Chapter 5 Four

The ancient castle stood under a blood-red sunset.

Jace looked coldly at the golden-furred wolf.

The large wolf stood high on the castle's turret. In the suddenly gusting wind, it arched its thick back, baring terrifyingly white, sharp fangs-fangs that could sever a grown man's neck with one bite. Its cold, sharp claws gleamed with an icy aura capable of shattering one's will, accompanied by a chilling howl that struck fear into the heart.

Yet, faced with all this, Jace merely wore a cold, mocking smile, showing no trace of panic.

The moment the wind died down, the golden wolf launched a swift and fierce attack. Its momentum was unstoppable, its movements flawless. With its mouth wide and claws extended, it descended upon the standing Jace. Jace didn't dodge, evade, or hide. He simply raised his right hand, which had been behind his back all along.

In his hand was a drink-just a glass of wine. A very common, ordinary white wine. But seeing the white wine, the wild wolf reacted as if it had seen a ghost, its expression changing drastically. However, the attack was already underway; there was no turning back.

As if in a slow-motion film sequence, the white wine splashed onto the wolf. Immediately, the imposing large wolf transformed mid-air back into a tall man-a completely naked man. The sudden change back to human form left him disoriented. Not only did his sneak attack fail, but he also fell heavily, bruised and battered.

"One hundred and eight times."

Jace casually picked up a large towel from the back of a chair, walked over to Jack who was lying on the ground, gave him a couple of hard kicks with his foot, and then threw the towel at him.

"Jack Folger, this is your one hundred and eighth sneak attack on me." He crouched down, removing his sunglasses. The sun had dipped below the horizon, improving his mood, even though he had to face his friend's ambush. "When will you ever get tired of this game? I'm exhausted."

"I told you, I'm not playing! I'm serious!"

Jack's angry tone was laced with intense frustration. It was this quickness to anger, this hot temper, that made him seem more childish compared to Jace, who was the same age but far more composed.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Jace asked, puzzled, kicking his resentful friend again. "Let me guess the reason you feel you must kill me..."

He stroked his chin, sitting down in front of Jack, seriously contemplating.

"You're a peace-loving Libra, not easily angered, but when you are, it's earth-shattering. What could cause you to lose control, act irrationally, and abandon reason like this? Could it be..." He raised a well-defined eyebrow. "...for love?"

Instantly, Jack's cheeks flushed as red as the sunset that had just sunk behind the mountains.

"Loving someone is a good thing, Jack," Jace said, reaching out to pat his friend's shoulder sympathetically, a look of regret on his face. "But you shouldn't have fallen for me. There's never been a case of homosexuality in our vampire lineage, and I certainly don't want to become an anomaly for your sake. I can only appreciate your feelings from a distance..."

"Go to hell, you!" Jack burst out laughing and punched Jace in the chest, cutting him off. "You lunatic, narcissist! A ghost would fall for you before I did, you arrogant, self-righteous vampire!"

"Good that it's not," Jace said indifferently, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "That means I don't have to apologize for my overwhelming charm where you're concerned."

Jack glared, speechless with anger.

"Tie the towel around you." Jace's ears twitched slightly, and he stood up. "My sister's coming."

He straightened his tall, robust frame. His naked, masculine body was full of a wild, untamed aura, like a wolf or a leopard, both awe-inspiring and intimidating. His skin tone, unlike Jace's deathly pallor, was a sun-kissed, even wheat color, healthy and dazzling. Paired with his striking features, he truly resembled the Sun God from Greek mythology.

After standing up, Jack glared coldly at Jace. It was clear he was less concerned about the arrival of Jace's sister, Daphne, and more about why Jace's hearing had surpassed his.

"Why did you hear her first?" He frowned, pinching his own ear. "Why does a stinky bat have better hearing than a wolf?"

"Of course, otherwise how could I have avoided your 108 sneak attacks?"

