The disciple didn’t quite understand why Aldrich was asking this, looking somewhat puzzled. “Are you suspecting that the perpetrator who harmed the Grand Elder might be among the members of the Elder Council?”
Aldrich replied calmly, “I did suspect that five minutes ago.”
“How is that possible?” the disciple couldn’t comprehend. “There’s no reason!”
“There are many reasons. The inability to accept that a human would one day become Luna to the Northern Continent’s Wolf King, the inability to accept that a human could easily enter the Elder Council, a place most people can’t access even if they fight for it all their lives, the inability to accept that a mere human would want to interfere in werewolf politics. After all, in the eyes of those old folks, Maggie has nothing exceptional about her except that she’s carrying my child. Moreover, in the older generation of werewolves, their education was based on the belief that humans and wolves were incompatible, and making them undergo a significant shift in their mindset would be unrealistic.”
The disciple fell silent. Aldrich’s words were quite objective, and indeed, this was the predominant sentiment among most of the Elder Council members. However, he couldn’t imagine anyone taking the risk of harming the Grand Elder, especially since the Grand Elder wasn’t weak. He had been on battlefields when he was young, learned magic, and had precognition. No one would be foolish enough to think they could overpower the Grand Elder head-on.
“But the risk is too great.”
“I know,” Aldrich said calmly. He already had a faint idea of who the culprit might be. “So after asking you that question a moment ago, I’ve ruled out everyone here.”
“Do you already have a suspicion?” The disciple was stunned. Aldrich, with his outstanding insight, was impressive.
“I think it’s Ethan.”
“Ethan Frost Bourne? The future alpha of Frost Moon Pack?”
“That’s right.”
“Has he gone mad?”
“He’s always been quite ill, and he’s tried many times before to use magic and drugs covertly to control the Flow Wolves to attack me or Maggie. My Beta, Charlie, was injured during one of those attempts.” Aldrich sighed lightly. “Maggie also awakened her healing abilities when she saved you today.”
“But how do you judge that it’s him this time as well?”
“First, he definitely doesn’t want Maggie to become my mate. That would leave no chance for him to become the next Wolf King. So he’s bound to look for other ways to disrupt the bond between Maggie and me, and the most immediate way is to sabotage Maggie’s induction into the Elder Council. Second, I found something at the scene.”
It was Grace’s wolf hair. Unfortunately, he didn’t detect any trace of magical energy. He could only intuit that there were traces of magical combat in that area but couldn’t determine whose magic it was or what kind of magic it was.
The Grand Elder cherished Grace, and his magic wouldn’t be used against her. It was possible that the magic user wasn’t the Grand Elder. It was someone else at the scene.
“I suspect that person probably failed to negotiate with the Grand Elder. The Grand Elder rejected his proposal, and so he turned to violence.”
“Ethan, is he capable of severely injuring the Grand Elder?” The disciple still wasn’t entirely convinced. “I don’t think his magic or his control over werewolf powers could match up to the Grand Elder’s.”
“What if there was another person? What if he took Grace along, threatened her as bait, or controlled her to attack the Grand Elder? This theory would still hold.”
He convinced the disciple. But the disciple still couldn’t understand. “Why didn’t you mention all this when you were in the Elder Council?”
Aldrich felt a bit helpless. “Grace grew up with me and Marvin since we were kids, and she has contributed so much to the Blue Moon Pack’s development. Earlier, Maggie also accused me of not protecting Grace. I wanted to avoid involving her until the truth comes out so that I can deal with Ethan in secret without him obstructing my campaign.”
“What’s the point of telling me all this?” the disciple asked.
“If someone asks you about what you saw at the scene in the future, or if you noticed any unusual injuries on the Grand Elder, or anything else, I hope you can keep this secret. For the sake of the Grand Elder, Grace, Maggie, and me.”
The disciple remained silent for quite some time, unsure if this was the right thing to do. But Maggie had saved the Grand Elder, and Aldrich had assumed the Elder Council’s responsibilities. He should trust these two.
Finally, he said, “Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
Aldrich went to Maggie’s resting room. According to Thomas, Maggie had briefly woken up in the middle but only for a short while to drink some water before falling back into a deep sleep.
“It seems Luna isn’t proficient enough in controlling this power. If she continues like this, she might end up in danger due to overusing her abilities. You need to think of a way to improve this situation,” Thomas advised.
Aldrich approached Maggie, her pale sleeping face full of concern. “I’ve thought of a method, but I don’t know if it’s feasible. I’m afraid those old folks from the Elder Council will oppose it, as they always do.”
“What is it?”
“An Energy Orb. If she can train using an Energy Orb, she might quickly master the techniques.”
But it was a lengthy and troublesome process. Unlike an Energy Bead, an Energy Orb couldn’t be carried around. Its power remained sealed within the sphere, and Maggie’s task would be to resonate with the power inside, allowing her to release her unique abilities whenever necessary. It wasn’t as convenient as an Energy Bead, and there were no guarantees of quick results. Most importantly, it depended on whether those learned Elder Council members would be willing to share this precious treasure.
“I’ll soon have a new mission. The unruly Flow Wolves at the border are increasing. I need to go and quell the riots, and I can’t have her accompany me. I hope she can at least protect herself when she encounters danger,” Aldrich said in a low voice, a hint of sadness in his tone. “If possible, I want to see her always filled with laughter, maintaining her pure innocence. But reality doesn’t always align with our wishes.”
Thomas gently rested his hand on Aldrich’s shoulder. “The first time Miss Maggie crossed paths with you, when she refused to be separated from the child, and when she promised to help you win the campaign, I believe she had already made up her mind to stand by your side. Right now, you need to resolve the Elder Council’s troubles, and when they eventually elect a new Chief Decision-Maker, Miss Maggie will participate in the council’s inauguration ceremony once again. At that time, her safety won’t be your sole responsibility. Don’t worry too much. After she gives birth to the child, whether everyone accepts it or not, she will be Luna of the Blue Moon Pack, and there’s absolutely no questioning that.”
Aldrich looked at him gratefully. “Thomas, without you, my life would be impossible.”
Thomas gazed at this young man, whom he had regarded as his own, growing up, taking on responsibilities and ideals, and slowly learning to love. He smiled and said, “Let’s take Luna back for now. Then you need to inform young Master Marvin of the situation here and discuss future strategies with him. Things are about to get busy again.”