea to render me infertile. I didn''t kill Sasha

    because of that. And I kept Kelissa alive despite thinking she''d done it.¡±

    Lucianne rified.

    Christian then said in despair, ¡°I know that. It''s just... how can you even

    think of forgiving Greg after everything he did? He put the idea into her

    head, and she used it against you. My Queen, you wanted children.¡±

    Xandar''s breathing got heavy, too. His grip around his mate tightened

    as he buried his nose in her hair. Lucianne tried her best to not be

    swayed by his bubbling inferno or her own loss, and said, ¡°It''s not a

    question of forgiveness right now, at least not yet. Forgiveness is

    personal. In our professional capacity in the service of the Kingdom, we

    have to...find a bnced solution.¡±

    Everyone''s hard looks showed discontent and dissatisfaction by the fact

    that they would not be able to go all out on the other Duke. Xandar

    then said, ¡°Baby, listen. I get that you want to go a little easier on Greg

    but let''s face it, we have every reason tomit him t o the highest

    degree of punishment.¡±

    She locked eyes with her mate and said sternly, ¡°Only if you ignored

    what he had been doing for us in recent weeks, Xandar. Have you

    forgotten that he was the very reason the justice system had ample

    evidence to put those ministers behind bars?¡±

    ¡°He STARTED the corruption, sweetheart.¡± Xandar noted ferociously, his

    voice getting louder.

    Lucianne challenged her mate with equally fierce eyes and tone, ¡°And

    he ENDED it, my King. Are you saying that doesn¡¯t matter? A t all?¡±

    Silence ensued and she continued, ¡°You very well know we were hitting

    a dead end with the corrupt ministers. The audits Ellia gave us were

    flimsy because they were in hard copies, hidden for almost two

    decades. It wasn''t possible to authenticate those. The court was ready

    to throw it out as suspicious evidence. Even if we got Ellia and the

    others to testify, there was a chance that the sentencing wouldn''t be as

    heavy as it now is. Greg''s evidence came in a chip, and it was

    authenticated with ease. The strength o f the evidence he handed over

    put those people he colluded with behind bars. Now, he¡¯s even given

    himself up.¡±

    Xandar argued, ¡°If I remember correctly, we arrested him, Lucy. He

    couldn''t run.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyebrows raised as she questioned him, ¡°Do you really

    believe that? Do you really think he couldn''t get out of anywhere i f he

    wanted to? How do you exin his impable disappearance for the

    past couple of weeks? And if he wanted to run, why didn''t he do just

    that right after sending us the location of the Kyltons'' residence? Why

    did he wait for us to get there to bring him back with us?¡±

    Xandar averted his eyes and breathed in anger because he wasn''t able

    to answer her. No one could answer Lucianne, or argue against her. She

    turned to face everyone and said, ¡°We only have him now because he is

    giving himself up. I don''t know why he¡¯s doing it but if there isn''t a

    bnced indictment for Greg, then every other criminal lurking in the

    dark corners of the Kingdom would never see the point in leaving their

    ways anding to us. We CAN''T have that. We can''t disregard the

    help that a criminal has given to the government and the monarchy.

    Omitting to take their contribution into ount amounts to a form of

    punishment that is greater than torture, greater than any punishment

    that can be imposed by thew.¡±

    ¡°What''s that? What can be greater than torture or death?¡± Juan asked

    the question running through everyone¡¯s minds.

 Chapter 188

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes met her brother''s, and she dered, ¡°Betrayal.¡±

    The room started to simmer down. Lucianne knew that word better

    than anyone else there. Every bond-snap before she met Xandar was

    excruciating. She felt the anguish from the rejections and the betrayal

    from two of her past mates. She also felt betrayed by the Moon

    Goddess, who was not supposed to hurt her if she didn¡¯t do anything

    wrong, and who was not supposed to bond her to creatures who would

    hurt her. On many nights, she wished that she would just wake up

    dead. It was no secret that it took her many weeks and even months

    before she started being okay again. 1

    Every creature in the room was really listening now. Lucianne went on,

    ¡°Torture and death are merely a consequence of betrayal. W e punish

    criminals because they betrayed the system and its people. We take

    care of creatures who disy loyalty to defend the system and the

    people in it.¡±

    With suppressed anger, Christian noted, "Greg doesn''t fit into the

    second category, my Queen¡¯

    ¡°Are you saying he fits perfectly well into the first, Christian?¡± Lucianne

    asked

    Like Xandar, Christian averted his eyes from her because he couldn''t

    deny that Greg had been helping them. After taking a deep breath, he

    stared at the table and asked, ¡°So, what do we do? What should we put

    in the monarchy¡¯''s rmendation?¡±

    Lucianne''s voice tumed soft and doubtful when she uttered, ¡°I don''t

    know. But there''s no way he should be let-off scot free.¡±

    Toby then suggested, ¡°Lower prison sentence? Maybe lighter

    punishments, too? You know, less whippingpared to the rest?¡±

    ¡°We could also strip him of his dukedom.¡± Xandar said, and when all

    eyes fell on him, he only locked his onyx orbs on his mate and

    exined, ¡°No royal member in history has ever had their title stripped

    from them. The punishment is severe enough to make up for what he

    did.¡±

    ¡°And what''s the bncing factor?¡± Lucianne asked

    Xandar responded, ¡°Lower sentencing?¡±

    ¡°How low?¡± Lucianne¡¯s eyes burned into his when she detected that he

    had no intention to bnce things out.

    Xandar breathed heavily in jealousy before his murderous onyx eyes

    fixed on Lucianne as he asked in a slow, low voice, ¡°Why are you

    defending him?¡±

    Registering his jealousy, Lucianne emitted a low, angered growl and

    dered, ¡°Because it''s what''s right. He helped us. Throwing him under

    the bus does NOT serve the Kingdom in the long-run. If you even

    THINK that I''m doing this because I am in love with him, I''d suggest

    you check the mark on your neck AND mine, your Highness.¡±

    His hand immediately moved to gently push her hair to the back, and

    his fingers traced the mark he made on the most beautiful and amazing

    creature in the Kingdom. She was his. Only his. The sight calmed him,

    and the sensation he made on her skin calmed

    her

    Between his cmity, he felt something else. Hurt. But that wasn''t his

    emotion. When his partially lc eyes returned to Lucianne''s teary orbs,

    she spoke in a whisper, ¡°How could you not trust me to stay with you?

    How could you even think that I would want someone else? We''ve

    marked each other. Should I be worried that you would want someone

    else despite what I did on your neck?¡±

    He instantly pressed her into his chest and uttered, ¡°No. Never. There''ll

    only ever be you.¡± After nting a deep kiss on her hairline, he

    muttered, ¡°I''m sorry, baby, I''m so sorry.¡± Her hurt cut right through him,

    and his animal was having a hard time coping with their mate''s pain

    knowing that they were the ones who caused it.

    After a few quiet, awkward moments, Annie''s voice rang through the

    room, ¡°Stripping the dukedom may be taking it too far¡± Her statement

    even made her own mate surprised, Annie went on to say, ¡°It''s like Lucy

    said. He helped us. He did a lot of unforgivable things in the past but

    what he has been doing recently...changes things. The severity of our

    rmendation should probably weigh in how sorry he feels about

    everything he did.

    Christian pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke to his Duchess as

    gently as he could to avoid starting a scene like his cousin,¡± How are we

    supposed to assess how sorty one is, Annie? There''s no scale for that.¡±

    Annie then challenged her husband, ¡°Do you mean there''s no scale, or

    that you don''t want to believe that there is one?¡±

    That hit Christian Like Xandar, he didn''t want anything but the worst for

    Greg, The Duke sighed, and pecked a kiss on his Duchess''s temple

    before reluctantly asking, ¡°What''s the scale?¡±

    Annie answered without hesitation, ¡°His demeanor. By watching the

    way Greg speaks about everything he has done, we''ll be able t 0 know

    if he''s being sincere, or if this is just a tactical move.¡± She locked eyes

    with Lucianne, and suggested, ¡°Maybe you should

    talk to him, Lucy.¡±

    ¡°NO F*CKING WAY!" Xandar eximed, and instinctively wrapped

    Lucianne even tighter in his chest, like someone would snatch her away

    if he didn''t hold her close enough.

    Lucianne¡¯s rage returned when she tried to loosen his grip as she asked

    her mate, ¡°Why?! Because I''ll leave you once I see him?!"

    Christian answered before his cousin could, ¡°Because there are other

    people who can do that, my Queen!¡±

    ¡°Like who?!¡± Annie challenged

    Christian responded to his wife in haste, ¡°ME! AND HIM!" He motioned

    at Xandar.

    Seemingly out of nowhere, Toby muttered to himself, ¡°That n is

    doomed to failure.¡±

    ¡°I have the King''s Authority, Toby. I can make him answer anything I

    want.¡± Xandar dered.

    Juan spoke, ¡°That''s the problem, Xandar.¡± When all eyes were on the

    Alpha, Juan exined, ¡°Assuming that the King''s Authority is like the

    Alpha''s Authority, emotions are a key element in emitting and

    maneuvering the power. Given how much you loathe that other Duke,

    your anger may suppress any apologetic statement that Greg w may

    make.¡±

    Xandar looked at Juan in disbelief and asked, ¡°You''re taking my cousin''s

    side over your sister''s? After everything that he¡¯s done to her?¡±

    ¡°I''m on my sister''s side. And from whatever we''ve leamed from this,¡± he

    lifted up the report before cing it back on the table and said, ¡°I''d say

    the only thing he did to Lucy of his own ord was piss her off in the

    dining hall and on the training ground. Although I was pushing for him

    to be punished because he gave Sasha Cummings ess to the rogues,

    Lucy has convinced me that...Cummings may have been able to find an

    alternative way to contact them. And Greg''s intentions seemed to have

    changedter on, especially when this report said that he attacked

    Helena Tanner in her own house after the Oleander de she ordered

    hurt Lucy, albeit unintentionally.¡±

    When a short moment of silence followed, Juan added, ¡°This in no way

    makes me forgive him for his involvement in the Jewel . Pack attack. All

    I''m saying is that a bnced indictment is...fair. And to see how far we

    should tip the scale in his favor, we should see whether he''ll return to

    his old ways if and when he is released from prison.¡±

    ¡°And you propose that your sister be the one to talk to him?¡± Xandar

    asked in dissatisfaction

    Juan uttered, ¡°Yes, not just because her emotions would be in check

    should she need to use the Queen''s Authority but also because your

    cousin seems to only want to tell her anything. Theputer chip for

    the corruption, the location of the founders of Wu Bi Corp...he

    addressed the messages to HER.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    ¡°Because...he¡¯s in love with her.¡± Xandar''s onyx eyes were a shade

    darker when he said what everyone else was afraid of saying. Everyone

    read the report, which had transcripts of recorded conversations in the

    Kyltons'' residence, and the gossip confirmed Greg''s feelings for the

    future Queen.

    Juan knew that wasing, and before his sister could throw a fit

    again, he said, ¡°I''m not going to lie, Xandar. If it were Hale, I may be

    reacting much worse than you are right now. But I know Hale wouldn''t

    love anyone else the way she loves me, so with...probably a lot of

    persuasion from her, I would let her see Greg on the condition that I go

    with her. I would want to witness the entire exchange with my own eyes

    and listen to the way they speak to each other with my own ears. If he

    puts a w out of line, I''ll tear him to shreds.¡±

    ¡°That''s true.¡± Hale muttered with a smile by his side.

    Xandar''s eyes moved to Lucianne, and after staring into her hopeful

    orbs and pondering for a long moment, he nted a deep kiss o n her

    forehead that sent a shower of sparks through Lucianne¡¯s being before

    he repeated Juan''s words in a low voice, ¡°If he puts a w out of line,

    I''ll tear him to shreds.¡±

 Chapter 189

    Greg was lying in the prison bed with an Oleander bracelet on his right

    wrist. It was getting boring. How did inmates entertain themselves

    here? There has to be something¡¯, he thought to himself. He sat up and

    looked around the small space before hearing heavy footsteps getting

    closer to his cell. A policeman emerged, unlocked his door and said,

    ¡°We need you to be ready in the interrogation room. You have a visit

    from the Crown.¡±

    Of course he did. As he left his confined space without another word,

    he was secretly impressed that his cousins got to this phase o ffacing

    him in prison in such a short span of time. He and his animal thought

    the two would take at least a month before the King came down here

    and used his Authority to make him vomit whatever sh*t there was in

    his head.

