Full of misgivings, I opened Bran's "Wolf Circle" page once again. However, this time, the page was completely blank.

Suddenly, I remembered that I had a secondary account that had once added him.

So, I quickly switched accounts and entered his "social circle" with the secondary account.

As expected, the photo of his room that he had previously posted was still there. But, he had blocked me.

Suppressing the seething anger and unease within me, I scrutinized that photo with meticulous care.

Numerous peculiarities came to light.

By his side lay a limited - edition Rolex watch. Then, there was the remote - control racing car model he was idly playing with in his hand. A quick search revealed that it was a globally limited - edition custom - made item, worth a staggering tens of millions.

He was merely an adopted son I had sponsored two years ago, a 16 - year - old youngster. Where on earth did he get so much money to buy these top - tier luxury items? Moreover, ever since Cupid was young, I had taught him that as a member of the pack, one should revere strength, not material possessions. His usual attire was nothing more than a simple wolf - skin tunic, and his only accessory was a plain wolf - tooth pendant, which was worth no more than a hundred silver coins.

I called steward and the captain of the guards. "How has that kid Bran been performing lately?" I tried my best to sound nonchalant.

The steward's voice respectful and gentle. " Young Master Bran has been extremely well - behaved at home. He trains assiduously and never causes any trouble."

The captain of the guards chimed in from the side.

"Indeed. Young Master Bran leads a simple life. Every day, he either hones his skills in the training ground or studies ancient tomes in the library. He rarely even goes out for amusement."

Their words sounded as if they had rehearsed them in advance.

I pressed further.

"What about his daily expenses then? Has he purchased any special items?"

The steward hastily replied, "Young Master Bran is extremely thrifty. He never spends all of his monthly allowance and often donates the surplus to help the injured tribesmen."

Yet, the limited - edition remote - control racing car model worth tens of millions and the Rolex watch in Bran's social media posts were in stark contrast to the frugal image depicted by the steward. If Bran was truly as plain - living as they claimed, how could these luxury items be explained? Could it be that, as my wife had said, I was being overly sensitive and paranoid?

Finally, I reached the Wolf Castle.

It was midnight.

I noticed that the lights in my son Cupid's room were ablaze.

I quietly made my way to his door. Through the crack in the door, I saw him facing a pile of training equipment. His face was etched with anxiety, and his eyes were empty and dull.

I thought the training intensity arranged by the pack was simply too much, making him have to do extra training this late at night. I pushed the door open, intending to surprise him.

At the sound, he reacted as if a dangerous alarm had been triggered. He instinctively and swiftly shielded his body with his arms, curling up into a terrified ball.

"Cupid, don't be afraid. It's Dad," I quickly called out to soothe him.

Upon hearing my voice, he froze for a moment.

Then, like an arrow released from a bow, he flung himself into my arms, crying out in a sobbing voice,

"Dad! You're finally back!" He whimpered, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

I held him tightly, gently patting his back "Dad is back. Why are you still training so late?"

Just as I reached out to pick up the training record book beside him, he was quick as a flash and snatched the book away.

But in that split second, I still managed to see the name on the book -- Bran.

This training record book wasn't his.

Just then, a voice came from the doorway.

"Dad, when did you get back?" Standing at the door was my adopted son, Bran.

I looked at him and pointed to the training record book, asking, "Bran, why is your training record book in Cupid's room?"

A flicker of panic flashed across Bran's eyes.

Then he looked at Cupid and said, "My little brother saw that I was so tired from training and volunteered to help me complete the training tasks."

Cupid lowered his head, his voice barely audible. "Y - yes... I offered to help my brother. It has nothing to do with him."

His voice quivered, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

My gaze immediately shifted to Bran.

Bran wore a nonchalant expression, "You heard him. My little brother said he volunteered to complete my werewolf training record. I didn't force him. Right, little brother?"

He deliberately elongated the last word, "brother."

To my ears, there seemed to be nothing amiss.

But upon hearing this, Cupid's face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Yes, brother," Cupid replied in a feeble voice.

His humble demeanor made my heart ache unbearably, and a fierce anger flared up within me.

When on earth had he fallen to the point of having to watch an outsider's expressions?

"Bran, take your training record and complete it yourself. Don't always expect others to do your work for you," .

Bran dared not refute.

He picked up the training record book and scurried back to his room.

As I drew closer to my son, I was shocked to notice his heavy dark circles, as if he hadn't had a proper rest in ages.

Most importantly, his complexion was extremely poor, sallow and emaciated. Compared to how he looked before I went on the expedition, he seemed like a completely different person.

