If it weren’t for the fear of the Grand Elder’s abilities and status, Ethan thought, “I would surely have swollen that annoying face like it was stung by a swarm of bees, preventing that mouth from spewing any more irritating words.”
The Grand Elder gazed at Grace, his heart aching. She was his most accomplished student and the child he had longed to see grow. He had been somewhat reassured when he learned that she had become Aldrich’s chosen mate under the Moon Goddess’s guidance. In his mind, Aldrich was an equally outstanding successor, sharing similar political ideals and a matching thought process with Grace. Their union would surely lead the Blue Moon Pack to a better future.
But then, everyone learned of her departure from Aldrich.
“What happened, and why didn’t you come to me for help?”
Grace shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I’ve become a monstrous hybrid, part wolf, part vampire. I don’t deserve anyone’s help. Except to die in the darkness, I can’t think of any other fate for me.”
God knew how proud she used to be. Her pride matched that of Aldrich, which was why she had left decisively when she discovered that she couldn’t bear offspring with him. In her heart, men weren’t the top priority, nor was love, or even the Moon Goddess’s will.
The top priority was the responsibility on her shoulders, her ideals that she had clung to since her childhood, where anything not helpful to the community was irrelevant in her eyes. She believed she was right.
But then she was forsaken by her lineage, forsaken by the world. She sought refuge with Ethan, who extended his hand to her, dragging her into another nightmare.
She had finally realized that love was as important to her as responsibility and ideals. She missed Marvin, she longed for the Grand Elder, who treated her like family, and when Maggie arrived, she wanted to stay by Maggie’s side, listening to her chatter about unimportant things. She wanted someone to rely on and to be relied upon.
But she also feared her own nature. Memories of her loss of control under Ethan’s influence, where she became a monster, shattered like shards of glass scattered in various corners of her mind. She couldn’t guarantee that one day she wouldn’t lose control of her instincts or that she wouldn’t reveal her monstrous fangs to those she deeply loved.
The Grand Elder didn’t know how to save this child.
When Grace was young, her parents had died in a war, and Elwin had naturally taken her in, quickly incorporating her into the royal guard and entrusting her with the weighty duty of protecting the royal family. To better train her, Elwin sent her to the Grand Elder, who hadn’t taken any students in many years, only doing so this time as a favor to Elwin.
Originally, he had thought he was receiving one of the two brothers. He hoped that Elwin hadn’t sent the mischievous and stubborn one but rather the smarter, less headstrong one. However, the stars gave him no answer, and he wondered if his abilities were deteriorating.
To his surprise, the visitor at the door was a beautiful girl. She had sharp eyes and an air of untouched winter snow. She was neither talkative nor cheerful, as stiff as her badge on her arm, showing no emotion.
She wasn’t a member of the Barret family. She said, “My name is Grace. I’m a new member of the Blue Moon Pack’s royal guard, here to learn from the most supreme Grand Elder.”
The Grand Elder’s peaceful life, upon receiving a new disciple, didn’t change much. Grace woke up early every day, prepared breakfast, and headed into the forest for solitary practice. She was an incredibly resilient child, able to endure pain and solitude far better than most her age. She could maintain an archery stance without moving for an entire morning, just to aim at a single point.
After a considerable amount of time, the Grand Elder felt he hadn’t fulfilled Elwin’s request, so he called Grace to the dining table and kindly asked her if she wanted to learn more.
“I know you might not be interested, but between divination and governance, which system would you prefer? Elwin sent you here not only to enhance your abilities but also for you to learn a new discipline.”
Grace’s otherwise unchanged pupils widened upon hearing the word “governance.”
The Grand Elder guessed that she must be interested in governance.
“Do you want to learn about governance?”
Grace nodded. Her excitement was brief, reverting to her shy and quiet self. The Grand Elder found it somewhat uncomfortable dealing with her excessively quiet demeanor. He had wanted a bright but not too noisy student, not one who wouldn’t speak at all.
He began imparting the concepts of governance to Grace, specific policies, recounting stories of past failures as lessons. Grace had a strong capacity for absorption and an aptitude for extrapolation. The Grand Elder was content, watching her discourse on governance topics, feeling that he could teach her much more.
Thus, though initially, the Grand Elder only intended to teach Grace a new subject and then return her to the Blue Moon Pack, Grace probably felt the same way. As her knowledge continued to grow, the Grand Elder expanded beyond the initial governance and attempted to transfer all his lifelong learning to Grace, including lycanthropic psychology, astrological divination, mathematics, and all the disciplines he had explored. He could say without hesitation that Grace was the most appreciable of all his students.
Grace was his most outstanding student.
Several times, having grown accustomed to Grace’s presence, the Grand Elder considered writing a letter to Elwin, asking if he could leave this child behind to become his successor, keeping her by his side as his child. Several times, the letters were written, sealed with a stamp, only to be thrown into the fireplace and burned. He could tell that Grace’s ambitions extended beyond the Elder Council; she wanted to sit at the negotiating table, participate in battle, and win her own medals. She didn’t want to be just a wise person; she wanted to be part of a leader’s life.
The Grand Elder didn’t want to stifle her talent. After much thought, he decided to return Grace to the Blue Moon Pack, despite his considerable reluctance. In his heart, he had already come to consider Grace as his own daughter.
But he couldn’t let a young person waste their time accompanying an old man.
Later, Elwin wrote a letter informing him of Grace’s current situation. Aside from her somewhat unstable love life, she was doing well in all other aspects. At times, she used her acquired knowledge to guide Aldrich and initiated an equal rights movement within the lycanthrope society, encouraging all female werewolves to take the front lines when war loomed.
She had established her independent female army. Their numbers were small, but they were all elite.
Every young female werewolf aspired to become like Grace. She was a warrior, tactician, and a walking encyclopedia, beautiful and strong yet still gentle.
Many times, as he read those letters, the Grand Elder couldn’t help but feel satisfied, thinking that his students were about to surpass Elwin’s younger son.