Seeing Jack standing there completely naked, unconcerned, and only focused on their rivalry, Jace narrowed his eyes and scanned him up and down.

"Dear Jack, if you're trying to use this opportunity to make me accept the fact that you've grown up, then congratulations, you've succeeded. And if you're trying to compare 'size' with me, please choose another time and place later. For now, hurry up and put on the towel. We're eighteen; we should be past the age of immature showing off."

Jack snorted coldly at him. "Don't worry. You might hear fast, but my timing is definitely more accurate than yours."

As he spoke, he casually twisted the towel around his waist. Sure enough, the moment he finished, twelve-year-old Daphne appeared before them.

"Dinner's ready!" Daphne smiled, her eyes squinting, but that smile was directed solely at Jack.

---

At the dinner table, Jace's mother, Sherry, smiled and addressed Jack, "Jack, have you been busy lately? It seems like a while since we've seen you."

"Jack isbusy," Jace lifted his eyes from his soup bowl. "He's busy eliminating his enemies."

The comment nearly made Jack choke on his bread.

"Jack!" Daphne leaned forward enthusiastically. "You have enemies? Do you need my help? Don't underestimate me," she said proudly, tilting her cute, upturned nose. "I've learned a lot recently at the magic academy!"

As she spoke, she snapped her fingers, commanding the pepper shaker to fly up and sprinkle pepper into Jack's thick soup. But she miscalculated, knocking over the shaker. The wind carried the fine pepper particles, and the unfortunate victim was Dr. Hill Black, Jace's father, sitting at the head of the table.

Sneezes erupted immediately. The poor Dr. Hill suffered for a long time, clutching his napkin.

"Such impressive magic, such terrifying pepper kung fu," Jace remarked drily, looking at his sister. "Danny, with your divine skills protecting him, Jack's enemies are sure to die horribly."

Hearing the sarcasm in her brother's voice, Daphne pouted and instead offered Jack a plate of boiled prawns.

"Try these, Jack. I cooked these prawns myself." As she spoke, she peeled a prawn and handed it to him. "Come on, don't be shy! Try it!"

A silver fork flew through the air, unabashedly hijacking the naked prawn.

"Brother!" Daphne's foot stomped viciously under the table. "That's not for you! It's for Brother Jack! Your hands aren't broken; if you want some, peel your own!"

"Don't think I'm just being difficult," Jace said irritably, chewing the prawn. "I have little interest in such poorly cooked prawns, clothed or not. I'm helping Jack. Danny, did you add wine to these prawns?"

"Of course, seafood naturally needs wine for flavor."

"Jack can't touch food with wine." He raised an eyebrow. "Jack is the student council president. Being a good student is his mission, his very life. So, he can't touch a drop of alcohol."

"Is that true, Brother Jack?" She directed the question to Jack.

"What Jace said is true, Daphne."

Jack nodded but had no intention of explaining to the young girl that touching red wine would turn him into a wolf, and white wine would turn him back. Besides his family, Jace was the only one who knew this secret.

He had first transformed unintentionally at the age of eight. Afterward, he searched through books for days but couldn't find a way to revert. Finally, after his parents and grandparents tried thousands of things, leaving him bruised and battered, they discovered the solution: white wine.

He was a werewolf whose transformation was triggered by red and white wine. Like other werewolves, the power of the full moon could enhance his strength. If he were willing to seize the opportunity each full moon, transform, and absorb the lunar essence, he could quickly become an invincible giant wolf. But he had no intention of doing so. He didn't need to become a wolf to grow strong; he preferred his strength to come from physical training and exercise.

To avoid unintentional transformation, Jack strictly limited any items related to alcohol in his life. The rules he set for himself were stricter than those of a Puritan. In others' eyes, he was an exemplary student who absolutely abstained from smoking and drinking. Only Jace and he himself knew the real reason.

The only times he willingly transformed, aside from occasionally venting his anger on Jace, were during the Mid-Autumn Festival nights when he became Simba to make Elsa happy.

