SWNOVELS Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Lucianne moved to position her small body right in front of Xandar's large frame as soon as h e growled. His black fur was starting to show on the visible parts of his skin, and he was still throwing a murderous glare at Caunterberg.
Lucianne then took Xandar’s slightly furry face in her hands, and she stroked his face slowly and soothingly. “Xandar. Xandar, look at me, please.” His fists were clenched tightly by his sides, both covered in black fur.
Lucianne then pulled his face towards her to make his angered eyes lock with her soft ones, (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)” Xandar, darling. Listen to me, okay? It's just you and me. Nothing else is important. Okay? Breathe. It's okay. We're both okay. Breathe. We're okay. We're okay. Breathe. Breathe.”
The rapid rise and fall of his chest was slowing down. Lucianne continued to stroke his cheeks and cooed, “Shh...I'm here, Xandar. I'm here. It's just you and me. Shh..."
The fur on his face and hands were starting to shorten bit by bit. As Lucianne’s soothing voice and gentle touch continued to enter Xandar's being. His fur shortened until it disappeared from sight. But his eyes were still onyx as they looked into her black orbs.
His fists loosened from the tight clenches. And a few moments later, his hands found their way to Lucianne’s waist. Xandar held on to Lucianne’s small waist a little too tightly but Lucianne knew that this was not the time to comment on his grip. She uttered softly, slowly and clearly, “Xandar, it's okay. There is hope. We can still fix it, okay?"
When she started seeing the faint traces of lilac shades returning to his eyes, she was internally relieved. She then whispered to him in a hushed tone, “There is a right way of doing this. You are better, Alexandar. You are more. Let's resolve this the right way. What do you say?”
Xandar was silent for a moment as he continued to stare into her eyes. Lucianne let him take his time to process her words as she continued to look into his onyx orbs with a soft gaze. Then, one of his hands left her waist and reached for one of her hands on his face.
He gently took her hand by her wrist and moved it over his mouth. He closed his eyes and planted a deep kiss on her palm before placing it back on his cheek as he uttered, “Okay.”
Lucianne smiled, and pulled herself up to peck a kiss on his jaw, (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)and half his eyes had returned to their original lilac colour. The onyx shades were still very much visible but Lucianne knew this would be enough for Xandar to restrain himself from shifting.
He pulled her into an embrace which was a bit too tight but Lucianne decided to bear with it for this time. He needed this. He needed the mate bond to calm himself. He held her for a moment in the silent dining hall before pecking a kiss on her forehead and whispering,” Thank you, baby.”
Lucianne smiled wider and pecked another kiss on his jaw before saying, “Xandar, I'm your mate. You don’t have to thank me for this.” He returned her smile. But his expression turned hard again as he turned to the pale-looking minister who was still rooted to his spot. Lucianne thought to herself, “Seriously? He's still here? He could've just fled from the hall when Xandar lost control."
Xandar's hand remained on Lucianne’s waist. He turned and looked hard at Caunterberg as h e barked, “Yarrington!”
The education minister standing on the side flinched for a moment. After exchanging a fearful glance with his mate, Yarrington made his way over in quick steps. When he came before Xandar and Lucianne, he averted his eyes and fell on one knee as he greeted Xandar,” My King.” Xandar's eyes were still fixed on Caunterberg when he sternly ordered, “Stand, Yarrington.” The minister on the ground looked up in fear and hesitation. He didn't recall doing anything wrong. He looked at Lucianne, and she gave him a small smile and an encouraging nod. So, h e slowly picked himself up from the ground and stood before them, trying not to show how daunted he was.
Xandar then made an announcement while still fixing his glare on Caunterberg, “With immediate effect, Lord Yarrington will temporarily stand in as Minister of Health and Welfare until a suitable replacement for the position can be found. No ministers or families of ministers are permitted to leave the country while we assess everyone's ethical behaviour. If any complaints are made against any one of you, we will investigate the matter very, very thoroughly.” His emphasis on the words “very’ had a homicidal edge, (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com) sending a shiver down the spines of many. Caunterberg himself was already wobbling at his legs. 1
Xandar pecked a kiss on Lucianne’s temple before he turned to face the rest of his subjects, “T 0 any wolf or Lycan who has been mistreated or harassed by any government official in the past, I am urging you to submit a complaint to Lord Yarrington’s office in the next seven days. Your King urges you to speak up. Our Queen..." he then looked at Lucianne with soft eyes and she mind-linked him with a small smile, I'll submit mine tonight, Xandar'. Xandar continued, “...will be submitting her own complaint tonight.”
There were gasps and murmurs. Before Xandar said that, only a few werewolves knew about what Caunterberg said to Lucianne in the past because they were either her friends, or were victims to the same form of harassment. But after Xandar made the announcement, everyone knew.
“Can I say something?’ Lucianne mind-linked Xandar as she looked up at him with a smile.
Xandar's lips curled upward just slightly, and kissed her temple before saying, “Of course.” 1
She took a step forward and turned to face the room. Lucianne dropped her smile and put on a serious face. All eyes were on her when everyone fell silent.
She mustered her voice of authority and grace, and began, “For quite some time now, many of us have been subjected to the words and attitudes of some very powerful individuals in this room. The very people who were supposed to protect us have been the danger instead. Our King is now offering us a way to seek the justice that we deserve. If you have been mistreated or harassed, I urge you not to be afraid, ashamed or embarrassed. None of what happened was your fault. Be empowered. You are now given a voice and a route to punish your assailant for what he said or did to you. Friends, urge the ones you know to submit a complaint. Mates, insist that a complaint is submitted if your mate fell victim to any form of mistreatment. We're doing this properly, so we might as well do it together.”
When Lucianne stood back and joined Xandar, he was smiling as he looked at her with love and admiration. Then, they both noticed that the wolves on the left side of the hall were all having glazed-over eyes. They were all mind-linking, but why? Xandar saw that Lucianne’s eyes were clear and she looked confused herself, so she wouldn't know what they were saying among themselves. When the wolves’ eyes cleared, Luna Hale touched Alpha Juan's arm affectionately before unclinging her arm from his and taking three steps out. She looked at Lucianne and Xandar with a grateful smile, and said a very loud and clear “thank you, your Highnesses' as she offered a bow. Right after her, all the werewolves uttered the same words and bowed with Luna Hale. Xandar and Lucianne bowed in return before standing with the wolves. 2
The Lycans tried to copy their cousin species but because it was not properly planned among themselves, their thanks came out with a less- than-perfect synchronicity. 1
Xandar walked Lucianne out and back to the hotel right after. In her room, (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)she got her laptop out and sat at the dressing table. Xandar placed a chair right next to her. That's when she said, “Xandar, it'll be easier for me to do this if I sat here alone. Could you wait on the couch? I'll show it to you before submitting.”
He was hesitant. He wanted to see the complaint she was about to type, while she typed it. She then looked at him with those innocent doe-eyes of hers as she asked softly, “Please?”
He sighed in frustration, and kissed her on her forehead before dropping onto her couch. He just couldn't say no to her when she looked at him like that. For the next few minutes, the only sound in the room was the tapping of laptop keys. Then, Xandar received a phone call. He swiped to answer, “Yarrington, what is it?"