CAMILLE'S POV

The man sighed, his gaze softening slightly. "Camille, there are forces at play that you cannot yet comprehend. I know your grandmother was a powerful healer, respected and revered in her time. She possessed extraordinary abilities to mend wounds and cure ailments that confounded others. We believe her power flowed through her bloodline, and it now resides within you."

"No, it doesn't." I retorted. "And what does any of this have to do with King Dimitri?" I continued, still wary of his intentions.

The man's voice turned grave. "King Dimitri is aware of your ancestry and the potential it holds. His motives are none of your concern. So you need not worry about it. He never explicitly asked me to save you, but he intends to ensure that your life is protected, for the sake of the bloodline that flows within your veins."

A mix of emotions swirled within me: confusion, fear, and a spark of curiosity. Could this really be true? Could I hold such power within?

"And if I refuse the kindness of the Lycan King? What happens?"

The man's gaze softened, and he took a step closer, his every movement imbued with a solemn sincerity. "Individuals in your pack want you dead. Will you stand by them or will you take the hand of a monster that is honest? We want to use you Camille because you have the potential to bring about positive change, Camille, and I believe that is why your life is worth saving. It was why I stepped in without a second thought. That said, my people do not offer free favours. You owe me one and demand you pay me back in full."

"What do you want then?"

"I want you to help my Kingdom." He replied.

A cocktail of doubt and hope wrestled within me. Could I trust him? Could I trust anyone in this strange and intricate web of power struggles? But even amidst my uncertainty, I couldn't ignore the instinctual pull within me. He was asking for my help. He was honest with his intention. Unlike my family who stole me away under false pretenses and manipulation.

He offered his hand again, "Help me, Camille Dumont."

This time, I reached out and grasped it firmly. It was a symbol of trust, a precarious bridge I was willing to trust. Because anywhere was better than here.

"If you can get me out of here, I promise to help your kingdom."

***

DIMITRI'S POV

"Do well to remember that vile as she is, my daughter is the granddaughter of Abigail De'crescent..." Yes. That was what I had heard the Alpha of the Lily of the Valley pack say before his sentinels opened the doors to the council room.

The girl I had been looking for since my father's passing existed. Exposing myself to the werewolves and causing them to question why an enemy was doing a peace visit was worth it after all.

I had been buried in my thoughts and in the wine in my goblets as I thought about my next move. I had instructed Neal to keep watch on the girl as I figured out a surefire way to manipulate the Alpha to hand me his most 'prized asset'. The same asset that was in the dungeons for my sake.

The chicken on my plate proved it. I called a servant over to refill my cup. Their wine was the only thing I could stomach. As a true Lycan, I could only stomach a predominantly meat dish. However, because of my condition, pheasants were the only thing I could keep in my stomach.

It would be a show of weakness to consume the chicken on my plate and throw it all up in a matter of minutes. It would shatter the reputation my grandfather had created for our kind.

"Is the food not to your liking, King Dimitri?" The Alpha asked me.

I took a look at the food. It looked good. It looked like someone put an effort into making it. But with me, that didn't matter. I returned my gaze to the man and smiled, tipping my cup in his direction. "I like the wine better."

"Oh, okay."

What followed was silence. But I knew the werewolf had questions. Lots of it. I wasn't going to be breaking the ice so I was going to push him too.

"You can ask your question." I finally broke the silence, downing the red stinging liquid down my throat.

"I hope you do not take this as rude. But it comes as a surprise to many of us that you are here. We don't know why and it–"

"Have you asked the other packs?" I cut in.

I watched the Alpha and his Beta exchange looks. The Menards and the Dumonts were no fools. Of course, they did. I was however curious about the results they got.

"We did actually," The pack's Beta spoke. He was a rugged man. Tall as an oak and perhaps just as wise. "But they gave us no response. Which makes your presence even more, permit me to use this for the lack of a better word, unsettling."

"I came to offer peace," I replied. "I ascended my late father's throne two years ago and I have made it my responsibility to access how those before me ruled. The one thing I did not like was the fact that they made enemies with the werewolf species. I want to change that. That is why I am here. To call a truce. No war among our species for the next hundred years."

They shared a look with each other again. I downed more of the wine and assessed the situation. The dominoes were cascading in line. I just wanted them to dig their own grave.

"No war sounds good," Alpha Lucian spoke, even though his Beta was clearly against it. "But why?"

Like I thought, the Beta was smart. But being smart wasn't enough for a deal as captivating as mine. Of course, they would dig their own grave.

"Why?" I repeated like it was the most ridiculous word I had heard in a while. "Do you not want peace?"

"We do want peace. But I know Lycans. They aren't pacifist. Neither are they kind. There is something you want. An exchange. So for both of our sakes, I suggest you just spill it." Lucian's Beta retorted.

I liked him. He wasn't the type to beat around the bush even if he didn't quite know his place in this world. There was no need for blood since I came to preach peace. So to calm my aggravated nerves, I downed the last droplets of wine in my cup before slamming it down. "You're right, Mr. Menard, Lycans do not offer free favors."

"So what do you want?" Alpha Lucien asked.

As if fate had willed it, the door of the dining room creaked open and in walked Camille Dumont, the girl I was looking for and my subordinate, Neal.

The sights of everyone on the dinner table turned to the opened door and I proceeded to point my finger towards the girl covered in crimson.

Her." I declared. "I want her."

