After the blood-uniting ceremony and her induction as an official member of the Draven Pack were complete, Liliana walked toward Viktor’s study—a place she hadn’t even been able to approach for the past week.
She knew that Viktor had called her this time not merely as his daughter. Her first duty as a member of the Draven family was waiting for her.
Viktor was seated in his chair, while Olive and Mega stood beside him.
"Father, Mother, Mrs. Mega," Liliana greeted them.
Viktor nodded. "Come closer."
He pulled a sheet of paper from his desk drawer.
"Liliana, you’ve worked hard today."
Liliana smiled and nodded.
"Next week, you’ll be enrolling at the Imperial Academy alongside Cassian as my daughter."
Liliana looked up at Viktor’s face, which was now fixed on hers, as if testing her.
"Not as Liliana Forst," he added. "I’ve arranged for someone to change your registered identity at the academy."
"Dad, I’ll do my job well. You can trust me."
"Hmm." Viktor nodded with satisfaction.
"This is your new identity. You’ll be joining a new class next week. As for your duties..." Viktor said softly. "You don’t need to worry about that. Just graduate with satisfactory grades."
Liliana frowned, looking at Viktor hesitantly.
"Dad, what does this mean?"
"I’ll find another way to resolve the issues within the Draven Pack. From now on, you are my daughter—a daughter who has been blessed by the Moon Goddess to join this pack. As my daughter, you no longer need to do work as menial as what Dad had planned before."
"Dad..." Liliana said in a choked voice. "Can I hug you again?"
Liliana lost both her parents when she and Valerie were nine years old. Her father and mother died saving Valerie when the hotel where they were staying in the human world caught fire.
Liliana missed them both more than anything. Now, she had found someone who felt so much like her parents.
Viktor glanced at her, stood up, and walked over to her.
"Dad, I promise I won’t be a burden to you in the future. I won’t embarrass you or tarnish the Draven Pack’s reputation," Liliana said as she felt Viktor’s warm embrace.
"Keep your promise, Liliana."
Liliana nodded and hugged Viktor back even tighter.
When morning came, Liliana was startled by the change in her face.
The scars were gone. Her face was now smooth and clear, without a single blemish.
Liliana hurriedly ran out to the dining room, still wearing her nightgown.
"Are you awake?" asked Olive, who had just walked in.
"Mom... my face..." Liliana asked hesitantly.
Olive looked down and smiled.
"Beautiful. So beautiful."
Liliana fell silent, then shook her head.
"Mom, that’s not what I meant. My face... how could it have healed this quickly?"
Olive cupped Liliana’s face and gently pinched her cheek.
"That means the medicine I gave you last night worked well."
"But... how could it be this fast? Didn’t you say the wound couldn’t be healed anytime soon?"
"Sit down first."
Olive pulled Liliana toward the dining table.
"The medicine I gave you last night was specially made for the Draven family. Last night, through the blood pact, you officially became part of this family."
"Mom..."
Liliana looked at her with teary eyes and immediately threw herself into Olive’s arms.
"Why are Mom and Dad so kind to me?"
"Silly."
Olive gently stroked Liliana’s head.
"You are my daughter. And I intend to make you the most beautiful girl in the history of the Draven Pack. No. Not just in the history of the Draven Pack, but in the history of werewolves."
In the past, Olive lost her two-month-old daughter while she was still pregnant. After the miscarriage, she was never able to have children again.
She hoped that Liliana’s presence would help ease some of the regret that had been haunting her all this time.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Cassian walked in, staring at Liliana, who was still hugging Olive dramatically.
Behind Cassian, Viktor entered with Mega. Neither of them looked like they’d slept a wink since last night. The dark circles under their eyes were clearly visible.
"Nothing important," Olive replied. "Liliana’s just surprised that the wound on her face healed so quickly."
Instantly, the three of them looked at Liliana’s face, which now looked absolutely stunning.
"What healed?" Cassian asked, confused. "Isn’t it actually worse than before? It’s even making me lose my appetite."
Liliana gritted her teeth and glared at Cassian with an annoyed expression.
Viktor nodded in agreement.
"Cassian’s right. You look way worse than before. Don’t use your mom’s medicine anymore."
Mega just shook her head at the two of them.
"You’re pretty enough," Mega complimented.
Liliana, who had initially been a little disappointed by Viktor’s comment, finally smiled.
"Mrs. Mega, this is all thanks to Mom. Mom, thank you."
Olive responded to Liliana’s words with a warm smile.
Viktor and Cassian said nothing more. They simply exchanged glances, as if trying to figure out how to work together to cover up Liliana’s face, which was now drawing too much attention.
Shortly afterward, breakfast was quickly served.
A whole deer was presented on the table. The servants carved it right in front of them before dividing it among their plates.
The Draven family possessed extraordinary hunting instincts. To sharpen those instincts, they regularly consumed meat from animals raised with the Draven Pack’s high-grade potions.
"Liliana," Viktor called out after everyone had finished eating.
"Yes, Dad."
"Can you summon your wolf yet?"
Liliana shook her head. "Not yet, Dad."
Viktor nodded in understanding. "Come with me to the pack’s training ground after this. There’s something I want to test regarding your werewolf."
"Okay, Dad."
It had been a week since Liliana had been able to contact Silver through their mental bond. Even though she had been training hard according to the teachings of Cassian, Olive, and Mega, her efforts had yielded no results.
"Breathe slowly, Liliana," Viktor instructed. "Focus your attention on the testing stone in front of you."
Liliana nodded. She raised both hands and placed them on the large black stone before her.
"Close your eyes. Channel your inner energy into the stone."
Liliana nodded again and followed all of Viktor’s instructions.
In an instant, a white light radiated from both her palms.
The dull black stone in front of her began to vibrate.
Its color slowly changed.
Gray.
White.
Then it grew brighter until it finally emitted a colored light...
Silver.
"Take your hand away," Viktor said a moment later, sounding surprised.
"Liliana, your wolf isn’t an ordinary wolf. Do you know that?"
Liliana nodded. "I know, Dad."
"Do you know what abilities your wolf has?"
Liliana shook her head.
"A healing wolf," Viktor replied. "The reason it couldn’t respond to your call is probably because last week it absorbed all the wounds in your body."
Liliana was stunned. At first, she’d thought the gunshot wounds on her body had healed so quickly because of the medicine Olive had given her.
"Dad..." she asked softly. "Will Silver be okay?"
"He should be. I can still sense his energy coming from your body. However, waking him up will be much harder than I originally thought."
Viktor never imagined that Liliana had such a rare wolf with natural healing abilities.
For thousands of years, pure silver wolves had not appeared again. Even if there were any, they were merely ordinary silver wolves without healing abilities.
"Go back to your room. Dad will discuss this with the pack elders."
Liliana nodded obediently and returned to her room. The whole way there, her hand remained clenched over her chest, as if trying to hold back the tightness filling her heart.
"Silver... I’m sorry. I’ve hurt you. Please, don’t leave me."
"I promise... I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back on your feet."