CHAPTER 204

CHAPTER 204
\[Axle\]

"We have already drawn out the contract if you want to take a look at it," I said when we got to my office.

"That's not how business is conducted," Elric mind-linked me before turning to our guests with a hospitable smile. "Please, take a seat. Would you like some wine, some whiskey, or some—"

"Whiskey will be fine for me. He doesn't drink," Pierce responded easily, settling into one of the plush leather chairs across from my desk.

Elric brought out four glasses, poured generous helpings of whiskey into each, and dropped a couple of ice cubes into the amber liquid.

When we were all comfortably seated with a glass of whiskey in hand, I couldn't help but ask the question that was floating in my mind.

"Why doesn't he drink?"

"He's underage," Pierce answered simply, taking a small sip.

I looked at Brandon in total shock. "You mean he's not yet eighteen?"

"Yes, that's what underage means."

"I have wine sometimes, but other than that, I don't care much for alcohol," Brandon answered, leaning back against his seat.

It seemed panthers developed differently from wolves because I could tell that Brandon was young, but I wouldn't have thought that young, he had lean muscles, but he carried himself in such a manner that screamed maturity.

I didn't want to think about the horrors the boy had faced that forced him to grow up so quickly, but on the other hand, I could understand, when there are more lives at stake than just yours, you're forced to mature and take charge quickly most times without realizing it. You start to sound and reason like an adult before becoming one.

"I understand you completely. I also just recently started drinking," Lex chimed in. "I was an athlete in high school, so I didn't take any damaging substances."

"I never went to high school," Brandon said quietly.

Elric and I exchanged a stunned look. "Why not?" Elric asked.

"Too dangerous," Pierce answered, taking another slow sip of his drink. "The children are homeschooled."

"I think that can work, but eventually, they will have to relate with the outside world," I said. I understood his deep reservations about mingling with humans, but total isolation was a hard path.

"Your pups attend regular school?" Pierce asked, genuine surprise breaking through his stoic expression.

"Yes, they do."

"How?" he asked, and I knew exactly what he was getting at.

"Since they don't shift until they're eighteen, it's completely safe for them to go to school. They take specialized classes here on the pack grounds about how to protect their true identity when they're out in public. We also have high-ranking allies in the police force and news agencies, so if anything ever goes wrong, they help us cover our tracks immediately," I explained.

"That is nice," Pierce murmured, a hint of envy in his tone. "The panthers are very small in number, though, so that is almost a risk that I cannot afford to take."

"We can help you with training and other resources if you like," Lex offered warmly, and Pierce smiled for the first time today.

"It's very nice of you. Though right now, our primary priority is to increase our birth rate. My wife's pregnancy is very risky, and unfortunately, she has already lost two pregnancies." He looked visibly hurt as he spoke, the heavy weight of grief lingering in his dark eyes.

"We will do anything we can to help you," Elric assured him with quiet sincerity.

The more I spoke to Pierce, the more I genuinely wanted to help the Panthers. I understood better than anyone what it meant to recover from a brutal war and desperately try to rebuild a future for your people. I was fighting that exact battle every single day, and I was nowhere near feeling successful yet.

"I'll sign whatever you want me to," Pierce said, raising his head and looking me straight in the eyes. "You have shown me that I can trust you, and I hope that I have shown you that you can trust me too."

"Yes, you have," I responded honestly.

Lex stepped over to the filing cabinet and brought out the official contract documents. He handed the folder to Pierce, who in turn passed it directly to Brandon. I watched in mild surprise as the young boy thoroughly read through the entire contract, his gray eyes glowing slightly as he scanned the pages with incredible speed and focus.

"It's all fair," the boy announced after a few tense minutes, passing the booklet back to Pierce.

Elric handed Pierce a pen, and the panther Alpha signed his name quickly on the dotted lines.

"How about we go out for a celebratory run? I see you have very thick forests out here," Pierce suggested, setting the pen down and standing up.

"A run sounds great," I agreed, stepping forward to shake hands with him while Elric nodded in approval.

"What are you, exactly?" Brandon suddenly asked, turning his gaze toward Lex.

"Oh, I'm not a shifter," Lex replied smoothly.

Both Pierce and Brandon stilled in their steps, the energy in the room shifting instantly.

"You're not a wolf... are you by any chance human?" Pierce's eyes flashed a vibrant, threatening yellow as he spoke, his posture stiffening.

He obviously had massive reservations about humans, but Lex was far from an ordinary mortal.

"No, he's a wizard," I intervened quickly.

Pierce's eyes shifted back to their silvery-gray color instantly. I realized in that moment that his panther spirit had briefly surfaced to protect his family when his eyes flashed yellow. Panther eyes were naturally yellow, and they possessed that unmistakable predatory glow in the dark.

"A wizard... as in a witch?" Brandon asked slowly, his voice laced with sudden intrigue.

"Yes," Lex chuckled, entirely unfazed by the sudden tension.

"Why, we didn't even need to go far," Brandon breathed, a sudden spark of hope lighting up his face. "You are the exact solution we've been looking for."

Both of the panther shifters turned to smile widely at Lex, their expressions growing so intensely eager that it bordered on downright creepy.