    But Greg wasn''t worried. He had already told Billy to activate Codes

    Orange and ck, which would involve the evacuation of everyone

    under his care and supervision. They would''ve been safely evacuated by

    now. Even if that goody-goody cousin of his forced him to spit out

    whatever he knew, his information would be outdated and useless. His

    people were safe, and that was all Greg needed for now.

    Then again, maybe he didn¡¯te for information. Maybe the other

    Duke just wanted to kill him for what he did to his Duchess.or maybe

    the King wanted to beat him up for falling in love with his mate...or it

    was both.

    They reached an empty room with a one-way mirror, and the policeman

    got him to sit while he waited He doubted that he''d be able to see

    Lucianne. After handing over the recordings, his secret that he kept to

    himself hade out. There was no way his cousins would let the

    Queene after the police handed them the report.

    He waited for two minutes and started getting bored, so he got up and

    his back faced the door as he stretched out his body to stop himself

    from falling asleep. The door opened, and without turning around, he

    scoffed darkly and spoke in arrogance, ¡°I must say, I''m impressed. Here

    I thought your slower brain would take more time to...¡± he turned, and

    saw a beautiful Lucianne looking straight at him, making Greg''s cocky

    eyes widened in horror and guilt before he fell on one knee and said,

    ¡°My Queen. I am so sorry. I convey my most sincere apologies. I

    thought you were¡ª"

    ¡°The King?¡± Lucianne asked as she remained standing in her navy blue

    dress.

    Greg looked uneasy when he nodded and said, ¡°Or the other Duke... I

    didn¡¯t think your mate would allow you in here.¡± What the f*ck were his

    cousins thinking?! If it were Greg, he''d never allow it.

    Lucianne nodded with a t smile and said, ¡°Well, he wasn''t going to.

    Have a seat, your Grace.¡±

    ¡°He wasn''t going to? She argued her way toe here? This had to be

    important¡¯, Greg thought to himself.

    As soon as they were seated facing each other at the small square

    table, Lucianne¡¯s eyes were pinned on her entwined fingers before Greg

    asked, ¡°What seems to be troubling you, my Queen?¡±

    Lucianne looked like she was choosing her words carefully. Finally, she

    spoke, ¡°The monarchy is submitting a rmendation, and we can''t

    come to a consensus of what we should propose to the legal system

    without knowing why you chose to...incriminate yourself.¡±

    Greg raised his eyebrows and answered, ¡°Wasn''t that the right thing to

    do, my Queen?¡±

    Lucianne locked her eyes with his and said, ¡°You very well know that''s

    not what I meant, your Grace. You could have done this years ago. Why

    now?"

    Why now? She was still asking that despite the recordings? He looked

    away as he uttered, ¡°I doubt you''ll believe me when I say this but.¡± he

    cleared his throat and continued, ¡°It''s...difficult...to not give you what

    you want.¡± 1

    That answer and his uneasy demeanor were enough to convince

    everyone watching them that Greg was sincere, that this was NOT a

    tactical move in some hidden scheme. There was no scheme. His voice

    echoed only vulnerability.

    Lucianne felt her mate''s jealousy building up strong and fast, so she

    moved on to her next question, ¡°When you helped start the corruption

    scheme, no doubt not knowing that the Kyltons were the people you

    were working with, did you feel that it was... wrong?¡±

    Greg heard the hopefulness in her voice. She came to help him. It was

    so difficult to not fall even harder for her when she did that.

    They probably couldn''t reach a consensus on the monarchy¡¯s

    rmendation because Lucianne somehow hoped that he was sorry

    for what he did. But Greg knew better.

    He looked at the ground when answered her question, ¡°No, I never felt

    that way. I''m sorry, my Queen.¡±

    Lucianne digested his response before she asked, ¡°You''re sorry for not

    finding corruption to be wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, I''m sorry for disappointing you.¡± Greg still couldn''t look her in the

    eye when he said in a low voice, ¡°I may not agree with my cousins on a

    lot of things but if they told you that there''s no use in showing me

    mercy, my Queen, I have to agree with them. I have

    done unforgivable things. Everyone knows that.¡± 2

    ¡°You''ve also donemendable things. Not many people know that.¡±

    Lucianne said encouragingly, using the voice she only used when she

    spoke to her friends and allies. Greg never heard her speak to him like

    that before today.

    The Duke looked at Lucianne in disbelief right after she said that, and

    she continued, ¡°I doubt you wanted the shelter of prison. And you knew

    that handing over the evidence AND yourself with it would only make

    your life more difficult than if you chose to run away. But you stayed

    anyway. And I don''t see any fear in your eyes, your Grace. All I see is

    certainty in what you''re doing. There''s another thing...¡±

    Greg waited, and she said, ¡°You confessed to giving Annie the infertility

    poison, even though you could have kept it hidden, even though you

    could''ve brought that secret to your grave. Confessing to harming the

    Duchess only makes your situation worse, not better. But you did it

    anyway.¡±

    "Admitting to crimes that grave is far frommendable, my Queen.¡±

    Greg muttered. How could she see any good in that? There was

    NOTHING right about what he did.

    Lucianne let out a sharp breath and muttered, ¡°You and your cousins

    are equally stubborn, more alike than any of you would admit.¡±

    Greg hated that he was behaving like his slow-thinking cousins, and he

    hated more that he upsetted Lucianne but he didn''t know, what to say

    With another sigh, Lucianne said, ¡°Let''s try it this way: why did you

    admit to sterilizing Annie when you didn''t have to?¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    Greg swallowed a lump in his throat, and thought about lying. But that

    would only disappoint Lucianne even more if she found out the truth

    later. Even if he wanted to lie, his animal wouldn''t have allowed it. They

    already upsetted her. They were not going to do that again

    Greg took a deep breath before he said, ¡°Because...when I found out

    that you...sumbed to the same poison, my Queen, I wanted nothing

    more than to capture, torture and kill the person who was behind it. In

    my mind, the ones behind such an inhumane crime shouldn''t be given

    a chance to escape or to live.¡±

    Lucianne internalized his frank response before she asked, ¡°So, you

    regret what you did?¡±

    Greg scoffed and said, ¡°Regret seems a little too noble, my Queen. I''d

    say that I''m merely offering someone the chance that I didn''t get

    myself.¡±

    Lucianne furrowed her eyebrows, crossed her arms and leaned back

    into her chair as she challenged, ¡°And how is offering someone a

    chance to capture, torture and kill you not noble, your Grace?¡±

    ¡°Because I was the perpetrator. Nobility requires something less...

    malicious.¡±

    ¡°So, you''re saying that offering your life is not noble? It''s malicious?¡±

    ¡°My Queen, you really don''t have to do this. I turned myself over

    because I figured what I did was...not right. Just think of it as me...

    respecting the system.¡±

    Lucianne muttered to herself, ¡°Hm. Didn''t expect you to respect

    anything, to be honest. This is good progress. So,¡± She looked at him

    and continued, ¡°If you were to see...the Duke or Duchess, would you

    have anything to say to them before they tortured or killed you?¡±

    Greg pondered for a moment, and reluctantly looked at the one-way

    mirror, knowing that the others, including the Duke and Duchess, were

    watching him, as he said, ¡°When I did it, I wasn''t sorry. But...after it was

    used on the Queen... I started to... rte to pain that I have caused you.

    Both of you. I admit that you both will feel a deeper pain, a greater loss

    than the mild one I experienced but...I have no excuse. You have every

    right and reason to kill me for what 1 did.¡± He looked back to Lucianne

    and said,¡± As do you, my Queen.¡±

    Lucianne offered a small smile and said, ¡°If I wanted to kill you, your

    Grace, I would''ve done it by now.¡± She stood from her seat, and Greg''s

    animal was saddened by the thought of seeing her go. He stood when

    she did, and Lucianne thrusted out a hand for a handshake.

    Like the previous time, Greg stared at her small hand for a moment

    before he took it, bent down and pecked a polite kiss on the back.

    Lucianne took back her hand, and smiled meekly as she said, ¡°Thank

    you for your time and for the evidence, your Grace.¡±

    ¡°It''s a duty and a pleasure to serve, my Queen.¡± Greg uttered

    The moment Lucianne stepped out of the door, Xandar''s jealousy and

    insecurity diminished...until he noticed Sebastian Cummings walking

    past the room he was in with the others.

 Chapter 190

    It was a given that Sebastian would bump into Lucianne. With nothing

    but annoyance, the Lycan King muttered, ¡°You''ve got to be f* cking

    kidding me.¡± 1N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    He dashed out of the door, and the first thing he heard Lucianne said

    was, ¡°I killed her. I''m not sorry that I did it but I am sorry for your loss.¡±

    Sebastian''s voice was soft and gentle when he responded, ¡°She

    would''ve continued to find ways to hurt you if you kept her alive

    anyway, my Queen.¡±

    When Xandar came to Lucianne¡¯s side, his hand instinctively went to

    her waist as he pecked a kiss on her hair. The King then scowled at

    Sebastian, who offered a bow and greeted him, ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    Xandar nodded curtly in acknowledgment. When Sebastian''s head

    raised, he spoke in remorse, ¡°I deeply apologize for my sister''s... crimes,

    as well as my father''s.¡±

    Before Xandar could say that sorry didn''t rectify what those two did,

    Lucianne said, ¡°You need not apologize, Mr Cummings. You did nothing

    wrong. You didn''t collude with your father or yourte sister, and you

    have fully cooperated withw enforcement throughout the

    investigation. We should be thanking you for choosing the Kingdom

    over your family.¡±

    Both men were surprised by how diplomatic Lucianne¡¯s response was.

    Sebastian took a moment to snap out of it before he said, ¡°I was simply

    doing what I thought was right, my Queen. I''m d you approve.¡±

    Thatst line was enough to make Xandar emit a low growl. Lucianne

    ced her hand on her mate''s chest as she spoke to him affectionately,

    ¡°Darling, it''s alright. We''re being civil.¡± 2

    The way she touched him and spoke to him managed to calm his

    bubbling infero, and he pecked a kiss on her forehead before he

    muttered, ¡°Okay.¡± Lucianne showed him an adorable smile that pulled

    his heartstrings, and his rage melted away.

    Lucianne tumed back to Sebastian and said, ¡°Thank you for letting me

    take up your time, MI Cummings. We''ll let you get to the visitation

    now." 2

    Sebastian smiled and said, ¡°It really was no issue at all, my Queen.¡±

    Lucianne and Xandar only took three steps before Sebastian called out,

    "My Queen.¡±

    Lucianne turned, bewildered. Next to her, Xandar was cursing under his

    breath. Sebastian swallowed a lump in his throat before he said, ¡°I really

    am sorry, for everything.¡±

    For cheating on her. For hurting her. For lying to her. For throwing a fit

    when he lost to her inbat practice the previous year, For being too

    egotistical to celebrate her wins. For not defending her when he should

    have. For leading her on only to break her heart in the end. For

    everything.

    This was definitely a more proper apologypared to the one he

    tried to make outside the restroom on the first morning of the

    coboration, which had nothing but excuses. The apology he made at

    the refreshments table the other day was not sincere either since there

    was an ulterior motive to win Lucianne back despite her already being

    bonded to Xandar.

    The apology Sebastian was making now, however, had no excuses, no

    me-shifting and no ulterior motives. Just a sincere expression of

    regret with a guilty demeanor, taking full ountability for what

    happened between them.

    Lucianne offered a small smile, and said sincerely, ¡°Thank you, Mr

    Cummings.¡± She then returned her sights to Xandar, and pulled him by

    his arm before entering the room where the alliance, Duke and Duchess

    were eavesdropping through the door that was left ajar

    The moment they entered the room, Xandar took his mate''s hand that

    Greg kissed and trailed it along his neckline before positioning it over

    his mouth to suck on it. After Xandar was satisfied that Greg''s scent had

    beenpletely wiped off HIS mate, they began discussing what to do

    with Greg again.

    After an hour, the monarchy¡¯s rmendation was finally concluded:

    two whips per week for an imprisonment period of fifty years, and a

    fine double of the stolen value. Christian wanted it to be ten whips per

    day but Annie fiercely talked him out of it. The Duchess rmended

    cutting out whipping entirely but this was overruled by everyone except

    Lucianne. Two whips got the majority''s agreement.

