Awakened (Bloodline, #1)

Chapter 13

13: Apparently, Werewolves Aren't Our Nemesis

The werewolves were ready to pound on us, but Moria suddenly raised her right hand.

"Wait," she called out. "No one here is a werecat."

The biggest werewolf, a black-furred lycanthrope with a deep scar running through its face, growled threateningly. "Silence! I can smell their revolting stench in you!"

Kei and Moria exchanged looks while I stayed behind Irus. I almost let out a whimper when I met one of the werewolves' gaze. It was a different kind of fear compared to the mages' powers. I felt fear solely from their appearance and brute strength. Those bodies and fangs could trample and pierce our bodies in a matter of seconds.

"Lady, stay close to me," Irus whispered as he tried to shield me from everyone's sight.

"Perhaps we accidentally got into contact with them," Moria reasoned.

"Lies!" the werewolf roared.

"It's true," Kei chimed in, and he suddenly threw a covered good in front of the werewolf.

The lycan backed off a few steps as it bared its fangs to the parcel Kei just tossed in front of them. The cloth got unraveled and it revealed a few clothes. It must be the source of the scent they were talking about.

"There is a trading hub a few kilometers from here, and we bought some change of clothes. Perhaps one of the traders was a werecat disguising as a human," Kei explained. "The four of us are undead. Can you not see that?"

Some of the lycans exchanged confused looks, but their leader seemed unconvinced.

"Must you need a proof?" he asked.

I almost gasped when Kei suddenly pulled his knife from its holster, and thrust it to his chest, much to the werewolves' disgust.

"Convinced now?" he calmly asked as blood tricked down his shirt. "Or you still cannot distinguish the difference between an undead and a skinwalker?"

The werewolves' ire seemed to gradually dissipate, and they all returned to their wolf forms. Their leader howled and the rest started trudging the path on their right. He looked at us one last time and growled.

"You're lucky it's not a full moon tonight," he retorted before joining his pack.

Halos manlambot ang mga tuhod ko nang tuluyan na silang mawala sa paningin namin. Napahawak ako sa balikat ni Irus para suportahan ang katawan ko.

"You said werewolves aren't our enemies," I muttered.

"They are not," Kei replied as he casually pulled his knife from his chest, "but as I have said before, they aren't exactly our allies either."

He wasn't bothered by the blood on his shirt or the fact that there was a hole in his chest. But what surprised me was that I, too, wasn't. I guess I was starting to get used to this kind of situation.

Nakita ko namang napatingin pareho sina Kei at Irus kay Moria pero nagsimula na siyang maglakad palayo kaya sumunod din kami agad.

I turned to Irus. "What's with Moria?" mahina kong tanong.

His shoulders twitched. "She was barely able to keep her cool," he whispered. "Good thing Khmer did that, or else, she'd start fighting them all."

"W-what?"

She was quiet because she was trying to hold back her anger? Wow, that was a close call. If a full-blown fight had occurred, I wasn't sure if we could make it out alive.