The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 575: Chapter 575 Polishing The Reforms

The rivalry between the young men was obvious, but he had no intention of interfering. His daughter wasn’t the one at a disadvantage. If anything, she was the one they were all trying to win over.

As far as he was concerned, there was nothing wrong with Leon taking advantage of the occasion to steal a little intimacy while the other three silently burned with jealousy.

Addison herself was momentarily caught off guard.

She knew exactly what Leon was doing.

The shameless big cat was using a formal occasion as an excuse to be openly handsy with her.

Unfortunately, she had already made her declaration before the entire council. Pulling her hand away now or kicking him in the face — tempting as that thought was — would only create an unnecessary spectacle.

So she remained perfectly composed.

Not a single flicker of embarrassment or annoyance crossed her face.

Everyone gathered inside the council chamber was a seasoned veteran of politics and war. They could read the slightest twitch of a person’s expression. Showing even a crack in her composure would immediately expose her thoughts.

She simply lowered her gaze as Leon’s lips brushed the back of her hand.

Their eyes met.

Beneath his calm expression danced a mischievous glint, one that practically screamed victory.

Addison had to bite the inside of her lower lip to stop herself from reacting as she thought.

’What a cunning big cat... You really know how to exploit an opportunity.’

The silent contest between Leon and Addison was cut short by the Alpha King.

Clap!

The sharp sound of his hands echoed throughout the council chamber, instantly drawing every eye back to him.

”Since no one has raised any objections,” the Alpha King began calmly, his gaze sweeping across the room, ”these reforms will be added to the kingdom’s official agenda. I expect every Alpha present to cooperate fully and begin making the necessary preparations.”

He paused before continuing, deliberately shifting the discussion.

”As everyone here knows, the packs from the West have lost their homes. They’re still trying to settle into temporary shelters, which means they simply don’t have the manpower to care for hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of livestock while also tending to their harvested grains and vegetables.”

His lips curled into a faint smile.

”So here’s what we’ll do.”

”Each pack will take a portion of their livestock back to their own territory and raise them until the West has recovered. While you’re at it, request seeds from them as well. Begin cultivating your own farmland. By the time the West is rebuilt, every territory should already have the foundation of a self-sustaining food supply.”

The Alpha King casually glanced at Addison.

Moments earlier, she had discreetly signaled for him to take over the discussion, and he had done exactly that. More importantly, he understood precisely what his daughter intended.

This wasn’t a suggestion.

It was a royal directive disguised as one.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the council chamber.

Not a single Alpha dared to speak.

They all understood the trap hidden beneath the Alpha King’s seemingly reasonable proposal.

The moment anyone voiced an objection, they wouldn’t merely be disagreeing with the Alpha King, but they would be opposing reforms meant to strengthen the kingdom. They would appear selfish, resistant to progress, and unwilling to help the displaced packs of the West.

Worse still...

In a time when the kingdom was hunting for traitors and enemy infiltrators, openly resisting such a proposal would inevitably invite suspicion. It wouldn’t take much for others to question their loyalty or wonder whether they were acting in the interests of a foreign kingdom.

None of them was foolish enough to walk into that trap.

One after another, they swallowed the protests rising in their throats.

Their minds raced, desperately searching for loopholes or alternative solutions.

But the more they thought about it, the grimmer the reality became.

If they couldn’t find a way around the Alpha King’s order...

Then they would have no choice but to grit their teeth, accept the burden, and do exactly as they had been told.

Many of the Alphas loyal to the Alpha King immediately rose from their seats and bowed in acknowledgment.

Unlike the others, they didn’t waste a single moment.

As soon as the royal order was given, they silently mind-linked the entourages they had brought to the Royal Capital, instructing them to contact their respective packs at once. They ordered their people to coordinate with the displaced packs from the West, secure the finest breeding cattle and livestock available, and obtain the best seeds the Western packs had managed to preserve.

To them, hesitation only meant one thing.

Someone else would take the best before they could.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the council possessed the same foresight.

Many of the remaining Alphas were still preoccupied with weighing the gains and losses of the Alpha King’s proposal. They continued listening to the discussion around the round table, believing there was still plenty of time to make their decision.

By the time they realized what the royal faction was doing...

It was already too late.

The loyalists had already acted.

Back in the West, Alpha Hue had received the first wave of messages from the Royal Capital. The moment he learned which requests came from the Alpha King’s faction, he didn’t hesitate.

He personally instructed his people to prepare the very best.

The healthiest breeding cattle.

The strongest draft animals.

The finest breeding livestock.

The highest-quality seeds they had managed to salvage before abandoning their homes.

Those resources were carefully reserved for the Alphas who had immediately answered the Alpha King’s call.

Days later, when the hesitant factions finally swallowed their pride and sent their own requests...

They discovered that the finest livestock had long since been claimed.

What remained were aging animals, average breeders, and livestock of noticeably poorer quality. Even the seed stock they received was far from the best.

It wasn’t because Alpha Hue was being petty.

He simply couldn’t afford to sacrifice his own pack’s future.

The same was true for every Western Alpha under his leadership. Their homes lay in ruins, and they had only managed to save a fraction of their breeding stock and seed reserves. Giving away all of their finest resources would only cripple their own recovery.

Naturally, they prioritized those who had chosen to stand with them from the very beginning.

More importantly...

Alpha Hue’s daughter now served Princess Addison directly.

That single fact changed everything.

To him, his pack and the Royal Family were now tied by the same fate. Their prosperity, their survival, and their future had become intertwined. Supporting the royal faction wasn’t merely a political decision anymore, it was an investment in his own people’s future.

As for those outside the royal faction...

They were neither his allies nor his responsibility.

He had no reason to favor them over those who had extended their hands first.

Only then did the hesitant Alphas realize the price of their indecision.

They had spent days calculating profits and losses, trying to determine whether obeying the Alpha King’s order would truly benefit them.

What they failed to realize was that, after Addison had led the Western packs out of the Locust Swarm and saved them from certain destruction, Alpha Hue had already rallied nearly every surviving pack in the West behind her.

They had willingly placed themselves under her banner.

They had accepted her leadership.

And, in their hearts...

They had already acknowledged Princess Addison as the future ruler of the werewolf kingdom.

By the time the other Alphas understood that truth, they had already missed the opportunity to stand at the front of the line.

All they could do now was regret the hesitation that had cost them dearly.

Back in the council chamber, the meeting dragged on for hours as the council painstakingly refined every reform and proposal Addison had placed before them.

The discussions were anything but smooth.

Several Alphas repeatedly tried to steer the conversation away from the reforms, carefully choosing their words so they wouldn’t appear openly opposed. None of them dared challenge Addison head-on. Doing so would only expose their true intentions and place themselves on the opposite side of reforms that were undeniably beneficial to the kingdom.

Instead, they resorted to subtle delays, endless questions, and minor amendments, hoping to wear everyone down until the proposals lost momentum.

Unfortunately for them...

Addison had anticipated every argument.

Every concern they raised had already been answered.

Every loophole they tried to exploit had already been sealed.

The reforms were demanding, expensive, and troublesome to implement, but no one could deny the benefits they would bring once completed.

Every great change began with hardship.

And everyone in that room knew it.

One after another, the Alphas loyal to the Royal Family voiced their support, tipping the scales beyond recovery.

With the royal faction holding the majority, the opposition had no choice but to swallow their objections and move on to the remaining matters on the agenda.