The Wolf Lord is Enduring (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
While Raphelian was conversing with El in the bathroom, another carriage halted before the grand mansion.
From the impeccably clean vehicle, untouched by even a speck of dust, stepped a woman radiating grace and dignity.
With her lustrous silver hair elegantly coiled, she resembled a noble wolf upon a snowfield.
Though she referred to herself merely as the acting head of House Mosteros, everyone in the ducal household acknowledged her as the true and rightful head of House Mosteros.
“Welcome, Lady.”
“It’s been a while, Irina.”
“Sister!”
Briel, who looked so much like Raphelian they might have been twins, ran toward her. Her straight, soft silver hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and her sea-blue eyes curved smoothly with warmth.
Beside her, a pure white wolf ran along.
“Briel, Riello. Come here.”
Michaela’s eyes—cold and identical to Raphelian’s—softened tenderly as they turned toward her own kin.
Riello, still unable to transform into human form at will, leapt up toward her with a bound.
Michaela effortlessly caught Riello and tucked him snugly against her left side.
Then, she gently stroked the hair of Briel, who had pressed herself tightly against Michaela’s waist.
“Briel, you’ve grown nearly as tall as I am now. Have you been well…? Hm? Have we taken on a new servant? I sense the presence of an unfamiliar human.”
“Elder brother brought home a human child named El.”
“What are you talking about?”
Michaela gracefully turned her gaze toward the housekeeper.
Why did her subtle nod seem so terrifying?
Irina felt cold sweat trickle down her back as she repeated Briel’s exact words.
“Yes, indeed. The young master brought home a human child. Though thin and frail, he was quite a handsome boy.”
Irina affirmed this, recalling the childhood appearances of Raphelian and the twins.
Michaela, who had been puzzled by the unfamiliar aura emanating from the house, instantly grew serious the moment Irina finished speaking.
‘Raphel brought home a human child?’
The previously rigid Michaela repeated the question to Irina, seeking confirmation.
“You truly mean Raphel brought him?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“How did this happen? What’s the reason?”
“There was a minor incident. Young Master Riello…”
Irina carefully explained the situation to her thus far.
Riello wriggled his body this way and that, trying to slip out of Michaela’s arms, but a young wolf shifter could not overcome the strength of an adult shifter.
“Raphel must be quite angry.”
“Yes. I can feel Elder Brother’s angry pheromones radiating strongly from Riello. He’s probably going to scold him severely.”
Sharp pheromones, carrying a clear warning, clung thickly to Riello.
Convinced he deserved it, Michaela held Riello even tighter as he tried to squirm away.
“Keeeng.”
Riello finally slumped in defeat, having failed to escape.
Michaela, pondering how best to discipline her troublemaking younger sibling, gave Irina a look urging her to continue her report.
After a brief pause, Irina quickly resumed.
“And so, the young master gently carried the child upstairs.”
“What did you just say?”
“The child was carried upstairs…”
“No, no. Before that.”
“Gently carried the child… Hup!”
Irina, who had absentmindedly repeated her earlier words, suddenly held her breath and clamped her mouth shut.
She felt as though she’d said something she absolutely shouldn’t have.
“That gave me chills just now.”
Raphelian possessed an exceptionally strong instinct to protect his pack, rarely showing interest in anyone outside his family, and reserved his warmth exclusively for them, maintaining strict boundaries with outsiders.
For someone of Raphelian’s disposition—even if the child were his savior, or precisely because he was—to carry him upstairs so tenderly was astonishing.
Though very occasionally he had brought in promising individuals to train, following his predecessor’s wishes, such behavior was not just rare—it was virtually unheard of.
Michaela’s curiosity about this unknown human deepened considerably.
“Was the child badly injured?”
“He had an abrasion on his cheek; we haven’t checked elsewhere yet.”
“Of all places, his face. We mustn’t let it scar.”
“I’ve already summoned the personal physician, Melson. I’ll make sure he takes good care to prevent scarring.”
“I should go up and see for myself. I must look in person. Briel, hold onto your twin brother tightly.”
Michaela placed Riello into Briel’s arms and began removing her coat and gloves to hand them to Irina.
Just then, Raphelian emerged calmly from the bathroom, unaware of the effect he’d had on El, and descended the stairs.
“Sister.”
As he stepped onto the central staircase, he spotted Michaela.
“Oh, Raphel.”
“You’ve arrived. I apologize for not greeting you properly.”
Raphelian swiftly descended the stairs and stood before Michaela.
His expression, which had softened somewhat while with El yet still retained an adult demeanor, changed completely upon facing his elder sister.
His previously gentle face instantly became solemn and dignified.
Yet, somehow, he seemed even more childlike because of it.
“I’ve heard the news. You’ve brought home a precious guest.”
Click, click.
Having handed her outer garments to the housekeeper, Michaela took a few steps closer to him.
She smiled faintly, her eyes crinkling prettily.
“It turned out that way. While you were away, I ought to have managed the household better…”
Michaela abruptly pulled Raphelian—who was dependable yet so upright he bordered on stiff—into a tight embrace.
Raphelian offered no resistance and let himself be drawn into her arms.
Michaela gently stroked the broad back of her younger brother, who had grown even more in her absence.
“Have you been well? Have you grown taller? You seem to have lost some weight.”
Patting his back softly, Michaela stepped back and studied his face intently.
Then, she gently touched Raphelian’s cheek, where even the last trace of baby fat had completely vanished.
“I suppose you’ve lost weight as you grew. This should be your final growth spurt.”
“Your coming-of-age ceremony isn’t far off. You’re already 120 years old—how can time pass so quickly?”
“Indeed.”
Michaela smiled with a hint of wistfulness.
High noble shifter families lived well beyond 500 years.
