Liliana stared at the three tigers in front of her, her body trembling. "Please, let me go," she said as she tried to back away.
The tigers in front of her paid no heed to Liliana’s plea. One of them, with black-and-white stripes, stepped forward, aiming its claws at Liliana’s shoulder.
"Akhhhh!" Liliana screamed.
But before the claws could touch her, a black wolf stepped forward to block the way.
The three tigers immediately backed away with low growls.
"Liliana! Get out of here fast!" Cassian said in wolf language.
"I’ll hold them off for you."
Liliana’s eyes widened the moment she heard Cassian’s voice.
"Brother!"
"Hurry up and go!" he ordered again.
Liliana shook her head. "Big brother, do you want me to leave you? These tigers..."
"Hurry!!! Call Auntie over here—there’s no time left. I’m not strong enough yet to face them all at once."
Liliana wiped the tears from her face and nodded. "Big brother, wait for me," she said softly.
Liliana dragged her injured leg and walked away from Cassian. She didn’t care about the pain in her knee; she had only one thought: she had to hurry and bring Mrs. Mega here.
Cassian watched Liliana leave, then growled softly. He leaped high into the air and swiftly attacked the tiger beside him.
Although he was still far from being strong enough to face the three tigers in front of him, Cassian was the next Alpha-in-waiting—a candidate who had been painstakingly trained by the pack leaders.
Cwakkk! Cassian’s sharp wolf claws slashed at the skin of one of the tigers.
Seeing one of their companions under attack, the other tigers began to attack him together.
Buagh!
Cassian was pounced on by the two white-striped tigers.
"Mrs. Mega!" Liliana called out as soon as she reached the car where they had stopped earlier.
Mega frowned at the sight of Liliana.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Ms. Mega, Cassian... he’s in danger" Liliana stammered, still breathing heavily.
"What happened?" Mega asked again. "Where’s Cassian?"
"He stepped in front of the tiger that was about to attack me. Ms. Mega, please help him!"
Mega’s expression changed instantly. "Wait in the car—don’t go anywhere," Mega ordered. In the blink of an eye, she transformed her body into that of a yellow wolf. She looked up at the moon above her and let out a low howl.
At high speed, she immediately darted off in the direction Liliana had just pointed to. She was so fast that Liliana didn’t even have a chance to speak.
Liliana furrowed her brow and pressed her hand gently to her chest.
Then she took a step and started running back toward where she had been standing. Her gut feeling this time was truly terrible—so much so that it made her want to do something crazy.
"Big brother, wait for me," said Liliana.
Her black hair fluttered with each step she took; her injured knee seemed to have lost all sensation. All that remained was the panic in Liliana’s heart.
"Cassian, you’re my big brother. I won’t let you die like this," said Liliana resolutely, her eyes burning with intensity.
Fifteen minutes later, Liliana arrived back at the spot she had left earlier.
Mega and Cassian were each fighting a tiger, while the other one lay dead on the ground.
Cassian’s body was already covered in claw scratches, while the tiger he was now facing wasn’t even slightly injured.
Shuakk! The claws of one of the tigers that had been fighting Mega suddenly struck at Cassian.
Cassian growled, but before he could retaliate, the tiger he’d been fighting swiftly drove its sharp claws toward him.
Liliana’s eyes widened as she watched the entire scene unfold; she ran toward Cassian, who had already collapsed to the ground.
"Brother!!!!" Liliana cried out in despair. Her fingers trembled as she touched Cassian, ignoring the two tigers that were still watching her.
"Brother!!" Liliana called out.
Cassian’s body trembled, and he shifted back into human form as quickly as he could.
The wounds that had appeared on his wolf’s body were far less severe than the ones he had now.
A long gash stretched from his heart down to his stomach.
Liliana’s tears fell, wetting Cassian’s face.
"Brother..."
Cassian frowned; he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Liliana’s tear-streaked face.
"What a stupid girl," he said, breathing in short, gasping breaths.
Mega tried several times to get closer, but the two tigers kept blocking her way.
"Stop crying, and please tell my mother later that she can rest easy in the future because she won’t have to treat a werewolf I’ve mistakenly given the wrong medicine to," Cassian said in an increasingly faint voice.
"And you—never cry when you’re being bullied; fight back. How can you be so much like the little sister I’ve always dreamed of?" Cassian added.
Uhukkk! Cassian coughed up a mouthful of blood as soon as he finished speaking, his eyes slowly closing.
Liliana shook her head. "Brother... you’re my brother. Are you willing to die?" Liliana asked.
Liliana’s body trembled, her eyes brimming with tears ready to fall.
Liliana’s heart ached; she reached out to touch Cassian’s face with her still-trembling hands.
"Don’t... don’t die. You’re my family—how could you want to leave me before we’ve truly become siblings?"
Liliana embraced Cassian’s body, which was already growing cold, then looked up at the bright, white moon shining overhead.
"Akhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Liliana screamed in despair.
Her voice screeched so loudly that anyone who heard it dared not move.
Mega and the two tigers, who had been busy fighting, slowly backed away as soon as Liliana’s scream rang out.
.The crows, which had been perched comfortably watching the battle between the two werewolves and the three tigers, immediately took flight.
The two tigers, who had been fighting so valiantly just moments before, froze rigid; they didn’t dare move a muscle.
The wind around them was blowing fiercely—so fiercely that it toppled several trees near Liliana.
Liliana didn’t realize what was happening around her. All she knew was that Cassian had died because of her.
Once again, she had to lose someone who had once cared for her.
"Why? Why?" Liliana asked.
"Liliana!" called Mega, who had already shifted back into human form. She approached, trying to snap Liliana out of it before another disaster struck.
But even before she could get close, her presence was repelled by the aura emanating from Liliana’s body.
She was knocked back several meters.
Mega stared at Liliana, her face growing increasingly panicked.
"Liliana!!! Snap out of it!! Cassian isn’t dead."