Chapter 7 No.7

He approached me leisurely, entering the safe zone marked by his reassuring presence. The soldiers executing me suddenly lost their fierce demeanor and trembled in fear, taking steps behind him. If it weren't for the pain from my wounds, I might have chuckled at their sudden change. But I couldn't comprehend how Devil Lycan could have escaped his prison cell and appeared here.

"Sorry I'm late," he said as he lifted me. His actions and tender tone made my face blush, but my injuries prevented me from resisting. I could only rest my chin on his shoulder, avoiding his gaze to hide my embarrassment. In this position, I could see Phillips rushing toward us in the audience seating area.

"Be careful..." I weakly warned him but wasn't sure if my faint voice reached him amidst my injuries.

"Relax, I'm here," he reassured me, holding me tightly against his chest. His strong and tall frame became a protective barrier around me. Then, he turned his head and let out a wolf howl towards Phillips, who was approaching from behind. It was my first time hearing the cry of a Lycan, and its intimidating sound froze Alyee's image in my mind, as well as Phillips'. He abruptly halted, stumbling due to inertia and clumsily rolling twice before hitting the ground.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Ryan lowered his head again, gently fixing my hair and wiping the blood from my lips with his fingers. His gaze lingered on my face, making it easy to mistake it for infatuation. Remembering what he said to me in the prison cell, my heart beat faster.

"I have a surprise for you here." He provocatively smiled at Phillips, then glanced toward the entrance of the execution grounds where a disheveled girl with trembling teeth and a tear-streaked face ran in.

"Carlee!" Phillips shouted and prepared to rush over for Carlee's rescue.

"Stop!" Ryan halted him. "Aren't you curious about what Carlee did and how I managed to escape?"

His words piqued my curiosity too. Carlee was just an average werewolf with ordinary abilities, spending her youth playing and laughing with her pack members and appearing innocent and harmless. I didn't even think she would do anything wrong. But Ryan's question hinted that her actions were crucial to his escape.

"It wasn't me! You have no evidence!!" Carlee screamed in defense. But Ryan already had me in one arm and gripped her neck with the other, lifting her. "Alpha Phillips doesn't need a trial to kill. Then do I, Devil Lycan, need evidence?"

Carlee kicked her legs in the air, crying and desperately reaching out to Phillips, begging, "Phillips! Phillips, save me! He's going to kill me!"

Phillips stood there coldly, not saying a word, suspicion filling his eyes. Carlee even pleaded with me, "Ophelia! Devil Lycan treats you so differently. He'll listen to you. Please save me! We're friends, sisters, right?"

Her pitiful plea, tears mixing with her smudged makeup, and usually well-maintained face now unkempt failed to stir any emotional response within me for the first time. If Ryan hadn't arrived, it would have been me facing death.

Ryan's grip on Carlee's neck tightened, causing her to scream in pain. I could even hear the sound of her bones being squeezed. His golden eyes stared at her, coldly asking, "Last time you were trapped in the prison cell, who loosened my chains?"

Gasping for breath and in agonizing pain, Carlee reluctantly admitted, "I... It was me..."

Her words exploded in the crowd like a bomb, and whispers spread.

"What's happening?"

"If Carlee released him from his chains, then we've wrongly accused Ophelia, no, Luna."

Hearing them refer to me as Luna again didn't bring me joy. I found these apathetic and foolish people quite laughable.

Several gazes were filled with guilt and pity as they looked at me. I knew what they saw. I had a pale complexion, blood dripping from my fingers onto the ground, heavy silver iron chains weighing me down, and a fresh knife wound on my chest. They probably thought I was pitiful, but I found their lack of judgment even more pathetic.

"So, who set me free today?" Ryan continued to inquire.

"... It was also me," Carlee despairingly confessed. "But you promised to help me become Luna. That's why I let you out! It was you... You tricked me!"

"Is that so? Well, I asked Ophelia the same question. She'd rather be sad and hurt than set me free to kill all of you." Ryan smirked.

Phillips, standing at a distance, heard these revelations and seemed soulless. He looked at me with hollow eyes, then glanced at Carlee. Regret and pain were etched on his face, satisfying me. He had betrayed my love, and now someone else deceived and betrayed him. Wasn't that the curse of fate?

"Phillips..." Carlee noticed his expression and started to panic, explaining, "It's just because I love you too much! Phillips, I can't resist your charm!"

"Shut up!" Phillips angrily shouted. He staggered from the sudden turn of events and then stumbled toward me.

What surprised me was that Ryan didn't stop him. He watched coldly as Phillips approached me.

"Ophelia, I was wrong," Phillips said, his eyes still the blue color I adored. "Please don't leave me."

"Ophelia, I've always believed in you," the people in the stands spoke gently. Suddenly, it felt like everyone started believing in me, as if they were my friends.

