113. Fire

ALPHA ASHER

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I sit across from Lia in my room, trying to figure out a way to get myself to trust him. Lia is perched on the edge of the couch, looking at me with a skeptical expression.

"I'm not sure we can trust him," she says, shaking her head. "He's too friendly, too willing to help. It's almost as if he's trying to lull us into a false sense of security."

I lean back in my chair, thinking. "He's a king," I say, my voice low. "Kings have to be diplomatic, even in times of war. It doesn't mean he's not trustworthy."

Lia shakes her head again. "I don't know, Asher. It just seems too good to be true."

I take a deep breath, thinking about all the possible strategies we could use. "What if we pretend to be interested in an alliance with him? We could use that as a way to get close to him, figure out his true intentions."

Lia looks thoughtful. "It's risky," she says. "But it might work. We just have to be careful not to reveal too much about our own plans."

We continue to debate differe