Chapter 4 Rocco's Wolf Spirit Goes Out Of Control

• I shook off William’s outstretched hand and lifted my head, staring at him coldly.
• “William, you make it sound so easy.”
• My lips curved faintly.
• “Why don’t you go spend a few years in prison yourself?”
• The words were sharp as a wolf’s fang.
• I didn’t spare them another glance before turning and leaving the hospital.
• The moment I stepped outside, I wiped at the place on my wrist where William had touched me.
• The sensation made me sick.
• There was only one thought left in my mind.
• Divorce.
• The sooner, the better.
• Even sharing the same territory with William felt like torture.
• That night, after taking my medicine, I fell into a heavy sleep.
• Half awake, half dreaming, I found myself back in the Moon Prison again,
• silver claws, iron chains, the bloodstains smeared across the walls during my manic episodes, and finally… the pup who had vanished inside my body.
• I jerked awake.
• The sound came from the living room door.
• Celine rushed in, travel-worn and frantic.
• “You just got out, and you’re already burning up like this? When I came back, your fever was almost forty degrees Celsius… Thank God it’s gone down now.”
• She handed me water and medicine.
• Only in that moment did I feel a little warmth.
• My husband could not be relied on.
• My son… had already been led toward another “mother.”
• In this world, the only person who could still make me feel safe was my friend.
• I swallowed the medicine, my voice low but firm.
• “I won’t give in.”
• Early the next morning, I received a message from Grandma Tina.
• In two days, the core members would return to the forest.
• It was an annual gathering. Everyone would return to the forest and have the elders examine their wolves, checking whether long-term city life had made them unstable or weakened.
• [I heard from William that you’re out of Moon Prison. This is perfect timing. Have your wolf checked while you’re here.]
• Tina had always been kind enough to me.
• I had no reason to refuse.
• Besides, I owed her a message that I was safe.
• Ever since I was locked away, she had been worried about me.
• After two days of brief rest, my body had recovered a little, but on the day of departure, my head was still heavy and foggy.
• The scent of medicine could not suppress the restless wolf nature stirring inside me.
• At noon, I borrowed Celine’s car.
• My own car had been forced into sale by William after we got married because he thought the brand was too cheap.
• After that, I had always driven one of the cars from William’s garage.
• But now that I was divorcing him, I naturally refused to stay entangled with him over things like this.
• The car drove into the forest belonging to the Ember Hide Pack.
• The urban buildings faded outside the window. I still carried Ember Hide’s mark, so entering the forest was effortless.
• In the open-air parking lot, that familiar Cullinan with its sequential plate was parked there.
• So he had come back after all.
• “Mommy, why are you so late? The test is about to start. You walk as slow as a turtle.”
• Rocco poked his head out from behind William, his tone impatient.
• I lifted my eyes.
• Standing beside William was Ann.
• He had actually brought her back for the core members’ wolf-spirit examination?
• Was he that eager to announce his new Luna before we were even divorced?
• Was this his way of humiliating me in public?
• Ann smiled at me.
• “Julie, you came at just the right time. The elders’ examination ceremony is still missing a few things. Let’s go help together.”
• I smiled.
• Since when did this kind of work require the Luna to handle it personally?
• Thinking back, I used to cook with my own hands only because I wanted my husband and son to eat well.
• But all those efforts had never changed how they saw me.
• “Lazy.”
• “Useless.”
• I didn’t move.
• Rocco reached out and shoved me.
• “Mommy, hurry up and help Ann! Don’t let her get exhausted.”
• William and his mother, Becky, were busy exchanging pleasantries with the other nobles.
• Neither of them even looked at me.
• I turned and walked toward the small room where the elders were preparing for the wolf-shifting examination.
• The cabin was set in a more remote corner.
• It was also meant to leave more space for the rest of the pack members.
• After urbanization, many members of the pack were scattered across different cities and rarely gathered together, except for a few core families who maintained close cooperation.
• As soon as I entered, Ann immediately stuffed a data sheet into my hand.
• “This is for Elder Grace. It’s Rocco’s original data. I don’t have time. Help me take it to her.”
• I clenched the data sheet at my side.
• Barely a second after going in, I came back out again.
• I quickly found Elder Grace and handed her the data sheet.
• “Julie, you’re back?”
• Tina’s voice rang out, loud and clear.
• It was Grandma Tina—the one who had always cared for me.
• I turned around, and at a glance, I saw two familiar figures slowly walking toward me.
• I walked over quickly.
• Standing beside her was Adrian. William’s cousin.
• He wore a perfectly tailored black suit. The black ring on the index finger of his right hand looked cold and sharp, carrying the chill of moonlight in the dead of night.
• My fingertips tightened for a split second.
• I hadn’t expected Adrian to come back too.
• Not under circumstances like these.
• Wasn’t he supposed to have stayed in his own territory all this time?
• I greeted him politely.
• “It’s been a long time.”
• Tina pulled me to her side and asked gently about how I had been recently.
• Not far away, the examination had already begun.
• Rocco stood between Ann and William.
• Anyone who didn’t know the truth would have mistaken them for a happy family of three.
• The ritual had only just started.
• Suddenly—
• “Daddy… it hurts… My bones feel like they’re breaking…”
• Rocco’s voice trembled.
• The next second, he clutched his head and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.