Chapter 9

The next morning, he wore a grey shirt and a black tuxedo. At breakfast, he beamed at his subjects

when he saw that Lucianne’s head remained up when the rest of them were bowing. After greeting the

attendees, he made his way to her, and kissed her on her forehead as he said, “Thank you, for not

bowing.”

“It felt very awkward.” She complained with blushing cheeks.

He chuckled. “You’ll get used to it.” He took in her stunning figure hugged by a dark purple ruffled top and

black skirt before he said, “You look beautiful.”

She smirked and said, “You look great too, Xandar. Are you going to say that every morning?”

“Mmm. Maybe.” He was looking at her flirtatiously, and started closing the distance between them.

With her hand on his hard chest, Lucianne kept their remaining distance as she said, “Behave

now, your Highness. There are people you should meet.” “Fine.” He groaned.

With his hand on her waist, Lucianne introduced him to the pack members of Lunar Eclipse, Night Howl

and Glimmer Moon. It took a lot of encouragement and prompting on Lucianne’s part before the

members felt like they could speak up about their concerns without sugar-

coating anything.

When it came to damaged borders, Xandar promised to contribute financially without hesitation.

However, things like hospital supplies, rusting pipes and a seasonal shortage of

clean water were trickier.

He had to call for a meeting with his ministers to address these issues. He made mental notes on what

they needed, and promised to get back to them on the aid that his government can

provide.

Alpha Juan and Luna Hale walked up to them with wide smiles as Juan called out, “Lucy!

Your Highness! Busy morning, I see.”

Some Lycans were glaring at him for speaking so casually to the King but Juan and Hale couldn’t care

less. Xandar shook Juan’s hand with a smile and said, “Yeah, well. I guess that’s

what happens when I get an over-responsible mate.”

“Don’t I know it.” Juan rolled his eyes in Hale’s direction, earning a slap on his arm from his

Luna before she lovingly slipped her arm into his.

Lucianne narrowed her eyes at her mate and said, “Xandar, you asked for this.”

Hale then chirped in, “Lucy, forgive them. Men don’t always know what they want.”

“That’s true.” Xandar agreed without hesitation, and locked eyes with Lucianne before he proceeded to

say, “But there are certain things that I can never be more sure of.” He kissed her on her cheek, and

watched as she blushed. She pressed her lips together to force back tier smile, internally frustrated that

she could never control the warmth that would creep up her cheeks whenever Xandar kissed her.

They got breakfast and sat together as they ate. Lucianne invited the members of White Blood over, who

gave suggestions on how they think the government could facilitate their efforts in providing training to

untrained packs.

Xandar tried his best to control the jealousy he felt whenever he caught Lucianne and Gamma Tobias

throwing each other knowing glances and cheeky smirks as Alpha Tate

spoke. Even the Alpha was stealingglances at her whenever Lucianne wasn’t looking. ‘

Xandar held onto Lucianne’s hand, and pecked kisses on it from time to time to remind her that his

feelings for her are real, and to make an implied statement to the Gamma and the

Alpha that Lucianne was HIS mate.

About half an hour before training was bound to start, everyone left the dining hall to change into their

training attire. They then gathered at the royal training ground.

Unlike during meals, there were fewer present since many Lycans didn’t feel comfortable sharing the

ground with wolves. They used their old age as an excuse to escape the need to train. The Lycans who

were there were more open. although hesitantly open, to the werewolf

community.

Everyone was to pair up and spar with their partner on a mat beneath their feet For the first two weeks,

the training was non-shifted combat. The following two weeks would be shifted combat.

As the Defense Minister, Alfred Cummings spoke a few words with his deputy. Plerre Whitlaw, by his

side. Lucianne and Xander stood side~by-side. She changed into a sleeveless

top and her yoga pants hugged her figure. Her hair was tied up into a tight bun. Xandar was also in a

sleeveless shirt and shorts as he glared at any male who was looking at his mate’s

body.

At the end of Cummings‘s speech, Xandar received a brotherly pat on the shoulder before a

voice called out, “Your Highness.”

Xandar saw who it was, and pulled the man into a friendly hug as he said, “Goddess, it’s you! It’s great

that you could make it, Christian. How’s Annie?”

The man smiled in satisfaction. “Good. The trip away did get rid of the stress she had been

enduring for months at work.”

