Chapter 92: Hidden Reason

For all Beatrice cared, there could be no other reason for them to be so interested in her other than that they had found out she had a higher chance of bearing full-blooded werewolf children than the other candidates. If not, why else would they want all their heirs to pursue her? Not that she had any interest in participating, but she had not expected anyone to make such a bold, pathetic play this quickly.

Was Sera trying to buy her way into the girl’s inner circle? Was she courting favor?

Beatrice’s expression darkened. That must be it.

"That must be exactly what she’s doing," she sneered as the realization hit her.

Well, whatever. She could do whatever she wanted. It wasn’t as if Beatrice herself had any plans to join the others in pursuing a filthy human. She already had someone she loved and would never waste her time pursuing anyone else, let alone a human. She just had to come up with a better way to stop the digital noise that was becoming suffocating. Every tabloid and thread had somehow managed to bring up her name whenever that useless Starlight Dawson was involved, using her as a convenient reference point in discussions about the girl.

Now they were comparing her royal pride to Sera’s spineless surrender. Those disgusting, uncultured, low-tier commoner fans were dragging her name into every post just because of that wretched girl. And don’t even get her started on those damn DawnBreakers. They were the worst of the worst. Wretched, obnoxious, obsessive, brainless, and utterly insufferable, they were really getting on her nerves with their endless praise of Starlight and their constant attempts to drag Beatrice’s name into every discussion surrounding that human thug. Didn’t they have better things to do than waste all that energy on someone like that when they could easily use it to support someone far more deserving?

The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became. It was one thing for those pathetic fans to worship Starlight, but it was another for them to constantly drag Beatrice into their nonsense. She had no interest in being part of their ridiculous drama, yet somehow they kept forcing her into it. "I really need to deal with this girl and her rabid fans."

I have to put an end to this, she thought as her movement slowed, her vision narrowing with dark intent. I am not going to let her keep getting away with this. After I’m done with her, I would focus my ultimate goal on making Mikhail mine.

At the thought of Mikhail’s name, Beatrice immediately stopped pacing. She stood still for a moment, her expression shifting as a sudden realization began to take shape. Her mind raced to connect the dots she had been missing all along, and the pieces began falling into place with startling clarity.

Why hadn’t she thought about this before?

"Fuck, Beatrice. You can be slow at times," she muttered with a smile.

Maya looked up from her tablet the moment Beatrice stopped pacing, carefully watching the subtle shifts in her face. The sudden change in the princess’s expression made her narrow her eyes. Oh no. She knew that look all too well.

Whenever Beatrice’s face went that still, she was either cooking up something terrible or about to make a decision that would leave everyone else dealing with the consequences.

Whichever it was, it was never anything good and almost always ended terribly.

Shaking her head, Maya went back to her tablet. At least whatever Beatrice was planning would keep her busy and, hopefully, keep her hands away from Maya’s neck for a while.

Beatrice could not believe she had missed such an obvious possibility. Of course, there was no way the Imperial Twins would suddenly fall in love with a mere human and start showering her with attention for no reason. They must have found out whatever it was the five clans had discovered. That had to be why they seemed so determined to keep Starlight close and shield her from the rest of the school. Which werewolf would not want a human who had the highest chance of giving them full-blooded werewolf children? That had to be why the twins were so interested in Starlight Dawson.

They did not love her. They simply wanted to use her like the rest of them, and there was no way Beatrice would let them get Starlight when she could easily give them what they wanted herself. She knew it was difficult for werewolves to conceive because of the curse, but each of the five clans had their own methods of dealing with it. If she could prove that she was capable of giving them what they wanted, perhaps she could finally take Mikhail away from Starlight and give him a reason to choose her instead.

If only one of the other clan heirs could succeed in pulling the girl away from them, then the Imperial Alpha Twins would have no reason to keep protecting her. If someone else took Starlight Dawson, Mikhail and Nikolai would no longer have a reason to keep her near them.

She needed to act, and she needed to do it now.

Beatrice could not trust Otto anymore to handle the situation. That boy had become increasingly unpredictable and unreliable, and after the way he had treated her yesterday, he had proven himself erratic and untrustworthy. She could not rely on him to handle anything without causing another mess. She needed a solid backup plan.

Okami. The moment his name entered her mind, Beatrice’s lips curled into a faint, knowing smile.

That idiot was an absolute nightmare to deal with. He was practically a rogue wolf in every sense of the word, operating entirely on his own chaotic whims, doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, with absolutely no regard for rules, expectations, or consequences. The only real difference between him and Otto was that Okami would never force himself on anyone. He preferred the hunt, always playing with his prey until they surrendered willingly. But beneath that charming, dangerous exterior, he was just as unstable as the rest of them.

Apart from that, both of them were disasters wrapped in handsome faces and dangerous instincts, and that was exactly why she would need Okami right now. Not only was he reckless enough to do whatever he pleased, but he also loved a challenge and enjoyed causing trouble for the Imperial Twins.

A cold, dark smile spread across Beatrice’s lips.

This was it.

She just had to give him the push he needed, and he would take the bait and handle the rest.