"Shh... get down, kid," Liliana whispered as she slowly lowered herself to the ground.
The pain radiating from her right leg made it almost impossible for her to stand, let alone keep running.
"Hurry! Run ahead. Go find your Alpha and tell him your pack is under attack."
"But... what about you?"
"Go. I’ll hold them off for a moment so you can get away."
"I can’t! You can’t even move how could you possibly hold them off alone? You were willing to help me, so let me help you too!"
Liliana shook her head weakly. "You can’t even summon your wolf yet. Run quickly! If you move faster, maybe I’ll still make it out alive."
The little girl clutched her hand tightly for a moment, then nodded firmly.
"Big sister, wait a second. I’ll run as fast as lightning."
Liliana gave her a faint smile. She’s better than Valerie, she thought sadly. Even though she hated what Valerie was doing to her now, she couldn’t bring herself to hate the little Valerie from the past.
Watching the girl start to run away, Liliana turned to look at the black car slowly approaching, complete with a gun in the hand of the man who had been chasing her all along.
"Liliana, you’re such an idiot!" Silver shouted angrily. "Do you think your body is still intact after two Alphas rejected you as a partner? Now you’re deliberately destroying yourself again? Do you really want to die?"
Liliana growled softly, staring at the vehicle drawing ever closer.
"Silver, I’m sorry. But that girl reminds me of Valerie when she was little. Even though I hate her now, I can’t bring myself to let an innocent little girl like her come to harm."
Hiss... Liliana, you really are stupid. If you choose this path, then I have no choice but to stay with you until the end.
"Silver, I won’t die. Trust me," Liliana growled with conviction.
Her claws dug deeply into the ground. Even though this was her first time shifting, she was beginning to gain control over her wolf form.
When the car was just a few meters away from her, Liliana leaped high straight toward the vehicle. Her form did indeed appear smaller than that of a typical adult wolf, but her strength was equal to or even surpassed theirs.
Her sharp claws pierced the car’s windshield, causing the driver to slam on the brakes.
"Damn it! Is that a female wolf?" shouted one of the men inside the car.
The four men immediately got out, wearing full body armor and armed with firearms.
"Liliana, take out the one in the back! He’s the weakest. Take out one first to disrupt their formation!"
Liliana nodded, agreeing with Silver’s suggestion.
The humans in front of her were no amateurs, they were werewolf hunters with decades of experience. Swiftly, they fired special bullets at Liliana. The sound of gunfire echoed, shattering the silence of the night.
But unfortunately, Liliana wasn’t some weak, clueless girl either. Even though this was her first time shifting forms, she had long survived in the wild alongside Valerie. She moved nimbly, weaving to dodge the barrage of bullets.
Crack! Her sharp claws tore into the shoulder of the man Silver had pointed out earlier. The man fell beneath her, his face deathly pale.
Liliana growled as she glared at the remaining men now surrounding her.
"Let her go, and you’ll die quickly!" threatened one of the hunters.
They were indeed werewolf hunters, but they only wanted to capture young werewolves, not adults. Their targets were only the easily controlled werewolf cubs, to be sold as servants among the wealthy humans.
"Die quickly? You’re dreaming!"
Liliana knew how bitter life was without self-respect and with no one to care. She would never let them take her people away again.
Her dark eyes flashed sharply. Her claws dug deep into the chest of the man she was still holding.
"I’m sorry... but I can’t let you capture any of us again," she growled.
Crack!
Her claws pierced straight through the man’s heart. Before his last breath faded, the man glared at Liliana with a look of pure hatred, even as his body shook violently.
Just as the man died, another gunshot rang out and struck Liliana’s body. She only realized it when a sharp, searing pain pierced her stomach. Her body staggered and she fell. Her vision slowly blurred.
Silver, inside her, was also no longer able to dodge the bullet aimed at her. Their consciousness slowly faded together.
"Silver... forgive me..." Liliana whispered softly. Her breathing grew increasingly labored. "It seems I’ve made another mistake..." Her tears fell, dampening her shimmering silver fur in the moonlight.
"Damn it!!" cursed the three remaining men as they realized their comrade was dead.
"You dare kill our comrade?" shouted the blond-haired man as he kicked Liliana’s now-helpless wolf form.
Liliana glared at him sharply, even though her strength was nearly gone.
"You still dare to look at us after killing him? You’re a total bastard!" snapped another, then stomped down on Liliana’s face with all his might in his combat boots.
"Errrr..." Liliana growled, gritting her teeth against the excruciating pain in her face.
"Since you want a painful death so badly, we’ll grant your wish!" said the blond-haired man, aiming his gun right at Liliana’s face.
"Die, you rotten wolf!"
Liliana slowly closed her eyes. Silver... if there’s an afterlife... don’t be my wolf anymore. Forgive me...
But before the trigger could be pulled, a black wolf darted forward and pounced on the man who was stepping on Liliana’s face.
Errrrr... A deep growl echoed. In an instant, the man was flung away. The black wolf glanced briefly at Liliana, then shifted back into human form before the two remaining hunters.
"You..." they stammered, trembling.
"You broke the agreement. Do you still dare to steal from my people again?"
The man smiled cynically and added, "In that case... die!"
He transformed back into a mighty black wolf. In a matter of seconds, the three hunters were dead before they even realized what had happened. Three deep gashes adorned each of their chests.
Errrrr... He growled again, making sure there were no remaining threats.
Shortly afterward, several other wolves approached and shifted back into human form, then bowed respectfully.
"Young Master Alpha."
The man, Cassian Draven, the black wolf who had just wiped out the human hunters, shifted back into human form.
"Give their bodies to our hunting dogs."
"Yes, Young Master."
Cassian walked over to Liliana, who was still in wolf form. The girl’s eyes were still open, she had watched the entire scene unfold without missing a single second.
"Tsk... you’re a newcomer who hasn’t been officially recognized by our Alpha? And you expect us to waste our pack’s precious medicine just for you?"
Liliana couldn’t answer, even breathing felt incredibly difficult. She just stared at Cassian with a dazed expression. She recognized that face!