Chapter 92

ALEXANDRA'S POV

I sat in the meeting, barely hearing a word. My thoughts were elsewhere, locked on the one person who had somehow managed to worm her way into Ferris’s good books: Elise. A stranger. An outsider. She had no place here, yet she had Ferris’s attention, something I had tried and failed to secure for years.

The council went on, commending Ferris for successfully securing the trade route with Alpha Rod’s pack. They lavished praise on him, talking about his brilliant leadership, his negotiating skills. But then Ferris did something that made me freeze in my seat.

"It wasn’t me," Ferris said. "The success of that deal is thanks to Elise."

A murmur spread through the council like wildfire. Some faces tightened with disapproval, others looked surprised. Elise’s name always seemed to stir controversy, and I could see it happening now.

"Elise?" one of the older council members, Mark, sneered "That outsider? She has no rank, no title. How could she possibly be responsible for secu