Cupid clung tightly to my hand. With a sobbing voice, he asked, "Dad, are you not going to leave again this time you're back?"

"Dad won't leave. I'll stay right here with Cupid,"

Over the years, I had been completely absorbed in the affairs of the pack. Now, looking at the state my son was in, I was jolted into realizing how utterly wrong I was.

At his age, the care and nurturing of his soul were equally crucial.

When I asked about the whereabouts of his mother, a sudden flash of panic crossed my son's eyes.

"Mom said the pack affairs are thorny and she won't be back until very late tonight," he replied.

What on earth could be so urgent in the pack that she had to deal with it herself at such a late hour?

I told Cupid to go to bed early, but he clung tightly to the corner of my clothes. I decided to take him to my study, where there was a soft carpet and thick blankets.

I took down an ancient werewolf legend from the bookshelf, sat on the carpet, and began to tell him the story in a soft voice.

In the story, how the heroic werewolf defeated the evil forces and protected his pack.

As I was telling the story, I inadvertently caught sight of my son's leg. In the dim light, there seemed to be a fresh scar there.

"Cupid, how did you get that wound on your leg?"

At these words, he looked towards the study door in horror, as if he was afraid of being spied on by something.

Then, after stammering for a long time, he managed to squeeze out a sentence, "Dad, please don't ask. I got it by accident myself." His voice was extremely low.

Seeing that he didn't want to answer, I didn't press him further.

Now, looking at his furrowed brows and timid eyes, my heart, which had endured countless battles on the battlefield, was deeply pierced.

I called my wife and ask her to come back and be with our son too.

But as soon as I opened my mouth, she said impatiently, "The pack is currently preparing for an important sacrificial ceremony. I'm swamped with work. You stay with him first."

She had never once mentioned to me about such a significant matter as preparing the sacrificial ceremony.

When it came to making decisions regarding pack affairs, she had always been like this. She preferred to make decisions on her own first and then inform me, leaving me always the last to know.

Although I had long been accustomed to this, at this moment, I couldn't help but feel a bit helpless and disappointed.

At a time when our son so desperately needed the company of his family, she was still completely absorbed in pack affairs.

Two years ago, Luna suddenly brought back a young boy.

With a look of deep compassion on her face, she told me that seeing the boy's lonely and forlorn state reminded her of our son Cupid, and she just couldn't bear it.

She also said that she was worried Cupid might be lonely in the Wolf Castle and wanted to find him a companion, so she decided to sponsor this child named Bran.

At first, I was against it in my heart.

I thought it was fine to offer financial support, but there was no need to bring him back to the Wolf Castle.

However, Luna started a cold war with me over this matter.

For the sake of peace in the Wolf Castle and the harmony of our family, I finally gave in.

The moment Bran stepped into the Wolf Castle and saw Cupid's exclusive training ground, which was well - equipped and spacious with bright lights, he actually directly asked Cupid to give this training ground to him for use.

As for the special spiritual meat that Cupid usually liked to eat, Bran took it and ate it without even asking, without the slightest demeanor of someone living under another's roof.

I had complained to Luna Mary about these matters numerous times, but she would always say, "He's just a child. How could he have any bad intentions? He's just straightforward by nature."

Originally, I had high hopes that with another child in the family, Cupid would become more lively and cheerful.

However, things turned out contrary to my expectations.

Instead of becoming happy, Cupid, at such a young age, had already been burdened with an inappropriate melancholy.

But suddenly, a loud shout from downstairs instantly shattered the tranquility, and Cupid, who was in his sleep, was startled awake.

I rushed out immediately to check.

There was Bran, sitting cross - legged on the sofa, fully engrossed in playing a Wolf card game called "Wolf King Domination" with a few of his cronies.

He slammed a card down hard with one hand and kept cursing, "What a lousy card! I'm having the worst luck today!"

He didn't notice at all that the noise he was making had disturbed the entire Wolf Castle.

The rowdy laughter and shouts of the card - playing friends around him made the otherwise quiet night extremely noisy.

In an instant, a searing rage consumed me.

I strode rapidly down the stairs and stood in front of Bran, glaring at him furiously.

"Bran! You've woken up everyone in the entire Wolf Castle. "

Bran was startled by my sudden appearance.

The card he was about to slam down halted mid - air.

"Come on, Dad. We're having a great time. A little noise is normal. It's not that exaggerated,"

He showed no sign of stopping and even turned his head, ready to continue the game with his card - playing friends.

I reached out and swept all the cards in front of him onto the floor.

The cards scattered everywhere.

Seeing this, Bran shot up from his seat, his eyes wide open, glaring at me with a face full of anger.