Chapter 109

Chapter 109 Yurene’s requests

ASHER

The meeting with the king of Yurene was arranged in the biggest meeting room in Merliscire. My attendants had been hard at work all morning, seeing to it that all of the place settings were up to par and that every last surface was clean and tidy.

Normally, I didn’t care much for things like this or worry about the appearancel of the palace, but in a way, I didn’t mind showing off a bit. Kaleb had seemed wholly unimpressed with Anemond, and Wegalla in general, so I was more than happy to have my serv ants put in a bit more work to show the foreign king that we weren’t uncivilized.

Most of the councilors had announced to me that we were going to discuss some key business with the king of Yuene. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous. Grand meetings such as this were not often held. In fact, the last time so many had gathered together here in this hall, my late father had called all of the councilors together to discuss Cora’s father’s intention to kill Oliver Moses.

A lump formed in my throat. Luckily, this meeting would not be anything like that.

I’d taken care to wear my finest suit. It was a rich, deep black, with the Cresent Pack’s emblem printed in a burgundy thread on the lapel. I half considered my crown but decided it would be overkill. I wanted to present an air of power, but not gaudiness.

Kaleu and I arrived at the meeting room at the same time. The foreign king re an expensive suit as well, but it was a deep shade of blue instead of black. He wore a golden pendant with the emblem of Yurene, and his golden brown hair fell in profect waves down his shoulders. He’d clearly taken quire a bit of time to look presentable as well.

The king’s dark blue eyes trailed over me and then met mine.

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“Alpha Asher,” he greeted me in his accented voice, and he offered me a smile. “It has been so good to see you. I must say, you were right when you spoke to me of Anemond. It is a beautiful city after all.”

The compliment would have seemed out of place if I hadn’t known that the foreign king had been off visiting the capital with his diplomats.

I offered him a polite smile.

“Thank you,” I said, and after he offered me a small nod, we walked into the

room.

The councilors and diplomats had already arrived and were talking loudly amongst each other. When they saw us enter the room, they fell silent, rose to their feet, and bowed their heads to greet us immediately.

“Welcome, Your Majesties,” they all said in unison.

I nodded and then gestured back to their chairs. “Please, take a seat.”

The councilors did as instructed, and Kaleb and I walked over to the front of the table. We sat opposite one another, and once we were ready, the councilors and diplomats settled down, and the meeting began. I gathered up all of my courage and settled into the demeanor I only wore in settings such as this..

Us*”

Today, I wasn’t Asher Collins.

I was the Alpha King of a noble and powerful empire.

“Alpha Kaleb, the floor is yours,” I said graciously. “What words do you have for

“Thank you for the gesture, Alpha Asher,” Kaleb replied politely, and he offered na small smile. “I appreciate this meeting greatly. I wanted us to gather and discuss the business relationship between Yurene and Wegalla. You see, my country is rich in ore and petroleum. Wegalla is an expert in handcrafts and technology. I think an exchange and Importation system between our lands would be mutually beneficial.”

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In agreement.

I chose to wait to comment. “Please, continue.”

Kaleb took a little longer to propose a system, and once he was finished, he shifted to another subject entirely.

“I believe the werewolves in both of our countries deserve the opportunity to interact more often as well,” he declared. “As such, I think Wegalla should do away with their strict checking system at the border-”

“This is impossible!” one of the councilors stood up and cut him off. “That idea is far too risky. The checking system’s purpose is to keep Wegalla safe from potential threats. Without it, we’d be far more liable to attack!”

I raised my hand toward him.

“Please, be seated,” I advised in a tone that was stern, yet gentle. “Allow the king of Yurene to finish his words.”

The councilor’s face flushed scarlet, but he nodded and sat down anyway. “My apologies, Your Majesty.”

“It is alright,” I said, and then I turned back to Kaleb. “Please, continue.”

Kaleb smiled his lopsided smile. “I understand your concerns on the matter. I low this proposal is rather bold, but Yurene has always been open to foreigners, and it hasn’t faced any consequences of that decision. I think Wegalla could do the s me thing without worry.”

“Of course Yurene isn’t afraid,” the same councilor spoke up again. “Your country is always looking for a war against other Packs-”

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remained silent.

Opening the border to any and all Yurenian wolves was out of the question, and I had a distinct feeling that Kaleb wasn’t stu pid enough to think I would agree to

this.

So, why make the offer at all?

There was an angle here, something I had yet to figure out. I needed to act in the self-interest of Wegalla and investigate further, but remained smart. Kaleb was intelligent, but I needed to be far more cu nning if I wanted to play this political

game.

As the councilor’s discussion became an argument, I whistled and called for a stop. All conversation halted and the entire room stared at me.

“We will discuss this matter further at another time,” I decided, and then I turned to Kaleb. “Alpha Kaleb, is that acceptable?”

Kaleb nodded. “Of course, Alpha Asher.”

“Good,” I said, and then I leaned forward. “Now, is there anything else Yurene. wishes to work with Wegalla on? Anything that would be mutually beneficial for our

countries?”

The king of Yurene glanced at his diplomats. One of them nodded, and then they began to speak in their heavily accented voices.

As their requests filled the room, I settled back in.

One thing was absolutely certain.

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This was going to be a long, boring meeting.