Everything unfolded exactly as Lucian had predicted, and just as Selena had anticipated.
Lucian arrived with his small team of elite warriors, encountering minimal resistance from the Blackthorn Elders. The negotiations were concluded with suspicious ease.
In fact, the Elders were so blinded by their own arrogance that they interpreted this move as Selena finally bowing to their pressure. As the meeting adjourned, they approached her with smirks and veiled sarcasm, "counseling" her that she had made the right choice—that her future was best spent staying home, serving an Alpha husband, and raising heirs.
To their surprise, Selena offered no explosive retort or biting irony. Her cold, flat indifference made them feel as though they were punching silk. For a moment, a flicker of caution r
