Chapter 240
Unfortunately, Lillian’s arrival turned everything into naught.
“Ronan,” Lucien called.
Gazing at his mate with an unreadable expression on his face, he tapped at the seat next to him. The seat of the Alpha.
“Come here and sit.”
Ronan closed the distance between them in long strides.
Once he arrived in front of Lucien, he tilted the latter’s chin and sucked on his lips gently.
Although Cassie and Quinn were both married and used to physical intimacy, they still blushed at the sight of the two men kissing.
Lillian averted her gaze in order to not roll with her eyes. If she were really carrying Ronan’s child, she would be quite pissed to see them openly display their affection like that.
.....
“You still have some fever,” Ronan whispered with a displeased frown.
“Only a little more left,” Lucien replied.
The ends of his eyes were a little red. He looked aggrieved.
“Go back to sleep,” Ronan insisted. “I will handle it here.”
“No. I am to be the Luna. I need to be here,” Lucien would not budge from his seat.
Ronan pressed a kiss on Lucien’s cheek.
“You are the Luna,” Ronan whispered into Lucien’s ear.
“That position is yours, Lucien. It will never be anyone else’s.”
“Mnh...”
Watching the soap theater in front of her, Lillian would love to scream out the fact that she neither wished to be the Infinite Eclipse Pack’s Luna, nor wanted to join the pack.
Cassie bent her knees in front of Ronan curtly before she spoke up, “Reporting to the Alpha, we are discussing where Miss Woodland shall stay upon her entry to the pack.”
“Anywhere would do,” Ronan replied rashly.
She was not to stay longer than at most three more months, anyway.
This discussion was completely unnecessary, even more so when Lucien was down with a fever.
This was naturally a fact that was only privy to Ronan and Lillian.
The others did not expect to hear these words.
Cassie’s mouth dropped open.
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
Quinn’s grip on her documents tightened.
“As the mother of your son, logically she should stay where you are,” Lucien pointed out. “Is that what you want?”
There was a hint of admonishment in his words, similar to a blade that could cut into a block of ice.
“What??? No!” Ronan blurted out without thinking. “That’s not what I meant when I said anywhere!”
Be it a fake relationship or not, Ronan did not want Lillian to be the third wheel in his relationship with Lucien. He was treading on a precarious, narrow path himself.
“...”
“...”
Lillian wanted to bury her face into her palms so badly. What a disaster.
Lucien coughed into his fist.
“I do not have any experience in this matter. How is it settled usually?”
Cassie and Quinn exchanged looks.
There had only been one special case in the Infinite Eclipse Pack where the Alpha had children outside of the mating bond. They were of course thinking about Dane Silverback. Other Alphas, to the best of their knowledge, had been properly adhering to the unwritten rules of werewolf society.
First the wedding, then the mating, then the children.
Who dared to open their mouths to badmouth the previous Alpha, though?
Of course none of them.
The two women were thus more than happy when Ronan decided to take the lead and answer the sensitive question.
“Based on a precedent, the mating bond is above everything else, including the existence of children out of mating bonds.”
Which was to say that Ronan did not want Lillian and the baby to intrude on his relationship with Lucien.
Then again, Lillian Woodland was not some insignificant rogue she-wolf of low birth. Her status commanded respect.
The baby in her belly was also the only heir that Ronan Silverback would ever have.
That should mean something, right?
Lucien’s gaze drifted to Ronan. He already stepped over Ronan’s authority when he suggested letting Lillian join the Infinite Eclipse Pack. Now that Ronan was personally there in the audience hall, he could decide things. Lucien was only there to acknowledge his decision, whatever it was.
“Please give your direction, Alpha,” Lucien said.
Ronan’s eyes moved from the mate next to him to Lillian Woodland.
“A nice residence of her choice shall be provided for Miss Woodland along with maids to take care of her needs.”
The fact that she was not to stay with Ronan and Lucien was implied.
Ronan pinned Lillian with a stare.
“Do you have any objection?”
“Not at all,” Lillian beamed with a smile. “I am now part of the Infinite Eclipse Pack. The Alpha’s will is my will.”
Cassie and Quinn continued their discussion with Lillian in the audience hall.
Ronan pulled Lucien from his seat and out of the hall. Once they were within the privacy of their four walls, Lucien pulled his wrist out of Ronan’s grip.
“I am not an invalid, Ronan,” Lucien said with a frown. “Stop babysitting me.”
“No. If I do that, you will go and attend to some Luna responsibilities again.”
Lucien chuckled.
“Is that not what a Luna is supposed to do?”
“Yes, after the wedding. Before the wedding, all you need to think about is our upcoming wedding.”
“...”
Ronan put his arms around Lucien from behind.
“Lulu...”
“...”
Lucien freed himself from Ronan’s embrace and looked away from him.
“Sorry for last night,” he said. “It was the fever. And constant nausea. I was being unnecessarily difficult.”
Ronan sighed in his heart.
“Lulu, it is fine to be upset.”
“I am NOT upset!”
Lucien whipped his head toward Ronan and glared at him.
“Stop putting me in the same box with all of your whores!”
Ronan rubbed at his forehead.
“Baby, we talked about this, do you remember?”
Lucien narrowed his eyes at him.
“What am I supposed to remember?”
“You promised to share your burden with me.”
Lucien sucked in a deep breath sharply.
“Didn’t I?” he said, casting a cold glare in Ronan’s direction. “You rejected me and left.”
.....