Jeremy and several bodyguards pulled over under a shady tree at the end of the road, away from the crowd. They drank from the bottles in their hands and chatted.
"Where’s Isla? That boy! He always disappears just like that," said one of the older guards.
Isla was known to be quiet and calm, but at the same time, he knew every place to have fun. He could even name all the brothels in the capital one by one.
For someone his age, that was impressive.
"I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s screwing the third girl right now," Jeremy replied, making everyone burst out laughing.
They joked back and forth, filling the air with laughter. After a while, Isla appeared, walking closer and waving his hand. His arrival was greeted with cheers from the guards.
"Already emptied your balls?" one of them teased.
Isla just grinned and accepted a bottle from a guard.
"You disappeared just like that, I thought you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow," said Jeremy.
"No, I ran into a friend earlier and we talked for a bit," Isla replied, smiling before finishing the alcohol in his bottle.
They went back to chatting and joking around. One of them offered to buy food and quickly left.
Isla scanned his surroundings, watching and staying alert. Maybe he would notice signs of a call from the Black Mask group.
He stared at his empty bottle, then waved to get a new drink at the nearest bar. Check latest chapters at novel⟡fire.net
"Bring a few more bottles," said Jeremy.
Isla nodded and walked toward the crowd. His steps were slow, sometimes dragging, scattering dry leaves in front of him. The tall trees around him made the atmosphere quiet and calm. Several couples sat under the trees, enjoying each other’s embrace and conversation.
Isla passed them without paying much attention, his thoughts wandering. Suddenly, he felt his body being lifted, dragged, or something—he realized he was floating in the air.
His eyes snapped open in shock. The ground was meters below. A hand was wrapped around his stomach.
A man with gray eyes and sharp fangs stared back with a small grin.
Isla struggled. "Who are you?!" he shouted.
Vlad stepped onto a sturdy tree branch and pushed Isla’s body closer to the trunk. His strong hands clamped around Isla’s neck.
But Isla’s eyes turned red. He grabbed Vlad’s hands and pulled at them.
Vlad grinned, sensing the strange aura inside Isla. He knew this man was no ordinary human. He saw sharp claws appear from Isla’s hands, covered in thick fur.
Vlad grabbed Isla’s wrist. "I’ve hated you ever since I saw you take my partner to a brothel. Now I have a clear reason why I can’t stand the sight of you. You damn dog!"
Isla’s eyes widened when Vlad suddenly moved, yanking his arm and throwing him to the ground.
But his wolf instincts reacted fast. He rolled and landed on his hands and feet.
Vlad jumped down, watching as Isla darted quickly into the trees. He just grinned before chasing. It had been a long time since he had seen a wolf.
Isla cursed under his breath when he saw how fast Vlad was. A few seconds later, he felt his leg being pulled.
Shocked, his body flew into the air, slammed into a large tree branch, then hit the ground.
Isla growled, claws dragging across the dirt before he tried to sprint away. But before he could move, Vlad grabbed his collar.
"You think you can run from me, little dog?" Vlad chuckled, pulling him down and slamming him into the ground.
Isla groaned, his face pressed into the dry leaves, hands gripping the earth as he tried to push himself up. But Vlad’s hand pressed on his neck, pinning him down with his weight.
"Let me go! You can’t hurt me!" Isla shouted.
Vlad smirked. "I’ve never seen you before. How many dogs are left in the human world now?"
"Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that?" Isla muttered, struggling to breathe.
"You really piss me off," Vlad said, still calm.
Isla felt Vlad’s grip dig into the back of his neck.
"You’ll cause chaos if you kill me," Isla hissed.
Vlad smirked. "I know that. But that doesn’t mean you’ll just walk away after what you did to my lover."
He still remembered the man who had taken Alvaro to the brothel last time.
Isla groaned, his chest pressed hard into the ground. The vampire’s strength was overwhelming. He had never fought one directly until now, and he was finally experiencing it.
He could only hope Vlad remembered the old agreement. Vampires and werewolves were not allowed to attack each other or stay in the same territory. If that happened, the intruding side had to leave immediately.
That rule existed after the long war between vampires and werewolves that nearly wiped them out. Hundreds of years ago, their numbers had been reduced to only a few scattered groups.
Vlad had his own reason to hate wolves. He had even carved a wolf figure, modified to look like a dog, and placed it in his manor as a reminder of his enemy.
He never expected to catch a young wolf today. But he wasn’t going to waste the chance.
Isla growled as Vlad threw and slammed him repeatedly, never giving him time to fight back.
His stomach churned from being tossed around like a toy. Vlad moved too fast, disappearing and reappearing, each time grabbing and hurling him into the air.
Isla cursed weakly. He was exhausted. His body trembled. His skin was torn from the blows.
Once again, he felt himself being dragged. "Stop! No!" he shouted in desperation.
Vlad lifted him into the air, then kicked him hard into the ground.
Isla hit the earth with a thud. Blood spilled from his mouth. His vision blurred.
But before he blacked out, Vlad yanked him up by the collar, pulling his face close.
"You better take me to where you took that slave," Vlad said slowly, his voice calm yet intimidating.