Xandar then pulled Lucianne to his side and said, ‘Lucianne, this is my cousin from my mother’s side and

my second-in—command, Christian Blackfur. We grew up together, and he

worked for hours into the night with me when I first ascended the throne. He was the one

Scanned with Cams nnnn er who suggested that we start scrutinizing our laws.”

Lucianne bowed politely and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, your Grace. Thank you for all you’ve

done to help the werewolves.”

To her shock, Christian took her hand and knelt on one knee before lightly kissing the back 0 f her hand

and letting it go as he stood. “My Queen, you shouldn’t have to bow to me. It is an honor to finally meet

you. I’ve read many great things about the Blue Crescent Pack.”

Embarrassed, Lucianne said, “Your Grace, please don’t do that again. And I’m not your Queen.”

‘Yet.” He chuckled as his eyes fixed on Xandar, who was looking at Lucianne with nothing but love and

adoration.

“I should…” Lucianne said, and started pointing in the direction where most of the werewolves were, “…

go help them train.”

Christian’s voice stopped her when he said, “My Queen, if you‘don’t mind. I would love to

watch you spar our strongest Lycan here. Wolves take training more seriously than Lycans d 0. Your

pack is so strong that Xandar and I have a theory: one day, even a wolf can go against a Lycan. And

from what I’ve been hearing in between the gossip of the crowd, you’re the best 0

f your kind.”

Lucianne was a little lost for words. Xandar thought she was hesitant and said comfortingly, ”

You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Lucianne.”

Cheekiness sparked in Lucianne, and she smirked at Xandar as she said, “You’re not scared o f being

beaten by a little wolf now, are you, your Highness?”

“Now we’re talking!” Chirstian exclaimed in excitement. 2

Xandar’s look of concern was quickly replaced with a short stint of surprise before he took on Lucianne’s

challenge with a cocky smirk. “You asked for this, sweetheart.”

They took their positions on the mat, and the Lycans and wolves training closer to them started to lose

focus when they saw that there was going to be a spar between their species.

They slowed down but kept working on their techniques.

Lucianne had a serious look on her face as she assessed Xandar’s built. He was tall so leaping over him

will definitely be a challenge. If she’s lucky, she can dodge his attack by slipping

under his legs.

Xandar had a cocky grin as he sprinted in her direction. She let him come at her, and let him throw his

punches. She had years to train her speed and was dodging his punches in swift motions until she saw

her chance, and used all the force in her leg to knock Xandar off his

feet.

He fell on his back with a thud but got up quickly enough to pull her towards him, slamming her back into

his chest. I-Ie held her by her neck and she struggled for a second before her legs lifted into the air and

slammed his t*sticles. He howled in pain, and Chirstian laughed hysterically from the side. 3

Xandar’s grip on Lucianne’s neck loosened, and she threw a punch to his jaw before swiftly flipping over

his head and grip his neck as she reigned him in a manner as to get him to turn

his body before pressing her weight on his back.

Her arm around his neck lifted his face off the ground, and her weight in his upper body made it

impossible for him to get up. As he lost air, he also lost strength. When his fingers stopped scratching her

arms to beg for release, and she felt his body give in to gravity, she

released her hold on him and got off his back.

Everyone around them had already stopped training, and some had their arms crossed and eyebrows

furrowed with focus as they watched the spar between Xandar and Lucianne.

Lucianne squatted beside Xandar’s head, and with one hand on his shoulder she asked, “Hey,

you okay?”

His eyes looked drained, and Lucianne felt a little remorseful. Perhaps she went too far. “Can

you talk?” She asked. Even Christian was coming over to check on his cousin.

Taking advantage of her worry, Xandar grabbed her hand from his shoulder and swiftly turned his body

while pulling Lucianne’s body to slump onto his chest, making her groan, ” Oof!” Before she could get off

him, he pinned her wrist to the ground on his side and pressed

her waist to his chest.

Lucianne’s surprise was replaced with narrowed eyes. “So, you are okay. C’mon. Let me go.”

She then tried to get off of him.

He held her tighter, and asked in a husky voice, “Aren’t you going to tell me what I did wrong?”

Seeing that he wasn’t going to release her, she said flatly, “You should’ve pinned me to the

ground with your weight when you had me by the neck.” “Really?” He asked, as if he was contemplating.

“Mm—hm.” She nodded.

With a cheeky glint, he turned their bodies over, and Lucianne’s back was pinned to the ground. Xandar

placed a part of his weight on Lucianne’s body, supporting himself only with his hands pressed on the

ground on both sides of his mate’s head. His eyes bore into hers as h

e smirked coquettishly, “Like this?”

