"Father, you don’t need to worry about this. I will fulfill the promise I made two years ago," Cassian said.
Viktor nodded in satisfaction.
"Get some rest. You and Liliana will be traveling a long distance tomorrow morning. Take good care of her and don’t bring anything from the human race to the Academy. Understood?"
"Yes, Father," Cassian replied.
When the sun was already high in the sky, Liliana and Cassian stood in front of the Draven Pack residence together with the young members of the Draven Pack who would be leaving for the Academy.
"Cassian, you will lead the journey this time. Take care of them and stop doing foolish things," Viktor said as he patted Cassian’s shoulder.
"You can trust me, Father. As long as they follow my orders, they will surely arrive at the Academy safely."
"I trust you."
Viktor then walked toward Liliana, who now stood with her face once again covered in wounds and her hair as jet-black as before.
"Forgive me, Father," Viktor said as he touched Liliana’s wounded face.
"Father, you don’t need to apologize. This was my choice. I won’t blame you," Liliana replied.
Viktor nodded. "I promise I won’t be gone for long. Wait until Father finds evidence capable of proving the Draven Pack’s innocence before the Alpha King."
A small smile appeared on Liliana’s face before she nodded in response.
Olive came and hugged Liliana after briefly speaking with Cassian and the young members of the Draven Pack who would be leaving for the Academy.
She hugged Liliana gently.
"You’re still beautiful, Liliana. You’re Mother’s most beautiful daughter, understand?"
"I know," Liliana replied. "When I come home for vacation next year, I’ll definitely be even more beautiful. So, prepare yourself well, Mother."
Olive smiled, then kissed Liliana’s hair.
"Alright. Mother will start preparing from now. Don’t forget to send a letter once you arrive there, understand? Mother will send medicine regularly, so don’t forget to use it."
"Yes, Mother."
"Alright, Father, Mother, Auntie. We have to leave now. We need to get through the forest before nightfall," Cassian said.
Viktor nodded and waved his hand. "Go."
Everyone nodded and waved their hands, allowing the children who were leaving for the Academy to mount the horses that had been prepared.
A total of seventy descendants of the Draven Pack would be leaving for the Academy today, including Cassian and Liliana.
Liliana mounted her black horse, then turned toward Viktor, Olive, and Mega. She waved her hand with a smile.
They nodded and returned her smile.
"Hyah!"
Seventy horses and their riders left the territory of the Draven Pack and hurried toward the Academy.
Cassian led the journey, while the Beta sons guarded the very back of the group.
Liliana’s horse ran beside Cassian’s horse, while the white tiger with black stripes continued following her at an equally fast pace.
Two hours passed without them realizing it.
The road ahead grew narrower as they passed the river where Liliana had obtained her power the previous night.
"Increase the speed!" Cassian ordered loudly.
"Yes!" they answered simultaneously.
As dusk began to fall, they arrived in the middle of the forest. Although night had not yet fallen, the forest was still a dangerous place, especially for those who had yet to possess combat abilities.
Cassian took a rough breath. "Increase the speed again! We have to get out of this forest before it gets completely dark."
"Yes!" they answered in unison again.
Werewolves were never afraid of darkness, let alone forests. They were only afraid of something happening beyond their expectations.
"Rustle..."
Cassian’s eyes immediately sharpened.
He waved his hand, signaling the people behind him to increase their speed.
Liliana nodded and followed Cassian’s instructions. Her breathing began to quicken, while sweat trickled down her forehead.
This was the first time she had traveled this far on horseback to reach the Academy.
In the past, she had always traveled in Valerie’s carriage. The distance she traveled had probably only been half of this journey, and she had never gone through a forest either.
"Neighhhhhh..."
Cassian’s horse, which was at the very front of the group, let out a high-pitched whinny and stopped abruptly.
Everyone quickly pulled on their horses’ reins and forced them to stop immediately.
Liliana looked up at Cassian’s darkened face. "Brother, what’s wrong?" she asked.
"Everyone, get off," Cassian ordered while signaling with his hand.
The white tiger beside Liliana let out a low growl, then stood right beside her.
"Brother?" Liliana asked again.
"They’re here," Cassian replied quietly.
Liliana looked up, clearly not understanding what he meant.
"Nightfang," Cassian explained.
Liliana held her breath. She had heard that name before.
Creatures that were only active at night, rare predators that were often feared by werewolves.
"Future Alpha," one of the Beta sons called softly.
Cassian slowly nodded. "We’ll continue on foot. Order everyone not to make any sound at all, not even the sound of their footsteps."
The Beta son nodded, then turned around and spread Cassian’s order using their Draven Pack code.
After receiving a nod from everyone, Cassian approached and whispered into Liliana’s ear.
"Don’t move even a little away from me. Don’t let your horse or the white tiger beside you leave you."
Liliana nodded. She approached her horse again and slowly pulled its reins so that the animal would follow her.
Everything went smoothly. They walked very slowly while leading their respective horses with cautious steps.
From the other side of the road, they could see everything clearly. There were about nine Nightfangs fighting over the carcass of an elephant.
Liliana swallowed. This was the first time she had seen such creatures directly.
Only Cassian and the Beta sons still had relatively relaxed expressions. Until...
"Ahhhhh!"
A girl’s scream from the middle of the group rang out when a caterpillar fell onto her clothes.
"Future Alpha!" The girl immediately ran toward Cassian. "Please help me! I..."
"Silence!"
Cassian’s shout immediately stopped her. He stared at the girl sharply.
The girl stared at Cassian for a few moments, then stepped back several times when she realized that everyone in the pack was looking at her with annoyance.
She clenched her fingers tightly before lowering her head.
"Future Alpha... they’re coming."
The Nightfangs suddenly moved. They rushed toward the Draven Pack group with swift movements, abandoning the elephant carcass they had been fighting over.
"Get on your horses! Leave this place!" Cassian shouted.
Everyone quickly nodded and immediately mounted their respective horses.
The sound of hooves echoed through the forest as they tried to leave the forest as quickly as possible.