Chapter 0012 Ella POV In my last life , I had naively believed that opening travel routes to the North would be a good thing and that it would bring opportunity to our pack .
But now I had seen enough as a Luna to know that the North couldnt be trusted .
There was far too much rogue activity to safely open a travel route .
Of course , in this timeline , no one would expect me to know that .
I stood up as I prepared to answer .
I could feel my father staring at me , and I wasnt sure if he was concerned or confident .
I didnt dare to look .
I took a deep breath and then began to speak .
I can see the allure of opening travel with the North , I said .
But considering the level of rogue activity around the northern border , I think that to make such a thing work we would be forced to open checkpoints and increase patrols at the border .
It wouldnt be cost efficient , and it would compromise the safety of our people .
A hush fell over the room as everyone stared at me .
I kept my face neutral , though I worried that I had said something wrong .
David and his father were both staring at me as if I had lost my mind .
Did I misunderstand the situation , or had I revealed too much ? Would people become suspicious that something strange was going on with me ? My hands started to shake from the nerves , then a voice spoke up .
It was the Alpha King .
She makes a very good point , the Alpha King said , We must consider the safety and well being of our people above all else , and the risks outweigh the benefits .
He was smiling approvingly at me , and I felt relief wash over me .
He had always been kind to me , but that was when I was only a child .
The Alpha King was a kind man and a devoted father .
Everyone knew how much he loved his daughter and made sure that she was as capable and informed as any man in the kingdom .
There had even been rumors that he planned to have his daughter inherit their pack when she grew up The Alpha King was very powerful , holding 10 % of the voting power in the kingdom , so having him on your side was incredibly important .
David had often talked about wanting to win favor with him , but that was easter said than done : The Alpha King was difficult to impress , and my heart thundered as I heard him praise me .
Thank you , Sir , I said as I slowly sat back down .
The rest of the meeting passed by relatively quickly .
There were a lot of items being discussed that I was able to follow and understand , but I didnt feel the need to speak up on many of the issues .
The Kings primary concerns had little to do with the Rowanwood pack .
Occasionally , my father spoke up , but for the most part , we were there to gather Information about the events going on in the kingdom .
I could feel eyes on me , and I did my best to keep my chin up high and not let too much emotion show on my face Midnt want to give anyone the impression that I was over nervous or struggling to understand the Conversations 1 had to remind myself that as a 20 year old , I hardly ever people to be surprised to see me and shocked to hear that howed up to these meetings , so it made sense for ctually understood what was going on +25 BONUS Chapter 9012 When the meeting ended , people began to walk
around and socialize again .
David hurried to my side and put his ann around me .
I was sure that , after I had impressed the king , he was eager to showcase his connection to me .
I kept a friendly .
smile plastered on my face , but in reality , my skin was crawling at the feeling of Davids arm around my waist .
I forced myself to pretend that everything was okay and that we were a happy couple deeply in love .
That was the role I had to play , no matter how much 1 hated it .
1 could see Alexander across the room .
He was watching me with a look of distaste on his face .
As David and I walked around the room , people stopped us to congratulate us on our engagement , and I nodded with a smile stuck to my face .
I could tell that David was eating up the attention .
He always loved when people looked at him and heaped praise on him .
You two are an attractive couple , one of the older alphas said , reaching to shake Davids hand .
You must be so excited , his Luna said to me .
You have no idea , I replied .
I always knew it would be Ella , David said .
He made a show of gripping my waist and pulling me in for a kiss .
As his lips touched mine , my heart turned to ice .
I had never been so repulsed by anything .
forced myself to return the kiss , squeezing my eyes shut tightly and imagining that I was somewhere far away .
I heard cheers and scattered applause around us before David finally pulled away from me .
With a Luna like Ella by your side , the older alpha said , youll have no problem convincing people to support you as king .
Her family is very influential .
I telt my resolve breaking 1 wanted to scrub my face and get the sensation of Davids touch off of Excuse me , I said softly , pulling out of his grip .
I need to use the restroom .
David released me and turned his full attention back to the Alpha and Luna he was chatting with .
my lips .
I quickly made my way out of the large lobby .
As I passed by Alexander , our eyes met .
Now was the perfect time to away and talk in private .

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I wasnt sure if he would notice the signal , but a few seconds after Id exited the lobby , I heard footsteps behind me .
Sure enough , when I turned around , it was Alexander .
* Please tell me youve come up with a suitable plan , I said I couldnt stand the idea of letting David kiss me like that again .
I wasnt sure I would be able to keep up the act .
My hatred for his was only growing stronger the more time I spent with him .
It was so obvious to me now that he was using me .
I felt like such a fool for never suspecting him before .
From the sunas pocket of his jacket , he pulled a folded shee of paper .
* 3 kurve what you need .
I said cander quickly lifted it out of my reh .
With his other hand , he grabbed my outstretched ted me , and I fell against chest .
My heart skipped as I looked up at him .
Being snall , and I waned up at him in surprise and confusion at his actions .
Chapter 0012 +25 BONUS That was quite the display in there , Alexander said darkly How am I supposed to trust that youre serious about this and youre not just setting me up ? That was an act , I said , frowning deeply as I gazed up at him .
You cant possibly think I enjoyed that .
Im more determined than ever to bring him down .
If it was an act , prove it , he replied .
Kiss me with that same level of performance .