Chapter 168: Adorable Jealousy

As though he had heard something funny, Lucien chuckled. Tears rolled down the sides of his eyes, and he even had to wipe them away as he clutched his belly.

"They’re Alphas, that’s true," he said. "But have you forgotten that I am one too? We were all born on the same night, from the same womb, and with the same blood. I am as much an Alpha as they are, no matter how much they try to kick me out of the pack and split my rightful place."

"They’re not to be underestimated," I muttered under my breath. My chest tightened with worry.

Rowan, Soren, and Cassian had caused Lucien’s disappearance once before. If Magnus hadn’t been lying and one of them did hire him, it meant that the three Alphas weren’t beneath hiring other mercenaries once more to do their bidding. Rogues had no loyalty― it doesn’t mean much to them that Lucien was the strongest rogue there ever was. When banded together, strength came in numbers.

"I know them enough to know that they have no mercy when you stand between them and what they want," I continued. "Believe me, I’ve been burned one too many times."

Even when the subject of their desires was none other than myself.

Lucien scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I would like to see them try. In a proper fight, I will be able to take them down. I’m not the same weak boy they fought with all those years ago."

I had no doubt about that. Lucien did look bigger and broader than all three of them. His physique was closest to Rowan’s, as even the triplets had slight differences due to the nature of their work. Both Lucien and Rowan were much more muscular and well-built than Soren and Cassian, and if I were to judge them side by side, Lucien could very well beat Rowan.

However, the triplets were a package of three. They worked together, despite their occasional spats and quarrels. Even though Lucien was the fourth brother among them, he didn’t mesh well with them at all.

I had no doubt that Rowan, Soren, and especially Cassian would resort to dirty tactics to mess with Lucien. As long as they could win, morals be damned. They might even hire someone like Magnus to assassinate him while he was asleep.

Not to mention the three of them would have the entire pack behind them. Lucien was powerful, but even he wouldn’t be able to fight off over fifty highly trained wolf warriors. It was too dangerous.

"But it’s still too dangerous―" I protested, hoping that he would see sense. I didn’t want the one fated mate I loved with all my heart to die.

"No buts," Lucien said, holding a finger to my lips to shush me. "Besides, you’re forgetting something incredibly important."

"And what is that?" I asked, curious.

"I have you on my side, supporting me," Lucien said, with all the confidence of a man with an ultimate trump card. "So I’ll be able to handle whatever they throw at me. They won’t know what hit them."

I blushed, having been left wordless at the intensity of his gaze. Lucin truly believed that he could take on the entire pack if he had little old me on his side. Lucien sensed my acquiescence and smiled more widely.

"First order of business― your wound needs checking." He gestured to the unfinished mark on my neck that Soren left. "Ezekiel can check on you. I am sure he will be able to find a way to fix that. I can’t let you walk around with that unfixed. If left for long, an improper mating mark can be devastating to your body."

"I know," I said with a weary shrug of my shoulders. "I’ve already suffered once. Thank goodness I had Samuel’s help."

"Samuel?" Lucien echoed, scrunching his eyebrows together in distaste. He looked at Ralph, scowling. "Another one?"

Oh. Lucien was jealous.

"No no no," I hurriedly said, trying not to smile too widely. I couldn’t help but find his behavior adorable. "You’re misunderstanding. Samuel is a healer here in Shadowclaw. He is brilliant at his work, and he is also helping me with Willow’s case. I would be dead if not for him."

"Clearly not brilliant enough if he can’t fix that thing," Lucien muttered indignantly under his breath before speaking just a bit louder. "But since you spoke so highly of him, I’ll pay him a visit in the future. Just to check to see if he’s as skilled as you say."

I couldn’t help but laugh at his childish jealousy, gently punching his upper arm.

"Now, now," I chided.

"It’s true!" Lucien said, pouting. "Proper wolf packs will never have to deal with rare cases like this. However, an unfinished mark is commonly seen among rogues. Ezekiel will have much more experience. I’m sure he can do more for you than Samuel can."

I could only beam at Lucien and nod. My entire body felt like it was floating on air, with happiness bursting through every pore. I had reunited with Lucien, and he was prepared to stay with me in this pack, which most likely held nothing but bad memories for him. To say I felt blessed was an understatement.

Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his chest. It felt so good to hold onto him. I would have gladly stayed this way forever, but then Ralph cleared his throat worriedly.

"We got company," he muttered in a low voice before seemingly slinking away to hide in the chaos. Before I could stop him, I heard the voice of one of my most disliked people on this planet.

"Alpha Rowan!" Violet cried out. I could recognize her high, whiny voice from anywhere, and it grated on my ears like nails on a chalkboard. She was standing a distance away from Lucien and I, but I could hear the sound of her rapidly approaching footsteps. "I’ve found you at last!"

I tensed up, pulling myself away from Lucien’s arms to turn my head in the other direction, frantically looking for Rowan. He was definitely going to be unhappy with this turn of events, and I knew I was the only one who could prevent a bloody confrontation between the estranged brothers.

I was half-expecting to be greeted with Rowan’s glowering face and to be pulled away, but when I glanced around, there was no other Alpha anywhere near me. Just to be sure, I tried to search through the bond as well. It wouldn’t be useful for Soren and Cassian, but it should help me sense Rowan if he was dangerously nearby.

Nothing.

There was only Lucien. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

Lucien pulled me back into his arms. He stared down at me, and a mischievous glint entered his eyes. I wondered what he could be up to.

"Get lost," Lucien ordered, in a voice sounding so much like Rowan’s that I had to do a double-take just to make sure that Rowan wasn’t actually behind Lucien.

Lucien gave me a playful wink as he kept his back towards Violet, continuing to cuddle me blatantly, hiding most of me from prying eyes like the possessive alpha I knew he was.

"Can’t you see that I’m busy?"

I heard Violet gasp from behind him, but she didn’t run away. Instead, her heartbroken voice continued to speak, desperate for the slightest hint of attention from ’Rowan’.

"Alpha Rowan, are you not even going to look at me?" she asked morosely. "Look― I got injured in the rogue attack!"

"So what?" Lucien said, putting every bit of disdain in his voice. I saw how the muscle twitched in his jaw, as though he was trying not to burst into laughter. "Everyone here has an injury one way or another. You’re not special. This just means you are weak."

His head finally turned back. I peered up just slightly enough to catch Violet straighten up in relief at getting his attention.

Huh. Violet still hadn’t figured out that the man I was hugging was actually Lucien. Maybe she did suffer an injury― one that blinded her somewhat.

By all means, Lucien should not have the same scent that Rowan did. But considering I was now practically clinging onto him like the koala bear, Rowan’s scent on me might’ve mixed with Lucien’s, causing Violet’s confusion.

Meanwhile, Lucien’s eyes scanned Violet up and down, and the look of distaste on his face grew a little more blatant than Rowan would allow.

"To think that you’re the Luna of the pack," Lucien continued dismissively. "If you can’t even protect yourself, how can the Alphas trust you to protect the pack and its members?"

He turned his head slightly back to look at me, and there was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. At an angle Violet could not see, he winked at me as he said to her, "Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the status of certain members in this pack."

This time, I finally couldn’t hold in my laughter. I slapped a hand over my lips, but even so, a small sound finally jumped out.

An enraged wheeze escaped Violet’s lips, as though she was a kettle overboiling. If I looked at her face, I knew it would be redder than a tomato.

"Briar Argyris, how dare you laugh at me!" Violet exclaimed.