Hunt

“Doesn’t she feel ashamed? After saying those things in front of the entire West clan, she still has the nerve to show her face now?”

“That omega really has a thick face. Just because she’s Antonio’s daughter, she thinks she can act like that. She’s probably just pretending to be kind and gentle so she can wrap Alpha Lucas around her finger.”

All kinds of whispers greeted Amelia as she walked toward the hunting ground.

Today was the annual contest of the Crescent Moon Pack, where all the men would go hunting to see who could catch the most animals. If a Crescent Moon Pack member won, his rank within the pack could rise. If the winner was a guest or a member of the West family, they would be granted a reward or a wish from the Alpha.

Every pack member prepared seriously for this event because it was their chance to rise in rank. They were also excited because every time the event was held, it became an opportunity to confess their feelings to the she-wolf they liked.

There was a saying in the pack that if a contestant gave all of his catches to a single woman, it was considered a declaration of love. Because of this, the female members of the pack were just as excited, wondering who might receive a confession.

In the past, every year Lucas would give Amelia all of the animals he caught. Lucas was also the one who always won this competition, so the prize he usually asked for was a large sum of money, which he spent on his luxuries.

“It’s such a beautiful day,” Amelia said to Mia as they walked toward the hunting ground.

“It’s the perfect weather for screwing someone over,” Amelia added with a sweet smile toward Mia.

Mia grimaced and felt nervous about the plans forming in her best friend’s mind. She knew she herself had been the one who pushed Amelia to fight back, and if she hadn’t instigated it, Amelia wouldn’t have gone against their enemies. But now, she seems to regret it. She knew how terrifying a truly kind person could become once they were pushed too far.

“Girl, can you calm down? Are you planning something again?” Mia whispered. She noticed that everyone was looking in their direction, and they weren’t deaf—they could clearly hear that people were talking about them.

“Hm… depends. But I do plan to stay calm today. We’re just watching, I promise,” Amelia replied. Mia didn’t believe her, especially after Amelia had just said it was a good day to ruin someone.

“And I’m happy because Solana isn’t here today, and she already gave my savings account back,” Amelia whispered. Mia smiled at that.

Amelia had already told Mia about Solana’s and Olivia’s fake kindness toward her and her father, Antonio. So when Amelia got her savings account back and saw that Solana had returned the money she had spent, that was enough to make her day start well.

“So where did that witch of a stepmother go?” Mia asked. Amelia just shrugged.

“I don’t know. She said she had something to take care of,” Amelia replied, though she wasn’t letting her guard down around Solana. Now that she knew her true nature, Amelia had a strong feeling Solana was plotting something new.

“Sis!”

Amelia and Mia turned toward the voice and saw Olivia approaching. Both of them frowned when they noticed Olivia’s outfit. She was wearing a simple yellow dress; her usually curly hair was now straight, and her makeup was light.

Mia immediately whispered, looking at Olivia with disgust. “Is that your dress? Is she copying your style and the way you fix yourself? This is the first time I’ve seen her hair not curly and without red lipstick.” She had to whisper because she couldn’t use a mind link with Amelia, since Amelia was wolfless.

“Yes, that’s my dress,” Amelia replied briefly. She clearly remembered that her stepsister didn’t own anything that simple.

“Has the event started?” Olivia asked innocently as she hooked her arm around Amelia’s. Mia couldn’t stand her irritation any longer and quickly excused herself.

“I’ll go ahead. I need to check on my pack members,” Mia said, confident that Amelia could handle her stepsister on her own.

“Okay, see you later.”

They waved at each other, and Amelia smiled at Olivia.

“So where should we sit? Do you want to come with me to my spot?” Amelia asked, noticing the forced smile on Olivia’s face.

The spot Amelia was referring to was the front seat, where they could see the entire hunting ground. It was located at the top of a tall tower beside the pack house. Only a few members were allowed to sit there, and that seat was always reserved for Amelia.

“Of course, sis. I’ve never watched from the tower before. And you’ll probably need company, since members of the West family will be with you there, right?” Olivia whispered, clearly wanting to see how the Wests would belittle her stepsister.

“Oh right… hahaha, I did cause a scene last night,” Amelia replied shyly. She noticed the corner of Olivia’s lips lift—Olivia looked pleased to hear that Amelia was now on bad terms with the Wests.

“Why don’t we just stay here? It’ll take them at least an hour to hunt their prey anyway,” Olivia suggested. Amelia shook her head.

“Just come with me upstairs—”

Amelia stopped mid-sentence when her heart suddenly began to race, and that strange excitement surged through her body again.

She immediately looked behind her and saw Alpha Lorcan walking into the hunting ground with other members of the Nightraven pack. Some of them were former Crescent Moon members and distant relatives of the Wests who supported Lorcan, which was why they had transferred to Nightraven.

“Huh? Alpha Lorcan is joining the hunting contest? This is his first time attending this event since his real mother died, right?” Olivia commented. Even Amelia felt puzzled. It was true—Lorcan never attended family events. He was distant from the Wests, which was why he had formed his own pack.

“Guys! The event will start in five minutes! Get ready!” a she-wolf announced, and the participants began preparing.