Third Person’s POV


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    The negotiations had to end early. She needed to get home immediately before the situation spiraled further out of control.


    “Princess!!” Sybil screamed, crawling toward the bed on her knees.


    “Please, listen to me! We need that food, and we need Alpha Zander! Please believe in my loyalty to you and our country!”


    Helia shoved Sybil’s hand away and projected her voice.


    <b>“</b>Thalia. You are personally responsible for the interrogation. Find out who else is involved in this conspiracy and where <i>on </i>earth she got those damn parasites.”


    “Understood!”


    Two werewolf guards entered the room, grabbing Sybil by the shoulders and dragging her out.


    “Princess, why won’t you believe me? I never wanted you dead! I did everything for the Crown Prince–for–our future!”


    As Sybil was hauled away, her piercing screams and frantic scent lingered in the hallway for a long time.


    Once the room was clear, Helia’s strength finally gave out. She slumped against the side of the bed, coughing up more blood.


    Her head felt like it was splitting epen, and her wolf was thrashing against her ribs as if trying to break free.


    Sybil’s shocking betrayal had made up Helia’s mind: she was changing the strategy.


    When Damian and Raymond entered the room, she gave them a single directive.


    “We restart negotiations tomorrow<i>. </i>Our terms are now open forpromise.”


    Damian’s eyes nearly popped <i>out </i>of his head.


    “Compromise? How? If they tell us to walk away from the border dispute, are we just supposed to say yes?”


    “We are tabling the border issue for now,” Helia said, her ice–blue eyes shing in themplight.


    “We secure an agreement within the next forty–eight hours, and then we go home.”


    “But-”


    Damian started to argue, but Helia cut him off with a massive surge of Lycan pressure that choked the words in his throat.


    “I am not asking for your input. I am giving you an order!”


    Damian struggled against the pressure, his voice desperate.


    “Princess! You’re being stubborn! Listen to the rest of the delegation! If we go home without settling the border, how do we answer to Lycan Orion? The soldiers will be furious! Tens of thousands of civilians will think we crawled back after losing the talks!”


    “I will report to him myself. It’s none of your business.”


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    Helia stared straight ahead, her face a mask of solemn authority.


    “Draft new terms immediately. Aim for higher financial reparations from the North, but strip the border demands. Draft a separate side–agreement stating that both nations will return to the table on that specific issue in two years.”


    “I want this settled with pens, not a bloodbath,” she added.


    Damian stood up, his rage boiling over into a roar.


    “This is cowardice! We settle the border now, or not at all!”


    Helia red at him. Her bones began to pop and crack. Her spine lengthened, her shoulders broadened, and the shadows of w began to push through her knuckles. She was riding the edge of a shift, funneling her Lycan strength into her limbs.


    In a blur of motion, she lunged, pinning Damian against the wall and wrapping her hand around his throat. Her aura exploded like tsunami, filling every corner of the room.


    Raymond, Thalia, and Celeste instantly dropped to their knees, their bodies trembling.


    Helia leaned into Damian’s ear, her voice a low, raspy growl.


    “Damian. From the second we crossed the border on this trip, do you have any idea how many times you’ve defied me? I’ve lost


    count.”


    “Are you doing this for the country, or for your own glory?” she hissed.


    “Because in my eyes, a Lycan Gamma who actually cares about his people doesn’t argue over uses while his Princess is being poisoned by a traitor.”


    “Get out and draft the new terms. I won’t tell you twice.”


    In ckthorn war room, Dr. Digby had returned with Adide.


    He sat at the head of the table, looking at the gathered wolves.


    “The parasite used on Princess Helia is the same species we saw in Union County, just a different size. The ones in Union wererger and required a slow incubation. These were ‘needle–thread‘ parasites–engineered to mature in a month or two. They feed on blood. These smaller ones are actually more lethal; the host dies within twelve hours of infestation.”


    Caldwell felt his blood boil.


    “This has Germain written all over it. He wanted Helia dead so the talks would fall into Damian’sp. And Sybil, as Helia’s ‘trusted advisor, would have imed Helia’s dying wish was to drag Alpha Zander back to the West.”


    Lance’s brow furrowed, his pine–scented pheromones turning heavy and sharp.


    “It’s worse than that. If Helia died on our soil, we’d be framed for it. We’d be at war before her body was even cold.”


    “The man is a monster,” Paisley muttered, her face pale with anger.


    “He wants this war just so he can profit from the chaos.”


    “He’s pissed he missed his chance during the Bloodscar and Southern wars.” Lance added. “He sees Lycan Erasmus gaining more and more poprity, and he’s desperate to destabilize him.”


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    <strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.