Even among non-noble shifters, the average lifespan was around 300 years.
Though this might seem an unfathomable span to humans, to Michaela, the time spent together felt heartbreakingly swift.
She fell into quiet reflection, marveling at how her tiny children had grown so much.
In the Aserion Empire, the ratio of shifters to humans was seven to three, making shifters far more numerous. However, among high noble shifter families—especially those of the predator clans—their numbers were few, and heirs were so precious that familial bonds naturally grew exceptionally strong.
House Mosteros, in particular, was known for its close-knit blood relations.
Though House Mosteros had a more secure line of succession compared to other houses, this characteristic remained unchanged.
Especially in this generation—after the previous head’s passing and Michaela’s return to the family following her widowhood to lead the household—their bonds had grown even stronger.
“Well, you’ve lost a bit of weight, but you look healthy enough.”
“Yes, I’m perfectly well, with no ailments.”
“Then let’s end the greetings here. You brought the human who saved Riello, correct?”
Michaela asked as she headed toward the central staircase.
At the same time, she subtly observed Raphelian’s demeanor.
That this child had drawn such tender behavior from him was deeply concerning.
“Yes. We need to bathe him properly to assess his injuries, but he seems frightened of me. I was about to send someone else up.”
Raphelian walked beside her, speaking calmly about El.
“You were about to bathe him yourself?”
At his reply, Michaela’s interest in this stranger intensified even further.
She felt an urge to rush up the stairs immediately.
“He seems too startled to realize what’s happening, but when it comes to bathing, he might thrash about and make it difficult. I thought I’d be better than a complete stranger, so I offered to help—but it seems I made the wrong choice.”
“The one who saved my household’s child—how could I leave that to the servants? I’ll go myself. I’ll manage better than you, clumsy giant that you are.”
Though Michaela stood tall at 178 cm, she was still shorter and slighter than Raphelian, so her words weren’t entirely unfounded.
Raphelian, finding her reasoning sound, opened his mouth as if to speak, then paused and slowly replied.
“Still, he’s a fairly grown boy, around 150 cm tall. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate for you to go in, Sister.”
Raphelian spread his palm and held his hand level with his chest.
Briel, following behind while carrying Riello, saw Raphelian’s hand position and asked,
“How old could he be?”
“He’s a human child… probably twelve or thirteen. At that age, he’d certainly be uncomfortable being bathed by me. Still, I’m curious—let’s just go in to say hello and leave.”
Having answered Briel, Michaela stepped onto the staircase leading to Raphelian’s room.
“Then I’ll do just that.”
“Raphel, what do you intend to do about the child?”
“I owe him my life. He deserves a suitable reward in return.”
“There was a similar incident before, so perhaps settling on something along those lines would suffice.”
Michaela looked at her younger brother, recalling the time long ago when Raphelian had accompanied their father on a hunt and gotten lost.
But he remained silent, lost in thought, offering no reply.
“Raphel?”
Michaela stopped climbing the stairs and called his name with a serious expression.
Raphelian, who had been deep in thought about El, snapped out of his reverie at her call.
“Oh—forgive me, Sister. Every situation is different; the child deserves a reward suited to his circumstances. Nothing’s confirmed yet, but I do have something in mind.”
“Is that so?”
While she paused, Raphelian—who had already reached the top of the stairs—extended his hand to escort her.
“I’ll let you know once my thoughts are clearer.”
“You always come up with good answers. I’ll look forward to it.”
Michaela smiled brightly, took her brother’s hand, and finished climbing the remaining steps.
Having led all the men of the household to Raphelian’s bedroom, Michaela dismissed them.
“You wait in the drawing room.”
“Yes, we’ll wait in the drawing room.”
After sending the men away, Michaela entered Raphelian’s bedroom with only Irina and knocked on the bathroom door.
“C-come in.”
At the tiny, trembling voice, Michaela gave a small chuckle and opened the door.
The moment she saw the child inside, an involuntary laugh escaped her.
‘A boy, they said… not quite.’
Michaela rubbed the corner of her mouth to suppress her smile, then froze.
The words inscribed in the family heirloom—passed down through generations since the founding ancestor—flashed through her mind.
‘Black hair, ruby-red eyes. A pure aura that refreshes all around.’
Unconsciously, Michaela clenched her fists tightly.
She desperately fought the urge to dash straight to the study.
Gritting her teeth, she suppressed both the tingling sensation in her chest and the persistent urge to smile.
“Hello there, little one. My name is Michaela.”
Michaela waved gently as she stepped inside.
The moment she took a few steps into the bathroom, Raphelian’s pheromones hit her nose sharply—so potent, she might have mistaken him for a shifter rather than a human, if she allowed a little exaggeration.
‘However indebted he may be, is this really necessary?’
El, being human, neither sensed nor smelled the pheromones, so he remained unaware of his current state. But to Michaela, the child was thoroughly coated in the kind of pheromones shifters used to protect their young.
It was the same type Raphelian had applied to Briel and Riello while Michaela was away from the house.
‘Raphel, who never brings outsiders into his circle, is showing this much concern… Regardless of anything else, this child must not be let go.’
Michaela gathered her thoughts, curled her lips into a bright, cheerful smile, and stepped closer to El.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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Our poor El! I can’t believe this injustice! I thought this family would surely have someone follow her. Also why is she being referred to he. Did the others also believe she was a boy? The gas to have known she was a girl!
Our poor El! I can’t believe this injustice! I thought this family would surely have someone follow her. Also why is she being referred to he. Did the others also believe she was a boy? The gas to have known she was a girl!
For a child to be used to such abuse that it’s programmed into their instincts is upsetting. How did el raise herself to be so good-natured? And why was Ralph’s only idea to adopt her? You think she would be okay with that? Good luck though!!