Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Wise Elder

Jasper’s POV

The night wind swept across Moon Lake, carrying a crisp chill that seeped into my every pore. I stood by the shore, my tall frame barefoot on the cool pebbles, the residual warmth of my beast form still lingering beneath my skin. Having just shifted back from a giant wolf, my body felt heavy, but my mind was clearer than ever.

My voice echoed over the vast lake, like a stone cast into a deep pool, sending ripples that refused to fade.

’So… so that was the reason. The reason I could never sense my Destined Mate all these years was because of that seal.’ I lowered my head to look at my own hands. My knuckles were well-defined, yet on countless full-moon nights, I had clenched them white with loneliness and frenzy. ’It not only locked away her power, but it also concealed the scent of her soul.’

The rage from years of deception finally found an outlet. I had thought I was a lone wolf abandoned by fate, but it turned out someone had personally covered my eyes.

I closed my eyes, and an image of that rainy night fifteen years ago flooded my mind—the first time I completely lost control, my wolf nature devouring my sanity, shredding every ounce of reason and civility. It was her, Lila’s mother, that gentle yet resolute Priest, who used her song and her blood to pull me back from the abyss.

’I’m even starting to wonder,’ my voice dropped, laced with an almost fragile speculation, ’if the reason her mother could soothe me so quickly during my first rampage was because of the Lila in her womb? Had that faint yet pure presence already intervened in my life back then?’

’It wasn’t an illusion. It wasn’t a coincidence. It was destiny, laying the groundwork in the shadows.’

But the closer I got to the truth, the more I felt a bone-deep chill.

’Derek…’ I hissed his name, as if forcing poisoned ice from between my teeth. ’How much did he know back then? Did he discover this secret? If he knew… why didn’t he eliminate the problem at its root?’

’He killed her parents but left her alive—a sealed girl who seemed to pose no threat. That isn’t his style. He never leaves loose ends. Unless… he had another purpose.’

’Countless questions coiled around my heart like vines, tightening their grip until I could barely breathe. I didn’t even dare to imagine what more cruel things he would have done, had he known back then what Lila’s existence truly meant.’

“Child, look at the stars.”

The Wise Elder’s voice rang out, as calm as the surface of Moon Lake, yet possessed of a power that pierced through everything.

I lifted my head and followed his finger. The sky was filled with stars like shattered diamonds sprinkled across the night’s velvet canvas, the Milky Way a silent, orderly river flowing across the heavens. Some stars shone bright, others dim, but each followed its own orbit—unhurried and unerring. They had remained silent for millennia, yet they spoke of destiny’s truth more resolutely than any words.

“Every star has its orbit, and every life has its path,” the Wise Elder’s voice was as soft as the wind skimming the lake, yet every word settled deep in my heart. “Those who are meant to meet will eventually meet. That which must be set right will eventually be set right.”

I gazed at that star-filled sky, my golden pupils constricting slightly, as if I could see our shadows among the stellar orbits—intersecting, separating, and reuniting again.

“The star that belongs to you,” he turned his head, his gaze both affectionate and profound, “has it not already come to your side? The truths that have been concealed are like the stars in this very sky. Though they may be temporarily hidden by clouds, one day the clouds will scatter, and their light will burst forth once more, revealing everything to the world.”

I fell silent.

In that moment, I suddenly let down all my defenses. Like a young beast that has finally found its way home, I slowly knelt and gently rested my head on the Wise Elder’s lap. The lake reflected my face, and in my golden eyes, once filled with murderous intent and solitude, there was finally a flicker of peace.

’That’s right. She’s by my side now.’

’No matter how much fog shrouds the path ahead, no matter how many conspiracies or unknown dangers await, as long as she is here, I am not alone. I am no longer the Wolf King who roars in the darkness, but a guardian who has found his way home.’

After a moment, the Wise Elder gently stroked the top of my head. His voice was low and tender. “Go back. She will need you when she wakes.”

————

When I returned to the bedroom, the eastern sky was just turning a pale white, though dawn had not yet broken. The last vestiges of the night’s chill lingered in the air like a thin veil, gently blanketing the windowsill, the floor, and the large bed. I stood by the door, not approaching right away, simply watching her in silence.

Lila was curled up under the covers, her breathing even. Strands of her hair fanned out across the pillow like spilled ink. She was sleeping deeply, yet her brow was slightly furrowed, as if she couldn’t find peace even in her dreams.

My bare feet were silent on the carpet, my steps as light as a whisper, but she still stirred the moment I sat on the edge of the bed.

She was awake.

Her eyes fluttered open, hazy at first and filled with the disorientation of someone just pulled from a dream. But when her gaze fell upon my face, the fog rapidly cleared, replaced by a flicker of awareness.

“Jasper…” she called to me softly. Her voice was husky from sleep, but her words were unnaturally clear. “You’re sad, and you’re angry.”

My heart jolted.

I didn’t speak; I just watched her. ’She sensed it. In an instant, she picked up on the turmoil inside me—the hatred I’d brought back from Moon Lake, still simmering just beneath the surface; the murderous intent I felt for Derek; my resentment of fate; my guilt over the past.’

She didn’t ask where I’d been or whether I was man or wolf. She just propped herself up, stepped barefoot onto the carpet, and threw herself into my arms. Her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, as if trying to pull me back from the abyss.

“I felt it,” she said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in my chest. “Just now, while I was dreaming, there was this incredibly cold presence… it felt like it was going to freeze me solid. Was that you?”

My body went rigid before I slowly relaxed, pulling her even tighter against me. Her warmth seeped through her thin nightgown, like a tiny flame, but it was enough to rekindle the dying embers of my heart.

“I’m sorry,” I said in a low voice. “I woke you.”

“You didn’t wake me,” she said, shaking her head. Her arms tightened, as if she were afraid I might disappear. “That feeling was just too strong. Jasper, just now… were you thinking about something awful?”

I squeezed my eyes shut. The growing daylight from the window illuminated her pale face, casting the worry in her eyes into sharp relief. ’I shouldn’t have brought these dark emotions back to this room,’ I realized. ’This is her only safe harbor. And I am supposed to be the one who shelters her from the storm.’

“Lila,” I finally said, my voice low, as if forced from the depths of my chest. “You know, sometimes I feel like you’re much stronger than you look.”

She looked up at me, her gaze clear. “Is it because of the seal?”

I was taken aback.

’She was so perceptive.’

“Even though I can’t see it or touch it,” she said, pointing to her chest, “that feeling of being suppressed just now was the same as the pain I felt when that power was surging last night. Jasper, is it the seal… is it causing you pain?”

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