My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 104

Sariel and Draven looked at each other intently, as if trying to measure each other's strength, while Draven's wolves were proving to be more than satisfied with Elora and the counselor leaving the room. The chuckling and muttering lasted for a while after they left. I guessed that the wolves from the Moon Hill Pack must have known something about Elora before coming here. Of course, it wouldn't be surprising to find out that she had managed to offend every wolf from the pack only during the ball, but I felt that their disdain for her had a deeper meaning.

"The traitorous stink is out of the room. The air is finally clear," Beta Ari snorted, then leaned out from Alpha Draven's back and winked at me.

With his dark skin, deep-set brown eyes, thick black eyebrows, and massive jawline, he looked even more intimidating than Alpha Draven. I flinched, surprised by his informal behavior, and shot him a nervous smile, which instantly made him grin like a little child. I tilted my head, stunned. Suddenly, his dangerous aura disappeared, and with his warmly smiling eyes, he began to resemble an overgrown puppy. Unluckily for him, Alpha Draven quickly wiped his smile away as he glared at his Beta meaningfully and shifted in his seat so that Ari could no longer glance at me. I chuckled, observing their childish behavior, but then felt the heat of Sariel's stare…

I turned my head to face him and gazed into his eyes with full confidence. With Elora gone, he had no restraints, and I could see that jealousy consumed him bit by bit. This situation must have made him feel uncomfortable, but I didn't feel sorry for him. He made it that way for himself. Moreover, I felt strangely comfortable with Draven next to me, and with the two most hateful vampires out of the room, I was almost looking forward to the negotiations.

Sariel meaningfully cleared his throat, silencing the crowd, and said, "Alpha Draven, convince me of your value."

Alpha Draven leaned back in his chair and gave him a lopsided smile. "The Moon Hill Pack is the strongest in the North. We have over a thousand warriors of our own, and multiple packs are willing to go to war with us once the conflict happens," he stated confidently.

"I don't really care about how strong you are, but what is your position in the werewolf world. A king should only sign a truce with a king. Don't you agree, Alpha Draven?" Sariel smirked.

"My Grandfather was the King-"

"But you are not," Sariel cut Alpha Draven's argument short.

"But I will be," Draven hissed, glaring at him.

"Arrogant statement… I like it," Sariel chuckled. "Explain."

"There are two fractions in the werewolves' lands. All the bigger packs support my pack and me, but the rest would rather see Randall D'Apolito on the werewolves' throne…" Draven paused and looked at me.

Hearing Draven say my father's name made my whole body tremble. Draven's eyes scanned my face as if to make sure I could handle him talking about Randall D'Apolito. I could tell my skin was becoming paler by the second, but I still managed to slightly nod at Draven, letting him know that I was all right. He smiled at me and then turned his eyes on Sariel.

"The southerners are mostly weak packs, less numerous. They are settled in mountain villages with little concern about the outside world. That made them easy to manipulate, and Randall D'Apolito used them. He told them that his pack would protect them from the savage north. They all believed him blindly and even paid for protection, terrified of our alleged invasion. Of course, we've never planned to attack them. They pose no threat to us alone, but if they are a part of D'Apolito's army, that's something completely different. Since there are close to a hundred small packs in the south, our intelligence estimates that Randal's army may include ten thousand warriors or more. However, we assume that all we need is one powerful strike at the Southern Woods Pack, as the army's core, to disperse the rest of their warriors."

A cunning smile formed on Sariel's lips as he listened to Alpha Draven's plans.

"And you believe that once you defeat the Southern Woods Pack, the rest of the packs will happily announce you the king?" he asked.

"Yes." Draven's confident reply sounded loudly within the room.

"What would the vampires gain if you became the king?" Sariel inquired.

"I've always wanted to strengthen the old agreement between our races and make the territory rule less strict. I am a businessman myself, and I don't like to be restrained by different spheres of influence," Draven stated.

The wave of muttering spread among the vampires, nodding in approval and stating their support for Draven's plans. I smiled. Mr. Parson would have enjoyed hearing Alpha Draven's declaration. Perhaps he would have been surprised that there was no need to convince anyone. I guess both sides were simply too tired of this ongoing cold war that was falsely called "the truce".

"If I may, my King…" Leo turned to Sariel, waiting for his permission, and then continued, "Alpha Draven, how do you want to resolve the crimes committed outside one's territory rule?" he smiled wickedly.

Alpha Draven chuckled coldly, gazing at Leo and Sariel, and then stood up, clearing his throat.

"I am aware that both sides committed various crimes over the years, and they were all covered by the old territory rule…" he stated and turned my way. "Using this opportunity, I would like to sincerely apologize to Lady Lilith for the attempted kidnapping by the members of my pack. Someone from the Southern Woods Pack spread the information about where D'Apolito's daughter was hiding, and a few members of my pack decided to retrieve our remaining spoils of war without my knowledge or consent. I apologize for that." He bowed down to me, making everyone's eyes turn my way.

"This is an outrage, Alpha Draven!" Leo called out, as if he didn't have a clue what had happened, "I hope that all those wolves have been punished properly."

I had to give it to Leo; he was one hell of an actor. He didn't even blink while claiming to be shocked. Of course, the show was for those who didn't know what had happened after I had been kidnapped. Unfortunately for Alpha Draven, he had to play along, even if he did it reluctantly.

"All the wolves involved in the kidnapping have been killed," he said, looking straight into Sariel's eyes, telling him that he knew who had served their punishment.

"Well done, Alpha Draven," Leo smirked, falsely applauding him. "Strictness and righteousness are great qualities for the future king."

The air became tense as Leo's teasing got a little too far. The wolves from Draven's pack started glaring at him, ready to pull out their claws and aim for the vampire's neck.

"I bet that King Sariel would do the same in my place," Draven hissed.