Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Emergency Elder Council

Jasper’s POV

The pinewood in the study was still burning.

Crackling sparks danced in the fireplace like tiny, restless hearts. I sat behind the walnut desk, a huge topographical map drawn with the red earth of Black Water Town spread out before me. On the map, thirty-seven abandoned mine shafts were marked with scarlet dots, like thirty-seven bleeding eyes staring coldly back at me.

My fingertip rested on the location of the “Holy Mother Sanatorium.”

That was Derek’s “Furnace.”

The confidential letter from Great Elder Darius was still pinned beneath the inkstone, its script as sharp as a knife: “…The ’Enhancer’ has entered its third phase. The Gray Wolf Assault Team is beginning to show irreversible synaptic mutations. They are no longer Werewolves, but… pure beasts.”

Beasts.

The word was like an icy needle stabbing into my temple.

I closed my eyes, trying to banish the nauseating images—the hollow eyes, the kneecaps broken on command.

Just then, the study door was thrown open.

Zoe burst in.

She was normally so vibrant, but right now, her face was drained of all color, filled only with terror and despair. Her hair was a disheveled mess, obscuring most of her face. She was gasping for breath, her chest heaving violently, like a dying deer that had just escaped a hunter’s trap.

“Jasper!” Her voice was so hoarse it nearly broke. “Lila… Lila, she…”

In that instant, my heart skipped a beat.

“Speak.” My voice was as cold as ancient ice, each word carrying an undeniable command.

“She was at Venus Atelier… she was kidnapped!” Zoe’s voice finally broke, laced with sobs. “Right in the dressing room! I… I was only five meters away from her! I could even hear her breathing! But… but…”

She dropped to her knees, her hands braced against the carpet, her shoulders trembling violently.

“There’s… a traitor in the guard detail!” She looked up, her eyes full of tears but glinting with an almost crazed hatred. “Captain Riven was leading the team himself, but the moment Lila went down, his men… they let them pass! The kidnappers took her from right under our noses!”

BOOM—!

A violent, destructive rage instantly exploded in my chest!

I shot to my feet and slammed my fist down on the desk!

Under the immense force, the heavy walnut desktop let out a pained groan as a distinct crack spread out from under my fist.

“It was me…” I heard my own voice, so hoarse it was unrecognizable. “I did this to her.”

’I was the one who underestimated Derek’s madness and patience. I was the one who, in preparing for that damned “wedding of the century,” focused all my energy on the public declaration, yet ignored that our foundations were already riddled with holes. I was the one who let Lila wear that magnificent “Star Dust” wedding gown, like a living target, exposed right under the enemy’s nose!’

“No!” Zoe shot to her feet and rushed to me, gripping my arms so tightly her nails nearly dug into my flesh. “This isn’t the time for self-blame! Lila needs you! Hurry up and figure out a way to find her!”

Her words were like a bucket of ice water poured over my head, shocking me to my senses.

’Right.’

’This isn’t the time for regret.’

’It’s time for action.’

“Summon the Elder Council.” I turned and walked to the comms unit by the fireplace, my voice regaining the cold, absolute control befitting the Wolf King. “Immediately. Every elder, no matter where they are, must be in the Elder Council Hall within the hour. I’m going to use my royal bloodline to conduct a clan-wide screening.”

“A screening?” Zoe froze. “You mean to…”

“Yes.” I picked up the communicator, my fingers rapidly tapping a code on the encrypted channel. “I’m going to activate the ’King’s Eye.’ I’ll use my bloodline as a catalyst to activate the covenant brand within every Werewolf. It will connect me to the mental network of all our people!”

Once activated, it would mean that the trust within the Wolf Clan had completely collapsed.

It would mean we were tearing open our own clan’s wounds with our own hands, just to carve out the rot inside.

Zoe looked at me, her expression complex. She knew the weight of this decision.

But she said nothing, only nodding firmly before turning and rushing out of the study.

「An hour later.」

「The Elder Council Hall.」

There were no windows here, only four towering walls built from solid Obsidian. Seventy-two ancient Wolf Head Badges were embedded in the walls, each one representing a once-glorious branch family of the Wolf Clan. In the center of the hall was a massive round table carved from the heartwood of a single World Tree. Nine elders were seated around it.

Great Elder Darius sat at the head of the table, his expression thunderous. Across from him was Silas, the Wise Man, his hair and beard completely white, resting with his eyes closed as if oblivious to the impending storm. Of the other seven elders, some looked worried, some were indifferent, and some… had darting eyes, unable to meet my gaze.

I stood at the far end of the round table, the empty high-backed chair symbolizing the Wolf King’s seat behind me.

I did not sit.

I simply stood there, my gaze slowly sweeping over each elder’s face.

“Everyone,” my voice wasn’t loud, but it reached every person’s ears clearly. “My wife, Lila Bennett, was kidnapped this morning at Venus Atelier. And there was a traitor in our guard detail.”

The hall fell deathly silent.

Even the flames burning in the fireplace seemed to hold their breath.

“I propose,” I continued, my voice carrying an undeniable, icy weight, “that we immediately activate the ’King’s Eye.’ Using my royal bloodline as a catalyst, we will conduct a loyalty screening on every registered Werewolf.”

“Absurd!”

A sharp voice suddenly rang out from the right.

It was Elder Elias. He was from the northern snow wolf line and was known for his radical views. He slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, his salt-and-pepper beard trembling with rage.

“Jasper Hale! You’re insulting us! Do you think we old bones are all Derek’s lackeys?!”

“Elder Elias,” I looked at him calmly, my golden eyes without a ripple of emotion, “if your conscience is clear, what do you have to fear from a screening?”

“You!” Elias was livid with rage.

“Enough!” Darius finally spoke, his voice deep and authoritative. “Jasper, your proposal is too radical. The thousand-year legacy of the Wolf Clan is built on trust, not suspicion. Once you activate the ’King’s Eye,’ regardless of the outcome, the trust within our clan will be utterly destroyed. This could be exactly what Derek wants!”

“Trust?” I sneered, my gaze like a blade piercing straight through Darius. “Great Elder, your trust fund, through seven layers of offshore companies, injected 2.8 billion US Dollars into Derek’s ’New Moon Dawn.’ Tell me, how much is that ’trust’ worth?”

Darius’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

He shot to his feet, pointing a trembling finger at me. “You… you dare…”

“I wouldn’t dare,” I cut him off, my voice terrifyingly calm. “I am merely stating the facts. Great Elder Darius, I am not accusing you of betraying the Wolf Clan. I simply wish to remind you that when you gave Derek your money, you personally placed the knife in his hand.”

“What do you know!” Darius roared, his voice laced with the hysterical madness of being exposed. “Do you think I didn’t want to stop him?! He’s already gone insane!”

“So, what was your choice? To bow to a madman?”

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