    ###

    When that was done, they left the police station in their respective cars.

    Before Xandar started driving, he took Lucianne¡¯s hand and pecked a

    kiss on the back before asking in a soft voice, ¡°Baby, when do you want

    to get married?¡±

    Lucianne blinked at his question as she muttered, ¡°Right. The date

    hasn''t been set yet. Uh...when do you want it?¡±

    Xandar chuckled and said, ¡°About a month ago, when I met you.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes and asked, ¡°Do you have a date that''s not

    in the past, my love?¡± 1

    "Next week?"

    ¡°I don''t think we can n a wedding in a week, darling. How about six

    months from now?¡±

    Xandar groaned andined, ¡°Too long.¡±

    ¡°Four months?¡± Lucianne tried again.

    He leaned in to smell her neck as he muttered, ¡°That''s still too long,

    baby. I''m starting to think that you don¡¯t want this beast to be your

    husband.¡±

    ¡°Xandar, you know that''s not it. It''s not just the nning. If you want

    any guests at the wedding at all, you''ve got to give them some kind of

    notice in advance so they can save the date for us.¡±

    He groaned again and muttered, ¡°Over-considerate Queen.¡± After

    pecking a kiss on her cheek, he asked, ¡°How about in two months?¡±

    ¡°Three.¡±

    Xandar sighed and said, ¡°Fine. And your coronation?¡±

    Lucianne shrugged and responded, ¡°Anytime after you meet former-

    Alpha Ken and former-Luna Janice is fine with me.¡±

    ¡°In a month''s time, then? We''ll leave for Blue Crescent after the

    coboration,e back, then crown you.¡±

    Lucianne nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, okay.¡±

    When Xandar still didn''t start driving, Lucianne looked at him and

    asked, ¡°What? You want to n the whole wedding in the car, Xandar?¡±

    Xandar chuckled and nuzzled her nose as he said in an affectionate

    voice, ¡°I''m just thinking about our honeymoon.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s heart melted, and she pecked a kiss on his nose before

    saying, ¡°We have a lot of time to discuss that, my love. Why don''t we

    just take a drive back for now? If we stay here any longer, Dalloway is

    going to think we still have business to deal with in the police station.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Xandar whispered as he stared at her dreamily before pecking a

    kiss on her lips, uttering, ¡°I love you, Lucy.¡± ¡°I know, Xandar. I love you,

    too.¡±

 Chapter 191

    The one-month coboration came to an official end three dayster,

    and Gamma Tobias Tristan took the stage once again as the Gamma

    representative and as the stand-in Minister of Defense.

    ¡°Good morning, everyone. We''vee full circle back to this

    ceremonial room, and yet the events from the past four weeks have

    been anything but normal. For one, I now have a private jet.¡±

    Laughter ensued, and many wolvesughed so hard that tears started

    coming out of their eyes. When it died down, Toby continued, ¡°It goes

    without saying that this month has been phenomenal. In a historic

    coboration between the government, the monarchy and the alliance,

    we brought down a rogue corporation and arrested its founders who

    initiated the corruption scheme within the government; dismissed and

    reced many ipetent, untrustworthy and undignified ministers;

    and werewolves now hold temporary positions in government, which

    may turn permanent if we win the election in nine months time

    COUNTING THE VOTES OF WEREWOLVES!"

    A deafening apuse and cheers followed, and Lucianne pecked a kiss

    on her mate''s cheek as she pped with the others, and her mate

    pecked a kiss on her lips and temple in return.

    Toby''s voice continued to ring through the speakers, ¡°Representation is

    something my species had never dreamt of getting. And speaking of

    dreams, I must admit that it was never in my wildest dreams that I

    thought I would see the Lycan King OR Queen fight alongside us. But

    the battles we fought in the past few weeks showed that our King AND

    Queen will NEVER leave us on the battleground to fend for ourselves

    ever again.¡±

    Another round of apuse followed as Xandar''s fingers entwined

    Lucianne¡¯s own before he pecked a kiss on her small hand, resting their

    joined hands on hisp.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    Toby proceeded to say, ¡°They prioritize our lives over their own, which

    is more than we can ask for as their subjects. Of course, my speech

    wouldn''t beplete without addressing the elephant in the room: the

    fact that I am now one of the few people who can address His Royal

    Highness by his shortened first name.¡±

    No oneughed louder than Xandar at that point. While everyone

    laughed and pped, Toby locked eyes with Lucianne as he started

    talking about the REAL elephant in the room, ¡°My best friend found her

    mate. And for once, it was someone who is serious about her; someone

    who is capable of loving her and protecting her; someone who would

    do anything and everything to keep her; someone who doesn¡¯t need

    her to give up who she is and what she loves; and someone who is

    terrified of losing her.¡±

    Lucianne held back her tears as she started stroking Xandar''s hand.

    Toby continued, ¡°And I would like to take this opportunity to convey an

    announcement requested to be made by the SECOND scariest creature

    in the room, who is also my new friend, Xandar, that...¡± The burst of

    laughter forced Toby to pause andugh with everyone. The audience

    knew that Toby was trying to imply that his best friend was the scariest

    creature despite her small size.

    When he couldpose himself, he announced, ¡°Our Queen will be

    crowned next month, which is long overdue if you ask me.¡±

    The Gamma fixed his eyes on his mentor, who had taught him so much,

    and said, ¡°You''ve been a Queen long before you were bonded to the

    King, Lucy. Most of us saw you as the Queen of Gammas who didn¡¯t

    need a King. Everywhere you go, you make the people there better. I

    cannot thank you enough for everything you''ve taught us, everything

    you''ve taught me, and everything you''ll continue to teach everyone in

    your years as the Kingdom''s official Queen.¡±

    A booming apuse followed. ¡°It''s without a doubt that this year''s

    coboration created history. At the beginning of the month, if you told

    me that Lycans and werewolves would sit amongst each other as all of

    you are now, I would''veughed at you, and rmended that you

    visit a mental asylum. But look at us.¡±

    The Lycans no longer only sat in front and wolves behind. Seating was

    free now, with both species sitting together, amongst one another.

    There were smiles, nods of agreement and murmurs of concurrence at

    what Toby just said.

    ¡°Look at how far we''vee in just a span of four weeks, and imagine

    how much further we can go in the span of four months, four years and

    four centuries!¡± The power and enthusiasm in his voice made everyone

    p again.

    ¡°It''s time we brought the eptance and respect we instilled for each

    other back to our own packs, to show them that we can live a s one.

    There''s still a long way to go in terms of policies and whatnot but for

    the first time, I have faith. We have faith that this is a start of a new era,

    a hopeful one, one with great potential. To our cousin species, I thank

    you as this year''s Gamma representative for epting and respecting

    us. And thank you for letting us know that you won''t kill us.¡± More

    laughter ensued, mostly from the Lycans. Weaver was already leaning

    against Yarrington''s shoulder for support as thetter chuckled

    uncontrobly with his mate.

    Toby then started wrapping up his speech, ¡°It has been a pleasure to

    meet and work alongside so many of you this year, and it is an

    esteemed honor to speak on this stage twice when the Queen herself

    was only allowed once. Even then she spoke as the elected Gamma, not

    the Queen.¡±

    Toby braved through the urge tough with the audience again as he

    finished up, ¡°Before I take my leave; I would like to wish His

    Royal Highness the very best of luck when he meets his future adoptive

    father-inw, who, from what I''ve heard, hasn''t exactly warmed up to

    him yet. The former Alpha of Blue Crescent, Ken, is no joke. Like Alpha

    Juan now, Ken was one of the fiercest Alphas of his time. So, Our King

    would eithere back in one piece, or we would have to settle with

    only the Queen running the Kingdom in the near future. Let''s hope for

    the best. Have a safe trip home, everyone. And thank you.¡± 3

    The crowd got on their feet,ughing and pping as Toby stepped

    away from the microphone. Christianughed so hard that he was out

    of breath and was in tears. Annie and Lucianne were no different.

    Xandar took thest part of his speech a little more seriously than the

    rest but his mate''s beautifulughter was enough to make himugh

    with her.

    Xandar and Lucianne handed the reins of the Kingdom to Christian and

    Annie as they left for Blue Crescent with Juan and Hale. Lucianne could

    feel that Xandar was nervous during the whole trip there, and tried her

    best to calm him, telling him that Ken was actually really nice once he

    got to know him. They even picked out gifts for Ken and Janice to make

    sure that the former pack leaders won''t be too hard on Xandar.

 Chapter 192

    At Blue Crescent, Lucianne dashed to the packhouse first while Xandar,

    Juan and Hale took a little more time. She wanted to butter up her

    overprotective adoptive father before he met her mate. Ken and Janice

    didn''t live in this packhouse after retiring as Alpha and Luna but they

    stayed here for the past month to babysit the grandkids. Juan and

    Hale''s kids were still in school, so it was just the adults and the two

    servants in the house now.

    Ken was already waiting at the entrance when Lucianne ran into his

    open arms as she called out ¡°Daddy!¡± like a little girl. After squeezing

    the girl he raised as his own, he managed a small smile and asked,

    ¡°Buying brownie points for your mate, baby girl?¡± 3

    Lucianne showed her doe eyes and said, ¡°Xandar is really nice, dad. And

    I really love him. Promise to go easy on him?¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    Ken narrowed his eyes and retorted, ¡°No man is nice, baby girl. I

    thought I taught you that.¡±

    ¡°What about you, dad? You''re nice.¡± Lucianne continued to speak with

    innocent eyes.

    Ken sighed His heart always melted whenever Lucianne looked at him

    like that, and he patted her twice on the head like he did ever since she

    was merely a child as he said, ¡°You know I''m only nice to my little girl.

    As for your mate...if I kill him, I promise it''ll b e a quick death.¡±

    Before Lucianne could protest, Ken smiled wider and said, ¡°It was a

    joke, Lucy. Lighten up. Go help your mother. She''s in the living room

    arranging the cookie jars.¡±

    Lucianne was not going to leave until he did. She knew Ken. In her

    schooling years, guys havee over to the packhouse for tutoring

    sessions since she did well in science and mathematics, and Ken was

    strict with all of them even though Lucianne assured him that they were

    just ssmates, nothing more. Now, Ken was going to meet her fianc¨¦.

    There was no telling how he would behave when he met Xandar.

    Xandar, Juan and Hale were waiting patiently behind the father-and-

    daughter pair, being careful not to interrupt them. They heard thest

    part of the conversation, which did not ease Xandar''s anxiety at all. Juan

    went to his father first, and the two shook hands like formal

    acquaintances rather than embrace each other like father and son. Ken

    then hit Juan at the back of his head with his palm, as if it was for

    disobeying him.

    Juan knew exactly what that was for. Ken had beenining non-

    stop about Juan giving Xandar his blessing to propose to Lucianne

    BEFORE Ken gave his own. And Ken didn¡¯t even want to get started on

    the fact that Lucianne was already marked BEFORE he met the idiot

    who did it!

    As Xandar watched Juan''s interaction with his father, he began to

    wonder if Lucianne was really the adopted one. Maybe he would have

    had an easier time courting Juan instead. 4

    After Ken patted his daughter-inw on her shoulder to acknowledge

    her return, it was Xandar''s tum to step forward. His animal took a deep

    breath as Xandar approached the old man and shook his hand, trying

    his best to not look too intimidated by his hard stare. Lucianne and

    Juan exchanged tense nces, both hoping that Ken wouldn''t throw a

    punch on the new addition to their family

    Ken''s expression was unreadable, and when he released Xandar''s hand,

    the Lycan King uttered a properly-rehearsed, sincere apology for not

    making the effort to meet Ken and Janice sooner. That seemed to cool

    Ken a little.

    ¡°At least he isn''t too egotistical to own up to what he did wrong¡¯, Ken

    thought to himself. He knew that Lucianne was watching, so the

    adoptive father didn¡¯t say or do anything that may upset his little girl

    Everyone then adjourned to the living room, where Janice was.

    Xandar presented Ken and Janice the gifts that he and Lucianne picked

    out for them. Ken got a leather wallet, and Janice got a ne. Janice

    was ted and impressed. Ken was not, but nheless grudgingly

    thanked Xandar after being nudged by his wife.

