Third Person’s POV


    The Royal Council Hall was absolute chaos that day.


    The long table was filled with Alphas and high–ranking officials from every major pack, the air thick with the oppressive mix of theirpeting scents.


    The moment the proposal for the Independent She–Wolf Center was read, the opposition erupted.


    “This is outrageous!” an elderly Alpha mmed his hand on the table, his deep voice echoing off the stone walls. “If we open an organization like this, she–wolves can pack up and leave their mates and natal packs anytime they feel like it! How are we supposed to maintain the stability of the pack structure? Will mating vows and pack loyalty just be a joke?”


    Another official sneered, chiming in, “Exactly! This gives restless she–wolves a free pass. Who will respect the decisions of the pack leader then? They’ll just run and hide in the Independent She–Wolf Center the moment they’re unhappy. Is that a pack, or just a disorganized gang?”


    Others directly targeted Adide. “I bet this isn’t Alpha Lance’s idea at all, but Gamma Adide’s! Alpha Lance is willing to sacrifice every Alpha’s authority as a mate and a father just to appease hispanion! He’s throwing away basic male voice; it’s utterlyughable!”


    “You


    got


    that right,” someone agreed mockingly. “A high–ranking ckthorn Alpha openly proposing a lifeline for ‘rejected she–wolves‘ … What she–wolf will respect the mating bond after this? Give them a fallback n, and they’ll be walking all over the male wolves eventually.”


    The council hall descended into turmoil. Pheromones surged repeatedly, only to be deliberately suppressed.


    Several younger wolf officials‘ eyes were already slightly red, but they desperately tried to maintain a facade of “reason.”


    Lycan Erasmus sat high on the throne, resting his elbow on the armrest, tapping the carved wood with his fingers. He watched the shouting match below, sometimes pressing his lips together in thought, sometimes letting a faint smile y on his lips.


    This was a rare spectacle. Since Lance returned from the Southern Border, the court had only spoken of his military achievements and praised him. Few dared to criticize him openly.


    Today’smotion seemed to have finally uncorked a lot of bottled–up resentment.


    He sighed inwardly. “Lance, you are still too young, he sighed inwardly. Your move cuts directly into the shared vulnerability of all male wolves. As long as she–wolves know they have an escape, the mating bond stops being an absolute leash, and the Alphas‘ control over their families will inevitably be weakened.”


    “You thought you would win the support of the lower packs and the average she–wolves, but you failed to anticipate losing the trust of most of the royal officials here. You miscalcted this one.”


    The uproar continued below, but Lycan Erasmus looked highly amused. He didn’t intervene to stop the fight or offer any verdict.


    Only after the officials had yelled themselves hoarse did hezily look will continue this discussion at the next council meeting.”


    up and


    say tly, “We


    He neither approved nor rejected the motion, seemingly just giving everyone a chance to let the controversy fester.


    The longer he dragged it out, the more the opposition would swell. More people would step forward to protest next time, and he could simply watch and figure out where every power truly stood.


    Lance didn’t want Lycan Erasmus to agree too quickly, either.


    He wanted the issue to blow up across the capital, making sure every street, bar, church, and pack gathering was talking about the Independent She–Wolf Center proposal.


    If they were going to do this, it had to be loud. Every she–wolf living near the capital needed to know that a fallback option was waiting for them.


    Ideally, the argument shouldst a month–a perfect window for preparations.


    Besides, renovating the center, adding beds, setting up protective wards, and recruiting the first batch of staff–all these preparations would take time. A month of buffer was just right.


    He was confident Lycan Erasmus would eventually agree, and it would be reluctantly, as if Lance had forced his hand.


    For Lycan Erasmus, as long as he could make this controversy a “negativebel” for Lance, the whole thing became much more entertaining.


    After the meeting, Lance walked out of the Royal Pce with his hands sped behind his back.


    The same people who had been cursing him inside the hall immediately fell silent. Seeing him


    approach, they carefully suppressed their pheromones and offered only polite salutes.


    They knew that protesting as a group in the council, protected by Lycan Erasmus’s authority, was easy. But facing the Alpha who had killed his way back from the Southern Border alone? No one dared to pick a fight.


    Elias walked out behind Lance.


    Inside the hall, he had yed along, cursing Lance just like everyone else—but hisments were like those of a robot, echoing what others said, his tone lukewarm, and his eyespletelycking any aggression.


    In fact, his internal support for the proposal was almost tearful.


    God, he absolutely supported it. If he hadn’t been worried about his position and reputation, he would have stood up right then and there to passionately cheer for the motion.


    Sara Lili


    <strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.