Chapter 4
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A werewolf cub, while playing, accidentally fell from a height. Its arm bent unnaturally, with stark white bone protruding through the skin as blood flowed profusely. When everyone else was at a loss for what to do, Amy, in a moment of desperate urgency, rushed forward instinctively and firmly pressed her hands against the child's wound.
Then, a miracle happened.
The moment Amy's palms touched the wound, a warm, invisible energy flowed out like the gentle spring sun. The child's crying stopped abruptly. What was most astonishing was that the gruesome, bone-deep wound on his arm began to heal at a speed that completely defied biological principles—the bleeding stopped, the wound closed, and even the broken bone that had pierced through the skin slowly realigned itself!
This scene not only surprised Amy and everyone else, but was also fully witnessed by an elderly emissary from the Werewolf Reservation who had come to the orphanage to visit an old friend.
In his weathered, cloudy eyes, waves of shock immediately surged.
A few days later, this emissary, with a reason that couldn't be refused, secretly met with Amy in a quiet tea room at Harbor City University.
"Child, you need not panic, nor conceal anything," the old man said directly, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.
"Some bloodlines cannot be hidden. I am here to tell you your true identity."
Amy was initially full of caution. But when the elder asked her to extend her hand, placed a withered and curled leaf in her palm, and guided her to sense it and call to it with her mind, she was shocked to discover that the withered leaf, as if time were flowing backward, regained its vibrant, fresh green color!
"This, this is—" Amy looked at her slender hands, too shocked to speak.
"This is the power of 'Healing'! It's a gift that only Pure-blood Omegas possess!"
The old man's eyes burst with almost manic joy and excitement. He stood up and gave Amy an ancient and reverent bow. "The gods have finally shown mercy to the wolf tribe again!"
Then, in an extremely solemn tone, he revealed to her the bloody term "Hunting Association" and their pathological, at-all-costs mad covetousness of Pure-blood Omegas.
"Out there, you're like a child holding a priceless treasure with no protection, walking among wolves and tigers! It's too dangerous!" The old man earnestly hoped that Amy would immediately return with him to the "Holy Land" in the deep mountains—the Werewolf Reservation.
There, she would not only receive the highest level of protection from the entire clan but also undergo the most professional training to truly master this power that belonged to her—power capable of changing the world.
Amy's heart was tangled in knots.
The shock of carrying such an enormous secret, the pressure of bearing the hopes of an entire race, and the fear of being watched by unknown enemies all intertwined, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
But return to the Holy Land?
That would mean abandoning her life here forever—and never seeing Sean again.
Despite their misunderstandings, despite Sarah's presence in his life, despite the jealousy and inadequacy he made her feel—just the thought of "never seeing him again" made Amy's heart clench as if squeezed by an invisible fist, stealing her breath away.
"No."
After a brief silence, Amy raised her head. In her clear eyes burned a newfound determination, fierce and unwavering. "Thank you for telling me all this. But I can't go back with you yet."
"If the danger is real, if I truly possess power that could change everything, then I must stay and learn to fight—not hide behind safe barriers like a coward!"
This meeting with the werewolf elder struck like lightning, splitting open the clouded sky of Amy's past. No longer the little girl trailing behind Sean, she began using the elder's secret channels to devour every scrap of knowledge about "Pure-blood Omegas."
When she discovered in ancient texts that "Healing Power" could not only mend wounds but also accelerate healing in an Alpha whose soul was compatible with hers—everything suddenly clicked into place.
All these years, Sean's wounds—from minor scrapes to serious injuries—had miraculously vanished overnight...
So it was she who had been protecting him all along.
This revelation washed through her like a warm current, sweeping away all her insecurity and bitterness.
Through her storm of emotions, Amy felt an unprecedented strength and resolve surge within her heart.
She needed to become stronger.
Meanwhile, she began noticing Sean's increasingly frequent "outings" and occasional glimpses of a chilling aura that made her heart tremble. The doubts in her heart multiplied daily.
They stood at fate's crossroads, unaware that a tempest of identity, loyalty, love and hatred was gathering on the horizon.
***
Since Sean's enrollment, Sarah had begun appearing with suspicious frequency around Sean and Amy.
