Page 4 of When Two Worlds Collide (Fated Mates, Stubborn Hearts #1)

“Then perhaps your people should learn to hunt properly,” Marcus says with a smirk. “Or adapt, as you’re so fond of claiming civilized shifters do.”

The meeting deteriorates quickly from this point. For every proposal I offer, Zane or Marcus finds a reason to reject it. The settlement elders grow increasingly distressed, while I struggle to maintain my composure in the face of the wolves’ inflexibility.

By midday, we’ve made no progress. The tent has grown warm, the atmosphere stifling with tension. I call for a break, needing fresh air and a moment to recalibrate my approach.

Outside, I find Julian waiting anxiously. “Any progress, Ambassador?”

“They’re testing boundaries,” I reply, though I’m not convinced it’s merely a negotiation tactic. “They want us to believe they’ll accept nothing less than total capitulation.”

“Will they?” he asks, fear evident in his voice.

I consider my answer carefully. “Zane Blackthorn is aggressive, but he’s not stupid. He knows an outright seizure of the settlements would trigger a response from Haven’s Heart that his pack couldn’t withstand.”

“Unless more wild clans emerge,” Julian points out. “If the barriers continue to fail... ”

He doesn’t need to finish the thought. I’ve considered the same possibility. If multiple wild clans emerge simultaneously, Haven’s Heart’s resources would be stretched thin. The Shadow Wolves might be counting on exactly that scenario.

I’m about to respond when I notice Zane standing alone at the edge of the camp, staring toward the forest. On impulse, I approach him, hoping a one-on-one conversation might yield better results.

“Your pack is impressive,” I say, stopping a respectful distance away. “Strong, disciplined, loyal to their alpha. You’ve led them well in the Wild Territories.”

He turns, fixing me with his penetrating stare. “Flattery, Ambassador? I expected better from you.”

“Not flattery. Observation. I respect strength, Alpha Blackthorn. I wouldn’t have been sent here otherwise.”

“Yet you serve a council that values paper over power,” he replies, though there’s less hostility in his tone than before.

“I serve people—shifters like you and your pack, who deserve security and prosperity.” I gesture toward the settlements visible in the distance. “Those aren’t just buildings. They’re families, cubs, and elders. Just like your pack.”

“Not like my pack,” he corrects me. “My pack remembers wildness in their blood. Your... families... have abandoned their true nature.”

“Have they? Or have they simply found a different way to honor it?” I challenge. “The fire panther in me doesn’t disappear because I wear diplomatic clothes or sleep in a bed.”

His attention sharpens with interest. “Doesn’t it? When was the last time you hunted, truly hunted? Felt the blood of prey hot in your mouth? Ran beneath the moon without paths or boundaries?”

The questions stir something in me I rarely acknowledge—a restlessness that sometimes wakes me in the night, urging me to shed human form and simply run. I push the sensation aside.

“We should return to the discussions,” I say instead. “There must be a solution that serves both our peoples.”

Zane studies me a moment longer, then nods. “Let’s see if your diplomacy is as strong as your conviction, Ambassador.”

The afternoon session proves even more frustrating than the morning.

Zane systematically dismantles each compromise I propose, while Marcus openly mocks the settlement elders’ concerns.

The wolves coordinate their approach, backing each other’s points, creating a united front that makes negotiation nearly impossible.

“Your alpha’s stubbornness will cost lives,” Elder Tessa finally snaps after another rejected proposal. “Does he care so little for his own pack’s future?”

Marcus rises halfway from his seat. He growls, the sound rumbling from his throat. “Watch your tongue, old woman, or?—”

“Or what?” I interject, my temper finally flaring. “You’ll threaten an elder? Attack unarmed settlement representatives? Prove every prejudice about wild shifters being nothing but savage animals?”

The tent falls silent. Zane’s face darkens as he turns to me. “Savage animals? Is that how Haven’s Heart views us, Ambassador? As beasts to be tamed or contained?”

“That’s not what I meant,” I begin, realizing my error too late.

“It’s exactly what you meant.” Zane rises to his full height, his presence dominating the tent. “You civilized shifters with your maps and documents and carefully measured words—underneath it all, you see us as lesser beings. Too primitive to understand your enlightened ways.”

“No one said that,” I counter, standing my ground. “I’m trying to find a solution that respects both our traditions.”

“Respects?” Marcus laughs. “You offer us the scraps of our own territory and call it respect. You draw lines on paper and expect us to obey them like trained dogs.”

The settlement elders shift uncomfortably, some beginning to edge toward the tent exit. I can’t blame them; the tension in the air has become almost physically painful.

“Perhaps we should continue this discussion tomorrow,” Elder Josiah suggests. “When tempers have cooled.”

“There’s nothing to continue,” Zane states flatly. “The Ambassador has made Haven’s Heart’s position clear. They see us as savages to be managed, not equals to be respected.”

I feel the negotiation slipping away. Months of potential conflict flash before my eyes—raids on settlements, retaliatory strikes, escalating violence as other wild clans emerge. All because I let Marcus provoke me into one careless comment.

“Alpha Blackthorn,” I say, forcing steadiness into my voice. “You judge all civilized shifters by one misspoken phrase, yet expect us to look beyond centuries of wild clan aggression. If you truly believe in your ancestral claim to this land, prove it through negotiation, not intimidation.”

“We don’t need to prove anything to pampered pets who’ve forgotten how to use their claws,” Marcus snaps.

That does it. I feel my suppressed temper finally ignite, sending fire-like sensations along my nerves.

