Chapter 231

As I sat in the opulent sitting room, I watched the Alpha King stir a sugar cube in his tea.

It struck me as oddly normal, a simple action that seemed out of place in the midst of the circumstances surrounding our conversation.

Prince Alexander sat next to his father with a bored expression on his face as he popped a small pastry into his mouth.

There were a lot of delicious looking treats in front of us, and if James were here, he'd scold me for not eating any. However, after breakfast, I wasn't sure if I wanted to eat or drink anything else given to me.

"Are you still shaken up about breakfast?" The Alpha King asked bluntly, giving me an intense stare. "I hope you understand why I did what I had to do."

"You don't trust me," I said plainly, not sure how else I could defend myself. "I've only been honest with you."

"Yes, well, I've been deceived in the past. Once you've been burned, you'll do anything to make sure that doesn't happen again," he sighed, his gaze momentarily shifting to the window, as if lost in memories. "I've determined that you're being truthful, therefore, you've gained my trust."

"You may trust me now, but I've lost trust in you," I blurted out, the words slipping past my defenses. I immediately regretted the harshness of my tone, but the honesty lingered in the air.

A part of me scolded myself for saying such harsh words. I should be respectful to the King like Kendrick said, but I couldn't lie about how I was feeling.

The Alpha King eyed me carefully, his face a mixture of understanding and respect. Maybe my words weren't an insult to him like I thought they were.

The Alpha King's gaze held mine, and for a moment, the room seemed to hush around us. "I understand your skepticism, Shana. Trust is a delicate matter, and it takes time to rebuild. I hope, in due course, you'll find it in yourself to trust us."

His words were measured, carrying the weight of experience and the responsibility of leadership.

I nodded, acknowledging his perspective, but the unease still lingered beneath the surface. I wasn't sure how the King could gain my trust again after what he did.

"Let us speak of the reason we brought you here," the Alpha King continued, shifting the conversation.

I braced myself, getting ready to hear the King's true intentions for wanting me here.

"Obviously, I invited you here to learn more about you and who you are. You have quite the story. Everyone has wanted to find the White Wolf," the King stated, his gaze thoughtful.

I swallowed, feeling a mix of nervousness and curiosity. "Your Highness, I'm aware of the stories of the White Wolf, but it's all purely myth. I'm not exactly sure how parts of it correlate to me."

The King raised his brows in apparent surprise. "What do you mean?"

"The White Wolf is meant to hold an immense amount of strength and power," I explained cautiously. "I'm nowhere near as powerful as the myths have made the White Wolf seem."

"Yes," the King acknowledged, "but power can always be earned. This is a first for everyone. Nobody knows the power the White Wolf truly holds. Perhaps it's more than stories have claimed, perhaps it's less."

A chill ran through me at the thought of that. What he was right?

"However, what's important is that we know you hold power. And we don't want you to hold that power all on your own," the King continued with an edge to his voice.

Frowning, I struggled to grasp the meaning behind his words. "All on my own? What are you trying to say?"

Prince Alexander, who I had almost forgotten, finally decided to chime in. "What my father is trying to say, is that we need you and your power."

"Need me?" My frown deepened, still not understanding.

"You see, the defense of the werewolf nation is at risk," the Alpha King revealed. There was a silence that passed as I was taken aback by this unexpected revelation.

"How so?" I inquired, my curiosity piqued. "I've never heard of any threats to the nation."

"My father tries to protect the nation as much as possible," Prince Alexander cut in, "and that is why this is not known information."

"Yes, I would prefer not to have the nation go into a widespread panic." The King looked at his son with a stern expression. "News like this would make the people worried."

I supposed the King was right on some level. If people were to find out that we were in jeopardy, they would start asking more questions and escalate things.

"However, it might not be any surprise to you that the nations of the Bear shifters and Panther shifters are growing stronger," the King continued, returning his attention to me.

"We predict that they will soon threaten the werewolf territories," Prince Alexander explained. "We're their only other competition, and as we grow stronger, they've started to take notice."

"It's not an immediate threat, but it is something we must prepare for," the Alpha King added with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"So, there's no threat of war?" I sought clarification.

"Not yet," the Alpha King shook his head. "But, as my son said, we must always be prepared. I know you've only just arrived yesterday, but we want to be fully transparent with you. We've invited you into our home in the hopes that you would help us."

They wanted me to help? I had to stop myself from laughing at the thought. I was just a girl from a small town who had lived almost her entire life thinking she was a nobody. Wolfless.

How could I ever be enough help to the entire nation?

"But how can I help?" I asked, my confusion evident. "I've only just discovered what I am. I don't have as much training as Prince Alexander, and other werewolves are probably much stronger than I am."

"We would train you," the Alpha King declared. "We would offer you specialized training."

"As we mentioned earlier, we don't know what you're capable of. We don't know how much strength you have, but if it's even close to what the legends and myths foretold, you'll be an incredible asset for us," Prince Alexander said, his green eyes boring into mine.

I processed the information, the weight of the responsibility settling on my shoulders.

The prospect of being a key figure in defending the werewolf nation was both overwhelming and daunting.

"Train me how?" I inquired further.

If there wasn't a war, what kind of training would they put me through?

"You saw our training rooms yesterday. Imagine the potential you have in honing your skills," Prince Alexander commented. "And besides the training, you'll be safe here. Nobody will be able to come here unless they can get through the portal, which is virtually impossible."

"News of this will come out eventually, Shana." The Kinda gave me a grave expression. "It's time you start thinking about your safety and what is best for you once the world knows you're the White Wolf."