Chapter 87: It’s not impossible

"Strange?" Liliana asked.

Cassian pushed Liliana into her room, then quickly closed the door.

"What is it?" Liliana asked, still unable to understand why Cassian had suddenly pushed her inside.

"Adrian and Alaric seem a little different," Cassian replied as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

Liliana followed him and sat on the bed after placing the lunchbox Cassian had given her beside her.

"Over the past few days, Adrian has seemed to have more and more difficulty controlling his emotions. The same goes for Alaric."

Liliana furrowed her brows. "Is that all? How can you call that strange?"

Cassian smiled faintly and shook his head.

"My instincts have never been that bad when it comes to predicting things. It’s as if something is slowly destroying them from within."

"Brother?"

"And they seem much more composed when they’re around Valerie."

Liliana furrowed her brows again. "Isn’t that normal? Besides, Valerie is the Luna they’ve chosen. It’s only natural for them to have better control over their emotions when they’re around their partner."

"Liliana, did you meet them today?"

Liliana nodded. "We ran into each other by chance in the academy library."

Cassian immediately looked at her seriously. "Stay away from them. Never talk to either of them when there isn’t anyone else around."

Liliana finally nodded after seeing that Cassian wasn’t joking at all.

Seeing Liliana obediently accept his warning, Cassian nodded in satisfaction.

"Don’t wander around at night. Stay in your room once night falls."

After giving her one final warning, Cassian stood up and promptly left Liliana’s room.

The next morning, Liliana stood in an area of the academy she had never visited in her life. Still wearing her academy robe, she stood alongside her classmates, observing the surroundings.

Not long after, a male instructor appeared in the form of a majestic yellow wolf. He approached the students and stopped right in front of them.

"Transform into your wolf forms," he ordered in the wolf language.

All the students immediately nodded and transformed.

Liliana was the last one. She carefully observed her surroundings before finally transforming into an ordinary gray wolf. Leonhardt had given her a spell that could alter the appearance of her wolf form so that it wouldn’t attract too much attention.

On the other side, Valerie glanced at Liliana with a mocking expression. She proudly swished her white tail, as if showing off how special she was.

A wolf’s fur color carried its own meaning and status in their society. White wolves like Valerie were considered rare and special. Aside from their beautiful appearance, they were also believed to possess hidden abilities that usually awakened only after they successfully completed their academy education, just when the dean removed the seal on each wolf’s power as a sign of graduation.

The instructor shifted his gaze away from Liliana and stopped on Valerie. He nodded in satisfaction after examining all the students standing before him one by one.

"Today, we will be hunting," he announced in the wolf language.

"Although we have an advantage when attacking in groups, the dean has recognized our weakness when facing the Nightfangs on the previous night. Therefore, he wants you to learn how to fight on your own and protect your own lives, without depending on how others attack or help you."

All the students held their breath. They were clearly shocked by his explanation.

The sons and daughters of Alphas who were not pack successors usually received training only in basic combat skills. Unlike those who had been chosen as their family’s successors, these future leaders underwent far more intensive and disciplined training.

Valerie, who had initially stood proudly with her chest puffed out, unconsciously took a step back and swallowed nervously.

The instructor smiled in his wolf form. It was a smile that instantly sent a chill down the spine of anyone who saw it.

"With the dean’s permission, I’ve decided to make a slight change to the rules of this hunt."

He lifted his head and looked at all the students with a calculating gaze.

"This time, you won’t be hunting animals or any other creatures. Because... I’m certain you would try to exploit every loophole in the hunting rules if I allowed you to proceed as usual. That’s why I’ve decided to change them."

The instructor paused for a moment before continuing in a lower, more deliberate voice.

"You will hunt one another."

The area immediately fell silent.

"Instructor, what do you mean?" one of the students asked.

The instructor let out a loud howl. In an instant, a necklace appeared around the neck of every student who had transformed into a wolf.

Everyone immediately lowered their heads to inspect the object that had suddenly appeared around their necks. However, the instructor’s voice stopped them.

"Don’t take them off here. The contents of your necklaces will remain a secret until today’s class ends."

He observed them for a moment before continuing his explanation.

"Inside each necklace is the name of another student. I’ve paired all of you with one another. The person whose name appears inside your necklace also has a necklace containing your name. Your task is to seize the necklace bearing your own name."

"Instructor, are those the only rules?" one student asked. "What if we work together and exchange necklaces so that each of us can obtain the one bearing our own name?"

The instructor smiled and looked at the student who had asked the question.

"Do you think I would let that happen without taking precautions?"

The students exchanged glances. They still had no idea what else the instructor had prepared to ensure the hunt proceeded according to his wishes.

"I’ve placed a spell on every necklace you’re wearing. Only one necklace in each pair can remain intact and unharmed. The other one is bound to be destroyed. So don’t even think about making the kind of exchange that was just suggested."

"Instructor, what if neither of us has the heart to take the other’s necklace?" another student asked.

"In that case, you’ll receive an E for this class. I’ll make sure you have to retake it next year."

Another student raised his head.

"Instructor, is there a chance that both necklaces in a pair could be destroyed at the same time?"

The instructor nodded.

"It’s not impossible. It could happen. That will occur when both of you refuse to surrender your necklaces and choose to fight instead. You’ll have to use all your strength. If the power you unleash against each other turns out to be evenly matched, both necklaces will be destroyed automatically."

"Instructor, does that mean we have to fight seriously? Even to the point of defeating our opponents, who are actually only temporary enemies in this test?"

The instructor looked at the student who had asked the question, then smiled faintly.

"What do you think?"