The entire capital seemed to have turned out to welcome the delegations from around the continent. Beyond the palace gates, a sea of excited onlookers clamored to watch the Alpha's parade approach the summit. Gabriel and I led our party down the palace steps to await them. Though our group was small, we were surrounded by guards and courtiers. Servants gathered just out of sight, ready to rush forward and collect travelers' bags or fulfill any requests.

I kept Ella tucked under my arm, watching the first delegations stream in. Though none of the visitors had done anything extravagant, given the somber tone of the event, they certainly went out of their way to display their power and wealth. They were dressed to the nines, driving luxurious cars and flanked by imposing men. Vanarium gleamed everywhere, and I had to squint against its glare in the hot sun.

Their reasons for showing off were undoubtedly varied. Some opponents of the war likely wanted to flaunt their prowess, to show us what we lacked. Others were doubtless trying to curry favor with their king or win a leading role in the battles to come. However, regardless of their motives, all eyes gravitated toward Ella. Their unwavering attention betrayed their curiosity and admiration, and I wondered if they were showing off for her sake.

We greeted the Alphas, their families, and Betas one by one—first Gabriel, then Ella, and then me. They bowed to us all, but none so deeply as to Ella, the one wolf among us who was not voted into power, but chosen—created by the Goddess herself. A new hope sparked in my chest, a prayer that my mate's heritage might overcome our recent challenges. I always knew she would be my secret weapon—right from the beginning—but I hadn't expected everyone else to recognize it so quickly.

The welcome process consumed the better part of the afternoon, but finally, every delegation was settled in their suites, and their staffs dispersed throughout the palace. Ella was practically asleep on her feet by the end, leaning her slight weight into my side and resting her cheek against my chest, sweet sighs escaping her lips. I carried her inside for a brief nap before dinner, but she awoke refreshed and eager for the feast.

It was a good thing, too, because the event wasn't the apolitical meet-and-greet we'd originally planned. Instead, the Alphas dove straight into discussions of the war, and as enamored as they may have been to meet a living demigoddess, the consensus was far from supportive.

"Alpha Dominic, we were all extremely concerned when we heard of the attack on your convoy, and we're beyond relieved that you're alright," the Storm Forest leader began. I sensed the "but" coming, though it was no surprise—I'd feared this Alpha would be difficult. "But the fact remains that the incident proved your war is already bleeding over into our territory."

"It's not my war," I corrected him coldly, ignoring my food and leaning back in my chair. "It's all of ours—all shifter kind." I glanced around at the others, trying to gauge their reactions and finding a room full of poker faces.

"Surely you don't believe Damon will be satisfied with conquering one continent, especially not if all his subjects flee here."

"We can deal with Damon," the FrostFang leader interjected, brushing off this concern. "Or leave him for the humans to crucify."

"Dominic, we know you came to us looking to rally support, and we applaud your determination to return home and defeat the Usurper—it's what any good leader would do," the White Claw Alpha commended. "However, you must recognize that things have changed since the Secrecy Pact broke. You aren't wrong when you say this war belongs to all shifters now—but it's not because of the threat Damon poses," the Black Alder leader proclaimed evenly. "It's because of the human threat. Every shifter on the planet is at risk now, so we have to look beyond the tragedies in your homeland and think about the future of our entire kind."

"He's right," the Midnight Alpha added. "A war is shortsighted. Even if we win against Damon, it would only be a temporary fix, a distraction from the human problem." Ella shifted uneasily in her chair, and I sensed her displeasure with this framing. "At this point, it makes more sense to brace for all shifters coming here, rather than funding a war that will only lead to more strife if you manage to win."

"That's ridiculous," Gabriel asserted. "Every shifter in the world cannot possibly be accommodated in Vanara—and even if they could, it would only be a matter of time before the humans began searching for us."

"Then let them search; they've never found us before," the Storm Forest leader scoffed.

"They've never known we existed before," the King reminded him, a warning note in his voice.

At that point, a silken voice piped up beside me. "Not to mention the damage that would be done to the human communities left behind."

Every eye in the room turned to Ella, and, Goddess love her, she stared back with unflinching determination. I didn't know a single she-wolf alive who could stare down this room of intimidating wolves, but Ella didn't even bat an eye. When no one spoke, she continued, not waiting for permission. "I've been amazed ever since I arrived in this land—from the freedom your people enjoy to your technologies and advancements. It's truly remarkable, but I wonder how many of you have spent time in our homeland?" she asked, resting her hand over mine.

No one moved or spoke, and I wondered if they were stunned by her interruption or confused by her statement. Again, she forged on. "What you must understand is that our worlds are completely intertwined. There is no separating the human and shifter economies—everything is interdependent. All the businesses, industries, and stocks—the only things that truly remain separate are the governments. Humans and wolves live side by side, even if they didn't previously realize it."

"Is there a point to this?" the Storm Forest leader inquired, earning himself a growl from my wolf. The others looked chastened, but Ella kissed my cheek. "It's okay, my love," she told me before turning back to them. "What do you imagine will happen if one-third of the societies around the world suddenly disappear?" she inquired. "Your territories may be hidden, but they are not self-sustaining. You rely on imports and exports from across the globe. So if every economy, every society other than yours collapses, what do you think will happen to trade and security? Are you prepared to take in millions of new citizens, just when all the international relationships you've built for centuries collapse?"

Her statement was met with potent silence, and I could see the Alphas reflecting on the undeniable truth she spoke. It was a calculated argument, and not the one I expected from my mate—at least not entirely.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" the Silver Dawn leader demanded. "The humans are already talking of preemptive strikes."

"From their perspective, nothing is preemptive," Ella corrected him. "The first blows have already been struck—the first hundred blows, even. You forget that it is not only shifters suffering at Damon's hands. Millions of humans are being displaced and murdered—they have every right to fight back, and it's not their fault that they have no information about us or our perspectives to help guide them. It's ours. How are they to know we're not all bad, when everything they've seen of us has been horrific?"

"They have years of peaceful living as proof that it doesn't have to be that way," the Wind River Alpha argued.

"That's not what it feels like to them," Ella insisted. "You've always known that both societies existed, so you can see the harmony we once struck. They are just finding out that everything they believed their entire lives was wrong, and it's happening right as the world explodes. That trauma would be enough to skew anyone's perception. All these politics are games of guessing the intentions of others and forming misconceptions based on our own biases. So I'm telling you that your understanding of their view is wrong; we have to acknowledge and appreciate that if we have any hope of getting through this without dismantling society as we know it."

There was another pregnant pause. "So what do you suggest?" Gabriel prompted her, hiding a smile.

"We've already reached out to some of their leaders, and we're waiting for a response. But I suggest that this summit should be the first of many. We need to send delegations to the humans, to show them that we are not all Damon. Hell, we ought to bring them here if they'll agree, let them see the suffering our own kind are experiencing. We have the same enemy—we need to show them we can be allies," Ella stated, loudly enough for all to hear.

"That's madness," someone muttered.

"Or genius," another added wryly.

"Whether it's madness or genius, I guarantee it's right," Ella stated confidently, offering them a Cheshire smile. "But you don't have to agree with me yet. I've got all week to wear you down."

The other Alphas exchanged astonished glances, and the man beside me leaned over to whisper in my ear, "Well, you've certainly got a live one there."

I chuckled. "And I've never loved her more."