"Tsk... who said I’m grossed out? Come back and sit here. Keep me company while I eat."
"Are you sure?"
"Do I have to keep saying it until you’ll sit next to me?"
Liliana gave a faint smile. This was the first time anyone had asked her to sit next to them while eating.
"Just let me know if you change your mind," said Liliana as she slowly sat down next to her.
The old woman held out an apple. "This is for you. Eat it."
Liliana accepted it, glancing at the woman from time to time to make sure she really wasn’t disgusted.
"What’s your name?"
"Liliana. Liliana Forst."
"Which pack are you from? Why are you here, separated from your group?"
"I don’t have a pack. They kicked me out," Liliana replied as she took a bite of the apple in her hand.
The old woman stared at Liliana for a moment, then sighed. Her hand reached into her pocket and pulled out a check.
"This is my way of repaying you for saving me. You can cash it at any Wolf Pack bank."
Liliana frowned.
"Take the money. With it, you can buy plenty of potions to strengthen your body and heal the wounds on your face," Silver said in her mind.
"No..."
"Your wolf is wiser than you," she interrupted before Liliana could finish her sentence.
Liliana looked up in surprise. "You can hear my wolf?"
"Your ability is still too weak to hide your wolf’s presence from me."
"You... who are you?" asked Liliana, instinctively stepping back.
"You don’t need to worry. I have no intention of harming my savior. Take the check. You really need this money, don’t you?"
Liliana stood frozen, her fingers clenched in front of her. Silver, what should I do?
Liliana, follow her. She’s very strong; she can protect us in the future.
"Do you want to come with me?" asked the old woman standing before Liliana.
"Could you hear the entire conversation between me and my wolf?" Liliana asked back without answering the question.
The woman gave a faint smile. "Didn’t I already tell you?"
Liliana swallowed hard, then knelt before her. "Ma’am... can you make me strong? If you’re willing to help me, I, Liliana Forst, am willing to follow you as your subordinate."
"Hahaha..." The old woman laughed heartily as if she’d just heard the silliest thing in her life. "Do you know who I am?"
Liliana looked up briefly, then shook her head.
"You don’t even know who I am, but you want to be my subordinate?"
Liliana looked down, confused. On one hand, she longed for peace, but with her current strength, even peace in the middle of the forest seemed impossible to achieve.
"I can cook, do laundry, sweep, mop, and do all the housework. Please take me in."
The old woman snorted softly, staring at Liliana’s gaunt body with its wounds that hadn’t fully healed beneath her tattered clothes. "How old are you?"
"Eighteen. I just went through my coming-of-age ceremony yesterday."
The woman stood up and walked toward the cave entrance.
Liliana panicked at the thought of being left behind. Is there really no one who wants me except my own wolf?
"Why are you just standing there? Follow me. Don’t you want to come with me?"
Liliana stared at her in disbelief, her mouth agape. "Ma’am... are you willing to take me in?"
The woman didn’t look back. Instead, she walked on, leaning on her wooden staff.
It had been a week since she’d left her pack’s territory, and now it was time to return. If it weren’t for her arch-enemy watching her every move, her life would never have been threatened by a mere snake bite. She let out a soft sigh. Just think of this as repaying a debt, she thought quietly to herself.
She turned toward Liliana, who was now walking slowly behind her. "My name is Mega. From now on, call me Mrs. Mega."
Liliana nodded obediently. "Yes, Mrs. Mega."
"I don’t like betrayal. So don’t ever try it."
Liliana nodded again in response.
Mega looked at her for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction.
"We’ll be leaving this forest soon. Is there anything you want to take with you?"
"Nothing. I don’t have anything. Everything I own is already with me right now."
"In that case, hurry up. We have to get out of this forest before it gets dark."
The two of them walked through the dangerous forest, but no obstacle could hold them back. Mega was somewhat impressed by Liliana’s agility. Although she knew the girl wasn’t an ordinary wolf, she hadn’t expected her instincts to be this sharp, even on par with her own.
An hour later, they arrived at the edge of the forest. There were already many vehicles with werewolf troops standing in neat formation. They all immediately bowed in respect upon seeing Mega.
"Ma’am..." the werewolves greeted her in unison.
Mega waved her hand, signaling for them to stand at attention.
"She’s the werewolf I found in the forest. Starting today, she’ll be part of my pack. Take good care of her," Mega said firmly.
The werewolves stared at Liliana, sizing her up from head to toe.
Liliana quickly lowered her head, letting her black hair cover the scars on her face. People say first impressions are important, and she didn’t want them to judge her harshly right away just because of her disfigured appearance.
"My name is Liliana. Liliana Forst. You can call me Liliana," she said, keeping her head bowed.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Liliana," they replied in unison.
Liliana looked up briefly, then politely lowered her head again.
"We have to return to the residence tonight. There’s something important I need to tell our Alpha later tonight," Mega ordered.
They immediately returned to their respective cars. Mega grabbed Liliana by the arm and told her to get into the black car—the lead car in their convoy.
"You don’t need to worry about your face," Mega said as the car began to drive away from the forest. "They aren’t the type of people who judge someone based solely on their outward appearance."
"Our pack is on the border of human territory. We often get into battles to defend our borders. The scars on your face are nothing out of the ordinary for us," she added casually.
"Really?"
"You can see for yourself when we arrive at our pack’s territory."
Mega closed her eyes, signaling that she didn’t want to continue the conversation. Liliana didn’t mind. She simply stared silently at the reflection of her scarred face in the car window.
Was it true that her face wasn’t a problem?