Chapter 3 Faustina Thorne

Faustina Thorne,

I held my head high as I stood before the Lycan King, the leader of the Alpha Council and the King of all the Packs in the Southern Werewolf Region.

His golden eyes bore into mine as I held out my hand to shake. He scanned me with a clear intention of studying me before he took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Faustina Thorne, such a beautiful name. But I thought the FallingMoon Wolf Pack wasn't so interested in making friends with other packs!" he said, his attention still on my hand.

His warmth felt like an electric shock against my palm. No, don't misunderstand. He wasn't my mate.

"Well, things change, Your Majesty." I gave a calm reply, "And I would like to have a personal conversation about my Pack privately since all the guests are waiting for you to start the program!"

I gave a tight-lipped professional smile before pulling my hand away. His face darkened for a brief second.

"Oh! Sure!" He grinned as if he saw something interesting before asking, "Maybe we can have a private conversation about your Pack. I am very interested in joining your Pack!"

"Sure. Our Alpha likes to make friends, not enemies!" My eyes darkened, so did his. Everyone knew that our Alpha hated being friends with people like them.

He just nodded but it felt like hollow. Like he was tossing it .

Cassius Brightblade, the Lycan King, a ruthless Lycan who didn’t know any rules, was inevitable and dangerous.

And...

I sat back in my seat, watching him walk toward the stage, his eyes carrying the edge of authority.

I stayed quiet in my seat while everyone enjoyed the party like there was no tomorrow. The Lycan King came without a plus one. It seemed like there was no one he had chosen for his Luna’s position.

Either way, what I needed was a private conversation with him. The man who ruled the Emberfall Wolf Pack. And the Man who would be the bridge of my success.

Seeing him return alone to his seat, I stood up. Grabbing the sanitizer from my purse, I sprayed it three times before heading toward the stage.

His attention shifted from the people to me. His eyebrow raised with a grin on his lips. He loved this attention indeed.

"Seems like you are having free time here. May I request a private conversation, Your Majesty?" I asked, my voice flat and emotionless.

He studied me for a second. His right hand, covered with tattoos of panthers, moved to his phone.

Was he ignoring me?

Uneasy washed over my mind. I thought it would be easier to get his attention.

After checking something, he stood up and looked at me with that unreadable expression.

"Ms. Thorne. Since FallingMoon Wolf Pack isn't under my control, you don't have to force yourself to call me Your Majesty." He scoffed, giving that dangerously tempting smile.

I chuckled a bit before looking straight into his eyes. "Should I call you Cass then?"

His hand froze midway as he tried to put his phone on the table. His eyes, dark and dangerously cold, snapped to me as if I had slapped his face.

I kept my professional smile, watching his expression shift from darkness to confusion and then to fake composure.

"We aren’t friends to give nicknames, Ms. Thorne. I hope you don’t mind calling me Mr. Brightblade!"

"Please ignore my ignorance! How could someone like you be friends with others? Please overlook my ignorance!"

He froze again. His eyes bore into mine as if he was watching flashbacks of unpleasant memories. He tried to say something but I cut in.

"May we? I have to return home soon."

He snapped out of his thoughts and nodded quietly. "Please follow me!"

I poked my tongue into my inner cheek before following him inside a VIP meeting room. Watching his conflicted expressions was interesting.

I sat across from him as he sat down with his guards around him.

Cassius leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable as his knuckles pressed to his jaw.

“Please tell me the main purpose of your visit. Did Alpha Nightingale send you to initiate business negotiations?”

He didn’t care about keeping the conversation formal. As expected from Cassius—a ruthless Lycan who looked down on people who didn't kneel before him.

I rested one knee over the other before placing my purse aside..

"That is correct. The FallingMoon Pack has made significant advancements in both business development and administrative efficiency over the past few years. Alpha Nightingale believes in empowering capable individuals within the Pack to pursue meaningful ventures. As such, he has entrusted me to initiate discussions regarding potential business collaboration. Given that the Southern Werewolf Region falls under your authority, we would like to formally request your approval to establish operations within your domain."

He listened quietly while resting his face on his fist.

After hearing my explanation, he leaned into the chair— a habit when he needed to argue.

I stayed still, my eyes on him.

“So Alpha Nightingale sent you a request for such a huge proposal instead of coming himself?”

"Is there anything wrong with me representing the proposal, Mr. Brightblade? I was under the impression that all parties here are treated equally."

His lips smacked eachother like he didn't like my tone.

“There is a difference between treating everyone equally and showing basic respect! Alpha Nightingale wants to start a business with me but has no respect to come himself? Isn’t that considered rude?”

I smiled, hearing his words. I was ready for it.

I stood up, facing him. My eyes never left his.

"Please allow me to properly introduce myself, then, and clarify why Alpha Nightingale was unable to attend in person."

His eyes narrowed. “Is there more to know about you?”

I chuckled quietly.

"Given the nature of what you’re being asked to approve, I believe it’s relevant that you understand the position I hold."

I slightly bowed to show my respect before introducing myself,

"Mr. Brightblade, I am Faustina Thorne Nightingale, the heir and future Alpha of the FallingMoon Wolf Pack." I took a deep breath,

"This proposal was initiated by me and approved by Alpha Nightingale, which is why I have been assigned full authority to represent and manage it. As for his absence, our Pack enforces a long-standing internal regulation: the Alpha is not permitted to remain outside our territory for more than twenty-four hours. I trust you will understand the reasoning behind this policy." I grinned, standing there, watching his cold unreadable expression faltered for a few brief seconds.