CHAPTER 177: CHAPTER 177: THE PRINCE’S FURY

Vaelen stood with a tight jaw, his fists clenched so hard that his knuckles had turned white.

He looked at his brothers...every single one of them, and all he wanted to do was punch them hard.

How could they?

How could they even think of taking his sister to a rogue attack?

He wanted to shout at them, shake them, and make them realize what they had done.

Even if Serena was good at combat, even if she could fight, that didn’t give them the reason to take her to a dangerous rogue attack.

A rogue attack was never a place to take her.

He stared at them, his chest rising and falling with pure rage.

No one spoke. All the werewolves standing there had their heads lowered, not daring to meet his eyes. The entire woods had gone silent. Even the wind seemed to stop moving.

They had thought it was just a small, simple patrol. So they’d taken her along for fun to let her "get some practice."

But when the rogues attacked, everything turned into chaos.

No one knew when or how she disappeared.

One moment she was there, fighting beside them. The next... she was gone.

And none of them even heard a sound.

Vaelen’s head felt heavy. His blood burned in his veins. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, wanting to tear it out. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt.

"Shift," he said. "All of you now, and find her. Check every inch of this area."

His eyes darkened as his wolf pushed forward.

"If she’s not found alive and unharmed," he growled, his voice breaking with anger, "I’ll peel the skin off every one of you."

No one dared to move until his power exploded.

Vaelen’s body began to shift...bones cracking, muscles expanding, fur spreading across his skin. In moments, a massive Lycan stood where the prince had been. He was twice the size of a normal alpha wolf, his dark silver fur gleaming under the light. His growl shook the air, deep and commanding.

The other wolves trembled under his glare before they all scattered, running to search.

Vaelen lowered his head and sniffed the ground. The scent trail was faint, but his senses were far sharper than any ordinary wolf’s. He followed it, step by step, through the forest, the smell of blood slowly growing stronger.

Then he froze.

The moment he saw her.

Serena was standing in the middle of the clearing surrounded by dead rogues. At least a dozen of them. Maybe more. Their bodies lay twisted and broken, blood pooling beneath them.

And she stood there, perfectly still.

Her clothes were torn, her skin splattered with red blood. He didn’t know if it was hers or theirs; it dripped down her hands and legs.

But it was her eyes that made his heart stop.

They were empty and cold.

She was staring at nothing, like she didn’t even see the world around her.

Blood slid slowly from her lashes, down her cheek, to her chin, and she didn’t even blink.

Velen’s breath caught.

For a moment, he couldn’t move.

He just stood there, watching her, his little sister, covered in blood, surrounded by corpses.

He didn’t know what had happened.

He didn’t know how she did it.

But as he looked at her face, that blank, haunting expression, a chill ran through his bones.

This wasn’t the same Serena who used to smile softly, who used to laugh when he teased her.

And for the first time, Prince Vaelen, the proud, fearless Lycan, felt a shiver crawl down his spine.

Vaelen slowly walked toward her, his steps careful, his breath shallow. He shifted back to his human form, standing just a few feet behind her.

"Serena," he whispered softly.

She didn’t move or respond, like she didn’t even hear him.

He tried again, louder this time.

"Serena!"

This time, she turned.

Her face was pale, her eyes empty as if she didn’t even recognize him. For a moment, she just stared at him blankly. Then she blinked, and something in her changed.

A drop of blood slid from the corner of her eye, down her cheek, leaving a thin red line on her skin.

Then her eyes softened, the coldness fading for a second, and she finally spoke.

"Brother," she said quietly, walking toward him. "It’s fine. I didn’t even die. I... I actually killed so many. So many of them. They came from everywhere... and I couldn’t... so I..."

Her voice trembled. She looked lost, like a frightened child trying to explain herself.

"The only way to survive was to kill them," she whispered. "And now... I feel so...scared."

She stopped. Her lips trembled.

Velen’s heart ached. He looked at her, his little sister, covered in blood and shaking, and all his earlier anger melted away.

He had been too harsh. Too quick to think the worst. She was only nineteen. Just a girl. How could he expect her to face a rogue ambush and not break down?

He took a slow step forward and pulled her into his arms.

"It’s alright," he said softly, his voice low and steady. "Don’t be scared. Brother is here now. You did well, Serena. You survived. That’s all that matters."

She didn’t resist. She stood still in his embrace, her body cold, her heartbeat faint against his chest.

He patted her back gently, his voice breaking with relief.

"Our Serena is so strong," he whispered. "She managed to fight off all those rogues... such a brave girl."

But Serena’s eyes, the ones he couldn’t see, changed again.

Over his shoulder, she stared past him, her gaze fixed on the dark forest. Her eyes slowly lost their warmth, turning quiet... and cold again.

However, her voice, when it came, was gentle like a breeze. But there was something wrong in it.

"Brother..." she said, her tone calm, almost distant. "They shouldn’t have attacked me."

Velen smiled faintly, still holding her, not noticing the way her fingers had gone still or how her expression no longer matched her voice.

To him, she was just a frightened sister who had survived something terrible.

But as the moonlight fell over her face, her blank stare returned, and the stillness in her eyes was colder than before.