CHAPTER 41: AN AMBUSH

Allison’s face visibly turned pale when she heard me mention werewolves, while Derrick, Liora, and Isabella immediately readied themselves to fight.

"Where are they?!" Derrick asked.

"They’re quite a distance away. You won’t be able to sense them, but they are slowly circling around us. There are five of them in total."

"They’re most likely planning an ambush." Liora commented.

"So it seems. The only thing we can do now is face them head-on." I said.

I promptly took Lily off my head and handed her to Allison. Then Derrick, Isabella, Liora, and I formed a small square around her as we continued to walk. The further we went, the closer the group got.

We stayed on alert as the group approached. Soon, however, they made their presence known, revealing themselves from behind trees. They were all males who looked to be in their early twenties and some of them looked to be my age. We exchanged stares, neither group daring to move.

"You’re on the wrong territory. Leave," said a young man who looked about my age. He had white hair and a muscular build. He and Derrick glared intensely at each other.

"We’re just passing through. We live here." Derrick responded.

"I’ve never seen you here before. Leave if you know what’s best for you. What pack are you from? You’re wolves, aren’t you?"

Derrick stared at them without uttering a word before replying coldly, "Get out of our way."

His words seemed to infuriate the young man with white hair. Immediately, black claws started to morph from his fingertips, and his eyes took on a bright shade of yellow.

"I’ll only tell you once again, leave."

Suddenly, a wide grin spread across Derrick’s face as he too began to transform. He didn’t need to say anything else; his transformation spoke for him.

The young man took his stance and released a loud roar that reverberated between the trees. In the next instant, he jumped several feet into the air and launched himself at Derrick.

Derrick laughed like a maniac as he watched the incoming attack barreling toward him. Just then, the others with the young man began to transform as well and lunged at us. Liora and Isabella immediately lunged forward to meet them.

"Aren’t you going to fight with them too?" Allison asked with a pouty expression.

"I’ll only help if they need me to. For now, I’ll stay here and protect you and Lily."

In truth, these werewolves were nothing to break a sweat over.

"Isabella, make sure none of them gets near us," I commanded, to which she immediately hissed her teeth. With her protecting me, Lily, and Allison, I wouldn’t have to get involved.

"You shouldn’t order her around like that. It isn’t nice."

"She belongs to me; I can do whatever I want with her."

As I said that, Allison began to glare at me, and so did Lily, with her round, puffed-out cheeks. On the other hand, Derrick and the young man with white hair were engaged in heated combat. The more I looked at the two of them, the more I realized they bore a striking resemblance to one another.

It wasn’t only their mannerisms; you could have mistaken them for brothers. The two seemed to be an equal match. Though I found something strange, I couldn’t figure out what special trait the young man had just from watching him fight.

It was obvious to everyone that Derrick’s trait was his monstrous strength, but as for the young man, I couldn’t tell what it was. He possessed high agility, yes, but it wasn’t as high as Liora’s.

Derrick swung his claws with brutal efficiency, toppling everything in his path. The young man danced around the attacks but wasn’t able to find any openings. He moved like a wild animal, his eyes discerning any perceived weakness.

"Hold still, you worm!" Derrick roared as he struggled to land a single attack.

This caused the young man to smile as he began to taunt Derrick.

"You want me to slow down for you?"

Derrick’s eyes flashed with anger as he slashed at the young man’s side with full force, aiming to rip him open. The young man nimbly evaded the attack and slashed through Derrick’s thigh. Blood flowed from his wounds like a broken dam, but Derrick didn’t show any signs of discomfort.

In fact, his attacks only became more brutal as he managed to pin the young man against a tree. Derrick’s claws rippled through the air and created a gashing wound on the young man’s shoulder before he could dodge.

That single move created an opening, and Derrick pounced at him like a wild animal claiming his prey. Derrick’s hand latched around the young man’s feet before he could run, and in a frightening display of power, Derrick lifted him up and hurled him into a tree which collapsed upon impact.

The young man spat blood as he tried to crawl away, but before he could get far, Derrick pressed his head down onto the ground with his boot.

"See this, worm? This is your place."

The young man grunted beneath Derrick’s boot but was unable to pull himself free. As he struggled, Derrick’s grin grew wider, and he taunted the young man some more. At the same time, Liora and Isabella defeated the other werewolves who had ambushed us. They all laid unconscious on the forest floor.

"You’ll pay for this!" the young man snarled. "I’ll kill you all!"

"Ha! You can’t even crawl out from under my boot. A worm like you can’t do shit."

The young man trembled in rage as he muttered profanities, and suddenly, froth began to seep from his mouth. Just then, Derrick’s expression changed as the young man slowly started to get up. His muscles suddenly grew bigger, and his claws became longer.

His eyes then shifted from glowing yellow to blood red within a second. His bloodlust seeped into the air, revealing his endless malice. The air itself became thick with blood and hate. At that moment, a single thought rang out inside my mind. An overpowering urge to kill this monster. Not for my sake, but for Derrick’s.

Without a second’s hesitation, I moved to slash his throat with a single swing, but I was stopped in my tracks by a power I couldn’t dare go up against.