My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 132

Draven grabbed my hand and led me to the seat he chose for me, which was on the left side of his. Of course, Beta Ari sat on Draven's right side. Draven pulled out a seat for me, smiling and gesturing like a true gentleman, but his kind behavior towards me quickly caused a wave of freezing air aimed at me from the opposite side of the table, where the hostile bitch was sitting. I heaved a sigh, trying to ignore my annoyance while the golden-eyed woman in front of me looked like she was preparing for a catfight.

Turning my head to avoid her unexplained anger, my eyes quickly registered two more seats that stayed empty. Then I noticed that Ari was looking at the same spots with concern and impatience. Someone was running late. Draven checked the time on his watch and took a deep breath.

"We'll wait," he said to Ari. "I will introduce Lilith in the meantime."

Once his words sounded out, the golden-eyed stood up, hitting the table with her flat palms. "What is she doing here?!" she snapped, pointing at me.

"Jetta, sit down!" Beta Ari roared.

Draven glowered at her. His darker than usual eyes conveyed a clear warning, which made the bitchy she-wolf cringe and get back in her seat.

"This is Lilith, daughter of Alpha Randall D'Apolito and Alpha Eve Leber. She was born a human, but make no mistake, her powerful alpha genes make her an excellent fighter," Draven spoke, his voice overfilled with authority.

I could see Jetta scoffed at his words about me being an "excellent fighter", but judging by her previous behavior, I figured that for some reason, she had a problem with me being anything at all. This time, Draven chose to ignore her rather than reprimand her. He just grabbed my hand and put our intertwined palms on the table for everyone to see. I wasn't too comfortable with it. I gave Draven a meaningful stare while trying to slip my hand out of his grip, but he only clicked his tongue and tightened his grasp. I gave up.

Once Jetta saw how Draven held my hand, pain surfaced vividly in her expression, which put all of my senses on alert, wondering what her relationship with Draven was. Gamma Raiden, who sat next to Jetta, also noticed her stare. He immediately leaned forward on the table, giving me an awkward smile, as if he wanted to protect her from my sight. Unlike him, Draven seemed unmoved by her, even though I was certain that he saw her aching face.

"Lilith will participate in our quest," Draven continued, "I tested her abilities personally, and I am certain that she'll become a great asset," he smirked proudly.

None of those who sat at the table dared to oppose Alpha's words. They silently approved my participation, slightly nodding their heads. Jetta lowered her gaze as if she had given up. She looked so pitiful that I started to feel sorry for her… I did that for a second until she shook off her painful mask and gave me another spiteful glare. I could see her jealousy more than clear, but… seriously?!

Suddenly, the door opened and Patrick and his second-in-command, Titus, entered. They both walked to Draven and nodded their heads.

"We apologize for coming late. An unexpected event occurred in vampire territory," Patrick explained.

"Fine. Be seated," Draven said, pointing at the two empty chairs, waiting for them.

Patrick greeted me with a brief, slightly nervous nod and took his seat next to Ari. I scanned his face and noticed hints of anger hidden behind a composed mask he prepared for the meeting. His anger wasn't directed towards anyone in the room. Something bad must have happened, and suddenly I became worried about Martha's and Kanan's safety, but I knew I had to shove away my anxiety until the meeting was over.

"Raiden, report," Draven ordered, gesturing at his Gamma.

"The Southern Woods Pack subjugated seventeen other packs in total. They enslaved or killed the weaker ones, while all the stronger packs were embodied in D'Apolito's army. The southerners act fast and become more daring. Two days ago, they even attacked the Red Lake Pack, one of the packs that we had offered our protection before, yet they refused. The Southern Woods Pack didn't even aim for the warriors but attacked Red Lake's hometown village, killing over a hundred civilians. First, they implanted false information to lure most of the warriors out of town, and then launched an attack, forcing the town to surrender before their defense returned. After the village submitted to the southerners, they executed everyone — including children," Raiden said agitatedly, clenching his teeth.

I swallowed hard, displaying the horrifying image of the meaningless bloodshed caused by my father.

"Cowards…" I cursed under my breath.

I couldn't understand how anyone could be so ruthless? I had my own reasons to hate my father, but hearing what he had done to other packs made me sick. I used to think that he had an insatiable appetite for power, but it was more than that. He seemed to enjoy bathing in the blood of the weak. It was clear that this psychopath needed to be killed, and I would never regret putting my hand into it.

Draven's pupils burned while listening to the report, but he stayed composed, even when other members of the war council muttered angrily, their blood visibly boiling.

