My Most Precious Human

Martha seemed ecstatic while picking the right kind of outfit for me to wear. Unlike me, she wasn't bothered by the fact that no one knew who asked me to sit by the negotiation table. I was still bewildered by the news while Martha's colleague brought me breakfast, put it on the table while grinning and showing me the thumbs-up, and then left my room as quickly as she appeared in it. I felt as if she and Martha were cheering for me, as if I was about to save the world or something.

I replied with a forced, smiley-grimace while trying to drag myself to the bathroom. Hurried by Martha, I took the shortest shower ever, which mainly consisted of draining cold water onto my body, hoping it would allow my brain to function as it should. After wrapping myself with a towel, I washed my face and applied every skincare product I had, praying that it would make me look less zombie-like. "The food is getting cold." Martha clicked her tongue, observing my slow movements.

"Martha, calm down and sit beside me. You are making me more nervous than I already am," I said, preparing to take my first bite.

"It would be best if you wore a little black office-style dress. I found one in your closet. It has a shallow neckline with a sexy slit going down to your breast," she stated excitedly.

I sighed and smiled at her. I was more than grateful for her help, but watching her being all fired up made me feel a little guilty. I was terrified of going there. I was afraid I would act like a total idiot and disappoint everyone. I was about to sit between werewolves and vampires while I didn't represent either. I had very little knowledge about their conflict, and I had absolutely no idea what the demands were on each side. Not to mention that I had no clue why someone would suddenly decide on making me join them!

Martha helped me put on some light make-up and get dressed. I took a glimpse in the mirror, and I saw a confident and decisive person. Unfortunately, that was only on the outside. On the inside, I was all shaking and anxious...

At a quarter to nine, someone knocked on my door; it was Patrick. He came to escort me to the negotiations as my personal bodyguard.

"Patrick, maybe you will tell me what is going on? Why am I suddenly a part of it?" I asked.

"I got an order to escort you this morning. That is all I know. I will also stay right outside the room during the whole meeting, just in case," he smiled as if trying to bring me comfort.

I guessed that I was about to get some answers only after entering the meeting. I faintly smiled back at him and then gestured for him to lead the way. The negotiations were supposed to take place in the west wing's conference room. We walked there in silence. Patrick glanced at me every few seconds, checking if I was feeling all right. Probably because my face was getting paler with every step I took. Once we entered the west building, we were joined by four other guards, securing each side as we walked through the long corridor leading to the meeting place. It felt a little strange. I gazed at Patrick with a question mark painted on my face.

"Over twenty warriors of the Moon Hill Pack stay in the west building. The guards are here in case there would be another attempt to kidnap you," Patrick explained, lowering his voice.

I nodded, processing his words. This didn't sound like a good way to start negotiating a peace treaty. Then I started thinking that those guards must have been ordered by Sariel, which meant that he was worried for my safety. The more I doubted that it was his idea for me to attend the meeting, but if it wasn't him, then who was it?

The Palace guards stopped at the door at the end of the corridor and then opened it for me to enter. I gulped and stepped inside the conference room, which was already crowded. A big, long table was standing in the middle of the room, with one side reserved for the vampires and the other for the werewolves to sit on. It made me awkwardly wonder where my place was. The place was prepared for about forty participants to be seated, and some of them were already taking their places. I decided to step to one side of the door until someone would tell me what to do. Suddenly, all the guards standing by the door bowed down. I turned around and saw Sariel walking into the room while holding Elora's hand. I clenched my teeth but decided to keep my courtesy and bowed just like everyone else, as they both walked to their seats. Sariel didn't even look me in the eyes, making my presence there harder than it already was. He and Elora gracefully glided towards their side of the table and took their places right in the middle of the table's length. At that moment, I started thinking of running away from there, and I probably would have if it weren't for someone's hand gently landing on my shoulder.

"I'm glad you are here, Lilith." Alpha Draven's voice was like a balm to my freshly stabbed heart.

"I'm glad you say that," I said vaguely, "but I'm still not sure why I'm here."

"I demanded your presence," he said, grabbing my hand, "Come on, Lilith. You will sit next to me."

