Chapter 4
I was stopped as soon as I left Lina's residence.
An old man dressed in an ancient clan robe stood in the middle of the path, the moonlight casting an eerie shadow on him.
"Aiden Chen." His voice was hoarse and ancient. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."
I had never met this old man before, but the aura emanating from him made me instinctively wary.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Marcus Silverback." He slowly removed his hood, revealing a wrinkled face. "An old friend of your father's."
Silverback?
That was the name of a lost clan. It is said that the Silverback Clan went extinct fifty years ago.
"My father has never mentioned you."
"Of course," the old man said with a wry smile, "because he promised to keep the secret. But now he's dead, and you need to know the truth."
"What truth?"
"About your true lineage," a complex emotion flickered in the old man's eyes, "and about why your father died."
My father's death has always been a mystery. The official explanation is that he died in an accident while hunting, but I always felt that things weren't that simple.
"Go on."
The old man turned and walked into the depths of the forest. I hesitated for a moment, but followed him anyway.
We walked for a long time and came to a secluded cave. Deep inside the cave were ancient murals depicting the history of the wolf clan.
"You think you're just an ordinary guardian bloodline?" The old man lit a torch, and the murals appeared in the firelight. "Wrong. You are the long-lost descendant of the Wolf King."
Wolf King?
I stared at the enormous wolf-like creatures in the mural, their eyes gleaming with a silver light.
"Impossible. The wolf king's bloodline has long since died out."
"The lineage hasn't been broken." The old man pointed to the giant silver wolf in the center of the mural. "Your father was the legendary Silverback Wolf King."
my father?
That gentle guardian, that man who never revealed his great power?
"He concealed his identity to protect the clan's secrets," the old man continued. "The wolf king's bloodline was too powerful, attracting fear and jealousy from other forces. So he chose to disguise himself and live an ordinary life."
"Then why are you telling me now?"
"Because they've discovered the truth." The old man's eyes gleamed in the firelight. "The Blood Moon Cult, an evil organization that sought to overthrow the clan order. They killed your father, and now they've set their sights on you."
The Blood Moon Cult.
The red-robed man that Lina mentioned is the mysterious force behind Chad.
"Is Chad a member of the Blood Moon Cult?"
"He's not just a member; he's the enforcer of this region." The old man walked deeper into the cave, retrieved a glowing moonstone, and said, "Lina's Silver Moon bloodline is only part of his plan; his real target is you."
"I?"
"The wolf king's bloodline is the oldest and purest source of power. If the Blood Moon Cult can control you, they can rule the entire wolf world."
This explains a lot of things. Why Chad attacked me while I was unconscious, why he forged the blood oath to break the contract, and why he suppressed Lina's bloodline.
He was waiting for me to wake up.
"But awakening the wolf king's bloodline comes at a price," the old man warned me. "It will burn away ten years of your lifespan, and the awakening process is extremely painful. Your father went mad for seven whole days after he awakened it."
A lifespan of ten years.
This is a heavy price to pay, but I have no way out.
What if I don't awaken?
"Then you'll never be able to fight the Blood Moon Cult." The old man's voice turned serious. "They've infiltrated multiple clans and controlled countless purebloods. Chad is just the beginning; even more powerful enemies lie ahead."
I remembered Lina's haggard appearance, and I thought of my son whom I had never met.
"I need this power."
Are you sure? Once you start, you can't stop.
"Sure."
The old man nodded and placed the moonstone on the stone platform in the center of the cave.
"Lie down and let the moonstone's light shine into your heart. Remember, no matter how much pain you endure, do not open your eyes. The wolf king's awakening must be completed in complete darkness."
I lay on the stone platform, the moonstone's light piercing my chest. At first it was just warmth, but it quickly turned into a burning pain.
I felt the blood in my veins begin to boil, my bones were reorganizing, and my muscles were tearing and regenerating.
The pain was beyond my imagination.
Just when I was about to give up, a scene suddenly flashed into my mind—
My father stood on the same stone platform, enduring the same pain. But there was no fear in his eyes, only unwavering determination.
"Remember, Aiden," his voice echoed in my mind, "the Wolf King's power is not for conquest, but for protection. To protect those you love, to protect the future of the clan."
So this is what he wanted to tell me before he died.
My eyes began to change, and a silver light surged from the depths of my pupils. I could feel an unprecedented power awakening in my blood, a legacy from the ancient wolf king.
This power allows me to suppress any low-level werewolf, including all members of the Steelclaw clan.
When the pain finally ended, I felt as if I had been given life again. No, not just life, but a higher level of existence.
I stood up, my body radiating a powerful Alpha aura.
"Now you understand." The old man nodded with satisfaction. "You are not just a guardian, you are the wolf king. It's time to reclaim everything that is rightfully yours."
The price was worth it.
It's time to let Chad Shem know he messed with the wrong person.
