Chapter 251

Grace

The silence was deafening. The anger rose in me. Then, Eason's voice came through.

"Deep breath. He's a plant. Answer the question plainly. Don't hold back." He chuckled. "Consider it a chance to declare war."

My smile turned icy.

"Lunar Remedies has no stake in my project."

"Are you stating that they're lying?"

"Yes."

A gasp rippled through the crowd.

"If adding to my stress through underhanded tactics and attempts to blackmail me through his connections can count as contributing to my success, then by all means. I'll tell Fenris thanks personally, but I wouldn't call it contributing to the drug's development." I narrowed my eyes. "Were you sent her by Lunar Remedies to ask that question?"

He looked nervous. "I'm just... reporting on what I've been told."

"And what exactly have you been told?" I asked. "Fenris came to Mooncrest months ago, and in no uncertain terms, demanded credit and a stake in the drug that he hadn't helped developed, threatening to use his connections to make it neigh impossible to get the drug to market." I narrowed my eyes. "And as I told him: I wasn't going to be intimidated. I'm not intimidated."

With a pointed look at the reporter. "While you're here, be sure to take this down: I plan to sue."

His eyes widened. "Sue?"

"Slander," I said. "For starters. Attempted blackmail, corporate espionage, I have a good idea that there's a few other things I can add to the list, given everything that's happened since I told him I wasn't going to go along with his bullshit."

I smirked. "And the way I hear it, Lunar Remedies has enough to worry about, far more than Wolfe Medical in any case."

"If anyone from this point on has any doubts about Wolfe Medical's lack of connection and cooperation with Lunar Remedies, take a look at the court case in which he was slated to take over Wolfe Medical if the court case had gone a different way." I narrowed my eyes. "I don't think I have to explain how bad of an idea for a business it would be for a rival CEO to take over running a company, yet that was the president's choice."

I straightened my spine. "Luckily, Counselor Brighthollow is brilliant and, despite my mess up during the case, saved Wolfe Medical, and by extension Mooncrest, from a worse fate."

Another hand shot up. "You said that you blame the government for the state of Mooncrest, why would you seek out funding from the same people?"

"That is not what I said," I looked at the woman, taking note of her face. "The court case revealed several laws that the States did not enforce, which would have prevented a great deal of the issues that Mooncrest have faced. And the answer is simple: the drug shouldn't be withheld because people can't afford it. It's a health supplement."

I took a deep breath. "If we're denied, then, we'll look into funding outside of the States." I smiled. "One way or another, we'll make it affordable for anyone who needs or wants it. Moonlight Phoenix, as I'm calling it, wasn't conceived to make Wolfe Medical an insane amount of money; it was conceived to help. Any other questions?"

I swept my gaze across the crowd when hands further back started to rise. I answer the questions as completely as I could. Most of them were about how soon they could expect the clinical trials to start and what they would like, and then someone asked something I knew was going to make a ripple through Mooncrest.

"How do you plan to get the clinical trials done quickly?" Someone asked. "There's always a year wait before drugs are related. I think I can speak for all of Mooncrest that we wouldn't want you digging us further into debt just to move things along quickly."

"The fact that you think that I would buy our way through the proper process is appalling. No head of Wolf Medical has ever bribed our way into anything. The quality of the product speaks for itself. If you remember, the two vaccines were released so quickly because of necessity. Presidential decree waived the usual clinical trial timeline. I don't expect this to have the same process instead. We'll be using other methods to speed the process along. And for further clarification, Wolf Medical is not Mooncrest. They are completely separate, though related entities."

"You haven't answered the question. If you're not going to buy the way through, then what?"

"We'll be getting it evaluated outside of the States. The process for getting a drug to market, especially a drug like this, outside of the States is far less convoluted. We'll be leveraging newly formed relationships with witch covens, human countries, and other groups to get the results up to Inter-Species standard, thereby overriding the States' clinical trial timelines."

A low murmur of worry resonated through the crowd. Then, I saw Jackson. Jackson stood there, his arms crossed, a scowl etched on his face. His anger was palpable, a dark cloud amidst the crowd. Our eyes locked, and he seemed even more upset by the second.

Memories of our last conversation flooded my mind. The betrayal, the hurt, the anger – it all threatened to resurface. But I steeled myself. This wasn't the time nor the place. I had to get through this press conference. If he raised his hand, I'd answer him like any other person, but something told me that he wasn't going to.

"You mean you're going to get witches to determine whether or not this drug was used for werewolves?" Someone else snarled. "Why are our processes not good enough for you, lycan-lover?"

"I'm half-lycan," I said plainly. He sputtered as if not expecting me to say it. "My children are three-fourths. And I don't see you complaining about lycan Enforcers helping keep the States safe."

He squawked. "That's completely--"

"It's not. I don't see anyone complaining about the Lycan Enforcer units that were stationed to protect the president, so let's not pretend that you have an issue with leaning on another species' help when it benefits you." I smiled plainly. "It benefits us to go outside of the States for this. That's it. That's all. Why would I wait for a slower process when a faster one is accessible?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you want this to get to market as soon as possible, or is your pride and prejudice worth more to you than a few more years added to your life?"

He narrowed. "If it works."

"You didn't answer my question."

He bared his teeth. "And if going outside the states affects the funding to make it more affordable? And yanks up the cost because they're going to charge us out the ass for that sort of help."

"That's your opinion, but how much is the time worth?" I shrugged. "As for the subsidies, if we can't get them. We'll have to find other ways to make it affordable. And until then, the price will just have to be what it is. Any other questions?"

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Someone asked. "What does it look like for someone else to evaluate a drug for werewolves?"

"The same way it looks for them to evaluate any drug. And yes, I do think it will work. Outside of the states, most people are looking to cooperate because the discoveries for one species may affect another. For instance, if this drug adds years onto a werewolf's lifespan..."

Eason chuckled. I knew he'd know what I was going for. "At least a decade for a human, less inherent weaknesses."

"It would probably add at least a decade to a human's life per extra year due to the difference in biology. That is an estimation. We won't know for sure until the clinical trial results are done."

I smirked. "Imagine how lucrative that could be outside of the States? I'm projecting that the sale of Moonlight Phoenix will expand beyond the States."

"How are you building these connections outside of the States?"

"We have a connection to the clans through my ex-husband, ironically. Potioneer Blackvine will be staying on to the R and D team and has been crucial in getting us this far. Through an alliance with Silver Eclipse, I'm planning for Wolfe Medical's market to branch out to human territories and a few other places to secure cheaper materials along with the other projects we're being contracted for. And my brother, as an attendee of Northfall and a trainee of Selene, is our path to other connections as we need them. All of these efforts will be supporting my path to Senate."

Slowly, the questions died down, and as soon as they had stopped, I thanked them and stepped down, heading back inside. I didn't spare another glance back at Jackson, though I saw him from my peripheral. I entered the building and heard his voice.

"Let me through!"

"You're not authorized to come in at this time, sir. You can come back in an hour and talk to the receptionist."