Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Destined Mate

Lila’s POV

“Worth it,” Jasper’s reply was short and powerful. “She is my wife, and she is my Destined Mate.”

The already oppressive air in the council hall seemed to solidify into a tangible weight after Jasper’s words. Then, like a frozen lake hit with molten iron, the dead silence lasted less than a second before erupting into a tsunami of commotion.

“Destined Mate?!”

A white-haired elder shot up from his seat, his ebony staff striking the floor with a heavy THUD. But the sound did nothing to quell the tremor in his voice. “Your Majesty the Wolf King, you… you mean the legend? The ’Chosen One’ who resonates with a Werewolf’s soul, whose bloodline is in sync with theirs, the one and only in a lifetime?”

“How is that possible! According to legend, the last time a Destined Mate appeared was three hundred years ago, during the Great Migration of the Wolf Clan!”

“If it’s true… doesn’t that mean our Wolf Clan is about to experience a true revival?”

The more radical elders completely forgot their earlier disdain for Lila’s “half-breed” status. Their eyes glinted with a fanatical light, as if they were witnessing the descent of some sacred totem. They stared at me, their gazes so scorching I wanted to flee from the center of their scrutiny.

But Jasper remained standing ramrod straight. He took my hand in a reverse grip, his hold so tight it almost hurt. It was as if he were declaring his ownership to everyone, and at the same time, transferring some kind of calming strength to me.

“Silence.”

He just let out a low command, without using any of his Wolf King’s alpha aura, but his innate noble bearing instantly silenced the entire council hall. All eyes focused on his stern face, awaiting his verdict.

Great Elder Darius remained seated on the high platform, but his usually placid face was now filled with shock and uncertainty. He slowly rose to his feet, his gaze like a torch, piercing through the air to stab straight into Jasper’s eyes.

“Your Majesty the Wolf King,” Darius’s voice was low and hoarse, carrying a sharpness that sought the truth. “’Destined Mate’ is a grace bestowed by the Wolf God, not a child’s game. Mere words are not proof. On what grounds do you identify her as such? The legends have been passed down, but none of us have ever seen one in person. You must give us a convincing reason.”

At his words, the previously fanatical elders gradually calmed down, nodding in agreement.

A faint, cold smirk played on Jasper’s lips, his eyes looking as if he were observing a colony of ants.

“Reasons?” he began coolly, his voice not loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly. “There are some experiences you will never understand without having gone through them yourselves.”

“The first time was after she was taken by Derek. I was searching for her like a madman.” Jasper’s voice grew deeper as if lost in a memory. “At that time, the wolf blood in my body was almost out of control. The violent aura had me on the verge of turning feral. It was then, in the depths of my mind, that I saw her.”

My heart leaped. ’In the depths of his mind? He saw me?’

“It wasn’t a hallucination, nor was it a dream,” Jasper said to the astonished elders, enunciating each word. “I saw her wolf form. Silver-gray fur, like a cloud woven from moonlight, with clear and determined eyes. She was calling to me, soothing me. If not for her, I would have completely degenerated into a mindless beast of slaughter that day.”

An uproar swept through the council hall. Mental resonance! That was a phenomenon that could only be produced by the deepest of bloodline bonds!

“That… that does indeed match the descriptions of a Destined Mate in the ancient texts…” Wise Man Silas spoke slowly, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy eyes. “A mutual pull between souls in a time of crisis… that cannot be faked.”

But that wasn’t enough.

Jasper raised a second finger, his gaze turning even sharper.

“Second, the ’Silence Potion’ developed by Derek.”

At the mention of that name, the air seemed to fill with the stench of blood. That madman Derek, in his bid to control the Wolf Clan, had spent years developing a neurotoxin to block a Werewolf’s senses.

He paused, a mocking curve playing on his lips. “Derek forced Lila to ingest a large dose of the Silence Potion. Not only did it fail to dull her senses, it actually triggered a certain ability in her. It allowed her to establish a ’connection’ with me in my mind, even from a great distance. She wasn’t suppressed. Instead, she became my ’lighthouse,’ guiding me to her location.”

“That…”

The color finally drained from Great Elder Darius’s face.

“A mental connection, unaffected by distance or the potion’s interference…” Silas muttered to himself. “This must be a Destined Mate.”

“But…” one elder muttered, somewhat reluctantly, “even if she is the Destined Mate, why hasn’t the Wolf King ’marked’ her yet? If the marking were complete, her power should awaken instantly, and we would be able to confirm her identity once and for all!”

At these words, all eyes focused on my neck—the very spot where the Wolf King’s mark should be, which was now completely bare, without any bite mark or totem.

Jasper’s expression darkened slightly, an imperceptible shadow flashing in the depths of his eyes.

“Because the time is not right,” he said coldly, his tone laced with a subtle suppression. “The seal on her is too deep. If I were to mark her forcefully, I’m afraid the resulting power would shatter her consciousness. Besides…”

He lowered his head and looked at me, his gaze complex. “I haven’t had that absolute ’marking recognition’ experience from the legends. That feeling of blood boiling, of a soul returning to its place… Although we have a resonance, her memories and powers are currently fragmented.”

He turned to face all the elders and admitted frankly, “So, I can only say there’s a ninety percent chance she is the Destined Mate. The other ten percent will have to wait until she fully awakens, until we can complete the final ritual for confirmation.”

“Ninety percent…”

Great Elder Darius’s brows furrowed, his fingers drumming unconsciously on the armrest. ’Ninety percent… That’s already a terrifyingly high probability.’ If she really was the Destined Mate, then Lila’s value was simply immeasurable.

“If the marking fails…” Darius said in a heavy voice, “Your Majesty, your power will be damaged, and it could even backfire on you. Have you considered this risk?”

“I don’t care,” Jasper’s reply was short and domineering. “I only care about her.”

The council hall fell silent once more. This time, the silence was not born of skepticism, but of sheer astonishment.

Just then, the ever-silent Wise Man Silas slowly walked up to us. He didn’t look at Jasper, but directly at me. Those cloudy eyes, which seemed to see through everything in the world, made my heart race with unease.

“If she is truly the Destined Mate…” Silas’s voice was ancient and distant, carrying a strange, magical quality. “Then using the Wolf King’s blood essence to awaken her bloodline power will have a much higher success rate.”

Everyone’s breath hitched.

Silas continued, “According to legend, the blood of Destined Mates is of the same origin; they are two halves of one destiny. The Wolf King’s blood would not be a detriment to her, but nourishment. For an ordinary person, using the Wolf King’s blood essence to forcefully break a seal might only have a fifty percent chance of success. But if it’s a Destined Mate…”

He paused, then gave a number that shocked everyone: “The success rate is at least seventy percent! Perhaps even higher!”

“Seventy percent!”

Great Elder Darius shot to his feet, a resolute light glinting in his eyes. He looked at Jasper, then at me, and finally let out a long sigh, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“So be it,” Darius’s voice became low and solemn. “In that case, we will take this gamble.”

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