The Elder Council had several highly esteemed figures. The Grand Elder held the highest position, followed by the female doctor who once served in the Blue Moon Pack. However, due to her age, she was no longer suitable for active duty in the council, and she spent most of her time in her own cabin. Lastly, there was the formidable old man before them.
These revered elders all shared a common flaw: they regarded themselves as true gods, devoid of ambition and disconnected from worldly matters. Divinity was unsuitable for existence in the mortal realm; there was no room for it.
The Grand Elder’s ambition was to have a disciple who could carry on his teachings. The doctor’s ambition was to see the werewolf society free from disease and offer treatment to the roaming wolf packs. As for the man before them, his hope was for a lasting peace within the werewolf society, with no more wars. Their ambitions were unrelated to politics, and having or lacking ambition didn’t make a significant difference.
Their virtue was idealism, but their flaw was that their ideals were often overly naïve.
So, for all these years, the Elder Council had been in a perpetual state of discord and had made minimal contributions.
However, the werewolf society had seen constant changes in its social structure over the years, while the Elder Council remained the same, becoming even more rigid and resistant to newcomers.
If this could be an opportunity to infuse fresh blood into the Elder Council, it might just be a good thing for the Northern Continent.
“The Grand Elder is the most esteemed among us, and he has already decided to admit Maggie to the Elder Council. We should respect this decision, as each elder has the authority to recommend their candidates.”
“But…” People exchanged shocked glances, their eyes reflecting the same surprise.
“She has a limited lifespan, no magic, and she can’t become a werewolf. How can she join the Elder Council? She’s just a human.”
The Sage surveyed the group. “Humans have built skyscrapers and airplanes, established sophisticated medical systems, and have scientists, doctors, and armies. In my opinion, both humans and werewolves are too proud. With the current upheaval in the werewolf society, I need you all to set aside your pride and think seriously about what’s best for the werewolves.”
There was silence.
“Aldrich, what are your thoughts?”
Aldrich didn’t have any particular thoughts. He believed the Elder was making valid points.
“Maggie once saved my Beta under extremely dire circumstances, fending off a powerful and unknown enemy. She also has the ability to heal and save those on the brink of death. So, she’s not just a human; she possesses her own power. Additionally, the development of the werewolf society has been incredibly slow over the years, with most people focusing on power struggles, perpetually initiating localized wars rather than using resources for development. The general situation is that resource-rich werewolves continue to live comfortably, holding wealth and power, while more and more werewolves lose their homes and are forced to migrate long distances. Many die from disease and hunger along the way. I long for peace, not continued warfare. I desire that werewolves no longer have to obtain resources through conflict but through trade.”
“To achieve these goals, I will do my utmost to lead our people to change the current state of the world.”
The Sage nodded approvingly. “Did you all hear that? That’s the spirit of a great leader!”
Those words struck a chord with everyone, and no one dared to question Maggie’s identity any longer. After all, if they truly wanted to build a bridge between the two races, Maggie’s presence was indispensable.
The disciple who had carried the Grand Elder back here also breathed a sigh of relief. He was a student of one of the elders and usually did odd jobs like delivering messages, carrying water, and cleaning. If anyone had voiced doubts about Aldrich and the Grand Elder’s unconsciousness, he would have been the first to suffer.
Besides, witnessing Maggie’s desperate attempts to heal the Grand Elder, her heartbreaking grief when she couldn’t succeed, had made him wholeheartedly accept her identity. Even if her power had been gifted by someone else, and she was just a powerless human, the fact that she had given her all to save someone unrelated to her was nothing short of incredible.
Even when Maggie said, “I’m afraid. I can’t save him,” pushing her responsibility away, no one could blame her. After all, the werewolves themselves couldn’t achieve what she had done. How could they demand more from a human with weaker abilities?
She had overcome her fear and courageously taken on the task.
Such a person was different from the selfish, faithless, and cowardly humans the elders often criticized. He believed she could join hands with Blue Moon Pack’s alpha to bring a better future to the werewolf society.
“Do you want to check on your mate now? She should be waking up soon.” He asked.
“I’ll go see her later. Thomas should be with her now,” Aldrich replied, relieved that he had the foresight to have Thomas by Maggie’s side. “But there’s something else I need to confirm with you.”
This matter seemed rather mysterious as they walked to a secluded corner of a long corridor. The disciple was curious, “What do you want to confirm?”
“Is there anyone in the Elder Council who is consistently dissatisfied with the Grand Elder’s decisions or statements?”
The disciple thought carefully, “No, the Grand Elder is a wise person. His statements are always based on objective facts, filled with wisdom, and free from aggression or sarcasm. There are often disputes between the radicals and conservatives, but they can’t reach a consensus on certain issues. However, as long as it’s a decision made by the Grand Elder, they all accept it.”
Aldrich pondered, “I see.”
“Even when he suddenly announced at the press conference that he intended to admit Maggie, a human, into the Elder Council, there was a lot of discussion, but everyone expected that the Grand Elder would give convincing reasons during the ceremony. Even though many people couldn’t accept that a human could interfere with werewolf politics and there were strong objections, no one raised a fuss because of the Grand Elder.”
His words were insightful, and Aldrich could see that even though the old traditionalists detested Maggie for allegedly bringing unrest to the werewolf world and accused her of disturbing the peace, they fell silent when they learned that Maggie had saved the Grand Elder from death. They didn’t oppose other decisions related to Maggie that the Sage announced later.
The Grand Elder was respected and loved by everyone here, that was beyond doubt.
So, his guess was likely correct. The one who had hurt the Grand Elder wasn’t a member of the Elder Council with grudges against the Grand Elder or Maggie. It wasn’t an Elder Council member who had a confrontation with the Grand Elder and accidentally harmed him in a fit of anger. It could only be some sneaky scoundrel with a dark psyche, someone who resorted to underhanded tactics in the shadows because their campaign data wasn’t favorable.