Betrayal

The first person to be utterly baffled by Kaisen's absurd statement was, of course, Roland himself. He had to question if his ears were playing tricks on him, but his warrior instincts never lied.

What the hell did that filthy human just say? Help from a human?

For someone who's been marinating in pride and the whole "I'm a proud cat kin" mantra, this was a slap in the face. The mere thought of stooping to that level was beyond humiliating—it was downright degrading.

"What is the meaning of this, Roland?"

Elder Lenon finally managed to ask, trying to keep his composure while suppressing the urge to have a full-blown aneurysm.

He was itching for someone to blame, and now he had a prime target: the very family he'd been eyeing with suspicion.

"I have no idea what this bastard is talking about, respected Elder! I swear on my family name!"