Chapter 4 Saving a Life with Blood

"The place where my mother, Amiya, lives is called Jade Peak, ruled by the wolf clan. Here, both wolves and humans coexist. For thousands of years, humans and wolves have maintained intermarriage, trade, and complete integration into their respective worlds, until..." Nicholom's eyes began to gleam with bloodlust. "Who would have thought that there would be traitors within the wolf clan? Our Wolf King's eldest son actually made a contract with outsiders, killed the Wolf King, and established himself as king. After being discovered, a mere woman, my mother, resisted him for four days and nights. The eldest son was defeated miserably, fleeing Jade Peak with the remaining wolves." "And my mother, injured during the fight with the eldest son, disappeared amidst the chaos." At this point, Nicholom glanced at Eliana. "Later, while she was injured, she met Morris Lom and quickly married him. They had me, but the good times didn't last long. Father, influenced by someone, became very cold towards mother. It wasn't until I gained control of the entire family that I found out mother had been imprisoned with humans all along. She refused to harm innocent humans, constantly suppressing her nature in captivity. When she was rescued, she was beyond medical help, with only a few months left to live." "But your blood can save her, trading life for blood." Eliana listened in shock, but also accepted it. But her blood, saving a life, did it have to be so ironic? "Your blood, once in a hundred years, that's why..." Nicholom paused. "How can I save her?" Eliana asked directly, sensing the difficulty in his words. "Extract blood, once a month, to nourish my mother's heart," Nicholom explained. "No problem, consider it my monthly blood donation!" Eliana relaxed inwardly, this minor inconvenience was nothing compared to saving a life, a deed of kindness she could leave behind. "Thank you for saving my life, Miss Anna!" Suddenly, the old man burst into the room, dropping to his knees with gratitude. Eliana turned around, feeling a bit awkward and surprised. When did the study become so crowded? Besides the old man she had met before and Lu Qi, there were many unfamiliar faces. "No time to waste, can we start today?" Nicholom suddenly spoke up, and the room fell silent. "Let's begin! Come!" Eliana stretched out her hand, ready to face whatever was to come. The old man was still recovering, marveling at Miss Anna's extraordinary demeanor. "Anna, follow me. To save her, we need a small ceremony, or all our efforts will be in vain!" the old man said solemnly. "A ceremony? I'll cooperate fully." Eliana didn't hesitate, speaking straightforwardly. "Good! Lu Qi, Simon!" The old man called out to the others. Eliana glanced toward the cave entrance, where smoke was already swirling. Simon emerged, carefully holding a ring in his hands. "Miss Anna, we need you to feed this with your blood." Simon looked at the ring intently. "Okay." Eliana spread out her palm, and the old man's knife cut across it. As the blood dripped onto the ring, her palm grew deeper, the pain causing sweat to form on her forehead. Suddenly, a warmth enveloped her hand. It was Nicholom, who had reached out to hold her other hand. Eliana, who had been trembling with pain just moments ago, now felt warm and secure. Shortly after, the old man took out a silver needle and pricked Eliana's forehead, then swiftly did the same to Amiya's forehead inside the coffin. Eliana winced slightly, but it was nothing serious. A few minutes later, the ring, infused with blood, brimmed with vitality. Intricate patterns emerged, as if infused with the purest energy from the world. The wounds on Eliana's hand and forehead vanished without a trace. "Congratulations, young master. Madam will soon recover. Thank you, Mrs. Anna," the wolf clan members present bowed again, their voices filled with joy. "Mrs...?" Eliana's face flushed with embarrassment as she looked at them, doubting if she had misheard. "You are already married, and you have saved our wolf clan's mistress. From now on, you are rightfully our mistress," the old man said excitedly. At this moment, Nicholom explained, "The wolf clan values loyalty and hierarchy. You are already mine." "Ah...?" Eliana didn't know how to respond. She hadn't even adjusted to the fact that she was already married, and now being called 'mistress' added to her confusion. Then, the old man made Eliana drink a bowl of soup-like substance. Shortly after, she fell into a deep sleep. Eliana woke up to the gentle warmth of the sunlight. As she opened her eyes, her hand still throbbed slightly, and she found herself lying on a comfortable bed. The bedding was soft and cozy, and sunlight filtered through crystal chandeliers, casting colorful patterns in the room. Whose room was this? And what was the surroundings? This wasn't her previous room, was it? Wasn't she in the cave? What's going on? There was no one in the room, and Eliana shook her dazed head, preparing to go outside to see. Creak! Eliana opened the door and descended the stairs. "Awake?" Nicholom's cold voice sounded. "Yeah." Eliana, always tactful, instinctively distanced herself from Nicholom. "I had someone prepare a tonic for you. You must finish it." Nicholom calmly instructed her. A chill ran down Eliana's spine. If she were to object now, it would surely arouse his anger. "I understand, thank you." Eliana nodded. Nicholom: "..." Just then, his phone rang. He answered immediately, his tone icy as he asked, "What's the matter?" It was unclear what was said on the other end of the line, but Nicholom decisively refused, "I'm busy." As Eliana enjoyed her soup, she noticed someone approaching. It was Nicholom's assistant, Myler. "Sir, everything's arranged." Myler nodded politely to Eliana and delivered a brief message to Nicholom. At three o'clock in the afternoon, Nicholom and Eliana left Cloud Lake Manor. "Where are we going?" Eliana gazed out at the scenery, puzzled. "Don't you want to see your mother?" Nicholom said calmly, and Eliana turned to meet his eyes, sensing an unreadable emotion in them. Upon arriving at her mother Meiya's hospital room, Eliana held her hand, bombarding her with questions. "Mother, are you okay?" "Is there anywhere that hurts?" "Do you still recognize me?" Eliana kept asking, hoping to see a change in Meiya's expression, but there was none. Meiya had been in a coma for a long time after a stroke, and while the surgery had been successful, she still showed no signs of waking up. On the way here, Nicholom had already prepared her for this. The fact that Meiya was awake was already a miracle. She didn't hold out too much hope, already accustomed to various unexpected events in her life.