Anhe's opinion was put aside for later. Amidst anticipation, the full moon banquet for the two children finally arrived.
The White Wolf clan had invited many rising stars from the business and political worlds, including Hei Yuanzhou and his female lead, Xu Yi.
Before transmigrating, Xu Yi was a veterinarian, spending her days dealing with all sorts of animals. She had recently opened a private hospital in the empire.
Her medical skills were excellent, especially for young beastmen cubs who had not yet learned to control their forms.
Cubs, unable to speak, were like infants to ordinary humans. One could only guess and rely on past experience to discern their needs.
Xu Yi, however, could judge their needs by observing their behavior and expressions. Xingyuan had even heard that she intended to open a daycare.
After all, the female lead possessed some fortune. With this in mind, Xingyuan began to consider sending the two little ones to her.
After everyone had entered and were skillfully engaging with acquaintances, strengthening relationships, and even seizing the opportunity to expand their networks at the banquet, the two cubs, while the focus, were not the absolute center of attention.
Li Yue had already brought the two children out to meet everyone, but her Alpha was nowhere to be seen, perhaps occupied with something.
Li Yue felt a pang of anxiety, yet she maintained a gentle smile, politely greeting everyone.
Few had seen her before, and this occasion was a testament to her importance. Li Yue valued it greatly.
After parading the two children around, Li Yue prepared to take them back. Just as she was about to leave, Bai Mu approached.
Bai Mu bent down and gently pinched the little ones' cheeks, eliciting giggles from them.
Bai Mu also smiled, her already soft face seeming even more tender. She said softly, "Little Yue! Leave these two children to me. You go and mingle with your friends!"
Li Yue paused, her expression showing a hint of confusion. She bit her lip nervously, "I can take care of them!"
"No need. It's a good chance for me to see how well-behaved these children are. Don't worry, I'll bring them back soon." Bai Mu's voice was gentle yet firm, and Li Yue found it difficult to refuse. She could only nod lightly.
The lights in the banquet hall suddenly extinguished.
Following this, eighty-one attendants, dressed in white with black ties, walked to the center of the hall.
Each of these eighty-one individuals held a candle as white as jade, upon which faint carvings of white wolves could be seen.
Hei Yuanzhou glanced thoughtfully at Xu Yi beside him. The Bai clan was certainly making a grand gesture. Should he also offer Xu Yi the highest ceremony of their clan's bond?
Before anyone could react, sixteen white wolves also entered with elegant strides.
Each step was identical, as if perfectly synchronized to a specific rhythm.
Li Yue was nudged by someone. By the time she regained her senses, she was standing in the center.
She had a vague premonition, and her heart pounded wildly, as if trying to escape her chest.
Before she could react, a white wolf with snow-white fur, wearing a silver crown on its head, walked towards Li Yue from among the attendants.
With every step it took, Li Yue's heartbeat quickened.
She nervously clutched her chest and looked at the white wolf, so familiar to her, standing opposite. She opened her mouth, but no words came out, yet it felt as if everything had been said.
The white wolf reached Li Yue and gazed at her with sparkling silver eyes, as if seeking praise.
But this feeling lasted only for a moment.
The white wolf lowered its head, assuming a posture of submission.
Prompted by someone beside her, Li Yue reached out to take the silver crown.
As she lifted the crown, the white wolf transformed into an exquisite woman. She had silver hair, wore silver attire, and silver earrings, matching the white wolf's appearance almost exactly.
She smiled and took the crown from Li Yue's hand, gently placing it on her Queen's head.
Placing one hand over her chest, her gaze was firm and fervent. She vowed:
"My Queen, I shall share all glory with you!"
Li Yue's eyes softened, and for the first time, her gaze held undisguised love.
The skylarks transformed into their beast forms, circling in the air above the hall, eventually forming a heart shape.
Prompted by her clan, Li Yue understood what she needed to do.
She gently placed her hand on Xingyuan's. Xingyuan stood up, and an ancient and mysterious totem appeared beneath their feet.
It was a giant white wolf. At that moment, the white wolf's eyes opened, and then closed.
A white wolf totem appeared on both of their wrists.
"Congratulations to the Bai family head on officially succeeding as the White Wolf King."
"Congratulations to the two lovers on their successful bond. May you have a hundred years of happiness."
...
The surrounding guests finally snapped out of the mystical spectacle. Upon realizing the significance of the totem, they immediately offered their congratulations.
In their eyes, there was no one else but each other.
Xingyuan's gaze was filled with tenderness, while Li Yue's gentle eyes held a hint of pleasant surprise.
This was the ritual performed by the first White Wolf King when he married his Queen. Only the White Wolf King was qualified to perform it.
However, the materials required for this ritual were immense, and it could only be performed under the witness of a sufficient number of influential individuals to receive ancestral blessings.
Due to its extreme difficulty, even the famously devoted White Wolves found it hard to accomplish. Xingyuan was the only one in thousands of years to succeed.
It was said that lovers blessed by their ancestors would be bound together for eternity, never to be separated.
But these were merely rumors, and their truthfulness had long since become impossible to ascertain.
Nevertheless, Li Yue was overjoyed, cherishing the crown and occasionally kissing it.
This caused the usually cheerful Xingyuan to become jealous of the crown.
What was so good about a cold crown? His wife should be hugging him!
Xingyuan roared inwardly.
Li Yue suddenly looked at Xingyuan with confusion. She had just felt a strong emotion, making her want to hug Xingyuan.
She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to follow her heart.
Being hugged, Xingyuan said, "Oh! What's there to hug? We already have children."
But in his heart, he was ecstatic, shouting, "Wife, please hug me for a little longer, don't let go!"
Li Yue did indeed hug Xingyuan for quite some time.
At first, it was due to that inexplicable emotion, and later, it was the overwhelming emotion of gratitude for the day's events that surged through Li Yue.
After a long while, Li Yue finally released him and asked softly, "Your Highness, have you been busy with this matter all this time?"
Xingyuan cleared his throat and nodded with regal dignity, correcting her, "Madam, please don't call me Your Highness. It sounds too distant. From now on, you can call me A Yuan, or Madam, or Wife. I don't mind."