It wasn't that he was ashamed of being a Therianthrope or disliked his wolf nature. It was just that when he transformed, he was naked. If he couldn't control reverting to human form within a safe environment, the next problem he'd face would be public nudity.

He was the famous student council president of Yates Academy, Yates' number one heartthrob, a top student with excellent grades, and a modern hero and role model for Italian schoolchildren. He didn't want one sudden public streaked to destroy all that excellence.

"Can't touch any alcohol at all?" Daphne's eyes widened in surprise. "Including cooking wine?"

"Yes." Jack nodded calmly. To avoid accidentally confusing red and white wine, he simply refused all of it.

"That's such a pity," she shook her head, regretful. "Then you'll miss out on the experience of raising a glass at a candlelit dinner, singing a love song, and proposing to the woman you love."

Daphne's words brought a moment of silence. Sherry blushed slightly, wondering how the little girl had found out about the classic scene of her father proposing to her back in the day.

Jace broke the silence, putting an end to the matter.

"Danny, you don't need to worry about that for Jack. It's his own business. No matter who his future proposal target is, it definitely won't be you, Daphne Black."

Hmph! I'll cut, cut, cut!

Daphne turned her attention back to the beef ribeye steak in front of her, channeling her hatred for her brother into the knife and fork.

Just wait, Jace Black! Once I master the magic that can change people's hearts, you'll all see what Daphne is capable of!

And my beloved Brother Jack will then become utterly devoted to me!

---

Next came the appearance of Annie, the sixteen-year-old orphan.

Annie was the same age as Elsa, but she looked like a twelve-year-old girl at most.

Standing side by side, Annie was a full ten centimeters shorter than Elsa.

In terms of features, her face, which could only be described as cute, was far less classically exquisite and softely beautiful than Elsa's.

Annie couldn't be considered a beauty, at least not when compared to Elsa.

But feelings and fate are never something one can control.

Annie wasn't beautiful but had her own unique charm and confidence. Additionally, she had a tender, apple-like face and full, sensual lips. These features unexpectedly captured the heart of Jace, the vampire descendant who never paid much attention to women.

And so, a love story between a vampire and an 'apple girl' began. Annie was initially reluctant to admit her feelings for Jace, until the life-and-death fencing duel between Jace and Jack.

After Jack's 109th sneak attack, Jace grew tired of the endless confrontations. He proposed a public duel to end Jack's persistent tangle.

The Caesar Hall was buzzing with excitement. The two top heartthrobs of Yates Academy, without helmets or protective gear, were engaged in a duel to the death where bloodshed would not stop unless one of them surrendered.

Watching Jace and Jack fight in the arena, Elsa's heart was in her throat the entire time.

She didn't understand her own feelings. She only knew both men were extremely stubborn. Surrendering in such a public setting would be harder for them than death. So, who did she hope would win?

Would she rather see Jace's blood or Jack's?

She saw Jace's cold, sharp sword cut Jack's shoulder and waist several times, drawing blood. Jack didn't even blink, as if he felt nothing, yet Elsa's heart ached inexplicably each time.

Suddenly, many scenes flooded her mind.

At the lakeside ice cream parlor, he had ordered a table full of ice cream for her. Back then, she had asked, "Aren't you afraid my tongue will go numb from all these choices, and I won't be able to tell what I really want?"

"Giving you so many choices is to prevent you from having the regret of missing out."

That's how Jack had answered. He always indulged her without limits.

After knowing him for so long, she had proposed, no less than a hundred times, to become his sister, but he had rejected every single one.

What had Annie said to her the other night?

"You think of him as a brother, but he doesn't think of you as a sister."

It was true. She had always taken Jack's goodness for granted, capriciously accustomed to it. She wasn't indifferent to him; she was just too used to his presence, like sunlight, air, and water. She had never considered that these three things could also disappear.

Until now, seeing Jack's blood flying in the duel.

