Defy The Alpha(s) novel Chapter 799

Chapter 799: Turn One Of Their Own

"Tell me something," Elijah said as they continued down the corridor. Wolves passed them along the way, lowering their heads respectfully as they greeted their king. Neither Elijah nor Caspian returned the greetings. Not while they were deep in conversation.

"Is it possible for a werewolf to get infected?"

Caspian blinked at the sudden question.

"Huh?"

He quickly recovered. "So far we haven’t received any report of an infected wolf. That might simply be because no werewolf has been bitten yet. Our research has been focused on finding a cure rather than testing cross-infection between species."

Elijah pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"That might become a problem."

Caspian frowned slightly. "How so?"

"Some alphas are still unhappy with my decision to send their wolves to assist the humans," Elijah replied. "They believe I’m allowing President Roy to boss them around when wolves are supposed to be an independent nation under the Accords."

"Yes, independent," Caspian said carefully, "but still accountable to human authority."

That was the foundation of the Accords.

After the Great War between wolves and humans, the treaty had been written to maintain peace between both races. Wolves had been granted limited autonomy. They could choose their own leaders, follow their traditions, and govern their packs according to their own laws.

But complete independence had never been part of the agreement.

The wolves answered to the Alpha King. And the Alpha King ruled in cooperation with the human President.

Because the United Dorminia contained far more human territories than wolf lands, there was an unspoken understanding within the Accords: the human president ultimately held the greater sovereign authority.

It was a delicate balance.

Which was why every presidential election mattered deeply to the wolves. A fair-minded leader meant stability. A prejudiced one could make life unbearable for the packs, even with the protections written into the treaty.

At the heart of the Accords was one simple command: Wolves and humans must live in harmony.

And it was the duty of both the Alpha King and the human President to maintain that fragile peace.

Elijah stopped walking and turned to face Caspian.

"They’re using that as an excuse not to help," he said coldly. "The pack alphas want the confirmation that wolves cannot be infected before they risk more of their soldiers."

His jaw tightened.

"Not to mention..." His eyes darkened. "President Roy has been getting on my nerves lately."

Caspian said nothing as Elijah continued, irritation creeping into his voice.

"He seems to have forgotten something very important. Humans are the ones in danger here, not the other way around. He should be groveling for my assistance, not making demands."

He folded his arms.

"So yes. That information could be very useful right now."

Caspian scratched the back of his head thoughtfully.

"I would look into it," he said slowly, "but we don’t have an active test subject—"

"Then make one."

Elijah’s voice cut through the hallway like a blade.

Caspian froze.

His eyes narrowed as the meaning dawned on him.

"You want me to infect one of my people?" he asked incredulously.

Elijah shrugged as if the matter were trivial.

"This is a research facility, and you’re a pack leader. I’m sure it won’t be difficult for you to find a suitable subject."

"You want me to deliberately infect one of my own wolves?" Caspian pressed, disbelief sharpening his voice.

"Oh, spare me the self-righteous speech, Caspian," Elijah replied with a dismissive wave. "You’re a scientist. Don’t pretend you haven’t done far worse in the name of discovery."

"But even then," Caspian said, struggling to remain calm, "we’re dealing with something that—"

"Dear gods," Elijah interrupted with a dramatic groan. "I cannot believe I’m saying this, but I’m beginning to miss your wife."

Caspian looked at Elijah with shock. How could he say that? Not that he blamed him.

Zara Storm had never been burdened with the same hesitation Caspian often carried. Where he weighed ethics, Zara simply acted.

Caspian had considered experimenting on werewolf tissue samples instead. But even he knew that living subjects produced far more accurate results.

Still, intentionally infecting one of his own, the thought sat poorly in his chest. It would have been easier if they had captured an already infected wolf.

Elijah seemed to sense his hesitation.

"Look at it this way," he said casually. "If werewolves are immune, then we gain valuable information and reassure the packs. A win for everyone."

He leaned slightly closer.

"And let’s be honest, Caspian. This would be a controlled experiment. Pick one of the wolves from your dungeon. Conduct your tests. Then bring me the results I want."

Caspian’s brows lifted slightly.

"And if werewolves can be infected?"

Elijah’s expression hardened.

"Then we find the Noah boy much faster," he said flatly. "Otherwise he might very well exterminate both species."

Caspian swallowed.

As much as he hated the idea, Elijah was not entirely wrong. If wolves could fall to the infection as well, then the threat they were facing was far worse than anyone had imagined. And discovering that truth sooner rather than later might be the only chance they had to survive.

"Also you might want to conduct that experiment sooner rather than later," Elijah said.

Caspian frowned. "How soon are we talking about?"

"Haven’t you gotten the memo? I have a meeting with the alphas in two days. They will want answers by then."

Caspian froze.

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