Julia wandered through the moonlit courtyard, her eyes darting between the shadows and garden hedges. The soft glow of lanterns lit the path, but Raphael was nowhere in sight. Her footsteps slowed, heart heavy, ready to give up and return inside, until a cold voice stopped her.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" Kane's sneering tone curled through the night like a snake.
He stepped into view, a menacing grin on his face, flanked by a group of laughing noble youths. They blocked her path like a wall of thorns.
"I-I'm s-sorry," Julia stammered, her body trembling. "I j-just want to go back i-i-i-inside."
Kane stepped closer, his grin widening with cruel delight. "N-n-n-no can do, bitch," he mocked, mimicking her stutter as he reached out and grabbed a fistful of her hair.
His friends roared with laughter.
Julia yelped in pain, clutching his wrist as her eyes welled with tears.
A voice echoed from nearby.
"Let her go!"
Raphael sprinted from the shadows, panic in his voice as he saw what Kane was doing. But Kane merely snapped his fingers.
"Grab my brother," he ordered lazily. "I want to teach him a valuable lesson."
Two of his cronies leapt forward, seizing Raphael and pinning him down.
"You see, little brother," Kane said, throwing Julia violently to the ground and straddling her, "low-class bitches like her… you should learn how to treat them."
Julia sobbed and struggled as Kane began unzipping his pants.
"You should fuck them, right?" he said with a sneer.
"Big brother, please stop!" Raphael shouted, his voice breaking. "I beg you, please!!"
Tears streamed down his cheeks. The other nobles laughed harder, reveling in his helplessness.
Kane paused and glanced back at his brother. His expression faltered for a split second.
"So… you really like this girl, huh?" he muttered, almost annoyed with himself. "Tch… I guess I'm taking this too far."
With a scoff, he zipped up his pants and stood. "Like I'd ever sleep with a low-class werewolf." He turned to his friends. "Let's go."
As the group vanished back into the hall, the garden fell silent once more. Raphael wiped his tears and rushed to Julia, gently helping her up. She wiped her own eyes, sniffling.
"I'm sorry about my brother," Raphael said with a shaky laugh. "He can be… a real asshole sometimes. But deep down, he's got a pure heart."
Julia let out a trembling chuckle. "Y-y-yeah… I c-c-can see that."
They sat together on a bench beneath a flowering tree, the tension slowly easing.
"That was really cool when I heard you were one of the 36 Heroes," Julia said softly.
Raphael smiled faintly. "It's no big deal. I don't fight anymore."
He placed a hand over the bandages on his side, his expression clouding.
"May I ask… why?" Julia asked gently.
Raphael took a breath.
"A werewolf strike team infiltrated our camp while I was sleeping. Drugged me. Dragged me back to their base. They tortured me for days, trying to get information. I was losing my sanity. That's where I got most of these injuries."
Julia's eyes widened in horror.
"No one came to rescue me. There were 500 soldiers guarding the place, alphas and betas. A rescue would've cost too many lives. No one… except my Uncle Percival. He stormed the camp alone. Found me barely breathing and covered in blood. We fought side by side and wiped them out. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead."
"Captain Percival really is a great man," Julia whispered.
"I lost my mind after that. But I found Jesus, became a Christian. And that's when I stopped fighting. The sight of blood gives me seizures now. Prayer helps, but…" He looked down. "I'm a weakling, aren't I?"
Julia shook her head. "No, you're not. You're stronger than anyone I've met. You chose to live. That takes courage."
She touched his face, lifting his chin until his eyes met hers. Raphael smiled.
"You're not stuttering anymore," he noticed.
Julia blushed. "I only s-stutter when I'm nervous."
"I noticed you always adjust your bandanna when you're anxious."
Julia hesitated, then gave a sheepish smile. "Uhh… I-I can show you why. But… d-don't treat me differently, okay?"
With trembling fingers, she removed her bandanna.
One wolf ear emerged from beneath her hair.
She looked down in shame.
Raphael's eyes lit up.
"Wow… that's amazing. You've got a wolf ear. You're definitely blessed."
Julia's heart raced. Her face turned crimson.
(My mother said I was cursed. Said I ruined her life. She threw me out. Kids called me a freak… an abomination… but this guy… he said I'm blessed.)
Tears welled up again, and she began crying uncontrollably.
"Julia, are you..." Raphael started, but she cut him off by throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace.
He stiffened, stunned… then gently hugged her back.
Their moment was interrupted by a firm tap on Raphael's shoulder.
He turned and froze.
Standing before them were two tall alpha werewolves with stark white hair, piercing blue eyes, white-furred ears and tails. Their aura radiated power.
"Hey," one said gruffly. "We're looking for a guy. Goes by Beta Jack. You know where he is?"
Raphael's heart skipped. His pupils shrank in fear.
"Why you still asking?" the second snarled. "Let's just kill them all."
"Yeah, you right."
In a blur, claws extended. The first alpha brought down a massive slash toward the still-embracing pair.
But Raphael reacted instantly, leaping back while shielding Julia in his arms. The claw tore through the bench, splinters flying, but missed them.
"He dodged it!"
"Not even Barata could dodge that!"
"Barata? That dead weakling? I heard someone named Lancelot killed him."
"Hard to believe he was one of the 36 Heroes. Weakest of the lot. Good riddance."
Raphael dropped to one knee, still holding Julia, breathing hard as he stared at the two wolves.
(They're strong… too strong. I can't beat them without spilling blood…)
He held Julia tighter.
But his eyes burned now, not with fear, but resolve.