Zach POV

When she swallows and licks her lips, something moves inside me. Like my wolf has come closer to the surface. I check my hands under the table to confirm they're still normal.

She sets her teacup down carefully before answering.

"I know that the former king betrayed us," she says. "He entered an alliance with the south. Signed away our rare earth minerals and natural gas. Our lands were overrun by foreigners exporting our resources while hunger and famine persisted. People believed the Alpha King was compromised. That he was under some kind of a spell. They revolted. The south came to his defense. That started the war....