Chapter 43

43 Annalynne’s Initiative

Back when they were still babies, Annalynne and Lucien were completely indistinguishable from each other. The same eyes, the same hair, the same face. The bigger they grow, the more attractive they became. The alpha twins of the Silent Walkers Pack was the talk of the whole werewolf community back then.

Alice Clearwater was especially delighted to have one alpha boy and one alpha girl who were so good-looking. Her two children were her biggest pride, her everything.

Lucien and Annalynne were inseparable as babies. Once the babies grew up, though, they started to drift apart. They developed different personalities, different hobbies, and befriended different people.

That was just natural, many people thought. Boys would be boys and girls would be girls. Even if both were alphas.

And then Lucien lost his wolf and his position in the Silent Walkers Pack. Everything changed within an instant. Lucien left and Annalynne stayed behind.

They still loved each other dearly, of course, but Lucien had always thought that his twin sister gradually developed some reservation around him. As if she were afraid of offending him. As if she were afraid of hurting him.

As if Lucien were made of glass and could shatter any moment.

Lucien hated it.

He could take it from anyone, even from his own mother, but not from his twin sister. He wanted to be treated normally. Not like some broken werewolf. Not like someone who needed to be protected the whole time.

.....

It was suffocating.

Their pity was killing him slowly and they didn’t even know it.

The south garden had five ponds with extraordinarily unique designs. If someone were looking at the ponds from the sky, they would see that the ponds formed a wolf’s paw print. Around the ponds, colorful flowers were planted. One-meter hedges were placed around the ponds to give an illusion of a labyrinth.

Then again only small children like Ralph would get lost in the labyrinth. Adults could easily find their way to the center of the labyrinth.

Annalynne was sitting on one of the wooden benches at the center of the garden with her legs drawn to her chest. She was too busy plucking petals off a pitiful flower that she did not notice Lucien approaching at all.

The petals rained on the ground as Annalynne softly murmured, “He’s mad at me. He’s not. He’s mad at me... Hey!!!”

Annalynne’s voice quieted down once she saw the person who grabbed the flower off her hand.

“B-big Brother...”

Lucien plopped down next to Annalynne and turned to look at her.

“Tell me what happened. I want to hear it from your own mouth.”

Annalynne did not dare to look at her brother at all.

“I... I came here of free will. No one forced me. I came to...”

Annalynne bit her lower lip. Lucien knew what she was there for, but he wanted Annalynne to say it.

“I... I came to offer myself to Kinnon.”

Lucien sighed and rubbed at the spot between his brows.

“Anna, why?”

Tears started to flow across Annalynne’s cheeks again.

“Do you know that a thousand things could have gone wrong just by you coming here?

What if something happens to you while you are here?

Where is your pride as an Alpha’s daughter??? How could you do that???”

Annalynne started to sob.

Lucien looked away in exasperation. His fingers were shaking with fury as they raked through his own hair.

The proverb said, no wolf would refuse a willing prey. If Kinnon were a complete asshole, he would have taken advantage of Annalynne and never made her his Luna. Annalynne’s reputation would be thoroughly destroyed, and so would the Silent Walkers Pack’s reputation.

“I need you to stop doing it,” Lucien said, his voice trembling from suppressed rage. “Stop trying to protect me all the time! I am still your elder brother, damn it!”

Annalynne was unable to say anything. She merely cried and cried. Lucien furrowed his brows.

“Why are you crying like that? Stop crying already. I forgive you.”

Annalynne looked beyond pitiful. She hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed softly to herself.

“Anna, you... I messed up, alright? I lost my wolf. It doesn’t mean that you have to pay for everything that I fail to deliver.

Marrying Kinnon is the least I can do for the pack. You don’t have to play my substitute. You are worth more than that. Do you hear me?”

Annalynne closed her eyes and bit her lip.

“Anna, do you hear me?”

The woman nodded. “Big Brother, I...”

She exchanged one look with Lucien and suddenly she lost her motivation to speak up.

“What is it?” Lucien demanded. “What do you want to say?”

“I... Uhm, I...”

Annalynne’s hesitation drained Lucien’s patience. Seeing his sister in that state, Lucien suddenly remembered a certain afternoon in the Alpha Camp seven years ago.

The sky was bright red, so red that it seemed to be burning. Eighteen-year-old Annalynne sat alone by the lake, her back facing the beautiful sunset as she plucked petals off a big flower. That was how Lucien found his sister.

Annalynne rarely cried, so Lucien thought that it must be serious. He pestered her for days to tell him what happened, but Annalynne’s lips were sealed tightly.

Even after seven years had passed, Lucien never found out what it was that drove his sister to tears. Annalynne never wanted to speak of it.

The Alpha Camp...

Lucien’s eyes widened when he thought about a possibility. But it was unlikely. Or was it not?

Maybe he was too busy with Ronan to notice anything else, including his own sister.

Lucien gently put his hands on Annalynne’s shoulders. The twin siblings looked at each other.

“Anna, tell me the truth. Do you have feelings for Kinnon?”

A choking sound escaped Annalynne’s throat. She stared at her big brother with a pair of big eyes that were so similar to Lucien’s. The astonishment in the eyes quickly dimmed and was replaced with heartbreak.

Annalynne lowered her head in shame.

“Yes...”