Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Public Enemy of the Wolf Clan

Lila’s POV

The bank statements clearly showed that three core trust funds under Darius’s name had funneled a total of 2.8 billion US Dollars, through a seven-layered structure of offshore shell companies, into a shell company registered in the Cayman Islands called “New Moon Dawn Biotechnology.”

And in the legal representative column for “New Moon Dawn,” one name was printed in bold:

Arthur Goodrich.

Zoe let out a soft whistle, one that held no surprise, only a knowing, cold mockery. “So Darius got backstabbed by his own son?”

“Yes.” Jasper nodded, his gaze as still as a frozen pool, yet even colder than before. “Derek is even more unhinged than he was fifteen years ago. Not even Darius can stop him. He probably regrets letting Derek go back then.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping past Zoe before landing back on my face. His voice was low, but it carried the weight of a monolith.

“But not every Elder is so rational.”

He pulled out the last document. Without opening it, he simply placed it gently on the desktop.

On the document’s cover was an ancient crest formed by three overlapping wolf heads—the symbol of the Elder Council.

“Two of the Elders have already signed the ’Black Water Town Technology Cooperation Memorandum.’” His voice was calm, but it struck my ears like a clap of thunder. “Their reasoning is direct: ’Power should not be locked in the cage of morality.’”

In the fireplace, a pine branch suddenly burst.

CRACKLE—!

Sparks flew, like a miniature, silent explosion.

For a moment, the light illuminated the fleeting, bottomless exhaustion and resolve in Jasper’s eyes.

Amidst the faint scent of burning pine resin, Jasper rose and walked toward an old, brass floor-standing globe by the wall. Its surface was covered in a thin, dull patina. The base was engraved with the faint Latin words *Lunae Custos* (Watcher of the Moon), and a long, thin scratch was etched deep into the copper along the edge of the base.

He didn’t turn back, but his voice was like a tempered steel blade—steady, sharp, and carrying an undeniable weight.

“Derek Hale is no longer just our personal enemy.”

He spun the globe. The brass gears emitted a faint, stuttering CLICK, as if resisting the long-overdue motion. The point marking Black Water Town slowly moved to the center, illuminated by both the candlelight and the fire. Jasper’s fingertip tapped heavily upon it. The dull thud made the globe’s base tremble slightly, and a few fine specks of copper rust flaked off like dried scabs of blood.

“He is a guillotine hanging over the entire Wolf Clan bloodline.” His voice grew low, each syllable coated in the scent of rust and sulfur. “The ’Enhancer’ he created isn’t a gift of power—it’s poison bait for us Werewolves. It drastically increases the probability of a Werewolf going berserk, and he has obviously concealed this.”

Zoe placed the copper gear on the windowsill, the glass reflecting half of her profile. “So what’s your plan? He’s already fled Black Water Town. Where is he hiding?”

Jasper’s gaze fell directly on me, like a silent anchor sinking firmly into my eyes. His look held no probing, no hesitation, only a rock-solid certainty—as if he could already see me standing on the high dais of the Star Dome Hall, silver hair cascading like a waterfall, the Moon Crown floating before my brow, and my name being carved, stroke by stroke, with a pen of molten gold into the empty space at the very top of the Wolf Clan Holy Stele.

“Step one,” he said, taking a step forward, his leather shoes making a clear, firm rap on the oak floor, like the first beat of a war drum, “is to hold Lila’s and my wedding of the century.”

The air suddenly froze.

Even the dancing flames in the fireplace seemed to hold their breath. The crackle of burning pine resin vanished, and the rhythm of the night wind tapping against the windowpanes faded away. The study was left with only a heavy, near-vacuum silence that made my eardrums ring.

“This won’t just be a human ceremony.” His voice suddenly rose, then was sharply reined in, like a bowstring drawn to its limit and abruptly released. “We will hold the ’Moon Crown Coronation Ceremony’—in front of the Wolf Clan Elders Council, all our clan members, and… representatives from the scattered tribes threatened by Derek.” He paused, his gaze like a torch, delivering each word with deliberate force, as if chiseling them into my marrow.

“Lila Bennett will be formally crowned as the Queen of the Wolf Clan.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice dropped, yet it grew hotter, like lava surging beneath a sheet of ice.

“Lila, your name will be carved into the Wolf Clan Holy Stele. Your bloodline will resonate with the crown. Your will shall become a new Chapter in the Wolf Clan Code.”

My fingertips trembled, and the edge of the Wolf Head Pendant dug painfully into my palm.

“And in human society,” he said, his voice growing quiet, yet colder and heavier than before, like a piece of cold iron dropping into a deep pool, “this wedding is a notice of severance to the Goodrich family.”

“A notice of severance…” I began, “What effect will that have on the Goodrich family?”

Jasper didn’t answer right away. He walked to an old oak filing cabinet by the fireplace and pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside were no documents, only a stack of yellowed old newspapers with edges worn soft from repeated handling. He pulled out the one on top. Its pages were brittle, the headline circled harshly in red ink that had begun to smudge.

The Financial Times · XX/XX/20XX

“Suspicion Surrounds Goodrich Capital Merger: Thirty-Seven Offshore Shell Companies Surface, Fund Flow Remains a Mystery.”

“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) long ago launched a ’gray-chain investigation’ into Goodrich Capital—one that specifically targets gray-area financial networks that use ’clean channels’ like charitable foundations, educational trusts, and art auction houses for money laundering.”

His gaze fell on my face, calm and sharp. “Our wedding of the century, coupled with you severing ties with the Goodrich family, will undoubtedly give the FTC more fuel in the court of public opinion.”

He paused before continuing, “We’re tightening the financial noose. As for the key to breaking the stalemate by force…” His gaze met mine, reflecting the firelight. “It falls to you.”

“Derek’s ’Enhancer’ is essentially a neuro-addictive toxin.” He slowly approached, leaning down to meet my gaze, so close I could see the firelight dancing deep in his pupils. “It causes the user to lose all judgment in a state of extreme agitation—like feeding a starving wolf raw meat laced with hallucinogens. The more it eats, the crazier it gets; the crazier it gets, the more it craves, until it’s reduced to a living puppet that only follows commands.”

Then, in a mysterious, low tone, he recited a line in the Ancient Wolf tongue:

“When the Moon Crown bows and the sovereign crown whispers, only the tear of the Priest can melt the thorny lock.”

“Lila, we need you to break the seal as soon as possible.” His gaze was as serene as the deep sea. “When your bloodline awakens, your voice will be the purest silencing frequency. Your very presence will be the gentlest nerve sedative. Your gaze will be an undeniable beam of truth that can pierce the lies of the ’Enhancer.’”

He paused, his voice as soft as a sigh.

“Lila, you don’t have to kill a warrior controlled by this addiction. You just need to make him remember who he is.”

Zoe suddenly spoke, her voice as light as a falling feather. “But why was Lila sealed in the first place?”

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