Wil had never imagined that Old Watt had built an underground tomb in the Winter Snow Valley nearly identical to the one in Wolf Fort. As Wil walked down the tomb’s corridor, stone statues of the White Wolf Clan’s ancestors lined both sides. Several of the wolf statues were familiar to him.

“Wandering Blade” Varnon, “Unstoppable” Lev, “Trickster Pretender” Cotton, “Eternal Double-Agent” Jace… These legendary white wolves, famous throughout wolf clan history, stood in solemn rows, their ruby eyes fixed on the two wolf kings entering the tomb.

Their glory belonged not only to the White Wolf Clan, but to the entire wolf race! Wil had looked up to these elite wolves since he was a pup. Though not all had been wolf kings, their names had transcended life and rank to become part of the wolf clan’s collective memory; like wolf kings, they were revered by all future generations of werewolves.

Wil recalled that in Wolf Fort’s tomb, statues of wolf clan heroes also stood—black and white wolf heroes side by side, a symbol of greater inclusivity. Black wolves and white wolves are one clan; we never should have split apart.

He thought back to ten years ago, when Uncle Watt had a fierce argument with his father, then led a group of white wolves to leave Wolf Fort, crippling the fort’s strength. Over the years, as Wolf King, he’d had to outwit the Divine Legion while guarding against backstabs from the White Wolf Clan. It had been exhausting.

Wil stared at his uncle’s back, a flicker of resentment rising in his chest. <em>With humans as our enemies in front and you holding me back from behind, leading this pack is a nightmare! If you want to lead so badly, you take over!</em>

“I had three sons. My eldest, Bing, nicknamed Great White Wolf, looked and acted just like me. He was supposed to inherit the White Wolf King’s throne. But twelve years ago, he snuck into the human kingdom to train, and died there. It’s the greatest regret of my life.” The White Wolf King spoke suddenly, his voice quiet but echoing loudly in the tomb’s stillness.

You at least had three sons. I only had one, and he was poisoned by a witch. Wil cursed inwardly, but said aloud: “Humans have always been treacherous, but they’ll never escape the Wolf God’s judgment. Guard Vett is proof of that.”

“What about Yin? Will the one who killed him also receive justice?” Watt turned to face Wil.

We’ve finally reached this topic!

Wil frowned slightly. The events of ten years ago were a deep rift between the black and white wolf clans, and a knot in Old Watt’s heart. He’d known his uncle would bring this up before he came. There was no escaping it. In fact, Wil hadn’t planned to hide from it when he dared to meet the White Wolf King.

“Ten years ago, my second son Yin defeated you at Wolf Fort’s Tournament of Champions and won the title. By wolf clan rules, he should have inherited the throne. But your father, the ‘Team-Stomper’ Wolf King, suddenly proposed a special military operation right after the tournament…”

“Operation Aid.” The two wolf kings spoke in unison.

Wil knew what the White Wolf King was going to say. He explained: “At the time, Father received urgent intelligence. The Bear Clan had defected from the Frost Great Wall and was being hunted by the Divine Legion. Out of kinship as fellow Outer Wastes demons, Father decided to help the Bear Clan despite past grievances. The situation was urgent; it was a last-minute decision.”

A furrow formed on Watt’s forehead, a sign of his displeasure at being interrupted—and likely at Wil’s words.

“Yin joined Operation Aid and never came back. Then you took the wolf throne without a hitch.” The White Wolf King’s gaze turned sharp: “A nonsensical military operation destroyed two generations of the White Wolf Clan’s efforts!”

“I was the second-place winner at the tournament. If Yin wasn’t there, my succession was perfectly legitimate.” Wil didn’t back down, meeting Old Watt’s soul-piercing gaze with a firm stare of his own.

Though Wil appeared strong on the outside, he harbored doubts about what had happened.

