CHAPTER 198: CHAPTER 198 ADDISON’S CHOICE

Addison, still in her wolf form, slowly opened her eyes. With calm, deliberate movement, she rose to all fours before shifting back into her human form. Now standing naked before the Priestess, her expression was unreadable, cold, dull, and devoid of emotion. The fury she had unleashed earlier on Leon had left her spent. What remained was exhaustion, but even in that, she stood tall, regal, commanding, every bit a monarch.

"We’ll be taking all the biochemicals with us," she said, her voice flat but firm.

Without waiting for a reply, she gestured toward Archmage Elric, signaling him to begin locating every trace of the biochemicals.

"As for compensation," she added, her gaze locking onto the Priestess, "we’ll send the initially agreed amount of livestock and supplies."

Her tone left no room for argument. This was no negotiation; it was a verdict.

They had played a dangerous game, one that involved deception and a direct assault on her autonomy. By all rights, Addison could have declared war. That she didn’t was already a mercy.

Because she understood the bigger picture.

Both the werewolves and the Tigren were cornered, struggling to survive, and perhaps this manipulation was exactly what their true enemies had intended: to divide them, to turn them against each other.

But Addison would not give them that satisfaction.

Right now, the Tigren were the most convenient enemy the werewolves could have. If their relationship were to truly sour, if war broke out between them, it would be a dream come true for whoever was orchestrating all this from the shadows. They wouldn’t even need to reveal themselves. The two powerful factions would destroy each other, and the real enemy could sit back and celebrate, having killed two birds with one stone.

But Addison refused to play by their rules.

As for the false mate bond that now tied her to Leon, she agreed with the Royal Advisor. There had to be a way to remove it. She didn’t believe for a second that it was permanent. The Priestess likely knew how to undo it. And if not her, then someone else out there did. Addison would find them. She would free herself.

Because nothing enraged her more than being forced into a corner.

She had already once given in, out of guilt, out of misplaced duty, and mated with Zion. And what had been the result? She and her unborn children had almost died.

She would never allow herself to be treated like a tool again. She was not some breeder to be passed around between powerful Alphas or Chieftains. Her life, her purpose, was so much more than that.

Then, as if on cue, Leon entered the tent. But he didn’t stop Elric. Instead, he raised a hand and silently signaled his warriors to assist the Archmage in whatever he needed. His gaze then shifted to Addison, not with lust this time, but with respect.

After all, she had just wiped the floor with him. She had proven herself a true warrior. And in their world, the defeated bows to the victor. Leon was no exception.

Still, a flicker of interest lingered in his eyes, an ember that had not yet died. But Addison ignored it, choosing not to acknowledge anything more from him than necessary.

Finally, Leon spoke.

"I do owe you an apology," he began, his voice low and solemn. "But the truth is... we desperately needed a powerful female to carry on my bloodline. Only with an Albino heir can our tribe hope to survive, hope to fight back against the enemy we can’t even name yet."

His expression grew heavy with the weight of years, of losses unseen.

"I’ve already buried too many warriors. And our females... they’ve become so few. In just a few more years, we’ll dwindle into extinction."

He paused, searching her face.

"I hope you understand the burden I carry as Chieftain. I’m grasping at every straw I can. I may appear carefree, even hedonistic, to the outside world, but most of that is an act. A mask. To show our enemies that I’m not shaken. But the truth is, we’ve tried everything, every possible solution we could think of."

He looked down for a moment, then back at her.

"And yes, I know... we chose the wrong path. I won’t deny it. But I don’t regret trying. Because it was for the survival of my kin. And any leader, any future monarch, would understand that. Maybe not the method. Maybe not the violation of choice. But the essence of it, the desperation to save your people."

Addison stared at Leon. Aside from being strikingly handsome, he did make a fair point. As blunt and straightforward as he was, this scheme was likely the furthest his mind could stretch when it came to manipulation. In truth, he looked more like a sitting duck out in the open, easy prey for an enemy lurking in the shadows.

And perhaps that was the real weakness of the Tigren.

They weren’t cunning. They weren’t deceptive. In fact, their nature was so straightforward that their thoughts and intentions could be easily read and countered. That honesty, while admirable in battle, made them vulnerable to hidden enemies who relied on strategy and deceit.

Even their attempts to relocate, likely a move to hide or regroup, might have already been anticipated. Their enemy may have laid ambushes in advance, watching them from the dark, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

Tigren were not known for running from a fight. They were warriors, born and bred for the battlefield. But with the Priestess, their God’s chosen messenger, guiding them, they couldn’t simply ignore her words. And if she said they needed to retreat for a time, to survive until their young could grow stronger, then they would obey. No matter how much it went against their pride or instinct.

But although Addison understood their situation, that didn’t mean she could easily forgive them. Understanding and forgiveness were two very different things.

Still, she met Leon’s gaze head-on and spoke calmly.

"I do understand your position. So let me make a proposition." Her voice was firm, not cold. "Since you and your people are preparing to relocate, why not move into my territory instead? Become our temporary guardians. This way, we can watch each other’s backs."

It wasn’t a gesture of pure goodwill. Addison wasn’t pretending that nothing had happened. This wasn’t an act of magnanimity; it was strategy.

She couldn’t let Leon leave just yet.

Not until they found a way to dissolve the false mate bond. And until that happened, she had no idea what effect his death might have on her. If their enemies managed to kill him while he was out searching for a new place to settle, the consequences could be disastrous, possibly even fatal, for her as well.

So for now, keeping him close was the only logical option she had.

And honestly, the Tigrens were so physically powerful that even their lack of cunning was often balanced out by their deadly battlefield instincts. Their strength lay not in strategy, but in raw instinct, the kind that only true predators possessed. It was what made them so dangerous despite their straightforward nature.

Leon may have wronged her, but now he looked genuinely regretful... and cornered. And Addison knew all too well, when a powerful creature is backed into a corner, it becomes even more dangerous and reckless.