Chapter 46: Chapter 46: The Existence of the Seal

Lila’s POV

I closed my eyes and finally saw it clearly—it wasn’t some vague, ethereal gift, but a ball of light, locked away. It was silver-gray, like a wolf’s eyes burning in the dead of night, yet it was wrapped layer upon layer in chains of inky-black runes. Those runes were twisted and ancient, squirming as if alive. Every time I tried to touch the light, the chains would tighten, bringing an excruciating pain.

“I… I saw it,” my voice trembled. “My power… it’s sealed.”

Jasper’s pupils constricted, a golden light flashing within them. “A seal? You can see its shape?”

“It’s black… like vines, but also like some kind of script, coiling around it, suppressing it.” I opened my eyes and looked at him. “Why… why do I have something like this inside me?”

He didn’t answer. The pad of his finger gently brushed my brow, as if to soothe me, yet also in thought. After a moment, he said in a low voice, “Whoever cast a seal like this couldn’t have been an ordinary human.”

“Then who could it be?” I pressed. “Could it be Derek?”

“We don’t know yet,” he finally said, his tone grave. “But to be able to use a Sealing Skill of this level, it must be someone with a deep understanding of your mother’s power. Or even… someone who was involved in what happened back then.”

My heart tightened. This wasn’t an answer, but an even heavier mystery.

But Jasper suddenly chuckled, the low laugh rumbling in his chest. “Still, this is a good sign.”

“How can you still be laughing?” I could vaguely sense he was deliberately trying to pull me out of the heavy atmosphere.

“Twice now.” His fingertips slid down to my collarbone, pressing gently. “This is the second time it has noticeably loosened. It means our method is working.”

“What method?” My face flushed. “You’re talking nonsense again.”

“Getting bold, are we? Daring to say I’m talking nonsense?” He raised an eyebrow, pulling me completely into his embrace. “Haven’t you noticed? It loosens every time we’re… intimately connected. Don’t you think we should try a few more times? For the sake of in-depth research?”

“Who wants to do ’in-depth research’ with you!” I pounded on him, but he caught my wrists and pinned them above my head in one smooth motion.

He lowered his head and kissed me, his scorching breath brushing the corner of my lips. “I was just teasing you. Silly girl.”

I glared at him.

His smile deepened. He pressed his forehead to mine, his voice suddenly low and laced with a tenderness I’d never heard before. “It’s emotion. It’s us growing closer. Every time you stop shying away from me, every time you’re willing to trust me a little more… it loosens a bit.”

I froze, my heart pounding like a drum.

He kissed my brow, whispering, “So, don’t be afraid. The seal will break. I’ll be with you, and bit by bit, we’ll tear it completely apart.”

I gazed at him for a long moment, then finally gave a small nod and buried my face in the crook of his neck.

————

The night was as black as ink, so thick it felt as though it could drip. The only light in the bedroom came from the dying embers in the fireplace, which occasionally let out a soft CRACKLE, as if afraid to disturb the room’s tranquility.

I was fast asleep, my breathing even and deep, completely unaware that the warm body beside me had silently sat up.

Jasper stepped barefoot onto the carpet, making no sound. He stood by the bed and watched me for a long time, his golden-flecked eyes churning with complex, ineffable emotions in the darkness—compassion, lingering fear, and the fierce joy of having recovered something he had almost lost. He reached out, as if to touch a strand of my hair splayed across the pillow, but his hand froze mid-air. In the end, he simply tucked the corner of the blanket tighter around me before turning toward the balcony.

He slid open the glass doors, and a crisp night breeze instantly flooded the room, carrying the distinct scent of pine needles and damp earth from deep within the forest.

Below the balcony stretched an endless expanse of primeval forest. Moonlight spilled down like quicksilver, dyeing the treetops a hazy, silvery-white. Jasper stood at the railing, tilting his head back to look at the full moon hanging in the sky. In that instant, the golden light in his eyes flared, and his entire presence shifted from that of a gentle husband to the all-commanding Wolf King.

A low howl never left his throat, instead erupting as a surging wave of energy inside his body.

The moonlight, as if summoned, condensed and swirled around his body. The sound of bones shifting and re-setting, though audible in the quiet night, was gently muffled by the wind. In an instant, a colossal wolf with corded muscles stood upon the balcony. Its body was covered in a thick pelt that shone with a cold, metallic luster in the moonlight. Its shoulders were high, its limbs powerful, and every step it took carried the oppressive weight of a forest king. Only its golden eyes, still reflecting the moon, remained—so deep they seemed to pierce through time itself.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the great wolf placed its front paws on the railing and leaped.

It landed lightly on the treetops, then launched itself forward, its form vanishing into the vast sea of trees. A few roosting birds were startled into flight, only to be immediately cowed into silence by its oppressive aura.

After running for what felt like an eternity, a ghostly blue glow suddenly pierced through the dense woods ahead.

It was a secret lake. The water wasn’t the usual inky black; instead, it shimmered under the moonlight with a faint, almost transparent, ethereal blue glow, like a giant sapphire set into the earth’s breast. If you stared at the water long enough, you would realize it was a perfect match for my Tear of the Moon God wedding ring.

There were no weeds along the shore, only a circle of pristine white pebbles, arranged too neatly to be natural. A crisp, sacred scent permeated the air—the unique fragrance of Moon Lake, carrying with it ancient memories and tranquil blessings.

As the great wolf padded silently to the lake’s edge, its golden eyes narrowed, scanning the surroundings with caution. Only upon seeing a familiar figure did its tense posture slowly relax.

An old man was already standing atop a massive boulder by the shore.

He was draped in a gray robe, his long, silver-white hair spilling casually over his shoulders. His face was etched with the ravines of time, like the bark of an ancient tree. He leaned on a gnarled wooden staff, its tip embedded with a crystal the same color as the lake. Only his eyes were as clear as the water itself, as if they could pierce through all the world’s falsehoods.

The great wolf lowered its proud form, then affectionately nudged the old man’s palm with its head. Its thick, soft pelt felt exceptionally docile in the elder’s calloused hand, as if it were not the terrifying Wolf King, but merely an obedient apprentice.

The elder’s hand was warm and strong. He gently stroked the great wolf’s back, his hand gliding down with the grain of the fur, the motion as gentle as if he were soothing a wounded soul.

“What is it, my child?” the elder’s voice was hoarse yet gentle, drifting across the lake on the night breeze. “Is something weighing on your heart, that you cannot find peace even in the dead of night?”

The great wolf lifted its head, a flicker of anguish and resentment in its golden eyes. It opened its mouth, but the sound that emerged was not a beast’s roar. It was a deep, suppressed male voice, laced with a seething hatred:

“I saw it… the seal inside her.”

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