Chapter 89: The Werewolf Transformation Arrives Early

The party lasted until after seven in the evening, when the adults from the three families were the first to take their leave. Michael and the other two children refused to go, insisting they wouldn’t leave until nine o’clock, so their parents had no choice but to let them stay.

Nick and Eddie were also preparing to leave when Chief Hope secretly pulled them aside by the shore to recount the events of the previous night and seek their assistance.

Lin Xiao did not object to this; after all, there was strength in numbers. With Zoe still missing, having two more capable allies would increase their chances if they ended up facing Lestat’s revenge.

In fact, from the moment Chief Hope invited them, it was clear what his real aim was—surely the matter of last night. Otherwise, given their distant relationship, at most as colleagues, he would never have invited them to such a private gathering.

“So you mean you’ve been targeted by a marquis of the vampires? That’s quite a mess,” Nick said with a frown. He and Eddie’s abilities were at best equivalent to a first-tier extraordinary, while a vampire marquis had long since reached the second tier, making him a formidable opponent.

Moreover, the vampires were powerful and well-known in the underworld. Even the Sacred Sanctuary Church hesitated to provoke them, let alone ordinary people like themselves.

Seeing their hesitation, Lin Xiao approached and lowered his voice. “I won’t ask for your help for nothing. I’ve already made contact with Zoe, an intermediate witch from the Coven—she’s now Eleven’s tutor. Last night, a Blade Warrior named Eric also sought me out and took Dustin as his apprentice. Our side is not without its own strengths. Besides, if you’re willing to help, I can supply you with some extraordinary materials. For instance, take a look at this.”

With that, Lin Xiao took out two pieces of magic essence, refined from the remains of Second Dog earlier that day, and handed one to each of them, gesturing for them to swallow it.

The two studied the magic essence in their hands, hesitating for a moment. In the end, Nick was the first to swallow his portion, while Eddie watched him closely for any reaction.

A moment later, Nick suddenly clutched his stomach and cried out. Eddie, thinking they’d been tricked, prepared to act, but Nick held up a hand to stop him, exclaiming in delight, “This is good stuff! I can feel my extraordinary power increasing, just a bit, but if I keep taking this over time, I’ll definitely reach the second tier.”

“What? It’s that effective?” Without another word, Eddie downed his own. After sensing the change for a moment, he too looked up in surprise and cried, “It really works! Not by much, but my power has definitely grown. Do you have any more of this?”

Lin Xiao took out four more, giving each of them two, and said, “Consider this an advance. If Lestat comes, I hope you’ll back us up. I can refine more of this extraordinary material with magic, and you’ll never be short of it as long as you help.”

Nick and Eddie, being outsiders, could not be expected to risk their lives without incentive. Only by letting them benefit would they be willing to take action. Luckily, on a whim, Lin Xiao had broken down the remaining seven Second Dogs today to get more magic essence, enough to strengthen his allies and secure their commitment.

Ah!

While the four were talking, a sudden scream rang out, seemingly from the yacht. Lin Xiao rushed toward the boat, with Nick and the others close behind.

Boarding the yacht, they saw Michael and Lucas sprawled on the cabin floor, clutching their bodies and writhing in agony, their mouths emitting piercing cries that sounded almost like wolves howling.

Eleven, Will, and Dustin stood nearby, frightened and helpless. Seeing Lin Xiao arrive, they hurried over, pleading for help.

“This is bad—they’re about to transform into werewolves,” Eddie said urgently. As a werewolf himself, he recognized the signs at once.

“What’s going on? Didn’t you say they wouldn’t turn until the full moon next month? How can this be happening now?” Lin Xiao asked, puzzled. He had thought the full moon was still a ways off and hadn’t planned for this possibility. Thankfully, with Eddie and Nick present, they would know how to handle the situation.

“Hurry! Get them back and lock them in a room, or once they transform, they’ll go berserk and it’ll be easy for them to break free and cause a bloodbath,” Nick quickly advised.

Without hesitation, Lin Xiao picked up the struggling Michael, while Eddie grabbed the young black man Lucas—though with much more difficulty, getting kicked several times as he clung tightly to him—and they hurried off the boat, carrying the boys up the gangplank and toward the haunted house as fast as they could.

They made good time, reaching the house quickly. Lin Xiao pulled out the key and opened the door, Michael thrashing wildly and shouting, a terrifying sight. Fortunately, Lin Xiao’s strength was more than enough to keep him under control, holding him fast no matter how he struggled. Eddie, however, was having a much harder time, barely managing to restrain Lucas and wincing in pain from repeated kicks.

Eleven and the others ran to catch up, but just then, disaster struck. A dozen or so dark figures suddenly leaped down from the walls surrounding the haunted house yard, encircling them.

These men were all strong and agile, both black and white, their eyes fierce and hostile—their intentions clearly anything but friendly.

Chief Hope and Nick drew their pistols, shielding Eleven, Will, Joey, and Dustin, but with nearly twenty assailants surrounding them on all sides, it was impossible to protect everyone.

Lin Xiao’s heart sank; he assumed these were Lestat’s people—but then a tall figure stepped forward, facing them in the lamplight. To Lin Xiao’s surprise, it was not Lestat at all but Lucien, the leader of the werewolves.

“It’s you, Lucien! So you’re behind this?” Nick exclaimed, suddenly understanding that it was Lucien who had caused the two boys to transform early.

“Of course it was me. I had my men sneak into the hospital and mix our tribe’s sacred medicine—the juice of the Blood Wolf Flower—into their potions, shortening the time until their transformation to less than a week,” Lucien replied coldly, his eyes boring into Lin Xiao with a look of utter confidence. He pointed at Joey and the others and said, “Hand those two over and I’ll let you go for now. If not, at my command, your loved ones will be torn limb from limb.”

The dozen or so brawny men flexed their fists, knuckles cracking, their shirts stretched tight by the muscles beneath, each looking like a bodybuilder—obviously all werewolves, ready to transform at a moment’s notice.

“I’m curious—why are you so intent on getting these two back? You’ve gone to quite some lengths. Normally, you wouldn’t go to all this trouble for two ordinary human kids, even if they’d been bitten. Let me guess—it’s because one of them is special. No, more accurately, it’s Michael you’re after, isn’t it?” Lin Xiao said calmly, analyzing the situation without a hint of panic.

Lucien’s face darkened; he hadn’t expected his true aim to be seen through so easily. But it didn’t matter. After all, once they handed over the boys, the others would soon be dead, and the dead tell no tales.

“Hmph, so what if you know? To deal with you, I’ve issued a summons and called every werewolf in Indiana—this is our full force. No matter how strong you are, you can’t withstand the tide of my wolf pack. Hand them over, swear loyalty to me, and perhaps I’ll let you live on as wolf slaves. Otherwise, what awaits you will be the cruelest punishment—dismemberment,” Lucien said coldly, his tone leaving no doubt that he meant every word.