“Pampered pets?” I repeat, my voice dropping dangerously low. “Is that what you think we are? ”

Zane watches me closely, something new flickering across his face—anticipation, perhaps. “Marcus speaks what many wild shifters believe. That civilization has domesticated you. Tamed what should be wild.”

“Tamed?” The word sears my mouth. Without a conscious decision, I move toward the tent exit. “Follow me, Alpha Blackthorn. Let me show you just how ‘tamed’ I am.”

Outside, the afternoon sun bathes the clearing in golden light. Settlement representatives and Shadow Wolves alike create a loose circle as I stride to the center, Zane following with fluid, predatory movements.

“Ambassador,” Elder Tessa cautions, “this isn’t the approach we discussed?—”

“Diplomacy requires mutual respect,” I reply, not taking my eyes off Zane. “Sometimes respect must be earned.”

I remove my formal jacket, tossing it aside. Kick off my boots. The earth feels good beneath my bare feet, reconnecting me to instincts I usually keep carefully controlled.

“Your beta questions my nature,” I say to Zane, loud enough for all to hear.

“Calls me a pampered pet. Suggests I’ve lost my connection to my shifter essence.

” I feel flames begin to kindle beneath my skin, responding to my rising emotions.

“Perhaps the Shadow Wolves need a reminder that ‘civilized’ doesn’t mean ‘weak.’”

Murmurs ripple through both groups as they realize what I intend. Julian looks horrified, while the settlement elders appear shocked. The Shadow Wolves, by contrast, appear intrigued, shifting position for a better view.

Zane crosses his arms, his face challenging. “By all means, Ambassador. Show us what Haven’s Heart considers strength.”

The shift comes easily, heat flooding through my body as human form gives way to panther.

Unlike most shifters, fire panthers transform in a blaze of elemental power—flames dancing across fur, heat shimmering the air around us.

I complete the change in seconds, landing on four paws with a growl that silences every whisper.

In panther form, I stand taller than a natural big cat, my shoulders reaching the height of a man’s chest. My fur gleams auburn in the sunlight, with living flames tracing my spine and limbs. My claws extend, obsidian black and razor sharp, digging into the earth as I focus on Zane.

The Shadow Wolves react with surprised murmurs. Even Marcus seems taken aback by my transformation. But it’s Zane’s reaction I’m watching for, and I’m not disappointed. He widens his eyes slightly, genuine surprise breaking through his controlled facade.

I pace a circle around him, letting him see the fluid power in my movements, the lethal precision of a predator who hasn’t forgotten her nature. The flames intensify with each step, until I burn from within, embodying primal strength wrapped in fire.

When I complete the circle, I shift back to human form in another surge of flame, standing tall and unashamed of my nakedness, just as Zane had been unashamed the previous day. Let him see that civilized shifters retain the old ways too, when the body was simply a form, not something to hide.

“We’ve retained our essence, Alpha Blackthorn,” I state, my voice carrying across the suddenly silent clearing. “We’ve chosen to be more than just our instincts. That’s not weakness—it’s evolution.”

For a long moment, no one speaks. Zane’s expression transforms completely, the contempt replaced by something far more complex—respect mingled with another emotion I can’t quite identify. Something that makes my skin prickle with awareness.

Then Marcus breaks the silence, stepping forward with a sneer. “Impressive light show, Ambassador. But parlor tricks don’t make you a true predator.”

“Enough, Marcus.” Zane’s command silences his beta instantly. He continues to observe me with that intense gaze, then nods slowly. “The Ambassador has made her point. Perhaps Haven’s Heart chose better than I expected.”

Julian hurries forward with my discarded clothes, his expression oscillating between awe and embarrassment. I dress unhurriedly, maintaining eye contact with Zane.

“Now that we’ve established mutual respect,” I say when I’m clothed again, “shall we return to negotiations? Or would you prefer to continue dismissing us as domesticated animals?”

A hint of amusement crosses Zane’s features. “We’ll continue tomorrow. My pack needs to... reconsider our position.”

I consider this a small victory. “We’ll meet tomorrow then. Same time?”

He nods once, then turns to leave, his pack falling in behind him. But before he reaches the forest edge, he pauses, looking back at me over his shoulder.

“You surprised me, Ambassador Steelclaw,” he calls. “That doesn’t happen often.”

“Good,” I reply. “Perhaps you’ll listen more carefully tomorrow.”

He smiles then—a genuine smile that transforms his stern features, making him look younger, almost approachable. “Perhaps I will.”

The settlement representatives gather around me while the Shadow Wolves disappear into the forest, their expressions ranging from shock to admiration.

“That was either the bravest or most foolish thing I’ve ever seen a diplomat do,” Elder Tessa says, shaking her head. “But I think... I think it worked.”

“For now,” I caution. “Zane Blackthorn isn’t easily impressed, and Marcus is actively hostile. We still have a long way to go before reaching any agreement.”

Returning to the negotiations tent to gather our scattered documents, I feel a strange certainty that something fundamental has changed. The moment I shifted, I witnessed recognition on Zane’s face—not just of my power, but of something deeper, a connection neither of us anticipated.

That strange electrical awareness I felt yesterday has intensified, leaving me simultaneously unsettled and exhilarated. Whatever is happening between us transcends simple friction. And it presents far more danger to my mission.

Tomorrow’s negotiations will test not just my diplomatic skills but my control over instincts I’ve kept firmly leashed for years—instincts that Zane Blackthorn has somehow awakened with nothing more than his presence and that penetrating stare.