Before I could choke out a word, I was dragged by him towards the table. He stopped opposite Sariel and Elora's seats and pulled out a chair for me, telling me to sit. It already looked awkward, but he didn't seem to care. More than that, he seemed to be enjoying this situation. I looked at Sariel. For once, he was unable to keep his poker face. He was glaring at Draven with his eyes burning in fury, and he was barely restraining himself from ripping him to pieces. Unknowingly, the corner of my lips curled up as I drew wicked satisfaction from Sariel's jealousy. Although it could have been nothing more than a caveman's possessiveness, the mere fact that he disregarded Elora was enough to improve my mood. I sat down opposite him, while Draven's seat was opposite Elora's.

Other participants joined quickly. Leo took his place on Sariel's right side, while on Draven's right sat his Beta, whose, as I later learned, name was Ari. Once there were no empty spots left, the meeting was about to start. I expected Sariel to open the negotiations, but it was Alpha Draven who stood up first.

"I wish to have another demand before we start..." He looked straight into Sariel's eyes as his lips formed a sly smirk.

"You already asked for my concubine's presence, and I granted you that. Don't cross the line, Alpha Draven," Sariel hissed. The blood in my veins started to boil.

"I'm not some pawn you can toss wherever you want! You should at least have the decency to tell me about your decisions in person!" I burst out... inside my head, but I knew this was probably the worst moment to say those words aloud.

I was certain that Draven instantly noticed me glaring at Sariel as the smile on his face widened. Then he turned his eyes back to Sariel and continued.

"My demand isn't unreasonable. It is all about trust, and there are certain individuals whom I do not trust in this room," he stated.

Sariel leaned forward on the table while pressing his clenched fists against the tabletop. "Who do you refer to?" he asked in a freezingly cold way.

"I'm afraid that the presence of this lovely lady sitting next to the King is completely pointless since she does not long for an alliance between my pack and the vampire kingdom," said Alpha Draven as his lips slowly formed a faint smirk.

One of the vampires stood up loudly, hitting the table with his fist, "You are talking about the Queen, you dirty dog!"

His tone caused an uproar. The wolves stood up, snarling at the vampire, whom I quickly recognized as the late king's counselor. His support for Elora became obvious from the first second I saw him, but his current outburst was far from diplomatic and could easily turn into an open fight within the conference room. Yet, he wasn't the only one whose rage took away every ounce of tact.

"How dare you! I am royal, so I suggest you watch your mouth, Alpha Draven!" Elora stood up, roaring at Draven's face.

Then she directed her deadly glare at me, as if I was the one who caused it. Seriously? I knew she hated my guts, but, at this moment, I was like a tourist who accidentally landed at a mafia meeting and had no idea what was going on. I glanced at Sariel and surprisingly noticed a brief smirk underneath his cold mask. I initially thought that he backed Elora's outrage, but I quickly figured out that his smirk meant something else.

"Silence!" he thundered, turning his eyes to his side of the table, and then he stood up and added, composedly, "Respecting Alpha Draven's wishes, Queen Elora will not take part in the negotiations-" "Sariel! How can you do this to me?!" Elora yelled.

"Your childish behavior has proven that you don't belong in this room. Your participation will not lead to anything good." Sariel's offense wasn't something that Elora could easily stand.

I saw her pupils turning red. She shivered with fury while everyone in the room anticipated her reaction. I could bet that she had never felt so humiliated before. With a savage roar, she stepped away from the table and started walking out of the room, making sure that everyone would see the rage bursting from every inch of her skin. As soon as Elora left, slamming the door, Sariel's eyes went to the late king's counselor.

"Leave the room as well." Sariel's order was clear and simple.

"B-but your highness, I wish nothing but to serve you with my guidance!" he exclaimed, beggingly.

"You don't get it, do you?" Sariel gave him a cold smirk. "It was the Queen who wanted you here. Since she won't take part in negotiations, you won't either. Besides, you should feel fortunate that I didn't sentence you to death for your outrageous lack of diplomacy."

The counselor got up from his seat, trembling while hearing the wolves' snorts and remarks. It was easy to guess that Sariel wanted him gone from the start. With the uproar he caused, he gave the King a perfect argument to get rid of him. He had only himself to blame. Finally, the counselor left the conference room.

Draven sighed nonchalantly and then leaned towards Sariel with a cunning smile on his face, "Shall we start the game?"