The room fell into a tense silence as all eyes shifted towards Camille Dumont. The young woman stood there, her face pale and streaked with blood, her body trembling from the events that probably just transpired.

Neal stood by her side. With a smile on his face. I knew my subordinate and Beta. Only killing and winning brought that manic side out of him. The drying blood on his hand proved my point.

Alpha Lucien's piercing gaze turned back in my direction and never left me. It was clear that my request had come as a shock, and perhaps even a betrayal. But I wasn't going to back down.

"What do you think? Isn't that the perfect exchange?"

"No, anything but that."

"Why?" I demanded. "Isn't she a traitor that deserves to be punished? Rather than waste the life of a runt like her, give her to me, let me put her to good use "

"She is my daughter!" Lucian shrieked at me and the entire room fell silent again.

***

CAMILLE'S POV

When the doors to the dining room had opened and my tired legs had shuffled forward, I didn't know what to expect.

I especially did not expect my second chance mate to point his finger in my direction and tell the whole world that he wanted me.

But it was my father's response to his demand that shocked me the most. His outburst was the first fatherly thing the man had ever done to me since I arrived in the Lily of the Valley pack. But it hurt more because I knew the outburst did not come from a righteous place but because of my bloodline.

"Is that what it is about?" I was the one to break the silence. "Is it because I am your daughter or because I am the granddaughter of some obscure healer?"

"I suggest you shut up–" he tried to say but I cut him off immediately.

"I will not shut up and you will hear me out."

I stood my ground, my voice steady despite the tremble in my heart. I refused to be silenced any longer, even if it meant challenging my father.

"You've never cared about me as your daughter, only as a means to uphold your legacy," I continued, my words laced with insidious rage. "You've never asked about my hopes, my dreams, or even bothered getting to know who I am beyond my mother's bloodline."

My father's face contorted in a mix of disbelief and frustration. His jaw clenched, but I refused to back down. I had been a pawn in his game for far too long, and I was tired of it.

"You've always been so focused on the power and status that my lineage represents," I pressed on, my voice quivering with pent-up emotion. "But what about me? What about my happiness? Am I just a tool for you to use at your convenience?"

Silence hung heavily in the air as my words sank in. The tension between us was palpable, the weight of our strained relationship reaching its breaking point. The room seemed to hold its breath as my father finally found his words.

"You have no idea what your lineage means, Camille," he responded, his tone filled with a mix of frustration and regret. "I've spent my entire life building and protecting our legacy. Everything I've done has been for the sake of our pack, for our people."

I took a step closer to him, my eyes locked with his. "It has never been ours. Just yours." I challenged. "What happens when the trial happens and I fail? What happens after? Do you finally toss me aside like the useless child that I am? After all the sacrifices I've made, the battles I've fought within myself to conform to your expectations?"

His gaze faltered for a moment, but I did not sense a flicker of remorse in his eyes. It was like fighting a lost cause.

"What battles have you fought? What sacrifices have you made?"

Tears welled up in my eyes as months of frustration and pain washed over me. I had hoped for validation, for understanding, but it would never erase the scars that had formed over time.

"You uprooted me from my life. Took everyone and everything I knew and gave me nothing in return. As for sacrifices," I turned to my stepmother, Adele. I clearly remembered what the assassin had said. How Adele was the one who sent him. It was probably a reach but I figured she was the one who made me disappear I'm the first place. "I am still making sacrifices."

"Camille, I suggest you keep your mouth shut or else–" my father tried again to silence me.

But I was done. I took Neal's hand and looked at my father.

"I am my own person, Alpha Lucian Dumont," I finally summoned the courage to mutter. "I am going with King Dimitri and that is it."

"Your daughter wants to leave this place," King Dimitri continued. "Is not a free woman? Is she your slave?"

My father never got to reply. In fact, nothing else mattered at that moment because a deafening boom reverberated through the air.

I felt the ground shake beneath me, sending tremors of panic up my spine. Instinctively, my eyes widened and my heart raced, knowing that could only be an explosion and we were right in the middle of it.

In the blink of an eye, the world around me morphed into a swirling vortex of flames and flying debris.

The once-grand dining hall lay in ruins, with shattered remnants of furniture and shattered glass strewn across the floor.

A second explosion hurled me backwards, flinging me through the air like a ragdoll.

Panic gripped me as I braced for impact, my body crashing against unforgiving concrete.

The pain shot through me, searing every nerve with its unrelenting intensity.

I could see a bone that should be on my body sticking out of my chest. There was blood everywhere too. Not just mine. But Neal too.

He was unconscious and bleeding out.

I ignored my own wounds and crawled towards him.

He was unconscious and judging from the bleeding gash on his forehead, he was not going to make it.

"No," I managed to whimper. "You promised to get me out of here. I will not be able to help you if you don't help me."

Fear and desperation surged through my veins and with trembling hands, I began to hit him, hoping it would help.

It didn't help and all I could do was cry as nu own body began to fail me. I was bleeding out too.

All the strength was drained out of me and I laid down next to Neal as the third explosion followed.

Death was coming.

As the chaos of the third explosion consumed the surroundings, a sense of finality washed over me. The deafening roar of destruction seemed to grow louder with each passing second, drowning out any remaining shred of hope. I closed my eyes, preparing for the inevitable.

"Not yet, Camille." a quiet voice promised.

When I opened my eyes, the world before me exploded into a brilliant blue light.