    Janice was more weing with Xandar. She even offered him a hug

    before they all sat in the living room. The former Luna took a great

    interest in Xandar''s life, and asked him all sorts of questions, from his

    family to his hobbies. When Xandar sheepishly mentioned that he liked

    reading anything on history, Ken was pleased despite not showing it. It

    was almost impossible to find another person who loved to read as

    much as his little girl did these days, so the seemingly-cold father

    would admit that he felt... grateful Xandar and Lucianne shared this in

    common.

    When Janice ran out of questions to ask after two hours, Lucianne

    talked animatedly about her dates with Xandar. She only told Ken and

    Janice over texts and short mind-links before, so she was borating

    further now. The sight of their adopted daughter glowing when she

    mentioned that Xandar bought her all those books made Janice smile

    wider, and made Ken scowl less. And when Lucianne got out her phone

    to show them the reading wondend that Xandar built for her in his

    vi, the ice in Ken''s heart

    thawed a little more.

    When Ken asked about their infiltration in Wu Bi Corp, Lucianne,

    Xandar, Juan and Hale all knew they were walking on eggshells from

    here. Juan and Lucianne agreed to share the details with their parents

    face-to-face, and they were to do it together. Since Ken was softest to

    Lucianne, she took the lead. Lucianne tried to water down the severity

    of her situation but to no avail.

    She couldn''t lie about it since Ken would just see right through her. And

    Ken threw sharp res at Xandar and Juan when Lucianne reached the

    part of the rogues pinning her to the wall before Jake tried to mark her

    by force. Janice had to hold her mate''s hand when Lucianne reached

    the part of the Oleander.

    Lucianne tried to lighten the mood by speaking cheerfully about how

    the Queen''s Authority could be emitted in her human form but was

    strongest when she brought her animal forward tobine its strength

    with her own. But even the mention of the Queen''s Authority didn''t

    seem to make Ken any less enraged. If looks could kill, Xandar and Juan

    would have died right then and there. When Lucianne finished the

    story, even she held her breath to wait for Ken to say something.

 Chapter 193

    Ken''s face was still as hard as cold metal when he turned to Janice, and

    exploded, ¡°I knew I should''ve killed Idris''s b*stard son when he looked

    at Lucy like she was a piece of meat! How dare he try to take my

    daughter''s choice from her!¡±

    Upon hearing that, the four of them holding their breaths rxed

    visibly. He was mostly mad at Jake. Thank Goddess!

    "OUR daughter, dear.¡± Janice corrected her husband. She wasn''t

    comfortable after listening to the tale either. 1

    ¡°Sick b*stard!¡± Ken spat. He then scowled at Juan and shouted, ¡°And

    what the h*ll was Faint Moon''s doctors doing?! How could they not

    have enough blood on hand?!¡±

    Juan argued meekly, ¡°Dad, they brought all they had.¡±

    Ken yelled, ¡°It wasn''t enough! Gonna give those Faint Moon idiots a call

    and...¡± Lucianne''s eyes widened in fear before her hand reached for her

    father''s arm to stop him from getting up as she spoke with her doe

    eyes, ¡°Dad, there wasn''t more than what they brought. They did

    everything they could. And it was enough. We came out fine.¡±

    ¡°You could have died, baby girl.¡± Ken said with more restraint over his

    rage.

    ¡°But I didn''t, daddy. I came out stronger like you always said I would.¡±

    Lucianne justified meekly, praying that he won''t call Luna Emilia to give

    her a lecture.

    As Ken''s heavy breathing steadied, he looked at Juan and said in a low

    voice, ¡°Make sure the issue of blood supply is raised in the next pack

    leaders¡¯ meeting.¡±

    Juan rolled his eyes and responded, ¡°We already had one after the

    infiltration, dad. Blood is not going to be an issue anymore.¡±

    ¡°It better not be.¡± Ken warned.

    Lucianne saw that her brother was getting increasingly agitated, so she

    answered Ken, ¡°It won''t be, daddy.¡±

    Ken wasn''t done when he red at the remorseful-looking Xandar and

    eximed, ¡°And you better make sure that doesn''t happent o my

    daughter again!¡±

    Lucianne defended Xandar. ¡°Daddy, that''s not fair. Xandar shielded me

    from the des.¡±

    ¡°And gave you the poison after that.¡± He uttered in a low voice.

    Lucianne was getting angered now. ¡°I TOOK it from him, dad. Xandar

    had already lost consciousness. He couldn''t stop me. No one could. I

    would''ve used the Queen''s Authority to force them to do the same

    thing if it came to that.¡±

    Xandar''s face hardened in guilt, and Ken''s disdainful re made him

    feel worse. Lucianne felt Xandar''s guilt, and she stroked his hand to

    comfort him while trying to reason with her enraged adoptive father,

    ¡°Dad, think about it, mom would''ve done the same for you. Are you

    saying that she would be wrong to do what I did?" 2

    "YES!" Ken eximed without hesitation.

    Luna Janice roared, ¡°KEN! YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

    Juan scoffed, then leaned back into the couch as he smirked and

    dered, ¡°And it''s showtime.¡±

    The former pack leaders shifted their sharp res to their son, who

    simply looked at them in amusement as he said, ¡°Admit it, dad. What

    happened was the rogues¡¯ fault. None of us could have stopped Lucy.

    And any one of us would''ve done what Lucy did if it were our mates in

    Xandar''s position.¡±

    Ken never liked it when Juan talked back at him but when his sights

    moved to the doe-eyed Lucianne, his anger evaporated, and h

    e sighed and muttered in discontent, ¡°Fine.¡±

    After taking a quiet moment to himself, Ken''s sights fell on Xandar, and

    he thrusted out his hand, which Xandar took, as the former Alpha said,

    ¡°Apologies for...ming you.¡±

    Xandar''s response was immediate, ¡°Don''t be, sir. I don''t take what

    happened lightly either. I''ll do better by your daughter, I promise.¡±

    Janice smiled at his response, and Ken nodded, internally... satisfied

    with his answer. Not happy. Just satisfied.

    The kids returned shortly after, and they met Xandar. The youngest,

    Liam, was a little sad that he didn¡¯t have Aunt Lucy all to himself

    anymore but Lucianne assured him that he still had a special ce in

    her heart.

    They had dinner together, and talked a little more with the kids before

    hitting the hay. Ken then invited Xandar for a fishing trip, just the two of

    them. The tone he used for the invitation obliged Xandar to ept.

    With Janice''s relentless persuasion, Ken decided to be more open with

    his future son-inw on their fishing trip the next day. They talked

    mostly about Lucianne, and Ken was pleased with whatever Xandar was

    saying and showing, especially when he

    looked hurt and remorseful when he mentioned the times Lucianne got

    hurt, and how he med himself for each and every mishap.

    The pain and fear in Xandar''s eyes became apparent when he talked

    about the times he thought Lucianne was going to reject him. Ken saw

    and felt his sincerity, devotion and love. Maybe he wasn''t so bad after

    all.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    When he returned home, Ken told his mate about his time with Xandar,

    and said that the boy¡¯ may be right for their daughter. Janice rolled her

    eyes at her husband and said, ¡°He''s the Lycan King, Ken. Did you even

    think that there could be someone better?¡±

    ¡°Titles are just the surface, Jan. You know that. It was his intentions that

    I was worried about.¡± Ken noted.

    ¡°Xandar is fine. I''d say he¡¯s the right fit for Lucy, and he''s spoiling her

    like a princess.¡±

    G

    ¡°Like a Queen.¡± Ken corrected her with pride, and added, ¡°And I can''t

    believe I''m saying this, honey, but I think he''s right for Lucy, too.¡±

    Xandar and Lucianne stayed in Blue Crescent for a week before

    returning to the Kingdom when Christian informed Xandar that the trial

    against the Kyltons and the others was about to start:

 Chapter 194

    The next three weeks passed in a blur, with the Kyltons¡¯, Aphaels¡¯,

    Tanner''s and Greg''swyers trying their best to save their clients. Some

    of the arguments and rebuttals got so ridiculous that the judges held

    their heads like they were getting a migraine.

    One day before the verdict was scheduled to be delivered, every pack

    leader and Gamma boarded flights to the Kingdom and stayed over in

    hotels before making their way to court the next day. When the wolves

    saw each other in court, they embraced and chatted. The noise died

    down when the used persons were brought into the courtroom.

    Almost everyone scowled at the Kyltons, Aphaels and Tanners, emitting

    low growls as they walked past with police escorts to be seated in the

    area designated for them. When Greg was brought in, however, no

    werewolf or Lycan made a sound.

    They had been following the news, and were well aware of the

    magnitude of his contribution to the present case. Most of them were

    conflicted in what they thought of him. They hated him for helping the

    rogue corporation at its inception but they respected him for turning

    against the crooks and giving himself up to the authorities.

    Those who still med him for the lives lost from rogue attacks chose

    to keep theirments to themselves since Lucianne emphasized that

    the losses would have continued, or even exacerbated, had the Duke

    not done what he did in recent weeks.

    Dalloway''s task force managed to track down and arrest two of the

    rogues¡¯ suppliers. Any silver, Oleander, serums and poisons found were

    seized and sent to thebs to be neutralized. Thest supplier managed

    to clean out the hideout and flee before the task force arrived, so

    trackers were brought into the task force to help continue the search. 1

    In the course of four weeks, the wolves caught and handed over about

    fifty runaway rogues, and killed another forty who tried to escape

    custody. These were caught not because they tried to attack packs but

    because they had to run through certain packs in the course of their

    escape, resulting in their capture. When questioned about where the

    rest were, every rogue said that they didn''t know because aftering

    out from the submarine, they dispersed, running in all directions since

    they weren''t sure which was the safest route to survival anymore.

    Without the shelter, supplies and support from the corporation, the

    rogues were more vulnerable than ever. Since there was no longer any

    aid for the ruthless creatures, no pack reported any attacks in the past

    few weeks for the first time in so long. Tate and Toby were leading an

    expedition to hunt down the rest of the rogues in wolf territory, while

    Phelton and Langford were doing the same in Lycan territory. No wolf

    could deny that their packs were only safe now because of what Greg

    did in recent weeks, yet they still couldn''t let go of the fact that he was

    one who made all those years of attacks possible.

    Conflicted. That was the only way to describe how most of them felt.

    Two minutes after the used persons were brought in, five judges

    entered the courtroom and everyone stood to exchange bows with

    them. After everyone was seated, Judge Cook began, ¡°Good morning to

    everyone present. This case, as everyone knows, has

    taken weeks toe to its end. And after much deliberation, we have

    come to the verdicts of the used persons.¡±

    The courtroom was so full that many had to stand. Many more were

    outside the courtroom, relying on their hearing to keep up with what

    was going on inside. Fortunately, Judge Cook was considerate enough

    to read out the judgment louder than he normally would. ¡°The facts of

    this case are unheard of, and what the used persons have done is

    uneptable not just in the eyes of thew but also in the eyes of any

    decent creature.¡±

    ¡°The evidence mounted against the used persons have been

    authenticated, thus are irrefutable. Such evidence not only included

    voice recordings but also hard drives seized by the police force, which

    shows the grand scheme of Wu Bi Corporation, apany founded

    and established by the distinguished Kylton family, aimed to siphon

    funds from the government AND the monarchy before seeking to...

    demand that the King take their daughter''s hand in marriage.¡±

    Low growls filled the room, from werewolves to Lycans. Xandar''s eyes

    turned onyx in an instant when he growled as subtly as he could with

    the rest. For once, the judges didn¡¯t shush the attendees. Lucianne¡¯s

    thumb stroked Xandar''s hand, and she looked at him with a soft gaze in

    hopes of calming him down. He pecked a kiss on her temple as the lc

    shades returned. 1

    Judge Cook''s voice continued to ring loud and strong in the courtroom,

    ¡°Building a corruption scheme is one thing. Building it to challenge the

    monarchy amounts to treason at its highest degree, and treason

    justifies a punishment of death or eternal torture.¡±

    Judge Cook cleared his throat and continued, ¡°On with the sentencing

    we shall start with the perpetrators, the Kyltons. It is the unanimous

    decision of this court that the assets owned by the Lord, Lady and the

    heiress of the Kylton family be seized and sold to recover double of the

    amount stolen from the government over the years. The family shall

    each be subjected to solitary confinement for life, and only brought out

    for the daily whipping of ten strokes, and an electrocution for thirty

    minutes three times a week. The judiciary concurs with the monarchy¡¯s

    request to install speakers in their confinement units, ying

    audiotapes of radio stations which reported on wolf pack massacres in

    the past. We thank our cousin species for digging up their archives and

    making copies for us.¡±

    Xandar was the first to suggest installing the speakers and ying

    those tapes, crediting his mate for the idea she gave him after Sasha

    hurt them both on the training ground. Lucianne immediately rified

    that she never intended to execute such an

    inhumane thing but it didn''t stop everyone at the meeting from getting

    onboard with her brutal idea. Christian, Juan, Tate, Toby and Zelena

    were the most enthusiastic when it came to pushing for this to be in the

    rmendation.