Three days before the tournament ten years ago, Father had come to Wil and told him that no matter the tournament’s outcome, it wouldn’t affect the established succession plan. Wil had known then that his father, who had climbed to power by stepping on his fellow wolves, was going to step on Watt next. What happened later confirmed everything. Yin had won the tournament, but Wil had ended up on the wolf throne.

Wil didn’t know the full details of his father’s plan, and he didn’t want to know. He’d told himself more than once: <em>Father didn’t tell me the details because he wanted to protect me.</em> So until his father’s death, Wil had never asked about it.

As the beneficiary, Wil could accept his father’s “arrangements,” but the white wolves weren’t fools. Yin had fallen at the “final step” to the throne and had mysteriously “disappeared.” This hadn’t just enraged Watt—it was something the entire White Wolf Clan could never accept.

Ten years ago, at Wil’s coronation, Watt had led the white wolves in open rebellion against Wil and his father. But the black wolves had been prepared. On Wil’s coronation day, Wolf Fort was surrounded by black wolf soldiers, with guards posted every few steps. The black wolves outnumbered the white wolves ten to one in Wolf Fort, and with their advance preparations, the white wolves stood no chance. In the end, Watt, facing an unchangeable outcome, had angrily led his white wolves out of Wolf Fort to establish their own territory. Since then, black and white wolves had had no contact.

Now that Old Watt had brought up the past, Wil knew that if he couldn’t give him a satisfactory answer, not only would the black and white clans never ally—he might even die here.

No matter how Old Watt sees it as a conspiracy, I will never admit it. Father is dead; there’s no way to prove anything.

Wil said calmly: “It was all a misunderstanding, an accident. Battle brings casualties—no one can avoid that. If Yin had completed his mission and returned safely, the throne would have been his. But unfortunately, it was his turn… There was no conspiracy involved.”

“It’s just us two wolves in this tomb. Don’t feed me the lies you tell the fodder wolves! Don’t treat me like a fool!” The White Wolf King’s eyes blazed, locking onto Wil.

“I had no part in any of this—that’s the truth. I swear a face-to-face oath on my honor.” <em>That’s not a lie,</em> Wil thought.

“But you’re the one who benefited in the end. Even if you didn’t plan Operation Aid, your father did!”

“I don’t know. He never told me.” <em>He only told me to be ready.</em> “If you think there’s a conspiracy, show me proof.”

“Ten years ago, by the Wolf God’s great statue in Wolf Fort, you and your father brushed me off with the same nonsense! And you’re still saying the same thing today?” Old Watt panted slightly, his voice rising with emotion.

“I truly don’t know what Father arranged. But I do know that when you led all the white wolves out of Wolf Fort ten years ago, I could have ordered my men to stop you—none of you would have left. That’s a fact we both know.” Wil locked gazes with Watt, refusing to flinch.

<em>Actually, back then I was more afraid you’d have your white wolves self-destruct and take me down with you.</em>

A brief silence fell over the tomb.

After a moment, the White Wolf King backed down, shifting his gaze away.

“You’re right. Back then, Wolf Fort was firmly in the black wolves’ control. And at that critical moment, you chose to put the clan first. For that alone, you’re more worthy of being Wolf King than that team-stomping father of yours.”

Wil felt a twinge of guilt, but his expression remained calm.

Watt continued: “But Yin was my son! You took his throne and killed him—I’ll never forgive you!”

“Yin is only missing. We sent wolves to investigate the battlefield later, but never found his body… We can’t say for sure he’s dead…”

<em>It’s possible his remains were taken by the human legion by mistake. After all, he was a Hidden Wolf—even a human Seer couldn’t tell him apart.</em>

“It’s been ten years. If Yin was alive, we’d have heard something by now.” Old Watt sighed: “If only the Wraith Rider could speak. He might know the truth of what happened back then. But he never says anything…”

Wil’s mind raced. <em>Father used a Dark Pact to control the Wraith Rider, making him serve the black wolves. But after Operation Aid, Heywood never returned to Wolf Fort. Now he’s serving the White Wolf King. What happened in between?</em>