Chapter 264

264 Clearing The Traces

When Lucrethia Woodland received neither the news of Lucien Clearwater’s passing nor a report from Elijah two hours past midnight, she knew that her plans had been foiled.

Just like what she did when Gavin Ashmore was caught, she went to clear the traces that might point out her involvement in the crime.

In this case, it meant Elijah’s son, the eighteen-year-old Erick Summertide.

When a woman wanted to have things done quickly, she did it herself. This was something that Lucrethia knew from her years of experience.

She rose from her bed in the wee hours and crept into the servants’ quarter. In anticipation of Elijah’s failure, she had arranged for the young man to be placed within her vicinity. Finishing him was not going to be difficult at all. These young werewolves croaked so easily, with no single strand of resistance in their feeble bodies.

The matriarch of the Woodland family thus did not at all expect the bed to be empty. In fact, the bed was made. The young man did not sleep in his bed at all.

Fuming, Lucrethia summoned her head servant instead.

“Jonas, where did that youngling — Erick Summertide — go???”

Roused from his bed so early in the morning, Jonas Wickham did not expect this question at all. Why would the most important person in the Woodland family look for an insignificant young male servant who hailed from an unknown origin?

.....

And in the middle of the sleeping hours too?

“I... I will find out, Madam,” Jonas stuttered in confusion.

“Find him right away and bring him to me,” Lucrethia hissed angrily.

Jonas had never experienced her this way. Erick Summertide must have done something unspeakable. If he could not find the young man in time, he himself would be at the receiving end of Lucrethia Woodland’s wrath.

He never expected said youth to be miles away from Pine Groove City, in the safe protection of the Silent Walkers Pack.

“I want to see him,” Annalynne Clearwater demanded when Ronan called her to tell her and Alice that Lucien was doing fine.

“He is still unconscious,” Ronan reasoned.

“I want to visit him,” Annalynne insisted. “I will come to the Infinite Eclipse Pack House at night. No one will know about my involvement, not even that bitch Lillian Woodland.”

“You can’t,” Ronan said. “Lucien is not going to be there. I am hiding him far, far away.”

Annalynne furrowed her brows in disbelief.

“You are lying. You never wanted Lucien to be away from you, not even for a second.”

“That is in the past. Lulu’s life is more important than my wish to be with him. We need to both stick with our roles in order to bring Lucrethia Woodland down.”

“That old hag,” Annalynne cursed. “That witch!”

“Keep that young man alive. That is all I ask of you,” Ronan said. “Bye, Anna.”

“Wait...!!!”

Ronan ended the call despite Annalynne’s protest. Sitting in a car with Lucien on his lap, Ronan could still barely believe what happened in the past few days.

He almost lost his mate.

If they could pass this ordeal safely, he promised to be an avid supporter of the Holy Temple.

After Ronan took Lucien out of the temple, he and Kinnon took the man to the Seaside View Hotel in Hapsborough City.

They purposefully booked a normal room in Noah’s name instead of a suite in order to not attract any attention.

While Ronan bathed Lucien in warm water, Kinnon went shopping and bought Lucien a dry new set of clothes.

After being bathed and dried, color slowly returned to Lucien’s body. His cheeks turned rosy and his lips red.

Ronan had kissed those lips many times in an attempt to wake his mate, but so far he had not succeeded.

The High Seer had not told him when Lucien would open his eyes again.

Ronan just hoped that it would be soon.

From the hotel, they split and each drove a car. Noah drove alone back to the Infinite Eclipse Pack, while Ronan and Lucien went elsewhere.

Ronan pressed another kiss on top of Lucien’s head before he started attacking his mate with an avalanche of words.

‘My baby, we have to stay apart for a while. But no worries, I will come to get you back as soon as I am done with Lucrethia Woodland. I will not let her run free, I promise.’

‘...’

‘I love you, I love you very much. Don’t miss me too much.’

‘...’

‘Baby, please wake up soon. I want to see your beautiful eyes, hear your beautiful voice. I don’t think I can stand another day being apart from you.’

Lucien sighed in his heart.

Ronan was so contradictory. Who was going to miss whom the most? Didn’t he just proclaim valiantly to Annalynne that Lucien’s life was more important than his desire? What’s with this “I can’t stand another day being apart from you”???

‘Baby, can you hear me? Our Mind Link should have been fixed. Please, say something.’

If Lucien could, he would have rolled with his eyes. In the end, he gave in to Ronan’s incessant pestering.

‘Ronan, you are so noisy. You can wake even a dead man.’

Ronan sucked in a deep breath.

He showered his mate with kisses.

‘Oh, Goddess. Baby, you are awake. You are awake!’

Lucien scoffed softly in his heart.

‘Yes, but I can’t open my eyes and move even a finger. My body feels so heavy.’

‘You have been sleeping inside the Cleansing Pond for three days and three nights. We need to work on your blood circulation and nutrition and...’

‘Ronan.’

‘Yes?’

‘Be careful, please. I don’t want you to carelessly walk into danger.’

‘Don’t worry, I will be careful. I still need to marry you and take you back home to be my Luna.’

‘Heh, you still remember that.’

‘How can I forget?’

‘By the way, where are you taking me?’

‘To the place that Lucrethia Woodland expects you the least.’

“Alpha, we are here,” Milroy announced from the driver’s seat.

Ronan looked up and saw the unfamiliar gates of the Night Prowler Pack House.