    Lucianne didn''t fully agree with putting that in at first, and was only

    swayed because everyone else supported this form of punishment,

    from her mate to the second-inmand to her brother and friends.

    Even Phelton, who normally didn''t advise her on what to do, urged her

    to support the motion, reminding her that many of her kind were lost

    because of the Kylton family. When Lucianne recalled the friends she

    lost, along with the children who were killed in the process, it wasn''t

    very difficult to get on their side.

    ¡°For the first aplice, Livia Aphael, solitary confinement for life,

    brought out only for the daily whipping of five strokes. Her parents, Dax

    and Cornelia Aphael, for being wilfully blind to the crimes being

    committed under the same roof and for speaking against the Queen,

    imprisonment for forty years and a fine of two hundred thousand

    dors each.¡±

    ¡°The second aplice, Helena Tanner, solitary confinement for life,

    brought out only for the daily whipping of seven strokes and an

    electrocution of thirty minutes three times a week for obstruction of

    justice when she disobeyed the Duke''s order to surrender herself to the

    police; for attempting to murder a child with Oleander which ended up

    hurting Her Royal Highness instead; for ckmailing her employees to

    commit treason and assist in her crimes, and for participating in the

    corruption scheme. Her assets shall also be seized and sold for the

    government to recover twice the amount that was stolen.¡±

    ¡°As for her husband, Vincent Tanner, who remained wilfully blind to his

    wife''s crimes despite having felt the anguish when his wife was battered

    by the Duke when he demanded she turned herself over to the

    authorities, one whip a day for an imprisonment period of fifty years

    and a fine of three hundred thousand dors. As requested by his

    counsel, Vincent Tanner shall be anesthetized when Helena Tanner is

    being whipped and electrocuted so as to ensure that he bears only his

    own punishment. Helena Tanner shall NOT be given anesthesia when

    Vincent Tanner is being whipped.¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    ¡°Rico and Ridalpho Tanner, for being wilfully blind to the crimes being

    committed under the same roof in the period of time they were in the

    Kyltons'' residence, imprisonment for forty years and a fine of one

    hundred thousand dors each.¡± ¡°Finally, the Duke, Greg w.¡±

 Chapter 195

    Lucianne sat up and held her breath, as did everyone else. On the side,

    Greg seemed like he couldn''t care less what happened to him but it did

    concern him that Lucianne looked worried. She shouldn''t be under any

    stress given how hard the past few weeks had already been for her. He

    was only stealing momentary nces of her before but he was finding

    it difficult to look away now, until his cousin threw him a re, 1N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    Greg rolled his eyes just to annoy his cousin one more time before

    reluctantly looking away. Lucianne felt Xandar''s jealousy, so she pecked

    a quick kiss on his jawline to calm her beast. Xandar''s face softened,

    and he closed his eyes to take a whiff of her hair, indulging in her scent.

    Judge Cook cleared his throat and continued reading the judgment, ¡°By

    law, the Duke''s act of poisoning the Duchess to render her infertile

    justifies invoking the punishment of death or etemal torture. And

    conspiring against the King, which enabled the perpetrators to establish

    the very corporation to siphon money from the government and for

    countless rogue attacks to beunched against our cousin species

    should subject him to, at the very least, solitary confinement,

    electrocution, whipping, a hefty fine, and even the stripping of his

    dukedom with the monarchy¡¯s permission. However..."

    His stem voice tumed a little gentle when he continued, ¡°This court

    acknowledges that as much as the Duke is culpable for the crimes

    perpetrated against the government, monarchy and werewolves, this

    court must also acknowledge the fact that the said Duke had been

    instrumental in the sessful prosecution of corrupt ministers, the

    founders and aplices of Wu Bi Corporation, and also those who

    sought to harm and murder the Queen. As much as he is to be med

    for the lives that were lost, h e is also credited for the lives that were

    saved when he surrendered credible and reliable evidence and himself

    to the monarchy.¡±

    Judge Cook was careful to not say that the evidence was surrendered to

    Lucianne in particr, being sensitive to the King¡¯s temperament. Greg

    rolled his eyes again at the old man¡¯s consideration for his cousin''s

    feelings.

    The judge continued, ¡°The monarchy''s rmendation for the said

    Duke is, in this court''s very humble opinion, too punitive for an used

    who has willingly offered more incriminating evidence than any

    used person in history without asking for anything in return¡±

    ¡°The said Duke has also fully cooperated throughout the entire legal

    process, and had already returned themissions received b y him

    from Wu Bi Corporation, which he kept in a separate bank ount

    under an alias, as verified. He has also offered to pay the fine with

    revenue generated from his long-established stationery export business

    which has been verified to be legitimate, the fine of which is double of

    the stolen value. Taken together, this bench of judges has unanimously

    agreed to mitigate the sentencing imposed by thew.¡±

    ¡°Contrary to the monarchy¡¯s rmendation of imposing two whips

    per week for a period of fifty years imprisonment, this bench finds that

    it is fair to impose only ten whips. Not ten whips per week but only ten

    whips in total. His imprisonment term shall be thirty years. The Duke

    may be released earlier, or ced under house arrest for good

    behaviour if and when such a timees.¡±

    Judge Cook ced the sheet of paper he held in his hand back on the

    bench table and said, ¡°Crimes are taken seriously in the Court of Law.

    The vitors shall be punished in order to protect the society atrge.

    That being said, those who choose toe to thew by...admitting to

    their crimes shall be shown...an appropriate amount of mercy,

    depending on the severity of the crimes and the circumstances of each

    case. Our job as judges is to find the right bnce, and after much

    deliberation, this is our decision.¡±

    Judge Cook stood, and the other judges followed suit, leaving the

    courtroom through the side door which they entered from.

    Lucianne was relieved that they went easy on Greg. Annie was satisfied,

    too. Their mates, on the other hand, were still in the midst of adjusting

    that this wasn''t one of Greg''s tricks, and that he helped them, really

    helped them, with no strings attached this time,

    Xandar unceremoniously buried his face in Lucianne¡¯s neck, greedily

    taking in her scent as Greg stole one more nce of Lucianne when he

    was being escorted out by a policeman.

    Disregarding all the growls being thrown her way, Kelissa was

    screaming like a madwoman on her way out, shouting about how

    everyone would regret taking those pictures of her and reporting on

    the case, that she would e back and make you all pay!". She also

    kept repeating that when she returned as their Queen one day, they

    would regret prosecuting her.

    When she was finally out of sight, Christian muttered, ¡°Psychotic,

    delusional b*tch.¡±

    Xandar''s lips trailed up Lucianne¡¯s side profile, and stopped at the top

    of her head, where he pecked a kiss and said, ¡°The...podcasts in her

    confinement cell ought to help with the craziness.¡±

    Lucianne narrowed her eyes, and questioned, ¡°That''s your choice of

    word, Xandar? Podcasts? And what do you mean ¡°help with the

    craziness''? She''s going to be driven more insane than she already is,

    darling.¡±

    Christian chuckled at her response to his cousin, and Xandar met his

    mate''s annoyed gaze before he uttered, ¡°Then the next step would be

    to transfer her to a mental asylum, sweetheart. I''d say we''re right on

    track.¡±

    Lucianne shook her head and got up because it was time to leave the

    courtroom. She then muttered, ¡°Indecent beast.¡± Her body was

    immediately spun around, and before Xandar¡¯s lips crashed on hers, her

    fingers came between them and pressed on his lips as she whispered,

    ¡°MY indecent beast.¡± Xandar kissed her fingers and dered, ¡°Always.¡±

    A peck on her forehead, and he continued, ¡°And forever.¡±

 Chapter 196

    A weekter, the wolves flew to Lycan territory again to attend

    Lucianne¡¯s coronation. Every living creature from Blue Crescent flew

    over, and they left the safety of their pack to the warriors from an ally

    pack.

    Every Lycan and werewolf who wasn''t at the ceremony turned on their

    televisions or went online to watch the live broadcast, even the

    prisoners. Greg sat in the cafeteria with a few new friends he made,

    beaming as Lucianne¡¯s face came on screen.

    In a separate prison, the Aphaels and Tanners stared at the screen with

    zero enthusiasm. Livia was the only one with a scorn when Lucianne¡¯s

    face came into view.

    In each of their solitary confinement units, the Kyltons were barking

    expletives when the police brought in high resolution televisions in

    compliance with the order of His Royal Highness. Their legs were tied to

    a chair, and their hands were tied together a s two policemen held each

    of their chairs from behind. Although distasteful to their sights, none of

    the Kyltons thought to close their eyes to avoid having to watch the

    coronation.

    Kelissa shouted and screamed as her tears of anger continued to

    stream down her very-flustered face. Her nostrils red and beads of

    sweat appeared on her forehead from how much strength she exerted

    when she screamed like a mentally-unstable patient. When the

    policemen with her decided that they didn¡¯t want to go deaf, they got

    some duct tape and taped it over the heiress¡¯s mouth, appreciating the

    more tolerable muffles as they watched the coronation on the

    television with her.

    At the ceremony, Lucianne walked down the red carpet in a lc gown

    designed and made by Hale. Her half-tied hairstyle showed her full

    face. Many from the press took the liberty to point out that Lucianne

    disregarded royal tradition when she smiled and waved to attendees

    who were mostly her friends and allies instead of looking straight

    ahead and walking down the carpet with a poker face like past Queens.

    Her favorite nephew, Liam, suddenly had the physical strength to pull

    his tiny hand away from Hale, and he dashed towards Lucianne before

    his parents could stop him.

    Instead of asking him to return to his seat, Lucianne held Liam''s hand

    and continued walking down the carpet. Russell came shortly after,

    taking Lucianne¡¯s other hand. These two boys who seeded in

    breaking away from their parents¡¯ hold seemed to have encouraged the

    other kids to do the same.

    Many more children left their parents side, and dashed towards the

    Queen without knowing that it vited the formalities of the ceremony.

    The guards could only catch and stop a few of them but most of the

    children got through with their small size, and they crowded around

    Lucianne, walking with her with wide grins and cheeky smiles,

    disregarding their embarrassed parents who were hissing at them. Juan

    himself hid his face in his hands before Lucianne mind-linked him that

    it was okay.

    Christian and many others in attendance were alreadyughing at how

    the guards were struggling to scoop up a few kids at once. Only when

    Lucianne told them that it was okay did the guards set the children

    back on the ground. The sight of a group of children around Lucianne

    was humorous for some like Christian and Toby: was heartwarming for

    those like Annie and Hale; and was beautiful and amazing for Xandar. 2

    Before he met Lucianne, he had only ever scared kids away. This was a

    sight that he could never conjure up even if he stretched his

    imagination to its limit. ¡°Thank you, Moon Goddess. You''ve given this

    Kingdom your most precious gift, and I swear that I will love and

    protect her for as long as I live¡¯, Xandar muttered in gratitude. The

    crown and cloak he wore were bothersome on a warm day but his mate

    seemed to have melted away any difort that he was feeling.

    When Lucianne reached the raised tform where Xandar and the

    archbishop were, she told the kids to wait for her on the lower step,

    and they all nodded obediently. Liam let go of his aunt''s hand, and

    Russell did the same when Xandar came to offer Lucianne his hand. As

    soon as she stepped on the elevated tform with his help, the

    audience went wild, cheering and pping even though Lucianne

    wasn''t technically crowned yet.

    The archbishop had a microphone pinned to his robe, so he

    commented in amusement, ¡°Looks like my services are not needed

    after all. How about we just skip to the buffet, everyone?¡±

    The crowd burst outughing, and the journalists took note that even

    the archbishop broke tradition when he joked like that. The archbishop

    then got Xandar and Lucianne to stand a meter apart facing each other.

