Chapter 32
Julian's POV
On the way back from the West Wing, Fiona kept clutching my sleeve. Tear tracks still marked her face, and those sapphire eyes were filled with confusion and fury. The moment our carriage rolled past the estate gates, she couldn't hold back any longer.
"Why?" Her voice trembled with tears. "Why did you stop me from taking Ella away? You saw what she's enduring there! It's—it's absolutely inhumane!"
I rubbed my temples, feeling exhausted. Fiona was too young. She only ever saw the surface of things.
"Fiona, it's not as simple as you think."
"What's not simple?" She was practically shouting now. "Kane abuses her, Victoria humiliates her, Stella wants her dead—we should help her! Besides..." She paused, her expression turning shrewd. "Besides, you obviously like Ella too, don't you?"
I nearly choked on my own spit.
"I don't like her," I said, looking at my mischievous little sister with exasperation. "Don't make assumptions. Ella and I just have a working relationship."
"You're lying!" Fiona and Sage spoke almost simultaneously.
My wolf soul snorted coldly in the depths of my consciousness, his tone dripping with mockery: You can't even fool yourself, and you think you can fool her?
I chose to ignore Sage's provocation and turned to Fiona instead. "I'll find a way to handle Ella's abuse. It's just not the right time yet."
"When will be the right time?" Fiona persisted. "After she's tortured to death?"
I took a deep breath, about to explain, when I suddenly remembered the limited edition porcelain cat set I'd stashed in the carriage—her favorite. I made a show of mysteriously retrieving an exquisite wooden box from under the seat. "Oh, by the way, that thing I had someone bring back from Free Haven arrived. Want to see?"
Sure enough, Fiona's attention immediately shifted. She accepted the box and carefully opened it. When she saw the beautifully crafted white porcelain cats inside, her eyes lit up.
"It's the 'Moonlight Series'! I've been looking everywhere for this!" She hugged the box, her earlier anger completely forgotten. "Julian, you're the best!"
I smiled and shook my head, watching her excitedly arrange the porcelain cats, though my mind didn't relax in the slightest. Fiona was still a child, after all—easy enough to distract with the right bait.
But the real trouble was only just beginning.
When the carriage stopped at the main residence entrance, a guard hurried over and knelt on one knee. "Your Highness, Alpha has summoned you."
My heart sank. Father wouldn't summon me at this hour unless something serious had happened.
---
The great hall reeked of blood.
A corpse lay sprawled across the marble floor, its wounds already blackening and rotting. The clothing was typical of Blood River Pack warriors—crude hide armor with bone ornaments hanging from the waist.
Father Walter stood before the throne, his expression grave. His silver hair gleamed coldly in the candlelight, and those deep-set eyes revealed nothing.
"The patrol found this in the northern territory," his voice was low and powerful. "A Blood River Pack scout. It seems war truly is imminent."
I approached the corpse for a closer look. The scout's throat had been torn open by claws, the death gruesome. But what really caught my attention was the bone token at his waist, carved with special runes—the mark of Blood River's elite forces.
"Father," I looked up, "during Stella's battle with the Crimson Flame Warlord all those years ago, did we plant spies in the Blood River Pack to discover the Warlord's weaknesses?"
Walter shook his head. "No such thing. That battle took place after the ceasefire treaty was already in effect—both sides held hostages." He paused, his gaze growing distant. "That war began because rumors spread of lightning elemental power appearing on the continent. It was said to have manifested in Blood River territory."
My heart jolted. Lightning element—one of the legendary five great elements, a power that had never manifested until now.
"At the time, Silver Moon, Blood River, and Stone Ridge formed a three-way balance of power," Father continued. "If Blood River suddenly gained another elemental force, the consequences would have been catastrophic. So although we went to war, we ultimately controlled the scale of conflict—we had Stella face the Crimson Flame Warlord in single combat."
"Then why didn't you let Stella inherit the ice elemental power?" The question burst out before I could stop it.
Father glanced at me, a flicker of complex emotion crossing his features. "First, elemental battles inevitably create earth-shattering collisions of power. Stella wasn't of royal blood—how could she presume to inherit the ice element? Moreover, each person's constitution has varying compatibility with elemental forces." He sighed. "Clearly, Stella wasn't suited for ice element. If she'd tried to force the inheritance, the elemental power would have consumed her from within."
I stood frozen. So there were such restrictions on elemental power...
Sage murmured in the depths of my consciousness: That's why she was so grievously wounded by the Crimson Flame Warlord's fire, and had no choice but to turn to dark magic to forge her shadow flames. She never should have walked that path.
"Follow me." Father suddenly turned and headed toward the rear of the throne.
I followed him to a concealed alcove. Father pressed a mechanism, and the wall slowly opened to reveal an exquisite wooden case. He carefully removed it and placed it before me.
I opened the case and immediately gasped.
Inside lay a silver-white crown. The crown had five pointed tips, each adorned with a colorless transparent gemstone. Those gems refracted an eerie light in the candlelight, as if they contained some slumbering power.
"This is the 'Altair Crown,'" Father's voice carried a hint of pride. "After I discovered the compatibility issues with elemental power, I commissioned the pack's finest craftsmen to forge this artifact. The elemental stones on the crown can harmonize all types of elemental forces—the wearer no longer needs to fear being consumed by the power."
"That's incredible?" I stared at the crown in disbelief.
"Try it on." Father gestured for me to wear it.
I took a deep breath, lifted the crown with both hands, and slowly placed it on my head. An icy sensation instantly spread through my entire body, followed by a strange energy beginning to flow within me.
Sage roared excitedly, and I felt the power of my half-wolf transformation surging. I closed my eyes and guided the ice force into the crown.
The moment I opened my eyes, I saw the colorless gem at the crown's center beginning to change—it gradually took on an ice-blue hue, crystalline and translucent, radiating a soft cold light.
"Excellent," Father nodded with satisfaction. "Julian, war is coming. I need you to safeguard Silver Moon Pack's future."
His words weighed on my shoulders like a mountain. I removed the crown, solemnly returned it to the case, and knelt on one knee. "Father, I understand."
When I left the great hall, night had already fallen.
I stood on the steps, gazing toward the West Wing in the distance, my thoughts churning. Ella had fire element sealed within her, Kane held military power yet was mired in emotional obsession, Stella hungrily eyed that power, and the Blood River Pack was stirring restlessly...
This game of chess was growing more complex by the moment.
And I had to win.
Not just for Silver Moon, but also for—
I shook my head, refusing to let myself continue that thought.
Sage let out a meaningful growl in the depths of my consciousness. I chose to ignore him.
Some things weren't worth considering yet.