The Lycan King's Fate Calling

Crystal's POV:

I was so pissed off. Obviously, Rufus was deliberately picking on me. He wanted to embarrass me in front of everyone, and there was nothing I could do about it. After all, he was the supreme lycan king!

Many Alphas were staring at me, hoping to glean my deepest, darkest secrets. I suddenly regretted paying the extra tax-I should've just paid the bare minimum! I thought I could share some of the financial burden with Rufus, but my thoughtfulness turned out to be my downfall.

I quickly calmed down, organized my thoughts, and spoke about my experience as Alpha confidently.

"Truth be told, there is really no secret to being a good Alpha. I just managed the pack by maximizing its geographical features. Once people learn how to utilize their resources, the economy will naturally be stimulated."

After saying that, I glanced at the man beside me. He raised his eyebrows, urging me to continue.

snorted inwardly and continued to talk about my

I shook hands with Rufus and pecked him on the cheek as a sign of respect. Fortunately, I was wearing a mask. Otherwise, everyone would've seen how livid I was at that moment. The moment we touched, the applause became even louder. I had no idea what those single

more and quickly pulled away from him. I needed to escape from this embarrassing situation

Rufus didn't let me go. Instead, he patted me on the back, chuckled

Rufus, who had already stood up straight. He wasn't looking at me anymore, and his expression was cold. I almost wondered

echoing in my ears. What did he mean by that? Did he recall something? Otherwise, how could he say such cryptic words? Panic began to overwhelm me. As long as Rufus recalled anything about me, the black thorns on his back would resurface, and then all our efforts would be in

once. If the black thorns appeared again,

a trance like a lost child. There had

military parade and now we were going to attend the banquet in the palace. I went back to the palace with a group of royal members, hoping to replenish the potion that