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He cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention around the table. "Thank you all for coming to today's emergency meeting." His voice carried the authority of two decades of leadership, even as uncertainty churned in his gut. "I have hired a world-class negotiator from Earth to help us mediate this crisis, and I believe this will allow us to move forward in a positive direction."

Tavian's eyebrows shot up, and he leaned forward with the sharp focus of a predator catching an unexpected scent. "What about my investigation? I said I would look into the matter, and we agreed that was the direction we were taking."

Here we go.

"You can certainly still perform your investigation," Raxen replied carefully, "but I thought bringing in an outside perspective—someone who could look at this matter with fresh eyes—would also prove useful."

Alpha Jorik and Alpha Mason nodded thoughtfully, their expressions suggesting the logic made sense. Alpha Darius and Alpha Kael, however, exchanged a look that practically screamed skepticism.

"I'm not sure a human mediator from Earth could possibly understand or tackle this situation appropriately," Alpha Kael said, his deep voice carrying a dismissive tone. He’d already made up his mind.

Raxen felt his lion bristle at the implied insult to his mate, but he forced his voice to remain level. "Well, before we start judging her before she's even had a chance to speak, why don't we listen to her first?"

The rebuke settled over the room like a blanket, and several of the assembled leaders had the grace to look mildly ashamed. Amara turned toward him with a soft smile that made his pulse quicken despite the gravity of the situation.

Stay neutral. Don't let them see what she means to you.

The warning echoed in his mind even as every instinct urged him to claim her publicly, to make it clear that anyone who disrespected his mate would answer to him personally. But exposing their connection would put her in danger—and right now, anyone close to him was a target for whoever was orchestrating this conspiracy.

Keep her safe. Everything else is secondary.

Amara rose gracefully from her chair, commanding the room's attention with effortless authority. "Thank you, Alpha Raxen, for giving me this opportunity to help resolve the current crisis here in Solaryn." Her voice carried across the space with clear confidence, and Raxen found himself leaning forward slightly to catch every word.

"While I know I'm a human from Earth who just arrived yesterday, and some of you may have preconceived ideas about me, let's stick to being objective here. Let's stick to the facts."

Brilliant.

Pride swelled in his chest as he watched her face down a room full of skeptical Alphas without a flicker of intimidation. This was the woman who'd built a reputation as one of Earth's most successful mediators, and he was getting his first real glimpse of why.

Maybe this fearless, brilliant woman could stand beside me and become an Alpha's mate someday.

The thought slipped past his defenses before he could stop it, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Across the table, Tavian's sharp gaze caught the expression, and his uncle's eyebrows rose with speculative interest.

Careful.

Amara began laying out the facts with methodical precision. "Two weeks ago, there were falsified wage records and accusations that Alpha Raxen has been underpaying his laborers for months and mistreating them with long hours and no vacation time."

Leon Mitchell straightened in his chair, his weathered face flushing with indignation. "Yes, that's true, and we haven't found that those records were falsified, so that's an overstated claim you have no right to make."

Amara didn't even blink. "Well, until we can prove they weren't falsified, I have every right to say they are false."

Raxen's hands clenched as every protective instinct screamed at him to step in and support her. But her words from the night before echoed in his memory—trust my methods—and he forced himself to remain silent even as his lion paced with agitation.

She asked you to trust her. Prove you can do it.

Tavian leaned forward with the smooth confidence of someone accustomed to controlling conversations. "While I admit the language can be debated, I think you don't understand your position here and how you can and cannot speak in this room."

The condescension in his uncle's tone made Raxen's jaw clench, but Amara's steady gaze never wavered. Before Tavian could continue his lecture, Raxen cut him off.

"I have given her the authority to speak freely here, so please, let's continue."

Tavian's mouth tightened with obvious annoyance, but he settled back into his chair without further protest. Amara nodded at Raxen with an appreciative look that sent warmth flooding through his system.

"So, because we have yet to prove these records were falsified, or that the shipping manifests were doctored, or that there's something else going on here that seems a bit too coordinated," she continued smoothly, "I have decided that I will conduct my own independent investigation."

Smart. Very smart.

"While I appreciate that Tavian is also conducting an investigation, I think it's best that a true outsider conducts the investigation for complete objectivity."