All Chapters of The Alpha's Caged Bird Is Secretly the Chief Arbiter: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Three days earlier, in the afternoon.I lounged on a bed of furs in the private hunting preserve Gideon had transformed just for me.It stayed as warm as spring all year. He'd gone out of his way to stock the hills with rare plants and prized game.Gideon had set aside the entire snow-covered mountain preserve for my exclusive use.I rolled a plump, sweet arctic berry between my fingers and glanced at the butler waiting beside me. "Buy the preserve and the whole valley with it. Put both in my name for good. No more lease renewals."But when the butler went to handle the paperwork, he found that the Obsidian card Gideon had given me no longer worked.I'd always spent freely on rare jewels, one-of-a-kind gowns, and luxury cars. Even when I'd bought out every high-end boutique in an entire city on a whim, the card had never failed me.Today, though, it failed for the first time.Almost at the same moment, the message crystal hanging in the stone hall flared with a warning.[The Obsidian P

I shoved open the heavy iron doors of the negotiation chamber.Inside, Gideon sat alone, surrounded by ten hostile pack envoys who stared him down like starving wolves.At the noise, every head turned toward me.Gideon shot to his feet.The instant he saw me, the calm in his eyes gave way to sheer shock and terror.He reached me in a flash. Before I could protest, he tore off his heavy cloak, still carrying the scent of blood, and wrapped me in it from head to toe."Who told you to come here? Go back right now!" he growled under his breath, but the hand gripping my arm shook uncontrollably.I looked at all his wounds, and my eyes stung.He was barely holding himself together, and he was still worried about me.I pushed the feeling down and lifted my chin defiantly. "I come back when I want to. Since when do you get to tell me what to do?"My voice was as petulant as ever, but I held his hand tighter than I ever had before.Julian, who had orchestrated everything, sat at the head of the

The summons went out.The room was silent for a few seconds.Julian was the first to laugh. He leaned back and looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. "Freeze every territorial transfer on the continent?" He tapped the table. "Evelyn, do you have any idea how many territorial transfers happen on this continent every day?"The envoys from the other packs on both sides of the long table started laughing too.Their laughter blended with low, grating growls.Simon Vale, the Blazing Sun Pack's envoy, looked me up and down. "Gideon certainly spares no expense on his mate. He's spoiled her so badly she doesn't know her place."You expect our Alphas to come here and kneel within 30 minutes? Even if you really were the Chief Arbiter, you wouldn't have that authority."Gideon stood beside me and tugged at my sleeve.Under his breath, he told me he'd find a way to get me out and warned me not to do anything reckless.I didn't answer. I picked up the territorial transfer agreement from the table.Jul

When Silas knelt, the entire hall fell deathly silent. Julian's smug expression froze, as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. The envoys who'd been so cocky a minute earlier went weak in the knees and collapsed one after another.Gideon stayed where he was, still shielding me, his massive frame frozen in place.He looked down at me. Shock and disbelief churned in his eyes, along with a faint, complicated emotion I couldn't name.I moved past the kneeling Silas and slowly slid Julian's pact to divide Obsidian territory to the edge of the table. "Have you read it?" My voice wasn't loud, but every leader in the room shuddered.Silas took one look at the pact. His aged face drained of color, and he flinched. "No! My... my lady, the High Council's elders only authorized a defensive counterstrike in response to the border clashes. They never approved a predatory blood pact like this!"I tapped the table, my eyes on him. "So your people acted on their own?"Silas was ashen now, sweat tr