Maggie, her eyes filled with helplessness, teared up. “Why, Aldrich? He seemed to be improving, so why won’t he wake up?”
She attempted to call upon more energy from within herself, but each time, the energy flow seemed to be cut off, like shutting a dam’s gates, no matter how hard she tried to release it.
“Is my power useless?”
Aldrich reassured her, “The Grand Elder has already improved, Maggie. You can’t expect to do it all by yourself. We’ll take him back, and the werewolf society’s doctors will conduct a thorough examination. Please don’t cry, Maggie; you’ve done very well.”
“I’m so afraid that I can’t save him, so afraid that he’ll just die like this,” Maggie sobbed in Aldrich’s arms. Lately, she had been living on thin ice, and it was even worse than when she used to work in a café. Back then, at least she could get a good night’s sleep, and Alisa would occasionally visit with money, medicine, and new clothes. Now, with a child in her belly, she was targeted everywhere she went. She even woke up from dreams, pondering whether there were hidden meanings she hadn’t discovered.
The man who had accompanied them had some hesitation. He wasn’t sure if it was the right time to speak. “Well, although many members of the Elder Council have biases against you, I believe you’ve done well today.”
The two people embraced turned to look at him.
With a stiff expression, he felt like he had vaguely guessed what Aldrich would say next.
“I can comfort her and make her wholeheartedly depend on me on rare occasions. I don’t like being interrupted at times like this.”
Aldrich was dead serious when he made this statement. His possessiveness over Maggie was almost entirely beyond common understanding. Alisa and Marvin knew this deeply. Aldrich often kept a close watch on their intimacy, and if it became too close, he would show a nearly disapproving expression. Alisa always felt uncomfortable under such scrutiny and had often wanted Aldrich not to stay in her and Maggie’s space as if he was monitoring a prisoner. Nevertheless, Aldrich remained indifferent.
Marvin received similar treatment, and he was often the most innocent among them all. Since Elwin advised him not to view Maggie with human prejudice and not to resent her with the desire to defend Grace, he had genuinely accepted Maggie as part of the Barret family. Anything he did prioritized Maggie and upheld Aldrich and Maggie’s relationship as his first principle of action.
Fortunately, Marvin’s blessing from the Moon Goddess at birth was strength, so he wasn’t too scheming. Otherwise, it would have been challenging for the two brothers to coexist peacefully to this day.
The servant carrying the Grand Elder couldn’t help but think that being in a high position wasn’t all that great. For instance, there was the guy whose mind was currently only occupied by love.
He couldn’t help but sigh again. It seemed that the Moon Goddess truly favored Aldrich. His previous partner was powerful and stable, and his current partner was gentle and kind. Whether he fell in love with either of them, it wouldn’t lead to disastrous outcomes.
The gods were indeed biased.
When the three living individuals and the one who couldn’t speak arrived together, the entire Elder Council was abuzz with commotion. Thomas maintained his perpetual calm exterior, but he couldn’t help but think that this situation was a bit too picturesque. Unfortunately, Marvin, Alisa, and Elizabeth were absent.
Everyone looked at each other, unable to make a decision. Without the Grand Elder, the Elder Council was like a headless dragon. The Grand Elder had often talked about nurturing the next leader who could unite the council, but he had said nothing more, leaving the Elder Council without a clear successor.
“Let’s do this,” the Elder who had previously decided to send Aldrich and Maggie to find the Grand Elder spoke up. “Our immediate concern is to awaken the Grand Elder and find out why he’s in this state. Internally, the Elder Council needs to elect a new Sage who can preside over the Wolf King Ceremony during this time. Aldrich, you are the most favored candidate to become the next Wolf King, and we believe in your abilities. So, I hope you can oversee the other matters of the Elder Council while we deliberate.”
Aldrich, who was suddenly entrusted with a significant responsibility, replied, “Yes, I will do my best.”
“The alpha of the Blue Moon Pack is willing to lend a hand, but it’s that human by his side…”
“How can a werewolf have a human partner? I think this kid is just fooling around! He shouldn’t even be allowed to continue running for election; we should directly strip him of his candidacy.”
“But humans are a lowly and untrustworthy race. History books and literary works confirm these facts. Why would a guy who’s about to become the Wolf King insist on having a human partner?”
“Perhaps he’s been beguiled.”
“Don’t say that. Isn’t the South an example of peaceful coexistence between werewolves and humans?”
“Stop bringing up the South! They are all a bunch of monsters, anomalies!”
A group of old men with graying hair argued endlessly around a round table for two hours, discussing how one fragile human woman might overturn the entire werewolf society. Fortunately, Maggie had been taken away to rest due to her exhaustion, and Alisa and Marvin had returned to the human world overnight; otherwise, it would have been challenging to manage the situation.
Marvin would have shown his fangs to the people at the top of this social structure, while Alisa would have pounced on them to tug at their beards and hair. That’s how they would have turned the werewolf society upside down.
After two hours of discussion, Aldrich, who had been suppressing his anger, couldn’t tolerate a group of elderly men who were so brazen in their remarks about his partner, Luna of the Blue Moon Pack, and the authority he represented. These old men were now getting on each other’s nerves.
The Elder who had stood by Aldrich’s side earlier didn’t participate in this futile and senseless argument. He had been discreetly observing Aldrich’s reactions. Thomas remained silent but was quietly watching his Alpha. Fortunately, Thomas intervened to stop him before things got out of hand.
“Alright, put an end to these meaningless disputes!”