Chapter 75: And... the Crown Prince

Lucien ran forward and stood in front of Xavier, blocking the Nightfang’s attack that was aimed at him.

Liliana let out a low growl, her eyes fixed on the Nightfangs before her.

Slash!

Her sharp claws struck the nearest Nightfang.

"Take Xavier away first!" Lucien shouted. "I’ll deal with them and catch up with you afterward."

Liliana nodded. She immediately approached Xavier, bit down on his clothes, and tossed him onto her back before sprinting toward the forest with all her strength. Several Nightfangs tried to chase after her, but Lucien quickly blocked their path.

Swish!

Lucien let out a low howl.

"Lowly, stupid creatures like you dare to desire our Luna? Dream on!" he cursed.

His sharp claws moved swiftly, severing their necks one after another.

Nightfangs were almost identical to werewolves, but only almost. They were defective products of the werewolf race.

They possessed the blood and physical characteristics of werewolves, but were completely incapable of thinking or transforming into human form.

Thud!

Lucien pinned the last surviving Nightfang beneath his paws.

"Creatures like you are truly annoying. Other than multiplying, you’re completely useless!" he sneered.

Lucien’s claws swiftly tore into the last Nightfang’s neck, ending its life without another sound.

The place fell silent once more. Only the sound of the wind could be heard in his ears.

Lucien’s eyes fell upon the dead Nightfangs scattered across the ground, their blood staining the earth.

His ragged breathing gradually settled after fighting them all alone. He turned around and walked deeper into the forest, following the lingering scent of Liliana’s wolf.

The Nightfangs had first appeared two hundred years ago, precisely when the late Emperor of the Morovela Empire ascended the throne and the current Emperor was born into their world.

No one knew where these distinctive monsters had originally come from. They had appeared out of nowhere in enormous numbers, and their presence quickly spread throughout the entire Morovela Empire.

Their numbers had never truly decreased, even though the werewolf race had continued hunting them. Every time one Nightfang died, it seemed as though even more would appear to take its place.

Lucien’s gaze eventually landed on Liliana, who was currently using her wolf’s power on Xavier. He transformed into his human form and stepped closer.

"Aren’t you afraid? The Emperor’s spies are still watching you, aren’t they?"

Liliana shook her head. "They shouldn’t be. Although my wolf has aroused the Emperor’s suspicions over the past few days, the lives of the academy students are far more important to him. He can kill me at any time if I become a threat to him. But if the academy students die, the Emperor won’t be able to save them."

Lucien smiled faintly. "You really have no idea how the Emperor operates."

"Xavier’s life is hanging by a thread. My wolf says that if I don’t save him immediately, he’ll die."

Lucien shrugged, not particularly concerned about Liliana’s decision.

After a while, Xavier’s wounds finally began to heal. The injured and torn flesh slowly regenerated.

His eyelids twitched several times before his eyes finally opened completely.

He blinked and immediately found Liliana standing before him. His red eyes stared at her in confusion.

"Am I dead?" he asked. His hand reached out toward Liliana’s silver hair.

"Moon Goddess? Is this my goddess?" he asked.

Slap!

Lucien smacked Xavier’s hand away just as he was about to touch Liliana’s silver hair, sending it falling to his side.

"Open your eyes properly. We still have a journey ahead of us," Lucien interrupted.

Xavier frowned. He looked at his hand, then at Liliana, and finally at Lucien.

"I’m not dead?" he asked. He swallowed before looking at Liliana again. "Wait... you..."

Lucien frowned. He grabbed Xavier’s arm and forced him to stand. "Do I need to punch you in the face to make you come to your senses?"

Xavier pushed Lucien away and snorted. He pointed at Liliana. "You’re Liliana... your wolf’s power... you were the one who..." His words came out in broken fragments.

He shook his head in disbelief. Her silver hair, her silver wolf, and now the fact that he had been on the verge of death only to wake up completely healthy.

Liliana nodded. "Just as you suspected."

Xavier stared at Liliana in horror. His mouth opened again. "You..."

"We don’t have time. We need to save Vincent," Liliana interrupted. "He’s in danger."

Lucien nodded. He immediately approached Liliana in his wolf form.

"You’ve used too much of your power. Get on my back," he said, leaving her no chance to refuse.

Liliana nodded and quickly climbed onto Lucien’s back.

Xavier stared at them for a moment before shaking his head. "Damn it, how can you just leave me behind?"

He hurriedly transformed into his red wolf and ran after Lucien.

The forest was dark. Not because there was no sunlight, but because of something none of the three could understand.

An aura seemed to be concealing something, preventing them from seeing very far ahead.

Liliana gripped Lucien’s golden fur tightly.

"Lucien... are you sure Vincent ran in this direction?" Liliana asked quietly.

Lucien slowed his pace. "You can trust me. My tracking abilities are the best among the Crown Prince’s people," he said.

Liliana nodded. Her eyes carefully scanned their surroundings once more.

Xavier, who had finally caught up with Lucien, let out a low growl beside him.

"Liliana..." he began. "Why is my scent on your body fading? How many men have marked you?"

Liliana turned to look at the red wolf beside her. He was the first man who had ever marked her as his mate.

Lucien sneered in wolf language before Liliana could answer. "You’ll be shocked to death when you find out who else has marked her."

Xavier frowned, then looked at Liliana, who remained seated calmly on Lucien’s back.

Liliana shook her head. She slowly bit her lower lip. "I won’t force you to stay and continue being my mate. I never intended to make any of you my mates in the first place," she said.

Lucien stared at the path ahead, feeling horrified.

He had never imagined that he would actually dare to mark the Crown Prince’s mate. Yet, when he thought about the woman sitting on his back, the woman he had eventually marked as his mate, he realized that he truly didn’t want to let her go.

"Who? Who else besides me and Lucien?" Xavier finally asked.

"Vincent."

"Vincent?" Xavier asked, making sure he had heard correctly.

"And... the Crown Prince," Liliana added.

Thud!

Xavier finally collapsed upon hearing the name of the last man who had marked Liliana.

He stared at Liliana and Lucien’s wolf form, both of whom seemed completely unconcerned by his shock. They continued walking without any intention of explaining anything to him.

Xavier swallowed hard before running after Lucien again.

"Liliana... you’re not lying to me, are you?" he asked once more, still unable to believe it.

Lucien growled. "Quiet! Three o’clock!" he interrupted.