Chapter 206 - 0206

Lorelei POV

He was literally putting me on the spot, forcing me to speak when I was already questioning whether I had any business getting involved in their conversation. But at the same time, I didn’t want to disappoint him, especially not in front of another Alpha.

So I took a deep breath and lifted my head, forcing myself to meet Aldric’s curious gaze.

"Even if you redistribute the allocation percentages," I began, trying to make my voice sound much steadier than I actually felt, "the Eastern packs don’t really have the storage capacity to handle the increased shipments right now. Most of their main granaries and supply vaults were built decades ago, and they were never designed to support the population they have today. You could increase their allocation on paper, but they wouldn’t have anywhere safe to store those supplies without risking massive spoilage."

Aldric blinked at my words, and the confidence he had moments ago seemed to disappear as he stared at me, completely silent.

Seeing this, my stomach twisted.

Had I said something wrong?

I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.

"I... hadn’t thought about that," Aldric finally admitted, his voice noticeably quieter than before. He looked at me with genuine surprise, almost like he couldn’t believe the answer had come from me. "How did you...?"

"Why?" Kaelen cut in, his voice suddenly dropping into a dangerous, protective growl as his arm tightened around my waist. "Do you think she’s incapable of understanding territorial logistics, Alpha Aldric?"

Seeing the threat behind Kaelen’s words, Aldric’s eyes widened, and he immediately raised both hands, shaking his head.

"Of course not, Your Majesty! No, I’m just surprised, that’s all! Most noble women don’t really pay attention to regional infrastructure..."

"Exactly," Kaelen interrupted, lifting his chin with an almost unbearably proud expression. "My wife isn’t some clueless fool like you. These are basic things anyone involved in leadership should understand, yet you’ve spent weeks dumping reports on my desk without even addressing the actual problem."

Aldric’s mouth fell open slightly, while I couldn’t help staring at Kaelen.

He looked ridiculously proud of me.

And, honestly, my heart did a tiny little flip because of it.

I almost snorted right there. If only Kaelen knew that what he was calling "the basics" were the exact things I had spent weeks crying over and memorizing until three in the morning. I had just gotten insanely lucky that he happened to bring up the exact Chapter I’d memorized.

"Well, I’ll be fucking damned," Aldric muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "No wonder the Stone Alpha... I mean, our beloved Alpha King, finally got his heart stolen. Beauty and brains? You’re a rare one, Lady Lorelei."

A genuine smile spread across my face at his praise, while Kaelen simply stood beside me, glaring at Aldric like the man was seriously considering stealing me away from him.

Seeing that ridiculously territorial look only made my smile widen.

On the other hand, Aldric either didn’t notice the glare or was simply brave enough to pretend he didn’t, because his attention soon shifted toward his wife. He gently nudged Selene forward with a hand at the small of her back.

"Listen, we’re going to be staying in the territory for a few weeks," Aldric said, looking at me hopefully. "My Selene is really shy, so she barely has any friends, especially among the higher ranks..."

"Aldric...!" Selene gasped, her cheeks turning bright red as she tried to swat his arm.

"I’m serious, sweetheart!" Aldric insisted, turning back to her with a soft, almost adoring look. "I’m not always around because of pack and council business, and seeing you sitting around lonely breaks my fucking heart. I don’t care if I have to kneel and beg the Alpha King myself..."

"No."

Kaelen cut him off so suddenly that Aldric stopped mid-sentence.

My brows knitted together as I looked up at Kaelen, his expression hard and completely unyielding.

"I can’t have my wife interacting with just anyone," he added, his tone clipped and protective. "Her safety is my top priority right now. I’m sure you understand."

There was a clear meaning behind his words. After all, half the room had probably witnessed the mess with Jaxen and my sister earlier.

Alpha Aldric paused as the realization finally clicked. "Ah..." He lowered his head respectfully. "I apologize for being so direct. But..." He hesitated before lifting his head again. "Alpha King, you know me and my pack. We’re nothing special. How could we possibly be a threat to her?"

Damn.

This Alpha really just said whatever came to his mind.

I blinked at him, genuinely surprised. Wasn’t he worried Kaelen might snap at him like he would with anyone else?

Yet when I glanced at Selene, standing awkwardly beside him with her fingers nervously fidgeting together and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, I couldn’t help but soften.

A husband willing to annoy a terrifying King just because he didn’t want his wife to feel lonely was honestly kind of sweet.

So, against my better judgment, I reached for Kaelen’s hand before he could give Aldric another cold refusal.

"I don’t really have any close friends here either," I murmured, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze so only he could hear the quiet plea in my voice. "I’m sure if Selene and I spend some time together at the estate, nothing will happen."

Kaelen clearly wanted to refuse.

His jaw tightened as he seemed to argue with himself for a few seconds, but eventually, he let out a heavy sigh and looked down at me.

"Alright... but only under my strict supervision," he replied, and a bright smile immediately spread across my face.

"Thank you," I whispered, watching as the hard edge in his amber eyes softened almost instantly.

"Anything for you," he murmured.

"Fuck," Aldric suddenly cut in, ruining our little moment with a dramatic shake of his head. "Look at that exchange! If I’d known you were the secret key to winning the Alpha King over, Lady Lorelei, I would’ve been licking your feet a long time ago."

He said those words as a joke, but Kaelen gave him a low, warning growl. "Don’t get ahead of yourself."

But perhaps with me present, Aldric only grinned, completely unfazed.

Minutes later, while the men continued their conversation, Selene and I already exchanged phone numbers.

"I’ll make sure to visit in a few days," Selene said softly, her eyes lighting up with genuine excitement as she stared at her phone screen. "And I’ll bring plenty of treats that are famous in our pack!"