Chapter 11: The First Step Forward

The following month, Princess Helena led our delegation toward the western border.

Three Packs had been arguing over territory for nearly a year, and several smaller villages had already suffered because of the conflict.

For the first time since arriving at Highmoor, I left the Sanctuary with a clear purpose.

I was no longer simply escaping the capital.

I was building something of my own.

The journey took two days.

When we arrived, the atmosphere was tense. Representatives from the three Packs sat on opposite sides of the temporary mediation hall, refusing even to acknowledge one another.

Princess Helena turned to me.

“Celia, bring me the historical boundary records.”

I nodded and opened the archive case I had carried from Highmoor.

For the next several hours, I compared old maps, treaty records, and territorial reports.

The more I studied them, the clearer the problem became.

The Packs were fighting over land that had technically never belonged exclusively to any of them.

An old royal agreement had established shared grazing rights decades earlier, but the document had been forgotten after several leadership changes.

I presented the evidence to Princess Helena.

She asked me to explain it to the Pack representatives.

My voice was steady as I stood before them.

“The land you’re fighting over was designated as neutral territory. None of your Packs has exclusive ownership.”

One of the Alphas immediately objected.

“That treaty is outdated.”

I placed the original royal seal on the table.

“The treaty was never revoked.”

The room went silent.

After several hours of negotiation, all three Packs finally agreed to recognize the original terms.

The dispute that had lasted nearly a year was settled in a single afternoon.

Princess Helena congratulated me afterward.

“You have a talent for this.”

I smiled.

“I just read the records carefully.”

“That is already more than most officials do.”

That evening, I received a message from the capital.

I expected it to be from my grandmother.

Instead, it was from Mia.

She told me the Crown Pack’s social channels were filled with rumors about Gavin.

Apparently, he had refused several marriage proposals arranged by influential families.

Someone had even claimed he intended to remain single until I returned from Highmoor.

I stared at the message for a long time.

Then I closed it.

Mia sent another message.

“Celia, do you want me to find out whether it’s true?”

I replied with only three words.

“No. Let it go.”

I had once been desperate to know whether Gavin was thinking about me.

Now I didn’t need to know.

The next morning, Princess Helena announced that our delegation would remain at the border for another month.

There was still work to do.

I welcomed the news.

For the first time in my life, I had something that belonged entirely to me—my work, my reputation, and the future I was building.

That night, I looked toward the distant mountains.

The capital felt very far away.

So did Gavin.

And for once, I was grateful.