"Who exactly are you?" Will said in a low, sharp tone.

"How dare you question the Wolf God's messenger?" the Blood Moon Apostle's gravelly voice cut through the red-tinted dark.

"Remove your hood. I want to see your true face."

"To offend me is to offend the Wolf God!" A cold glint flashed in the robed man's eyes.

Will was cowed by his overwhelming aura, unable to speak for a heartbeat. I'm no match for him—even with Wolfe at my side, we'd likely lose…

"As I said before, killing you would be as easy as breathing." The Apostle spoke with casual menace.

A chill ran down Will's spine. He understood the implication perfectly: if he meant to harm me, he could have struck me down instantly. There's no need for all this theater.

"I don't doubt you, it's just… after such a devastating defeat… I'm just a little…" In front of the robed man, Will felt like a subordinate, not a king.

"You did not lose. The battle is not over—that was only the first round, not the final fight."

Final fight?

"The Blood Moon Night is coming. That will be the ultimate battle." The Apostle's deep voice echoed through the dim, crimson-hued space, shaking Will to his core.

Blood Moon Night…

"But I have no more chips to wager in this war." Will sighed heavily.

"You need not worry. The Wolf God brings new guidance. If you set aside old grudges and reforge an alliance with the white wolves, you will have the strength to fight again."

"The white wolves?"

"Indeed. White wolves hold immense power, and on Blood Moon Night, that power will multiply tenfold. If you can channel their self-destructive force into the Frost Great Wall's weakest point, you will breach it in one strike."

"That would mean sacrificing the white wolves, wouldn't it?"

"Is that not what you want? Solve two enemies with one war."

"This… but… would the white wolves agree?"

"That depends on your negotiating skills. As Wolf King, you should know the art of compromise, should you not?"

"Yes…"

"In any case, remember this: Obey the Wolf God's call, and victory will be yours!"

A fiery glint sparked in the Wolf King's eyes.

"But before that, there is one problem you must resolve." The Apostle's voice dropped to a menacing growl.

"What is it?"

The Blood Moon Apostle snorted. "There is a mole in your ranks!"

A mole! A flicker of terror crossed Will's eyes. Impossible! The wolf guards who stay by my side are loyal to the bone—they would never betray me!

"That can't be… Who? Who is the mole?"

"A prophet can reveal identities, but he is no true god. He could never know your marching plans. The ambush in the Wolf God Mountains proves there's a mole among you! If you want to win the next war, you must root them out first!" With that, the Apostle turned and vanished into the swirling crimson mist.

"Wait! The mole in my ranks… who is it?!" Will shouted.

The Blood Moon Apostle paused. "Hmph! You are the Wolf King, yet you don't even know there's a mole in your midst! Daring to shout at me! You're foolish and insolent—you might as well die!"

The Apostle leaped into the air, flipping toward Will in a blur. Will's pupils contracted, but he couldn't react in time. The Apostle's hand struck like lightning, aiming straight for his heart!

Am I going to die? Will's mind reeled as he saw blood bloom across his chest, soaking his robes.

"Hehehehe…" The Apostle's eerie, owl-like laughter echoed in his ears—a laugh he felt he'd heard before…

"Lord Will! Lord Will! Wake up!"

Will's eyes snapped open. The crimson mist, the cold Blood Moon Apostle—all gone. He found himself sitting inside a tree hollow, unharmed. I… I'm not hurt? What just happened?

His heart raced, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He looked up to see the cursed fox Ayu standing beside him. "You…" The shaken Wolf King wanted to ask a thousand questions, but his throat was dry, and his voice came out hoarse.

"Nightmare?" Ayu reached out, and when her fingertip touched his forehead, Will felt a sudden icy chill, making him flinch and lean back. No, Ayu can't be the mole…

The fox warlock withdrew her hand, sighing. "I told you before—the Bear Clan's Ghostwood Throne is cursed with dark magic. If you sit on it, you might enter a visionary dream. See? I was right."

Will looked around at the empty clearing. A circle of towering, dark brown ancient trees stood like silent guardians in the night. Outside the circle, a line of wolf guards stood watch. At the center of the circle, a bonfire blazed, and he was leaning against the hollow of a massive old tree in front of it.

The Wolf King gripped the edges of the hollow, sitting there gasping for a moment as his foggy mind cleared. He remembered: before the strange dream began, Ayu had brought him to the Bear Clan's castle—Deepwood Fort.

Located deep in Bearwood, the fort had fallen into even greater disrepair since the bears left. Will had wandered around, finding nothing interesting, and was about to leave when he spotted the large tree hollow. Ayu had told him it was the Bear King's throne—the Ghostwood Throne.

Will had heard of the Ghostwood Throne but never seen it. Curious, he'd ignored Ayu's warnings and sat down, only to fall asleep moments later. So those were all just dreams… Will shook his head. "No, it wasn't a dream. Those were my real experiences…"

"I've heard the Ghostwood Throne's visions can take you back to the past or show you the future." Ayu fanned herself with her purple fan. "Seems you dreamed of an unpleasant past?"

"That Ghostwood Throne is cursed!" Will snorted, standing up and adjusting his cloak's collar with a proud tilt of his chin.

Even if the dream was fake, the Blood Moon Apostle's words might be true. There is a mole in your ranks… Who could it be? Will stared at the bonfire, lost in thought.

"My Lord, urgent military intelligence." Ayu said.

"Urgent intel! Damn it, spit it out!" Will snapped.

"I warned you earlier that enemies had infiltrated Bearwood, and you needed to stay alert, not fall for the Ghostwood Throne's tricks! You didn't listen, and now you're yelling at me!" Ayu pouted, looking wronged.

"Cut the crap! What's the news?"

"I received Wolfe's Whispering Spell. According to his report, the intruders are human rangers—three of them. The leader is Sean the Broken Sword, and the other two are a guard and a witch."

"Sean the Broken Sword!" Will exclaimed. "That again! He's like a ghost, always lurking around! He's gone too far!"

"Don't worry, Lord Will. Wolfe says he killed him with his own claws."

"Well done! Truly the greatest warrior of our clan!" the Wolf King roared in approval. "I've had enough of Sean sneaking around behind my back! Wolfe did a great service! Good! Good! Good!" Will repeated the word three times, clearly overjoyed.

"Lord Will, don't celebrate too soon. The other two human rangers—the guard and the witch—escaped."

"What?!" Will's laughter cut off abruptly. "They got away?"

"Yes, and they killed several of our wolf guards in the process."

This is bad! Will's mood shifted from joy to panic in an instant. "My plan to hide the main wolf rider force in Bearwood must not reach the humans! Otherwise, all our efforts will be for nothing!" Will shouted. "Send the order immediately: the wolf guards must hunt down those two escapees! If they get away, tell Wolfe to bring me his head!"

"A king's mood changes so fast! Just now it was a great service, now it's bring me his head." Ayu sighed, snapping her purple fan shut and blowing on the handle.

A wisp of pale purple mist rose from the fan's handle. "By order of the Wolf King: hunt down the escaped witch and guard at all costs. If they get away, Wolfe will bring his head to face the king!"

After Ayu spoke, the pale purple mist seemed to gain a life of its own, drifting gently into the night sky.

Will looked up at the half-crescent blood moon hanging high in the sky, thinking to himself: If there really is a mole in my ranks, the first one I can rule out is Wolfe.