Chapter 781

Third Person's POVVelda wasn't the type to just roll over and die. In her mind, being a homeless rogue was still a hell of a lot better than being a cold corpse.As long as she was still breathing, she believed she'd get a chance to show her fangs again.If the Northern Kingdom didn't have a place for her, some other territory would.She just had to stay mean and stay alive.Ulrik stared at her like she was talking in her sleep."What good is memorizing an escape route? Do you have any idea how many soldiers the Western Tribe brought? Hundreds! They have sixty or seventy elite guards alone. Me going in there as a lone wolf to bust you out isn't a rescue—it's a suicide mission.""You won't be alone," Velda said, her lips curling into a smirk. "Blackthorn will clear the way for you."Ulrik's breath hitched."Since I'm already in their hands, I'll find a way to make them demand Alpha Zander from Lycan Erasmus as a sacrifice to end this mess," she said, a malicious glint in her eyes."Th

Chapter 782

Third Person's POVPrunella snapped her back straight. "Yes, sir!"Caldwell's eyes lit up as he listened.He had already planned on keeping the Silverlight estate under 24-hour surveillance, but Klein's idea to turn Alpha Howell into a penniless rogue before he even reached Hudson City was beautifully twisted. He absolutely loved the plan.Klein let out another cold snort."And don't think I'm giving you the cold shoulder for no reason. Your mentor, Irene, was up on the Shadow Peaks messing with alchemical black powder and managed to turn my courtyard into a pile of rubble! Not only that, she ordered me to the capital to help you deal with this mess. So, my mood is terrible!"Craig and Prunella traded a subtle, knowing glance.Irene was tinkering with black powder again?Back when they first heard Adelaide was heading to the front lines, Irene started refining dangerous powders in her lab like a madwoman. She'd tried it before,

Chapter 783

Third Person's POVCaldwell quickly wrapped up his briefing, summarizing the recent movements following the Palace banquet, specifically the suspicious shifts within the Blue Abyss and Silverlights.The moment the report ended, Klein turned his gaze toward Lance."None of that matters right now. You're the Alpha heading the negotiations tomorrow. Everything depends on whether your fangs are sharp enough. Now, get out and go to sleep."Lance knew better than to argue with an order from Klein.He stood up immediately, but as he reached the door, curiosity got the better of him."You said Mentor Irene blew up the courtyard—how did that actually happen?"Caldwell began signaling frantically for Lance to shut up, but Lance wasn't looking his way."She was playing with that dangerous alchemical powder. It got out of control. It went off," Klein answered, his face an unreadable mask."Wait," Lance said, sounding surprised

Chapter 784

Third Person's POVBy bringing up the assassination attempt and demanding a formal response before the actual negotiations even started, Lance appeared candid and sincere, but he was actually applying massive psychological pressure on the Western delegation.In fact, the Western envoys almost wished Lance would be sleazier—they wanted him to use the incident as a blatant bargaining chip. That way, both sides could drop the pretense of diplomatic grace and get straight to the cutthroat business of national interests.At this moment, every member of the delegation—except for Bobby Potter—was cursing Damian in their hearts.A trigger-happy idiot like him thought he could replace Pierce? Utterly delusional.Lance maintained a calm gaze, locked in a silent standoff with his counterparts.He knew this was a psychological war of attrition. The Westerners held the "Bloodscar Massacre" card; they should have been the ones roaring in

Chapter 785

Third Person's POVThe Northern officials were willing to offer formal apologies, gold, and mineral resources for the Snowdeer Town massacre. However, their primary goal was to secure a chance for a fair hearing rather than facing the tens of thousands of Western troops currently massed at the border.The Western diplomats distributed the parchment dossiers regarding the Snowdeer Town incident.Included were numerous gruesome eyewitness accounts—the truth as reconstructed by the Western soldiers who had been captured alongside the Crown Prince and later managed to escape.The civilians of Snowdeer Town had not been entirely wiped out; survivors hiding in cellars and snow pits had witnessed the hellish slaughter firsthand.In these documents, the identity of the late Crown Prince was scrubbed, using the alias "Rowan" instead.But Lance and Elias knew the truth: "Rowan" was actually Crown Prince Lucian.As Lance and his team read

Chapter 786

Third Person's POVHelia was the first to break the heavy silence.Her voice carried the unmistakable aura of a Lycan's command."Your nation unilaterally tore up the pact to protect civilians and spare prisoners of war. It was an atrocity that angered the Moon Goddess. However, our slaughter of the Frostfang Pack was equally a bloody transgression."Her eyes burned like torches as she continued, "If these negotiations are to proceed, both sides must acknowledge these blood-stained facts. Only on this foundation can true discussions begin."The translators quickly relayed her words.Lance and Elias exchanged a look and nodded in agreement.With that, the high-stakes negotiation that would decide the fate of two kingdoms officially commenced.The Western Tribe didn't waste time on pleasantries; they laid out five non-negotiable conditions.First, a formal apology from the Northern Kingdom to the slaughtered civilians of t