    After requesting Xandar to thrust his right arm and holding it straight in

    Lucianne¡¯s direction, the archbishop asked Lucianne to do the same

    with her left arm. Their hands held the area below each other''s wrists,

    and the archbishop opened his small notebook and began reciting

    from it.

    Xandar''s gaze of pride never left his mate''s ck and lc orbs, which

    she held with honor. At the end of the archbishop''s short recital, he got

    Lucianne to repeat after him. ¡°I, Lucianne Freesia Paw, solemnly promise

    and swear to rule and gover the creatures of this Kingdom in

    ordance with itsws, alongside His Royal Highness, King Alexandar

    Thomas w.¡± 1

    ¡°I promise and swear to protect the Kingdom and the creatures herein,

    doing what is needed and required of me.¡±

    The archbishop then said, ¡°...as I have always done before this day.¡±

    Lucianne blinked in surprise before she turned to the archbishop, a way

    of asking him whether he made an error on that part. That

    wasn''t in the rehearsal when they practised two days ago. He simply

    smiled and waited for her to repeat after him, and when Lucianne''s

    sights returned to her mate, he was looking at her with a cheeky glint in

    his eye and a more visible upward curl of his lips. This was his doing.

    She pressed back a smile and repeated, ¡°As I have always done before

    this day.¡±

    The archbishop beamed and continued another set of lines that were

    neither in the rehearsal nor were they in any oath taken by rulers before

    Lucianne. Christian''s not-so-subtle chuckle in the background and

    Xandar''s glowing smile showed that they nned this with the

    archbishop.

    The archbishop came to the end, which was the cue for Lucianne to

    repeat everything he just said. She blushed, and couldnt press back her

    smile any longer as she repeated those words, the very same set of

    words she uttered in the dining hall after Xandar spoke about the Jewel

    Pack incident, ¡°You can be assured that I will not stop until everyst

    threat has been neutralized. I will not give up even when I''m weakened.

    I will fight alongside you, and together, we will win.¡±

    A roar of enthusiastic and deafening apuse and cheers followed, and

    the media was excitedly taking note of the modified oath. The oath was

    never altered in any way for centuries, so it was a surprise for it to be

    changed today.

    The fifth tradition that was broken was the fact that Lucianne remained

    standing when Xandar began lowering the crown over her head Xandar

    explicitly told her and the archbishop that he will not have Lucianne

    kneel and bow to him like past Kings. If she did so, even by an inch,

    they would have to redo the entire ceremony.

    When the crown had been ced on his mate''s head, the King nted

    a deep kiss on her forehead, which was the sixth tradition that was

    broken. The final one broken for the day was when Xandar held onto

    her small hand, and got down on one knee before tilting his head

    downwards. His voice rang through the microphone pinned to his robe

    and amplified through the speakers when h e said in a firm, thunderous

    voice, ¡°My Queen.¡±

    Everyone knelt and bowed to their Queen with nothing but eagerness,

    devotion and admiration. Lucianne bowed to the crowd in return, and

    everyone stood when she stood. As the King rose, the Queen pecked a

    kiss at the back of his hand, a gesture he returned by pecking a light

    kiss on her forehead.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    When the ceremony was over, everyone adjourned to the dining hall

    for the buffet. Lucianne and Xandar took off their crowns and the King

    slid off the cloak before they joined the others. Xandar was speaking to

    Ken and many other retired pack leaders, whereas Lucianne was

    mingling with Yarrington and the wolves who were talking about

    education.

    As Lucianne listened to Gamma Benedict, she noticed her vision

    blurring. Her legs got weaker before she heard Xandar yell her name

    from across the hall as she passed out.

 Chapter 197

    Yarrington caught the Queen before she fell, handing her to the King as

    soon as he reached her side. Xandar rushed her to Dr Yeil''s medical

    centre. Christian, Annie, the alliance, Ken and Janice all waited along the

    corridor outside the doctor''s room.

    Xandar was looking at his mate''s unconscious body on the examination

    table in dismay. He felt her cking out from across the hall, and the

    next thing he knew, he was witnessing her petite figure falling before

    the Education Minister caught her in swift motion

    Dr Yeil extracted some blood, and got one of his nurses to go have it

    analysed. Two minutes into the body examination with his second

    nurse, Lucianne let out a moan. Xandar rushed to her side without a

    second thought and asked frantically, ¡°Baby. Baby, can¡¯ you hear me?¡±

    Her eyes fluttered open, and her gaze shifted from her mate to Dr Yeil

    and his nurse before her sights returned to Xandar as she asked, ¡°Wh-

    what happened?¡±

    "You passed out, sweetheart. How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°A little dizzy.¡± she responded.

    Xandar lifted her off the table, and held her close to his chest, using the

    mate-bond to ease her difort. Lucianne kept her eyes closed as

    she concentrated on Xandar''s scent and heartbeat, and another three

    minutester, she could open her eyes without seeing her surroundings

    spinning.

    She reached for her mate''s cheek as she muttered, ¡°Thank you, my

    love.¡±

    He smiled in relief knowing that she felt better, and pecked a kiss on

    her forehead before he muttered, ¡°Anything for you, Lucy.¡±

    He sat her in a chair when the nurse came in with Lucianne¡¯s blood test

    results. What was odd was that the nurse was smiling. DI Yeil and the

    other nurse looked at their colleague in bewilderment before turning

    their eyes to the report. They were shocked at what they saw before a

    smile graced both their features

    The doctor looked at the King and Queen, and smiled radiantly as he

    said, ¡°It seems you can heal from just about anything, my Queen

    Congrattions, your Highnesses. You''re pregnant.¡±

    Xandar and Lucianne froze at the statement. Lucianne blinked a few

    times before she shook herself out of her daze and asked, ¡°I''m sorry, Dr

    Yeil. I''m quite certain I didn''t hear you right. What did you just say?¡±

    The nurses smiled wider when the doctor said, ¡°I doubt you heard me

    wrong, your Highness. You''ve healed from the infertility poison, and

    now, you''re with child. It''s two days old, so the heartbeat is still faint.

    Give it another five more days, and you''ll be able t o hear it easily in a

    quiet room. It looks like the Kingdom can wee a new addition to

    the royal family in eighteen weeks time.¡±

    Xandar knelt before Lucianne, and pressed an ear over her abdomen,

    where he detected the beautiful sound of a beating drum. His eyes

    glistened in joy when he looked up at his mate and cupped her cheeks

    as he eximed in a hushed voice, ¡°You''re pregnant!¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s own eyes glistened as well when she chuckled in tion for

    a moment as she looked down at her still-t belly, her thumb stroking

    it lovingly. For the first time in so long, she felt that the Moon Goddess

    didn¡¯t hate her. It was because their Goddess gifted her the ability to

    heal from poisons that she was able to conceive again. Then, something

    came to her mind.

    With bright, inquisitive eyes, Lucianne asked Dr Yeil, ¡°Thest time there

    was infertility poison in my system, you said that you sent my blood to

    theb, Dr Yeil?"This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    Xandar stood by her side and faced the doctor as the old man

    answered, ¡°1 did. I called the head of the department just yesterday,

    your Highnesses, but my colleague over there confirmed that there''s no

    change in your bloodposition. It''s still the blood of an infertile

    creature.¡±

    ¡°But the blood in my body is now healed?¡± Lucianne confirmed.

    Di Yeil looked at the report in his hand and said, ¡°It appears so, my

    Queen. There are no traces of infertility poison in your body, or any

    poison for that matter. But I must say, the recovery phase did take a

    longer timepared to silver and Oleander.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Xandar asked.

    Looking up from the report, the doctor answered, ¡°My best guess? It''s

    because the hormones required to conceive took time to return to their

    normal levels. You see, your Highnesses, the infertility poison wipes out

    the hormones required for pregnancy and...i s supposed to inhibit

    production of such hormones from the organ producing them

    indefinitely. To put it simply, the poison was... supposed to turn off the

    production switch in the organ, much like how lethal poisons such as

    silver and Oleander turn off the functionality switch in vital organs.

    But..."

    Dr Yeil looked at the report again and said, ¡°If we learned anything

    about the Queen''s immune system, it''s that her organs know

    how to take care of themselves. Since the switch in her organs never

    allows anything external to turn them off.. at least not permanently, she

    retained the ability to continue hormonal production. It took this long

    because hormones may take days, weeks, o r months, in some cases, to

    return to their normal levels, depending on one¡¯s diet and lifestyle.

    ording to this report, your hormones are now at healthy levels to

    carry a child, my Queen.¡±

    Lucianne was speechless as she continued staring at the medical

    professionals. Xandar caressed her shoulders before he pecked a kiss in

    Lucianne¡¯s hair and uttered, ¡°Amazing.¡±

    Lucianne then asked, ¡°So, if I gave you my blood that has healed from

    the poison, and you sent it to your colleagues in theb, do you think

    they can study the bloodposition and develop an antidote to cure

    someone who has sumbed to the same poison?¡±

    Everyone''s eyes snapped wide open. Dr Yeilposed himself and said,

    ¡°Technically speaking, and if we were to be optimistic, it should be

    possible, your Highness.¡±

    Xandar caught up to his mate''s thoughts. She was thinking about

    Annie. Lucianne wanted to know if there was something in her blood

    that could be replicated to heal her. The thought of how selfless she

    was even in this made Xandar''s heart melt.

    With her doe eyes, Lucianne looked up at her mate and asked, ¡°You

    don''t mind if I gave some of my blood, do you? It won''t affect the

    child.¡±

    Xandar lowered himself to peck a kiss between her eyebrows and said,

    "Of course not, sweetheart. I think it''s a great idea.¡±

    Lucianne¡¯s eyes sparkled when she said, ¡°In that case,¡± she looked back

    at the doctor and nurses as she said, ¡°Take a little more of my blood,

    please. See if it can cure anything else.¡±

    ¡°Not too much of it though.¡± Xandar said with worry. He didn¡¯t want

    her to faint again.

    Lucianne rolled her eyes and said, ¡°I doubt Dr Yeil will take everything,

    darling.¡±

    Dr Yeil affirmed her statement, ¡°Medical protocol doesn''t allow us to

    extract more than three syringes of blood from a pregnant woman, my

    King.¡±

    Xandar''s tense shoulders rxed, and he heaved a relieved sigh before

    pecking another kiss on his mate''s forehead as he said,¡± That''s good to

    know.¡±

    After giving them the blood, Xandar and Lucianne agreed to keep the

    last part of their medical consultation from the Duke and Duchess until

    they actually have good news. They didn''t want to get Christian and

    Annie''s hopes up and then shoot it to the groundter on if and when

    there was no cure.

    In the hallway, everyone''s eyes snapped to Lucianne and Xandar, and

    when the smiling couple told them that they were expecting, the

    strained atmosphere lightened as everyone conveyed their

    congrattions. The two most excited people were Janice, who couldn''t

    wait to wee another grandchild, and Annie, who couldn''t wait to

    be a distant aunt. Since Xandar was close to her and Christian, Annie

    doubted that they''d be distant at all!

    Toby''s cheeky demeanor reced his worried features as he said, ¡°A

    dynamite carrying a dynamite. This is definitely one safe Kingdom to

    live in."

 Chapter 198

    Six weekster, the royal wedding took ce, and it was thergest

    wedding in Lycan and werewolf history...because werewolves were

    never invited to a Lycan¡¯s wedding, let alone the Lycan King and

    Queen''s wedding.

    In the confinement units of prison, the police once again tied each

    Kylton to a chair and ced the same televisions from the coronation

    day in each of their units, courtesy of the King. They taped the heiress''s

    mouth after her first scream this time.

    Xandar decided that he would use the short period of time after the

    wedding and before the honeymoon to tell Lucianne about forcing the

    Kyltons to watch her coronation and their wedding. He didn''t tell her

    when he sent out the order because he didn''t want Lucianne to blink

    her doe eyes and talk him out of doing what he wanted to do. It wasn''t

    as if he was doing anything bad. He was simply doing everything within

    his power to avenge her, and besides... Christian agreed that it was a

    good idea. 2

    Xandar was standing at the altar, adjusting his sapphire blue tie which

    matched well with his pastel blue shirt finished off with a ck tuxedo.