After Raiden sat down, Draven turned to Ari. "How are the preparations going?"

"We can leave in two days, Alpha," he responded immediately.

Then Draven turned his eyes on Patrick. "Commander Kim?"

Looking straight into Draven's eyes, he replied, "The Royal Army is good to go, even tomorrow."

Alpha Draven nodded, acknowledging the answers. "We are leaving the day after tomorrow at dawn," he stated and straightened in his seat. "We will begin with the attack on the east side. It is the Black Valley Pack's territory, the strongest ally the Southern Woods Pack has. Once we defeat them, we expect the other packs on our way to Greystoneville to submit to us or become neutral and let us through their territories."

Draven spoke in the tone of a true leader. There was no hint of hesitation in his voice, and he left no room for distrust, demanding absolute obedience. The more uncomfortable part was that he kept my hand in his grip the entire time, which everyone seemed to ignore… except for me, the one who felt the power of his grip. For some reason, the way he held my hand felt as if he drew energy from my touch. Once I realized that, I stopped trying to release my hand. It gave me an unfamiliar but deeply appreciated feeling of being needed.

Draven discussed the strategy of the attack with the council members. Patrick got himself involved, giving a few suggestions that were unquestionably accepted by the members, while I sat quietly, hoping to understand and memorize everything. In the end, Draven divided his warriors and the Royal Army legions into smaller groups so all of the soldiers would be less noticeable, and the pack and army could attack from many different directions at once. It wasn't a surprise that I was assigned to be in Draven's group… unfortunately so was Jetta. Neither of us was fond of that idea, especially since she did everything she could for me not to like her… Nonetheless, I decided that I could handle her glaring at me, and I figured I should ignore her unless she chose to irritate me more than that.

Finally, after long hours of talking, the meeting ended, leaving me overwhelmed by the information and starving. If it hadn't been for the coffee served during the meeting, I would have passed out in the middle of it. The other reason for me staying awake was the glares that Jetta threw at me. She was annoying just enough for my pulse not to slow down. Nonetheless, after a few hours of constant focus, I reached my limit. Despite the caffeine and anger coursing through my veins, I would gladly fall asleep as soon as I walked out of the meeting room. Yet there was one more thing I had to do before passing out on my pillow…

"Patrick!" I called out when I saw him walking away towards the army camp.

He stopped and waited until I ran to him. His face was gloomy and terrifyingly serious, which made me worried even more than when I saw him entering the meeting room.

"What happened? Is everything in the Palace ok?" I asked, thinking about Martha and Kanan.

"The Palace is fine," he sighed.

"But?"

"It's an open war now, Lilith… The rest of the Royal Army and every other vampire family's soldiers are mobilized to join the upcoming battles," he said.

"W-what are you talking about? A war against whom?" I was confused and anxious.

Patrick stepped closer and leaned over my ear. "Come to the grounds after sundown. I'd rather not talk about it here in the open."

His words made me even more restless, but I nodded, desperate to find out everything I could. I agreed to meet him at 9 PM. I was supposed to come to the west side of the grounds, where Patrick had his tent. As soon as we set our evening meeting, a loud stomach growl reminded me to come back to the mansion and search for food.

Fortunately, Draven seemed too occupied with arranging additional plans with the other groups, and I could avoid his company naturally. As soon as I walked through the mansion door, I scented an amazing smell that brought water to my mouth.

"The dinner is already in your room, hon," the lovely old lady sang, passing me by.

"Thank you!" I called out, nearly crying with happiness, "Thank you… um…" I realized I didn't even know her name.

"Everyone calls me Grandma Rose, so can you," she chuckled.

I nodded with a big grin on my face. "Thank you, Grandma Rose!"

I darted upstairs like they were on fire, already sensing the food smell coming from my room. I slammed the door open… but instead of running towards the plate on my table, I stayed alert. My eyes scanned the room, and I knew someone had entered my room, someone other than Grandma Rose, someone I didn't know.

My balcony window was open, even though I could have sworn I left it closed. I sensed a weak scent, an unfamiliar scent. It carried a dangerous and powerful aura that sent chills down my spine. The scent felt slightly more intense around my bed. I stepped closer and froze, seeing a small piece of paper lying on my pillow. I took a deep breath and grabbed it. It looked like a blank business card with a short handwritten message.

"You never cease to amaze me, Lilith. I'm more and more excited and can't wait to meet you." My heart pounded hectically, increasing the rate of my pumping blood and bringing me close to a panic attack as I read what was on the back of the card…

"Yours, JD."