Chapter 53: Chapter 53 Growing Resentment
The five elders left the damaged chamber one after another, walking through the long stone corridor in silence. None of them spoke. The confrontation with Lie Lang still lingered in their minds, and even after leaving the chamber, the heavy atmosphere refused to fade.
When they stepped outside, a cool breeze swept through the palace grounds, stirring the leaves of the ancient trees that lined the stone paths.
"Ruo Shuo."
A calm voice called her.
She turned around and looked at the elder with the silver rune engraved on his forehead. "Grandfather."
The other four elders exchanged quiet glances before continuing on their way. They understood there were some conversations best left between family.
The old man looked at his granddaughter for a long moment before saying, "Walk with me."
Ruo Shuo nodded and quietly fell into step beside him.
Neither of them spoke at first. They walked through the palace gardens at an unhurried pace, passing flowering shrubs, quiet ponds, and rows of ancient trees. The breeze carried the scent of pine through the air, while the distant cries of spirit birds echoed from the mountains surrounding the royal palace.
After walking for some time, the elder finally broke the silence.
"Do you know what everyone in the White Moon Wolf Clan believed before today?"
Ruo Shuo lowered her gaze. "They believed I would become Luna."
"They still believed it this morning," the elder replied calmly. "So did I."
His words made her chest tighten, but she still forced a faint smile.
"Brother Lie Lang only made that human his Royal Concubine because he wanted to protect her. Once everything settles down, things will return to normal."
The elder slowly shook his head. "You’re only looking at the Alpha’s intentions."
Ruo Shuo frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
"The Alpha may have given Bai Xue Yao that title to protect her from us, but the rest of the clan doesn’t know that." He looked toward the royal palace standing proudly above the gardens before continuing. "They only saw one thing. The Alpha carried a human woman through the fortress in his own arms. Then, in front of the five elders, he stripped away her status as a breeder and personally named her his Royal Concubine. Whether his decision was temporary or not doesn’t matter anymore. That is the only part everyone will remember."
Ruo Shuo’s fingers slowly tightened inside her sleeves. "They’ll misunderstand his intentions."
"They already have." The elder sighed softly. "By tomorrow morning, every beast in the White Moon Wolf Clan will know another woman has entered the Alpha’s palace. Rumors travel much faster than the truth, and once people begin talking, very few will care why it happened."
His words left Ruo Shuo unable to respond.
The elder glanced at her before asking, "Do you know why some of the elders have always supported your marriage to the Alpha?"
She looked at him in confusion. "I thought... because Brother Lie Lang and I grew up together."
"That is one reason," he admitted. "But it isn’t the most important one."
"And the other?"
He clasped his hands behind his back as they continued walking. "Because when you become Luna, our family rises with you."
Ruo Shuo unconsciously slowed her pace. "Our family..."
The elder nodded. "Every elder represents more than himself. Each family branch has spent generations building its own influence within the clan. We all have supporters. We all have people depending on us."
He spoke openly, making no attempt to hide the truth.
"If you become Luna, our branch naturally becomes stronger. Our voice carries more weight in every decision, and when the Alpha eventually succeeds the Grand Alpha, our family will stand above every other branch."
Ruo Shuo quietly lowered her head.
Until today, she had only thought about herself and Lie Lang. She had never considered that her future marriage carried the hopes of an entire family. It wasn’t simply a matter of affection anymore. Too many people had placed their expectations on her shoulders without her ever realizing it.
The elder slowed his steps and looked at her kindly.
"So tell me honestly. Do you still believe today changed nothing?"
Ruo Shuo opened her mouth, but no answer came. The scene from the council chamber replayed itself again and again. Lie Lang carrying Bai Xue Yao through the fortress. Standing in front of the five elders without giving an inch, and invoking the Grand Alpha’s authority without the slightest hesitation.
Each memory weighed a little heavier than the last. After a long silence, she lowered her eyes. "No."
The answer was so quiet it almost disappeared into the wind.
The elder simply nodded. "I expected as much." His expression gradually became more serious. "Then listen carefully. Whatever you’re feeling right now, don’t act on it."
Ruo Shuo looked at him.
"Do not provoke Bai Xue Yao."
She frowned. "Grandfather?"
"If you target her now, the Alpha will protect her." His tone remained calm and patient. "He already feels responsible for everything that happened today. If you force him to choose between the two of you, he’ll naturally protect the weaker one. All you’ll accomplish is pushing him farther away."
Ruo Shuo pressed her lips together, unable to hide the hurt in her eyes. "But she took the place that should have been mine."
"She took nothing," the elder corrected gently. "The Alpha gave her that title, but the Luna title is still vacant."
Ruo Shuo looked away. She knew he was right, still... Knowing it didn’t make the pain any easier to bear.
The elder watched her quietly before speaking again.
"Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. When you see Bai Xue Yao, smile. Treat her politely. Be the graceful woman everyone in the clan already believes you are."
He paused before adding in a quieter voice, "Leave Bai Xue Yao to me." A faint coldness flashed through his eyes.
"I want to know where that power came from. If it truly belongs to her, then there must be a reason a human possesses something even the five elders couldn’t approach." His eyes narrowed slightly. "And if that power can be understood... our family will find a way to make use of it."
Ruo Shuo remained silent. She simply stood there, looking toward the royal palace where Lie Lang and Bai Xue Yao were now staying.
Her grandfather’s words continued to echo inside her mind. By tomorrow, everyone in the White Moon Wolf Clan would know another woman had entered the Alpha’s palace. Another woman had received a title no one expected would be given to a human breeder.
She had spent more than two hundred years believing she would one day stand beside Lie Lang. She had watched him struggle with his bloodline, worried for him, waited for him, and quietly believed that once a cure was found, everything would finally fall into place.
Instead, a human who had appeared only a few days ago had stepped into the place she had dreamed about for most of her life.
Ruo Shuo lowered her eyes. For the first time, she could no longer ignore the resentment quietly growing inside her heart.
