CHAPTER 151: THE RAYNORS AND THEIR BLOODLINE

The Raynor Clan wasn’t famous for brute strength or battlefield dominance like the Lychos or Fenroth Clans. Instead, they were widely regarded for their shrewdness in business and diplomacy. In supernatural circles, they were often referred to as the wealthiest clan in existence, not just among werewolves, but across all known supernatural communities.

Their influence was far-reaching, yet the true source of their quiet power lay in their blood... specifically, the Elizabeth bloodline. Only the bearer of this awakened lineage could become the clan’s head. This tradition wasn’t a matter of pride, but a protective measure. Those born with the Elizabeth bloodline carried unique, multifaceted powers, and only they possessed the fortitude and clarity to shoulder the responsibility of leading the Raynor legacy.

The Elizabeth bloodline was unlike any other. The Elizabeth bloodline was quite unique among all the famous bloodlines. It possessed many smaller attributes that could appear randomly among the descendants of Elizabeth Raynor. As werewolves, they naturally inherited supernatural strength, speed, endurance, regeneration, heightened senses, accelerated healing, and enhanced reflexes. But as Raynors, they also inherited their ancestral combat techniques. Even without training, this battle instinct was embedded in them, allowing them to fight instinctively. However, over time, the Raynor Clan developed a teaching method that enabled its members to use this advantage to its fullest potential.

Additionally, one distinct advantage all descendants shared was a natural resistance to silver and wolfsbane... substances typically fatal to werewolves. Where others faltered, they endured. Because of these unique physical attributes, Raynor Clan was nominated as official ambassadors of the werewolves, tasked with representing their kind in interspecies summits and human-werewolf negotiations.

But their talents didn’t end with diplomacy or supernatural resilience.

Raynors often displayed extraordinary abilities across various intellectual domains. Some had an innate sense of economics, predicting market trends with uncanny precision. Others were prodigies in strategic planning, legal arbitration, or crisis management. A few could read deception like a book, detecting lies through micro-expressions and tonal shifts. Many were gifted with near-eidetic memories... retaining names, numbers, histories, and facts with impossible clarity. While eidetic memory was rare, every Raynor was known for having above-average cognitive recall.

Their powers were subtle, not flashy. But in the long game of influence, subtlety won wars.

Because of these gifts, the Raynors became the wealthiest supernatural clan over centuries. Their business empire expanded into nearly every human sector: finance, real estate, global trade, media, technology, academia, and even the entertainment industry. While most of their contributions were hidden behind aliases and front organizations, the truth was staggering. Raynors had earned Nobel Prizes, Fields Medals, Academy Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, Grammy and Emmy awards... all under the guise of human identities.

Despite their reach, few knew the full extent of what an awakened Elizabeth bloodline could do. Only those who had awakened... like Oswyn, Fiona, and now Eleanor, understood the terrifying depth of that power. Common knowledge said that an Elizabeth wielded all Raynor abilities at once, but that was an understatement.

In truth, when a true Elizabeth fought, the battlefield became a graveyard.

Oswyn, the former head of the clan, had annihilated legions of enemies during medieval and early modern conflicts. Fiona left behind rivers of blood during the First and Second World Wars. Even Eleanor, relatively new and far less seasoned, was already feared for her cold precision and the complete lack of hesitation when eliminating threats. Her name had already spread in supernatural circles, carrying with it the weight of dread and ruthless efficiency.

Yet, despite this fearsome legacy, the majority of Raynors were calm, measured, and surprisingly approachable. Patience was their hallmark. Even those bearing the Elizabeth bloodline rarely lost control. The clan had spread across the world over centuries, especially after the second world war, when the world getting to be in order while forming stable countries.

Ethan Raynor was the perfect embodiment of the Raynor ideal.

Cool-headed, analytical, protective, and deeply disciplined, Ethan had always stood out even among his gifted relatives. From childhood, he demonstrated exceptional emotional restraint. Unlike most young werewolves who struggled with impulsivity, Ethan suppressed his urges with maturity far beyond his years. He was a silent observer, a man who preferred to watch and understand before acting.

