Celeste's heart almost leaped out of her throat when she saw Alan charging at Scarface. Her eyes widened in disbelief as the boy ran right into danger.
What was he doing here?! What did he think he was doing?! Didn't she tell him to run away?
Damn! Celeste cursed under her breath, feeling a surge of fear mixed with anger running through her veins. But most of all, she blamed herself. She should have made sure the boy was far away and safe first! She should have protected him! It was her duty! She would never forgive herself if anything happened to the boy.
As if things couldn't get any worse, Celeste watched in horror when the boy grabbed Scarface on his lower back and sank his teeth into his flesh.
"Fuck!" Scarface bellowed in agony.
Alan stepped away from the man, revealing a trail of blood seeping through the man's shirt.
The boy bit like a real wolf.
Then Celeste heard a dull thud. Following the sound to the ground, she saw Alan's father curled up in pain with his hands holding his stomach. Blood was oozing out from the gaps between his fingers, and his face was twisted in great pain.
Oh, Goddess… Celeste covered her mouth. Now she knew why Alan was back. The boy must have seen what the man was doing to his father. That was why he ran into Scarface and bit him fiercely on the back.
Scarface turned abruptly, his face contorted with unmistakable pain and rage. "You little fuck!" He hissed through gritted teeth, his eyes blazing with murderous intent as they looked down at the boy before him.
As he spun around, Celeste caught a glimpse of the glistening, bloodied knife in his hand, its tip pointed ominously toward the air. The sight made her heart race with fear. She was too afraid to imagine what horrible thing Scarface would do next.
Scarface was much taller than the little boy. Coupled with the knife he was holding and the sinister gleam on his face, even Celeste shivered.
A sudden jolt of realization of what he was doing seem to have hit Alan. Seized by terror, the boy froze in place. He was staring up at the rogue in front of him, and his body was visibly shivering. Celeste couldn't see his face, but she knew it must be filled with fear.
"Shit!" She cursed. She couldn't sit back and watched as Scarface hurt Alan!
"Nancy, you go and help others out," Celeste turned around and said to Nancy in an unwavering tone.
Without a second thought, Nancy nodded instinctively.
Celeste's words sounded in her ears and affected her as an order from the Alpha.
But that was ridiculous. Celeste wasn't her leader, and she hadn't even wolfed out yet. How could that be possible? Nancy didn't have the chance to ask, because Celeste was already leaving.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Nancy hissed, blood draining from her face. The straggler was not doing what she thought she was doing, right? "Do you have a fucking death wish?!"
But Celeste didn't bother to waste time answering her. She quietly and quickly circled behind the table.
In such a short time, Scarface was already on the boy's face, the knife in his hand threatening the boy's life. Frightened, Alan fell to the ground and fixed his big, watery eyes on the man towering over him.
She could never let the boy get hurt!
Celeste knew she had to act fast. She grabbed a plastic chair lying on the ground and slammed it hard onto Scarface's head.
As a weapon, the chair could do some damage to the enemies, but the damage was only limited. It shattered into pieces when connected with Scarface's head. But the force of the strike was enough to catch Scarface off guard and knock him on the ground with a loud thump. The knife slipped out of his hand and dropped to the floor.
Celeste charged forward and picked up the knife. She rushed over to Alan and brought him into her arms.
The boy was shaking.
"Don't be afraid, Alan," she whispered in a soft voice and held him closer. "I'm here. I'll protect you."
Scarface struggled to recover from the force of the hit. Celeste wondered if she should take the chance to sink the knife into the rogue before he got up and hurt them. But Alan was clutching her tightly as if she was his last hope. And Celeste wasn't sure if she was capable of cutting the man open, even if he was an enemy.
She was not a killer. But she would do whatever she could to protect her pack.
Her life had always been as calm as a tranquil lake, and she had never encountered anything remotely close to what she was witnessing now. The past suddenly seemed so distant and hazy, almost like a fairytale that she couldn't quite recall.
Scarface managed to get on his hands.
"Go, Alan. Don't come back this time." Celeste shielded Alan behind her body and said to him gently, though her eyes were locked on Scarface's every movement.
Alan shook his head. But when he realized that Celeste couldn't see him, he said, "No. I won't leave you with the bad guy."
"Just go! We don't have time for the bargain. Go!" She hissed, "You can't help much here. Only after you're safe can I deal with him without distraction. Hurry!"
Scarface stood up. As the blood trickled from his forehead, his scarred face now looked even more terrifying.
"You're a piece of work, bitch. You've got some nerves, but I promise you, you will regret this," his throaty tone was filled with ominous and malicious intent.
Celeste's eyes twitched, her heart pounding so hard that she was surprised it hadn't burst out of her chest. She held the knife tightly, knuckles white with fury and fear.
"Run, Alan!" Despite the fear, her voice was surprisingly calm. She was not asking him. She was giving an order.
Alan didn't argue this time. He ran away obediently.
Scarface let out a roar, his teeth sharpening, and his face becoming longer. Fur erupted from his skin and covered his body in just a matter of seconds. Celeste blinked, and then a fierce grey wolf was standing in front of her and snarling.