Of course, the werewolves could never sit idly by while their alpha’s life-bonded companion was being detained. One of the two most decisive traits of the werewolf race was the presence of an alpha leader who guides their collective actions, and the other was the imprinting that becomes their greatest weakness.

In other words, capturing and imprisoning the alpha’s companion was equivalent to attacking both of the werewolves’ most significant characteristics – their very identity. Therefore, it was only natural that the entire race would gather for war, willing to risk their lives in the face of the unprecedented provocation from the lion emperor.

However, the problem was that Chloe Liden was a tiger shapeshifter. It would have been simpler if she were human, but she just had to be a tiger shapeshifter. To the werewolves, tiger shapeshifters were like demons. In all the battles between werewolves and tiger shapeshifters thus far, the tiger shapeshifters had never lost even once.

In other words, even if the entire werewolf race united and fought, the best they could hope for was barely avoiding defeat against the tiger shapeshifters.

Of course, lions were also a difficult race, similar to tigers. But the werewolves and tigers in particular had experienced fierce wars due to overlapping desired territories. As a result, most of the werewolf race had been unable to properly establish themselves within the Tigrium Kingdom. Except for the Tilvet family, who had unusually built a strong force even in Tigrium.

An opponent against whom not losing was the best outcome. The tiger shapeshifter race, more detested than even lions. And the alpha’s companion just had to be a woman of that race.

Fighting against the lions while risking death to protect a single tiger shapeshifter woman, one of the race they despised – it was indeed a situation that inevitably led to emotional resistance.

Since it was impossible to reverse an imprint once made, they had gathered despite the danger of the centuries-long peace treaty being broken and the possibility of war, but if there were an alternative, they absolutely did not want to engage in this war.

Moreover, as hundreds of years passed, the number of shapeshifters had rapidly decreased, to the point that defeat in war could lead to the extinction of their race.

Furthermore, there was someone relentlessly persuading them by preying on their discomfort – none other than Reina Tilvet. In the alpha’s absence, as the leader of the werewolf family with the greatest power next to the Ulpaz ducal family, Reina Tilvet continuously preached to the elders about the worthlessness of this war.

“It is truly absurd for the centuries-long peace agreement between the shapeshifter races to be broken over a single tiger shapeshifter woman. Risking the fate of the entire werewolf race to save one tiger shapeshifter.”

Initially cautious with her opinions, she gradually began using more blatant language, and now she had no reservations at all.

“But she is the alpha’s imprinted mate. The expression ‘just one’ is not appropriate. Once imprinted, she is under our protection. Without her, the alpha is powerless. Furthermore, as the alpha’s companion, she is the one who will produce the next alpha. Since she is not human, there is a high possibility she will give birth to a werewolf.”

Count Shrice presented a counterargument.

“Producing an alpha. You are too optimistic. It’s not as if you haven’t heard the news. That woman underwent tiger transformation but couldn’t even kill a single person. Whether she truly underwent tiger transformation is uncertain, as no one besides Duke Ulpaz and the emperor witnessed it. There are rumors that she took shapeshifter suppressants to survive the Tigrium king, so can she even be considered a proper shapeshifter? Rather, there may be lingering side effects that make pregnancy itself impossible, let alone giving birth to a werewolf.”

Reina revealed Chloe Liden’s condition, having mobilized all her information network to find out.

The faces of the werewolf elders instantly grimaced. The alpha’s companion lacking reproductive abilities. If that were true, she would be the worst companion in history.

“Lady Reina Tilvet. That is still unknown, isn’t it? It hasn’t been that long since the imprinting, and it’s not yet the stage to bring up such matters. And even if that were the case, the alpha has already imprinted. Telling an imprinted wolf to live without a companion is telling him to die, and it means we lose our alpha. Is there an alpha who can replace Duke Ulpaz now? He is the most powerful alpha in werewolf history.”

An expected counterargument was raised. Speculating about pregnancy impossibility and such was ultimately just Reina Tilvet’s conjecture, and abandoning the alpha’s companion was equivalent to abandoning or replacing the alpha.

