Liliana gave a faint smile, returning Cassian’s gaze.
"Big brother, you’re not afraid of me, are you?"
A mocking smile played on Cassian’s lips.
"You can’t even summon your werewolf right now. Don’t get your hopes up, you silly kid!"
Cassian stepped into the car with no intention of continuing the conversation.
On the drive, Liliana quickly closed her eyes. Mega didn’t bother her, and neither did Cassian.
Liliana woke up when the sun was already high in the sky. She blinked several times, then looked down at her clothes, which were different from what she’d been wearing the night before. She hurried out and saw Olive and Cassian talking with serious expressions in the living room.
"Mom..." Liliana greeted her.
Olive paused her conversation with Cassian, then softened her expression.
"Come here," Olive instructed.
"What were you two talking about?" Liliana asked as she sat down next to Olive.
"There’s a problem with your father in the human world."
"A problem?" Liliana asked, looking uneasy.
"You don’t need to worry; Mom has already sent a beta to help him."
"Mom, is this because Dad wants to hide my werewolf identity?"
"Didn’t I tell you not to worry? Your father isn’t just any Alpha. With his abilities, he can roam freely in the human world."
Liliana stared at Olive’s face, trying to spot a lie, before nodding. "I trust you both."
Olive nodded with satisfaction. "Are you thirsty? Would you like some tea?"
Liliana shook her head. "Mom, who took me to my room last night?" Liliana asked.
Olive looked at Liliana, then at Cassian.
Cassian glared at Liliana. "Do you think anyone else would’ve taken you back to your room besides me?" Cassian asked, annoyed.
"Then what about my clothes?" Liliana asked, looking annoyed.
"Do you think your older brother is some kind of pervert? That I’d go so far as to change your clothes?" Cassian asked upon hearing Liliana’s question. "Do you think I have all that time on my hands to deal with your filthy clothes?" he asked again.
"Who knows?" replied Liliana.
"Mom will change them," said Olive, sipping the tea in her hand. "Your brother isn’t that kind of person; you don’t need to worry."
Liliana smiled and then hugged Olive’s arm. "Mom, I trust you."
Cassian’s face darkened upon hearing Liliana’s response. "You didn’t believe me when I explained everything in detail, but you believe those three words my mom said?" Cassian asked.
"Mom is an angel—unlike you," Liliana said.
"Pfft," Cassian scoffed.
"You’re hungry, aren’t you?" Olive asked, looking at Liliana.
Liliana gave a slight nod in response. "Your brother’s been waiting for you to wake up for a while now. He even deliberately put off his breakfast so he could eat with you."
Liliana looked up at Cassian.
"Who said I put off eating for this stupid kid?" Cassian said, refusing to admit it.
But before he could say anything else, Liliana quickly stood up and approached him.
"Cassian, thank you for waiting for me. Let’s eat together," Liliana invited.
Cassian frowned at her. "Who said I was waiting for you? But since I’m hungry too, hurry up," Cassian replied.
Olive watched the two of them with a faint smile as they left the living room.
"Brother, eat this," Liliana said as she picked up a piece of ground meat and placed it on Cassian’s plate.
"Did you change your expression that quickly?" Cassian asked.
Liliana blinked as she looked at Cassian. "This is what my face looks like. This is my true personality," Liliana replied.
"Your true personality?" Cassian scoffed. "Then what about the personality you had at the academy back then?" he asked.
"That was a facade," Liliana replied casually. "Back then, I had to fight on my own against those who bullied me."
Liliana gave a faint smile. "It was just to make my little sister remember me. But now I don’t need to do that anymore. I have a family now, and besides, she’s actually happier that I’m not around."
Cassian didn’t respond right away; he was silent for a moment. "Valerie—your younger sister?" Cassian asked in a low voice.
"Do you care about my business?" Liliana asked.
She popped a piece of meat into her mouth. "I should, since she’s my sister," Liliana added, "but not anymore. We’ve cut ties."
"What about Alaric and Adrian?" Cassian asked.
Liliana looked up into Cassian’s dark eyes, which were now waiting for her answer. "We’ve cut ties with them, too. They chose my sister as their Luna and cast me aside."
Cassian stroked Liliana’s black hair. "I knew this would happen. Don’t be sad—you’ll definitely find someone better than him."
"Are you trying to cheer me up?" Liliana asked. "What about you? Which one is your true self? This one, or..."
"You’re asking me?"
Liliana nodded in response.
"What if the one at the academy is the real you?"
"That’s fine too. Even though I used to think your attitude was terrible, at least there must have been a reason for it."
The corners of Cassian’s mouth twitched slightly, but he said nothing and went back to enjoying the meat on his plate.
As night fell, Liliana resumed her training with Mega. She had to find the flags Cassian had hidden in several dangerous locations. The results were satisfying; she had found four out of the five flags by the time morning broke.
The third day also went smoothly; Liliana managed to rescue a piglet from the alligators along the riverbank without sustaining a single scratch.
On the fourth day, Liliana walked slowly across the nearly dry river. There was only a little water left there.
Tonight, her mission was to find a magic stone—one that the wolf tribe often used to light up the garden at night. Although it sounded easy to find, in reality, the stone was rare and hard to come by.
Liliana froze the moment she saw the pack of tigers that had been staring at her all along.
"Oh my..." Liliana said, her breath slightly labored.
With a swift movement, Liliana turned and ran as fast as she could away from the area.
The three tigers, seeing their prey flee, immediately roared.
Roarrrrr! The sound was so loud that the crows perched on the tree branches immediately took flight.
"They’re too strong," Liliana said in despair. "I can’t run anymore."
Liliana shook her head; she didn’t dare look back. But her exhausted body finally gave out...
Brughh!
Liliana’s knee slammed into the river rocks that jutted out from the bank. Fresh blood oozed from her knee.
She quickly turned around. The tigers were standing right behind her, staring at her hungrily with drool dripping from their mouths.
Errrr... they growled.