The 5-time Rejected Gamma & the Lycan King novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13

On the plane, Lucianne sat with Tobias like she always did when they traveled by plane. 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 almost committed 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 her lap 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. “According 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 become our Queen. Battles are gonna be different without you.”

Lucianne bolted up from her relaxed 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 accept 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 collaborating 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 declared 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, not completely.”

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 villa. He made her feel comfortable 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 uncomfortable. 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 uncomfortable. He made her feel valued and worthy, not just as a warrior but a sa person, with or without her fighting skills. On his lap, 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

‘Lucy, what’s wrong?’ Juan mind-linked.

“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.”