Under the pretext of "discussing coursework," she'd casually claim a seat across from them in the library. In the cafeteria, she'd "coincidentally" encounter them with her tray, sliding into their table with a practiced smile. She played the perfect "ordinary classmate" flawlessly, insinuating herself into their circle with gentle words and impeccable manners.
But Amy sensed the calculating sharpness behind Sarah's beautiful eyes whenever they landed on her. And Sean grew noticeably quieter when Sarah appeared, though his protective stance beside Amy intensified.
Through these observations, Sarah gradually pieced together a truth that both terrified and inflamed her jealousy.
The occasional traces of pure Omega pheromone leaking from Amy; her magnetic pull on nearby Alphas that far exceeded normal Omega attraction; Sean's almost primal, unbreakable protective instinct.
All signs pointed to one legendary existence—Pure-blood Omega.
The Hunting Association's ultimate prize.
And watching Sean look at Amy with eyes overflowing with naked affection and possessiveness, something called "rationality" snapped inside Sarah.
That was no brotherly love!
In Sean's heart, there had never been room for her.
Jealousy, like poison ivy, crept through her veins, malicious thoughts blooming wildly within.
If I can't have him, neither of you deserves happiness.
That night, she submitted an "escalation report" directly to Director Chen through an encrypted channel. She meticulously documented Amy's abnormalities and highlighted "Frost's" excessive protection of this "suspected Pure-blood Omega," along with his "inappropriate attachment" that had clearly compromised the mission.
Her report detonated like a bomb within the Hunting Association's upper echelons.
They convened an emergency meeting before dawn.
Director Chen stared at the damning words, her face ashen. She had always considered Sean her masterpiece—the sharpest, most reliable weapon the Association had forged in a century. The thought that this blade might be dulling because of some werewolf Omega was intolerable.
"We must force his hand!" A council member slammed his fist on the table. "No more ambiguity! Frost's value is too great—we cannot lose him!"
Indeed, Sean's value was immeasurable. As a mixed-blood S-class Alpha, he possessed overwhelming power that eclipsed others at his level. More crucially, having grown up in the werewolf orphanage, he had unparalleled insight into their communities.
With him leading the pure-blood Omega's capture, success was virtually guaranteed.
"I agree." Director Chen's voice cut like ice. "Designate Amy as an 'S-level hunting target.' Establish the 'Harbor City Special Operations Team' with Frost as operation leader, fully responsible for the capture plan."
When Sean received Director Chen's personal order appointing him team leader, he simply offered a crisp military salute.
"Yes, Director."
His face remained expressionless, as though the girl designated as an "S-level target" were a complete stranger.
Back in his dorm, he locked the door and silently sketched action routes and tactical deployment diagrams across his whiteboard. To any observer, he appeared the consummate Hunter, meticulously preparing for the upcoming operation.
But beneath this facade, his mind raced at breakneck speed.
He had to save her.
He would save her.
Under the Hunting Association's vast surveillance network, he would use his Hunter identity to save his designated prey.
This was Russian roulette with fully loaded chambers. Failure meant no redemption for either of them.
Days later, the Hunting Association's trap materialized exactly as expected.
They announced a mandatory academic lecture in a relatively enclosed amphitheater with a single main exit.
Sean recognized this as their perfect strike opportunity.
After the lecture began, Sean excused himself and slipped outside to finalize deployment with his hunter team.
"Remember," he told Captain Hank, "we need her alive and unharmed."
Everything was in place.
Half an hour later, Sarah's voice crackled through his earpiece: "Target locked. Amy is leaving Building No. 3 now, estimated to enter encirclement zone A in three minutes."
Sean's heart leaped into his throat.
He watched that slender figure in the distance walking unwittingly into the deadly trap.
"Move!" At his command, Hunters emerged from their hiding spots, closing in like silent wraiths.
Amy clutched her backpack, eyes darting around in confusion. The department head had asked to see her, making her late, but the campus shouldn't be this deserted.
Just as suspicion dawned, primal danger signals made her hair stand on end. Suddenly, dark figures burst from the shadows on both sides, lunging toward her with predatory speed!