"This duel might be because of you. If Jack defeats Jace publicly, maybe he'll have the courage to confess his feelings to you."

Annie had told her this days ago, but she hadn't taken it seriously.

Jack had always been seemingly indifferent to all girls, except for her. And how had she repaid him?

For three years, she constantly forced him to deliver letters, cookies, and gifts to Jace. The colder and more indifferent Jace was towards her, the more she wanted to conquer him. She was the school belle of Yates; shouldn't there be no man she couldn't conquer, right?

Was it this competitive spirit that made her overlook Jack's goodness towards her?

Was it this capriciousness that blinded her heart, making her repeatedly trample on Jack's feelings? Elsa raised her hands, pressing them together in an inverted triangle against her chest, closed her eyes, and whispered the incantation Jack had taught her: "MACHO MUCHE GUSTA". No one but herself knew what wish she made. A moment later, Elsa saw Jack's long sword thrust straight, straight into Jace's chest.

Why did this happen?

She murmured to herself, "I only wished for Jack's safety, but I didn't want Jace to get hurt because of Jack either!"

Amidst the stunned silence of the crowd, she let out a piercing scream.

Others thought that scream was for Jace.

But she knew clearly it was for Jack.

Jace's life or death wasn't the first thought that entered her mind. What she cared about was Jack's future.

At the most critical moment, a woman's love is, after all, selfish.

If Jace really died by Jack's sword, even if the duel had clearly stated no blame for life or death, Jack's remaining life would have to be lived under the pressure from public opinion of having killed his best friend and the excoriate of his own conscience.

Such an existence, for Jack, who was accustomed to being a heroic role model, would definitely be worse than death.

Elsa's stiff, cold body trembled slightly, for Jack, and for herself.

Only at this moment did she confirmed her true feelings.

If Jack ruined his happiness for life, then hers would be ruined too.

In the deadlock, Annie rushed onto the competitive stage. She first tried to suck and feed blood to Jace, then cried uncontrollably.

"Don't do this, Jace, don't do this to me! Don't leave before I've had a chance to tell you how much I love you!"

But what happened next was out of expected.

Jace, in Annie's arms, suddenly opened his eyes brightly. Not only did he open his eyes, but he also sat up. Then, nonchalantly, he pulled out Jack's long sword, stretched out his tongue, and, looking at the stunned Jack, licked the blood off the blade.

"Off by an inch, Jack. Remember, to kill a vampire, you must pierce the heart to be effective."

As if responding to Jace's words, the wound from which the sword was pulled instantly grew new flesh before everyone's eyes, sealing itself shut. The bloodstain remained, but the wound had vanished without a trace.

"You scoundrel! You did it on purpose! You almost scared me to death!" Jack jumped up from his stance and crouched down, punching Jace repeatedly. Jace smiled and didn't dodge, letting him vent.

"You bastard, I've already gone along with your idea to duel you publicly, let you win in front of everyone, given you everything you wanted. Aren't you satisfied yet?"

"Helping me?!" Jack glanced at the tear-streaked Annie and snorted. "Cut the act. You were helping yourself!"

The initially thrilling life-and-death duel ended with a laugh and sweet end.

Afterward, Jace and Annie left hand in hand sweetly. The crowd gathered dispersed. Jack directed the student council members to clean up the scene.

Then, Jack thought of Elsa. He turned to look, but her seat was empty. He knew she had been there until just before the sword thrust; he had even heard her terrified scream.

So, did she leave because she was angry that he had stabbed her beloved?

Or did she leave sadly after seeing Jace and Annie's intimacy?

A pang of sour hit his heart. Whatever Elsa's reason was, it certainly wasn't for his sake.

Despite this realization, Jack decided to go find her. Whatever she was thinking now, she needed a broad chest to lean on and rest her heart sadly. And this seemed to be the sacred mission upon which he, or Simba, survived.

But right now, where was his beloved girl?