Marie moved ahead of the group, her pace quickening despite the fact they were meant to be traveling together. In her Werewolf form, she could move far faster than any of them, her strides eating up the ground beneath her. Still, she had made the decision to remain within reach, just in case there was anyone else like Ghost lurking nearby. The last thing she wanted was to charge into danger and leave the others too far behind to help.
She leapt over fallen branches, her muscles tense with focus, when suddenly, without warning, a flicker of something not entirely her own flashed across her mind.
It was brief, nothing more than a fragment, but it was clear enough. Ylva. She saw her running, fleeing from a fight, the image already dissolving before she could catch what happened next.
Even so, the meaning was obvious to Marie.
If Ylva was running, then she felt threatened. That could only mean one thing, Gary and the others must have turned the tide of the battle. Marie’s pulse quickened at the thought. She couldn’t risk letting such a key member of the enemy escape.
Without hesitation, she pushed herself harder, claws digging into the earth for traction before she launched into a massive leap through the air. Her shadow streaked over the forest floor before she landed with a heavy thud directly in Ylva’s path, blocking her escape completely.
When Ylva’s eyes snapped up, they widened instantly. Marie’s eyes were alight with a glowing white aura, the luminous energy rolling off her body in visible waves.
There was no mistaking it.
“You’re... a Luna,” Ylva muttered, almost to herself. Her voice carried both disbelief and suspicion. “But... how? How can you transform?”
It didn’t make sense. If the others could transform into their wolf forms, they would have done so by now. Ylva was certain her intel had been correct, she had seen how the rest of the Howlers fought, and there had been no sign of this.
Marie didn’t waste a single heartbeat on words. She lunged forward, swinging her fist with explosive force.
Ylva reacted instantly, ducking under the strike. The moment her feet touched the ground again, she lashed out with her claws, her nails shooting forward in an attempt to slice into Marie’s side.
But as soon as they connected, a brilliant flash of reflective energy flared across Marie’s armor, the radiant glow blocking the attack entirely. Her skin remained untouched beneath the protective shell.
Marie didn’t even flinch. She already knew the armor would hold. With that same fearless momentum, she surged forward again, reaching with both clawed hands to grab hold of her opponent.
Ylva kicked off the ground, propelling herself up and over Marie’s arms. She twisted midair, aiming to land behind her, but instead of falling back to the ground, she leapt higher still, her body arching over Marie’s shoulders.
Her nails elongated in an instant, long, vicious talons like those of a Hunter-class werewolf. She slashed downward, aiming for Marie’s back in a move designed to rip straight through flesh.
But even that attack failed. The protective armor absorbed the strike just as easily as before, the shimmering light dancing across its surface.
Marie spun on her heel, swinging for Ylva in retaliation. Her claws cut through the air with deadly speed, but Ylva was already moving, her body twisting just enough to slip past the strike. Her feet hit the ground, and she sprang away again, keeping herself just outside the reach of Marie’s powerful blows.
The air between them crackled with tension, one fighter shielded by unbreakable defense, the other relying on agility to survive each exchange.
Although both Marie and Ylva were Lunas, there was still a considerable gap between them in raw ability. As a standard werewolf, Ylva was already formidable, one of the strongest in her pack, holding her position for a reason that went beyond simple dominance.
Her edge wasn’t just physical strength. She also possessed the rare ability to see moments ahead beneath the moonlight, a skill she had honed to near perfection. In that regard, she was practically an expert, able to anticipate movements and act before an opponent could react. Marie, on the other hand, could only catch fragmented glimpses of the future, fleeting visions she couldn’t control.
Still, at this moment, Marie was fighting in her true Luna form. Ylva wasn’t. And because of that difference, the battle had become a strange stalemate.
Marie’s strikes couldn’t land cleanly. Ylva’s evasions kept her just out of reach. At the same time, Ylva couldn’t deal any real damage through Marie’s defenses. It was a constant back-and-forth of narrowly avoided blows and fruitless counterattacks.
Frustration finally sparked in Marie’s eyes. She raised both hands high above her head, energy gathering in her palms until the glow was blinding. Then she brought them down with force, slamming them into the ground.
A brilliant flash exploded outward, filling the area with blinding light. The move was meant to disorient, an attack designed to rob her opponent, or anyone nearby, of their vision in an instant.
But when the glow faded and Marie’s sight returned, Ylva was already moving. She was still trying to escape. Even worse, two werewolves had leapt toward Marie during the distraction.
Without hesitation, Marie caught both by the neck midair, her claws clamping down like iron. With a sharp, brutal motion, she drove them into the ground, the impact cracking the surface beneath them.
Damn it, she thought. She must have seen that coming and closed her eyes before the flash hit. It didn’t affect her at all.
Marie didn’t waste time. Her legs tensed, muscles coiling before she burst forward again, leaving the downed werewolves behind. In seconds, she was ahead of Ylva once more, cutting off her path.
Fighting someone who was trying to run away was proving far trickier than clashing with someone who wanted to stand their ground.
“What are you doing?” Marie demanded, her voice edged with anger. “Aren’t you the ones who attacked us? And now you’re running? You should finish what you started. No matter how far you go, I’ll chase you down!”
Ylva bared her teeth, her lip curling in irritation. She shifted her stance, ready to make her move, but at the last moment, her instincts screamed at her to dodge. She twisted to the side just in time.
A massive tentacle crashed down where she had been standing, the ground splintering under the impact.
“I hope you didn’t forget about me either!” Adam’s voice rang out as his figure came into view. “Now that you’ve forced me into this state... I’ll make sure you can’t slip away. Restraining people, that’s what I do best.”
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