    Christian was by his side as his best man, and Juan, Toby, Raden, Tate

    and Zeke stood in a row after Christian, all of whom were in ck

    tuxedos and sapphire blue bow ties which stood out against their white

    shirts.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.

    The room was packed, and the parents made sure they held onto their

    children this time to avoid repeating what happened during the

    coronation. When the wedding nner gave the cue for the band to

    start the music, everyone quieted down and stood up.

    The flower boys and girls walked down the aisle first. In pairs, one child

    held a basket filled with freesia petals while the other scattered them

    on the aisle as they walked. After them came the bridesmaids one by

    one in lc dresses, each custom-designed and made by Hale. Lovce

    walked first, followed by Zelena, Slyvia, Annie and Hale. Each of them

    held a bouquet of freesias that were of a different color.

    After thedies took their ces at the altar on the opposite side of the

    men, the moment everyone was waiting for arrived. Lucianne came into

    view with a hand around Ken''s arm, and the attendees cheered and

    pped, blurring out the music that was ying in the background.

    Her braided updo and skilfully-done make-up highlighted her bright

    eyes, small nose and plump lips. Her off-the-shoulder wedding dress

    offered a striking view of her neckline and entuated her regal

    silhouette and the visible curve of her baby bump. Also designed and

    made by Hale, the color gradient of the dress starts out lc from the

    top before darkening into a majestic onyx towards the bottom. In her

    free hand was a bouquet of multicolored freesias.

    The sight was so breathtaking that Xandar heaved a sigh before

    pressing his lips together to stop himself from crying. When Lucianne

    and Ken reached the end of the aisle, the former-Alpha¡¯s eyes glistened

    as he muttered to his adopted daughter, "You''ll always be my little girl,

    Lucy.¡±

    Lucianne smiled even wider and wrapped her arms around her adoptive

    father as she whispered, ¡°I know, daddy. Thank you.¡±

    Ken sobbed once before they left each other''s embrace, and the father

    ced Lucianne¡¯s small hand into Xandar''srger one, uttering only

    two words to his soon-to-be son-inw, ¡°Thank you.¡± Ken then went to

    join Janice at the front row to avoid bursting into tears in front of the

    entire congregation. Lucianne stepped onto the tform and stood

    opposite Xandar, who held her hands in his as he chuckled with

    watered eyes.

    Seated in the front row with her parents, Evie studied the sight at the

    altar with focused eyes before starting to sketch skilfully with her pencil

    on arge art block paper ced on an easel in front of her.

    When stray tears trickled from the corners of Xandar blissful lc orbs,

    Lucianne¡¯s thumbs came to gently wipe them away. He was about to

    close their distance to peck a kiss on her forehead but the marriage

    officiant ced the Scriptures of Matrimony between their faces to stop

    him as he said, ¡°You''re paying me to do my job, your Highness. Let''s

    not render my presence even more insignificant than it already is.¡±

    -A stream ofughter followed from everyone else, especially from the

    bride, igniting a more radiant fire in the groom''s heart as his

    animal cooed. With a wide smile, the marriage officiant opened the

    scriptures and began reciting from it. When it was time to exchange

    their vows, Xandar regurgitated whatever he had been practising over

    the past few weeks.

    ¡°Lucy, from the first moment we met, I knew that my life would never

    be the same again. You bring a gentle warmth, thawing the heart that

    I''ve kept cold and hardened for so many years. Your words of assurance

    and your solution-oriented mind give me hope whenever I feel like I''m

    at the bottom of an abyss with no way out.¡±

    ¡°Your eyes have a way of keeping me awake and alert. When we''re

    together, you awaken emotions that I could never even imagine feeling.

    You make me better, make me more than the man I once was. I know I

    said this before but I still can¡¯t fathom how I got this lucky to be

    bonded to you, my love. You''re amazing beyond words, more perfect

    than any Queen from the past, and you''re going to make an

    exceptional mother for our child.¡± 1

    Lucianne¡¯s vision was blurring from her tears as she let out a soft

    chuckle. Xandar ced her hand over his heart as he continued,¡± It

    beats for you, Lucy. I have only ever been and will only ever be yours. I

    promise to hear you out whenever you have something to

    say; to hold you close whenever you need a hug or a shoulder to cry

    on; to celebrate you not just as our Queen, but as a person and a s my

    mate; to kiss away any doubts that you may still hold for yourself; to

    protect you and our child in any and every way; and to keep telling you

    and showing you how much you mean to me and how much I love you.

    I love you, my little freesia.¡±

 Chapter 199

    Tears trickled from theers of Lucianne¡¯s eyes as the congregation

    pped when Xandar came to the end of his wedding vows. Most of

    the women found it so heartfelt that they were already all teared-up.

    Even Christian pressed away the tears from his own eyes

    After Xandar''s thumb wiped away his mate''s tears on her face, Lucianne

    cleared her throat and began reciting her vows which went through

    infinite drafts before this day, ¡°Xandar, when we met, I was so blinded

    by my past that I almost gave up the best thing that was presented to

    me. You''ve always expressed how lucky you felt to be bonded to me

    but from the way I see it, I''ve been the lucky one.¡±

    ¡°You asked me for a chance, a chance to show me that you''re different

    but you''re not just different, dearest. The way you love is phenomenal

    beyond words. I don''t know how you do it but you somehow always

    know what to say to make me feel...more than what I always thought I

    was. Your touch calms my insecurities; your words and kisses melt away

    my fears and doubts; and your presence assures me that I''ll always be

    safe, and I''ll always be loved in ways that I once thought was never

    opened to me.¡±

    She took a breath to steady herself before she continued, ¡°I promise to

    lend you my ears whenever you need someone to listen or talk to; to

    stay in your embrace when you need to calm any agitation or quiet any

    storm; to be by your side no matter how difficulto I dangerous things

    get. I promise to always remind you how well you''re already doing as

    our King, how revolutionary your reign is and how extraordinary your

    legacy will be. And I know with every fibre of my being that you''ll make

    a remarkable father.¡±

    She gave his hands a gentle squeeze as she said, ¡°You''re more than

    what you think of yourself, Alexandar. You''ll always have me a s your

    mate and as your Queen. This little freesia is yours, my indecent beast.

    Only yours. And I love you, too, my acacia.¡±

    Xandar''s tears started streaming down his face, and he was secretly

    ming his animal for not helping him to hold it all in. Lucianne wiped

    away his tears, while the entire congregation wiped away their own.

    Weaver could be heard blowing his nose into a handkerchief. Toby and

    Christian, who betted against each other on whether Lucianne or

    Xandar would produce the more impressive vows, concurred that both

    were equally powerful, that it was a tie when they wiped away their

    tears for the second time. 3

    After the marriage officiant sniffled once, he cleared Kis throat and

    asked for the rings, which were brought by little Liam and Russell on a

    violet, velvet pillow.

    Xandar bent down and ruffled the boys" hair with a warm smile, and

    took Lucianne''s princess-cut diamond ring from the pillow, sliding it

    into his mate''s finger as he uttered the words that had been engraved

    on the band, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Lucianne smiled even wider, then turned to the little boys and touched

    each of their cheeks before taking the other ring from the pillow, which

    was emerald-cut, and it shared the same set of diamonds as the ones

    on her own. After sliding Xandar''s ring into his finger, she uttered the

    words engraved on his band, ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡±

    The marriage officiate then dered, "With the blessing from our

    Goddess when she bestowed the bond between these two creatures, I

    now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.¡±

    With his animal''s strength, Xandar pulled his mate into a deep kiss as

    the congregation erupted into a wild apuse.

    ###

    After that, everyone adjoumed to the next room for the wedding

    banquet. The children who were fond of Lucianne took this opportunity

    to hand her their gifts by hand. They were very protective and

    possessive over their presents, and refused to hand them over to the

    staff member in-charge of collecting gifts from guests.

    One by one, the kids came to Lucianne¡¯s side, handed her their gift and

    hugged her before returning to their parents. Xandar lost count after

    the eighteenth child. The braver and more curious ones gave him a

    high-five before leaving but he concluded that he still scared some of

    them.

    One of thest children was an eleven-year-old named Suzy, who came

    with Tate. Odd. Tate was mateless. Why was he close to this child? Suzy

    was visibly daunted when she refused to look at Xandar as she handed

    Lucianne aminated leaf. Lucianne¡¯s grin fell for a moment as she

    stared at the gift. Xandar then felt a deep sentiment spreading from the

    deepest parts of the being. He looked at the leaf that was in his mate''s

    hand, and saw that there was a coge of a firefly on it. It must mean

    something, but what?

    Lucianne teared-up as she traced the firefly with her fingertips, and let

    out a soft chuckle. She thanked Suzy, and gave the little girl a gentle

    squeeze, reminding her to keep scaring away the cockroaches and

    beetles in White Blood like they practiced, which made Tate chuckle.

    It was definitely a memory the three of them shared because Suzy

    managed a wide grin. After she hugged Lucianne again and stepped to

    the side, Lucianne stood and gave Tate a hug. The Alpha held her for a

    moment before Lucianne parted their bodies, after which he uttered a

    line he rehearsed before walking up to her, ¡°We''re really happy for you,

    Lucy. Congrattions.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Tate.¡± Lucianne responded with a grateful smile.

    He then added something that he didn''t n on saying, ¡°And thank

    you, Lucy, for...everything.¡±

    The way he said the word ¡°everything¡¯ sent a shockwave of realization

    throughout Lucianne¡¯s being. Her smile fell, reced by genuine

    surprise, She could only stare at the Alpha with widened eyes because

    she had only ever seen him as a close friend and a brother. Registering

    her revtion and increased heart rate, Xandar rose from his seat, and

    secured his hands on his bride''s bare shoulders in hopes of calming her

    with their bond

    Tate held his smile, and moved on to shake the King¡¯s hand

    diplomatically, congratting him as he did so. After Xandar muttered

    a meek ¡°thank you¡¯ and released Tate''s hand, he was conflicted on how

    to respond to what Tate just did to Lucianne,

    It was very inappropriate for Tate to make Lucianne realize that he was

    in love with her when she and Xandar were already together. But Tate

    didn¡¯t look like he was trying to steal her away or make her question

    her choice. He looked like someone who was genuinely conceding to

    an oue, sincerely epting that she chose someone else.

    Before Tate could leave with Suzy, Lucianne called out, ¡°Tate,¡± Their eyes

    locked, and she continued, ¡°I''m still here for you and for White Blood.

    I''ll always be here.¡±

    Tate nodded with the same smile, and uttered, ¡°We know, Lucy. Thank

    you.¡±

    He and Suzy then returned to their seats. Lucianne heaved a sigh

    before she met her mate''s worried gaze. She pulled herself up, and

    pecked a kiss on his lips. Her ck and lc orbs prated into his

    soul when she uttered firmly, ¡°I love you, Xandar. I''m yours. Only yours.¡±

    1

    Her beast felt her certainty, her devotion and the depth of her love,

    making his animal coo in tenderness. Xandar''s insecurity subsided, and

    he pecked a kiss on her forehead before holding her in a tight embrace

    as he whispered, ¡°Thank you so much, baby. I love you, too.¡±

    The next child got impatient, and barged forward to tug at Lucianne¡¯s

    dress to get her attention, so Lucianne made Xandar release her before

    bending down to greet the little girl with a smile

    ###Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    Before the newly-weds left for their two-month honeymoon, they

    handed the reins of the Kingdom to Christian and Annie once again,

    along with a surprise gift.

    Dr Yeil''s colleague in theb developed an antidote for Annie''s

    infertility issue, and when Lucianne and Xandar handed her and

    Christian the doctor''s appointment sheet, Christian swore he heard

    them wrong. ¡°I''m sorry, my Queen. I think I''m still deaf from the

    apuse at the wedding. What did you say this was for?¡±

    Xandar chuckled, and Lucianne said, ¡°They studied my blood, and

    found a way to reverse what happened to Annie. This antidote turns the

    switch of pregnancy hormonal production back on, so you both can

    choose to have children if you want to. The doctor says that more than

    one dosage may be required, and rmends frequent check-ups to

    monitor the foetus as it develops but he i s confident that this can allow

    you both to have a healthy child, if you decide that you still want a

    child, that is.¡±

    Christian was still stunned but Annie was already crying when she

    wrapped her arms around Lucianne and thanked her repeatedly,

    forgetting that she should be gentle on the baby bump. Christian only

    came out of his shock when his cousin offered him a brotherly hug. The

    Duke squeezed his best friend in return before tears started forming in

    his own eyes.

