A Rival to Behold

Gavin's parents passed away when he was ten years old. He had been raised together with other orphans by the Gamma and her mate. The Infinite Eclipse Pack's Gamma was a she-wolf who went by the name Quinn.

After Gavin's detainment, Quinn continued visiting Gavin and taking care of him like a mother would. Gavin did not show any abnormal behavior during her visits, but then he broke out of the prison after spending only one night in the prison.

It was to be noted that the prison merely served as a temporary lodging for guilty werewolves who were waiting for the Alpha to decide their fates. There was only one cell inside the prison.

The Warriors watched over him day and night alternately, and yet Gavin still managed to escape. The Warrior in charge claimed that he had not seen anything. It was almost as if Gavin evaporated into thin air.

After careful investigation, they discovered a hole at the bottom of the bed. No one knew how long the hole had been there. The prison was left unguarded when no prisoner was inside. It was possible that Gavin dug the hole in preparation for his escape if he was ever caught. It looked like his efforts paid off.

Thinking that Gavin was hiding somewhere, Jake had a search conducted to the whole Pack House and its surrounding to find Gavin. He truly had left.

"Is Maya safe?" Ronan asked.

"Yes, she is. She is surrounded by a lot of people. Gavin will not be able to get to her easily."

It was easy to get Maya when she was surrounded by strangers in a city far from home. It was basically impossible to do the same thing when Maya was surrounded by so many werewolves who would detect Gavin by his scent before the latter even came close to Maya.

So where did Gavin go?

What was he planning to do?

Ronan clenched his fingers into fists. He could only think of one person who might be in danger at the moment.

"Get the Scouts to find me Gavin," he said to Jake before ending the conversation. To the driver he ordered, "Go back to South Bedford City."

-------------

Lucien's fellow teachers at the South Bedford Art College were surprised to see him come in the afternoon. Even more surprised when the man asked for one-week leave.

The dean was so concerned that he invited Lucien to his office to have a private talk.

"Mr. Clearwater," The Dean said with furrowed brows. He leaned forward and spoke to Lucien with a paternal tone, "should you require any assistance, please do not refrain from contacting us. We can help, be it financially or psychologically."

Lucien was touched. "Thank you, Dean. I am fine. I just have to go back to my hometown for a while. My family needs me."

It was technically not a lie. Only that it was not his family specifically but his own pack.

The Dean sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Alright, you are allowed to take leave. Please take care of yourself, alright?"

"Yes, Dean."

Lucien was in the middle of packing up when the unknown number called again. Lucien let his finger hover unsteadily over the phone screen, unsure whether he should answer or not. In the end he didn't answer. He merely stared at his phone screen for a long time.

Kinnon Youngshaper.

The name was connected to a lot of memories in the past, most of them quite pleasant. Kinnon had expected Lucien to become the Alpha of the Silent Walkers Pack. Had he been one, then maybe Kinnon would be more lenient when dealing with Lucien's birth pack.

Lucien already left the Silent Walkers Pack. Why would Kinnon want to meet him? For what purpose?

They were childhood friends. All of them. Lucien wanted to trust that Kinnon had not changed much. And him? What about him? Lucien scoffed to himself. He had changed so much that it was hard to associate him to a werewolf pack.

The phone lit up again and started to ring. This time Lucien decided to accept the call.

"Hello?"

The voice on the other side was gentle but powerful at the same time. "Lucien, finally."

It was none other than Kinnon Youngshaper indeed.

"I am in front of your house. Will you please let me in...?"

One thing was asking to meet him, and the other thing was appearing at his doorstep.

"Fine," Lucien answered before ending the call. He gingerly went to the front door and opened it. A tall man in black suit stood in front of him. His intensive black eyes were locked on Lucien's own caramel-brown eyes.

"Kinnon."

The corners of Kinnon Youngshaper's lips tugged up in a charming smile. He extended his arms and gathered Lucien into his arms. Lucien only managed to let out a surprised gasp before his face was pressed into Kinnon's warm chest. An overwhelming scent of pinewood and fresh grass invaded his nose and dazed him momentarily.

"I've missed you," Kinnon whispered into Lucien's ear intimately. His breath tickled at Lucien's earlobe. Lucien gently pushed at Kinnon's chest. "Kinnon, release me." It sounded like a plea. Kinnon did not seem to hear him. He tightened his arms around Lucien's waist instead.

"You have lost weight."

Lucien pulled a grimace. Despite the thick bandages, he still felt pain from the tight embrace.

"Kinnon, let me go."

"No."

Kinnon buried his head into the crook between Lucien's head and shoulder. "I finally have you back in my arms now. I am not going to let you go anymore."

Lucien sighed. His eyes wandered over Kinnon's broad shoulder and landed on someone who was standing just a hundred meters away from them. Lucien's eyes widened in shock.

Ronan Silverback's eyes were as cold as ice, but he was burning with rage. The Alpha of Infinite Eclipse Pack marched toward the two people in front of him who were locked in an intimate embrace. He pulled at Kinnon's shoulder forcefully and his fist flew toward Kinnon's face.