The Rejected Alpha

Chapter 12 Lady Serina

Dylan's POV

"Welcome home, my dear boy." my mom gives me a warm hug and kisses me on the cheek. She holds me so tightly that for a moment I feel hard to breathe. I glance over her shoulder and recognize many familiar faces. They all stand behind my mother and watch us with a bright smile.

I feel so embarrassed and I whisper to my mom, asking her to stop calling me boy.

She raises one of her eyebrows and argues. "But you are a boy."

"I've grown up. I am an adult."

My mom raises my chin and stares into my eyes as she pleasantly announces, "Whatever you say, dear. You will always be my boy and nothing can change that."

This woman leaves me no choice but turns to Zander for help. "Save me."

He laughs and greets my mom with an elegant bow, "Lady Serina".

"Advisor!" my mom frees me instantly and holds Zander's hands. She is amazed at Zander's presence and exclaims, " I didn't expect you would join us!"

"Your son is gifted with the art of persuasion."

"Is he?" my mom looks amused, "I had thought Dylan would threaten you."

"Well, he did declare that he would provoke your daughter to stalk me if I refused to accompany him to attend the meeting. How would you interpret his words? Persuasion or threatening?"

My mom gives a hearty laugh. "Neither. This is negotiation. "

She seems to be stricken by an idea as she looks around and frowns."Where is my little girl?"

"Nancy didn't come with us."The smile on my mom's face fades once she hears my reply.

"Why?" She demands an explanation. Her expressions are still soft yet the coldness in her voice kindly reminds me that we had better be careful about this question.

Zander and I exchange a look. I am very bad at impromptu speech so I elbow Zander to handle the question. He coughs and did manage to offer my mom a half-truth. "Your daughter has been passionate about solving mathematical problems and swore she would defeat me in the next examination. "

"Nancy is very determined to take Zander down so she doesn't want to be distracted by other issues."

I am not sure if my mom is convinced by this explanation, yet she is genuinely amused. She mutters something like "That's my girl" and then turns to Zander and winks at him. "Do not let her win easily".

I can't help but snort and roll my eyes. "Seriously?He never let her win".

"That's our Advisor." my mom laughs and her laughter is so contagious that the whole place is filled with joy.

"Ok, Nancy is spared. But let's back to business." my mom clears her throat with her eyes suddenly fixed on me, "The Summit will start tomorrow and I want to make sure you are ready for this. Besides you, there will be six Alphas attending the Summit and the king will be present."

"You mean the lycan?"I am shocked by the sudden news and promise her, "I will wear a suit."

"Dressing code is one of the basic manners, young man. I am afraid you need to do more to make the king notice you——notice our pack." my mom pauses a while and leans closer to me, lowering her voice to a whisper,"The king has no heir and he has no intention to marry another woman after the queen's death. Our king is a great leader, yet sooner or later he will abdicate. If the throne goes to the wrong person, the result will be catastrophic."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"This is not about my expectation, but your decision, my dear son." my mom sighs and grasps my shoulder with her forehead against mine,"I bid you think this carefully. Would you go for the throne in person or would you bet on a promising candidate and support him? Whatever decision you intend to make, make it with meticulous calculation, for your decision will represents the Sliver Pack and the fate of our pack will be determined by the choice you make."

"This is too much." I am taken aback by the severity of the issue and fake a smile to conceal my fear, "I wish I were not the one in charge."

All of the sudden my mom's eyes are full of sorrow, yet in the blink of the eye, her grief is gone, replaced by hopeful light. She loosens my shoulder and avoids the topic. She raises her chin a little bit and looks into my eyes, "It is fine to feel fear, but do not let it take you to the abyss of desperation. Remember that you are a born leader, just like your father. And you are not alone, for we will always be your side."

The love story of my mom and dad is a kind of legendary. I've heard some tales from elders in the pack and believed it is a love to be envied. But my mom rarely mentioned my father. Therefore, I've been curious about this mysterious man for quite a long time, as I never met him in my life.

According to Uncle White, Zander's father, my dad died in an ambush set by the vampire king. Surrounded by hundreds of enemies, he managed to lead our people to break the siege. My father was wounded in the battle, though. He was bitten by a vampire. Although the bite was not fatal, it will gradually turn him into a vampire. My father could have chosen to become a vampire to escape death, yet he considered this a betrayal to wolves so he chose death over ignoble survival.

Before my father died, he summoned all his loyal servants and commanded them to protect the pack at all costs. Then he gave my mom one last kiss, bid her farewell, and died in her arms. My mom wailed over his body and passed out from grief. Though I believe Uncle White didn’t use exaggeration, I find it difficult to imagine such a scene for I never saw my mom cry.

Not a single once.

She was pregnant at that time and some Alphas came to our pack, volunteering to be the stepfather of the fruit in her belly. My mom rejected all the proposals and announced that her child will be the future Alpha of the Sliver Pack regardless of gender. Her stubbornness offended a lot of people but at the same time won the respect and support from the royal family, which made our pack got through the toughest times.

The day I was born, Uncle White found a deserted baby crying in the deep forest and brought her to my mom. Unable to watch the baby die, my mom took her in and told others that Nancy was my little sister. Since Uncle White was the pack doctor, he covered for my mom so people in our pack don't know Nancy's true identity and believe we are twins.

I don't know if Uncle White has mentioned this to Zander. Since Zander never asked, I will never bring about the topic myself. After all, the truth could shatter Nancy’s dignity to pieces and she would never dare to continue her chasing due to some stupid inferior complexity.

Everyone has been treated Nancy as Lady Serina's beloved daughter, so be it. As long as my little sis can be happy, it will be my pleasure to take this secret to the grave.