Chapter 57 The firstborn's claw;

Chapter 57 The firstborn's claw;
Elly stood between the two Alphas, her patience wearing thin from their competitive glares.

"Enough! Stop this nonsense. I'm going to figure out what 'the firstborn's claw' actually means. You two behave yourselves," she said. She turned her back and headed for the books.

Kael's eyes were locked on Joe's. His teeth were clenched, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

Joe, meanwhile, had his back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, speaking calmly.

"I knew you were old, but I didn't expect this much," he said.

Kael's eyes narrowed. He was annoyed by Joe's empty talk, but he didn't care enough to waste a reply on him.

Joe continued, laughing.

"Should we call you grandpa now? Or maybe uncle?"

Kael shook his head and looked away, as if to say, "What is this idiot talking about?"

But Joe had no intention of stopping. Shamelessly, he burst out laughing.

"And on top of that, you married a hot twenty-six-year-old. Good for you, grandpa!"

Kael closed his eyes. He was growling with irritation. He took a deep breath and began to speak in a cold voice.

"Listen here, you brat. I've bathed in Homay's light that now flows through your body. I could kill you with one arm. Don't push your luck."

He paused. The anger in his voice gave way to a weary resignation.

"You're my wife's brother in this life. I'm trying to behave. But even I have my limits," he said. He turned his back and walked over to Elly.

Elly was flipping through the pages of the book. Suddenly she stopped, pressing her finger to a line.

"I found it! No cutting off hands or arms," she shouted and rolled her eyes toward Joe. Joe responded with a mocking shrug.

Elly turned to Kael.

"We need one of your claws. Your nail. I'm going to use it," she said.

Kael let out a deep breath. He closed his eyes. He awakened the ancient wolf within him. His eyes glowed with that amber light. Golden mystical colors spread across his body like a river flowing through his veins.

Elly murmured to herself, unable to take her eyes off him.

"Wow... breathtaking."

Joe let out a jealous growl and whispered into Elly's ear.

"He's putting on a show, old man! So what? My eyes glow blue too."

Elly shot him a look that said, "Shut up." Joe grumbled to himself and eventually fell silent.

When Kael's claws took on their wolf form, he extended his hand. All his nails had grown long. They gleamed sharp, cutting, dangerous.

Elly suddenly felt anxious. She hadn't thought about how they would remove the nail. Her voice trembled slightly.

"Okay, but... how are we going to take it out? I never thought about that."

Kael didn't answer. He took a deep breath. With a less than pleased expression on his face, he opened his eyes. Then he extended his hand toward Joe.

Joe's face lit up like a spoiled little child.

"I knew you wouldn't deprive me of this pleasure, old man," he said, wrapping his fingers around Kael's hand. With one swift move fueled by wolf power, he pulled the nail out by the root.

Kael's face twisted. He tried not to show the pain, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes gave him away.

Elly had never gotten used to this kind of thing. Even the sight of a little blood was enough to make her panic. "Eww!" she cried and covered her eyes.

Kael slowly pulled his hand back. Joe, with the triumphant air of a victorious child, raised the nail in the air.

"Here you go, guardian lady," he said, extending it toward Elly.

Elly looked with one eye. The nail was covered in blood. She reached out with a trembling hand.

"Fine, I'll handle this," she said, taking the nail and moving away. She headed to the table to get the sacred rune book.

Joe, despite Kael constantly bullying him by calling him bad blood, didn't actually hate him. So he went to the kitchen and grabbed a cloth. He handed it to Kael.

"Here, we wouldn't want you to bleed to death, old man," he said with a knowing grin.

Kael took the cloth with a stern expression and began wrapping his finger. He didn't say a word.

Joe walked over to Elly.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Elly nodded. She had wrapped the nail in a cloth. The ancient book was tucked under her arm.

"I'll lead the way. You take Elly," Kael said, heading toward the exit of the mountain house.

Joe took Elly's hand and gently kissed it. "Milady, I shall be your escort on this flight," he said.

Elly laughed. "Thank you, kind sir," she said.

A moment later, Joe was in his wolf form with Elly on his back. Kael, also in wolf form, was leading the way, showing the path.

The three of them set off together toward the waterfall grotto.

Would they make it in time before Liam lost his humanity?

Meanwhile, at the Ancient Willow, Eva had already gone into a trance to connect with her Rose ancestors. Her eyes were closed, her body motionless. But her soul was far, far away.

Asia, on the other hand, was enjoying the spring weather inside the paradise garden, despite the cold outside. She lay on her back on the lush green grass, gazing up at the deep blue sky. The sun was warm, the wind still. She hummed a sweet melody from centuries ago.

Then she laughed and muttered to herself.

"Honestly, these witches have it good. No dampness of the waterfall grotto, no darkness of the cave. Magical creatures always live in paradise."

She pulled another apple from her pocket. Just as she was about to bite into it, a smell reached her nose.

At first, she ignored it. What could possibly smell bad in this paradise garden? But the smell came again. Stronger. More familiar.

She lifted her head. She narrowed her eyes. The smell was coming from outside. From beyond the Ancient Willow.

Asia sat up. She took another deep breath. This time, she was sure.

That smell seeped into her lungs. It reminded her of centuries ago. The flames that burned her village. The screams of her family. The last breath of her wolf clan.

How could she ever forget that smell? That smell had ruined her life.

"Demons!" she snarled.

She clenched her teeth.

"No..." she murmured. "They can't be here. They can't enter here."

She quickly looked at Eva. Eva was still in her trance. Unaware of anything.

Asia stood up. Her eyes had begun to glow red. She looked around, searching for an exit, but there was none. She didn't know what kind of magic protected this paradise garden inside the Ancient Willow. But she knew one thing: Eva was the key. She couldn't get out without Eva.

Could the demons get in?

Then a memory flashed before her eyes. When she and Eva had left the waterfall grotto. As they made their way down the mountain road, she had heard an ominous hum in the distance. She hadn't understood it then. She had even asked Eva, "What's that?" Eva had laughed and said, "Electricity poles."

But now she understood.

That hum had been the growl of demons. They had been following them all along. Waiting.

Asia's eyes widened.

"They wanted you to bring them here..." she whispered, looking at Eva.

She swallowed. Now there was only one person who could protect Eva. And that was Asia.

She extended her claws. She bared her teeth. Red halos blazed in her eyes like fire.

"If you're so curious, then come in," she growled. "There's a wolf waiting for you here."

But deep down, she knew. How many demons could she hold off alone? She had no other choice. She would guard this gate until Eva woke up.

The smell from outside grew stronger. The demons were getting closer.

Asia took one last look at Eva. Still motionless.

"Hurry up, witch girl," she whispered. "Or we'll all be bathing in demon blood."

And she waited. Claws ready. Heart beating a wild rhythm.

It seemed war was near...