Maggie and her group hurried back to Barrett Manor. Meanwhile, a black wolf was swiftly racing toward the Moon Forest in the dark of the night.
The Moon Forest at night was even more terrifying. The black wolf stood at the edge of the cliff, howling mournfully at the crescent moon. Its howl was so haunting that it stirred the instincts of the nearby rogues, and they joined in, howling at the moon.
The black wolf stood there for a long time, its gaze fixed on the depths of the forest. The cool wind rustled the fallen leaves, and they brushed against its eyes, but it didn’t flinch.
Half an hour later, the black wolf finally moved. “Since you don’t want to keep your life to meet our son, the only purpose of his existence is to become the king.”
The silhouette of the black wolf quickly vanished into the night, and the tall trees of the Moon Forest watched it all in silence.
In a luxurious bedroom, Grace was hiding under the bed, and the sound of chains being dragged started to ring out. Someone was pulling the chain at her ankle.
Without even guessing, Grace knew it could only be Ethan.
Following the force of the iron chain, Ethan yanked Grace out from under the bed.
“Are Lunarisvampires still afraid of the night?” Ethan’s hand clamped around Grace’s ankle.
Her body trembled suddenly, and Ethan’s touch made Grace think of a malevolent, cold-blooded snake. She fiercely kicked her foot to free herself from Ethan’s grasp. “You don’t need to concern yourself.”
She huddled against the bed, watching Ethan warily. “So, this time, you didn’t use fresh blood to humiliate me?”
“You’re much stronger than I imagined.”
“Your compliments aren’t a good thing for me.”
“No, from another perspective, I pushed you into the fierce sunlight, used fresh human blood to tempt you, all of this was to help you overcome the influence of the Lunarisvampires blood within you.”
“Well, thank you for your efforts,” Grace said sarcastically.
Ethan then pinched her chin, forcing her to look up. He eagerly gazed at the disdain and hatred in her eyes. He excitedly licked his sharp fangs that had become partially visible. “There’s something even more exciting waiting for you, and it’s too early to say thank you now.”
“Get your dirty hands off me,” Grace snapped.
Ethan hadn’t expected this reason, and he paused for a moment, but he didn’t show any anger when Grace broke free from his grip. “I don’t dislike your feet.”
“Believe me, that was just a reason to get you off my back.”
Ethan grabbed Grace’s ankle again. He didn’t let go, despite her struggles. Eventually, Grace realized that when this man was in a good mood, he would release her. But when it came to something he was determined to do, no matter how much she angered him or begged him, it would be in vain. In fact, it would only make him enjoy her suffering even more.
Ethan issued an order, “Tomorrow afternoon, the most authoritative Elder Council will arrive at Barrett Manor for an interview with Aldrich and Maggie, which will be broadcasted live. At this highly anticipated moment, if you appear, it will be an exhilarating scene.”
“Sorry, I never knew I had such great charm,” Grace squeezed her fingers tightly.
“Don’t play dumb. The BlueMoon Pack wolves all acknowledge you as Aldrich’s best mate. You’re beautiful, strong, decisive, have a sense of the bigger picture, and have fought for many rights for female wolves. Even though the wolves respect Aldrich’s choice and show friendliness and welcome to the new Mrs. Maggie, they’ll still lean towards you.”
“But I don’t have wolf pups. That’s a fatal flaw. This won’t work!”
“No, you must make it work.”
Ethan’s tone turned icy, and he tightened his grip on Grace’s ankle. “You must sabotage this interview, let all the wolves know on live broadcast that Aldrich forced you to leave to have an heir, and make the wolves condemn him for his actions.”
“I left on my own!”
“I don’t care about that. Grace, you must understand, I have the complete ability to make you completely obey me.”
Yes, Ethan could manipulate her again, but now he wanted to keep her conscious just to watch her struggle and suffer, merely for his amusement. He took out a key and unlocked the chain on Grace’s foot. “Off you go, my little one. Don’t let me down.”
Grace slowly stood up. “Aren’t you afraid that one day I’ll seize the opportunity?”
“What will you do?”
“Kill you.”
“Not until you’re sure your Marvin is safe.”
“You better pray every night.”
“Of course.”
Grace teleported back into the night, leaving Ethan to admire the moonlight.
He had a feeling that tonight’s moonlight was particularly gentle and bright, capable of soothing the heart. “Grace, if you succeed in ruining the interview, maybe I’ll get that address…”
He almost whispered, “I want to see her.”
Under the cover of the night, Grace returned to the gates of Barrett Manor. She stood at a distance, hesitating whether to enter. Did she really want to cause trouble?
She was well aware that even if she said nothing, just appearing in the public eye would lead the politicians opposed to Aldrich to secretly manipulate the media, spreading baseless rumors within the wolf community.
She shouldn’t be here!
Grace turned to leave, but the gatekeeper called out, “Wait, we’ve already informed Marvin. Just wait a little longer.”
“I don’t want to see him!” Grace’s expression turned cold.
“Marvin specifically instructed that if you came back, no matter the time, we should inform him, and he would come.”
“Always causing trouble!” Grace quickly turned and left. However, she had a nagging feeling that Marvin was about to follow her. There was only one way to leave Barrett Manor, and she decisively hid in a tree.
Sure enough, Marvin’s gray wolf rapidly ran past the tree she was in. Grace watched the fleeting figure of Marvin below, feeling a mix of complex and bittersweet emotions.
But just as she was lost in thought, the gray wolf returned to the tree where she was hiding, its head held high. It seemed to have discovered a treasure as its sparkling eyes were fixed on her in the tree.
“Marvin! Why did you turn back?”
“We’ve known each other for over twenty years, haven’t we?”
“That doesn’t mean anything. Some people are meant to be missed.”
“But I turned back.”
Marvin said happily, “I seized the opportunity, rushed here when I heard your message. The gatekeeper said you had just left, and with the speed of a gray wolf, I couldn’t have lagged far behind you. So, you must have hidden!”
Grace couldn’t express the struggle within her; she had returned this time to do something wrong!
“Come down quickly, I’ll catch you!” Marvin’s gray wolf wagged its tail happily.
Grace had said this line to Marvin countless times before.
When he found the secret spot where he believed someone cried, which turned out to be Grace’s territory, he would always look for the towering tree and hide there to cry. He naively thought that wolves didn’t like to climb trees, so no wolf would find him.
However, Grace always found him, standing beneath the tree, saying, “Come down quickly, I’ll catch you!”
Now, the past scenes had disappeared, and there had been a transformation between the one on the tree and the one beneath. Marvin repeated the words Grace had once said, “Believe me, I’ll catch you securely, and you won’t get hurt!”
This embrace was too tempting for Grace. This was the gray wolf she deeply loved; how could she bear to refuse it?
She leaped down and jumped into Marvin’s embrace.
The gray wolf let out a happy howl and ran quickly into Barrett Manor with Grace on its back, creating winds of joy.