Amy's pupils contracted to pinpoints! Without time to even gasp, she instinctively tumbled backward, barely avoiding the first wave of attacks.
But her attackers were too many and too coordinated, moving with lethal precision. Within seconds, they had her backed against a wall.
Just as a Hunter pressed a tranquilizer gun to the back of her neck, a darker, fiercer shadow dropped from above!
It was Sean.
He moved like an enraged cheetah, his incredible speed and power sending the Hunter flying backward as he landed protectively in front of Amy.
Amy froze in shock—why was Sean here?
"Frost? What the hell are you doing?" Captain Hank stared in disbelief.
"What am I doing?" A cold, predatory smile curved Sean's lips. "Just finding my target."
Before his words faded, he struck!
His speed was inhuman—none could track his movements. The Hunters only registered black blurs darting between them, each pass marked by a muffled groan as another body hit the ground.
Sean avoided killing blows, instead striking with surgical precision at vulnerable joints and nerve clusters, instantly neutralizing his former comrades.
"You've lost your mind! Frost! This is treason!" Sarah's voice cracked with shock and fury.
Sean ignored her. After dispatching most of the attackers, he spun around, grabbed the still-stunned Amy, and charged toward the encirclement's weakest point—a gap he'd deliberately engineered!
"Run now!"
Amy didn't hesitate. She immediately matched his pace, unleashing her full potential like a sleek leopard. Within moments, they vanished into the labyrinth of campus buildings.
"After them!" Captain Hank roared, rallying his remaining forces in pursuit.
Sean offered no explanation as they fled. He simply guided her through the dense forest until they reached a secluded cave he'd prepared beforehand.
The place was remote, filled only with the sounds of wind and chirping insects.
Inside, he'd already stocked food, water, and warm blankets.
Just as Amy caught her breath and prepared to demand answers, Sean's anti-tracking communicator buzzed in his pocket.
He opened it to reveal Director Chen's cold face on the dim screen.
"Frost, headquarters has received the action report." Director Chen's voice cut like arctic wind. "I'm giving you one last chance. You have 72 hours to bring the target back, or face the consequences. This is your final warning."
Sean terminated the connection.
They both heard the message. Neither spoke.
The night deepened.
In the cave, only the campfire broke the silence with soft crackling. The flames cast their elongated shadows against the stone walls.
"From the moment I first saw you at the orphanage when I was seven," Sean suddenly took Amy's hand, his voice grave, "I knew you were special to me."
"I love you, Amy. Not as a brother loves a sister, but as a man loves a woman."
Boom——
Amy felt as if lightning had struck her brain, leaving nothing but white noise.
She stared at Sean in shock, seeing the raw affection and pain in his eyes. In that moment, all their previous misunderstandings and bitterness seemed trivial by comparison.
"I know this is sudden," Sean looked at her shocked expression and smiled bitterly, "but I swear I won't hurt you. I'll use every ounce of my strength to get you out of here safely."
After confessing his deepest feelings, he seemed to shed a thousand-pound burden. He added with bitter self-mockery, his voice heavy with exhaustion and despair, "Of course, I know I have no right to say these things. I am a Hunter with hands stained by your people's blood. If you hate me, despise me, cannot accept me—I understand. I can live with that."
His candor cut like a knife, laying bare the bloody reality between them.
Did she hate the Hunting Association? How could she not?
Since learning the Hunting Association was responsible for her parents' deaths, she'd been haunted by nightmares of raging fires and her parents' cold bodies, startling awake countless nights, unable to find peace.
Her family, her kin—all had perished under the merciless machine those three words represented.
Did she love the man before her? Of course she did.
But now, the man she had relied on, trusted, and loved since childhood was confessing he belonged to the organization that had murdered her family and now hunted her.
Immense pain and hatred coiled around her heart like poisonous vines.
She nearly yanked her hand away, desperate to escape this stranger called "Frost."
She didn't know how to respond or even face him. She could only remain silent.
And Sean—he understood the conflict raging behind her eyes.
He didn't press further, just quietly fed more branches to the hungry flames.
They sat in silence, watching the fire dance, each lost in their own thoughts.
Neither spoke again.
