WebNovels

Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: The Wolf Knight's Curse

On a gloomy afternoon, the atmosphere in the council hall of Winterfang was heavy.

Kaelen sat on the main throne, his face dark. Liam, Barton, Morgana, and all the core elders were present.

A surviving patrol captain, covered in blood, was tremblingly reporting the previous night's encounter in the Black Forest. He was clearly terrified.

"Speak," Kaelen's voice was ice-cold. "What happened last night?"

"Lord Alpha..." the surviving captain's voice was choked with sobs. "Those… those things… they were rotten werewolf skeletons!"

A collective gasp echoed through the hall.

"They were wearing the tattered armor of our ancestors who died in the war against the South hundreds of years ago!" the captain continued, his voice shrill with fear. "I recognized one of them, the family crest on his breastplate… it was my great-grandfather's brother!"

A white-bearded Greymane elder shot to his feet, his face a mask of incredulous rage. "Are you sure you saw clearly?!"

"I'm sure! Elder!" the captain cried. "Our swords struck them like stone! They feel no pain! My brother… even after he shifted, his chest was pierced straight through by a withered hand!"

Drake placed a black cloth-wrapped bundle on the table. When he opened it, a charred, severed arm was revealed. The bones of the arm were still encased in the decaying vambrace of a southern wolf pack's uniform.

Morgana stood up, walked over, and carefully examined the arm.

"Lord Alpha," she said, looking up at Kaelen, her face grave. "The degree of distortion in this arm indicates it has been enhanced by some dark magic. This vambrace is indeed of the southern style from a century ago."

"This is an utter disgrace!" the Greymane elder roared. "Who?! Who did this blasphemous thing?!"

All eyes subconsciously turned to Barton. As the Regent, he was the keeper of the pack's oldest texts, a symbol of wisdom.

Barton stepped forward at this moment. He first expressed his heartfelt grief for the fallen warriors, then said in a heavy tone, "Desecrating the dead, forcing the skeletons of our ancestors to fight for them… doesn't this evil sorcery sound familiar?"

An elder asked in confusion, "Lord Regent, what do you mean?"

"I have seen similar descriptions in the pack's oldest forbidden scrolls," Barton sighed. "It is a dark magic known as 'Soul-Binding Alchemy,' which requires 'blood sacrifice' and prayer to a 'heretical god.'"

Another, more radical elder, immediately voiced his outrage. "A heretical god? Isn't that what those cowards in the South believe in? They can't defeat us in a fair fight, so they resort to such despicable means!"

"The captain just said he saw his family's crest on the armor of one of the warriors," Liam stood up, calmly refuting the claim. "But this arm bears a southern vambrace. This means that both our ancestors and theirs have been desecrated. I don't believe the southern werewolves would be foolish enough to use their own ancestors' skeletons to attack us."

"Then are you suggesting we have a traitor in the North, Liam?" Barton turned, for the first time looking at his nephew with a cold, scrutinizing gaze. "A traitor who understands 'Soul-Binding Alchemy' and can move freely between the northern and southern wolf packs?"

Liam's face changed slightly. He hadn't expected his uncle to so directly point the finger inward. "That's not what I mean, Uncle. I just think this matter might be more complicated than we imagine."

"Complicated?" Barton sneered. "In my opinion, it's quite simple."

He turned back to the others, his voice full of insinuation. "The southern wolf pack has just been defeated and harbors resentment. At this very moment, this evil sorcery, which is only recorded in their ancient texts, appears on our border… everyone, is this really just a coincidence?"

He didn't finish, but his meaning was clear.

"However," his tone shifted, his gaze drifting towards the direction of the Moon Shadow Courtyard, "we do need to be more vigilant. Especially… towards the 'guests' among us."

After the meeting, the news that "the southern werewolves have desecrated the skeletons of their ancestors, summoning ghoul-wolf knights" spread through Winterfang like a plague.

I could clearly feel the change in atmosphere in the Moon Shadow Courtyard.

Before, their gazes were filled with jealousy and contempt. Now, they were a mixture of fear and deep-seated hatred.

Even the maid who brought my meals would slam the tray down at the door and run away as if fleeing something filthy. It was as if every breath I exhaled carried the curse of a southern blasphemer.

