chapter 6
1181 Words
At that moment, a powerful spiritual tremor surged through my chest—
A werewolf was approaching at terrifying speed…
When two werewolves meet, they instinctively sense each other’s tremors. This is not merely a werewolf trait—it is innate to all beasts. The stronger a werewolf’s power, the more intense the tremor it sends to its kin. The tremor I felt now was overwhelming, far surpassing my current strength.
The hunter squeezed the trigger.
At the same instant, a gust of wind roared down the road we had just traveled.
I clutched Xin’er and leapt forward with all my might—until the very last moment, I would not relent! A silver bullet struck my right leg. I fell once more.
From behind came a scream of sheer terror, abruptly transforming into a shriek of agony before cutting off entirely… An immense wave of energy flashed violently, then vanished.
The evening air was cool, the silence behind us absolute.
I rose slowly, agony shooting through my legs. Xin’er’s arms were still locked around my neck, refusing to let go.
Stellar Drift—the ability the other werewolf had just used. I thought, ever since our godfather vanished five years ago, I had not felt a tremor of such magnitude. Only a werewolf beyond intermediate transformation could wield Stellar Drift.
“Foolish girl, it’s alright now,” I murmured, gently patting Xin’er’s face. She let out a small sound of acknowledgment, pale and silent. My heart skipped—I had forgotten she had also been shot.
Two hands reached from behind, pushing me aside and lifting Xin’er away.
“Wugang!—” I turned sharply to see him—
Our godfather had adopted four children: Wugang, Zhou Xing, Lanyue, and me. All were werewolves whose parents had been slain by hunters. Wugang was the eldest, driven away by our godfather eight years ago to train alone; I was the youngest. Five years ago, our godfather brought Xin’er and me to this city, charging me with her care, and then vanished without a trace.
Wugang cast me a cold glance before launching a lightning-fast punch straight into my abdomen.
“Ah—” My insides twisted violently; stomach acid threatened to rise.
“Do you know why I struck you?” Wugang’s gaze was ice as he stared at me sprawled on the ground.
“You bastard, taking advantage of the situation!” I croaked, knowing deep down that even uninjured, I could not have dodged that blow.
“Is that so—” He surged toward Xin’er, holding her firmly. I tensed and rolled, attempting to evade his strike, yet somehow, his fist still slammed into my abdomen.
“Ah—” This time I refused to rise, sprawled flat on the ground, stars swirling like a meteor shower before my eyes.
“Is this how you protect Xin’er?!” Wugang glared, “i***t, in this ambush alone, you’ve made at least thirty fatal mistakes!”
He knelt beside Xin’er to check her injuries. Her wound was on her right back. With a gentle press of his hand, a silver bullet popped free with a small plop, glinting in the twilight. Even I couldn’t help but admire the precision.
“How did you know? You weren’t here,” I muttered, struggling upright to draw my knife and remove the bullet myself.
“I sensed it,” he said casually. “Xin’er is coming with me.”
I had barely found the bullet when his words threw me off balance, a sharp pain wracking my body.
“Why? Is this our godfather’s will?”
“No, that old fool has nothing to do with it. I cleared the trial. Xin’er must come with me—I cannot let you, this stubborn fool, put her in danger!”
To clear the trial among werewolves is to surpass a task set by the pack leader, gaining temporary freedom from their control.
“No! I won’t allow it!”
“Hmph. Do you even have the power to stop me?”
“Let’s see—” What could I do? I could barely move a threatening muscle; even the slightest motion of my leg brought a sharp cry of pain.
He laughed, “No wonder you’re so thick-skinned…”
Wugang had always cared for Xin’er. On the plains with our godfather, he would gather dewy wildflowers every morning for her. I knew Xin’er often fed them to the little rabbits she raised.
He turned to leave, but suddenly—
“Hey! You jerk, let me go—!” Xin’er stirred from her daze.
“Ah—” Startled, Wugang dropped her briefly before hastily scooping her up again.
Xin’er rubbed her bottom, curious eyes flitting between us, looking utterly adorable.
“It seemed… someone said they were taking me—who was it?!”
Silence.
“Who—!!” She placed her hands on her hips, shouting. We both flinched.
“It was me…” Wugang murmured, low and hesitant.
“You—” Xin’er approached, circling him. I watched sweat drip from Wugang’s face. He became hopelessly foolish whenever he saw Xin’er, old habits ingrained since childhood.
“You think you’re handsome?”
“No…”
“Then why should I go with you?!”
“I… I… want… to protect you—”
“Protect me?” Xin’er snorted, measuring his height with her hands and comparing it to her chest.
“Shorter than me, and you want to protect me?!” Wugang was tall and broad-shouldered—at least three heads taller than Xin’er.
“You two—” she tapped our noses one by one, “what do you take me for? I’ll decide for myself who I go with!”
“Exactly. You choose who to follow,” I said lazily from the ground. “I’m out of this competition. You’ve annoyed me enough already.”
No one knew Xin’er better than me, except our godfather.
“Fine—!” Xin’er’s feet stamped with anger. “Ungrateful fool! You even forget who always fetches your keys!”
“Was that you? Oh, right… I almost forgot,” I teased, tapping my head mockingly.
“Fine—then I’ll harass you forever!” Xin’er growled each word at me. She turned to Wugang: “Hey, big guy, you go. I need to look after my little brother.”
“I—”
“Move it!”
Cornered, Wugang turned and left.
“Hey—big guy,” I called after him. He glanced back. I pointed at the bullet wound in my leg. “Give me a hand—make it go plop, okay?”
“Hmph. Do it yourself!” he retorted sharply, tossing a ring of keys over. “Jianjun Road 11. Hunters won’t know this place. Be careful!”
“And—” He paused, voice dripping with disdain. “Stop transforming in high places. Do you want every hunter in the world to know there are wolves in this city?!”
- Writer
