Chapter 31: Remove Pack Mark

Nox spread out the potions onto the floor from his satchel. "Can you check? If there are any?

I think the red one is the one to remove the mark, but Ugo said he smelled the green one in the shaman’s altar when they were arranging the ritual before."

Moon swept his gaze over the bottles and vials. He was not familiar with this world’s potions.

All he knew was the theory he had read secretly in the witch’s cavern. This was very dangerous to guess at a forbidden one.

"How did you know which one to take to enhance the wolf’s power to his high form?" he suddenly asked.

"Instinct," Axe shrugged.

Moon’s fingers tightened on the two pups he was holding. Their slow breathing was still pulsing under his palm. Slow but steady after giving his essence. "Don’t tell me they just randomly took some potion."

The three brothers suddenly became busy looking around.

Moon knew these sneaky looks. His shoulders started to quiver in rage.

A rage—not from their desperate decision but from helplessness and fear.

Vadira sighed on the side. "Don’t worry, after shifting, every wolf’s instinct and sensory power are heightened, and they could sense danger and the things that can give them energy and make them powerful. I think they took the right one."

Moon’s thumb pressed on the pups’ pulse a few times, rubbing unconsciously, then he stood up.

He handed over the pups to Ugo. "Let me think."

He walked to a corner and stood alone.

His mind was frantically searching for a way to block the mark for at least one month or so without using any potion from the grand witch.

There was no way he would use that forbidden potion from some old greedy witch when he didn’t know the aftereffects.

’Goddess, help me.’

[I already gave you the divine-level technique.]

’But I can’t remove the soul imprint until I reach at least the Master level. It’s too far. Entirely three high levels to reach, not to mention that we need to overcome the 9-star level for each: Novice to Apprentice, to Adept, then Master.’

[Make a soul contract. Your contract will override them. Bond with them. You can do it.]

The bond again.

It seems no matter what it is, all the Moon Goddess thinks about is one solution.

Bonding.

’I want to, but we don’t have time now,’ he sighed. ’Give me this favor. I know you didn’t really give me any favor with the technique or the satchel—you gave them in exchange for Leo and Rio’s shifting, didn’t you?’ Moon asked.

There was a soft chuckle in his mind.

[Moony, you are now bargaining with me? Fine. I did indeed give them for the successfully awakened two wolves inside them. There is nothing free in any world. Power comes with heavy responsibility, and rewards come from effort. So, why would I reward you now?]

Moon became silent. He didn’t have any answer. Nothing is indeed free in any world.

His weight shifted from one leg to another. The burning was healing, and it didn’t feel like pricking now.

’Pricking, right?’ he thought absentmindedly.

Suddenly, he had a bizarre idea.

’Can I just bite them on the mark and coat them with my core essence to temporarily block the Alpha’s imprint? It seems the witch could not break my spiritual qi, and maybe the Alpha’s sense will also be blocked.’

There was a moment of silence, then a curious voice rang in his mind.

[You can try it.]

’Really?’ Moon became ecstatic, figuring out something.

And he quickly went to the people sitting on the rocks.

"Where is your pack mark?" he asked them.

Axe unbuttoned his tunic. Under the dim, orange candlelight, his chest muscles were prominently defined—solid, tanned, and lean.

Moon’s breath caught for a split second before his eyes narrowed in tension.

"Here," Axe pointed to his right chest.

And then, all of Moon’s excitement vanished in a gloomy air.

’Don’t tell me I have to bite on his chest!’ he looked at the silver wolf mark on Axe’s right chest muscle—shining brightly even in dim light—and asked in his mind.

[It’s just a chest. Don’t you find it squishy to bite on?]

Moon didn’t answer her. He ignored her voice and stood in front of Axe.

His gaze fixed on the mark—A powerful and dangerous aura emanating from the silver lines. It repulsed his every sense.

Nox and Ugo stopped talking.

Chika and Goritti also watched him from the side and unknowingly stepped near the brothers.

The cavern was quiet, thinking of the approaching dangers around the pack mark removal.

Vadira shifted from his leisure pose.

They all looked up at Moon eagerly and watched intently whether he really removed the mark, doing the impossible to be done and, most importantly, whether the brothers could still survive.

Axe’s fingers tightened around the machete hilt—ready to offer, but he also wasn’t in a hurry to be slaughtered.

He quite liked being stared at.

"Moon?" Ugo called, his voice soft and raspy. He was holding the two pups. "Can you?" he didn’t finish, but Moon understood the implication.

Moon stood still. He lifted his hand, and his fingers pointed at the wolf’s head as if wanting to touch but was scared. His fingers twitched.

Moon looked at it for a few seconds. His heart was beating fast. It was the first time he was going to directly counter any power in this world, and it was also the first to attempt to bite a man’s chest. He felt shame despite the situation not being that kind. He had to do it for the Inevitable.

There was no other way to escape.

’Just a bite. I just need to coat it,’ he thought. ’You can do it, Moon.’ He prompted himself.

He forced his mind to be cold. His fingers touched Axe’s skin and sent a thin strand of spiritual Qi. And indeed, he felt a repulsive power force his spiritual Qi out.

Axe groaned in pain the moment the spiritual energy touched the mark. But didn’t move.

He didn’t even look away.

He just stood there, waiting for Moon to do whatever he planned. His gray eyes were deep and perhaps excited.

Moon closed his eyes for a short second, then opened them.