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.
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.<
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-unrelated 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?”
When they reached the hotel, Xandar accompanied 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?” Lucianne was surprised, even a little shocked. But given how everybody was indicating that she almost died the previous night, she understood where Xandar was coming 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 relaxed, and a smile replaced 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 nod
“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.”
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 exclaimed 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 match
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
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 took comfort 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,
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?” 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 lilac eyes locked with her anxious black ones. Christian took a moment before responding, “Is this a trick question? Cuz, when have you ever…” he 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
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 with combat, 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 exclaimed 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--”Before he could say goodbye and hang up, Lucianne snatched his phone and