The Night Prowler Pack's Proposal

Seven years ago, the Alpha position of the Silent Walkers Pack was filled by Gordon Clearwater, Lucien's father. He had an alpha brother, Marcus, who acted as his Beta. Marcus' wife was always dissatisfied with her children's prospects because Lucien was there to inherit the Alpha position after his father retired.

Aunt Catherine, as Lucien and Annalynne used to call her, was very critical of her son Deacon. She demanded Deacon to be smarter, faster, and generally better than Lucien, in hope that Gordon would pass the Alpha position to Deacon instead.

Lucien never begrudged Aunt Catherine's glee when the latter's eyes practically shone with excitement upon hearing that Landon left Lucien. If Lucien's recurring disease turned him into a cripple that was not fit for an Alpha position, his wolf's disappearance cut him off from the pack within an instant. He sincerely wished Deacon the best, all the while believing that Deacon was too immature, too hot-headed to be an Alpha.

It thus came as a surprise when Aunt Catherine lashed out at Lucien upon seeing him at the entrance of the mourning hall.

"You...!!" she shouted like a hysterical harpy as she lunged toward Lucien. Lucien pushed Annalynne behind her to protect her. Aunt Catherine only managed to leave one scratch mark on Lucien's cheek before Annalynne and her mother unitedly attacked her. Soon afterward, everyone in the mourning hall helped out to calm the grieving widow and mother.

Lucien's heart trembled when he saw his mother again after so many years had passed. "Mama?" he softly called.

Lucien's mother, Alice, burst into tears. "Lulu, my baby."

Alice pulled Lucien into an embrace. "Oh, how I missed you. You have lost weight. And how are you injured this badly?"

"I had a confrontation with a wolf," Lucien answered dismissively. "I am alright, Mama. What is happening here?"

There was not much to tell as Annalynne had done her best to keep her brother updated about the situation in the pack. Although Lucien never asked, he always listened to Annalynne attentively. The dispute between the Silent Walkers Pack and the Night Prowler Pack started with personal dislike between their two Alphas from centuries ago.

When Gordon Clearwater held the Alpha position, he tried very hard to make Lucien and Kinnon get along, in hope that these two youngsters could iron out all the creases between the two packs. Lucien and Kinnon got along tremendously. Kinnon and Deacon on the other side were like fire and ice. It was hate at the first sight for both of them.

When both packs were determined to go for a war, both Alphas were summoned by the Werewolf Council in a last attempt to prevent the war. Neither Deacon nor Kinnon was willing to back down. And thus the war happened and the Silent Walkers Pack lost their Alpha. A lot of pack members were wounded, but all of them survived.

Initially, the Silent Walkers Pack members were thankful that the Night Prowler Pack had enough civility to spare them. This gratitude turned into a big question mark when Kinnon demanded Lucien to step forward to represent the Silent Walkers Pack in the meeting to decide the fate of said pack.

Lucien was after all excluded from the pack a long time ago. In her delusion, Aunt Catherine started imagining things. And this she spat at Lucien's face without a single shred of self-restraint.

"You traitor!" she shouted while struggling to free herself from those who held her back. "You must have cooperated with Kinnon Youngshaper behind Deacon's back! You fed the enemy information about the pack! About Deacon!"

It was an outrageous accusation that Lucien heard for the first time, but Alice and Annalynne heard for the n-th time since the theory first manifested out of nowhere.

"Shut up, Kat!" Alice exclaimed. "Don't you dare blame Lucien for your son's death! Lucien left the pack years ago! How is he supposed to know anything about the pack's dynamic??"

Aunt Catherine burst into maniacal laughter. "He was groomed to be an Alpha since birth! Are you trying to tell me that he has no idea about how the pack works??"

Lucien gently pushed his mother aside. He pinned Aunt Catherine with an icy look. "Aunt Catherine, I have not colluded with Kinnon Youngshaper. Deacon's death has nothing to do with me."

"Then tell me," Aunt Catherine's eyes burned with bloodlust. "Why is Kinnon demanding to see you right after we lost? Tell me!"

"I don't know," Lucien answered as a matter of factly.

Annalynne jumped to Lucien's defense. "Lulu and Kinnon are good friends since childhood. Maybe Kinnon just feels comfortable to speak with Lulu!"

Aunt Catherine started to laugh hysterically again. The women decided to drag her to the Healer so she could be sedated to calm down her nerves.

Lucien sighed in his heart.

"How is Kendra?"

Kendra was Deacon's Luna.

Annalynne shook her head in sadness. "Kendra lost her baby. She didn't even know she was pregnant until she miscarried. She is not doing too well."

It was Deacon's first child. So Deacon died without leaving an heir. Not that the heir would be able to take over all the responsibilities as Alpha.

Lucien did not know what the next morning brought. He simply wished that Annalynne was right about Kinnon feeling comfortable to negotiate with Lucien.

It was not until the next morning that they all found out the extent of Kinnon's comfort level with Lucien. In the proposal that the Night Prowler Pack laid before the Silent Walkers Pack, Kinnon offered the members of the Silent Walkers Pack to merge into the Night Prowler Pack, but those who wished to stay in the Blue Hill City were still allowed to keep their territory and their pack name.

A Beta will be assigned to become the head of the Silent Walkers Pack, and he would report directly to Kinnon.

Kinnon only had one condition.

Lucien Clearwater must marry Kinnon Youngshaper and become his Luna.