Shana adjusted her snake-scale patterned bodysuit.

She thought this deep red tight-fitting outfit must be drawing the guard's attention—ever since she'd put it on, he kept "accidentally" brushing against her.

He's like a clumsy rat eyeing tasty bait. Shana wanted to laugh.

The witch let Fito's fingers wander along her waist—she'd worn the bodysuit for mobility, but it had an unexpected side effect.

"Had enough?" Shana turned to the guard, grinning.

Fito coughed and pulled his hand back. "Uh, well… uh…"

"Fito, you're leaning so close, you must have something to ask me, right?"

"Ah, yes! Yes, exactly!"

"Then ask away!"

"Uh… have you considered moving to Windward Slope?"

Shana's face darkened instantly. Her good mood was ruined by that one sentence.

What a huge, stupid rat!

She snapped, "No! I'm staying right here!"

"But the main force is over there…"

"I don't want to be with Lei! Don't you know that?!" She rolled her eyes at him.

"I know… but there are so few people here. I'm worried…"

"There's nothing to worry about! Everyone here is someone I trust! The other side has more people, but there's a wolf hiding among them!" Shana pouted. Suspicious people weren't just limited to Lei. She huffed, "If you don't want to stay with me, go join them!"

"Sis Shana, how could I? I'm definitely on your side!" The guard grinned sheepishly. "It's an honor to stand guard here with you."

Hearing that, most of Shana's anger melted away, but she still pretended to be mad and pinched his arm hard.

"Cut it out! You're just here to take advantage of me!"

Fito bared his big white teeth. "Sis Shana, can you blame me? You look so sexy. I can't help it."

"How sexy?"

"So sexy… I can't take my eyes off you."

Shana giggled, wrapping her arms around Fito and whispering in his ear, "I love your little mischief. It's like tasting honey—sweet all the way to my heart."

Fito lifted Shana's delicate face and leaned in. Their faces drew closer and closer.

Just then, several sharp musket shots echoed from the far end of the valley, shattering the moment of tenderness.

"Gunfire!" Shana's eyes widened.

"It's coming from Windward Slope!"

They jumped to their feet instantly.

"Sis Shana!" Yun jumped out from behind the Ghost Rock on the other side, calling out, "Is it the wolf army?!"

"The main force is under attack! We need to go help!" Shana straightened her bodysuit.

"I made some crude poison vials! They won't kill wolves, but they'll make howl in pain!" Yun handed over a few small round bottles. "Too bad we can't find mandragora in the north!"

"That's enough!" Shana took the vials. "We don't need to wipe them out—just harass them enough to throw them off!"

The shadowy valley of Ghost Hill gaped like a beast's bloodstained jaws. Fuzzy, unreadable runes were carved into the rocks on either side, filling the air with mystery. The north wind whistled through the cracks, a sound like the cry of ravens.

Shana led Fito, Yun, Chestnut, and Xu'er sprinting along the rugged mountain path, mentally mapping out her strategy:

Take the leader, and the rest fall.

When we reach the battlefield, I'll target the Wolf King with poison first. Fito will flank him. If we can take down the Wolf King, the battle is as good as won!

After a few leaps, Shana reached Windward Slope of Ghost Hill. She dashed down the gentle slope to the valley floor, and her eyes widened at what she saw. A pack of wolves knelt with their heads bowed, their claws sunk deep in the mud. The Golden Knights' Order, Frostwall Legion, and Hunter Musketeer Brigade had formed a triangular encirclement, trapping the wolves inside. Over a dozen wolf corpses lay scattered across the ground.

What… what's going on here? Shana froze.

Is the battle already over?

That was way too fast!

She was stunned. It had only been moments since she heard the gunfire, yet the fight was already done.

She scanned the scene. The wolves were packed tightly—roughly two hundred of them.

Are the Golden Knights and musketeers really that powerful?

Shana spotted the Rat Knight, whose sigil read Stalk the Night, Pluck Petals, standing on a rock with his golden sword. She leaped to his side.

"Rat Knight, what's the situation?"

"We won, mate!" The Rat Knight looked down at the valley. Though he was half the height of a man, he exuded the aura of a seasoned general. "The wolf army walked right into our ambush. The Golden Knights blocked the front, the musketeers covered the rear, and the Frostwall Legion sealed the flanks. The wolves had nowhere to run, so they surrendered."

"Surrendered? Are wolves really that cowardly?" Shana couldn't believe it. There were so many wolves, yet none had tried to break out.

If the wolves had fought their way out, we might have won, but it would have been a costly victory.

"If they'd fought hard, we might not have stopped them, but they missed their chance." The Rat Knight pointed to a captured wolf below. "That's their leader. As soon as we surrounded them, he yelled for surrender. The pack fell into chaos: most didn't know what to do, a few dropped their blades, and some tried to fight back. We killed the stubborn ones, and the rest lost their will to fight and laid down their arms."

Shana stared at the wolf commander.

That's not the Wolf King.

He looked like an ordinary wolf.

The only thing that set him apart was his slightly shorter tail.

The witch's brow furrowed. Something was very wrong.

The wolf army had just broken through the Frostwall—their morale should have been sky-high. A commander should be full of fighting spirit, so why surrender just because of an ambush?

How could such a cowardly little wolf become a commander?

Just then, Fito jumped down into the valley, kicking up a cloud of dust. His eyes were fixed on that wolf.

"Fito!" Shana hopped over to him. "What are you looking at?" Aren't you looking at me?

"You…" Fito kept staring at the wolf, his eyes unblinking. His brow creased, and a thoughtful look crossed his face.

"Fito, what are you thinking?"

Fito leaned close to Shana's ear and whispered, "When I was trapped under the stone pillar in the Oval Hall, about to die, he moved the pillar and saved my life."

Shana's eyes widened in shock. She stared at the wolf.

He knelt on the ground, his head bowed, his dark gray eyes empty of emotion.

"Hey! What's your name?" Lei walked up to the wolf, her leather armor clinking softly as she moved.

Who does she think she is? Shana turned her head away. She hated the knight's arrogant attitude.

"Ali." The wolf slowly lifted his head. His eyes were like mist-shrouded deep pools, hiding secrets no one knew.