Emma couldn’t ascertain how many enemies there were; their scents were too mixed. The smell of blood wrapped in earth was like demons clawing up from hell.
Knowing she couldn’t go in alone, Emma called Edward, but it was always busy. The scent grew stronger; they were getting bold, almost close to the town this time.
Suddenly, a sharp cry echoed from the forest. It should be Nancy and her partner patrolling. Emma felt her pores tighten; it was a mechanism to sense danger.
Emma stopped wasting time with the phone, leaving messages for Edward and Florence. Swiftly, she took off her vest and tracksuit, rolling them into a small bundle across her chest.
Her wolf also sensed the danger. At that moment, Emma dropped to all fours, and a familiar sense of expansion filled her body. Wolf ears emerged from her head, and a thick-furred tail appeared at her tailbone.
After transforming into a wolf, her senses sharpened. She could hear whispers in the forest, smell more blood, and see farther and darker into the depths.
Another howl of a wolf.
Emma abruptly turned and sprinted into the forest. Her wolf was angry, excited-they needed to fight. Emma reminded herself not to fight alone; she wasn’t impulsive. But she needed to know where those people were and how many of her kin they had hurt.
If it had been snowing, Emma’s fur was perfect for a snow reconnaissance. But for now, she had to keep her distance. Their scents were everywhere in the forest. Did they know she was here? Florence had mentioned that her scent as a wolf wasn’t strong, even though she wasn’t marked.
She didn’t waste much time finding the pack of wolves. She was so familiar with this forest; it was as if she was being guided. She found the pack by the lake.
Deep in the Blue Halo Pack forest, there was a lake they called the Red Moon Lake. The lake was surrounded by maple leaves, and in autumn, the reflection on the water looked as bright as blood. In the wolf world, red was a wonderful color. Many young wolves liked to frolic in the lake in the summer.
But now, it was a scene of bloody carnage. Almost ten unfamiliar wolves had Nancy and her partner, Dan, cornered by the lake. Emma noticed they were all injured; Dan’s leg was twisted in a strange way, almost broken. Nancy had wounds of all sizes.
These wolves seemed to be all males. They didn’t seem eager to kill Nancy and Dan; perhaps they had the upper hand. They were leisurely attacking occasionally, then quickly retreating into their circle.
Emma had only just been leaving her scent, hoping Edward and the others would arrive soon. But now the situation was dire. If they arrived any later, Nancy and Dan’s chances of survival would be slim.
Without much thought, she swiftly approached one of the wolves from behind, leaping to bite its neck. The well-trained pack was taken by surprise, and their formation was broken.
Emma’s small size allowed her to dodge most of the wolves’ attacks with agility. She noticed a black wolf with half an ear standing outside the pack, staring at her. That must be their alpha.
For a wolf with snow-white fur and ice-blue eyes like Emma, it was rare among werewolves. They often called such a being the embodiment of the moon goddess, and many excellent Alphas wanted to choose one as their Luna.
But Emma was still young, and her strength wasn’t enough to confront dozens of wolves. She was quickly surrounded. Ears back, baring her teeth, she watched them warily. They were all very young wolves, reasons for becoming lone wolves unknown, lurking near the town.
The pack dared not attack again. They needed to listen to the commands of the black wolf with half an ear. Nancy and Dan struggled to move from the lake to the shore, growling, wanting to help Emma, but the wolves in the circle prevented them from getting close.
The alpha slowly entered the circle, and the pack dispersed.
She heard him speak, “Hello, beautiful girl.”
Emma snarled, her upper lip curling in anger, ready to counter. Faced with a male wolf nearly twice her size, she had no chance.
“Get out of here! The Alpha is coming,” Emma growled.
He laughed, “I like feisty girls.” The other wolves around him emitted similar mocking sounds.
Before Emma could react, she was already pinned down by the male wolf in a humiliating position. Nancy and Dan roared, but other wolves stopped them.
The male wolf sniffed at her neck, and Emma shuddered. She didn’t want to fear him, but she was powerless, hoping the Alpha would arrive soon.
“You don’t have a mate. You could consider being mine. I’m about to be the leader of this pack!” The alpha invited, releasing his alpha pheromones, which made Emma feel nauseous.
She knew he might mark her right there, in wolf form, to assert his dominance. She felt humiliated, but mostly physically uncomfortable. The wolves on either side had their mouths open and tongues out, looking hungry.
“Little beauty, remember that my name is Vincent! Tell me, what’s your name?”
“Go to hell!” Emma growled low, but at the same time, she screamed. Because of her insult, Vincent’s wolf flung her away with a disdainful motion, causing her to crash onto the rocky shore, in great pain.
Struggling to get up, Emma would never give up.
“I pity you, little she-wolf, but watch your mouth. Angering my wolf will get you killed,” Vincent lunged at Emma again, and she couldn’t move, pinned to the ground.
“Emma!” Nancy screamed.
But Emma couldn’t see anything; her wolf was furious, unable to bear the humiliation, wanting to protect her! Emma wanted to give full control to her wolf, so they could fight to the end.
She did.
With an unprecedented burst of strength, Emma’s wolf clawed at Vincent’s eyes and managed to escape from under him. She moved like a silver bolt, attacking the other wolves continuously.
Vincent became furious, calling other wolves to form a hunting formation, aiming to completely kill Emma.
Suddenly, not far from the forest, there was another wolf’s howl. It was a deep, commanding sound, causing the forest’s birds to flee in flocks, leaving for the pale sky.
“That’s not Edward’s voice!” Dan gasped, but the warning indeed came from an Alpha.
Following that, from the dark thicket behind them, a pair of reddish-golden eyes gradually appeared, followed by a black wolf with a bluish-purple sheen to its fur.
The wolf looked young but was larger than any of the Blue Halo Pack’s wolves. It wrinkled its nose, exuding an Alpha’s pressure. The two stray wolves nearest to it whimpered, even tucking their tails between their legs.
It charged into the pack, injuring other wolves before they could react. It went straight for Vincent, and the two alphas began to grapple.
Nancy quickly helped Emma to the side, but Emma was unable to move. Her wolf was also exhausted, and when Patrick appeared, it shifted its focus.
Emma’s vision began to blur, a buzzing in her ears, hearing more wolves join the fight. She wanted to call out to Patrick, to get up and join the fight until her blood ran dry and her heart stopped beating.