    ¡°It''ll work, Christian.¡± Xandar assured.

    Christian chuckled, wiped away his tears before he said, ¡°I just didn''t

    expect to be able to...expect anymore.¡±

    Christian then embraced Lucianne for the first time as he whispered,

    ¡°Thank you, Lucy.¡± After seeing them off at the train station, the Duke

    and Duchess left the tform together with a renewed sense of hope. 3

    By the window in the private lounge of the train, Lucianne sat on

    Xandar''sp and leaned into his chest to listen to his heartbeat as her

    beast closed his eyes to take in her scent from her hair, his hand

    stroking her baby bump, and his arm circled around her waist, holding

    her close

    After some quiet moments, he pecked a kiss on her temple, and

    uttered, ¡°I love you, Lucy.¡± She looked up at him with twinkling eyes

    and responded, ¡°I know, Xandar. I love you, too.¡±

 Chapter 200

    ?Stina''s Note

    Dear readers,

    We''vee to the end of The S-time Rejected Camma & the Lycan King". I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who has given this book a chance, and for following through to the very end.

    I hope you can spare a few minutes to rate this novel and write up a review (without spollers, of course). And hopefully you liked the story enough to drop a Gam ortivo (or more):)

    When I started typing away on my iPad, I told myself that I wanted to give readers not just a story, but an experience. I wanted the characters to be felt, not just Imagined. I hope that some of the characters have inspired you, and touched your heart in more ways than one. Perhaps you''ve even developed a crush in the course of the story XD

    That being said, and without giving too much away I hope that:

    ()Lucianne has exemplified strength, resilience, self-worth, and has shown you the upside of opening up to new possibilities;

    I) Xander has exemplified how important it is to let those you love know that you love them, and the vitality in setting your own path, one different from those taken before you;

    1) Christian has shown you brotherhood and loyalty:

    I) Arichshow you that it''s never toote to take hack your power

    v) Greg has disyed the importance of one''s choice, and the effects thereafter; and

    vi) the alliance inspire you to be brave, and to seck out your own tribe whom you can count

    ONL

    This book aims to be with you when you need it to be. There may be some chapters here that you could revisit when you need a boost of confidence, an assurance that you matter, or just forughs (if my sense of humor had been up to your standards, thatProperty belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    If you liked how things yed out, I''m happy to say that I n to write a few prequels and sequels to this book. The aim is to keep the prequels between 80,000 to 150,000 words. For the sequels, however, I cannot promise that it will be within this word range.

    The first prequel would take me several weeks (or months), and the sequel would take me a few months at least because, as a student, I have to clock in more time to revise for my postgrad exam in February 2022. I hope you''ll check out the stories when they''re published, and continue to support them.

    Before we part, I''ll leave you with the thought that kept at the back of my mind from the start to the end of writing this story: Why stay a victim when you can rise like a Queen? Why stay helpless when you can choose to be powerful?

    Have a great day, everyonel See you all in the next bookd

    UPDATE: BOOK TWO is now out as apleted novel-The Rogues Who Went Rogue

 Chapter 237

    Chapter 237 Two Hundred and Thirty -Seven

    Tears trickled from the corners of Lucianne¡¯s eyes as the congregation

    pped when Xandar came to the end of his wedding vows. Most of

    the women found it so heartfelt that they were already all teared-up.

    Even Christian pressed away the tears from his own eyes. 1

    After Xandar''s thumb wiped away his mate''s tears on her face, Lucianne

    cleared her throat and began reciting her vows which went through

    infinite drafts before this day, ¡°Xandar, when we met, I was so blinded

    by my past that I almost gave up the best thing that was presented to

    me. You''ve always expressed how lucky you felt to be bonded to me

    but from the way I see it, I''ve been the lucky one.¡±

    ¡°You asked me for a chance, a chance to show me that you''re different

    but you''re not just different, dearest. The way you love is phenomenal

    beyond words. I don''t know how you do it but you somehow always

    know what to say to make me feel... more than what I always thought I

    was. Your touch calms my insecurities; your words and kisses melt away

    my fears and doubts; and your presence assures me that I''ll always be

    safe, and Pll always be loved in ways that I once thought was never

    opened to me.¡± 1

    She took a breath to steady herself before she continued, ¡°I promise to

    lend you my ears whenever you need someone to listen or talk to; to

    stay in your embrace when you need to calm any agitation or quiet any

    storm; to be by your side no matter how difficult or dangerous things

    get. I promise to always remind you how well you''realready doing as

    our King, how revolutionary your reign is and how extraordinary your

    legacy will be. And I know with every fibre of my being that you''ll make

    a remarkable father.¡±

    She gave his hands a gentle squeeze as she said, ¡°You''re more than

    what you think of yourself, Alexandar. You''ll always have me as your

    mate and as your Queen. This little freesia is yours, my indecent beast.

    Only yours. And I love you, too, my acacia.¡±

    Xandar''s tears started streaming down his face, and he was secretly

    ming his animal for not helping him to hold it all in. Lucianne wiped

    away his tears, while the entire congregation wiped away their own.

    Weaver could be heard blowing his nose into a handkerchief. Toby and

    Christian, who betted against each other on whether Lucianne or

    Xandar would produce the more impressive vows, concurred that both

    were equally powerful, that it was a tie when they wiped away their

    tears for the second time.

    After the marriage officiant sniffled once, he cleared his throat and

    asked for the rings, which were brought by little Liam and Russell on a

    violet, velvet pillow.

    Xandar bent down and ruffled the boys" hair with a warm smile, and

    took Lucianne''s princess-cut diamond ring from the pillow, sliding it

    into his mate''s finger as he uttered the words that had been engraved

    on the band, ¡°I love you.¡±

    Lucianne smiled even wider, then turned to the little boys and touched

    each of their cheeks before taking the other ring from the pillow, which

    was emerald-cut, and it shared the same set of diamonds as the ones

    on her own. After sliding Xandar''s ring into his finger, she uttered the

    words engraved on his band, ¡°I know. I love you, too.¡±

    The marriage officiate then dered, "With the blessing from our

    Goddess when she bestowed the bond between these two creatures, I

    now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.¡±

    With his animal''s strength, Xandar pulled his mate into a deep kiss as

    the congregation erupted into a wild apuse.

    HHH

    After that, everyone adjourned to the next room for the wedding

    banquet. The children who were fond of Lucianne took this opportunity

    to hand her their gifts by hand. They were very protective and

    possessive over their presents, and refused to hand them over to the

    staff member in-charge of collecting gifts from guests.

    One by one, the kids came to Lucianne¡¯s side, handed her their gift and

    hugged her before returning to their parents. Xandar lost count after

    the eighteenth child. The braver and more curious ones gave him a

    high-five before leaving but he concluded that he still scared some of

    them. One of thest children was an eleven-year-old named Suzy, who

    came with Tate. Odd. Tate was mateless. Why was he close to this child?

    Suzy was visibly daunted when she refused to look at Xandar as she

    handed Lucianne aminated leaf.

    Lucianne¡¯s grin fell for a moment as she stared at the gift. Xandar then

    felt a deep sentiment spreading from the deepest parts of the being.

    He looked at the leaf that was in his mate''s hand, and saw that there

    was a coge of a firefly on it. It must mean something, but what?

    Lucianne teared-up as she traced the firefly with her fingertips, and let

    out a soft chuckle. She thanked Suzy, and gave the little girl a gentle

    squeeze, reminding her to keep scaring away the cockroaches and

    beetles in White Blood like they practiced, which made Tate chuckle.

    It was definitely a memory the three of them shared because Suzy

    managed a wide grin. After she hugged Lucianne again and stepped to

    the side, Lucianne stood and gave Tate a hug. The Alpha held her for a

    moment before Lucianne parted their bodies, after which he uttered a

    line he rehearsed before walking up to her, ¡°We''re really happy for you,

    Lucy. Congrattions.¡± ¡°Thanks, Tate.¡± Lucianne responded with a

    grateful smile.

    He then added something that he didn''t n on saying, ¡°And thank

    you, Lucy, for...everything.¡± 2

    The way he said the word ¡°everything¡¯ sent a shockwave of realization

    throughout Lucianne¡¯s being. Her smile fell, reced by genuine

    surprise. She could only stare at the Alpha with widened eyes because

    she had only ever seen him as a close friend and a brother. Registering

    her revtion and increased heart rate, Xandar rose from his seat, and

    secured his hands on his bride''s bare shoulders in hopes of calming her

    with their bond. 1 Tate held his smile, and moved on to shake the King''s

    hand diplomatically, congratting him as he did so. After Xandar

    muttered a meek ¡°thank you¡¯ and released Tate''s hand, he was

    conflicted on how to respond to what Tate just did to Lucianne.

    It was very inappropriate for Tate to make Lucianne realize that he was

    in love with her when she and Xandar were already together. But Tate

    didn''t look like he was trying to steal her away or make her question

    her choice. He looked like someone who was genuinely conceding to

    an oue, sincerely epting that she chose someone else. 1

    Before Tate could leave with Suzy, Lucianne called out, ¡°Tate.¡± Their eyes

    locked, and she continued, ¡°I''m still here for you and for White Blood.

    I''ll always be here.¡±

    Tate nodded with the same smile, and uttered, ¡°We know, Lucy. Thank

    you.¡± 1

    He and Suzy then returned to their seats. Lucianne heaved a sigh

    before she met her mate''s worried gaze. She pulled herself up, and

    pecked a kiss on his lips. Her ck and lc orbs prated into his

    soul when she uttered firmly, ¡°I love you, Xandar. I''m yours. Only yours.¡±

    Her beast felt her certainty, her devotion and the depth of her love,

    making his animal coo in tenderness. Xandar''s insecurity subsided, and

    he pecked a kiss on her forehead before holding her in a tight embrace

    as he whispered, ¡°Thank you so much, baby. I love you, too.¡± 2

    The next child got impatient, and barged forward to tug at Lucianne¡¯s

    dress to get her attention, so Lucianne made Xandar release her before

    bending down to greet the little girl with a smile.

    HHH

    Before the newly-weds left for their two-month honeymoon, they

    handed the reins of the Kingdom to Christian and Annie once again,

    along with a surprise gift.

    Dr Yeil''s colleague in theb developed an antidote for Annie''s

    infertility issue, and when Lucianne and Xandar handed her and

    Christian the doctor''s appointment sheet, Christian swore he heard

    them wrong. ¡°I''m sorry, my Queen. I think I''m still deaf from the

    apuse at the wedding. What did you say this was for?¡±

    Xandar chuckled, and Lucianne said, ¡°They studied my blood, and

    found a way to reverse what happened to Annie. This antidote turns the

    switch of pregnancy hormonal production back on, so you both can

    choose to have children if you want to. The doctor says that more than

    one dosage may be required, and rmends frequent check-ups to

    monitor the foetus as it develops but he is confident that this can allow

    you both to have a healthy child, if you decide that you still want a

    child, that is.¡±

    Christian was still stunned but Annie was already crying when she

    wrapped her arms around Lucianne and thanked her repeatedly,

    forgetting that she should be gentle on the baby bump. Christian only

    came out of his shock when his cousin offered him a brotherly hug. The

    Duke squeezed his best friend in return before tears started forming in

    his own eyes. ;

    ¡°It''ll work, Christian.¡± Xandar assured.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

    Christian chuckled, wiped away his tears before he said, ¡°I just didn¡¯t

    expect to be able to...expect anymore.¡±

    Christian then embraced Lucianne for the first time as he whispered,

    ¡°Thank you, Lucy.¡± After seeing them off at the train station, the Duke

    and Duchess left the tform together with a renewed sense of hope. 1

    By the window in the private lounge of the train, Lucianne sat on

    Xandar''sp and leaned into his chest to listen to his heartbeat as her

    beast closed his eyes to take in her scent from her hair, his hand

    stroking her baby bump, and his arm circled around her waist, holding

    her close.

    After some quiet moments, he pecked a kiss on her temple, and

    uttered, ¡°I love you, Lucy.¡±

    She looked up at him with twinkling eyes and responded, ¡°I know,

    Xandar. I love you, too.¡± 9? END OF BOOK ONE su

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!