All Novel Romance
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 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 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 several large 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 glad 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. Place a few more warriors up in trees to look-out for incoming 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’t laughing 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 clarity 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 the late 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 her large curls. He gently placed 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?”.
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.” NôvelDrama.Org © 2024.
Confusion sparked in Xandar. “Care to explain that, my love?” He was hoping that by using those last 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 explained, “His late 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 nonetheless. What the h*ll happened? Why does it feel like she wants to hide from something?