CHAPTER 55: THE PERFECT PERSON TO USE

"Huh? What do you want to talk to me about?"

I already knew what it was about.

"Come with me," she said, already walking off into the lodge. Before she walked off, she gave me a look that said I didn’t have a choice.

With a tired sigh, I followed behind her into the lodge. She took a seat on a couch made of animal pelts and crossed her legs. She studied me intensely as I took a seat on a wooden chair adjacent to her.

"I should’ve known you would have a bit of a talent; you’re related to the alpha after all," she finally said. "You did good killing that elk and also with fishing today. None of the others show any promise like you. That’s why I’m offering you this deal. How would you feel about becoming my protégé?"

I studied her face as she spoke.

’What was going on in that head of hers?’

"If anything were to happen to me, you would take over as chief hunter for the pack. You’ll also be the one responsible for training the future generation. You’ll also be a part of the four pillars of our pack; it’s a good role. Many would look up to you."

I didn’t say a word; I only stared at her quietly. She had a smirk on her face. For whatever reason, she was confident that I would accept her position.

"So what do you say?"

"I heard your pack was wiped out," I said in a flat tone.

Her once delighted face twisted into an angry scowl.

"Don’t talk about such things," she said in a tone that made her words sound like a threat.

"I only wish to offer my condolences." I said, leaning back into my chair. "I also heard that the moon princess was the one who slaughtered your pack. Do you plan on getting revenge? Is that why you need someone to succeed you in case you die?"

I hit the nail right on the head. Her bloodlust surged to its peak, enveloping the entire lodge. Her eyes glowed a deep shade of yellow. Her body trembled in rage. Hearing about her former pack must’ve been a trigger for her. The wildness in her eyes told me she had lost all logic, making it the perfect opportunity to speak to her.

"You’re not strong enough to face the moon princess. She’ll kill you, and that will achieve nothing."

"You don’t know anything about me! I already told you to keep quiet."

She got up from her seat, claws extended, clearly intending to harm me. I didn’t react nor did I change my facial expression when I spoke.

"What do you know about anything?" she said bitterly. "When have you lost what I’ve lost? I don’t need the lectures of a child."

"You’re too weak. If you couldn’t save your pack, then what makes you think you can avenge them now?"

Her eyes flashed a dangerous glow, and in the next second, she swung her claws at my throat. She didn’t even hesitate when trying to kill me. Her eyes held nothing but pure hatred. I stopped her claws before they could even make contact with my throat, but that seemed to rile her up further as she spun herself for a roundhouse kick aimed at my head.

I lazily leaned back and watched her foot breeze past my face.

"The moon princess would never have lost to such a puny attack."

She let out a loud primal growl before lunging at me. This time with her sharp teeth. In one swift motion, I dodged her bite and restrained her from behind before releasing her and shoving her away from me.

She glared at me, and I could feel her bloodlust rising by the second. She was by no means weak, especially for a werewolf. Given the way she fought, I deduced she must’ve leveled up quite a bit.

She kept herself in a low crouch as she eyed me like a predator eyeing its prey. Then, in a burst of power, she leaped after me. Her claws swished through the air like a knife. Her technique was flawless, and her speed incredible, but still, she couldn’t land a hit.

This woman before me must’ve had years of experience fighting. If I had to guess, she was probably the same age as my mother. There was little to no opening in her attacks. I dodged through her attacks, but she was relentless, destroying everything in her path in the sole pursuit of killing me.

Eventually, I had grown tired of our game and decided to end it. I grabbed her arm and kicked her feet, dropping her to the ground. She struggled to get up, but I held her down, barely exerting any effort.

Then I released a fraction of my killing intent. The moment she felt it, her entire face turned pale and her heartbeat rose rapidly.

"What are you?"

"At your power level, you can’t defeat the moon princess," I told her as I stared deep in her eyes. I made sure she felt my power and how hopeless it was to struggle.

She bit her lip when she heard my words, and tears accumulated in the corner of her eyes.

"I know that, but what am I supposed to do?" she asked as the dam broke and tears began to flow down her cheeks. "I know I’m too weak to win against her, but there is nothing else I could do."

As she cried, I felt her body give out; she was no longer struggling, but I still held onto her. I then slowly began lifting up her shirt, revealing the smooth skin underneath. She began struggling again.

"Hey! Stop! What are you doing?!"

She tried to fight back, but she was helpless against my strength. I continued to slowly lift up her shirt. Her heartbeat rose with every passing second, but I soon found what I was looking for. There was a wound on her stomach. A large claw mark that looked as if it was infected. It smelled like it too. It was a deep wound that didn’t even begin to heal. The skin around the wound had turned a deep shade of blue. I also smelled a trace of poison from her wound.

"Did the moon princess do this to you?" I asked.

She didn’t answer my question; instead, she averted her gaze. She didn’t need to answer. I already knew that was the case. After a while, she sighed, her breathing coming in ragged gasps.

"I fought her the night she attacked my pack. That’s when I got hurt," she finally said.

"What special trait do you have?" I asked. I had a suspicion, but I wanted to confirm it.

"My special trait is healing. Usually, I could heal from anything... but this. For some reason it won’t heal. That bitch infected me with something. It’s how she kills her prey. They normally die within seconds of getting scratched and no matter how much we tried we couldn’t find a cure. My healing trait is the only reason why I’m alive right now."

It made sense. The poison I smelled coming from her was the most potent poison I had ever smelled. For her to still be alive, she must have extraordinary healing.

I stared at her face, and I saw nothing but pain and suffering. She lost her entire pack, her family, and now she was dying with no cure in sight. I found her pitiful. Still, it was perfect for me. She was the perfect person to use.

"I have a proposition for you."