I was completely isolated.

Clara, with her followers, once again openly blocked my door. This time, their eyes were not just filled with jealousy, but with the fire of "righteous" anger.

"Soul-binder!" Clara stared at me viciously. "You and your despicable people dare to desecrate the ancestors of the werewolves! You cowards who can only hide in the shadows and use despicable tricks!"

"We didn't do it," I refuted calmly.

"Not you? That severed arm still had your southern vambrace on it!" a girl behind her shrieked. "The evidence is conclusive, and you still dare to argue?"

"That only proves that southern ancestors were desecrated as well," I tried to explain.

"Cunning lies!" Clara sneered. "Everyone knows you southern 'soul-binders' are masters of deception! You must have used some evil magic, not even sparing the bones of your own ancestors!"

I fell silent.

I realized I couldn't defend myself. In this castle, already ignited by hatred and fear, any explanation was pale and powerless.

"Just you wait, witch," Clara looked at me, a cruel smile on her face. "Sooner or later, the Alpha will tie you to a stake and burn you alive with holy fire!"

She and her followers left, leaving me in dead silence.

I quietly closed the door.

Alone in my room, for the first time, I felt the hostility of an entire pack. It was like being back in the South all those years ago.

Just as I was curled up in a corner, feeling as if I were about to be consumed by this malice, the door was gently pushed open a crack.

It was Lisa.

She said nothing, just quickly pushed a still-warm baked potato through the gap, then immediately closed the door and hurried away, as if afraid of being seen.

I stared at the hot potato on the floor, a lump forming in my throat, and I nearly cried.

In this place where everyone wanted me burned at the stake, there was still one person willing to risk everything to secretly offer me a small, insignificant warmth.

The next day, I was taken to the council hall by Drake, once again to observe.

Barton had summoned all the elders. The atmosphere in the hall was even gloomier than the weather outside.

"Everyone," Barton's voice was heavy and powerful. "The activity of the monsters in the Black Forest is increasing. We can no longer sit back and wait. I propose we must immediately send an elite team deep into the forest to thoroughly investigate their origin and weaknesses!"

The elders nodded in agreement.

"To appease the restless hearts of our people," Barton's gaze turned to Kaelen on the main throne, "Kaelen, my nephew, you are our Alpha. You must lead the team personally."

Kaelen nodded without expression.

"Rosalind," Barton then looked to his daughter, his eyes filled with affection. "You are the strongest female warrior of our younger generation. Your courage will inspire everyone. You must go as well."

Rosalind immediately stood and bowed, her hand on her chest. "As you command, Father."

Finally, Barton's gaze fell on me in the corner. A kind smile appeared on his face.

"And Aila, as our Luna, as the other half of the blood pact, your presence can soothe the Alpha's violent bloodline and keep him calm. At the same time," his voice rose slightly, ensuring everyone could hear, "this is also the best opportunity for you to prove to all our people that you are not a 'soul-binder,' but a comrade who fights alongside us."

His words were "reasonable and fair," silencing everyone.

Just then, Liam, who had been silent all along, stood up.

"I object."

The entire hall fell silent. All eyes were on him.

"Uncle," Liam looked directly at Barton, his tone firm but polite. "Aila is not a warrior. She cannot even shift. To send her into the Black Forest to face monsters that even our most elite patrol teams cannot handle is to send her to her 'death'."

A flash of anger crossed Barton's face, but it was quickly replaced by a smile. "Liam, my child, I understand your concern. But this is her responsibility as Luna."

"Then I will go too!" Liam insisted. "We must ensure her safety."

Barton glanced at him as if he were an uninvited guest at a party.

"Oh? You want to go too?" Barton's tone was casual, even a little amused. "If you want to go, then go."

As they argued, I stood up.

"I will go."

Everyone looked at me in surprise, including Kaelen.

"I agree with the Lord Regent's proposal," I said, looking calmly at Barton and all the elders present. "I do need a chance to prove to you all that I am not the 'soul-binder' you speak of. I also want to see for myself what those monsters really are."

My words filled Liam's face with worry, while a satisfied smile appeared on Barton's.

And so, our investigation team, each with their own ulterior motives, was officially formed.

More Chapters