Lucianne tried her best to ignore Xandar’s hardened manhood pressing against her abdomen, and

simply said, “You very well know that if you pinned me when you had my neck, it would b

e my chest being pressed to the ground, not my back.” He looked at her coyly and muttered, “Mmm, but I

prefer us in this position.”

“Of course, you do.” She smirked. “Let me go now, Xandar. I promised a few friends that I’ll

help train them.”

scanned with Cams nnnn er

She greeted him with a smile, “I’m here, Toby.” She then turned to the pack leaders and

greeted, “Alpha Wainwright. Luna Lyssa.” And they nodded with a smile in acknowledgment.

“What are we looking at?” She asked Tobias.

He explained, “I’m getting Alpha Wainwright to gain speed, and Luna Lyssa to make use of

her elbows and knees to escape her opponent’s grasp.”

“Great, let’s»see it.” When she gave the green light for them to start, she and Toby took a step back to

watch. The Gammas watch them attack and defend. After punches were thrown and

bodies fell and rose, Luna Lyssa came out victorious.

“Oh, goddess. That was a good fight, Luna Lyssa.” Wainwright said sportingly as he shook her hand. ‘

They then waited for the Gammas’ remarks. Toby explained how Luna Lyssa should not pass the

opportunity to aim for her opponent’s kneecap when she notices an instability, and he advised

Wainwright to find a pattern in the way his opponent punches. For Lyssa, it was almost always two

punches with her right fist, followed by one with her left. He then told Lyssa to be less predictable in the

way she threw her punches.

When Toby was done, the three of them looked at Lucianne.

In a serious tone, she said, “More often than not, a male’s chest is the most difficult spot to find a weak

point, especially if they’re well built. Focus on their abdomen, testicals, neck and nose, if you can get

close enough. If it’s a female you’re fighting, aim for her abdomen, face and feet. If her hair is long and

within reach, try to catch hold of it and use it against her. Also, be wary of your opponent’s height. If

you’re about the same, then there’s a good chance that you would be able to flip yourself over his

shoulders and push him to the ground after

attacking his vulnerable areas. And in battle,” she looked directly at Wainwright before she

said, “Show no mercy, especially if your opponent is a woman.”

Toby snorted and added, “More so if she’s only about five feet.” He shuddered mockingly after

glancing at Lucianne and added, “Dangerous creatures.” Everyone knew he meant Lucianne.

Instinctively, Lucianne punched Toby in the arm, and his body tilted slightly to the side as he continued

laughing with Wainwright and Lyssa. From a distance, Xandar saw this, and he harnessed the sudden

jealousy and anger to pin Christian to the ground before choking him b

y the throat with murderous eyes.

When Xandar released his cousin and helped him up, Christian took a moment to recover before he

said, “Well, that’s a tie. Just give me a few minutes, cuz.” He took another few breaths before he said,

“There was a sudden change in your ferocity. How did you do that?”

Xandar’s eyes went to Lucianne, who was still next to Toby as they both watched another pair of fighters.

Christian followed his gaze and chuckled. “You’re not jealous, are you?”

“You can’t blame me for being a little insecure. The werewolves love her but I suspect some of

Scaririedwith Cams nnnn er the mateless Gammas and Alphas want more than just her skills and

friendship. They could very well be in love with her.” Xandar said.

“Xandar, listen to me.” Christian’s serious tone made Xandar pay attention, “Don’t make something out of

nothing. So what if there are others in love with her? You’re her mate. She’ll only have eyes for you. If

you try to control her circle, you’ll only push her away. From whatever little I can tell,” Christian looked at

Lucianne who was demonstrating a technique t

o the two wolves who just completed sparring each other, “She just sees them as friends.”

Christian then got up, and approached his cousin, “She’s the best one they have, so she’s bound to be

interacting with a lot of fighters, which happens to include the male population. You’re her mate. You

have to find a way to be okay with that. I’ll go as far as saying that she

expects you to be okay with that.”

Xandar listened to Christian’s reasoning and promised himself that he would not interfere with Lucianne’s

circle. His cousin was right. It didn’t matter who or how many males were

after her. If he won her heart, there was nothing that could come between them.

Stina’s Pen Author

“ Let’s get real here. Will Xandar really NOT control L ucianne 3 circle? He ‘5 the fiercest and most

powerful creature in the Kingdom!

But does ferocity and power have anything to do with possessiveness?