But before this, these people, including my beloved Phillips, never believed me, no matter how much I explained. They thought I was the Devil Wolf from hell. They interrogated me, whipped me, expelled me... Phillips even rejected me and wanted to kill me.

The scene before me started spinning, and I felt a bit dizzy. My body shook uncontrollably. I closed my eyes tightly and clenched my fists to stay awake. Ryan supported me from behind, helping me stand.

"But it's too late now. It's not enough." I weakly shook my head. One month of imprisonment and punishment and the recent stab wound had drained most of my strength.

"Moon Goddess, I, Ophelia, am willing to answer your call and become a Devil Wolf," I said while looking at Phillips. Flames appeared with my white wolf, and Alyee looked even stronger than before.

As soon as the words fell, I felt a strange and powerful force entering my chest.

Alyee lifted her head and let out a long howl. I closed my eyes, sensing the wounds on my body visibly healed fast, and the bloodstains on my chest and legs disappeared into my skin. I felt the power sliding down my spine, clenched my fists, and the silver chains and collar on my wrists and ankles broke apart, falling to the ground.

I moved my neck a little, took a deep breath, and my chest filled with clear air and the scent of the Devil. Before today, I could only recognize the Devil Scent, but now I could clearly distinguish it. It was the smell of the forest, mountains, and a hint of burning flames. The wind played with my long hair, flowing like floating algae in the wind. I could hear the howls of the wolves, one after another, calling out to me.

I felt a bit strange. I could sense that someone had erased part of my memory. But there was a difference. It felt more like a peaceful release than the painful and hollow feeling of rejection. I remembered every moment I spent with Phillips, how I followed him running in the forest, and how he treated me. But those experiences now seemed like scenes in a movie, and I was just an audience. I forgot my feelings then and didn't feel happy or sad.

My change undoubtedly caused great uproar among the pack members. Several werewolves who were influenced by the "Devil Wolf Is Guilty" theory pounced on me, wanting to kill me for the sake of the people. I shook off Ryan, who was behind me, and calmly jumped at them. They flew several meters away and fell heavily on the ground, blood staining their sharp wolf teeth.

"Foolish." I looked at them coldly, checking if any more werewolves intended to attack me.

"Luna, we are sorry. We shouldn't have doubted you and caused you harm."

"Ophelia! I've always believed in you."

...

The remaining pack members looked at the bodies of the werewolves lying on the ground and rushed forward to hug me, praising and trusting me in every word. But these words left me at a loss. I must admit that I still held resentment and bitterness toward them deep down. And I also knew that now I had become a Devil Wolf, and they were the killers of countless Devil Wolves. We could never coexist peacefully again.

I didn't speak, and the atmosphere became somewhat silent. Standing quietly by the side, Ryan looked up and smiled, "Hahaha..." His laughter was wild and unrestrained, and my blood was still on his clothes, making him look terrifying. But I wasn't afraid of him at all.

"I remember you, Ryan," I said.

The Moon Goddess had lifted the seal on my powers and returned some of my memories, so I remembered him, Ryan.

As a lone orphan rogue wandering in the forest, I had seen him before. At that time, he was just a teenager, but he was the first person I had gotten close to, the first Devil Wolf I had known besides myself. He was always cold, and his body temperature was always icy. Still, he brought me back home, cared for me, and told me that Devil Wolves were not inherently guilty, helping me overcome my insecurities. He always liked to hold me in his arms and warm me up.

But later, I forgot about him when the Moon Goddess sealed my Devil Wolf abilities and memories.

"It's me. Welcome back, Ophelia." He smiled. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Ophelia..." Phillips, who was two steps away from me, looked at my change with wide eyes, calling out my name and reaching out his hand. Ryan's hand reached from behind me and wrapped around my waist, pulling me back a step so I could narrowly avoid Phillips' touch.

"She's mine. If you dare touch her, I'll cut off your hand," Ryan growled, gripping my waist tightly.

"Ophelia..." Phillips stood up, finally accepting that I was indeed a Devil Wolf. He took a hesitant step towards me as if he was reluctant to let me go. "Don't you want anything to do with the entire New Mars Pack and me anymore?"

"Don't leave me, Ophelia," he pleaded. In the past, his concern for me would have broken my heart. But now, not only had I severed our mate bond, but I was also losing fragments of my memories. His tears no longer moved me.

Before I could respond, he closed the distance with another step. Ryan, who stood beside me, swiftly picked up the silver knife that had pierced my body moments ago. With a fierce throw, he severed Phillips' right hand, which had narrowly brushed against my clothes, causing blood to splatter.

"I warned you," Ryan said coldly, leading me to the highest spot on the platform where Alpha Phillips had been seated. "From this day forth, she is my Devil Luna. You all have two choices: submit or die."