“I am not saying we should abandon the alpha. On the contrary! Precisely because he is the most powerful alpha, we must find a way for him to remain as our alpha no matter what. Let’s make a cold assumption. If a situation arose where a choice had to be made between the werewolf race and that woman, what do you think Duke Ulpaz would choose?”

“Ah…”

“Oh my…”

The reception room of the ducal residence where the meeting was being held filled with the elders’ sighs. This time, no one could refute Reina Tilvet’s words. No matter how much of an alpha he was, as long as he was also a werewolf, there was a high possibility his companion would take priority.

A sense of responsibility as an alpha was not innate, but a matter of acquired effort and will. However, the desire and instinct for a companion was a primal characteristic of werewolves.

Reina Tilvet smiled triumphantly at the elders’ silence.

“You can’t answer. You all can’t speak the answer because you know what it is. Yes! That’s right. As long as the alpha is also a wolf, he will choose that woman, not the entire werewolf race. It’s not that we are abandoning the alpha because of some worthless companion, but that the alpha will abandon us.”

Reina Tilvet’s voice was now at a level of elation.

“Then what are you suggesting! Imprinting cannot be reversed.”

At the end of the commotion, someone spat out words tinged with some irritation.

“That’s right. Imprinting cannot be reversed. Except for one single exception.”

Reina Tilvet answered immediately, as if she had been waiting to say this all along.

However, the crowd instantly became as quiet as if ice water had been poured on them.

It was a chilling silence, different from the silence just before when everyone had closed their mouths, unable to answer her question. Because the words Reina Tilvet had casually blurted out were tantamount to a taboo.

The single exception – if the imprinted party, the duke himself, were present, he could have snapped Reina Tilvet’s neck on the spot without anyone being able to say a word, that’s how dangerous and destructive her remark was.

The only exception to imprinting was the death of the companion. In other words, if the imprinted mate, the companion, died, one could imprint anew. So Reina Tilvet was now suggesting they kill the alpha’s companion.

“Let’s be honest. None of us want to risk our lives to protect a single tiger shapeshifter woman, right? What we want is only the powerful alpha, Duke Ulpaz. Not his worthless companion. And if we don’t want the tiger shapeshifter woman to take that alpha away from us, we need to change the imprinted mate. That is the only answer.”

“…”

Even as everyone remained silent, Reina Tilvet continued speaking her piece without backing down at all.

“Of course, there will be risks. It’s obvious a wolf who has lost his companion will not immediately try to imprint again. We’ll need to devise a plan to separate the companion from the duke and kill her. Yes, it’s a very difficult task. But it’s not impossible if we try. Estrus is also one of our major characteristics. If we target the duke’s most vulnerable estrus period, wouldn’t it all be possible?”

“Lady Reina Tilvet. You seem to be making dangerous remarks without hesitation! You are now suggesting we cross a line that werewolves must never cross! Have you no shame!”

Finally, Count Watts, who had been silent for a while, shouted.

“Shame, you say! Count Watts, will you then fight against the lion emperor? You, whose knees are weak from age, making such a statement – I don’t even know how to respond. Even if all the other wolves fought for the duke’s companion, you wouldn’t be able to rush out, would you? It’s not as if the fight will be done with words.”

“Why, you… Did your father, Marquis Tilvet, teach you to be like this!”

“Yes! This is what I was taught. I was taught to have the courage to fear nothing if it means protecting my family, and to not hesitate to stain my hands with blood if it’s for the prosperity of the werewolf race. I am not making this proposal for my sake alone. Look at the situation now. A single tiger shapeshifter woman, one who has even bewitched the lion emperor, is breaking the unity of our werewolf race like a loach, isn’t she!”

“Hmm…”

Count Watts made a disgruntled throat-clearing sound, but he couldn’t bring himself to refute and only let out a groan.

“I have already investigated that woman. Don’t forget the fact that she is a tiger shapeshifter. The most promiscuous and licentious of all the shapeshifter races. Staxton, that old tiger – ha! It’s terrible to even say it, but that old man even proposed to me. Saying he wants to birth a tiger shapeshifter. I am planning to use that bastard even while enduring such humiliation.”

“Oh my!”

“Damn that tiger geezer!”

“He’s insane.”

Sighs poured out from here and there at Reina Tilvet’s words.