I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 137: CP: Discussion On Lion Lord

Three weeks later, and Alex still wasn’t used to waking up in the same place twice.

The temporary stay in the wolf territory had evolved into something more permanent—a sprawling collection of shelters, fire pits, and defensive perimeters that the snakelings had enthusiastically claimed as their personal playground. The wolves had grown accustomed to their presence, mostly. Storm still gave Alex looks that suggested he was reserving judgment, but Ash had taken to bringing the cubs small gifts—bright feathers, interesting rocks, once an entire rabbit that had caused a chaotic incident when Siddy tried to swallow it whole.

(It did not end well for the rabbit. Or for Siddy’s dignity.)

But now, with Granite and Sally returned from bear territory—successful, against all odds—and Lucas’s pack formally allied with the sanctuary cause, only one piece remained.

The Lion Lord.

Alex stood at the edge of camp as dawn painted the sky in shades of gold and rose, watching the eastern horizon. Somewhere beyond those distant hills lay lion territory. Somewhere beyond those hills lay the last obstacle between his family and their home.

"You’ve been standing there for forty-seven minutes."

Alex didn’t turn. Leo’s footsteps were soft, but Alex had learned to recognize the particular weight of each mate’s approach. Naga was a silent glide. Zale was a damp squelch. Leo was a predator’s careful placement, each step deliberate even when he wasn’t trying.

"I’m thinking," Alex said.

"Dangerous hobby." Leo came to stand beside him, close enough that their shoulders brushed. "What about?"

"The lion lord. The Curse lands. Whether we’re walking into another attack." Alex finally looked at him. "The Shadow Lord hasn’t tried anything since the wolf territory. That worries me more than if he’d kept coming."

Leo’s golden eyes flickered with something like approval. "Good. You’re learning. Silence from an enemy means they’re planning, not retreating."

"Comforting."

"I try." Leo was quiet for a moment. "The lion lord won’t be like Lucas. You know that, right?"

"I know."

"He won’t be won by bonding or sentiment or a dramatic rescue. Lion tribe has a grudge against us and they won’t leave us easily. "

"I know," Alex repeated. "System’s been running scenarios for two weeks. Most of them end with us being eaten."

"Only most?" Leo’s lips twitched.

Alex snorted. But the weight in his chest didn’t lighten. Three weeks of preparation, of negotiation with Lucas’s pack, of integrating a new mate into their chaotic family dynamic—and still, the hardest part loomed ahead.

"Granite said the bear council approved the sanctuary," Alex said.

" Well he’s their ex-chief, that alone holds a lot of influence among his tribesmen. Plus,

he’s extremely is persuasive with his words. "

"Granite is terrifying when he wants to be." Alex finally turned away from the horizon. "Sally says he just sat there and stared at them until they voted yes."

"Sounds about right."

---

The three days passed in a blur of preparation and panic.

System ran through every possible lion lord scenario, from peaceful negotiation to all-out war. The probabilities shifted constantly based on new intel from Lucas’s scouts, but the most likely outcome hovered around 34% success rate—better than the initial 12%, but still terrifyingly low.

[The Lion Lord’s name is Kaelen,] System reported during one of their many planning sessions. [He’s held the territory for approximately 56 years—young for a lion lord, which makes him unpredictable. Older lords rely on tradition. Kaelen relies on instinct and strength. And we have another enemy in lion tribe — Raqasha, Kaelen’s daughter. You haven’t forgotten about her right? The tribe Saintess who’s temple you destroyed and left in ruin. ]

[ I bet she’s out for your throat. ]

"Great," Alex muttered. "An unpredictable lion and a crazy Saintess who wants me dead. What could be better than this."

[Lion tribe is one of the largest in the region. Approximately 300 warriors, plus elders, cubs, and non-combatants. If he decides to oppose the sanctuary, he has the military power to make that opposition stick.]

"So we need him on our side."

[Ideally, yes. Alternatively, we need him neutral. Actively opposing the sanctuary would require diverting resources to defend that border, which would delay construction indefinitely and potentially provoke the other tribes.]

Alex rubbed his temples. "And we can’t just... not deal with him? Build the sanctuary and hope he ignores us?"

[The Curse lands border his territory for approximately 40 miles. He would not ignore that. Lions are territorial by nature—more than wolves, more than bears. Allowing an unaligned settlement on his border would be seen as weakness.]

"So it’s him or nothing."

[Essentially, yes.]

The weight of it settled over Alex like a physical thing. Four tribes. Four approvals. They had three—serpents through Naga, wolves through Lucas, bears through Granite’s successful mission. One more stood between them and home.

"System," Alex said slowly, "what’s the lion lord’s relationship with the Shadow Lord?"

A pause.

[Interesting question. Cross-referencing available intelligence... There are no recorded data of interactions between Kaelen and the Shadow Lord in my database. However, lion territory lies directly between the Shadow Lord’s known operational area and the Curse lands. If the Shadow Lord wants access to the sanctuary—or to you—he would need to cross lion territory or go around through the mountains, which adds weeks to any approach.]

"So Kaelen is a buffer."

[Potentially. Which means the Shadow Lord has motivation to either neutralize Kaelen or recruit him. We have to assume he’s tried one or both.]

Alex turned this over slowly.

"If the Shadow Lord has already approached Kaelen," he said, "then walking in asking for sanctuary approval isn’t just a diplomatic visit. We’re walking into a conversation that someone else might have already shaped."

[Correct. We have no way of knowing which way Kaelen leaned, if he was approached at all. He may have refused. He may have agreed. He may have listened and said nothing and is waiting to see how things develop.]

"Which one is worst?"

[The last one,] System said. [A lord who’s listening to everyone is committing to no one. They’re the hardest to read and the easiest to lose.]

" So you’re saying we might be dealing with our enemy’s ally. " Alex asked.

[Or we might be dealing with a potential ally who’s waiting to see which side has better odds,] System countered. [Kaelen has ruled for 56 years by being smarter than he looks. He didn’t survive that long by making enemies of everyone who crossed his border.]

Alex stared at the horizon, where somewhere beyond those hills, a lion lord was probably going about his day, unaware that a bearer with six snake children, four mates, and a dragon lord was about to walk into his territory with a request that would change everything.

"Fifty-six years," Alex repeated. "That’s... not that old, for a lion lord?"

[Average lifespan for lion shifters is approximately 200 years. Kaelen is young—in the prime of his rule. He took over after his father died in a border dispute with the eastern griffins. The fact that he’s held power for 56 years without significant challenges suggests he’s either very capable, very well-loved, or very ruthless.]

"Or all three."

[Or all three,] System agreed.