Chapter 164

164 New Alpha Election

The news regarding the end of the dispute between the two packs was received very well by the entire Silent Walkers Pack.

Kendra Firemoon as the current Luna announced that she did not wish to make use of her right as a widowed Luna to select a new Alpha. That meant that all alphas who were interested in becoming the next Alpha must partake in a competition.

The winner would become the next Alpha by default.

The night before the competition began, Alice Clearwater found Lucien lounging alone at the edge of an open window, looking like a lost soul.

“Lulu? Is everything alright?”

“Yes, Mom. Everything is fine,” Lucien answered automatically, smiling at his mother to placate her.

“Lucien, do you plan to participate in the competition tomorrow?”

When Lucien was a child, he was automatically selected as the heir because his father was the reigning Alpha at that time.

Her son was too young to exhibit good Alpha attributes, so Alice personally never saw him as a strong Alpha candidate.

.....

It was not until he came back, wolf-less, to help out his birth pack that Alice realized what a wonderful Alpha Lucien would make. Landon was strong, of course, but what saved the pack, in the end, was Lucien’s mental fortitude as well as endless care for the pack.

Alice wanted Lucien to be the next Alpha. It was not even about keeping the Alpha position in the Clearwater family. It was about rebuilding the pack. No one could do it better than Lucien.

And yet, Kendra informed her that despite Kendra’s willingness, Lucien had refused to become the next Alpha by marrying her.

Alice was rather disappointed.

But then she thought, maybe Lucien did want to become the Alpha, just not by marrying Kendra because he was in a relationship with Ronan. Winning the competition was the best way to seize the Alpha position. It would shut up those whose conventional minds still believed that strength was everything.

To Alice’s greatest disappointment, Lucien shook his head.

“No, Mom.”

Alice swallowed hard.

“If you do not wish to be the Alpha, are you looking forward to serving as the Beta maybe? Or the Gamma?”

Betas were as good as Alphas. If the Alpha was not good, as long as he trusted the Beta, the Beta could still make some changes. Desmond, bless his heart, did not have a good enough relationship with Deacon to counsel him.

Or, Lucien could be the Gamma. Acatha was good, no doubt about that, but Alice could see Lucien in that role as well.

Again, Lucien shook his head.

Alice sighed.

“Is it because of Alpha Ronan?”

Lucien’s eyelashes fluttered slightly when he heard Ronan’s name.

“Yes,” he said in the end.

“Lulu, you can keep both the Alpha position and your relationship with Alpha Ronan,” Alice tried to coax her son. “The pack will understand if you decide to adopt a child or pass the position to someone else later on.”

“I know, Mom. I am grateful for that, but Ronan and I might be planning to take our relationship to the next level in the future.”

Alice’s eyes grew round.

“Are you planning to be his Luna? The Luna of the Infinite Eclipse Pack?”

Lucien took a while to answer, but when he did, his tone was unwavering and his eyes harbored no doubt.

“If Ronan asks me to be his Luna next time, I would like to say yes.”

That was why he could not fill any critical position within the pack. He must be replaceable. The best he could do was provide counsel to anyone in the pack, be it the Alpha, Beta, or even Gamma.

“Lulu... My son, are you sure?” Alice asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“Mom has neither prejudice nor objection toward your choice of partner, but we are talking about the Alpha of the Infinite Eclipse Pack here.”

Infinite Eclipse Pack was a huge, powerful pack. Such packs typically required their Alphas to lead a typical, idealistic life and fulfill their responsibilities conventionally.

Even more so Ronan Silverback, who carried two powerful bloodlines in his body.

Alice could not help but bite her lip in regret.

If only Lucien were a woman.

Alice had seen with her own eyes how much Ronan doted on Lucien. Ronan and Lucien would have been a perfect couple if only Lucien could give birth to the couple’s pups.

Unfortunately, Lucien was a man.

Alice did not want her son to suffer. The path leading to the Luna position of the Infinite Eclipse Pack was full of roadblocks and spiky barbs. Even if Lucien attained the position through marriage, would he be able to gain everyone’s respect and rule over those who rejected his mere presence?

“I understand, Mom,” Lucien replied.

He too had thought about this matter for months before making the decision.

“Ronan and I will overcome the challenges together.”

Alice exhaled.

She was not sure why, but she trusted Lucien’s judgment. Her son had rejected Ronan’s advances fiercely for months. If he then complied, then it must mean that the couple had come to a relatively secure place in their relationship.

Following Alice’s urges, Lucien went to bed early.

The next morning, all alpha werewolves in the pack who wished to fight for the coveted Alpha position gathered in the courtyard. Young and old, all of them were ready for what was to come.

Desmond and Acatha refused to participate in the competition, citing a lack of interest in the Alpha position. They would rather enjoy the competition and root for the ones that showed high potential.

While the non-competing pack members were putting up a small elevated arena for battling purposes, the competition participants were asked to draw lots from a leather bag. After everyone got their numbers, the order of the matches would be established by another lot drawing, this time by Kendra and Lucien.

The two of them watched as the alphas walked past them one by one and drew their numbers. Having been away from the pack for a long time, Lucien only recognized a handful of them.

And then he saw someone who he would recognize from miles away.

“Anna???!” Lucien shouted in surprise.

His twin sister was clothed in protective gear, ready for a fight.