His academic records were flawless. Like every Raynor child, he excelled in all areas of study, but what set him apart was his profound intolerance for falsehood. Lies disgusted him, and as a result, he never kept a large circle of friends... especially among humans. But that never bothered him. Wherever he went, be it school, college, or university, Ethan maintained a small, loyal group, choosing sincerity over popularity.

Then Eleanor came into his life!

The first time Ethan saw her at university, he felt a soul-deep pull towards her. For werewolves, such recognition was immediate. They could sense their fated partner. And Ethan, who had always been reserved to other females, knew right away. Eleanor was his fated female.

Relationships between werewolves and humans weren’t uncommon. But nature made such unions difficult. While werewolves could father or mother children with humans due to their dual-natured biology, most of these children were hybrids. Unfortunately, human mothers often couldn’t survive the pregnancy. The supernatural fetus either overwhelmed the mother’s body, or had to be born as fully human... which was a rare and statistically negligible outcome.

Only female werewolves could safely give birth to hybrids, but even then, the child would usually lack strength and have a human-like lifespan. For this reason, most werewolves turned their human partners after bonding, ensuring compatibility and the possibility of children before mating.

Ethan knew all this, and he chose to approach her slowly.

He orchestrated a casual encounter, then joined her university group. That’s when he discovered she had a boyfriend. Ethan was heartbroken. But instead of walking away or force her, he chose patience. Werewolves, after all, can play the long game. Humans lived barely a century; he had time. Once turned, even in old age, they could gain a rejuvenated body as a werewolf. His strategy was to become someone irreplaceable as her closest friend, her silent guardian.

He knew her boyfriend was a pathological liar, a manipulator. But he never said a word. He feared that confronting her might drive her away. Instead, he focused on building trust. If love was to bloom, it would grow from the foundation of unwavering friendship. He would be the one who never betrayed her, who stayed by her side through it all.

After graduation, Eleanor joined her family’s company, while Ethan, following his grandmother’s guidance, went to South Korea to train in business. There, he worked in their family’s company in a managerial role to gain hands-on experience. From time to time, he spoke with Eleanor over the phone... as a friend... to maintain their connection. He was well aware that her relationship with her boyfriend was still going strong, and they were reportedly planning to get engaged soon. Eleanor seemed happy with her boyfriend... at least, that’s what she told him.

On that fateful day, Ethan had just returned from South Korea. Due to the wrap-up of his training and the handover of his position to another employee, he hadn’t called Eleanor for several days. He hadn’t even had the time to catch up on news from the kingdom. Since Eleanor’s incident wasn’t headline business news, no one around him mentioned it... even if they knew.

After landing at the airport, he borrowed a car from an estate employee who happened to be in the area on an errand. Driving home by himself, he met with that accident... and hurt her.

Now, whenever he thought back to that day, it felt as though everything had been arranged by the universe. It was all meant to happen... to bring Eleanor back to him. What he hadn’t expected, however, was to gain a daughter in the process. And that, without the mating ritual.

Mating was a biological imperative among werewolves. But Ethan had never surrendered to that primal urge. Perhaps he was the only adult male werewolf still a virgin at his age. It wasn’t due to any incapacity... rather, he had honed control over both body and mind. Still, there were moments around Eleanor when restraint became almost unbearable. Her smile, the casual cadence of her voice, the way she carried herself with effortless grace... each lit a fire deep within him. Her cherry-red lips, her voluptuous figure, the gentle curves of her body... even her scent... called to him with relentless temptation. There were moments when, mentally, he almost pounced. Many nights, he returned home only to plunge into a cold shower, trying to extinguish the heat she stirred within him.

But he knew... it was not the time.

After the harrowing event, Eleanor had become sensitive to physical touch. Even casual contact seemed to unsettle her. Though she bore herself with strength and ruthlessness, he understood that beneath the surface, she still carried the weight of psychological torment.

As he stood lost in thought, a small voice interrupted his reverie.

"Daddy, why are you just standing there? I lost this game because of you."