'!'
As the wolf's eyes widened, it instantly jumped, opening its jaws—not even biting—as if its instincts warned it of something. It leapt back with a huge bound, landing heavily on the ground, which instantly cracked under its weight.
Its foot screeched against the earth as it skidded to a halt, putting distance between itself and Lecan, eyes locked on him with clear intent.
Lecan, on the other hand, just groaned slightly, stretching his shoulder as his wounds bled.
Yes, he was immune to death, but not to injury—especially given that his vampire bloodline was too weak. He could have healed from normal injuries with a good amount of time, but this—this was inflicted by the wolf, and it slowed his healing drastically, making the wounds bleed even faster.
Still, it clarified one thing for him: the rebate system only worked when what was given to the heroine—or someone—was truly useful to them in some way. Like now, there was his blood on the wolf's teeth, but he didn't receive any kind of rebate.
"KGRRRHHHGGGG!"
The sharp growl of the wolf, its jaws clenched and eyes locked on him, made Lecan realize that the beast had some sense of awareness—especially due to the effect of the pendant, which was cutting off whatever destiny had been bound here. Things were shifting. Though of course, that pendant wouldn't change everything. He needed to act—just like he said.
'Use fate points…'
Lecan, looking at the wolf's hesitation, could clearly see that its defenses were slightly lowered, likely due to the call of that name now lingering inside its subconscious. It was clearly taken aback for a moment.
That was enough.
He used the fate value and thought, 'Change the fate of Velmira's beast form for now—turn her back into human.'
It was just a small trigger to change fate—or more like manipulating reality. Under normal circumstances, it would've been nearly impossible for a beast, especially after such an intense battle and surrounded by vampire blood, to return to human form. But he used it anyway.
[ Fate Point Cost: 3000 Fate Value ]
He was treating this battle more like an experimental ground—to get a hold of the practical applications of his abilities. And as it happened, it was as if a spark passed through the wolf.
The air around shimmered. The silver fur of the wolf began peeling away in strands, disintegrating. As the world seemed to slow, a woman's figure started emerging, the massive body of the wolf—thrice the size of a human—vanishing into nothingness.
Mid-air, hovering for a moment as the transformation completed, her body began to slump forward—falling from about two feet up, landing where the upper body of the wolf had been. But before she could hit the ground unconscious—
Lecan moved.
"Grrr—"
Swish
Thud
His speed left behind a trail of displaced air, and the last remnants of the wolf's energy form vanished as her body landed directly in his arms.
She was naked. One thick breast molded against his forearm—warm, full, her nipple brushing his skin, slick with sweat. The other he gripped—raw and firm—his fingers sinking into the underside, supporting her with strength.
Her body was ripe. Thick hips hung slightly apart from the way she fell—soft flesh over firm muscle.
Her abdomen was tight beneath his arm, her thighs thick enough to straddle and crush. She smelled of blood and heat—of a beast whose essence still lingered beneath skin.
Her grey-and-black hair spilled across his wrist—wild, matted, sticking to the sweat along her neck.
He yanked off his shirt and draped it over her back, though it barely covered her. Still, he swiftly lifted her into a princess carry, making sure to shield her decently.
"Haah, are you alright?" Lecan asked, glancing at her face. Her eyes slowly opened—dazed and dizzy, pulled from a recent state of rage. Even though she had fought against her instincts, trying to control them, something had thrown her into darkness—out of control—until she heard that voice again. The voice that called her Velmira.
Her eyelids fluttered, heavy. She managed a glance at the man—crimson red eyes, black hair, sharp jawline glowing under the moonlight. Pale skin. A sculpted face.
But soon enough, she fell unconscious again.
'It must be enough,' Lecan thought, looking ahead toward the battlefield with no intention of pressuring this woman further.
She was already asleep—and he knew she needed to realize how gentlemanly he was for not taking advantage of this moment when she was so vulnerable.
After all, when she wakes up, he needed to play along so that next time, when she marries him, he could practically check how much fate value he gets for scoring goals with a heroine.
.
.
.
.
.
Far away within the night, which was slowly passing, the moonlight traveled throughout the land, revealing a huge white mansion made of silver marble that gave off an ancient vibe, unlike modernity. Within its garden area, three individuals could be seen walking.
"Little Velmira must have already killed that worthless prince," an old man at the front said, combing his beard with his hand. His eyes were closed and fox-like, indicating that he had already predicted the outcome of the plans he personally devised.
"Clan Elder, if I may, I never imagined this was even possible," the man beside him, sporting a mustache, said calmly. He thought about how he had personally gotten the help of the elder, who was one of the clan strategists, after being convinced by his son—Wang Ling.
"Hohoho, it indeed wouldn't have been possible if not for your son convincing me." The Clan Elder laughed before, with narrowed gaze, slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the young man moving in his pristine white shirt and pants.
With hair as black as night and blue eyes, he appeared to hold the blood of the starlight.
"So, Wang Ling, shouldn't you be happy?" The elder, sensing a change in the emotions of the brilliant young man—who was a star and perhaps the future head of the Starlight family—noticed that Wang Ling appeared much calmer, though the frown on his face was clearly unexpected, especially now that he was about to realize his childhood crush.
"No, there is something wrong... I need to go," Wang Ling breathed as he felt a familiar ache in his chest, destined to marry the woman he had loved since childhood.
Something had just changed, which he could not identify, and without hesitation, he transformed into a wolf and lunged forward....